Jane Dodds

A Minister for Youth Affairs is needed to stop young people being driven out of rural life

By Jane Dodds | Fri 18th October 2013 - 12:34 pm

Jane Dodds BridgeIn our part of the world, rural Powys, driving is often the only practical way to get around, especially for young people. The proposals this week to improve young driver safety could have a severe impact on the job prospects and lifestyles of young people in rural areas like ours.

Montgomeryshire in mid-Wales is the least densely populated county in England and Wales; 59.3% of us live in isolated, rural hamlets and isolated dwellings. Getting access to health, education, housing and jobs is a challenge for anyone living in a rural community like this. Add on to that the challenge of being a young person and the barriers mount up.

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Tsar code of practice could have stopped Nick Clegg’s mistake with Caan

By Ruth Levitt and William Solesbury | Fri 18th October 2013 - 11:30 am

tsar 200The government’s growing use of tsars is not governed by the principles or rules that apply to other advice given to ministers. It is time for a code of practice. That could have shielded Nick Clegg from his mistakes over James Caan.

Nick Clegg has enlisted two social mobility tsars.

He appointed Alan Milburn as his Independent Reviewer on Social Mobility in 2010 and appointed him to the chair of the Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission in 2011. (Clegg welcomed the Commission’s report yesterday.)

Two years later, Clegg launched Opening Doors, which aimed to give more young people from poor backgrounds access to work opportunities on merit. In June 2013, he announced the Opening Door Awards and asked businessman James Caan to chair the panel of five judges. The awards are intended to recognise employers’ efforts to take on capable young people whatever their backgrounds; winners will be announced in November 2013.

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The Voice

A good night for Lib Dems at the byelections

By The Voice | Fri 18th October 2013 - 10:45 am

Three cheers to Michael Gee who gained Dalston in Carlisle from the Conservatives last night. The Lib Dems also held local council seats in the South Lakes and Luton. Congratulations to Annie Rawlinson and Clive Mead.

GAIN in Carlisle

dalston

HOLD in South Lakes

levens

HOLD at Luton

luton

 

Posted in Council by-elections and News | 11 Comments
Gareth Wilson

Nick Clegg’s position on benefits for wealthy pensioners is confused and needs clarifying

By Gareth Wilson | Fri 18th October 2013 - 10:15 am

Poverty LaneIn its first annual report, the Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission has proposed cuts in welfare for well-off pensioners, including currently universal benefits such as the winter fuel allowance, free bus pass and free TV license, proposing the money should be used to help children in poor families.

Proposing a fundamental shift in welfare support from pensioners to the young the report says:

We do not believe that favouring pensioners over their children and grandchildren will be a sustainable position over the long term if a meaningful dent is to be made in the UK’s high levels of child poverty and low levels of social mobility.

Writing in the Telegraph yesterday Nick Clegg welcomed the majority of this report but has rejected one particular aspect.

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Jeremy Browne talks to the Times on his sacking and not being a Tory

By Andy Boddington | Fri 18th October 2013 - 9:45 am

Clegg and BrowneIn today’s Times, Jeremy Browne reveals that he has been approached by senior Tories, including Grant Shapps, who “he suspects were seeking his defection” (£). He describes his sacking from the Home office as disorienting, puzzling and painful. He says that he received a black mark over the Go Home poster van row. The Telegraph’s Benedict Brogan, however, has tipped Browne for defecting and joining a future Tory cabinet.

Talking to the Times, Browne signals his dismay with Clegg’s effort to distance the Lib Dems from the Tories. He urges the party to take credit for the government’s “central pillars”: reducing the deficit, crime and education reforms, and also curbing immigration.

He says the party is a “shopping trolley that defaults to the Left” and accuses a “substantial number” of Lib Dems of being happy as a “peripheral force that campaigns against the Conservatives.”

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Ed Davey

Ed Davey writes… Keeping down household energy bills

By Ed Davey | Fri 18th October 2013 - 9:02 am

House of Commons at NightYesterday, I outlined why Labour’s energy policies would be bad for consumers, bad for tackling climate change and risk the lights going out.

However misguided Ed Miliband’s energy policies are there is no doubt that he was seeking to respond to the fact that many consumers are feeling the pinch through rising energy bills. The recent price increases by SSE and British Gas will hit consumers hard and I am afraid there will be more to come.

So what is our response?

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Caron Lindsay

Jo Swinson: “About to get on tube. Seat offers welcome….but I was happier standing yesterday”

By Caron Lindsay | Thu 17th October 2013 - 9:37 pm

The febrile world of Twitter has been a little obsessed with the fact that Liberal Democrat minister Jo Swinson, who is 7 months’ pregnant, was standing throughout Prime Minister’s Questions yesterday, with concerned political correspondents expressing outrage that nobody had offered her a seat.

Then the Daily Mail got in on the act.  Their attitude to women generally can be summed up as patriarchal nonsense. That’s not the word, I confess, I used earlier in a private LDV team discussion, but this is a family site.  I’ve written before about that awful phrase they tend to use about any pregnant …

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Mark Valladares

Baroness Zahida Manzoor’s maiden speech

By Mark Valladares | Thu 17th October 2013 - 5:22 pm

It is a tradition for LDV to bring its readers copies of our new MPs’ and Peers’ first words in Parliament, so that we can read what is being said and respond. You can find all of the speeches in this category with this link. Today, Baroness Manzoor made her maiden speech in the House of Lords during a debate on drugs policy. Her words are reproduced below.

My Lords, it is a real honour and a privilege to take my place on these distinguished red Benches. I have been overwhelmed by the sincerity of the welcome and the

…

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Caron Lindsay

Carmichael for leader in 2014? As likely as him giving up booze for a year, I’d say.

By Caron Lindsay | Thu 17th October 2013 - 4:15 pm

Carmichael Mark Darcy blogThere are occasions when political journalists get things so wrong that they make themselves look a bit silly. The BBC’s Mark D’Arcy has made me laugh with his latest blog in which he suggests that new Secretary of State for Scotland Alistair Carmichael might challenge Nick Clegg for the party leadership if we have a poor showing in the European elections next year, but this would happen some 4 months after the vote.

This is how the theory goes:

Faced with the prospect of devastation at the next general

…

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Norman Baker MP

Norman Baker MP writes… Proud of the Lib Dem record on crime prevention

By Norman Baker MP | Thu 17th October 2013 - 3:35 pm

Two weeks is a long time in politics. In a few days I’ve gone from high-speed rail, environmental issues, and cycling to anti-social behaviour, drug policy and tackling violent crimes. It was a fantastic opportunity to work in the Department of Transport, and I know Susan Kramer will make an excellent Minister. We have achieved a lot in a short period of time, and I know Susan will continue to develop positive, progressive and sustainable transport policies.

I am very pleased to have been appointed as Minister for Crime Prevention, and continuing the good work which Jeremy Browne has done in …

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The Voice

Nick Clegg welcomes Milburn social mobility and child poverty report

By The Voice | Thu 17th October 2013 - 3:09 pm

Oliver TwistPresenting a report laid before parliament today, the coalition’s social mobility tsar Alan Milburn said “child poverty is a problem for working families rather than the workless or the work-shy.”

Entrenched poverty remains a priority for action but transient poverty, growing insecurity and stalling mobility are far more widespread than politicians, employers and educators have so far recognised.

The nature of poverty has changed. Today child poverty is overwhelmingly a problem facing working families, not the workless or the work-shy. Two-thirds of Britain’s poor children are now in households where an adult works. The problem is that those working parents simply do not earn enough to escape poverty.

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Stephen Tall

New Ipsos-MORI poll: Nick Clegg’s leader ratings in 5 graphs

By Stephen Tall | Thu 17th October 2013 - 2:30 pm

Much excitement among Tories today at the arrival of a new Ipsos-MORI poll showing them drawing level with Labour – 36% apiece – among those who say they’re certain to vote. The explanation’s not too hard to hazard a guess at: the return of economic growth is gradually feeding through into a feel-good factor. (For more on this, see this excellent post by YouGov’s Joe Twyman: ‘“It’s the long term trends, stupid”: the Conservatives, Labour and the economy‘.)

However, it was some of the underlying IPSOS-Mori data concerning perceptions of the leaders which caught my eye… (All the graphs below …

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Caron Lindsay

Kennedy, Carmichael and Alexander visit Dunfermline as Susan Leslie’s campaign hots up

By Caron Lindsay | Thu 17th October 2013 - 1:32 pm

Dunfermline campaign Susan plus deliverersSusan Leslie’s spirited campaign to be the next Liberal Democrat MSP for Dunfermline continues to gather pace. So far, almost all of the party’s Scottish MPs and MSPs have been to visit. Charles Kennedy did a walkabout on Dunfermline High Street and Danny Alexander is expected in the constituency this evening. Leaflets have been flying out of the office.

Liberal Youth Scotland held an action day last weekend and Liberal Youth across the country have been making phone calls.

Campaigning was led by Jo Swinson last Saturday and new …

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Ed Davey

Ed Davey MP writes… Labour’s energy policy is a con

By Ed Davey | Thu 17th October 2013 - 11:58 am

Energy-bills-006“There is no such thing as a free lunch” was one of the first things I learnt in economics. But it seems that Ed Miliband thinks there is. He seems to believe that you can have freeze energy prices for 20 months with no adverse impacts. It may have seemed a politically smart thing to do leading into the traditional period of energy price increases. But it is likely to have really harmful consequences. In short, it’s a con.

Many commentators have already pointed out that energy companies will be free to …

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Euan Davidson

Opinion: Back Liberal Youth Scotland’s campaign to end gay conversion therapies in the UK

By Euan Davidson | Thu 17th October 2013 - 10:28 am

This year Liberal Youth Scotland decided to choose an issue which is relatively unknown  or underestimated in British public life for one of its campaigns. Gay cure therapies (or to give them their proper name reparative therapies) are when a psychiatrist attempts to alter a patients sexuality. This can be incredibly damaging to the “patient” as many are either pressured by family members into accepting “treatment” or see it as a last resort. When it becomes obvious that no “cure” is possible many become depressed and even suicidal. Substance abuse, self harming, depression and homelessness are all far more prevalent …

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Mark Wright

Opinion: Devil in disguise, new drug, same old lies

By Mark Wright | Thu 17th October 2013 - 8:55 am

There’s another new drug in town, and the System is being cranked up to counter its insidious spread. This drug is increasingly popular among the young, who consider it exotic and often try it when abroad. It’s called “The Devil in Disguise” in government propaganda, because of its supposedly devastating health effects – just one session of this drug is equivalent to smoking 100-200 cigarettes, so say the “experts”, and it can even harm nearby children.

What is it? Well, it’s the shisha water pipe (“hookah”), with tobacco. There is growing anti-shisha propaganda around, which I don’t have a problem with …

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Stephen Tall

Norman Lamb is surely right: pensioners who own their own homes and have more than £23,000 savings are ‘quite wealthy’

By Stephen Tall | Wed 16th October 2013 - 10:25 pm

“If someone as well as their home has substantial other assets, money in the bank, shares or whatever, should they be expected to use those assets to pay for care? Or should we say, we will always defer the costs of selling their home? If you’ve got a vast amount of money in the bank, you’re quite wealthy, it’s desirable that we protect that money but the scheme has to be affordable. If together with owning your own home, you have more than £23,000-odd in the bank, the question is should you be expected to use that money. You are

…

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Stephen Tall

The Labour party ‘Plebgate’ website they no longer want you to see

By Stephen Tall | Wed 16th October 2013 - 10:00 pm

Here’s the key question Labour was asking a few months ago: Who do you trust? The Police or Andrew Mitchell?

labour plebgate pic

According to an official police report, Conservative Chief Whip Andrew Mitchell said to a police officer:

“Best you learn your f***ing place … you don’t run this f***ing government … you’re f***ing plebs.”

Andrew Mitchell is denying it. But he won’t admit what he said. And David Cameron is choosing to believe the word of a Tory MP over the word of a hard-working police officer.

But, strangely, when you visit

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Employment: Jobs are growing – but there is a long way to go

By Andy Boddington | Wed 16th October 2013 - 5:15 pm

Employment trendsA million more people are in work compared to early 2010. The number of unemployed people in the UK has dropped by 18,000 in the last three months. And the number of people in jobs is at the highest level ever, according to the Office for National Statistics.

Liberal Democrat minister Steve Webb says:

The Liberal Democrats in government have helped business create more than a million private sector jobs, and now we are working to help create a million more… There is a long way to go, but the economy is on the mend and jobs are crucial to building a stronger economy in a fairer society that allows everyone to get on in life.

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Caron Lindsay

LDVideo: Norman Lamb says he’s on a mission for better mental health care

By Caron Lindsay | Wed 16th October 2013 - 4:00 pm

Norman LambNorman Lamb has given an interview to the BBC about mental health provision after a joint BBC/Community Care magazine investigation found that 1700 mental health beds had been lost in recent years. To his credit, there was no spin from him, no excuses. He simply acknowledged that the current situation wasn’t good enough, explained what he’s already done in terms of better community care and changing the NHS Mandate to give mental health parity with physical health and finally said what he was hoping to achieve in the future.

He said:

I know that there are problems and I’m absolutely determined that we address them. We owe it to people who have mental health problems that we provide them with the best possible care that’s available to them. There are some great examples of care around the country but there are too many failures. It’s because there is institutional bias against mental health which has to end…

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Newsmoggie

On Global Handwashing Day, Featherstone launches scheme to give 4 million access to clean water in Democratic Republic of Congo

By Newsmoggie | Wed 16th October 2013 - 2:59 pm

Lynne FeatherstoneIt’s easy to take our access to clean, safe water for granted. Whether it’s water to brush our teeth, drink or wash our hands after we’ve been to the toilet, free availability saves lives.

If you live in sub-Saharan Africa, on average, only 60% of people, not much over half, have access to safe water supplies. In the Democratic Republic of Congo the average is 46%, but in rural areas can be as little as 20%. It’s hardly surprising they’ve recently had a major Cholera epidemic to deal with. This …

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Casked Crusader battles zombie enterprises over “Great British Pubco Scam”

By Andy Boddington | Wed 16th October 2013 - 1:30 pm

The Casked CrusaderBeer. Don’t you love it? I do.

In the last 40 years, the brewing and pub industry has failed to be a drinker’s best friend. Small brewers built near local monopolies and went national. Prices went up, landlords got poorer, and the beer fouler. A quarter of a century ago, the Beer Orders were launched to breathe new life into our pubs. But the orders led to the loathed zombie pubcos, which have eaten away at the viability and traditions of our locals.

Enter Greg Mulholland, the Lib Dems pub and beer champion – also dubbed the Casked Crusader by the Sun. He took to the floor of the House of Commons on Monday night to continue the his crusade against the pubcos.

Not taking the right action now would be a disaster not only for many pubco publicans and the communities that stand to lose their local pubs, but for the recovering UK economy.

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Stephen Williams

Stephen Williams MP writes… Making self build accessible

By Stephen Williams | Wed 16th October 2013 - 11:56 am

Houses being builtI was honoured to be appointed as Liberal Democrat Communities and Local Government Minister in the recent reshuffle. As a former councillor and passionate advocate of localism, I am excited to take up my post in the Department for Communities and Local Government and hope to continue the good work of my predecessors Don Foster and Andrew Stunell.

At last month’s autumn conference in Glasgow, Don announced measures to open up the self build market to those on lower incomes.

 

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NewsHound

Farron, Huppert & Sanders say: Time to take a tough stand on biofuels

By NewsHound | Wed 16th October 2013 - 11:10 am

Biofuel BusIt’s World Food Day and Tim Farron, Julian Huppert and Adrian Sanders have joined Zac Goldsmith, Caroline Lucas and other MPs in a joint letter to the Guardian to condemn EU policy on biofuels.

Taking land out of food production – which is increasingly happening in Africa – pushes up global food prices, while bringing new land into production leads to drained wetlands, ploughed-up grasslands and razed forests.

The writers are concerned that first generation biofuels, crops like wheat and oilseed rape, are being used for transport fuel. These crops are an essential food for a rapidly expanding global population. The letter gives a blunt message to the European Union, which is currently debating the cap on biofuel use in transport fuel.

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Phil Bennion

Phil Bennion MEP writes: Manufacturers say Britain must stay in the EU

By Phil Bennion | Wed 16th October 2013 - 10:25 am

 EU flag - Some rights reserved by European ParliamentOn Monday, the UK’s manufacturing sector gave us a clear message. In Europe, in work. In a landmark report by the EEF, a trade association representing 6000 companies, manufacturers emphasised the importance of being part of the EU for their exports and business plans. 85% of firms surveyed would vote to remain in the EU.  One third said that they would be less likely to increase investment in Britain if we were to leave the EU.

Politicians across the political spectrum

…

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Michael Moore

Michael Moore MP’s Westminster Notes

By Michael Moore | Wed 16th October 2013 - 8:56 am

 Liberal Democrat MP Michael Moore writes a regular column for newspapers in his Borders Constituency. Here is the latest edition. 

A New Phase

Last week I was very grateful for all the very kind comments I received locally after finishing as Secretary of State for Scotland.

It was a huge privilege to serve as Scottish Secretary for over three years. The constitutional debate reached a rather critical point in that time and I am proud of the part I played in it as part of the government so far. I intend to continue to contribute, if from a different vantage point.

Delivering more powers …

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Posted in Op-eds, Parliament and Scotland | Tagged and | 3 Comments
The Voice

Nick Clegg’s message for Eid-al-Adha – “Countless acts of kindness”

By The Voice | Tue 15th October 2013 - 6:48 pm

Nick Clegg has recorded a message for the festival of Eid-al-Adha, whch ends tonight, in which he says:

The theme of sacrifice and generosity, which defines this festival, works to strengthen the ties between us. It reminds us all – both Muslims and non-Muslims alike – of the obligations we have to each other, especially those who are suffering.

He adds that Muslims will be helping people in their own communities and across the world in “countless acts of kindness.”

He also takes the opportunity to talk about the £100 million extra humanitarian aid which the UK Government has sent to help people forced to leave their homes as a result of the conflict in Syria.

You can watch the message, also available on You Tube,  here:

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Layla Moran MP

Opinion: League tables – Lib Dems deliver real change

By Layla Moran MP | Tue 15th October 2013 - 5:16 pm

schoolsignA quiet revolution happened last night that seems not to have made the front pages or even featured particularly prominently on Today. However, to me it represents one of the best examples of Lib Dems making a difference in education since being in government – and a genuine step in the right direction with regards to realising the potential in all students.

There is to be a massive shake-up of GCSE league tables which is designed to stop the ‘perverse incentive’ for schools focusing on the students close to the C/D border to maximise the number of students achieving A*-C grades. Thanks to David Laws and his work in the department of Education, league tables will no longer be measure on just 5 subjects but 8 subjects, which include the humanities and vocational subjects or arts. Schools will be measured not just by how students do at the end of GCSE’s but by how much progress was made between GCSE’s and the end of Key Stage 2 (about age 11).

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Norman Lamb MP

Norman Lamb writes: A huge leap forwards in delivering personal health budgets

By Norman Lamb MP | Tue 15th October 2013 - 4:04 pm

nhs sign lrgAt the heart of the Liberal vision of a fairer society is the belief that people should be in control of their lives – the belief that the state does not always know best.  For decades in the NHS and the social care sector, we have had a situation where the government will spend tens of thousands of pounds a year providing care for an individual, but giving that individual little or no control over the design and commissioning of their package of care.  We need to achieve a …

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George Kendall

Travel is permitted

By George Kendall | Tue 15th October 2013 - 2:48 pm

5th Oct Action Day 600x431In the dim distant days of early Spring 1997, I wanted to travel to a key seat.  But it was still outside the election period.  Could I summon the nerve to ring as a total stranger, and would I get a warm response?

I did, and it was a great experience.

But maybe there are others like me.  Wanting to offer help to their favourite MP, but unsure how an offer of help would be received.  The short answer is, of course, go for it!

However, perhaps those of us in strategic seats could do more to make that initial offer of help a little easier. This is exactly what originally inspired the Regional Action Day programme, and we want to do more of it.

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