Caron Lindsay

What are your rights if stopped by Home Office officials in the street?

By Caron Lindsay | Sat 3rd August 2013 - 11:38 am

I don’t often swear online. It usually takes an immense act of stupidity from a Formula 1 driver to incite me to do so, and the last time I tried that, the Chief Whip told me off mere seconds later. So profanity, even mildly, in a blog post is very unusual, particularly when directed at our leader. Which is why I did my little rant about these burly Home Office types turning up at tube stations and conducting checks on people’s immigration status on my own blog.

This is the second Home Office show of  disproportionate force in the last …

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The Voice

Lessons of Coalition (5): what do the Lib Dems need to learn form the first 3 years?

By The Voice | Sat 3rd August 2013 - 10:25 am

ldv coalition lessonsLibDemVoice is running a daily feature, ‘Lessons of Coalition’, to assess the major do’s and don’ts learned from our experience of the first 3 years in government. Reader contributions are welcome, either as comments or posts. The word limit is no more than 450 words, and please focus on just one lesson you think the party needs to learn. Simply email your submission to [email protected]. Today Caron Lindsay shares her thoughts.

That old “walk a mile in each others’ shoes” thing works

In the first few days of Coalition, I

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Posted in Op-eds | Tagged and | 9 Comments
Stephen Tall

Jim Messina and “the single most infamous congressional ad in contemporary history”

By Stephen Tall | Sat 3rd August 2013 - 10:00 am

The Conservatives have hired Barack Obama’s election strategist Jim Messina to advise on their 2015 general election campaign. The Guardian describes it as “a coup for the Tory team to have been able to hire a strategist who proved such a vital figure in Obama’s presidential campaigns in both 2008 and 2012.”

Those unfamiliar with Mr Messina’s work can watch an example of his kind of ad below. It’s from the 2002 Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee race between Max Baucus and Montana Republican Senate nominee Mike Taylor, and has been described by Salon.com as “the single most infamous congressional ad in contemporary history”:

Renowned in political circles, the ad set porno music to 20-year-old footage of a video from Taylor’s cosmetics business. The video showed Taylor in a leisure suit rubbing cream into another man’s face. As the spot faded to black, it showed Taylor then seeming to reach for the man’s crotch as a voice-over said “Mike Taylor — not the way we do business in Montana.”

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Posted in LDVUSA and YouTube | Tagged and | 2 Comments
Caron Lindsay

AD LIB preview – August 2013: bringing communities together, campaigning success and bringing up children in Parliament

By Caron Lindsay | Sat 3rd August 2013 - 9:20 am

AD LiB August 2013It’s been a few months since I’ve reviewed an AD LIB. Partly that’s because I’ve never got round to doing it, although there was one month, June, I think it was, when I almost spontaneously combusted while reading it on a train. If the dominance of articles about men wasn’t bad enough, the photographs were even worse. I counted something like 26 photographs of men to 10 containing any women at all.

And then there was the recipe. A whole crayfish and a whole lobster? Do they think we’re …

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Mark Pack

Opinion: Typing – an important skill that we neither teach nor require

By Mark Pack | Fri 2nd August 2013 - 6:30 pm

Recently I was sat in a GP’s surgery waiting for him to type out a prescription for me. Until that point I had been nothing but impressed with his patience and knowledge. Then I saw how painfully slowly he attacked the keyboard, poking at it with a few select fingers as if it was too hot to touch, swiftly withdrawing his fingers to safe distance after each quick poke at a key.

The prescription that rolled off the computer was accurate, so what was the problem save for a few extra seconds passed in chit chat whilst he did the fingers …

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Posted in Op-eds | Tagged , and | 35 Comments
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Ian Hurdley

Opinion: Can the bank bailout boost credit unions?

By Ian Hurdley | Fri 2nd August 2013 - 2:50 pm

LloydsTSB is now sufficiently strong that the current share price exceeds the price paid by the Government at the time of the bail-out. These shares can now be sold off and the money returned to the taxpayer. The sums are such that there is the potential to transform access to affordable credit for the most vulnerable in society – those hit hardest by the cost to the public of the original bail-out.

Poorer and vulnerable people have continued to suffer disproportionately ever since the bail-out, as incomes from low paid work or benefit payments lag behind inflation. They have faced a …

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Eric Avebury

Lord Avebury: Caste adrift

By Eric Avebury | Fri 2nd August 2013 - 10:30 am

The Government acknowledge that Caste discrimination in the UK is a fact. But they were not convinced that legislation against it was necessary until April, when they agreed reluctantly to make caste a ‘protected characteristic’ under the Equality Act. They appeared to be converted after suffering two defeats on the issue in the Lords and running out of time to complete their  programme for the session that was about to end.

But since then, Equality Minister Helen Grant has said plainly that she doesn’t agree with the proposal, defying the Cabinet Office Code which says that once a decision is made, …

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Posted in News and Op-eds | 9 Comments
William Summers

Opinion: The party needs a better nomination system for the Lords

By William Summers | Fri 2nd August 2013 - 10:05 am

Like many others, I let out a sigh of resignation when I saw that yet more appointments are being made to the unelected and unaccountable House of Lords. Nothing against the individuals receiving a peerage this week (some of whom I have known personally and all of whom I’m sure will be excellent representatives), but yet again it’s a fairly predictable mix of ex-MPs and party insiders.

Liberal Democrats are right to nominate their own choices for these positions – better off having an influence over a broken system than being excluded from it altogether – but it got me …

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The Voice

Lessons of Coalition (4): what do the Lib Dems need to learn from the first 3 years?

By The Voice | Fri 2nd August 2013 - 8:01 am

ldv coalition lessonsLibDemVoice is running a daily feature, ‘Lessons of Coalition’, to assess the major do’s and don’ts learned from our experience of the first 3 years in government. Reader contributions are welcome, either as comments or posts. The word limit is no more than 450 words, and please focus on just one lesson you think the party needs to learn. Simply email your submission to [email protected]. Today Nick Thornsby shares his thoughts …

Making a success of coalition government as a concept

Making a success of this coalition government meant two things for the Liberal Democrats. It …

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Posted in Op-eds | Tagged and | 12 Comments

Britain can’t cook, won’t cook. Should we care?

By Andy Boddington | Fri 2nd August 2013 - 7:05 am

A year ago we set up a tiny community garden on the verges of our barren car park. Not a great deal grew in the first season, but what we produced we tried to give away, sometimes without success.

“What will I do with it?” asked J as I offered him a bunch of dirty carrots. A few days ago, I got a glimpse inside J’s fridge. Everything was pre-packed, microwave or oven ready, accompanied by step-by-step instructions. J doesn’t cook and he is not alone.

A review for Defra by Best Foot Forward highlighted that one in six …

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Posted in Op-eds | Tagged and | 29 Comments
Caron Lindsay

New Liberal Democrat Peers: Has Nick got it right?

By Caron Lindsay | Thu 1st August 2013 - 7:00 pm

I will start by getting it out there that I just hate having to write this post. The very idea that the power of patronage exercised by 3 men, with a tiny fig leaf of scrutiny by a committee can choose people who make the laws I have to obey almost brings me out in hives. I can forgive Nick Clegg, because at least he tried to do something about it before he was defeated by the combined forces of Britain’s two conservative parties. While we’re stuck with an appointed second Chamber, it would be foolish for us to decide not …

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The Voice

So, who are these new Liberal Democrat peers, then?

By The Voice | Thu 1st August 2013 - 5:15 pm

Earlier today, we told you about the ten new Liberal Democrat peers. We thought you might like to know a little more about them.

Cathy Bakewell

Cathy was first elected to Somerset County Council in 1993 and has since gained expertise in a number of fields: fire and rescue, policing, equalities, safeguarding children and further education. Her appointment bolsters our local government experience in the Lords. She also served on Ruth Kelly’s 2007 commission which looked at the barriers to people becoming councillors. She may have similar ideas about addressing our under-representation of women in other areas.

Olly Grender

Olly Grender’s career has …

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Andrew Wiseman

Change of venue for Autumn Conference 2014

By Andrew Wiseman | Thu 1st August 2013 - 4:00 pm

There have been some changes to Liberal Democrat Conference in Autumn 2014.

We had originally been due to go back to Liverpool next year. However, our conference fell immediately before the Scottish referendum on September 18. In view of this we have had to move our conference to a different date so as not to interfere with campaigning for the referendum. This has also meant changing venues as Liverpool did not have any suitable availability. Instead, Glasgow are able to accommodate us, so we are pleased to be returning there.

Federal Conference Committee didn’t take this decision lightly and we …

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Posted in Party policy and internal matters | Tagged and | 25 Comments
Caron Lindsay

Danny Alexander announces plans to extend rural fuel derogation

By Caron Lindsay | Thu 1st August 2013 - 1:50 pm

petrol pumpIn 2010, Danny Alexander made sure that there was a commitment to fair rural fuel duty in the Coalition Agreement. Last year he was able to deliver on that, securing a 5p reduction in duty for remote island areas.

Now he wants to see if that can be extended. As a first step towards that, petrol retailers are being asked to supply details of the prices they charge .The Government will then use that information as the basis s of a further application to reduce the duty in those areas.

If …

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Judith Jolly

Baroness Judith Jolly writes… Welcome to our new Peers

By Judith Jolly | Thu 1st August 2013 - 12:20 pm

We heard this morning of new members swelling our ranks on the red benches in the House of Lords.

It seems only yesterday since I arrived in January 2011, fully expecting to serve only five or maybe ten years before standing down for those elected to the Upper House. We now know that it is not to be (yet!) but it was not for want of trying.

If I were to give advice it would be to get involved in something you know something about and something you know nothing about but find interesting. Join some all-party groups. Challenge our government …

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The Voice

New Lib Dem peers announced

By The Voice | Thu 1st August 2013 - 11:09 am

The new Liberal Democrat Peers, announced today, are:

  • Catherine (Cathy) Mary Bakewell MBE – former leader of Somerset County Council
  • Rosalind (Olly) Grender MBE – former Director of Communications for Shelter and former Director of Communications for the Liberal Democrats
  • Christine Mary Humphreys – President of the Welsh Liberal Democrats and former Member of the National Assembly for Wales
  • Zahida Manzoor CBE – Former Legal Services Ombudsman and Deputy Chair of the Commission for Racial Equality
  • Brian Paddick – Former Deputy Assistant Commissioner in the Metropolitan Police Service
  • James Palumbo – Co-founder and chairman of Ministry of Sound Group, the

…

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Stephen Tall

As economy begins to recover, Lib Dem members swing in favour of Coalition’s strategy

By Stephen Tall | Thu 1st August 2013 - 9:20 am

Lib Dem Voice has polled our members-only forum  to discover what Lib Dem members think of various political issues, the Coalition, and the performance of key party figures. More than 600 party members have responded, and we’re publishing the full results.

Lib Dem members swing in favour of Coalition’s economic policies

Thinking of the current state of the economy and the Coalition’s approach, which of the following statements is closest to your own view?
(Comparisons in brackets are with the last time we asked this question in March 2013.)

    15% (-5%) – Cutting the deficit isn’t enough: alongside public spending cuts,

…

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Posted in LDV Members poll | Tagged and | 7 Comments
The Voice

Lessons of Coalition (3): what do the Lib Dems need to learn from the first 3 years?

By The Voice | Thu 1st August 2013 - 8:03 am

ldv coalition lessonsLibDemVoice is running a daily feature, ‘Lessons of Coalition’, to assess the major do’s and don’ts learned from our experience of the first 3 years in government. Reader contributions are welcome, either as comments or posts. The word limit is no more than 450 words, and please focus on just one lesson you think the party needs to learn. Simply email your submission to [email protected]. Today Gareth Epps shares his thoughts …

Government: What’s Occurrin?

A couple of years ago I took a trip to Barry Island and went on one of the …

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Posted in Op-eds | Tagged and | 3 Comments
NewsHound

LibLink…Stephen Tall: We Lib Dems haven’t chosen our strategy. The voters have chosen for us

By NewsHound | Wed 31st July 2013 - 4:20 pm

Our Stephen has been writing at Conservative Home again. This time he’s looking at this idea, which sits uncomfortably with many Liberal Democrats, that we’re a party of the centre. He says we have little choice:

Yet the reality is it’s precisely because we are perceived to be moderate centrists that many of the electorate vote for us. And if we are to continue as a party of government – which almost three-quarters of Lib Dem members would like us to do – then we will have to do a deal next time with either the right-leaning Tories or left-leaning Labour.

…

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Helen Duffett

A Record of Delivery: Lib Dems’ new Achievements in Government booklet

By Helen Duffett | Wed 31st July 2013 - 3:49 pm

This morning Nick Clegg launched the Party’s new booklet: “A Record of Delivery: What the Liberal Democrats have achieved in Government.”

As Nick says in his foreword to the booklet,

The Liberal Democrats have always been able to campaign on a strong record of local delivery. Now – for the first time in our party’s history – we can combine that with our record in national government too.

That’s what we did in the Eastleigh by-election – and it works. But no one is going to tell our story for us. We need to use every opportunity between now and the

…

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Caron Lindsay

LibLink… Jo Swinson: Our children shouldn’t grow up thinking looks are the most important thing in life

By Caron Lindsay | Wed 31st July 2013 - 2:39 pm

I remember the genuine distress suffered by a teenage friend of ours. Her hair straighteners had broken and we don’t possess such implements. She was actually frightened and anxious at the thought of leaving the house and being seen by her peers with unstraightened, but perfectly tidy, hair. I had to source another set of straighteners before I could get her to school.

That, sadly, is the tip of the iceberg. The pressure on particularly girls to conform to a very narrow standard of beauty, dictated by the likes of Heat magazine and the pornography industry, is excruciating and can lead …

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NewsHound

ALDE Party Congress needs you!

By NewsHound | Wed 31st July 2013 - 12:50 pm

What is the ALDE Party?

It is an alliance of Liberals and Democrats across Europe consisting of more than 50 member parties, Liberal Democrats in the UK being the largest.

What is ALDE Party Congress?

ALDE is arranging their annual party congress in Canary Wharf, London this year. The theme of the Congress is creating a European Manifesto. The ALDE Party Congress is the biggest annual event gathering Liberals across Europe:

  • over 650 members of liberal parties from around the continent;
  • top politicians including Prime Ministers, European Commissioners, Ministers, Members of the European and national Parliaments, Members of the Committee of the Regions, and many

…

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Posted in Conference, Europe / International and News | Tagged | 6 Comments
Caron Lindsay

Moore: Independence could alter every aspect of Scottish life

By Caron Lindsay | Wed 31st July 2013 - 11:17 am

If you listen to the Nationalist camp, you would think that independence is just a bit of tidying up round the edges. Scots can happily separate from the UK and we won’t really notice the difference. We’ll still have the Queen and we’ll still have the pound. Life will go on, pretty much as normal.

You have to ask, though, if it’s not going to make that much difference, why Scotland has to spend 3 years debating it. Nationalists may want to play down the consequences of next September’s vote but that position doesn’t make sense.

Michael Moore is giving a major …

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Caron Lindsay

Thirty significant moments marking three decades of Lib Demmery

By Caron Lindsay | Wed 31st July 2013 - 9:55 am

Today is my birthday. I can barely bring myself to say the great age I’ve reached, but it does mark a significant milestone for me. Three decades ago today, I joined the SDP.

I hope you’ll forgive the narcissistic indulgence, (and if you can’t, don’t read any further, because it’ll be five minutes of your life you won’t get back),  but I thought I’d share with you 30 brief snapshots, significant moments of my life as a party member. I’m grateful for the wonderful friends I’ve made and the battles we’ve fought together and am raring to go for decades to …

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Posted in News | 6 Comments
The Voice

Lessons of Coalition (2): what do the Lib Dems need to learn from the first 3 years?

By The Voice | Wed 31st July 2013 - 8:15 am

ldv coalition lessonsLibDemVoice is running a daily feature, ‘Lessons of Coalition’, to assess the major do’s and don’ts learned from our experience of the first 3 years in government. Reader contributions are welcome, either as comments or posts. The word limit is no more than 450 words, and please focus on just one lesson you think the party needs to learn. Simply email your submission to [email protected]. Today Mark Valladares shares his thoughts …

Better party communications responding to the realities of governing

My lesson of coalition is the importance of building a Party …

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Posted in Op-eds | Tagged and | 17 Comments
Stephen Tall

Vicky Pryce stripped of her honour – but who are the Honours Forfeiture Committee to decide?

By Stephen Tall | Tue 30th July 2013 - 10:55 pm

Chris Huhne and Vicky Pryce-1756679Vicky Pryce — the former wife of Chris Huhne, who was imprisoned earlier this year for perverting the course of justice after admitting taking speeding points on his behalf — was today stripped of the honour she was awarded by the Queen in 2009. As the BBC reports:

The economist, who was made a Companion of the Order of the Bath in 2009, was found by a committee to have brought the honour into disrepute.

Some people will have no sympathy for Vicky Pryce and stop there. “She …

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Stephen Tall

Should MPs take second jobs? Majority of Lib Dem members say ‘No’.

By Stephen Tall | Tue 30th July 2013 - 8:35 pm

Lib Dem Voice has polled our members-only forum  to discover what Lib Dem members think of various political issues, the Coalition, and the performance of key party figures. More than 600 party members have responded, and we’re publishing the full results.

54% of Lib Dem members say ‘No’ to MPs taking second jobs

Which of the following best reflects your view?

    29% – Some MPs continuing to do second jobs (in medicine, law, business etc) keeps them in touch with working people, and is better than having a House of Commons made up of just full-time politicians

    54% – MPs

…

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Posted in LDV Members poll | Tagged | 4 Comments
Mary Reid

Conservatives block moves to outlaw caste discrimination

By Mary Reid | Tue 30th July 2013 - 4:58 pm

eric aveburyEric Avebury has written before about the need to outlaw caste discrimination, and about the legislative processes as proposals within the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Bill  went through the Lords. It is therefore disappointing to learn that the campaign has suffered a serious setback. 

In 2010 the Government commissioned independent research into caste discrimination and harassment in the UK.  The summary (pdf) of that research reported that between 50,000 and 200,000 people in the UK are culturally identified as low caste. It found evidence of caste discrimination in work …

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Don Foster MP

Don Foster MP writes… Access to finance for ethnic minority businesses

By Don Foster MP | Tue 30th July 2013 - 3:38 pm

Liberal Democrats want to create a Stronger Economy in a Fairer Society. In order to do this it is vital that no one section of society is unnecessarily prevented from starting a new business should they wish to do so. However, evidence suggests that people from black and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds are often keen to start a business but for a variety of reasons don’t go through with it. The National Audit Office estimates that the cost to our economy from the failure to fully use the talents of people from our ethnic minority population could be more than …

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Posted in Op-eds | Tagged , , and | 8 Comments
Caron Lindsay

Lib Dems secure £35 million extra funds to help those affected by Bedroom Tax

By Caron Lindsay | Tue 30th July 2013 - 2:49 pm

The arguments over the so-called Bedroom Tax have been rehearsed on this site on many occasions and it’s been in the news today, with the judgement that it does not discriminate against disabled people.

The Department of Work and Pensions has separately announced extra money to help those worst affected. This will be given to Councils to give to those most in need. I understand that ministers did consider further exemptions but felt that it was fairer to allow councils to make the decisions because they were dealing directly with the tenants concerned and knew more about their circumstances.

The extra …

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Recent Comments

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