Liberal Democrat Voice

John Kampfner: “Clegg is set to be kingmaker again in 2015”

By Stephen Tall | Fri 12th July 2013 - 4:45 pm

John Kampfner, one of the few progressive voice from the centre-left who defected from Labour to the Lib Dems in the run-up to the 2010 election and has continued to give the party a sympathetic hearing during the Coalition, writes in today’s Times about Lib Dem prospects post-2015: Clegg is set to be kingmaker again in 2015 (£).

5 points in particular are worth highlighting (ie, I agree with them):

The Lib Dems will more than likely remain a force to be reckoned with:

… the Liberal Democrats head towards 2015 knowing they can target their meagre resources on just

…

Posted in LibLink | Tagged john kampfner, nick clegg and ryan coetzee | 49 Comments

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Opinion: EU Invests €22 billion in Research and Innovation

By Richard Davis | Fri 12th July 2013 - 3:25 pm

The European Commission is set to invest large amounts into research and development to create well paid jobs and generate sustainable economic growth and boost Europe’s competitiveness across a range of key sectors which also aim to improve our quality of life.

Over the next 7 years a partnership between the European Commission, member states and industry will invest €22 billion in innovative medicines, aeronautics, bio-based industries, fuel cells and hydrogen and electronics. With the aim of generating high quality jobs across the EU covering these sectors through public-private partnerships called Joint Technology Initiatives (JTIs).

The EU has seen its main competitors …

Posted in News | Tagged eu, innovation, research and science | 2 Comments

LDVideo: Willie Rennie says It’s Time for equal marriage

By Caron Lindsay | Fri 12th July 2013 - 1:40 pm

From Pink News – go and read the full story there, but before that, watch Willie Rennie explain why he supports equal marriage:

Posted in News | Tagged equal marriage, equality network, it's tme and willie rennie | 1 Comment

Opinion: Raise your hand on Malala Day

By Sophie Bridger | Fri 12th July 2013 - 11:59 am

Just under a year ago, I wrote a piece about the shooting of a girl who dared to demand her right an education. Today, that girl will address the UN and meet Ban Ki Moon to discuss access to education worldwide. Today is Malala Yousafzai’s 16^th birthday.

Education is a right that we often take for granted in the UK. But millions of children worldwide miss out on an education. Where parents cannot afford to send their children to school, cannot afford for their children not to work, or even when places are provided but they cannot provide the uniform or materials, those children will never have the opportunity to change their lives. They will live and die in poverty.

Girls are more likely to miss out on education than boys. When finances are tight, many families will choose to educate sons but not daughters; sons will go on to work, but if daughters are expected to raise a family and stay at home then educating them is seen as pointless. Often, raising children is something done at school age– in sub-Saharan Africa, 1 in 5 girls is married before the age of 18. Once they are married, they will not return to school as this video shows.

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged #malaladay, education, malala yousafzai, un and women and girls | Leave a comment

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Opinion: Against Liberal fundamentalism

By David Allen | Fri 12th July 2013 - 10:41 am

Centre Forum recently chose the “Naked Rambler” as “Liberal Hero of the Week”. The Naked Rambler is a man who fights for his freedom to walk naked in public wherever he chooses. Lib Dem Voice also carried an article robustly asserting that liberals should oppose interference with that freedom.

Many fundamentalist liberals wrote in to applaud. More moderate respondents pointed out that young children might well be upset or even traumatised, while their parents could reasonably fear that a naked stranger might be a paedophile.

Steve Way explained that the police offered the Naked Rambler three options – change direction …

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged edward snowden and naked rambler | 65 Comments

The Tories’ 35% strategy shows they know they cannot win outright in 2015

By Stephen Tall | Fri 12th July 2013 - 9:45 am

“The 35% Strategy”. The phrase was initially coined by Dan Hodges to decry the Labour leader’s soft-left leadership:

Forget the One Nation strategy, Ed Miliband is pursuing what is known within his inner circle as the 35 Per Cent Strategy. Come 2015, he thinks he can stagger over the line with 35 per cent of the vote.

Less commented on is that the Tories have also been adopting their own 35% strategy under the tutelage of strategist Lynton Crosby. Today’s news that George Osborne has ruled …

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged child benefit, dan hodges, featured, george osborne, housing benefit, Lynton Crosby and welfare cuts | 14 Comments

End of Term Report: Michael Moore

By Caron Lindsay | Fri 12th July 2013 - 8:55 am

As we near the end of the Parliamentary term and MPs get their buckets and spades together and head off for the sun (or, more likely, pack up their cars and head off on their constituency Summer tours), I thought it might be interesting to have a look back at some of the things key party figures have done this year. We’ll take a meander through the highlights and lowlights and make suggestions, not all of them entirely serious, for the year ahead.

First up is Secretary of State for Scotland Michael …

Posted in News and Op-eds | Tagged end of term report 2013, Michael Moore, Scotland and Scottish independence referendum | 1 Comment

I’m sorry to see Richard Grayson resign, but I’m sticking with the party of liberalism thanks

By Stephen Tall | Thu 11th July 2013 - 9:59 pm

I was sorry to see Richard Grayson has resigned from the Lib Dems. We’ve met only once. It was at the 2010 Brighton party conference when we were interviewed together for Radio 4’s The Westminster Hour. As I noted at the time:

I felt almost sorry for Richard as we chatted beforehand, a loyal liberal and Lib Dem who finds it baffling to be almost a lone voice making the case against Coalition within the party. … the Coalition — if not always the Coalition policies — is broadly popular across the membership, and across the different sections of

…

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged david boyle and richard grayson | 31 Comments

Call Clegg highlights – 11 July 2013: In which the osmosis isn’t working

By Caron Lindsay | Thu 11th July 2013 - 8:00 pm

MPs’ pay

Jim from Tunbridge Wells, a public sector worker was none too impressed with the idea of MPs getting a whacking pay rise. Nick agrees:

We’re trying to keep everybody together if you like and I just don’t think it helps at all in doing that by taking one very, very small but very prominent part of the public, people on the public sector payroll, MPs, and say, look you’re going to be treated completely differently to nurses, doctors, fireman, firewomen, everybody working in the public sector. I really do think if we’re going to have an approach towards the public

…

Posted in News | Tagged call clegg, lbc radio and nick clegg | 8 Comments

Nick Clegg announces £500 million to create jobs across England

By NewsHound | Thu 11th July 2013 - 7:00 pm

From Sky News:

More than 100 companies and projects in England are to receive cash from a £506m Government pot to boost jobs and fuel business expansion.

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said the successful Regional Growth Fund (RGF) bids would help secure £2.8bn of private sector investment and create or safeguard 77,000 jobs.

It is the latest round of awards made under the £2.6bn scheme designed to create sustainable employment and rebalance the economy.

And you can see where the 102 areas are on this handy map created by the party’s A Million Jobs campaign which shows the new projects and …

Posted in News | Tagged a million jobs campaign, nick clegg and regional growth fund | 2 Comments

I’ve just been speaking to Alistair Darling…

By Caron Lindsay | Thu 11th July 2013 - 5:34 pm

Scotland’s Better Together campaign has for the first time allowed humble bloggers like me to talk to its Leader, former Chancellor Alistair Darling. He held a conference call with us to discuss his lecture at Glasgow University this morning in which he presented a case for staying in the union designed to appeal to both head and heart.

He told his audience of 300 that there were two sides to the pro-union argument. One was very factual, a hard headed calculation of the benefits of the economic union, the UK single market. The second was about he social and political union …

Posted in News | Tagged alistair darling, better together, Scotland and Scottish independence referendum | 5 Comments

No, Nicola, a vote against independence is not a vote for Trident

By Caron Lindsay | Thu 11th July 2013 - 11:51 am

Writing blog posts based on the tail end of a radio interview you have caught is fraught with danger. However, I want to take issue with something Scottish Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said.

She had been asked about today’s Guardian story which suggests that the Trident base at Faslane could be designated UK territory in a way similar to the sovereign military bases in Cyprus for a temporary period post independence.

She said that if the UK Government wanted to keep weapons of mass destruction, it could do so, but Scotland would just have voted against Trident, for independence.

On the ballot …

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged menzies campbell, nick harvey, nicola sturgeon, nuclear weapons, Scotland, Scottish independence referendum and trident | 3 Comments

Today’s by-elections – only half have a Liberal Democrat candidate

By Caron Lindsay | Thu 11th July 2013 - 10:25 am

According to our friends at ALDC, there are four council by-elections taking place today. Sadly, in only two of them, in Brighton’s Hanover and Elm Grove (lovely name for a ward) and Mid Sussex’s Lucastes and Bolnore (ditto) are the Liberal Democrats even fielding a candidate.

I am of the view that we need to at least be on the ballot paper in every single public election to give people the chance to vote Liberal Democrat. I know that in Scotland we have missed opportunities recently, so we’re not perfect either. This, for all the doom-mongers around you, is …

Posted in News | Tagged by-elections and Local government | 62 Comments

Opinion: The best type of electoral reform

By David Hennigan | Thu 11th July 2013 - 8:50 am

As a young councillor in Manchester in 1999, I was often suspicious of a postal vote system that allowed people, who couldn’t make it to the ballot box to be able to vote by post. It’s not that I wanted to curtail anyone’s democratic rights – it was just that I wanted to ensure the system was safe from electoral fraud.

Since 2001, here in the UK – you can vote by post without giving a reason. ‘Bringing the ballot box to your doorstep’, argued some, ‘Putting the convenience back into politics’, said others. Now, I’ve no problem with the elderly …

Posted in News | Tagged electoral fraud, elecytions and postal voting | 18 Comments

Income inequality at its lowest since 1986 – a good result for the Liberal Democrats in Government?

By Caron Lindsay | Wed 10th July 2013 - 7:00 pm

The Office of National Statistics has released information showing that income inequality is at its lowest rate since 1986.

From the BBC:

The largest fall during this period was a 6.8% drop for the richest fifth of households. They still had an average income, before tax and benefits, of £78,000 in 2011-12.

This was 14 times greater than the poorest fifth of households, who had an average income of £5,400. However, this group has seen their average income rise by 6.9% since the economic downturn.

After all taxes and benefits were taken into account, the top fifth of households had an income of

…

Posted in News and Op-eds | Tagged income inequality and office of national statistics | 44 Comments

Wanted: Liberal Youth Regional Chairs, English Council Reps and Conference Committee members

By Caron Lindsay | Wed 10th July 2013 - 4:14 pm

After a lively and successful Activate weekend, which included campaigning in the Fitzherbert ward in Abingdon, gained in a by-election last week, Liberal Youth are looking for some more people to complete their team. Full details are on their website.

First of all, there are some places up for election – and I, as Returning Officer, thought it would be good to spread the word a bit further.

Regional Chairs for North East and South Central regions

Regional Chairs are responsible for organising and assisting local Liberal Youth branches in their region and working directly with the Lib Dem regional executives.

We

…

Posted in News | Tagged elections and liberal youth | Leave a comment

Opinion: Ed’s made a bold move, but he absolutely needs to see it through to the end

By Nick Tyrone | Wed 10th July 2013 - 2:59 pm

As a Lib Dem, I obviously write as neither a Labour party member nor supporter, but I was genuinely stirred by Ed Miliband’s speech at the St Bride Foundation yesterday. It was bold, gutsy and liberal minded – qualities the Labour leader’s critics often accuse him of lacking. The announcement that Ed will push forward plans to change the current arrangements in which all union members across the country are automatically affiliated with the Labour party, to one in which union members will have to voluntarily opt in to Labour affiliation, was brave to say the least. It potentially …

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged ed miliband, labour, party funding and trade unions | 15 Comments

Vince Cable announces Royal Mail privatisation

By The Voice | Wed 10th July 2013 - 2:29 pm

Today Vince Cable announced, to no surprise whatsoever, that the Royal Mail is to be privatised.

Key points

This does not affect the Post Office – although options on mutualisation will be considered. No Post Offices will close.
A majority stake will be floated on the stock exchange
The 6 day a week flat rate service is set in stone.
10% of shares available for employees, free to the employee, to either give them a cash windfall or a say in how the company is run.

Why privatise?

Under public ownership there is simply not the freedom to raise capital in the markets. A share sale will

…

Posted in News | Tagged privatisation, royal mail and vince cable | 32 Comments

Julian Huppert highlights “absolutely hideous” Commons bullying

By Caron Lindsay | Wed 10th July 2013 - 1:26 pm

You would think, wouldn’t you, that when an MP presents a bill on such a serious subject as protecting people from sexual assault, the House of Commons would act in a grown up fashion? After all, the shouting and jeering is all for the pantomime of PMQs, and the rest of the time people behave like cuddly teddy bears, don’t they?

Let me take you back to 21st October 2008, when Willie Rennie introduced his Bill (which eventually became law) enabling driving instructors to be suspended …

Posted in News | Tagged julian huppert, Parliament and willie rennie | 13 Comments

Opinion: 20 years of going nowhere, Liberal Democrat gender balance in council elections

By Mark Pack | Wed 10th July 2013 - 11:55 am

Twenty years of progress, followed by twenty years of stalling. That’s the overall picture of Liberal Democrat (and before that Alliance / Liberal Party) progress towards gender equality at local government elections, whether measured in terms of candidates or people elected.

Looking at local elections in England, a mere 20% of the Liberal Party’s candidates were female in 1973 and the figure was even lower, 18%, amongst those elected. By 1991 both figures had risen to 34%. Since then, however, the figures have bounced up and down around a long-term flat trend, with both hitting 30% in the latest figures for …

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged colin rallings, gender balance, local government elections and michael thrasher | 18 Comments

Opinion: Statistics don’t vote. Should we care if they are abused?

By Andy Boddington | Wed 10th July 2013 - 10:25 am

Statistics don’t vote – should we care if they are abused?

Statistics are essential to our wellbeing and the bane of our future. We need numbers to understand what is happening in our world. Yet day after day, they end up abused in our media, distorted by our political leaders and muddled in our heads

Yesterday the Royal Statistical Society (RSS) published a cute survey that looks at the difference between statistical perceptions and reality.

Let’s look first at those people who are satisfied with their experience of local council services. That’s 38% of us. This is not great applause, but when …

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged royal statistical society | 6 Comments

Michael Moore MP’s Westminster Notes

By Michael Moore | Wed 10th July 2013 - 8:55 am

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

Wimbledon

First of all I want to say a huge congratulations to Andy Murray for winning Wimbledon last weekend – the first British man to do so since 1936. It was a fantastic match and as Scots and Brits we can be extremely proud of his achievement.

Queen’s visit to Abbotsford

It was a great honour to attend the official re-opening of Abbotsford, the home of Sir Walter Scott, by Her Majesty the Queen last week after its multi-million …

Posted in Op-eds, Parliament and Scotland | Tagged Michael Moore and Westminster Notes | Leave a comment

Nick Clegg’s offer to Ed Miliband on the political levy

By Mary Reid | Tue 9th July 2013 - 6:56 pm

It was Deputy Prime Minister’s Question Time today, and Nick duly stepped up to the mark. In reply to a questions from Conservative MP, Jonathan Lord, and others, he offered the Labour Party a chance to make changes to the political levy.

At present, members of trade unions pay a political levy on their membership subscriptions, which, of course, goes to the Labour Party and helps to justify the unions’ heavy involvement in the party and their participation in leadership elections. Many members …

Posted in News | Tagged ed miliband, nick clegg, political levy and trade unions | 32 Comments

Opinion: Tories soft on crime, Lib Dems tough on Tories

By Giles Goodall | Tue 9th July 2013 - 6:08 pm

If ever there was a fault line in the Coalition, it has been over the two parties’ attitudes to Europe. The possibility for a mass opt-out by Britain from a raft of EU measures in justice and home affairs opened up a rift between the Tories and Lib Dems which has rumbled on for more than a year.

Liberal Democrats insisted that the government heed the overwhelming advice of the police and security services to maintain effective crime-fighting measures which help keep Britain safe. Time after time, law enforcers lined up to ask the government not to jettison the EU …

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged european arrest warrant and theresa may | 9 Comments

The Independent View: Early years reform – should Clegg take another stand?

By Imogen Parker | Tue 9th July 2013 - 4:58 pm

With a childcare announcement expected imminently, early years is shaping up to be both a key battleground for the next election and a major coalition split. All agree on wanting to bring down prices for parents, while driving the quality and accessibility of childcare. So far so good. But since More Great Childcare was published at the start of the year, proposals have courted criticism, with experts questioning whether this reform package would actually jeopardise quality and push up costs.

In a high profile move last month, Nick Clegg stepped in …

Posted in The Independent View | Tagged childcare and ippr | 2 Comments

The Independent View: Employee ownership and responsible capitalism go hand in hand

By Anna Muncey | Tue 9th July 2013 - 3:34 pm

The Fourth of July was a day of celebration in the UK this year. It was the first annual Employee Ownership Day, designed to raise awareness of employee owned business. Celebrations were more reserved than the Fourth of July celebrations in the US – the most indulgent thing I could find was a commemorative cushion cover made in a John Lewis factory in Lancashire. But employee ownership is definitely something to be celebrated, even if we don’t go in for the carnivals and fireworks.

Employee Ownership Day is part of a wider government strategy to promote employee ownership. Other initiatives …

Posted in The Independent View | Tagged centreforum, employee owndership, employee ownership day, mutualism and workplace democracy | 16 Comments

Opinion: “Sit down, shut up” now acceptable in Scotland’s political arena

By David Evans | Tue 9th July 2013 - 2:13 pm

I’m no football expert, but the chant “Sit down, Shut up” seems to be popular as a chant to silence a loosing team. In a similar fashion the cry ‘no mandate’ has taken a similar position in Scotland’s political arena. This was most recently seen in the Edinburgh instalment of Question Time, when both Angus McNeil MP and Lesley Riddoch argued that if a party has no elected officials in the country then its members have no right to express their opinions.

Regardless of your stance in the independence debate (though I …

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged european convention on human rights, freedom of speech and question time | 6 Comments

The LeaDeRs Awards 2013 have been launched!

By Sean O'Curneen | Tue 9th July 2013 - 1:42 pm

The ALDE Group in the EU’s Committee of the Regions has launched the third edition of the awards for key liberal democrat players at the level of subnational governments (regional and local). Open to liberal democrats from across Europe, previous winners include Paul Scriven, Leader of Sheffield City Council (2008-2011) for Achievement in Government at Local Level, awarded in 2010. This year’s awards ceremony will be held on 4 December in Brussels.

Both the national board of ALDE member parties as well as their local party branches can submit nominations of persons who are considered to be suitable candidates for such …

Posted in News | Tagged ALDE | Leave a comment

Vince Cable opens massive biofuels plant

By Mary Reid | Tue 9th July 2013 - 11:53 am

For a picture of Vince Cable in a hard hat and hi vis clothing, check out the Yorkshire Post. He was opening a £350 million bio-fuels plant in Humberside, one of the largest in Europe.

The plant converts animal quality wheat into bioethanol which is then added to petrol to produce a greener fuel. This is in an area which has been described as the ‘wheat belt’ of the UK.

Vince Cable is quoted as saying:

Here we are turning an agricultural product potentially into very good fuel, blending for motor vehicles, creating environmentally

…

Posted in News | Tagged biofuels and vince cable | 5 Comments

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MPs’ pay

Regional Chairs for North East and South Central regions

Key points

Why privatise?

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