Liberal Democrat Voice

Nick’s conference speech: “When our opponents tell us we are finished, remember Eastleigh!”

By The Voice | Fri 8th March 2013 - 7:05 pm

Here’s the text of Nick Clegg’s speech at the start of the Spring Conference Rally in Brighton tonight:

I know it is unusual for me to speak at the start of the rally but there’s an issue I want to address head on.

Today is International Women’s Day. It is right that we come together as a party to celebrate the life changing advances in women’s rights both at home and around the world. Advances that Liberal Democrats championed in opposition and are delivering in Government.

But it is also right that – following the events of recent weeks – we

…

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Danny Alexander MP writes exclusively for Lib Dem Voice: Statement on Lord Rennard allegations

By Danny Alexander MP | Fri 8th March 2013 - 6:29 pm

Nick Clegg has today announced that Helena Morrissey will chair the independent inquiry into culture, process and complaints within the Liberal Democrats. Jo Swinson is speaking at the party conference rally tonight and will tell party members about her role in dealing with allegations about Lord Rennard. I want to do the same.

I had been Nick’s chief of staff since his election in December 2007. In 2008, Jo told me of concerns that had been expressed to her privately and in confidence by a number of women about the conduct of Lord Rennard.

While she did not give me any names …

Posted in News | Tagged lord rennard | 4 Comments

The LDV Friday Five: 8 March 2013

By Helen Duffett | Fri 8th March 2013 - 5:00 pm

It’s Friday. It’s five o’clock. Here’s a fistful of lists that sum up the LDV week:

5 most-read stories on LDV this week

Eastleigh by-election: my first thoughts (80 comments) by Stephen Tall
Three things the Liberal Democrats must learn from Eastleigh (50 comments) by Caron Lindsay
Nick Clegg’s son to go to state secondary school (204 comments) by Caron Lindsay

Posted in Friday Five | 1 Comment

Update on Party response to allegations of sexual impropriety

By Tim Gordon | Fri 8th March 2013 - 4:09 pm

The Liberal Democrats have today announced that Helena Morrissey has been appointed as the chair of the independent inquiry into culture, process and complaints within the Liberal Democrats.

The review will also look at attitudes towards women in the party, as well as the employment relationship between staff, elected officials and volunteers; training; and how to lead a wider change in Westminster.

Helena Morrissey has been a leading light in promoting women and breaking barriers as CEO of Newton Asset Management and Founder of the 30% Club, a cross-business initiative aimed at achieving 30% women on UK corporate boards by 2015. I …

Posted in Party policy and internal matters | Tagged 30% club, alistair webster, helena morrissey and public concern at work | 4 Comments

Opinion: Why we’re rocking the boat in Brighton this weekend

By James Shaddock | Fri 8th March 2013 - 3:36 pm

I’ve been thinking a lot about leadership in relation to the party over the past few weeks in the wake of the allegations about the conduct of Lord Rennard, which he denies.

Why did no one tackle this effectively at the time? Why did it take several brave women talking to the media for us to finally deal with such a serious problem?

Credit where credit is due, Tim Gordon, the party’s Chief Executive has been impressive so far but is it enough?

Not for me or other Liberal Democrats members. That is why we set up

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged equality, Rock the boat and sexual harassment | Leave a comment

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Today at Liberal Democrat Conference

By Mark Valladares | Fri 8th March 2013 - 2:50 pm

Fridays are never terribly exciting at a Spring Conference. They’re all about consultative sessions and, lest we forget, the Rally, generally aimed at kick-starting the campaign towards whichever elections are less than two months away, this year the Counties. Media coverage is slight, if any, and past headlines have included Sarah Teather’s unexpectedly risque sense of humour and… well, you get the point. The media generally prefer to run their message of crisis in the ranks and challenges to the leadership. They may have it right this year.

After Tim Farron’s interview in The House magazine, it will be interesting …

Posted in News | Tagged Brighton conference 2013 | 1 Comment

Food safety: a conflict of interest that should worry you

By The Voice | Fri 8th March 2013 - 12:51 pm

The author of this piece wishes to remain anonymous, due to political restrictions on their activity, and is involved in local government regulation.

It will be interesting to see if the horse meat scandal brings any of the supermarkets to court. Selling something that is not what you say it is, is an offence unless you have a defence of ‘due diligence’. As a local government regulator, I doubt very much that any of the supermarkets will be brought before the courts. Why? Because successive governments have made the enforcement of regulations on big business has been made so difficult in …

Posted in News and The Independent View | Tagged cherwell district council, food safety and sainsbury | 5 Comments

(A belated) welcome to my day – 8 March

By Mark Valladares | Fri 8th March 2013 - 10:57 am

Good morning to you all, especially those of you en route to Brighton for the start of Spring Conference. Sadly, through ill health, I won’t be joining you today, so this will be a remote control sort of day. It does mean that I’ll have a bit more time for the site today, so if you do have something to say, feel free (comments policy and common courtesy apply, naturally)…

Caron has already kicked off the day in fine style, and we’ll have the usual review of the week in …

Posted in News | 2 Comments

Tim Farron in outspoken and honest interview shock!

By Stephen Tall | Fri 8th March 2013 - 9:35 am

An interview with Tim Farron is never a dull one, that’s for sure. I found that out when I spoke to him for the party magazine, Ad Lib, last month — prompting the headline, Lib Dem brand ‘tainted by Tories’ (£), in The Sunday Times.

Today’s he’s in the headlines for an interview in The House magazione with Paul Waugh and Sam MacRory in which he likens Lib Dem MPs to ‘cockroaches’ (hard to get rid of) and ‘nutters’ (because of …

Posted in News | Tagged featured, paul waugh, sam macrory, the house magazine and tim farron | 15 Comments

The state of the party as we head to Brighton for Spring Conference

By Caron Lindsay | Fri 8th March 2013 - 7:55 am

By the time you read this, I’ll be in London, no doubt bleary eyed after a night on the sleeper, on my way to Spring Conference in Brighton. I’ve been thinking about how we are as we gather at the seaside. It’s been an eventful six months but has the good outweighed the bad?

Things to smile about

Since we met in Brighton, our ministers in the Coalition Government have done some excellent things. Here’s just a selection:

Plans for shared parental leave announced;
Equal (ish) marriage Bill unveiled;
Stopping the Tories capping Child Benefit at 2 children and taking Housing Benefit off

…

Posted in Conference and Op-eds | Tagged liberal democrat conference and spring conference 2013 | 3 Comments

Huhne / Pryce: this is a human drama, not a political story

By Stephen Tall | Thu 7th March 2013 - 8:33 pm

It was the number of voicemail messages on my mobile (having been holed up in meetings for my non-political day-job) that alerted me a story had broken this afternoon. A clutch of requests from news stations eager to know what the political fall-out for the Lib Dems would be from Vicky Pryce being found guilty of perverting the course of justice.

My short answer? I just can’t see it. Vicky Pryce is the ex-wife of an ex-MP. Yes, it’s a compelling human drama, a modern morality tale of how …

Posted in News | Tagged chris huhne, featured, james kirkup and vicky pryce | 22 Comments

Download now: Lib Dem spring conference app

By Lewis Redfern | Thu 7th March 2013 - 4:35 pm

We are delighted to announce that our Spring Conference App is now available for download. The Conference App is an electronic version of the Agenda and Directory which has a built in diary which you can add which fringe events, auditorium sessions and training sessions that you are attending and create a conference schedule. To download it, search ‘Lib Dem Conf’ in the App Store (Iphone/Ipad) or Google Play (Android).

For Blackberry and Windows Phone we have a web app which can be viewed on your phone’s …

Posted in Conference | 6 Comments

LibLink… Sharon Bowles MEP: Calls for restraint have been ignored for too long – this bonus culture has to end

By Caron Lindsay | Thu 7th March 2013 - 3:37 pm

Sharon Bowles MEP writes about bankers’ bonuses in the Independent. She tackles the arguments against EU proposals to limit bonuses to a years’s salary. Will banks relocate overseas? Sharon says not:

Firstly, the threat of bankers relocating to avoid the cap has been grossly exaggerated. The cap will only apply to a small number of so-called high-risk traders, around 5000 out of the estimated 750,000 people employed in London’s financial sector. Moreover, the bonus cap will also cover all key staff who work for European banks across the world, no matter whether they operate in London or Singapore. And with Switzerland

…

Posted in LibLink and News | Tagged banking reform, eu, independent and sharon bowles | 19 Comments

Vicky Pryce found guilty

By Nick T | Thu 7th March 2013 - 3:13 pm

The BBC reports:

The former wife of ex-cabinet minister Chris Huhne has been found guilty of perverting the course of justice by taking speeding points on his behalf.

Vicky Pryce, 60, was convicted at Southwark Crown Court of committing the offence over a speeding incident on the M11 in Essex in 2003.

She had denied the charge, saying Huhne had forced her to take the points.

Pryce has been bailed pending a sentencing hearing.

Posted in News | Tagged chris huhne and vicky pryce | 5 Comments

Opinion: 7th March 2013: The turning point.

By Bill le Breton | Thu 7th March 2013 - 1:26 pm

You will have woken this morning to news that Vince Cable has launched a Plan C or Plan Cable featuring a ‘Keynesian’ stimulus centred around borrowing (at the current low rates that the Government can borrow) to fund infrastructure projects. But as usual the media is doing the country a grave disservice.

It is an historic day filled with possibility, but to understand the full pregnancy of the position you will need to go beyond the crude headlines of crude Keynsianism and read Cable’s full article When the Facts Change, Should I Change My Mind.

But you will also …

Posted in News | 26 Comments

Ian Swales MP writes…The crucial role of education in a manufacturing revival

By Ian Swales | Thu 7th March 2013 - 12:29 pm

The Lib Dem Spring Conference will debate the motion: Creating a strong manufacturing sector in a stronger economy. Part 3 of the motion calls for: ‘Government to continue its commitment to apprenticeships, and, additionally, to promote science education in schools and science and engineering degrees at universities – these are essential for building the skills sets necessary to support a strong manufacturing sector.’

Science and engineering education is an issue close to my heart as I actually graduated with a degree in chemical engineering from Manchester University. My science based degree opened up many doors to me, leading to a career …

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged #ldconf, ian swales and liberal democrat campaign for manufacturing | 2 Comments

Opinion: Who’s been hit hardest by the coalition’s cuts?

By Adam Corlett | Thu 7th March 2013 - 10:44 am

The budget on March 20th is likely to concentrate on growth, on avoiding an ‘omnishambles’, and on fighting the notion that Osborne has taken the country from triple A to triple dip. But it’s also the time to take stock of who’s bearing the brunt of (attempted) deficit reduction. This graph shows the combined effect of all the coalition’s tax and welfare changes, as modelled by the Institute for Fiscal Studies. It doesn’t look good.

Impact of modelled tax and benefit reforms since Jan 2010, by income decile group (Copyright of the IFS*)

The blue …

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged institute for fiscal studies and spending cuts | 15 Comments

Opinion: Breaking the mould

By Lucy Care | Thu 7th March 2013 - 9:07 am

Being a woman in a man’s world can be a lonely existence.

As an engineer, working on a manufacturing site in the 1980s, for the majority of the time I was the only woman in the whole of the engineering function – apart from the boss’s secretary. Engineers, technicians, tradesmen and labourers were all men, apart from me.

Technically and professionally this wasn’t a problem. I was at least as competent as the next engineer and respected for this.

But socially there definitely were differences. In my year in industry and at university I socialised with my fellow student engineers, among others. But …

Posted in Op-eds | 7 Comments

Mike Thornton MP takes his seat in the Commons

By Helen Duffett | Wed 6th March 2013 - 3:55 pm

By-election winning Lib Dems. Photo by Helen Duffett, on Flickr.

From the BBC:

The newly elected Liberal Democrat MP Mike Thornton has taken his seat in the House of Commons after winning the Eastleigh by-election.

He took his oath of allegiance to the Crown earlier.

New MPs are not allowed to speak in debates, vote, or get paid,

…

Posted in News and Parliament | Tagged annette brooke, eastleigh by-election, jeremy browne, Jo Swinson, mike thornton and stephen lloyd | 4 Comments

Baroness Meral Hussein-Ece writes…

By Meral Ece | Wed 6th March 2013 - 3:00 pm

On Monday 4 March, Baroness Campbell of Surbiton, a renowned and respected disability rights campaigner, tabled an amendment, to which I included my name and support, opposing the Government’s proposal to repeal the ‘General Duty’ of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, arguing that doing so will fundamentally change the purpose, role and scope for the only equality and human rights statutory organisation in the UK.

The General Duty says that the EHRC ‘shall discharge its functions with a view to encouraging and supporting a society in which:

.. people’s ability to achieve their potential is not limited by prejudice or discrimination,

…

Posted in News and Op-eds | Tagged equality, equality act and house of lords | 8 Comments

Opinion: Worst past the post? Debating electoral reform for local government

By Nick Tyrone | Wed 6th March 2013 - 1:56 pm

Last year in May, Scottish voters were given the chance to vote using the Single Transferable Vote to select their local councillors for the second time since the introduction of the Local Governance (Scotland) Act of 2004. The Bill owes its life to the Liberal Democrats; it was a key demand for us entering into the Lib-Lab coalition government in Scotland. Almost ten years on from when the Bill became law, STV has done what it says on the tin. It has produced almost proportional results (exact proportionality is pretty much impossible under any system), it has almost doubled the …

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged aldc, electoral reform, electoral reform society, liberal democrat conference fringe and Scotland | 8 Comments

The Independent View: Seeking justice across borders

By Thais Portilho-Shrimpton | Wed 6th March 2013 - 12:53 pm

In October last year, Theresa May announced in the House of Commons the Conservatives’ intention to opt-out of 130 measures of EU criminal law cooperation.

We, at Justice Across Borders, are opposed to it – and many others are too – but the reality is, the way this issue has been presented by the Home Secretary, and has been debated so far, means nothing to the man in the street. That is why we have taken on the challenge to start a debate that can be joined by all.

Yesterday, we met the Deputy Prime Minister and leader of the Liberal …

Posted in The Independent View | Tagged aidan mcquade, colin walker, ecpat uk, european arrest warrant, jeremy forrest, justice across borders, maggie hughes, nick clegg, nick ross and theresa may | 5 Comments

Lord Greaves writes…We must do more for wage-earners below income tax threshold

By Tony Greaves | Wed 6th March 2013 - 11:59 am

I have tabled an oral question in the Lords to ask the government what measures they will take to ensure that wage-earners who are below the income tax threshold will benefit from any future increases in the personal allowance.

In a little-noticed debate last September the Liberal Democrat conference debated social and economic inequality. Inequality, the conference decided in the obscure language motion-writers use, “is an obstacle to individuals determining their own destinies and reduces aspirations”.

The resolution also, equally clumsily, said that inequality “prevents talent from fulfilling its potential to the detriment of the economy and society”. And, more accessibly, that …

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged inequality and tax | 23 Comments

LibLink…Lynne Featherstone: Bringing a worldwide end to violence against women and girls

By Caron Lindsay | Wed 6th March 2013 - 9:55 am

Over at the Huffington Post, Liberal Democrat International Development Minister Lynne Featherstone writes about her trip to New York for the UN Commission on the Status of Women which is this year focusing on violence against women and girls.

First she talks about what the UK Government is doing to tackle this problem which affects 1 in 3 women worldwide:

The Coalition Government has provided nearly £40 million of ring-fenced funding for specialist domestic and sexual violence services, and national helplines.

We’ve invested in changing attitudes and behaviours. You may have seen the UK television adverts we’ve launched to tackle rape and relationship

…

Posted in LibLink | Tagged huffington post, lynne featherstone and violence against women and girls | 14 Comments

Michael Moore MP’s Westminster Notes

By Michael Moore | Wed 6th March 2013 - 8:55 am

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

Fairtrade fortnight

Fairtrade fortnight is now drawing to a close and it has been a great couple of weeks of raising awareness of the brand across the UK to inspire more people to buy Fairtrade. The theme of the fortnight was ‘Go Further’ to encourage people to try new Fairtrade products. I know that many Borderers already buy Fairtrade coffee, tea and bananas, but there are now so many more products available that are definitely worth …

Posted in Op-eds, Parliament and Scotland | Tagged fairtrade, fishing, Michael Moore, michael moore mp, veterans and Westminster Notes | Leave a comment

LibLink: Vince Cable – budding Asian entrepreneurs help create thousands of UK jobs

By Mary Reid | Tue 5th March 2013 - 3:45 pm

The Telegraph has published a supportive report of a speech by Vince Cable at the launch of the National Asian Business Association yesterday. He referred to the 50,000 British Asian businesses in the UK which together generate more than £60bn nationwide, which in turn help to create thousands of jobs. He claimed that British Asians are probably “the most entrepreneurial section of the British public”

He said:

The stereotype of Asian businesses is changing rapidly; while that stereotype is still there – 30pc are in the retail sector – it’s rapidly diversifying. Their growth is essential to job creation and national economic recovery,

…

Posted in LibLink | Tagged vince cable | 3 Comments

Opinion: Lo-Tax for the Lib Dems

By Tony Vickers | Tue 5th March 2013 - 2:32 pm

Raising the tax-free personal allowance is the Lib Dems’ headline contribution to this Government – so popular that the Tories are trying to claim it as theirs! But when Danny Alexander said that our next manifesto should include a promise to raise and peg the personal allowance to the National Minimum Wage (almost £13,000) he was setting his tax policy working group a challenge: to find £12bn a year from elsewhere.

According to the Institute for Fiscal Studies this isn’t progressive. Highest earners and others benefit, while …

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged ALTER, land value tax and lo-tax | 38 Comments

Secret Courts..what does the party do now?

By Caron Lindsay | Tue 5th March 2013 - 2:02 pm

Its’s not been the easiest 24 hours to be a Liberal Democrat. It was very hard to watch the majority of our MPs vote to remove the right to a fair trial in civil cases where national security is deemed to be a factor. Just seven MPs voted in favour of amendments advised by the Joint Committee on Human Rights. The fact that the JCHR had a different view from the Government should surely have raised a huge red flag. An even bigger signal that our MPs were on the wrong course was the fact that Labour were voting in …

Posted in News and Op-eds | Tagged civil liberties, human rights, julian huppert, justice and security bill and secret courts | 100 Comments

Op-eds

What do we think of Ed Davey’s tax cut announcement? (Caron Lindsay)
What does a Lib Dem “trans activist” look like? (Caron Lindsay)
Winning back a generation starts with fixing the broken student loan system (Tom Gordon MP)
Welcome to my day: 21 September 2026 – time to clean up our politics? (Mark Valladares)
What I would have said about homeless children at Conference (Suzanne Fletcher)

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What does a Lib Dem “trans activist” look like?

Caron’s kitchen table diary

Victoria Collins MP writes.. The ask that changes everything

To get Britain growing, we must cut business costs

Nick’s conference speech: “When our opponents tell us we are finished, remember Eastleigh!”

Danny Alexander MP writes exclusively for Lib Dem Voice: Statement on Lord Rennard allegations

The LDV Friday Five: 8 March 2013

5 most-read stories on LDV this week

Update on Party response to allegations of sexual impropriety

Opinion: Why we’re rocking the boat in Brighton this weekend

Today at Liberal Democrat Conference

Food safety: a conflict of interest that should worry you

(A belated) welcome to my day – 8 March

Tim Farron in outspoken and honest interview shock!

The state of the party as we head to Brighton for Spring Conference

Things to smile about

Huhne / Pryce: this is a human drama, not a political story

Download now: Lib Dem spring conference app

LibLink… Sharon Bowles MEP: Calls for restraint have been ignored for too long – this bonus culture has to end

Vicky Pryce found guilty

Opinion: 7th March 2013: The turning point.

Ian Swales MP writes…The crucial role of education in a manufacturing revival

Opinion: Who’s been hit hardest by the coalition’s cuts?

Opinion: Breaking the mould

Mike Thornton MP takes his seat in the Commons

Baroness Meral Hussein-Ece writes…

Opinion: Worst past the post? Debating electoral reform for local government

The Independent View: Seeking justice across borders

Lord Greaves writes…We must do more for wage-earners below income tax threshold

LibLink…Lynne Featherstone: Bringing a worldwide end to violence against women and girls

Michael Moore MP’s Westminster Notes

Fairtrade fortnight

LibLink: Vince Cable – budding Asian entrepreneurs help create thousands of UK jobs

Opinion: Lo-Tax for the Lib Dems

Secret Courts..what does the party do now?

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What does a Lib Dem “trans activist” look like?

Caron’s kitchen table diary

Victoria Collins MP writes.. The ask that changes everything

To get Britain growing, we must cut business costs

5 most-read stories on LDV this week

Things to smile about

Fairtrade fortnight

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