Geof Todd

Opinion: Three birds, one enhanced programme – beyond the town centre rejuvenation plans

By Geof Todd | Wed 7th November 2012 - 4:26 pm

In the wake of both the Government’s town centre rejuvenation plan and the Mary Portas initiative, I believe we have a bigger opportunity to build on the interest and momentum created by both these plans to use them to address some wider and related issues.

The current plans are very specific to town centres and I fully agree with the intent; however, I believe it could be enhanced to also address 2 additional points – the need to offer people not just the minimum wage, but a more representative ‘Living wage’ to help them out of any potential Benefits …

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Norman Baker MP

Norman Baker MP writes… Green light for more green buses

By Norman Baker MP | Wed 7th November 2012 - 3:23 pm

Last year there were an estimated 2.3 billion bus passenger journeys in England. More people up and down the country get to work by bus than by all other forms of public transport combined, and over 50% of students use them to get to classrooms and lectures. More than that, they provide a life-line for rural communities and just as vital in cities in terms of reducing traffic jams and air pollution by getting people out of cars. But even while people are reducing their carbon emissions by hopping on the bus rather than using their cars, we want to …

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Posted in Op-eds | Tagged and | 4 Comments
David Thorpe

Opinion: Growth has returned, but what does it reveal?

By David Thorpe | Wed 7th November 2012 - 1:59 pm

One of the few tactically savvy moves made by the coalition recently has been its muted response to UK economy’s return to growth. This article examines what the return to growth means for the wider economy.

The first point to make is that, just as the double-dip phase of the recession was caused by international events, the return to growth has similarly been caused by external factors. The coalition deserves neither blame for the double-dip, nor credit for its ending.

Many of those who oppose the coalition’s economic policies on political rather than economic grounds question the validity of the …

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Posted in Op-eds | Tagged | 5 Comments
Paul Reynolds

Opinion: We shouldn’t be shy about political failure over the economy

By Paul Reynolds | Wed 7th November 2012 - 12:57 pm

Last week was, behind the scenes, an important one for the future of UK economic reforms. Four reports were published which were, one might say, bang on for the new mantra of ‘re-balancing the economy’.

The first was Lord Heseltine’s report on the role and methods of the UK government in ‘achieving’ economic growth. The other three were reviews conducted via the Bank of England in response to criticisms of its handling of the financial crisis – specifically its bailouts, and its evident surprise in 2007 that much of the UK banking system would collapse without such bailouts.

The Heseltine report was …

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Posted in News | 1 Comment

The Independent View: In defence of the Police

By Chris Meredith | Wed 7th November 2012 - 11:56 am

Comedian David Mitchell wrote an article in The Guardian recently in which he was generally disparaging of the police read it here

After reading the article I said to my wife ‘David Mitchell really doesn’t like the police’ her response was ‘What do you expect? He’s a liberal. They don’t like the police generally’ Is this true? It seems, to a degree, that it is. The police represent authority, discipline and justice. They can appear as the antithesis of the most basic principles of Liberalism: Liberty, equality, freedom and civil rights but my argument is that without the police democracy …

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Posted in Op-eds and The Independent View | Tagged and | 32 Comments
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George Kendall

Opinion: How you can help vital campaigns from the comfort of your living room

By George Kendall | Wed 7th November 2012 - 10:57 am
With five by-election campaigns, a mayoral election and the police commissioner elections spread all around the country, there’s a host of opportunities to get involved in a campaign near you.
Last Saturday we ran a series of Regional Action Days for many of these campaigns.  Thank you so much to all of you who came.  A huge amount of valuable work was done, and hopefully you had fun too!
There’s another Regional Action Day this Saturday, November 10th, to help our superb candidate, Jill Hope, in the Corby by-election.  Details are available at the pre-registration page here.  If you can come, please do

…

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Posted in News | 1 Comment
The Voice

How you can help Liberal Democrat Voice

By The Voice | Wed 7th November 2012 - 9:50 am

The Voice is only a success because of the interest and support from our readers. For many people just lurking and reading the site is all they want to do – and that’s fine, we’re grateful for people taking the time to read the site.

You can though help us continue to produce interesting content for a growing audience. Here are four simple ways:

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Michael Moore

Michael Moore’s Westminster Notes

By Michael Moore | Wed 7th November 2012 - 8:58 am

Every week Liberal Democrat Secretary of State for Scotland writes a column for newspapers in his Borders constituency. Here’s this week’s edition.

Borders Businesses

As the new GDP figures point in the right direction and a return to growth, I am working with local business here in the Borders to ensure they receive the support and advice they need to grow and create jobs for local people. At the moment I am conducting a Business Survey to assist me in this work and I want to encourage any business in Berwickshire which has not yet received one of these surveys to contact …

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Stephen Tall

Measuring what Lib Dem members think the party is achieving in Coalition

By Stephen Tall | Wed 7th November 2012 - 7:55 am

Lib Dem Voice polled our members-only forum recently to discover what Lib Dem members think of various political issues, the Coalition, and the performance of key party figures. Some 550 party members have responded, and we’re publishing the full results.

Party members split on Lib Dem influence achieved within Coalition

How would you rate the extent of the Liberal Democrat influence within the Coalition Government, where 10 is highly influential, and 1 indicates no influence. (Comparison with September’s figures in brackets.)

    1: 1%
    2: 7%
    3: 17%
    4: 15%
    5: 11%
    Lacking influence = 51% (-2%)
    6: 17%
    7: 23%
    8: 8%
    9: 2%
    10: 1%
    Achieving influence = 49% (+2%)

This …

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Posted in LDV Members poll | 3 Comments
Paul Walter

Four more years – thank you

By Paul Walter | Wed 7th November 2012 - 5:22 am

Thank you to everyone who joined in our live blog/tweet following the exciting results from across the Atlantic tonight. Many thanks to everyone who used the hashtag #LDVUSA to join in!

It was a great night – to see all the potential Romney paths to victory disintegrating one by one and a EV total of 332 looking on the cards for Obama!

Analysis and post-mortems can wait for another day. For now, it’s celebration time! WoooooHoooooo!

Posted in LDVUSA | Tagged and | 6 Comments
The Voice

#LDVUSA – Election night LIVE

By The Voice | Tue 6th November 2012 - 7:53 pm

It’s going to be an exciting night as we live blog and tweet here on the US election results as they come in, via the magic of coveritlive.com

Join in with the comments and debate NOW. You can join in by either: (a) adding your comment in the form at the bottom of the box below, or (b) tweeting with hashtag #ldvusa. Use either of those methods and your comments will show in the live stream below.

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Stephen Tall

When will the Coalition end? Here’s what Lib Dem members say…

By Stephen Tall | Tue 6th November 2012 - 5:15 pm

Lib Dem Voice polled our members-only forum recently to discover what Lib Dem members think of various political issues, the Coalition, and the performance of key party figures. Some 550 party members have responded, and we’re publishing the full results.

Three-quarters say Coalition will be bad for Lib Dem prospects in

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Posted in LDV Members poll | 6 Comments
Fiona Hall MEP

Fiona Hall writes: EU exit would jeopardise Britain’s global trade

By Fiona Hall MEP | Tue 6th November 2012 - 4:24 pm

For years Europhobes have been propagating the misconception that Britain has to choose between the EU and the rest of the world.

 However, this ‘choice’ between the EU and the rest of the world is a false choice. Indeed, being part of the EU is the best way to increase Britain’s trade with emerging markets.  As Nick Clegg pointed out in his speech on Europe last week, the EU has free trade agreements in force with 46 countries and negotiations with another 78 countries are currently under way. In addition, the European Parliament last week lent its weight to launching new negotiations with the USA and Japan.

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Posted in Europe / International and Op-eds | Tagged , and | 25 Comments
Adam Corlett

Opinion: Taking minimum wage work out of tax would deliver the Living Wage

By Adam Corlett | Tue 6th November 2012 - 3:30 pm

With greater ambition, the Liberal Democrats’ policy of increasing the personal allowance would equalise the Living Wage and the minimum wage, without risking jobs.

It was announced yesterday that the national ‘Living Wage’ for 2013/14 will be £7.45. This compares to the National Minimum Wage of £6.19. Boris Johnson has urged more companies to adopt the Living Wage, and Labour are even considering giving tax incentives for firms to pay the Living Wage.

Few would argue with the benefits of higher pay for employees, or with other Living Wage benefits such as lower staff turnover. But evidently most employers …

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Posted in Op-eds | Tagged and | 15 Comments
Tracy Connell

Protecting workers’ rights: Give your views on Osborne’s shares for rights

By Tracy Connell | Tue 6th November 2012 - 2:20 pm

Time is running out to take part in the Employee Share Ownership Consultation, which ends on 8th November 2012. Please complete this consultation and help the Lib Dems send a message to Osborne that workers’ rights are not up for grabs.

The full consultation document sets out the proposal for a new employment status of employee share ownership, but where the employee gives up employment rights in exchange for company shares. There is also a summary of the proposal on the treasury website.

Some points to consider:

The government suggest this scheme is voluntary, but what about those on Job …

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Posted in News | Tagged | 17 Comments
Paul Walter

#LDVUSA – Three nifty ways to help make sense of tonight’s election results

By Paul Walter | Tue 6th November 2012 - 1:53 pm

It can often be a mathematical nightmare trying to work out who’s winning as US Presidential Election night progresses. Sometimes, some poor souls even end up having to rely on David Dimbleby to explain what’s going on! Poor things!

Here are three nifty tools to help you make sense of what is happening tonight:

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Posted in LDVUSA | Tagged , and | 4 Comments
Norman Lamb MP

Norman Lamb writes: The Liverpool Care Pathway and end of life care

By Norman Lamb MP | Tue 6th November 2012 - 1:06 pm

I imagine many people had not heard of the Liverpool Care Pathway before it hit the headlines a couple of weeks ago with allegations of patients denied drugs, liquid and sustenance and families experiencing real distress. Set up in the late 1990s, its intention was to help spread elements of the hospice model of care into other settings: hospitals, care homes and people’s own homes. We all want to know that our loved ones – no matter where they are – will receive dignified and appropriate care in the last hours and days of their life.

Used properly, the Pathway ensures that individuals receive whatever treatments are right for them in their final days. The Liverpool Care Pathway itself is very clear that patients should be involved in decisions about their care if possible, and that carers and families should always be included in the decision-making process.

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Posted in Op-eds | Tagged , , and | 7 Comments
Shaffaq Mohammed

Opinion: Tough Choices – Yes, but local politicians must grasp opportunities as well as challenges

By Shaffaq Mohammed | Tue 6th November 2012 - 11:49 am

Sheffield Town HallI doubt that there are many councillors who are unaware of the scale of the country’s financial difficulties. Yet whatever your prescription for resuscitating the British economy, politicians of all parties agree that reducing the deficit is a crucial piece in the puzzle.

Regardless of your views on the Government’s strategy, it is clear that reductions in council budgets are a reality. The challenge for councillors is to best adjust to the new climate and mitigate the impact on the services that people care about most.

I do not believe that the way forward is to abandon all council services, leaving local government as a sole provider of social care. Rather, local government should be taking the lead in innovative ways of thinking – taking bold steps to cut waste, not just services.

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Posted in Local government and Op-eds | Tagged , , and | 4 Comments
Merlene Emerson

A postcard from… China: a fly on the Great Wall

By Merlene Emerson | Tue 6th November 2012 - 10:25 am

Great Wall of ChinaIt was not my first visit to China (in fact my third time climbing the great wall) but certainly the most intense: ten days from 22nd October to 1st November.  Along with 26 other Overseas Chinese delegates involved in politics from eight nations in Europe and Africa, I was on a study visit at the invitation of the Chinese Government on the eve of the 18th Peoples’ Congress.

Amongst our number were an MP from South Africa, an ex-Minister from Mauritius, a special advisor to the Mayor of Cologne, Germany (twinned with Beijing), Councillors from the Netherlands and France, as well as representatives from all 3 major parties in the UK. Other Liberal Democrats included Councillor Sam Li from Lewes, Jerry Cheung from Sheffield and Anna Lo from our sister Alliance party in Northern Ireland.

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Posted in Europe / International, News and Op-eds | Tagged and | 3 Comments
Bill le Breton

Opinion: Will Special Branch be knocking on the Old Lady’s door?

By Bill le Breton | Tue 6th November 2012 - 9:09 am

Today three reports have been published into the operations of the Bank of England. None of these pose the killer question: why, when for month after month in 2008 the UK’s Gross Domestic Product in money terms (the NGDP) fell from its stable long term annual growth rate of +5% to -5% a year, did the Monetary Policy Committee stubbornly maintained the Bank’s interest rate at 5%?

This excellent blog by Britmouse details, details the quarterly falls in NGDP and the inertia of the Bank which has the power to set the level of aggregate demand in the economy.

It is …

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Posted in Op-eds | Tagged and | 10 Comments
Stephen Tall

Lib Dem chief whip Alistair Carmichael wins Tweet of the Day

By Stephen Tall | Tue 6th November 2012 - 8:40 am

Here’s the Lib Dem chief whip, Alistair Carmichael, responding to this morning’s bombshell news that Tory MP Nadine Dorries has signed up to take part in the new series of I’m A Celebrity… Ge Me Out Of Here:

Here’s a brief reminder of how Lembit’s spell on the show finished up: ‘I didn’t want this to end’: Lembit Opik becomes the second star to be evicted …

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Posted in News | 7 Comments
Stephen Tall

85% of Lib Dem members back votes for prisoners

By Stephen Tall | Tue 6th November 2012 - 8:15 am

Lib Dem Voice polled our members-only forum recently to discover what Lib Dem members think of various political issues, the Coalition, and the performance of key party figures. Some 550 party members have responded, and we’re publishing the full results.

Majority favour votes for some (but not all) prisoners

LDV asked: The European Court of Human Rights has ruled that the British Government cannot maintain its blanket ban on prisoners being disqualified from voting. What is your view?

    30% – I support votes for all prisoners
    55% – I support votes for some categories of prisoners (eg, for non-violent offences and/or in the lead-up

…

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Posted in LDV Members poll | 11 Comments
Nick T

The living wage is fine as far as it goes, but the Lib Dems can be bolder

By Nick T | Mon 5th November 2012 - 8:00 pm

There we have it. Miliband’s big idea: the living wage. Only it is not Miliband’s idea. And more to the point it is not a very big idea. In fact, it seems to me extraordinarily unambitious.

We presently have a system in which somebody earning the national minimum wage – which for most is not sufficient to live in any comfort even before tax – and working full time pays income tax at 20% on about a third of their salary, national insurance, VAT on the goods they buy, fuel duty and road tax on the car that gets them to …

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Posted in Op-eds | Tagged and | 16 Comments
NewsHound

LibLink: Menzies Campbell – Europe is the glass jaw of the Tory party. It has taken a hit

By NewsHound | Mon 5th November 2012 - 4:54 pm

In the Independent, Sir Menzies Campbell gives his perspective on the latest Tory shenanighans on Europe:

Europe is the glass jaw of the Tory party. Some of their dissidents have been heard to say that Mr Cameron should behave like Margaret Thatcher. But it was her “No, no, no” to Europe which was the straw that

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Posted in LibLink | Tagged , and | 3 Comments
NewsHound

LibLink: Vince Cable – making the transition to low carbon economy

By NewsHound | Mon 5th November 2012 - 3:53 pm

Writing in the Telegraph, Vince Cable says that a green economy is fully compatible with a competitive and efficient manufacturing industry:

Green sectors have outperformed the wider economy since the economic downturn. The UK share

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Posted in LibLink | Tagged | 1 Comment
Mark Pack

How to get Lib Dem Voice by email

By Mark Pack | Mon 5th November 2012 - 2:53 pm

Why not join hundreds of other Lib Dem Voice readers in getting our latest headlines by email?

Some people like regularly visiting a site to see if there’s new stories of interest. Some people like subscribing to its news feed (RSS) and checking that way. But if you prefer email, you can instead sign up to get a daily early morning email with a summary of the previous day’s posts from Lib Dem Voice, complete with a note of how many comments each post has got and convenient links to click on if any take your fancy and you want to take a read.

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Mark Pack

Haringey Council shows how not to provide educational vision

By Mark Pack | Mon 5th November 2012 - 1:55 pm

Having a vision for an important public service is a good thing, whether you are the sort of person who laps up visions for breakfast or the sort of person who hankers for a golden pre-jargon age when vision meant something to do with your eyes. Either way, knowing what you actually are trying to achieve overall is what saves you from drowning in detail and being blown every which way by passing events.

So the concept of a local council drafting a vision statement for education in its area is fine. The problem with Haringey Council’s attempt is the content.

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Posted in Local government and News | Tagged | Leave a comment
Jayne McCoy

Opinion: Supporting local businesses – the Sutton story

By Jayne McCoy | Mon 5th November 2012 - 12:23 pm

In Sutton we have supported our high streets by investing in them. This strategic commitment has not only helped businesses to survive the recession and thrive, it has stimulated additional private investment which has helped to further unlock potential.

Our first project was the refurbishment of our main town centre in Sutton, initiated before the recession took hold, out of the London Mayor’s Great Spaces scheme. This was not an unqualified success as there were issues around implementation and design, which lost resident buy-in. However, it has succeeded in improving the area. Most importantly it was welcomed by the town centre businesses, who appreciated our

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Posted in Op-eds | Tagged | 2 Comments
Geoff Crocker

Opinion: Stop all extraditions to the USA

By Geoff Crocker | Mon 5th November 2012 - 10:53 am

Nick Clegg is celebrating the UK decision not to extradite Gary McKinnon to the USA. The extradition of Abu Hamza then sparked controversy and discussion on LDV. But last week the Guardian reported on the case of Christopher Tappin, the Kent businessman extradited to the US on charges of selling batteries to Iran. Tappin has entered a plea bargain, pleading guilty in return for a 33 month sentence to be served in the UK.

The Guardian reports Tappin’s UK solicitor, Karen Todner, saying

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Posted in Op-eds | Tagged | 24 Comments
The Voice

Join the fun here on Tuesday #LDVUSA – Election night LIVE

By The Voice | Mon 5th November 2012 - 9:54 am

We’ll be covering the US Election results night live here on Liberal Democrat Voice from 11pm on Tuesday.

You can join in by using the Twitter hashtag #LDVUSA, which will include your tweet on the scrolling page here on LDV. You’ll also be able to comment here on the screen using the Coveritlive.com tool.

There’ll be commentary from the LDV editorial team and Lib Dem bloggers throughout the night, plus updates from leading US news and commentary Twitter streams.

It’ll be a good place to …

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Posted in LDVUSA | Tagged and | 1 Comment
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