Liberal Democrat Voice

What do the academics say? More attractive candidates pick up more votes

By Mark Pack | Wed 19th September 2012 - 4:05 pm

Welcome to the latest in our occasional series highlighting interesting findings from academic research. Today it’s the electoral appeal of physical appeal:

The work by the University of Exeter and the University Iowa found that the “halo effect” of attractiveness was most prominent in hotly contested constituencies.

Researchers found in those seats the most attractive candidate wins nearly three quarters of the time.

Dr Caitlin Milazzo, a lecturer in politics at Exeter, said choosing attractive candidates could give a party the “edge”.

“While our findings certainly do not indicate that unattractive candidates are unelectable, they do suggest that an attractiveness “advantage” may come

…

Posted in What do the academics say? | 5 Comments

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Featherstone and Crockart slam Page 3

By Caron Lindsay | Wed 19th September 2012 - 3:25 pm

A petition calling on the editor of the Sun to withdraw the Page 3 feature has gained more than 13,000 signatures in the last 2 days. I’m supporting this campaign because I strongly believe that a national newspaper showing half clothed women is a significant background note in the cultural melody which stops women from being treated as equal citizens. How am I supposed to convince my daughter that she’s an equal member of society when she sees women portrayed as little more than window dressing for the express entertainment of men?

Liberal Democrat MP for Edinburgh West Mike Crockart …

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged equality, lynne featherstone, mike crockart, page 3 and the sun | 43 Comments

Michael Moore MP’s Westminster Notes

By Michael Moore | Wed 19th September 2012 - 2:55 pm

Local catch ups

In my work as Borders MP I have regular catch ups with local public services such as NHS Borders, Lothian and Borders police and Scottish Borders Council. These are valuable meetings during which I am updated on key local issues and I am able bring my constituents’ concerns to their attention. Last week, as part of these regular catch ups, I met with Chief Superintendent John Hawkins in Hawick to discuss the work of local police and the crime and policing issues.

Referendum

Ever since the Scottish Government announced their plan to hold a referendum on Scottish Independence, I have …

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged defence, Michael Moore, nicola sturgeon, olympics, post offices, Scottish independence referendum and Westminster Notes | Leave a comment

Nick Clegg warns against arming the Police after Manchester shootings

By Caron Lindsay | Wed 19th September 2012 - 2:10 pm

In the wake of the murders of police officers Fiona Bone and Nicola Hughes in Manchester yesterday, the issue of whether police should be armed is being raised by journalists.

The Scotsman reports Nick Clegg’s comments when asked about this today. He was quick to say that arming Police Officers was not the answer.

I don’t think this is the time to rush to instant judgments, this really is a time for mourning and support, of course, for the family and friends of the two women who have been killed.

We have a long tradition in this country, which is a great

…

Posted in News | Tagged crime, firearms, nick clegg and police | 2 Comments

Lib Dems’ former HQ on the market for £11 million

By Helen Duffett | Wed 19th September 2012 - 1:23 pm

Photo credit: Loz Flowers on Flickr.

The Liberal Democrats used to call it home. Now 4 Cowley Street (vacated by the party in summer 2011) is up for sale as a 6-bedroom house for £11 million.

Estate agents Hathaways describe “Cowley House” as:

…an architecturally astounding property.

Hidden in the heart of Old Westminster the property was purpose-built as offices in the early 20th century, but the layout is such that it will make a particularly grand and spacious London home.

…

Posted in Party policy and internal matters | Tagged cowley street | 8 Comments

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Julian Huppert MP writes… Developing a future: Policies for science and research

By Julian Huppert | Wed 19th September 2012 - 12:55 pm

Back in 2010, a survey by the Programme for International Student Assessment found that UK schoolchildren ranked 16th in Science and 28th in Maths among 65 OECD countries. Since then, little has changed.

For a country which has led the world in scientific discovery, and profited from those developments, this is deeply worrying.

We in the Lib Dems have a proud record of arguing in favour of science and research, and promoting it from the classroom to the lab. People such as Dr Evan Harris and now-Lord Phil Willis have made sure that we are seen as a pro-science party;

Posted in Party policy and internal matters | Tagged academy of medical sciences, evan harris, phil willis, science and wellcome trust | 16 Comments

Your one-stop online guide to Lib Dem conference events – we’ve got an app for that

By Stephen Tall | Wed 19th September 2012 - 11:25 am

The Lib Dem conference guide is my political-geek equivalent of the Christmas Radio Times, thumbing through it in anticipation, circling the must-watch events, worrying about all the clashes of things I want to see.

But just as PVRs and Sky+ mean I no longer fret about missing my fave programmes so have our advertising partners MessageSpace developed an online guide – FringeList – which contains every event taking place: when, where, who’s speaking, and who’s attending.

You can search for particular speakers (including who’s speaking most often), find out which are the most popular events, and create your own …

Posted in Conference | Tagged 2012 Brighton Conference and fringelist | 4 Comments

FFAC chair Greenland acknowledges LDV accreditation article was “unhelpful”

By NewsHound | Wed 19th September 2012 - 10:55 am

The chair of the Federal Finance and Administration Committee, Duncan Greenland has written an article in the Conference edition of Liberator on the highly controversial issue of Conference accreditation. A Liberal Democrat Voice poll in June, consistent with every other test of party opinion on the issue, showed that a majority of respondents opposed the system, which requires conference attendees to undergo police checks.

Mr Greenland felt that the Liberator coverage on the issue had been “misleading” and wanted to put the record straight about the process by which accreditation was approved. He stated that FFAC had become involved after …

Posted in Conference and News | Tagged andrew wiseman, conference accreditation, duncan greenland, federal conference committee, federal executive, federal finance and administration committee, liberator and tim farron | 7 Comments

Liberal Democrat conference: the daily themes

By Mark Pack | Wed 19th September 2012 - 10:25 am

Back in the 1990s, the idea of theming different days of party conference around particular themes was a fairly controversial issue, even playing a role in contested elections for membership of Federal Conference Committee and then elections from within its membership for Chair and Vice-Chair.*

Since then the idea has become well-established, if sometimes more in theory than in practice. Looking through not just the agenda for the 2012 autumn conference in Brighton but also associated conference publications and …

Posted in Conference | Tagged 2012 Brighton Conference and featured | 2 Comments

Interview: What future for youth services in an age of austerity

By Linda Jack | Wed 19th September 2012 - 9:28 am

As a youth worker one of the organisations I have had a long term relationship with is the National Youth Agency, always an important resource and advocate for youth work and young people. They will be hosting two challenging youth work focused fringes at conference, so I took the opportunity to interview Fiona Blacke, their dynamic and outspoken CEO.

Q: How have the cuts impacted on youth work across the country?

A: Young people need access to youth workers and high quality youth work, and that offer continues to be …

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged fiona blackie, linda jack, local authorities, national youth agency and youth services | 2 Comments

Dan Rogerson MP writes…How we reformed GCSEs

By Dan Rogerson MP | Wed 19th September 2012 - 8:55 am

I suspect there are precious few people out there who are not aware that Michael Gove wasn’t entirely happy with the current state of the GCSE system.

You’re probably also aware that when he first suggested he wasn’t happy with the current system, Nick Clegg, Joan Walmsley and I wasted no time in telling him that Liberal Democrats, a party who believe in social mobility, would not tolerate a return to a two tier education system.

What you may not be aware of is just how the two parties have been working since then to find a compromise that combines the shared …

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged EBacc, education, gcses, Joan Walmsley, nick clegg and schools | 11 Comments

Opinion: How do Gove’s plans match up to Lib Dem policy?

By Alisdair Calder McGregor | Tue 18th September 2012 - 5:36 pm

Three months ago I penned my debut submission to LibDemVoice – There is much for the Lib Dems to support in Gove’s embryonic exam proposals – in the wake of the early leaks of Gove’s plans for the replacement of GCSEs. In that, I set out how Michael Gove’s policies matched up with Liberal Democrat Party Policy, and came to some conclusions on how Gove’s proposals would need to be altered to be in line with our policies;

The four criteria were:

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged EBacc, education, gcses and schools | 62 Comments

Why stand for Federal Policy Committee?

By Dinti Batstone | Tue 18th September 2012 - 5:02 pm

Here is the third article about the work of party committees, written by current members. Each provides insight into how a specific committee functions. We hope these articles will encourage party members to consider putting themselves forward for election.

Why did more people put themselves forward for election to the Federal Policy Committee than any other federal committee in 2010? Because with Liberal Democrats now in Government our policies matter more than ever before – as this new booklet makes clear.

So what exactly does the Federal Policy Committee do? While the party Constitution enshrines Conference as the Liberal Democrats’ sovereign policy-making …

Posted in News | Tagged federal policy committee | 4 Comments

Opinion: How GCSEs made me envy my son

By Helen Flynn | Tue 18th September 2012 - 4:03 pm

The heady waft of future and assured pupil disengagement is already pungent only one day after the announcement of the new exam system. The wrong-headedness of the “reform” is enough to actually make you gasp.

Don’t get me wrong, I really do hate the personal anecdote–beloved of many politicians and responsible in my view for so much political damage (and used to the usual effect yesterday in that disturbing article in the Evening Standard).

But here’s one. My elder son recently gained 11 A stars in his GSCEs. He is a very academic child, as I was. But as he did …

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged EBacc, education, gcses and schools | 48 Comments

Polls and predictions: The Chris Rennard Interview

By The Voice | Tue 18th September 2012 - 2:25 pm

Liberal Democrat News has just published extracts from an interview with Lord (Chris) Rennard, former Lib Dem Chief Executive, and Director of Campaigns and Elections. The interview appears in full below.
Journalist York Membery is a regular contributor to the nationals. He is also a contributing editor to the Journal of Liberal History.

Chris is credited with masterminding a string of past by-election victories as well as the target seat strategy that increased our number of MPs from 19 to 63. He tells York Membery that we should look to the future with hope not fear…

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged andrew stunell, chris rennard, tony greaves and york membery | 4 Comments

Opinion: Beyond the Ebacc

By Jon Hunt | Tue 18th September 2012 - 1:12 pm

Two years ago theWest Midlands Region embarked on a project which we called “Beyond the Ebacc.” We chose the title because we recognised then that the Coalition government was intent on embedding the Ebacc as the gold standard qualification at 16 and wanted our party, the Liberal Democrats, to emerge from coalition with our own radical policies in this critical area.

We were able to draw on a wide range of experience, including that of overseeing education in large municipal authorities.

Our concern was the stark evidence that our school system is failing many young people. Every government that has sought to …

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged EBacc, education, gcses and schools | 13 Comments

LibLink: Michael Gove and Nick Clegg – A new exam will get the best out of all our children

By Mary Reid | Tue 18th September 2012 - 12:45 pm

The Evening Standard has published a joint statement by Michael Gove and Nick Clegg on the new Ebacc proposals. It begins:

We both grew up in different circumstances and chose distinctive paths. Spending your first few months in care, before being brought up by a Labour-voting mother in a Labour-voting Scottish city isn’t a natural preparation for Tory politics. Likewise, working for a former Tory Cabinet minister in Brussels and rejecting his invitation to follow in his footsteps and ending up standing as a Liberal Democrat in Sheffield instead isn’t exactly an orthodox political path either.

But while we both chose

…

Posted in LibLink | Tagged EBacc, education, gcses and schools | 13 Comments

Conference edition of Liberator

By The Liberator Collective | Tue 18th September 2012 - 12:05 pm

The latest edition of Liberator magazine (issue no.355 – September 2012) has just landed on subscribers’ doormats. Whether or not you are a subscriber, if you’re at party conference in Brighton, do visit the Liberator stall, where you can buy or renew your subscription and also acquire the new edition of the ever-popular Liberator Songbook!

Meanwhile, here’s a summary of the new magazine’s contents:

Posted in News | Tagged 2012 Brighton Conference and liberator magazine | 1 Comment

MP conference fringe league table 2012: Norman Baker is the new Simon Hughes, but he’s no Vince Cable

By Mark Pack | Tue 18th September 2012 - 10:25 am

Back for its fourth year (see 2009, 2010 and 2011) is my conference fringe meeting league table, showing how many fringes each MP will be speaking at. As ever, this is based on the information from the official fringe listings in the printed conference directory. With the reshuffle, I expect a fair number of fringe organisers are reshuffling their panels too; the table is still however a good indicator of the combination of demand for certain MPs and their enthusiasm for working the fringe.

Trends to note include that Cable topped the table the first two times, then slipped to third …

Posted in Conference | Tagged 2012 Brighton Conference, ed davey, norman baker, simon hughes and vince cable | 3 Comments

Jenny Willott MP writes…Get behind Bablin Molik, Cardiff South and Penarth by-election candidate

By Jenny Willott | Tue 18th September 2012 - 9:13 am

In the aftermath of the Cabinet re-shuffle, a lot has been made of the shortage of female representatives within government. This is a particularly painful allegation for us as Liberal Democrats.

It is of course good news that some of the great women in our party have been promoted: Jo Swinson MP is now Minister for Employment Relations and Consumer Affairs, Baroness Jenny Randerson is taking up a role in the Wales Office, Lynne Featherstone MP has moved to the Department for International Development and Lorely Burt has become Parliamentary Private Secretary to Danny Alexander MP.

Posted in Parliamentary by-elections | Tagged Bablin Molik and cardiff south and penarth | 6 Comments

And so the ‘Romneyshambles’ rolls on…

By Stephen Tall | Tue 18th September 2012 - 8:45 am

Here’s the video footage of US Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney addressing a private fundraising event:

Posted in LDVUSA and YouTube | Tagged Mitt Romney | 8 Comments

Timetable for selecting Euro candidates (England)

By Mark Pack | Tue 18th September 2012 - 7:50 am

17 September
Deadline for shortlists to be notified to applicants and to the Senior Returning Officer.

17 September – 3 October
Period to resolve any appeals.
Candidates shortlisted in more than two Regions to choose two.

Posted in Selection news | Tagged european parliament | Leave a comment

David Laws: “An exam for all abilities”

By The Voice | Mon 17th September 2012 - 7:11 pm

Here’s the text of the email from Lib Dem education minister David Laws to party members today setting out the Coalition’s proposed reforms of the GCSE exam system:

The Coalition has today announced our plan to replace GCSEs with new, reformed qualifications.

Our proposals will restore rigour to the exam system, allow us to compete on the international stage, and end years of grade inflation under Labour.

When some Conservatives suggested that we could bring back the 1950s O-Level, Nick Clegg immediately made it clear that Liberal Democrats would not tolerate such a move. Liberal Democrats will never accept a return

…

Posted in News | Tagged david laws, EBacc, education, gcses and schools | 44 Comments

Opinion: GCSEs? O-levels? Open your minds!

By Ed Wilson | Mon 17th September 2012 - 4:24 pm

Consider a vocational subject – dentistry. It leads to a job and requires hand-eye coordination and knowledge of tools and materials. To be good at it, you must prove your interpersonal skills. A major study is the physiology of certain human systems.

Now consider an academic subject – engineering. This needs an understanding of physics, chemistry, mechanics, maths, cutting edge optics, electronics, materials science… not every one in every case but your subset will require detailed reading, theoretical work and experimentation.

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged EBacc, education, gcses and schools | 24 Comments

Opinion: It’s tricky isn’t it, this coalition business?

By Richard Morris | Mon 17th September 2012 - 2:54 pm

Try and be too Liberal and our coalition partners do all they can to put a spanner in the works. They surely feel much the same about us. Try and find a happy compromise and you end up with everyone hating you.

And the danger is you sink into a sea of obfuscation and intransigence and get absolutely nowhere. Or worse, you go native – or at least let the world think that you have. Then you end up hating yourself.

Is this ringing any bells?

Which is why we probably need more people inside the party who have experience of making coalition …

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged ryan coetzee | 16 Comments

The Independent View: Landlord licensing will not stop the criminals

By Richard Lambert | Mon 17th September 2012 - 1:24 pm

The National Landlords Association (NLA) is a membership organisation representing over 20,000 individuals and companies, letting privately rented residential property. The NLA provides advice to help landlords run their businesses for themselves and their tenants. Like anyone else, landlords like satisfied customers and repeat business.

The private-rented sector has grown from a low point of eight per cent of households in 1990 to over 17 per cent today, matching the social housing sector. This growth has accelerated in recent years, due to the combined effects of …

Posted in The Independent View | Tagged housing and landlords | 13 Comments

Calling them granny taxes doesn’t mean they’re unfair

By Adam Corlett | Mon 17th September 2012 - 11:52 am

The phasing out of the additional personal allowance was decried as a ‘granny tax’ but that move did not go far enough. A new CentreForum report looks at two unjustified and deeply regressive age-related tax breaks: the tax-free lump sum and the exemption from National Insurance.

There are many lonely, vulnerable and poor pensioners who need support. But it’s insulting to suggest that everyone over 60 or 65 can be lumped into the category of frail granny (to say nothing of grandpas!). There is a huge range of incomes amongst pensioners. At the very top, the average annual pension …

Posted in News and Op-eds | Tagged centre forum, granny tax and pensions | 20 Comments

Order! Order! A Parliamentary Miscellany

By Mark Pack | Mon 17th September 2012 - 10:22 am

Robert Rogers, the Clerk of the House of Commons, is the latest in a long line of distinguished authors to have produced a miscellany of Parliamentary history, information and quirks. His volume Order! Order! A Parliamentary Miscellany is a worthy addition to that sequence.

Originally published in 2009 it has just been republished with little changed other than a new Foreword. As a result, although it is not quite as up to date as its 2012 publication date might suggest, it is still pretty fresh. Given Rogers’s background, it is also no surprise that this is primarily a miscellany of the House of Commons. The House of Lords is much the neglected partner.

Posted in Books and Parliament | Tagged history and robert rogers | Leave a comment

Clegg and Gove show united front on plan to overhaul GCSEs

By Stephen Tall | Mon 17th September 2012 - 9:45 am

Nick Clegg and Michael Gove will today present a carefully joined up front as they present proposals to overhaul GCSEs. In June, the two clashed after the education secretary let slip his desire to return to O-levels, swiftly dubbed ‘Gove-levels’. The Lib Dem leader immediately dismissing any notion of a return to a two-tier system exam system which would have likely resulted in high numbers of poorer children in the most disadvantaged areas sitting the CSE exams which would close off their opportunities for later progress into higher education and many professional careers. Their row may also have contributed to …

Posted in News | Tagged EBacc, education, gcses, michael gove, nick clegg and schools | 43 Comments

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Caron’s kitchen table diary

Victoria Collins MP writes.. The ask that changes everything

To get Britain growing, we must cut business costs

What do the academics say? More attractive candidates pick up more votes

Featherstone and Crockart slam Page 3

Michael Moore MP’s Westminster Notes

Local catch ups

Referendum

Nick Clegg warns against arming the Police after Manchester shootings

Lib Dems’ former HQ on the market for £11 million

Julian Huppert MP writes… Developing a future: Policies for science and research

Your one-stop online guide to Lib Dem conference events – we’ve got an app for that

FFAC chair Greenland acknowledges LDV accreditation article was “unhelpful”

Liberal Democrat conference: the daily themes

Interview: What future for youth services in an age of austerity

Dan Rogerson MP writes…How we reformed GCSEs

Opinion: How do Gove’s plans match up to Lib Dem policy?

Why stand for Federal Policy Committee?

Opinion: How GCSEs made me envy my son

Polls and predictions: The Chris Rennard Interview

Opinion: Beyond the Ebacc

LibLink: Michael Gove and Nick Clegg – A new exam will get the best out of all our children

Conference edition of Liberator

MP conference fringe league table 2012: Norman Baker is the new Simon Hughes, but he’s no Vince Cable

Jenny Willott MP writes…Get behind Bablin Molik, Cardiff South and Penarth by-election candidate

And so the ‘Romneyshambles’ rolls on…

Timetable for selecting Euro candidates (England)

David Laws: “An exam for all abilities”

Opinion: GCSEs? O-levels? Open your minds!

Opinion: It’s tricky isn’t it, this coalition business?

The Independent View: Landlord licensing will not stop the criminals

Calling them granny taxes doesn’t mean they’re unfair

Order! Order! A Parliamentary Miscellany

Clegg and Gove show united front on plan to overhaul GCSEs

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