Stephen Tall

Lib Dem Patrick Streeter to stand for City of London election uncontested for 100 years

By Stephen Tall | Sat 19th May 2012 - 6:15 pm

Just a few weeks after the fierce battle for the London mayoralty concluded, a very different election is due to take place — an election which hasn’t even been contested for more than a century. But now London Lib Dem member Patrick Streeter is standing for the post of City Auditor, and promising to ask some tough questions, according to an email received by the Voice this week:

Patrick Streeter of Tower Hamlets Liberal Democrats is contesting an interesting election on June 25. Each year the City of London Corporation elects its auditors, although the position has not been contested

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Mark Pack

If you’re earning over £60,000 should the state subsidise your rent?

By Mark Pack | Sat 19th May 2012 - 3:57 pm

The government is bringing back to life earlier talk about removing the rent subsidy for those in social housing whose household income is over £60,000.

At the moment, rents in social housing are capped at 80% of the market value, but with around 34,000 homes in England occupied by families with a household income of over £60,000 the government is commencing a consultation on removing the 80% limit for them:

Government research shows that as many as 6,000 social rented homes in England are lived in by people who earn a combined income of more than £100,000, including Bob Crow, leader of

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Stephen Tall

LDV Caption Competition: Nick & Dave “Can you feel the love?” Edition

By Stephen Tall | Sat 19th May 2012 - 3:45 pm

There’s no prize at stake – just the opportunity to prove you’re wittier than any other LDV reader…

Remember the Rose Garden? It must all seem such a long time ago to Tory leader David Cameron pictured here giving Nick Clegg the evils. What do you think might be being said or thought by or about them?

And the winners of our last caption comp is…

Some fantastic entries for our most recent caption competition, Boris & Dave “Happily ever after” Edition.

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Posted in Caption Comp | 13 Comments
Stephen Tall

Were you a 2012 election candidate? Then don’t forget to fill in The Election Centre’s questionnaire

By Stephen Tall | Sat 19th May 2012 - 1:55 pm

If, like me, you were one of the 12,000 people who was a candidate in 2012’s local elections you may have received a letter recently from Plymouth University’s Elections Centre, run by Professors Colin Rallings and Michael Thrasher, inviting you to take part in an online questionnaire:

This year the centre has ran its seventh annual candidate survey for the Local elections. Over 12,000 candidates stood for election to local government this year and we are lucky enough to have sampled 6,450 of them (i.e. sent a letter inviting them to participate in the survey). We do this to collate information

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Mark Pack

Where’s Steve Hilton to cut through red tape when you need him?

By Mark Pack | Sat 19th May 2012 - 11:50 am

Back in 2010 I took up the issue of paperwork gone mad at the Ministry of Justice, using a series of Freedom of Information requests to reveal the ludicrously over-bureaucratic safe driving polices in place at the MoJ:

Despite the government’s rhetoric of cutting bureaucracy, the Ministry of Justice – one of the largest Whitehall departments and responsible for many important administrative systems – is spectacularly failing to set a good example with its own hugely bureaucratic approach to health and safety when people are driving as part of their work according to information I’ve unearthed in a series of freedom

…

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Ollie Dunckley and Sam Bennett

Aber Uni Lib Dems: Football, Cakes and Glee Club Songbooks

By Ollie Dunckley and Sam Bennett | Sat 19th May 2012 - 9:59 am

You don’t often see politicians redirecting their gaze at election time. However, the Aberystwyth University Liberal Democrats spent the early days of May raising money and awareness for a disease that is renowned for afflicting young people, many of which are students.

What the AULD had planned was to raise money for the Multiple Sclerosis Resource Centre (MSRC) through cross-party football, selling cakes on an industrial scale and using social media to promote their cause. It’s fair to say, we could not have expected such a successful campaign, let alone such a whirlwind of support from students and University staff.

It all …

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The Voice

The LDV Friday Five: 18 May 2012

By The Voice | Fri 18th May 2012 - 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

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Tim Farron MP

Tim Farron MP writes… Send in your nominations for Party Awards 2012

By Tim Farron MP | Fri 18th May 2012 - 3:53 pm

Each year at Autumn Conference, the Party President presents three awards to party members who have gone above and beyond for the party for longer than most of us can remember. There are three awards available:

  • President’s Award – this is an award for those party members who have been elected to public office at one point or another – for those who have been councillors or council leaders; for ex-MPs and MEPs. It rewards members who have given an overwhelming amount of time, effort, and support to the Liberal Democrats, and was last year won by Doris Ansari who

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Mark Valladares

ELDR Council: between a rock and some very hard places indeed…

By Mark Valladares | Fri 18th May 2012 - 2:52 pm

I’m not always the most prepared person in the world, especially when it comes to meetings. Usually, that doesn’t matter, because I’m surrounded by people who are prepared. But what happens if they don’t turn up on time?

The sun was shining in Armenia’s capital, in the shadow of Mount Ararat, and whilst one of the delegation’s Parliamentarians was meeting ‘Our Man in Yerevan’, I was off to attend the Resolution Working Group, where resolutions on a Common Consolidated Corporate tax base for Europe and on Cyprus were to be …

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Mary Reid

From today’s Lib Dem News

By Mary Reid | Fri 18th May 2012 - 12:55 pm

Lib Dem News cartoon

 

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Paul Reynolds

Opinion: Pupil Premium. Extend the concept?

By Paul Reynolds | Fri 18th May 2012 - 12:00 pm

The Pupil Premium (PP) is great politics. As a way of increasing funding for schools with more pupils from poorer backgrounds, with all the incentives that implies, is has laudable political features. It contrasts us well as ‘pro-poor’ relative to the Conservatives. It is a kind of remedy for the ‘student fees’ debacle. And it is simple – easy to understand and to implement.

It is worth having a closer look at its features and context. Are there any broader lessons for the Lib Dems?

First, what is it? In effect PP is an additional dimension to the way that central government …

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Mark Valladares

A postcard from… Brussels

By Mark Valladares | Fri 18th May 2012 - 10:22 am

The capital of Europe is not exactly what a visitor from an alien civilisation would expect. There is little in the way of grand boulevards, monumental buildings, overblown statuary. Indeed, it all seems a little down at heel. I’ve always suspected that Belgians don’t waste money maintaining facades on the basis that, soon enough, someone will invade and do it for them.

In Howard Blake’s ‘New National Songbook’, he writes, “”Good heavens, look at that Empire!”, we thought. Most of us were thinking about trees and birds all the while.”. …

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Posted in Europe / International | Tagged and | 3 Comments
George Potter

Opinion: The future of the CAP – specific proposals by Liberal Democrats

By George Potter | Fri 18th May 2012 - 9:02 am

This is the second of three articles, based on interviews with Lib Dem MEPs Phil Bennion and George Lyon, covering the future of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). This article addresses the specific changes they want made to current EU plans for reform.

When I spoke to him, Phil Bennion explained to me that, while Lib Dem MEPs are broadly supportive of the Commissioner’s plans for reform (the key idea being to start spending 30% of ‘pillar one’ payments on environmental elements), they have serious concerns with the detail.

An example he gave was the proposal for farmers to have …

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Nick T

LDVideo: Tessa Munt in fit of giggles in Commons as Minister sits on Davey

By Nick T | Thu 17th May 2012 - 4:28 pm

Well, there’s a headline you probably didn’t expect to read today.

Enjoy.

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Nick T

“We are not planning for a Greek exit” – Verhofstadt

By Nick T | Thu 17th May 2012 - 2:56 pm

Guy Verhofstadt, the former Belgian prime minister and current leader of the liberal grouping in the European Parliament, has rejected talk of Greece leaving the Eurozone. Interviewed on the Today programme yesterday he said such speculation was aimed more at influencing public opinion in Greece than it was a prediction of the likely outcome of the current crisis.

Verhofstadt warned that the EU is unprepared for the contagion that would result from a Greek Euro exit, saying:

There is no real firewall around the other economies of Europe, we only have a few fire extinguishers.

You can hear the full interview – including …

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Caron Lindsay

Lynne Featherstone to reform Equality and Human Rights Commission

By Caron Lindsay | Thu 17th May 2012 - 12:53 pm

The Guardian reported on Tuesday that Equalities Minister Lynne Featherstone is to reform the Equality and  Human Rights Commission, cutting its budget and removing some of its responsibilities, most notably its obligation to assess how Government policies would affect the poorest.

Now, if ever there was a quango in need of reform, the Equalities and Human Rights Commission is that body. Dysfunctional seems to be the best word to describe the EHRC. Wasteful would be another. For three years running, the National Audit Office qualified its accounts. Last year was the first year since its formation in 2007 when it managed to …

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Nick T

Lib Dem policy goes viral as ‘Reform Section 5’ campaign launched

By Nick T | Thu 17th May 2012 - 11:27 am

“It might surprise you to know that under Section 5 of the Public Order Act, the police and the courts can decide if you or someone else might feel insulted” states the front page of the Reform Section 5 campaign’s website.

But this is unlikely to surprise many Lib Dems, who just a couple of months ago, at our Spring Conference in Gateshead, passed a motion (pdf) which called for the right to free speech to be protected through:

 The repeal of section 5 of the Public Order Act, which creates ‘non-intentional’ speech offences, and the removal of ‘insulting’ from Section 4A of

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Mark Pack

Individual electoral registration: welcome changes to the details

By Mark Pack | Thu 17th May 2012 - 9:50 am

Over the weekend, I wrote about how welcome the ancillary details are in the newly published Electoral Registration and Administration Bill. Those are the “and Administration” part of the Bill, but the main act is electoral registration, with the Bill laying out details of the move to individual electoral registration across Great Britain, catching up with Northern Ireland.

I’ve written before about why individual electoral registration is a good policy, and hence has been long pushed for by the Electoral Commission and supported by all the main political parties. In brief, it is to do with principle (your right to vote shouldn’t depend on whether or not someone else fills in a form on your behalf), with fraud (individual registration will be a bit like putting window locks on, cutting crime by making it harder) and with the problem of landlords registering themselves rather than their tenants. You can read more about that in What’s the point of switching to individual electoral registration? but on to the Bill…

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Posted in Election law and News | Tagged , and | 13 Comments
Caron Lindsay

Willie Rennie’s first year as Scottish Liberal Democrat Leader

By Caron Lindsay | Wed 16th May 2012 - 8:47 pm

Tomorrow  it’s a year since Willie Rennie became Scottish Liberal Democrat Leader. What have been the highlights of that first year?

Well, on his first day, I interviewed him for Liberal Democrat Voice and you can still listen to that here.  He said that his priorities for his first hundred days were to work out what our message was, to sort out our organisation and to get out there and meet people, members and ordinary people on their doorsteps. So how has he done with these things and more?

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The Voice

Liberal Democrats reject Steve Hilton’s £25 billion welfare cuts call

By The Voice | Wed 16th May 2012 - 6:47 pm

David Cameron’s adviser Steve Hilton heads off for a sabbatical in California, where he will be learning more about governance.

However, he is  reported in several newspapers to have left a wee parting present, a paper calling for a further £25 billion cut in welfare spending. He wants to see people, particularly single parents, encouraged into full time rather than part time work. No mention is made of how the resulting child care costs would be met, of course. Maybe he hadn’t thought of that.

The Times (£) reported that these plans had not been shared with the Liberal Democrats but, …

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Caron Lindsay

Lynne Featherstone’s honeycomb surprise

By Caron Lindsay | Wed 16th May 2012 - 2:24 pm

MPs’ offices get stacks and stacks of mail. Every day all manner of things arrive, from invitations, to big glossy brochures from various organisations, to letters from constituents, to replies from letters written to various Government bodies on behalf of local residents, to thank you cards when problems have been resolved.

Today, Lynne Featherstone’s constituency office received a special surprise in the post. Ben and Jerry’s, in conjunction with Stonewall, had produced a specially designed ice cream tub, complete with the Equality Minister’s photograph and the title Lynne Honeycomb, to show the company’s support for Equal Marriage. Sadly for her office …

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Caron Lindsay

Liberal Democrat MPs fight for blind people hit by welfare changes

By Caron Lindsay | Wed 16th May 2012 - 12:23 pm

The Independent reports that Liberal Democrat MPs are trying to change the new assessment process for the Personal Independence Payments  which will replace Disability Living Allowance. They believe that they may lead to blind people being denied the help that they need. This is a measure introduced by the Welfare Reform Act. The MPs are concerned that the new assessment process focuses on mobility  and does not sufficiently take into account the ways in which being blind or partially sighted can affect everyday life.

People who have sight loss need the extra help to, for example, help with cleaning, ironing …

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Caron Lindsay

Five years in five posts – 2007-2011

By Caron Lindsay | Wed 16th May 2012 - 11:28 am

I was wondering how I could amuse readers on my own blog yesterday and I came up with this amazing idea of going back and finding out what I was writing about around this time in previous years. It was only later that I realised that Helen Duffett does this for Liberal Democrat Voice every Friday in the Friday Five . I hope she doesn’t mind me borrowing her idea and  adding in a little extra spot.

What was good about my post yesterday is that a few other Liberal Democrat bloggers got in on the act and I spent …

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Michael Moore

Michael Moore MP’s Westminster Notes

By Michael Moore | Wed 16th May 2012 - 10:25 am

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

Queen’s Speech

Last week, we saw the State Opening of Parliament by the Queen. Her Majesty set out the legislation planned for the second session of Parliament following the formation of the Coalition. The legislation outlined in the speech supports our efforts to reduce the deficit, rebalance the economy and put the country on the path to sustainable growth. It also sets out our commitment to provide families, businesses and communities across the country with the support they …

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Mark Pack

Police urged to investigate campaign against Labour and Lib Dem councillors in Milton Keynes

By Mark Pack | Wed 16th May 2012 - 8:55 am

Milton Keynes Liberal Democrats are asking the police to investigate campaign leaflets put out during this year’s council elections which attacked both Lib Dem and Labour councillors for their views on providing space for Travellers.

A series of leaflets were put out during the election attacking named candidates from the two parties, accusing them of putting too much effort into housing Travellers compared to “the homeless, OAPs, and the disabled”. Although the leaflets contained a name and phone number, they did not contain the election imprint information required by …

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Posted in Election law and News | Tagged | 29 Comments
John Leech

John Leech MP writes… It is not just the Leader’s job to sell the Pupil Premium

By John Leech | Tue 15th May 2012 - 4:21 pm

The Pupil Premium is one of our biggest achievement in government, and helps the poorest children in our country bridge the gap when it comes to the quality of education they receive. Manchester has had an extra £19 million this year, and the overall spend is some £1.25 billion this year, increasing to £2.5 billion by 2014/15.

The Pupil Premium ticks all the boxes for the Party. It is designed to help the most disadvantaged, it allows schools to spend the extra money flexibly, and it is new money on top of the school budget.

So why are we not shouting about …

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Posted in Op-eds | Tagged , , and | 22 Comments
Paul Walter

In praise of Councillor Neil Hughes – 56 Up

By Paul Walter | Tue 15th May 2012 - 2:47 pm

If you missed it, it is worth watching the first episode of 56 Up on ITV Player. Aired last night, it is the latest in Michael Apted’s Seven Up series, which filmed a group of seven year olds in 1964 and has since caught up with them every seven years.

One of the group is Liberal Democrat Councillor Neil Hughes, who represents Shap ward on Eden District Council in Cumbria. Neil was previously one of our councillors in Hackney and is also a lay preacher. As you can see from last night’s film, the Seven Up series has …

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Tom Papworth

Opinion: A letter to a constituent regarding equal marriage

By Tom Papworth | Tue 15th May 2012 - 1:55 pm

The following is the text of an email that I sent to a constituent earlier today. He wrote to me to ask about my views of the government’s proposals “to re-define marriage”, which he believes “will have far-reaching consequences… will have an adverse effect on the stability and flourishing of our local community.” I beg to differ.

Dear sir,

Thank you for your email regarding the government’s proposals to change the law on marriage in the United Kingdom. This is not a local authority matter, and so has no relevance to my role as a local councillor. However, as you have asked to know my views on this matter, I am happy to oblige.

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Posted in Op-eds | Tagged | 32 Comments
Chris Richards

Opinion: A message from Paddy over a decade later

By Chris Richards | Tue 15th May 2012 - 12:10 pm

Back in September 1999 Paddy Ashdown gave his farewell speech to the Liberal Democrats’ Federal Conference. The speech set out some challenges for Liberal Democrats as we approached a new century. What is interesting to note, reading it almost 13 years later, is how prescient his speech is when looking at the credit crunch and the current Eurozone crisis:

Here is the inescapable fact. Power is now moving, increasingly, beyond the confines of the nation state and is rapidly making many of its institutions irrelevant.

He continued,

We must start taking global governance seriously. The nation states, their governments and their politicians are

…

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Bill le Breton

Opinion: Clutching at straws

By Bill le Breton | Tue 15th May 2012 - 10:08 am

I have spent the day clutching at a couple of straws.

Last week in the tractor factory Nick Clegg appeared to confuse the ‘deficit’ with the National Debt when he said, “We have a moral duty to the next generation to wipe the slate clean for them of debt. We have set out a plan – it lasts about six or seven years – to wipe the slate clean to rid people of the deadweight of debt that has been built up over time.”

It sounded like a fail in GCSE Economics. But suppose he wasn’t mistaking the policy to eliminate the structural deficit by 2017 for a moral crusade to wipe the slate clean by removing the deadweight of the National Debt, all £1,300 billion of it.

At the other end of my straw was the realisation that Nick Clegg might have become an extreme Market Monetarist and was revealing his plan to re-establish Nominal GDP back to its trend line, even if that meant buying in the whole of the National Debt in the mother of all quantitative easing exercises.

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