Stephen Tall

“A shitty time to be a liberal”: The Economist’s must-read piece on the Clegg paradox (and 2 reasons why it’s wrong)

By Stephen Tall | Sun 19th February 2012 - 9:55 am

There’s a must-read column by The Economist’s Bagehot this week focusing on the Lib Dems’ dilemmas, titled The Clegg paradox. It’s a serious and weighty analysis, which asks some uncomfortable questions of the party’s strategy. Here’s it’s conclusion:

At a recent meeting of the Lib Dem parliamentary party, Tim Farron, an ambitious left-winger and party president, reportedly cheered this anti-Tory success, but bemoaned the fact that unelected peers had led the charge against the NHS reforms and got the credit for it, rather than Lib Dem MPs who need votes. That drew a rebuke from Jeremy Browne, a foreign office

…

Continue reading »
Posted in Op-eds | Tagged , , and | 18 Comments
Advert
Caron Lindsay

Glasgow Council’s Labour group disintegrates amid allegations of intimidation

By Caron Lindsay | Sun 19th February 2012 - 8:54 am

Glasgow City Council was one of the few places Labour retained a majority administration in the Scottish local elections of 2007. Those elections were the first run using the Single Transferable Vote system, introduced for local government during the second Labour/Liberal Democrat Scottish Executive coalition. If the truth be known, there was not much love for the move on the Labour benches, but they had very little choice after the 2003 Holyrood election where they lost 6 seats while the Liberal Democrats had maintained their position and therefore increased their strength within the Coalition.

Today the Labour group in Glasgow is …

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Tagged , , and | 1 Comment
Stephen Tall

Labours of Letters: the Alex Hilton & Hopi Sen correspondence

By Stephen Tall | Sat 18th February 2012 - 5:38 pm

At the risk of intruding on private grief, I feel I should draw the attention of Voice readers to an excoriating broadside against Ed Miliband’s leadership published on LabourList last night.

Entitled ‘Losing faith’, it is an open letter from Alex Hilton, twice a Labour parliamentary candidate and founder of the Labour Home website, to ‘Dear Ed’. It weighs in at 1,457 words — here are just a few of them:

I no longer have any faith that the Labour Party will make a better society – or even

…

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Tagged , and | 16 Comments
Stephen Tall

LDV Caption Competition: Ed Miliband “Basking in The Sun” Edition

By Stephen Tall | Sat 18th February 2012 - 4:13 pm

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

Ed Miliband The Sun

Here’s Labour leader Ed Miliband proudly bathing in the reflected glory of The Sun (before Rupert Murdoch’s fall from grace, natch) — what do you think might be being said or thought by or about him?

And the winner of our last caption comp is…

Some fantastic entries for our most recent caption competition, Clegg, Cam & Lansley “You can hear the white coats flapping” Edition.

Continue reading »
Posted in Caption Comp | Tagged , and | 13 Comments
Mark Pack

The weekend debate: Should music be priced by morality?

By Mark Pack | Sat 18th February 2012 - 1:25 pm

Here’s your starter for ten in our weekend slot where we throw up an idea or thought for debate…

Sony caught a lot flack this week for initially raising the price on Whitney Houston’s songs after her death (a rise since recanted). Was Sony initially right and the pricing of products like music should be left to market forces? Or was Sony’s second view right and is there also a moral angle? If so, which prices does it cover and when?

Post your comments below…

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged and | 23 Comments
Advert
The Liberator Collective

New edition of Liberator magazine

By The Liberator Collective | Sat 18th February 2012 - 11:20 am

The latest issue of Liberator magazine (issue no.351 – February 2012) has just been mailed to subscribers. For those of you who are not yet subscribers, here’s a summary of the contents:

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Tagged | Leave a comment
Helen Duffett

Lib Dem Tom Kiehl wins Parliamentary Researcher of the Year

By Helen Duffett | Sat 18th February 2012 - 10:15 am

John Bercow and Tom Kiehl
Photo credit: Sharon Wallace, Federation of Small Businesses.

Tom Kiehl, from the Liberal Democrats Lords Whips Office, scooped two prizes at this week’s Dods Parliamentary Researcher of the Year Awards.

From PoliticsHome:

The Lib Dems have triumphed at the Dods Parliamentary Researcher of the Year Awards for the second year in a row. At last week’s ceremony Tom Kiehl (pictured), who was nominated by Lord Shutt of Greetland, won Lib Dem researcher of the year and overall researcher of

…

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Tagged , and | 3 Comments
Nick T

Government win in human rights tuition fee challenge

By Nick T | Fri 17th February 2012 - 5:25 pm

The government has today successfully defended a judicial review challenge against its decision to raise university tuition fees. The case – brought by two students – alleged that the government acted in breach of various provisions of the European Convention on Human Rights and/or numerous pieces of equality legislation when it took the decision to raise fees. On virtually all the points, the government – and Vince Cable as the relevant minister – were vindicated, both on the substantive effects of the policy and the way in which the decision was made.

You can read the full judgment in the case here (pdf) (and it’s worth doing so to read the arguments of both sides and conclusions of the judge on the likely impact of the tuition fee increase). However, here are a few key from Lord Justice Elias’s judgment:

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Tagged and | 13 Comments
The Voice

The LDV Friday Five: 17 February 2012

By The Voice | Fri 17th February 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

Continue reading »
Posted in Friday Five | 1 Comment
Chris Davies

Chris Davies MEP writes… To tithe or not to tithe?

By Chris Davies | Fri 17th February 2012 - 4:26 pm

Money is tight. The party is far from being flush with cash and there is not enough in the coffers to fund the level of campaigning we need. We rely heavily on voluntary donations, and equity demands that we dust off a recommendation of the 2008 Bones Report – the one calling for Lib Dems at every level of government to give a proportion of their income to support activities that can enhance the effectiveness of the party.

Most councillors already do this, donating 5-10% of their allowances. ALDC even provides model standing orders that require each voting member of a …

Continue reading »
Posted in Op-eds | Tagged , , and | 19 Comments
Mark Pack

Another step towards ending the waste of two European Parliament locations

By Mark Pack | Fri 17th February 2012 - 1:50 pm

Whether it’s the cost, the environmental impact or the disruption to operating the organisation, the continuation of two locations for the European Parliament has few friends. The friends it does have, who think it’s a sensible way of spending time and money to shuttle one institution back and forth between Brussels and Strasbourg, are very tenacious though. Yet as a result the obvious waste of these arrangements continues to overshadow the steps the European Parliament does take to cut waste elsewhere.

As a result, progress has been slow, but another step has been taken as London Lib Dem MEP Sarah Ludford has reported:

Continue reading »
Posted in Europe / International and News | Tagged and | Leave a comment
Nick T

Chris Huhne makes first court appearance – but what happens next?

By Nick T | Fri 17th February 2012 - 12:14 pm

Chris Huhne made his first appearance before a court yesterday, following the news earlier this month that the Crown Prosecution Service planned to bring charges against him and Vicky Pryce, his former wife, of perverting the course of justice.

Given the vague way in which matters of legal procedure are reported in the media, there now follows a bit more detail about the procedure of what will happen next and when we might expect the case to be resolved, for those not familiar with the details of the system.

The offence of perverting the course of justice is one which can only …

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Tagged | 3 Comments
Tim Leunig

Opinion: Vince Cable right to abandon penalties on early student loan repayments

By Tim Leunig | Fri 17th February 2012 - 10:20 am

Vince Cable has done the right thing, for the right reasons.

The new student loan system requires well off graduates to pay a higher rate of interest on their loans – up to three percent above inflation. This helps to cover the government losses on loans to graduates who end up on low incomes – overwhelmingly women working part time after having children – as well as making the system more progressive.

Cable was worried that well off graduates would pay off their loan early, to avoid paying the interest charges. He commissioned his department to look into creating early repayment …

Continue reading »
Posted in Op-eds | Tagged , and | 14 Comments
Mia Hadfield-Spoor

Opinion: AAA to GGG?

By Mia Hadfield-Spoor | Fri 17th February 2012 - 9:03 am

Britain’s triple ‘A’ credit rating is now in doubt. This, if nothing else so far has, should raise concern in the mind of George Osborne that a new approach to Britain’s economy, and future, is needed.

The Green Liberal Democrats are wondering whether he can be persuaded to take a new approach that aims for a triple G rated economy? An economy triple rated as Great Going on Green Issues?

Fears around the severe weakness of Britain’s economy are due to the reality of the unsustainable nature of many of our business practices. An economy that is dependent …

Continue reading »
Posted in Op-eds | 10 Comments
Stephen Tall

Who’s up, who’s down? How party members rate the performances of leading Lib Dems

By Stephen Tall | Fri 17th February 2012 - 7:45 am

Lib Dem Voice has polled our members-only forum to discover what Lib Dem members think of various political issues, the Coalition, and the performance of key party figures. Some 570 party members responded, and we’re publishing the full results.

Today we focus on the performances of the leading lights of the Liberal Democrats — those of our MPs in the cabinet, those occupying ministerial positions, and other leading Lib Dems.

LDV asked: How would you rate the performances of the following leading Liberal Democrats and government ministers?

Full results are published below, but here’s three key lists for those who want to cut to the chase… (with December 2011 ratings in brackets)

Top 5 Lib Dem performers in the Government:

Continue reading »
Posted in LDV Members poll | 4 Comments
Bill le Breton

Opinion: Pick your horse in the grand recovery stakes

By Bill le Breton | Thu 16th February 2012 - 4:28 pm

Moody’s, the US credit ratings agency, has put the UK on negative outlook, threatening the country’s triple A status. This came the day after three other organizations had also made their views known.

The CBI predicted that the UK would avoid a double-dip recession, the services firm BDO published the results of a survey suggesting turnovers were continuing to fall and the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development reported that employers were more likely to lay off staff.

It is now four and a half years since the uncertainty of the credit worthiness of banks and hedge funds that were …

Continue reading »
Posted in Op-eds | Tagged , and | 6 Comments
Helen Duffett

Danny Alexander “an acknowledged authority on dinosaurs”

By Helen Duffett | Thu 16th February 2012 - 2:21 pm

A new insight into Danny Alexander MP’s carefree childhood, from the Corncrake*, the hyperlocal website for the Scottish island of Colonsay, where the Chief Secretary to the Treasury grew up –

Ian McAllister attended the primary school with Danny and remembers,

As wee boys, Danny and I used to play on the seaside rocks near Glen Cottage. Danny was very interested in cricket and fishing and we regarded him as the man to ask if we had any questions about dinosaurs, on which he was the acknowledged authority.

Many years later, the schoolmates were unexpectedly reunited:

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Tagged and | 4 Comments
Mark Pack

The original text of today’s speech from David Cameron

By Mark Pack | Thu 16th February 2012 - 1:54 pm

Due to an unfortunate computer virus prank, David Cameron was forced to give a speech today using the wrong text. The virus had swapped the words “United Kingdom” for “Scotland” and “Europe” for “United Kingdom” along with a couple of other small edits to muddy the waters. Here is the original text of the speech he meant to give.

I am convinced that for both the United Kingdom, and Europe, our best days lie ahead of us.

And that even though it may be a great historical construct, Europe is actually even more of an inspiring model for the future.

Think of the …

Continue reading »
Posted in Europe / International and Humour | Tagged and | 15 Comments
Andrew Wigley

Opinion: Politics in paradise – why the Maldives matters

By Andrew Wigley | Thu 16th February 2012 - 12:53 pm

As coup d’états go, the toppling last week of the Maldives’ first elected President, Mohamed Nasheed, appears an undramatic affair. Nasheed, a former political prisoner, announced suddenly he was standing down; his deputy would be taking over. This involved no tanks, few casualties and little shock and awe.

Should we care about politics in paradise? The answer is a resounding yes.

Politics in the Maldives has been a rough game over the past four years. In an article in the New York Times last week, Nasheed wrote of the corrupt legacy that 30 years of dictatorship had left the small Indian Ocean …

Continue reading »
Posted in Op-eds | Tagged and | Leave a comment
Stephen Tall

Revealed: What Lib Dem members think of Ed Miliband and David Cameron

By Stephen Tall | Thu 16th February 2012 - 11:28 am

Lib Dem Voice has polled our members-only forum to discover what Lib Dem members think of various political issues, the Coalition, and the performance of key party figures. Some 570 party members responded, and we’re publishing the full results.

Miliband slumps to -83% among Lib Dem members

LDV asked: Do you think Ed Miliband is doing well or badly as leader of the Labour party?

    1% – Very well
    6% – Well
    Total well = 7%
    41% – Badly
    49% – Very badly
    Total badly = 90%
    3% – Don’t know / No opinion

Well, I …

Continue reading »
Posted in LDV Members poll | Tagged and | 7 Comments
Mark Pack

Livingstone and Johnson: a record of unsavoury comments

By Mark Pack | Thu 16th February 2012 - 10:25 am

Funny, pointed and relevant: this is one of the best pieces of campaign artwork I’ve seen put out by the party this year.

Posted in London and News | Tagged , and | 25 Comments
Adam Bell

Introducing… Lib Dems Against Factionalism

By Adam Bell | Thu 16th February 2012 - 8:27 am

Today marks the foundation of Lib Dems Against Factionalism, a place for all Liberal Democrats who believe that the current upswing in sub-party organisations that purportedly represent ‘differences of opinion’ is a menace to all right- thinking undifferentiated Lib Dems everywhere.

We have formed this new group because we believe the following to be true:

  • That the public have a clear and coherent understanding of what the Lib Dems stand for and will in no way be confused by a new group putting clear tangerine water between itself and the rest of the party, and besides, the public loves internecine conflict;
  • That our

…

Continue reading »
Posted in Humour and Op-eds | 33 Comments
Ed Maxfield

Zen and the art of the crunching rugby tackle

By Ed Maxfield | Wed 15th February 2012 - 6:05 pm

Why on earth would a political website carry a review of a book about amateur rugby?

Well, in pitching my review of ‘My Life as a Hooker’ to the editors I make two points. The first is that the author – Steven Gauge – is a seasoned Liberal Democrat campaigner. The second is that the book itself contains lessons that reach far beyond the gates of Warlingham Rugby Club car park. I doubt the book will ever replace Milton’s Areopagitica as the enduring symbol of Liberal values. But its underlying philosophy of self-help, communal activity, tolerance, respect and beer …

Continue reading »
Posted in Op-eds | Tagged , and | 5 Comments
Helen Duffett

Phil Bennion MEP takes up seat in European Parliament

By Helen Duffett | Wed 15th February 2012 - 4:42 pm

Phil Bennion has been officially confirmed as the new Lib Dem MEP for the West Midlands region at the European Parliament’s plenary session in Strasbourg this week.

The Staffordshire farmer and economic policy expert takes over from Liz Lynne who stood down from Parliament earlier in February after more than 12 years due to the extensive travelling required in the job. He was elected to second place on the Lib Dem list of candidates at the last European elections in 2009.

Phillip Bennion said of his new role,

I am determined to fight for the vital interests of the whole of the

…

Continue reading »
Posted in Europe / International and News | Tagged , and | 5 Comments
Ewan Hoyle

Time Banking: A simple route to community spirit?

By Ewan Hoyle | Wed 15th February 2012 - 3:56 pm

Ever since my unsuccessful council by-election campaign in November I’ve had a burning desire to ask more positive questions of the electorate in the run-up to my next council election in May. What kind of volunteering might you be interested in getting involved in? What kind of skills do you have that you might like to pass on to others in the community? What interests and hobbies might you like to share with your neighbours? I had notions of gathering this data together and then signposting voters to voluntary groups or suggesting they get together with others who share their …

Continue reading »
Posted in Op-eds | Tagged , , and | 6 Comments
Paul Tyler

Lord Tyler writes… Only the Government’s Bill can take the hereditary principle out of Parliament

By Paul Tyler | Wed 15th February 2012 - 2:23 pm

There has for some years been a conceit in the House of Lords that the place could gain stature and authority simply by doing a bit of tidying up at the edges, and by ending the hereditary principle. There has been a further conceit that this work can be done without controversy or delay.

Our own David Steel has been a doughty proponent of this approach, as a logical precursor to more comprehensive reform. Last Friday, he gave Peers their best opportunity ever to prove that it could work.

Yet the Lords showed itself resistant even to the modest changes on offer. …

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Tagged and | 6 Comments
Linda Jack

Why Liberal Left?

By Linda Jack | Wed 15th February 2012 - 12:56 pm

My good pal Gareth Epps asked the question last week………..so I thought I would answer it for him. We are at a hugely important juncture as a party – nearly two years in – with little prospect of the Coalition not continuing until 2015 and what appears to be the start of the leadership’s “differentiation” campaign.  Nick Clegg and his aides are spinning the line more and more that we are a “centrist” party – a clear desire to move us from the centre left position we have erstwhile held and which has served us well

…

Continue reading »
Posted in Op-eds | Tagged and | 88 Comments
Caron Lindsay

So, what was Jo Swinson doing in Private Eye?

By Caron Lindsay | Wed 15th February 2012 - 11:55 am

You always take a bit of a sharp intake of breath if you see one of your lot mentioned in Private Eye. However, this time, our Jo Swinson is the hero of the story. The current issue drew my attention to her most recent victory over cosmetics giant L’Oreal although the article isn’t available online. The Advertising Standards Authority recently banned another advert from the company, the third complained about by Jo. It featured actress Rachel Weisz and the ASA concluded that:

Although we considered that the image in the ad did not misrepresent the luminosity or wrinkling of

…

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Tagged , , , and | 1 Comment
Mark Pack

A man, an eaten banana, a door, a piece of string and the leader of a political party

By Mark Pack | Wed 15th February 2012 - 10:25 am

A man, an eaten banana, a door, a piece of string and the leader of a political party.

Each of them on their own are quite normal. Put them together however and you have still the most puzzling moment in a political video I’ve seen. Sure, there are the strange adverts, the bizarre adverts and the baffling adverts, but watch this film and wait for the moment 30 seconds or so in:

Continue reading »
Posted in Lib Dem TV | Tagged | 4 Comments
Stephen Tall

EXCLUSIVE: What Lib Dem members say about the party’s direction and Nick Clegg’s leadership

By Stephen Tall | Wed 15th February 2012 - 7:50 am

Lib Dem Voice has polled our members-only forum to discover what Lib Dem members think of various political issues, the Coalition, and the performance of key party figures. Some 570 party members responded, and we’re publishing the full results.

70% say Lib Dems on right course, highest figure since July 2010

LDV asked: Do you think, as a whole, the Liberal Democrats are on the right course or on the wrong track? (Comparison with December’s figures.)

Continue reading »
Posted in LDV Members poll | Tagged and | 23 Comments
Advert

Recent Comments

  • Graham Evans
    Adam is right. These international comparisons need treating with great care. This is exemplified by the debate regarding the standards of living in North Irela...
  • Graham Evans
    Essentially the tax system needs fundamental reform, but the party is instead producing short term political expedients. That's why raising the tax threshold wi...
  • Chloe
    There was one controversial debate , with a certain speakers speech being viewed over 650k times & retweeted by that leader of the opposition itself. That'...
  • Katharine Pindar
    It's not too late for FPC to set up a working group on tax policy, so that we can have democratic decision-offering on a vital issue. Michael GB is right to wa...
  • Neil Fawcett
    I don't have a problem with giving basic rate taxpayers a £680 tax cut. But I don't understand why would give the top 20% of earners a £1600 tax cut. Wh...