Harry Matthews

Opinion: Tackling the elephant in the room – youth unemployment

By Harry Matthews | Sat 26th November 2011 - 12:55 pm

For the past year or so, there has been an elephant in the room – youth unemployment. It had largely been ignored by the Coalition Government, not because of desire, but because no money was left to alleviate the problem. However, after last week’s news that youth unemployment rose to 1 million, it was clear something needed to be done.

I’m glad that the Government will now be investing a whopping £1billion in training and incentives for young people to get employed.

In a recession, those who don’t have experience and/or training (who tend to be young people) are those …

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Posted in Op-eds | Tagged | 10 Comments
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Rob Murphy

Opinion: Egypt – time now for the power of votes in ballot boxes

By Rob Murphy | Sat 26th November 2011 - 11:54 am

Egyptians have risked, and continue to risk, so much for their future. Back in February, there was jubilation in Tahrir Square, at the ousting of President Mubarak after forty years of autocratic rule. There was hope for a more democratic future. Nine months on, they are back in Tahrir facing military and police brutality, asking why the ruling military council is denying the people that future.

These are the most sustained protests since Mubarak was ousted. Nearly 40 people have been killed. It is thought that many have been shot dead by the security forces. Many hundreds are injured. There are …

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Posted in Europe / International and Op-eds | Tagged and | 3 Comments
Carl Quilliam

The weekend debate: Who would you send to Mars?

By Carl Quilliam | Sat 26th November 2011 - 9:25 am

NASA’s latest astronaut recruitment drive is talking about sending people to Mars. They are looking for people with advanced degrees in engineering, maths, biology or the physical sciences. You can’t be shorter than 5’2″ or taller than 6’3″. Pilots with more than 1,000 hours of flight time are desired; so are educators.

And of course you’ll need a sense of daring!

But let’s forget all that and think instead about the more whimsical idea of who we’d like to send a few million miles away.

The only rules are: stick to …

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Posted in Op-eds | Tagged | 13 Comments
Mark Pack

How big business got the 50p tax rate wrong

By Mark Pack | Sat 26th November 2011 - 7:45 am

From the Financial Times:

Fears that the 50p rate of tax would hinder recruitment of top executives have been allayed, according to a survey of 50 large companies that will relieve pressure on George Osborne to accelerate plans to abolish the controversial levy in next week’s autumn statement.

Only 13 per cent reported that the 50p rate for those earning more than £150,000 a year was proving a barrier to attracting senior managers to Britain, according to KPMG, the professional services group, in what it said was a “dramatic change of sentiment” since 2009 when over 80 per cent of companies

…

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Posted in News | Tagged , and | 34 Comments
Mark Pack

Pupil Premium comes to Wales

By Mark Pack | Fri 25th November 2011 - 5:55 pm

The Welsh Liberal Democrats report:

The Welsh Liberal Democrat Assembly Member for South Wales West, Peter Black has welcomed the budget deal between Labour and the Liberal Democrats that will deliver an extra £450 directly to local schools for each child on free school meals.

The total package will mean that schools in Swansea, Neath Port Talbot and Bridgend will have an extra £5.8 million to spend from May next year, targeted on the poorest children, who are already under-achieving. This breaks down as £2.57m for Swansea, £1.53m for Bridgend and £1.71m for Neath Port Talbot.

Commenting on the outcome of the

…

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Posted in News and Wales | Tagged , and | 3 Comments
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Opinion: Why Liberal Youth is worth funding

By Tom Wood | Fri 25th November 2011 - 4:53 pm

On Saturday morning the English Council will debate their budget for the year ahead which, for the first time in at least ten years, will not include a rebate for Liberal Youth membership.
 
The English party is the Youth party’s single largest source of funding. Immediately cutting off this funding with such short notice will leave our organisations unable to meet its most basic operating costs and permanently cripple our youth party.
 
I know, like everyone else, these are tough times financially for our party; however Liberal Youth performs a vital role for young people and for the party

…

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Posted in Op-eds and Party policy and internal matters | Tagged , , , and | 16 Comments
Tony Dolphin

The Independent View: 10 ways to promote growth

By Tony Dolphin | Fri 25th November 2011 - 3:48 pm

Ahead of every recent budget and autumn statement, the right-of-centre think tanks have come out with a set of recommendations that support the broad thrust of government policy and argue for more of the same. True to form, earlier this week Reform made the case for sticking to Plan A on deficit reduction, abolishing the 50p tax rate and cutting workers’ employment rights.

But, with the economy having grown by just 0.5 per cent over the last year, and the Prime Minister hinting in a recent speech to the CBI that the government’s deficit reduction plan is being blown off course, …

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Posted in Op-eds and The Independent View | Tagged and | 5 Comments
Mark Pack

How many people are prosecuted for failing to fill in electoral registration forms?

By Mark Pack | Fri 25th November 2011 - 2:15 pm

In amongst the debate over individual electoral registration, one question has been whether it should remain a legal obligation to complete registration forms sent out by the local council.

But how meaningful is the current legal obligation? Part of the answer to that has come in a recent Parliamentary Question, giving details of how many prosecutions have been commenced under the existing system:

2008 183
2009 67
2010 144
These data are collected by voluntary survey of electoral registration officers (EROs). The Electoral Commission does not have the power to collect this information and it is therefore not compulsory for EROs to complete

…

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Posted in Election law | Tagged | 2 Comments
Will Tanner

The Independent View: Next Tuesday, the Chancellor’s greatest currency is consistency

By Will Tanner | Fri 25th November 2011 - 12:20 pm

As next week’s Autumn Statement fast approaches, the siren calls for the Chancellor to “do something” to revive growth are growing louder. Yet George Osborne must resist the 10-point plans and shopping lists of eye-catching initiatives that promise instant economic alleviation and instead hold his nerve in the face of weaker-than-expected growth.

As Reform’s new report, The long game, argues, the economic recovery was always going to be difficult. All of the evidence shows that fiscal crises originating from financial crises are protracted and severe. The levels of debt in the economy prior to the recession had reached unsustainable proportions, …

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Posted in The Independent View | 9 Comments
Mark Pack

Three cheers for inflation?

By Mark Pack | Fri 25th November 2011 - 10:45 am

Economist and economic historian Nicholas Crafts is back in the public eye with a new pamphlet for CentreForum. Those with long memories of his previous controversial stances won’t be surprised to know this pamphlet does not take a mainstream approach to economic history or economic policy, instead praising part of the 1930s and calling for more inflation.

The two are linked because he splits Britain’s economic record in the 1930s in two, arguing that in the second half of the 1930s higher prices helped fuel a strong economic recovery:

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Nick Clegg MP

Nick Clegg MP writes: We won’t let a generation fall behind

By Nick Clegg MP | Fri 25th November 2011 - 9:53 am

Having risen steadily since 2004, the number of unemployed young people hit the one million mark this month.

One million. One in five 16-24 year olds not in education, training or work, not because they are lazy or feckless, but because of factors well beyond their control.

It’s not good enough. Youth unemployment is an economic waste and a slow-burn social disaster.

We can’t afford to leave our young men and women on the scrap heap. We need the next generation to help us build a new economy.

When we chose to form this Coalition Government, Liberal Democrats knew that we would have to …

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Posted in Op-eds | Tagged | 11 Comments
Paul Walter

PMQs: Ding-dong over youth unemployment

By Paul Walter | Fri 25th November 2011 - 9:10 am

The focus of the Cameron v Miliband this week exchange was the new figure of one million unemployed young people. It started with a battle between the government’s Work Programme versus Labour’s Future Jobs Fund. Miliband blamed the Work Programme for increasing Youth Unemployment:

…in June, when the Work programme was introduced, 85,000 young people had been unemployed for more than six months; now, there are 133,000—a massive increase since he introduced the Work programme.

But Cameron countered with figures saying that:

The Work programme is helping 50% more people than the future jobs fund: it will help 120,000 young people this year,

…

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Posted in PMQs | Tagged , and | 2 Comments
Mark Pack

Missing: the people the Leveson Inquiry won’t be talking to

By Mark Pack | Fri 25th November 2011 - 7:45 am

“Follow the money”. It’s a cliché of investigative journalism for a very good reason. If you want to get to the heart of what is really going on, knowing who has paid what to whom frequently exposes the real action being hidden away behind warm words, evasive statements and muttered “no comments”.

It is also at the heart of many a public inquiry. Want to know why something happened? Who pays whom is again right at the centre of the story. Whether it is understanding drugs policy and the economics of the illegal market or looking at problems of rail safety, …

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Posted in Op-eds | Tagged , , and | 4 Comments
Jenny Willott

Jenny Willott MP writes: Harrington – better assessments, better outcomes

By Jenny Willott | Thu 24th November 2011 - 3:24 pm

At our Conference in September, the Liberal Democrats unanimously supported a motion calling for changes to Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) and the Work Capability Assessment (WCA) which accompanies it.

Speaker after speaker stood up to condemn the system left by Labour which subjected sick and disabled people to an ineffective, demeaning assessment process that was not fit for purpose. Many will remember the powerful speech by Shana Pezaro who condemned the WCA process as ‘utterly failing many people’.

The motion welcomed the first annual review of the WCA by Professor Malcolm Harrington, and the progress the Coalition Government has already …

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Phil Ling

Opinion: What right do politicians have to decide rules on their own jobs?

By Phil Ling | Thu 24th November 2011 - 2:25 pm

The party funding report by the Committee for Standards in Public Life was barely off the printers and politicians from all parties were saying they were broadly supportive, but more importantly could not back the main suggestion that state funding of political parties be increased.

Party funding will always be tough to square given the reliance of Labour on union money and the Conservatives (and increasingly the Liberal Democrats) on major donors. State funding is inevitable to reduce sleaze, real or inferred, and trust in politics. It only costs  the equivalent of a couple of first class stamps a year, …

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Mark Pack

The party’s back to front: why our political messaging is wrong

By Mark Pack | Thu 24th November 2011 - 10:55 am

Hearing both Danny Alexander and Nick Clegg speak several times at local Liberal Democrat events over the summer, something not quite right about their speeches was nagging away at the back of my mind.

It was not the delivery, for both have speaking styles which are excellently suited to the semi-formal audience of between 20 and 100 which is common at such events.

Nor was it about the consistency of message: without either lapsing into robotic repetition of the sort that served Ed Miliband so badly in his notorious public sector strikes interview, both in their different ways were echoing the …

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Manmeet Kaur

The Independent View: 1 in 7 people go hungry every day. But you can help. Here’s how…

By Manmeet Kaur | Thu 24th November 2011 - 9:17 am

It is a shocking fact that whilst enough food is produced globally to feed everyone, one in seven people go hungry every day. Around half a billion of these hungry people are smallholder farmers who struggle to grow enough food from their land to feed themselves and their families. So Concern Worldwide has launched a campaign action for you to use your influence to help tackle hunger.

World leaders of the Group of 20 leading economies met in Cannes in November 2011 and promised to address the issue of hunger. However, despite some progress, the issue was largely …

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Posted in Europe / International and The Independent View | Leave a comment
Stephen Tall

LDVideo: Jeremy Browne’s pledge to Sam Fox: I’ll raise issue of tiger farms with Chinese government

By Stephen Tall | Thu 24th November 2011 - 7:45 am

As the BBC reports:

The former model and singer Sam Fox challenged foreign office minster Jeremy Browne on the Daily Politics about tiger farms in China which she wants to see closed. Mr Browne told her that he would raise the matter with the Chinese. Fewer than 3,500 tigers remain in the wild around the world.

You can watch the exchange below:

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Stephen Tall

Lib Dem Bloggers’ Christmas stocking fillers… Part II

By Stephen Tall | Wed 23rd November 2011 - 7:45 pm

What presents are you looking forward to giving or receiving this year? That’s the question LDV posed to a group of Lib Dem bloggers. All this week we’re revealing what they told us, with link-throughs to Amazon for your shopping convenience (and ‘cos the referral fees help support LibDemVoice: so get clicking and ordering). Part I is available here. In part two, our second trio of bloggers – Caron Lindsay, Andrew Hickey and Mark Valladares – give us the low-down on their Xmas faves…

Caron Lindsay

Elisabeth Sladen: The Autobiography
There’s always been an affinity between Lib Dems and Doctor

…

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Posted in News | 3 Comments
Mark Valladares

ELDR Congress – let’s hope it isn’t a lemon…

By Mark Valladares | Wed 23rd November 2011 - 3:25 pm

It’s a long way from Creeting St Peter to Palermo, which partly explains why this piece comes to you from Linate Airport in Milan. But if my eight hour journey feels arduous, it is as nothing compared to the journey back to stability that is the mission of the Eurozone’s finance ministers.

In the midst of this crisis, ELDR (the European Liberal Democrats) delegates from across Europe (and I’m beginning to appreciate just how far that might be) are gathering in Sicily’s capital to discuss the European Union’s budget for 2014-2020. I’m here because you sent me (or at …

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Posted in Europe / International | Tagged and | Leave a comment
Paul Walter

Vince Cable sets out employment law consultation to establish ‘culture of dialogue – not confrontation’

By Paul Walter | Wed 23rd November 2011 - 3:24 pm

In a speech today to the Engineering Employers’ Federation in London, Business Secretary put forward a wide range of items for consultation aimed at reforming Employment Law. He said that the aim of the exercise is to change to:

A culture that establishes dialogue rather than confrontation as the norm between employers and employees. That trusts people to do the right thing rather than relying on regulation to deal with every single issue that arises. And that ensures businesses have the confidence to hire the talented and committed workforce they need in order to thrive.

There are well over a dozen …

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Prateek Buch

Opinion: Lib Dems should welcome and put into practice most of the High Pay Commission’s recommendations

By Prateek Buch | Wed 23rd November 2011 - 2:27 pm

Some bald statistics before the ranting begins: In 1979 the top 0.1% of earners took home 1.3% of the national income; by 2007 this had grown to 6.5%. In 1979 the top 1% took home 5.93% of the national income; by 2007 this had grown to 14.5%. In 1979 the top 10% took home 28.4% of the national income; by 2007 this had grown to 40%. In 2010 alone, executive pay in FTSE 100 companies went up by an average of 49%, against a 2.7% rise amongst employees in these firms. Top bosses now take home nearly 7% of total …

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Paul Burstow

Paul Burstow MP writes: The hidden potential of early diagnosis

By Paul Burstow | Wed 23rd November 2011 - 11:53 am

To be told that you or a loved one has cancer is likely to be one of the most gut-wrenching moments of anyone’s life. To be further informed that the chances of survival are low is devastating. But if more people knew they could live a fuller life for longer, we could ease the impact of that devastating time.

Last week I commissioned health officials to conduct a scoping exercise into early diagnosis across the health service. The plan is that research will help us to understand what, if any, evidence exists as to the extent of delayed diagnosis and its …

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Posted in Op-eds | Tagged , and | 3 Comments
Mark Pack

Was there a Clegg coup? Review of The Clegg Coup – Britain’s First Coalition Government Since Lloyd George by Jasper Gerard

By Mark Pack | Wed 23rd November 2011 - 9:54 am

Many book titles reveal little about what their book contains, either providing but a banal name for its contents or a clever, clever name which obscures rather than reveals. However, The Clegg Coup – Britain’s First Coalition Government Since Lloyd George by Jasper Gerard has a title which is revealing in two aspects. First, the way general accuracy in the book is marred by detailed slips – for whilst the general point of the title is true, with the May 2010 coalition being the UK’s first peacetime coalition in Westminster since before 1939, the title does not use the …

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Posted in Books | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , and | 25 Comments
Stephen Tall

Lib Dems back High Pay Commission’s proposals to curb excessive executive salaries

By Stephen Tall | Wed 23rd November 2011 - 8:15 am

The High Pay Commission, an independent inquiry into top pay in the private sector, published its final report yesterday. Here’s how The Guardian reports its key conclusions:

The commission sets out 12 recommendations to tackle high pay. The main reforms include:

• Greater transparency in the calculation of executive pay to end the “closed shop” on pay decisions. At present, many people do not understand until it is too late how a vast salary – often composed of as many as seven different elements – is worked out.
• Putting employees on remuneration committees, a move included in the government’s own

…

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Stephen Tall

Clegg and Farron on party funding: yes to action now, no to more taxpayer contributions

By Stephen Tall | Wed 23rd November 2011 - 6:20 am

Sir Christopher Kelly’s report for Parliament’s Committee on Standards in Public Life was published yesterday, Political Party Finance – Ending the big donor culture: you can read it and the evidence considered by the inquiry here.

Here are the main proposals:

  • A cap of £10,000-a-year on donations from any individual or organisation — including trade unions — to any political party with at least two MPs or two representatives at the Scottish Parliament, the Welsh and Northern Ireland Assemblies. Trade union affiliation fees could be counted as a collection of small individual payments, but only if members are required to

    • …

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    Posted in News | Tagged , , , and | 14 Comments
    Samuel Barratt

    Opinion: The importance of social liberalism

    By Samuel Barratt | Tue 22nd November 2011 - 9:55 am

    The debate regarding the importance and roles of ‘social’ and ‘economic’ liberalism can, on occasion, be misrepresented. Whether deliberate or incidental the relationship between the two philosophies can sometimes be presented as discrete, zero-sum options. I believe they should be considered as dialectic.

    In The Orange Book, a publication that is almost Frankensteinian in how it’s perceived and what it actually contains, David Laws offers definitions for social and economic liberalism, that broadly serve well in discussion, they are:

      “economic liberalism: ‘the belief in the value of free trade, open competition, market mechanisms, and the effectiveness of the

    …

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    Posted in Op-eds | Tagged , , and | 38 Comments
    Stephen Tall

    Lib Dem Bloggers’ Christmas stocking fillers… Part I

    By Stephen Tall | Mon 21st November 2011 - 6:55 pm

    What presents are you looking forward to giving or receiving this year? That’s the question LDV posed to a group of Lib Dem bloggers. All this week we’re revealing what they told us, with link-throughs to Amazon for your shopping convenience (and ‘cos the referral fees help support LibDemVoice: so get clicking and ordering). In part one, our first trio of bloggers – Nick Thornsby, Linda Jack and Duncan Stott – give us the low-down on their Xmas faves…

    Nick Thornsby

    1) Arguably by Christopher Hitchens
    Everything written by Hitchens (or Hitch as he’s known to his friends) is a joy

    …

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    Posted in News | Tagged , and | 3 Comments
    Mark Pack

    Campaign Corner: How to write effective fundraising letters

    By Mark Pack | Mon 21st November 2011 - 4:50 pm

    The Campaign Corner series looks to give three tips about commonly asked campaign issues. Do get in touch if you have any questions you would like to suggest.

    Today’s Campaign Corner question: I know I need to ask members and supporters for money to help fund our local campaigning, but I hate writing fundraising letters. What should I say?

    1. The basic formula is thank, warn, inspire: in other words, thank people for their past support, warn them of what can go wrong if there is not enough money for the campaign (e.g.

    …

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    Posted in Campaign Corner | Tagged | 2 Comments
    Andrew Stunell MP

    Andrew Stunell MP writes… Today’s Housing Strategy will deliver the homes and growth we need

    By Andrew Stunell MP | Mon 21st November 2011 - 2:23 pm

    The long-awaited Housing Strategy was announced this morning by the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister. It’s an important document, and it sets out the coalition’s stall on how we intend to get the housing market – and in particular housebuilding – moving again.

    It’s been a long-established view that we have a housing crisis in the UK. Although new starts were almost a third higher in 2010-11 than they were in 2008-09, there were just 103,000 new build housing completions in England last year. Meanwhile the latest household projections suggest that the number of households will grow by 232,000 …

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    Posted in Op-eds | Tagged , and | 25 Comments
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