The Voice

Top of the Blogs: The Lib Dem Golden Dozen #241

By The Voice | Mon 3rd October 2011 - 7:00 pm

Welcome to the Golden Dozen, and our 241st weekly round-up from the Lib Dem blogosphere … Featuring the seven most popular stories beyond Lib Dem Voice according to click-throughs from the Aggregator (25 September-1 October, 2011), together with a hand-picked quintet, normally courtesy of LibDig, you might otherwise have missed.

Don’t forget: you can sign up to receive the Golden Dozen direct to your email inbox — just click here — ensuring you never miss out on the best of Lib Dem blogging.

As ever, let’s start with the most popular post, and work our way down:

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Daniel Furr

Opinion: Rediscovering our lost sense of liberty

By Daniel Furr | Mon 3rd October 2011 - 3:50 pm

We are very fortunate to be apart of this nation. It’s traditions and values are, to an extent, admired across the world. From the birth of the Magna Carta 1215, De Montfort’s Parliament of 1265 and the Bill of Rights 1689, the concept of freedom and individual liberty has been a source of inspiration. As Prime Minister Lloyd George once said, “Liberty is not merely a privilege to be conferred; it is a habit to be acquired”.

But that liberty has been forsaken, forgotten, to a previous age. There is a reluctance to even consider the prospect of a government ever …

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Posted in Op-eds | 18 Comments
Mark Pack

Gender balance amongst the Liberal Democrats: some evidence

By Mark Pack | Mon 3rd October 2011 - 11:20 am

Over the weekend, Paul Head criticised the party’s Leadership Programme, saying,

While the Candidate Leadership Programme seems like a good idea, giving candidates from underrepresented groups the support and training they need to go on and, hopefully, become MPs, I believe it is destined to failure for the same reasons that shortlists are not the answer.

They both ignore the real problem.

Shortlists in particular are a quick-fix, tinkering round the edges, top-down attempt to create the façade that we are a party that is representative of the whole country. The truth is we aren’t. A quick look around the conference hall and

…

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Posted in News | Tagged , , , and | 5 Comments
Maurice Wren

The Independent View: The Coalition’s approach to the UK’s asylum system

By Maurice Wren | Mon 3rd October 2011 - 10:45 am

A new Chief Executive at the UK Border Agency takes office this week. The fairness and effectiveness of our asylum system will fall squarely within Rob Whiteman’s responsibility. It seems an appropriate moment, then, to look at the way the Coalition has approached this dysfunctional area of public policy.

When politicians talk about asylum, they invariably remind their audience that the UK has a proud historical record protecting people who have fled chilling human rights abuses abroad. Polls consistently show substantial public support for ensuring protection for those who need it. And these were the opening notes …

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Posted in Op-eds and The Independent View | Tagged | 2 Comments
Mark Pack

Guide dogs allowed on London Underground escalators – Caroline Pidgeon campaign success

By Mark Pack | Mon 3rd October 2011 - 8:50 am

Following a campaign by Liberal Democrat London Assembly Member Caroline Pidgeon, the legal ban on guide dogs travelling on the escalators on the London Underground is being lifted on Wednesday.

Transport for London and the Government are changing a by-law which originated in the era of wooden escalators which could expand and contract depending on heat and humidity. This meant larger gaps have to be left by default than on modern metal escalators, with resulting fears that guide dogs (now often called assistance dogs) might get their paws stuck …

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Posted in London | Tagged and | 2 Comments
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Stephen Tall

Lib Dem members’ views on the European Union (more divided than you might expect)

By Stephen Tall | Mon 3rd October 2011 - 7:55 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. Over 550 party members responded, and we’ve been publishing the full results.

85% back EU membership… but 51% reject move to ever closer union

LDV asked: Which of the following options would be your ideal future for the UK and the European Union?

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Posted in Europe / International and LDV Members poll | Tagged | 10 Comments
Stephen Tall

What Lib Dem members think about the Libya military intervention and its aftermath

By Stephen Tall | Sun 2nd October 2011 - 6:50 pm

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. Over 550 party members responded, and we’re continuing to publish the full results.

Lib Dem members backed Libya intervention… and two-thirds are optimistic for country’s future

LDV asked: Do you think Britain, France, the US and other countries were right or wrong to take military action in Libya?

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Posted in LDV Members poll | Tagged and | 3 Comments
Mark Pack

Theresa May succeeds where Nadine Dorries failed

By Mark Pack | Sun 2nd October 2011 - 5:36 pm

As I quipped during Liberal Democrat conference, one of the most popular Conservative MPs with party activists is Nadine Dorries, courtesy of that question at PMQs.

Today Home Secretary Theresa May has shown rather more political skill in making a very similar point. Talking to the Sunday Telegraph, she’s said that “personally” she would “like” to see the Human Rights Act go.

It’s a skilful move because by using that phrasing she isn’t triggering any stories of coalition meltdown. Liberal Democrats saying the Human Rights Act won’t go and Tories saying they personally would like it to go aren’t contradictory …

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Posted in News | Tagged , and | 4 Comments
Stephen Tall

What Lib Dem members think about the Coalition’s spending and welfare cuts

By Stephen Tall | Sun 2nd October 2011 - 2:45 pm

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 550 party members responded, and we’ve been publishing the results in recent days.

Party members back Coalition spending cuts and welfare cuts by 2:1 majorities

LDV asked: Do you think the government has on the whole made the right decisions or the wrong decisions about where spending cuts should be made?

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Posted in LDV Members poll | Tagged and | 5 Comments
Alex Wilcock

Opinion: Making it easier to follow conference

By Alex Wilcock | Sun 2nd October 2011 - 12:25 pm

Liberal Democrats returned home last week from another Conference: holding government ministers to account; debating policy (even nearly managing the rare feat of throwing out a policy paper); catching up with friends. But while it’s fresh in Conference Committee’s minds, I have some small suggestions for next time. Talking to Lib Dems who may not have read every word of the Agenda or Conference Daily updates, and to people who were watching at home on BBC2 or BBC Parliament in their vast ratings of one or two, just a few simple changes could make Conference a lot easier …

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Posted in Conference and Op-eds | 6 Comments
Mark Pack

Someone likes Liberal Democrat conference…

By Mark Pack | Sun 2nd October 2011 - 9:50 am

Over on Dale & Co Gareth Knight writes:

Any Conservative, including Iain Dale who attends the Liberal Democrat conference, remarks how impressed they are with the mere fact the conference is where party members openly and robustly confer on policy. The exhibition stands at the Liberal Democrat conference include dozens of party groups as well as the recent deluge of large companies and organisations desperate to suck up to the party they’ve proudly ignored until now. The agenda for conference is focused on policy papers with speeches for and against where the party leadership will frequently get involved in the

…

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Amanda J Taylor

Opinion: Floccinaucinihilipilification

By Amanda J Taylor | Sat 1st October 2011 - 5:25 pm

“For most people, the only visible service that they get from the council is the removal of refuse” – Eric Pickles, Daily Mail, 30th September

Floccinaucinihilipilification – the action or habit of estimating something as worthless, Oxford English Dictionary

This may or not be the longest word in the English language, but today is a rare chance to use it. It sums up Eric Pickles after his eccentric comment today about council services .

The honourable people who empty our bins every week or every fortnight have hundreds of thousands of colleagues working alongside them in their councils: 1.7 million according to the LGA – …

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Posted in Op-eds | Tagged | 8 Comments
Stephen Tall

What do the Lib Dems need from the party’s next Chief Executive?

By Stephen Tall | Sat 1st October 2011 - 3:45 pm

As readers of Liberal Democrat News — and the party’s website — will know the Lib Dem are searching for a new chief executive to succeed Chris Fox. Here’s the job ad:

The Liberal Democrat Party is appointing a new Chief Executive.
Liberal Democrat Headquarters, London, SW1

The Chief Executive leads the Party administration and directs the human, financial and administrative resources of the Party – both its senior professional team and its membership and supporter base. He or she will bring energy and outstanding leadership to this crucial job. The post is based in the Party’s new headquarters in the

…

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Posted in Party policy and internal matters | Tagged , and | 10 Comments
Merlene Emerson

Opinion: 100 years on from the Xinhai Revolution

By Merlene Emerson | Sat 1st October 2011 - 2:25 pm

Today is 1st October, the National Day of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). This year is also the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese Communist Party, which in celebrations in July, was marked by a 90 minute speech by the Party’s General Secretary Hu JinTao.

Perhaps more significantly, this year is the 100th anniversary of the XinHai revolution, that had begun with the Wuchang uprising on 10 Oct and led to the abdication of the last Emperor of the Qing Dynasty.

Dr Sun Yat-Sen, hailed by all as the father of democracy in China, had …

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Posted in Op-eds | Tagged and | 1 Comment
Mark Pack

And in other news…

By Mark Pack | Sat 1st October 2011 - 1:55 pm
Posted in News | Tagged , , , and | 1 Comment
Jonathan Featonby

Opinion: Hammond is misguided if he wants to raise the speed limit

By Jonathan Featonby | Sat 1st October 2011 - 12:58 pm

So it seems that the media have cottoned on to the fact that the Government is considering increasing the motorway speed limit to 80mph, up from the current 70mph.

If they had been paying attention, they would have realised that this isn’t exactly breaking news. Back in June this year, Mike Penning, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport, said that the Department for Transport were looking at the impacts of increasing the speed limit. In response to an Oral Question from Stephen Mosley, he said that:

“The existing limit has been in place since the ’60s. We will weigh

…

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Posted in Op-eds | Tagged , and | 44 Comments
Paul Head

Opinion: “Too male and too pale” – Why shortlists and the Leadership Programme are not the answer

By Paul Head | Sat 1st October 2011 - 11:21 am

The problem of our Parliamentary Party being “too male and too pale” was brought up again at conference and I couldn’t help leaving with the feeling that we are edging towards another fight over whether we should introduce more proactive methods to help combat the chronic under representation of women and ethnic minorities among our MPs.

I was most struck when Paddy Ashdown, during the Guardian debate, seemed to shift from his previously held position and advocate the introduction of shortlists or “zipping” if the current leadership programme failed to make any significant impact.

I am completely opposed to the introduction …

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Posted in Op-eds | Tagged , , and | 18 Comments
Mark Pack

Mark Sullivan on how his firm’s software helps win elections

By Mark Pack | Sat 1st October 2011 - 9:25 am

Earlier in the week I blogged my interview with Mark Sullivan, who founded the firm that is supplying the party’s new CONNECT electoral database software. For some further background on him and his firm, here’s an interview Mark Sullivan gave in late 2008:

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Posted in Party policy and internal matters | Tagged , and | 2 Comments
Helen Duffett

Council by-election results: 29 September 2011

By Helen Duffett | Fri 30th September 2011 - 7:54 pm

Gwynedd UA, Penrhyndeudraeth
PC 515 (61.4; +2.9)
Llais Gwynedd 233 (27.8; -13.7)
Ind 91 (10.8; +10.8)
Majority 282
Turnout not known
PC hold
Percentage change is since May 2008.

Gwynedd UA, Diffwys and Maenofferen
PC 210 (57.9; +16.7)
Llais Gwynedd 153 (42.1; -7.2)
Majority 57
Turnout not known
PC gain from Llais Gwynedd
Percentage change is since May 2008.

Watford Borough Council, Nascot
LD Jeanette Aron 1021 (48.5; +2.8)
Con 818 (38.8; +2.5)
Lab 134 (6.4; -5.3)
Green 133 (6.3; 0.0)
Majority 203
Turnout 34.29%
LD hold
Percentage change is since May 2011.

Shropshire UA, Bishop’s Castle
LD Charlotte Barnes 801 (53.4; +5.7)
Con 544 (36.3; -4.3)
Lab 80 (5.3; +5.3)
Green 74 (4.9; -6.8)
Majority 257
Turnout 51.3%
LD hold
Percentage change is since June 2009.

Cherwell DC, Bicester North
Con 443 (65.9; …

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Posted in Council by-elections | Tagged , and | 5 Comments
The Voice

The LDV Friday Five: 30 September 2011

By The Voice | Fri 30th September 2011 - 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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David Thorpe

Opinion: Why free university tuition for all is deeply regressive in today’s Britain

By David Thorpe | Fri 30th September 2011 - 3:50 pm

Political speeches are usually replete with statistics, numbers culled without context and thrown in the path of critics like metaphorical stingers strewn across a motorway.

But one statistic from Nick Clegg’s conference speech which deserves to live and breathe in its own right is that in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham (where I currently live) more than half of children progress from school to university. In the London Borough of Tower Hamlets (where I lived before moving to Hammersmith) the figure is that just 4% of children go to University. These Boroughs are thirty minutes away from ach other …

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Posted in Op-eds | Tagged , and | 34 Comments
Helen Duffett

Lynne Featherstone launches body confidence teaching pack

By Helen Duffett | Fri 30th September 2011 - 1:29 pm

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Posted in News | Tagged , , and | 5 Comments
Harry Matthews

Join the Liberal Youth invasion

By Harry Matthews | Fri 30th September 2011 - 12:26 pm

After a very successful Federal Conference earlier this month, Liberal Youth will hold its Autumn Conference on 22nd & 23rd October. It’s in the Roman town of Colchester* (home to the UK’s oldest market on record).

Conference, as all Liberal Democrats know, is a fantastic opportunity for party members to shape policies and hold elected officers to account – and Liberal Youth is no different.

Along with all the usual reports from officers (and the odd constitutional amendment), there will be policy debates on the Arab Spring, MMR jabs, Women’s Rights & Bank Shares. As we have seen from this year’s conference with the Employment and Support Allowance motion, Liberal Youth policy can become federal policy – and might now even become Government policy. This is a brilliant opportunity for young Liberal Democrats to get involved with policy making and gain experience in public speaking!

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Posted in Party policy and internal matters | Tagged , , , , , and | 1 Comment
Mark Pack

Updating Community Politics: the role for social capital

By Mark Pack | Fri 30th September 2011 - 10:25 am

My short answer in response to David Boyle having only two cheers for Community Politics is: “I agree”.

The slightly longer response to David is: “I mostly agree, but “.

The nearly long enough to justify a blog post version is…

David Boyle is right to raise the concerns he did, and had he been in the hall he would have not only heard Gordon Lishman himself express similar concerns but also the excellent news that Gordon is intending to draw in a wide group of people to some of that thinking and updating that we all think is necessary.

For me at …

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Posted in Op-eds | Tagged , , and | 4 Comments
Chris White

Chris White writes: What would you do with £250 million?

By Chris White | Fri 30th September 2011 - 9:33 am

This is the lottery dream, of course. Give quite a bit to charity. Pay off the mortgage. Buy a yacht and invest the rest sensibly for the future.

It’s not so clear what you do if you’re a government department.

Councillors across the country are waking up to the astonishing news that the Department for Communities and Local Government has been opening cupboards and jamjars and has managed to find £250 million it had not previously accounted for.

Not new money from the Treasury. Not money from other projects. But shiny, otherwise unused, cash.

So: what does the Department do? Allocate it …

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Posted in Op-eds | Tagged | 18 Comments
Mark Pack

The top five London MPs for outside earnings

By Mark Pack | Fri 30th September 2011 - 8:55 am

Via a survey carried out for LondonlovesBusiness.com comes this list of the top five London MPs for annual outside earnings on top of their MP salary of £65,738:

  1. Sir Malcolm Rifkind, MP for Kensington (Con) – upwards of £240,000
  2. Nick Raynsford, MP for Greenwich and Woolwich (Lab) – £60,657
  3. Mark Field, MP for Cities of London and Westminster (Con) – £41,740
  4. Jo Johnson, MP for Orpington (Con) – £12,314
  5. Diane Abbott, MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington (Lab) – £10,326

What do you think of these figures: good to see MPs having a range of activities or bad to see MPs spending time earning these sorts of sums?

 

Posted in London and Parliament | Tagged , , , and | 10 Comments
Mark Pack

In case you missed it: Ed Miliband, interview masterclass part 2

By Mark Pack | Thu 29th September 2011 - 9:17 pm

Ouch, ouch, ouch:

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Posted in News | Tagged | 9 Comments
Nick T

LibLink: Nick Clegg – We must stand up to this tyranny on our doorstep

By Nick T | Thu 29th September 2011 - 7:28 pm

Nick Clegg – currently in Poland representing the UK at the EU Eastern Partnership summit – has an op-ed in today’s Independent arguing that more must be done to topple Europe’s last dictator in Belarus. As well as his column, the deputy prime minister will also speak to the people of Belarus over the airwaves via European Radio for Belarus and meet with dissidents and democracy campaigners while in Warsaw.

Here’s an excerpt from the piece:

Imagine a country where torture and intimidation are reportedly common place. Where peaceful protesters are locked up – sent to maximum security prison colonies – and

…

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Posted in LibLink | Tagged and | 2 Comments
Prateek Buch

Opinion: Dr. Balls makes the right diagnosis, offers the same old failed prescriptions

By Prateek Buch | Thu 29th September 2011 - 3:53 pm

Leading commentators on the political economy must have been flattered to hear many of their principles and policies given lip service by Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls this week in his speech to the Labour party conference. Flattered only to be deceived, sadly, as lip service is all he paid; underneath the rhetorical support for a reformed political economy promoted by the likes of Will Hutton, the Institute for Public Policy Research, Ha-Joon Chang and others, Balls’ prescription for the UK economy amounts to little more than tinkering with the same old policy levers that haven’t worked in the past.

Mr. …

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Posted in Op-eds | Tagged , , , and | 7 Comments
Harry Matthews

Opinion: Votes at 16 – let’s follow the Isle of Man’s example

By Harry Matthews | Thu 29th September 2011 - 2:29 pm

It is great news to hear that, after extending the franchise to 16 year olds in 2006, the Isle of Man is going to the polls today – and for the first time including 16 & 17 year olds!

However, (and it seems almost always) we are rather slow in enriching our democracy, whether it be changing the voting system, reforming the House of Lords, or extending the franchise to 16 & 17 year olds.

It is something both Liberal Youth & the British Youth Council have campaigned hard for. Even our Leader, Nick Clegg, who holds special responsibility for …

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Posted in Op-eds | Tagged , , and | 5 Comments
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