Liberal Democrat Voice

The LDV Friday Five: 1 July 2011

By The Voice | Fri 1st July 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

Why Simon Kelner is wrong to defend Johann Hari (19 comments) by Stephen Tall
What can the Lib Dems do about the Coalition’s ‘Northern problem’? (55 comments) by Stephen Tall
Brian Paddick writes: Why I want to be Lib Dem candidate for London Mayor in 2012 (22 comments) by Brian Paddick
Opinion: Stephen Williams is right to support the criminalisation of squatting (33 comments) by Tom Papworth
Opinion: Why today’s strike action is wrong (21 comments) by Steve Middleton

5 sample LDV Members’ Forum threads

5 from the LDV archive

(1st July, 2007-10)

Opinion: General Election 1.5 – 2010, the almost Internet Election (6 comments) by Charlotte Henry, from 2010
Nick Clegg launches “Your Freedom” (23 comments) by Helen Duffett, from 2010
Clegg to announce AV referendum date “next week” (4 comments) by Helen Duffett, from 2010
Six (count ‘em) families now benefitting from Labour’s mortage rescue scheme (4 comments) by Stephen Tall, from 2009
Opinion: The devil is in the detail (5 comments) by Martin Land, from 2008

5 top reader search returns to get to LDV

(excluding Liberal Democrat Voice or its variants)

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LDVideo: That Ed Miliband TV interview car crash in full

By Stephen Tall | Fri 1st July 2011 - 3:55 pm

Poor Ed Miliband. The Labour leader would have been hoping public attention today would be focused on his his party’s defence of its Inverclyde stronghold — instead, everyone’s watching his car-crash TV interview in which he reformulates a soundbite repeatedly in order to insert the words ‘negotiating table’ and ‘these strikes are wrong’ into every sentence.

The result? A distinctly odd, unnatural, automated interview which fuels the ‘Awkward Ed’ media meme.

Part of me feels a little sorry for Mr Miliband. Clearly he was under the impression that only one line would be extracted from the interview; not unreasonably he was keen to ensure that it was the line which conveyed his key message rather than the news editor’s. Such is the challenge for all politicians in our ‘say it in 7 seconds’ media culture. But, as Iain Duncan Smith found to his cost as Tory leader when he nervously chuckled his way through a Radio 4 Today Programme interview, it’s these kinds of moments which stand out in the public consciousness.

Anyway, enough analysing: just sit back and enjoy.

Posted in YouTube | Tagged ed miliband and Mark Pack | 8 Comments

Tim Farron MP writes: Out of the Westminster bubble

By Tim Farron MP | Fri 1st July 2011 - 3:23 pm

I’ve been away from Parliament for the last three weeks. My wife Rosie had an operation (nothing horribly serious, but nevertheless debilitating) so that leaves me at home to take care of her and the children.

Being out of the Westminster bubble means I’m hearing the news the same way everyone else does – not from nuanced internal briefings, or from having been in the chamber during PMQs or a particular debate, but from the radio, the papers, the telly and the web. And I’ve not been discussing the issues of the day with other MPs but instead with mums …

Posted in Conference and Op-eds | Tagged community politics | 7 Comments

John Leech MP writes: New £1bn nuclear windfall must be taxed

By John Leech | Fri 1st July 2011 - 2:25 pm

On Monday, MPs will be asked to vote through £1 billion in windfall profits to existing nuclear operators for doing absolutely nothing new. We fought the last general election on the promise of opposing new nuclear power and certainly reject public subsidies for nuclear power.

Whatever your take on nuclear power though, surely it’s unjustifiable and politically untenable to hand out £1 billion to EDF and Centrica directly from consumer purses, when people are already feeling the squeeze.

The windfall will do nothing to ensure new electricity generation, nothing to help us meet our renewable energy targets and nothing to build popular …

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged nuclear power | 8 Comments

Lord Speaker election: Two Liberal Democrat peers standing

By Helen Duffett | Fri 1st July 2011 - 12:59 pm

Two Liberal Democrat peers are among the six candidates standing for election as Speaker of the House of Lords.

Baroness (Angela) Harris and Lord (Rupert) Redesdale have entered the contest following the announcement that the current Lord Speaker, Baroness Hayman, will not be seeking re-election.

On Tuesday evening, the Hansard Society held a hustings in which the candidates set out their reasons for standing and answered questions from the audience of peers.

You can listen to their speeches here, including Baroness Harris’ (Lord Redesdale had a prior engagement).

You can also watch full coverage of the Lord Speaker …

Posted in News and Parliament | Tagged angela Harris, hansard society, Hustings and Rupert Redesdale | Leave a comment

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Lord Tyler writes: Don’t listen to the doomsayers

By Paul Tyler | Fri 1st July 2011 - 10:53 am

Since the publication of the Government’s White Paper and Draft Bill on House of Lords reform, the old guard have lined up to cavil about its detail, to deride its democratic principles and to defend – in the last ditch – the status quo.

This has augmented the popular media’s predisposition towards arch cynicism and trenchant pessimism. Yet there is firm evidence to contradict their lazy assumptions. Just because Labour engaged in over a decade of dither and delay does not mean that a determined government, with the resolve of the House of Commons behind it, cannot succeed.

The …

Posted in Op-eds and Parliament | Tagged andrew adonis, chris bryant, constitutional reform, dan rogerson, david cameron, david miliband, duncan hames, house of lords, joyce quin, larry whitty, laura sandys, lord mcnally, lords reform, mark harper, mark williams, nick clegg, nick true and therese coffey | 8 Comments

See you in September

By Mark Pack | Fri 1st July 2011 - 8:43 am

I’m mostly taking a break from Liberal Democrat Voice over July and August to write a book with Ed Maxfield on political campaigning.

The rest of the team will be keeping the site running, but if you’ve ever half-thought of writing a post for us, now’s a particularly good time to put fingers to keyboard.

I may now and again break my Lib Dem Voice fast 🙂 But I’ll still be tweeting and doing my monthly email newsletter about the Liberal Democrats.

Otherwise, see you in September.

Posted in Site news | Leave a comment

Labour holds Inverclyde with reduced majority

By Helen Duffett | Fri 1st July 2011 - 6:32 am

From the BBC:

Labour has won the Inverclyde by-election for the UK parliament but its majority has been more than halved.

Iain McKenzie took the Westminster seat with 15,118 votes over the SNP’s Anne McLaughlin on 9,280. Labour’s majority fell from 14,416 at the 2010 general election to 5,838.

The Conservatives took third place with 2,784, the Liberal Democrats polled 627 votes and UKIP was fifth with 288.

The by-election was held after the death of David Cairns in May, aged 44.

Read the full story here.

In local council by-election news:

Wandsworth LBC, Thamesfield:
Con 1497;
Lab 1022;
LD Lisa Smart 545;
Green 202.
Con HOLD.
Turnout 28.1%

Broxbourne BC, …

Posted in Council by-elections, News and Parliamentary by-elections | Tagged cheshunt central, inverclyde, lisa smart, peter huse, sophie bridger and thamesfield | 27 Comments

Government takes a small step forward in removing sexism in Royal inheritance

By Mark Pack | Thu 30th June 2011 - 10:42 pm

The Evening Standard reports:

George Osborne just made a historic announcement about the Royal finances.

His reforms, signalled first in his Budget a year ago, pave the way for a first-born daughter of Kate and William to be Heir to the Throne.

The heir is supported by £16 million a year revenues from the Duchy of Cornwall estate. At present the Duke is Prince Charles. But a girl cannot become a duke, so Osborne is changing the rules.

“We propose to correct this anomaly by making clear that in future the revenues of the Duchy of Cornwall will go to the heir whether

…

Posted in News | Tagged george osborne, lynne featherstone, nick clegg and royal primogeniture | 4 Comments

Opinion: Libya – Where now?

By John Russell | Thu 30th June 2011 - 4:25 pm

In my second article on the Libyan conflict (read the first one here) I want to look at possible solutions and answers and creative ways that the international coalition can ensure that the war is brought to a quick and decisive conclusion.

The central problem is that Resolution 1973 is not up to the task at hand and either needs to be circumvented or rewritten. Without the right mandate it will be very difficult to win this war. Creative thinking and diplomacy are urgently required.

Supporting the Rebels
One hundred days in it is shocking that this amateur and brave army has …

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged libya | 11 Comments

Chris White writes: Powerful stuff from Clegg at the LGA conference

By Chris White | Thu 30th June 2011 - 3:10 pm

One of the highlights of the political calendar is the annual Local Government Association (or more correctly ‘Group’) conference. It’s a bit like a party conference but people go to bed earlier. And there are other political parties here. And officers.

Its formal function is to be the sovereign body of the LGG. It also allows exhibitors to exhibit, group leaders to network and national politicians to showcase.

So we heard from David Cameron, the first serving prime minister to speak at an LGA/LGG conference. He told us sternly that pensions had to be reformed and that strikes would only hurt the …

Posted in News | Tagged caroline flint, david cameron, lga, Local government and nick clegg | 7 Comments

Labour prisons expert attacks party for “shameful” stance on penal reform

By Mark Pack | Thu 30th June 2011 - 1:54 pm

Frances Crook, a Labour member and Director of the Howard League for Penal reform, has launched a stinging attack on the Labour Party’s approach to penal reform calling recent moves by Shadow Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary Sadiq Khan “shameful”.

Writing on the Howard League’s website, Frances Crook said,

I was so angry with the Labour Party I found it hard to put into words. For the record I am a Labour Party member and was a Labour Party councillor and I have been a huge admirer of Sadiq Khan, a man who has up until recently had an exceptional record

…

Posted in News | Tagged prison reform, prisons and sadiq khan | 2 Comments

Electoral Commission apologises for misleading Welsh candidate

By Mark Pack | Thu 30th June 2011 - 12:23 pm

WalesOnline reports:

THE Electoral Commission expressed its “regret” yesterday as it admitted providing the wrong information to one of the Liberal Democrat AMs disqualified from office …

Mr Roberts said he was given incorrect information by the Electoral Commission, whose official guidance for candidates said he could not stand if, at the time of the nomination, he held an office which was mentioned in the National Assembly for Wales (Disqualification) Order 2006.

The Order that the Electoral Commission referred to was not the most up-to-date, and did not include the Valuation Tribunal for Wales as one of the bodies. That was added

…

Posted in Election law and Wales | Tagged aled roberts and electoral commission | 5 Comments

30 things every would-be politician should do this summer

By Mark Pack | Thu 30th June 2011 - 10:53 am

Inspired originally by Journalism Grads: 30 Things You Should Do This Summer and prompted by Stephen Tall, it’s become a summer tradition for me to run a list of 30 suggestions for would-be politicians, particularly those new to public office or seeking it in the next few years.

As ever, a new summer brings a new lick of paint for the list, with a few updates here and there and my thanks to those who commented on the previous lists:

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged featured | 7 Comments

Opinion: Why today’s strike action is wrong

By Steve Middleton | Thu 30th June 2011 - 9:38 am

Today in England and Wales, tens of thousands of public sector workers, many of them teachers, are expected to strike. Currently public sector workers largely enjoy more generous pensions than their equivalents in the private sector and the Coalition Government has acknowledged the growing difference in approach between the private and public sectors. The private sector long ago realised the rising cost and substantial risk involved in offering final salary schemes, based on years of service and end of career earnings, made them unsustainable.

The Coalition Government has a responsibility to ensure that pensions in the civil service are both fair …

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged pensions, public sector and strikes | 31 Comments

Kent County Council Chief Executive broke law with payments to himself

By Mark Pack | Thu 30th June 2011 - 8:23 am

The then Chief Executive of Kent County Council, Peter Gilory, authorised payments to himself “not permitted in law” of £18,350 for running the 2009 county council elections.

The minutes and agenda for a county council’s Electoral and Boundary Review Committee are not normally top of the media’s “must read” list, but the paperwork for this Kent County Council meeting of 21st June contains some damaging revelations about the council’s former Chief Executive Peter Gilroy who, it is revealed, authorised illegal payments to himself from public funds for the 2009 Kent County Council elections.

The chief executives of other councils in the area, …

Posted in Election law and News | Tagged kent county council and peter gilroy | 2 Comments

Teaching union spokesman attacks Gove’s “licence for paedophiles”

By Mark Pack | Wed 29th June 2011 - 9:02 pm

It’s no surprise that Michael Gove’s call for parents to help out in strike-hit schools has caused a fair amount of controversy, but I didn’t expect a union spokesman to wheel out the old paedophile scare line:

suggested parents enlist to help out stricken schools and give children something constructive to do, adding that it would save working parents a fortune. But union leaders in Dorset slammed the proposal, claiming it lacked common sense and would cause a “safeguarding nightmare”. Phil Jacques, Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) secretary for Bournemouth, Poole and Dorset, claimed implementing the plan would be

…

Posted in News | Tagged michael gove and phil jacques | 25 Comments

PMQs: Since when is the NHS a “micro” issue?

By Paul Walter | Wed 29th June 2011 - 8:53 pm

A bit of a surprise at Prime MInister’s Questions. I expected Ed Miliband to ask about public sector pensions and the strike tomorrow. It was a bit odd when he asked about the NHS. Cameron later said that Miliband couldn’t fire off questions on the strikes subject “because he is in the pocket of the unions.” He also rather cheaply accused Miliband of fighting shy of Greece “because his plan is to make Britain like Greece.”

Then, Cameron reach his climax with a line which must have been honed over much midnight oil in Downing Street:

He has to talk about

…

Posted in News and PMQs | Tagged david cameron, drugs, ed miliband, julian huppert, NHS and Peter Tapsell | 7 Comments

Opinion: Libya – A conflict without a strategy?

By John Russell | Wed 29th June 2011 - 4:25 pm

Monday marked 100 days since the air campaign began in Libya. Resolution 1973 authorises ‘all necessary measures to protect civilians’. The resolution, however, specifically excludes a foreign occupation force of any form on Libyan territory.

The White House was always lukewarm, at best, to the prospect of international intervention in Libya and has taken a back seat in the operation. As yet the combination of rebel forces and NATO air strikes has failed to have much significant strategic impact. Indeed, the Gaddafi regime seems intent on playing the long game and out lasting the unlikely combination of NATO airpower and weak …

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged david cameron, libya and nick clegg | 10 Comments

Opinion: The truth about the graduate contribution

By Craig Brown | Wed 29th June 2011 - 2:23 pm

There is a real danger that many prospective students will be put off from going to university due to the confusion, half-truths and lies, often left unchallenged, relating to the new system of university funding and graduate contributions.

A bright light which breaks through the fog can be found over at MoneySavingExpert.com, where Martin Lewis pares things back to the bare facts. His Student Loans Guide 2012 makes the following key points:

Existing students stay on the old system of loans
Students don’t pay anything up front
Graduates will pay back £540 per year less than they do under the current system – graduates will have more money in their pocket each month
Graduates who earn less than £21,000 don’t pay back anything
Graduates will owe more and be in debt longer but this debt will not affect credit ratings
People shouldn’t think of the new system as a loan but as a graduate tax
The rules may be different for students in Scotland and Wales
Most people will never pay back all of this debt as the debt is wiped out after 30 years

A graduate tax: the very thing that the NUS has been calling for. It is a crying shame that the NUS has decided to be political over the new changes rather than do the right thing by the people it professes to represent.

I would be extremely disappointed if there is a single person put off going to university due to the spin put on the changes by the NUS. Let’s hope that as many prospective students as possible find their way to MoneySavingExpert.com where they can actually get some honest expert advice on what to expect when they take up their courses in 2012.

Editor’s note: You can also watch a video of Martin Lewis explaining student funding from 2012 on YouTube:

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged graduate tax, martin lewis, nus and student finance | 19 Comments

Brian Paddick writes: Why I want to be Lib Dem candidate for London Mayor in 2012

By Brian Paddick | Wed 29th June 2011 - 12:52 pm

There were three necessary but not sufficient conditions that had to be fulfilled before I could declare myself as a candidate to be nominated as the Lib Dem Candidate for Mayor of London in 2012. That I honestly believed that I had the support of a wide range of people from both within and outside the party, that I could do a better job than I did last time and that I was able to offer something other candidates could not. I believe those conditions are now met, which is why I am, here and now, declaring myself to be …

Posted in London | Tagged london mayoral selection | 25 Comments

Julian Huppert MP writes: It’s time to bail out TPIMs

By Julian Huppert | Wed 29th June 2011 - 11:55 am

Labour’s approach to dealing with the threat of terrorism was illiberal and ineffective. The regime they built was topped off by control orders, which remain one of the most odious elements of their legacy. These orders totally bypassed due legal process, establishing a bewildering clandestine world of secret evidence, special advocates and draconian restrictions that would have made Kafka blush.

The irony was that all this authoritarian paraphernalia, which did great damage to civil liberties many of us had previously taken for granted, failed utterly to achieve its intended purpose. Not a single person subject to a control order has ever …

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged anti-terrorist legislation, control orders, liberty and TPIMs | 5 Comments

Why Simon Kelner is wrong to defend Johann Hari

By Stephen Tall | Wed 29th June 2011 - 9:25 am

Johann Hari is used to provoking controversy – as the Independent’s most outspoken left/liberal columnist its his stock-in-trade – but yesterday found himself on the receiving end of criticism of his integrity.

The reason? His repeated borrowing of quotes from interviews published by other journalists which he then drops into his own interviews as if they had been made directly in conversation.

The accusation first surfaced last week on the DSG blog concerning an interview Mr Hari undertook with ‘Italian communist and every ultra-leftist’s favourite “psychopath”’, Toni Negri. And the accusation went mainstream after Yahoo editor Brian Whelan’s demolition …

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged alexander lebedev, johann hari, media, simon kelner and the independent | 28 Comments

Boundary Commission for England publishes its explanatory booklet

By Mark Pack | Wed 29th June 2011 - 8:54 am

Yesterday the Boundary Commission for England published its booklet explaining how it will be running the review process. The content does not contain any surprises, though it is worth noting the strength of its comments about (not) splitting wards:

In the absence of exceptional and compelling circumstances … it would not be appropriate to divide wards in cases where it ispossible to construct constituencies that meet thestatutory electorate range without dividing them.

The Lewis Baston / Guardian projected constituency boundaries which got a fair amount of news coverage recently divide wards in far more cases than is compatible with this sort of language, which is worth bearing in mind as another reason not to place too much weight on them.

I’ve posted up in the Members’ Forum details of the regional and state coordinators for the boundary review process. By all means post any questions there or pop me an email if you’d like to discuss issues about the review. (I’m helping with the central co-ordination of the boundary review work.)

Boundary Commission for England – Guide to the 2013 Constituency Boundaries Review

Posted in Election law | Tagged parliamentary boundary review | 5 Comments

Opinion: The flaw at the heart of the Higher Education White Paper

By Alex Feakes | Tue 28th June 2011 - 5:53 pm

Get your hands on a copy of the Higher Education White Paper and take a look at what the university sector might look like in the future. The government is promising a shiny-bright student-focused experience for all as you make your well-informed choice from a multitude of quality providers jockeying to meet your every higher education need. Welcome to Uni-Mart, where the student -consumer is king.

Except… their consumer experience won’t feel very regal under these proposals, because this White Paper contains a major flaw: it wants to encourage competition between HE institutions in the belief that a …

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged higher education | 18 Comments

LibLink: Chris Rennard – A fox in the House of Lords

By Nick T | Tue 28th June 2011 - 4:24 pm

Lords of the Blog has a new contributor: Lord (Chris) Rennard, Lib Dem peer and former chief executive of the party. And in his maiden post, Lord Rennard explains why, even after having sat in the place since 1999, he still feels passionately about the necessity for the second chamber’s reform.

Here’s an excerpt:

New visitors to the House usually meet me at Peers’ entrance and often ask fairly quickly about Lords reform. I point immediately to the progress made since I became a peer in 1999. I proudly show them my coat peg in the cloakroom and explain that it

…

Posted in LibLink | Tagged chris rennard, constitutional reform, house of lords and lords reform | Leave a comment

Young people must get the facts on Higher Education – Hughes

By Helen Duffett | Tue 28th June 2011 - 3:29 pm

Simon Hughes MP, the Government’s advocate for access to Higher Education, has a piece over at Left Foot Forward today, on the confusion surrounding student finance.

He cites the Sutton Trust’s findings that more than a fifth of 11-16 year olds believe their families will have to pay for the cost of university tuition, while a further 10 per cent believe students paid for university with money they earned before and during their studies:

This situation is clearly unacceptable. And now as we start a month where higher education is again back on the agenda, with today’s publication of the

…

Posted in LibLink | Tagged higher education, simon hughes and student finance | 18 Comments

Opinion: The Lib Dems need to move into the 21st Century

By Matthew Green | Tue 28th June 2011 - 1:31 pm

I attended my first English Council at the weekend, the little-known body nominally supervising the party’s administration in England. Amid the constitutional amendments and letting off steam about the evil Federal party, it was possible to reflect on the huge challenges the party now faces. Inevitably most of the attention is on policies and messaging. This is vital but not sufficient. But we also need to catch up with the way politics is now done. I don’t think enough people appreciate the implications of this.

We can overdo the analogies between politics and warfare, but some …

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged fundraising | 20 Comments

“Speaking rights only” for unelected peers – Hames

By The Voice | Tue 28th June 2011 - 12:27 pm

Another barnstorming speech on Lords reform, this time by Duncan Hames MP in last night’s Commons debate.

Duncan reiterates the suggestion he made earlier in the debate, that unelected peers should have speaking rights only:

Does the right hon. Gentleman think that bishops voting in the House of Lords adds in any way to the expertise they are able to offer through what they say in that Chamber, and might they find it easier to remain in that Chamber if they were to desist from taking part in Divisions?

The speech in full:

It is a privilege to follow Rory Stewart, not

…

Posted in News, Parliament and Speeches | Tagged constitutional reform, duncan hames, hansard, house of lords and lords reform | 4 Comments

Opinion: LEA governors under threat

By Alex Feakes | Tue 28th June 2011 - 11:23 am

The debates about schools and education so far in this parliament have largely focused around free schools and academies, with occasional diversion into the content of the curriculum and the E-Baccalaureate. I’ve touched on some of these issues before, but just whilst there’s still time (just!) for a change in the Education Bill as it passes through the committee stage in the House of Lords, I wanted to highlight the threat posed in the Bill to school governors appointed by Local Education Authorities. I should say at this point that I have been an LEA appointed governor …

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged education bill, lea and schools | 7 Comments

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Lib Dem Women: Amplifying women’s voices at Conference

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