Steve Webb MP

Steve Webb writes… Why Liberal Democrats should welcome the welfare reforms

By Steve Webb MP | Tue 16th November 2010 - 10:27 am

Many Liberal Democrats may be wondering what to make of last week’s announcement by Iain Duncan Smith to replace a whole raft of working-age welfare benefits with a Universal Credit. As a Lib Dem Minister at the DWP, I thought it would be helpful to offer my perspective.

As a party we have long talked about integrating the tax and benefits system. As a first step, we surely need to integrate the benefits system with itself. The Universal Credit approach sits comfortably with our own policy to introduce a single working-age benefit, and will provide a basic allowance topped up by additional elements …

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Posted in Op-eds | Tagged and | 64 Comments
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Mark Pack

Speed cameras: how did the lottery turn out?

By Mark Pack | Tue 16th November 2010 - 8:53 am

Last month I blogged about an experiment in Sweden where a speed camera records all the cars keeping to the speed limit with all the legal drivers going into a prize draw for cash prizes. The trial has now been carried out and here’s the result (quick version – the average speed of traffic fell from 32 km/hour before the trail to 25 km/hour during the trial):

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Posted in News | Tagged | 4 Comments
Mark Pack

Alan Johnson – “an instinctive cutter”

By Mark Pack | Mon 15th November 2010 - 10:04 pm

Given how I’ve previously pointed out that Yes, ministers can disagree and the world doesn’t end, it would be wrong to shout “splits! splits!” at what is going on in the Labour Party over economic policy. The latest disagreements between leader Ed Miliband and Shadow Chancellor Alan Johnson do however highlight just how much work Labour has to do to work out its economic policy.

As John Rentoul has pointed out:

Johnson made clear to Rachel Sylvester and Alice Thomson that he did not share his leader’s enthusiasm for making the 50p-in-the-pound top income-tax rate permanent: “I am only

…

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Posted in News | Tagged , , and | 9 Comments
Helen Duffett

David Laws: 22 Days in May

By Helen Duffett | Mon 15th November 2010 - 4:18 pm

David Laws’ account of the negotiations that led to the Coalition agreement is due out next Monday.

According to the publishers:

The Liberal Democrats’ and Conservatives’ decision to form a Coalition government has changed the face of British politics. This book sets out the inside story of how this momentous event unfolded, and how – together – the Liberal Democrats and Conservatives have started to address the challenge of a massive government budget deficit.

22 Days in May is the first detailed Liberal Democrat insider account of the negotiations which led to the formation of the Lib Dem/Conservative coalition government in May 2010,

…

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Posted in Books | Tagged and | 17 Comments
Mat Smith

Opinion: Clegg has not betrayed us!

By Mat Smith | Mon 15th November 2010 - 2:56 pm

Many left-leaning liberals in the media are outraged at what they consider to be broken pledges on the part of Nick Clegg.

Johann Hari writes in The Independent, “In just a few days after the election, he cleared a space in his swanky new ministerial offices and staged a bonfire of his principles”.

Aside from the fact this article is laced with hyperbole (look carefully – barely a paragraph without some emotive language!), I can’t help thinking this is exactly not what the country needs.

I don’t mean that in a patriotic sense; I believe this country will operate perfectly well …

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Posted in Op-eds | Tagged and | 148 Comments
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Mark Pack

Dear Lord Falconer…

By Mark Pack | Mon 15th November 2010 - 1:19 pm

Dear Lord Falconer,

You have me confused with your claim that the Parliamentary Constituencies and Voting Systems Bill is a hybrid bill (and so should go through a different and slower Parliamentary procedure).

Now, I know that you have many more years of legal training and experience than me, so I wouldn’t be confused if there was just the one reason for you appearing to be wrong. But there are three, you see.

First, as you know when a Bill is introduced the Department of the Clerk of the House has to rule on whether or not it is a hybrid bill. …

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Posted in News | Tagged and | 32 Comments
John Howson

Opinion: A good news story – and a clear justification for the Pupil Premium

By John Howson | Mon 15th November 2010 - 10:22 am

Why are ministers turning stories into bad news? Perhaps the ‘age of austerity’ has addled their brains or are they are still operating in ‘opposition mode’. Nick Gibbs’s announcement of the Key State 1 results is a case in point.

Now I know Nick Gibbs has an agenda to mandate synthetic phonics as the only way to teach reading – see the DfE Business Plan – and the contradiction between that level of prescription and ‘freeing up the curriculum’ is but one part of the muddle that is policy-making within Sanctuary Buildings at present.

But, that’s not the story here.

Rather there …

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Posted in Op-eds | Tagged and | 14 Comments
Mark Pack

Map error causes military invasion

By Mark Pack | Mon 15th November 2010 - 8:57 am

No, this isn’t a plot from a political satire but it’s a bona fide news story:

An error on Google Maps has caused an international conflict in Central America.

A Nicaraguan military commander, relying on Google Maps, moved troops into an area near San Juan Lake along the border between his country and Costa Rica.* The troops are accused of setting up camp there, taking down a Costa Rican flag and raising the Nicaraguan flag, doing work to clean up a nearby river, and dumping the sediment in Costa Rican territory.

La Nacion — the largest newspaper in Costa Rica — says

…

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Helen Duffett

A day in the life of Stephen Lloyd MP

By Helen Duffett | Sun 14th November 2010 - 4:18 pm

There’s an interesting short video from the BBC’s Politics Show South East, featuring the new Liberal Democrat MP for Eastbourne, Stephen Lloyd.

“Every single decision I take goes through the prism of Eastbourne,” says Stephen, as he shares his thoughts on coalition government and tuition fees.

You can also read about a typical Westminster work day for Stephen:

His Wednesday starts at 9 am with a two-hour long Work and Pensions select committee.

He goes straight from there to Prime Minister’s Questions and the big topic of debate is the government’s decision to allow universities to charge tuition fees of up to £9,000.

…

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Posted in Parliament | Tagged , , , and | 3 Comments
Zoe O’Connell

Opinion: The Four Boxes – why the student occupation should be denounced

By Zoe O’Connell | Sun 14th November 2010 - 2:05 pm

There is a rather American saying which runs along the lines of “We have four boxes with which to defend our freedom: the soap box, the ballot box, the jury
box, and the ammo box. In that order”.

It becomes a good way of putting Wednesday’s violence in context, particularly for those that are trying to argue some similarity between the suffragette movement and student fees. That movement had no choice but to resort to violent occupation because the very thing its members were campaigning for was access to the ballot box.

But rather than the entire NUS executive distancing themselves …

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Posted in Op-eds | Tagged , , and | 120 Comments
Mark Pack

Remembrance Day: Where they fell

By Mark Pack | Sun 14th November 2010 - 10:53 am

The BBC has a poignant map showing where members of the British armed forces have died on active service since 1945, bringing out clearly how even before the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the Middle East has been a regular location for British military deaths.

The Royal British Legion’s appeal to fund its welfare work for current and former Service people is here.

Posted in News | 3 Comments
Stephen Tall

EXCLUSIVE: How party members rate the performances of leading Lib Dems

By Stephen Tall | Sun 14th November 2010 - 10:45 am

Lib Dem Voice has polled our members-only forum to discover what Lib Dem members think of a variety of key issues, and what you make of the Lib Dems’ and Government’s performance to date. Almost 600 party members have responded, and we’ve been publishing the full results of our survey over the past few days.

Today, in the final part of our survey, 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:

How would you rate the performances of the …

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Posted in LDV Members poll | Tagged | 23 Comments
Helen Duffett

Have-a-go Hames

By Helen Duffett | Sat 13th November 2010 - 9:27 pm

Duncan Hames' hero tweet

Duncan Hames, the new Liberal Democrat MP for Chippenham, has spoken of chasing after a man who snatched a woman’s bag in his constituency.

From the BBC:

Liberal Democrat Duncan Hames said he had been sitting in his car at traffic lights on Friday when he saw the theft.

He pulled over, spoke to the woman to make sure she was unhurt and chased after the thief through Monkton Park.

He said a cyclist who also saw what happened managed to retrieve the bag. Mr

…

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Stephen Tall

What Lib Dem members think of the Coalition, the Lib Dems’ direction, and Nick Clegg’s leadership

By Stephen Tall | Sat 13th November 2010 - 4:57 pm

Lib Dem Voice has polled our members-only forum to discover what Lib Dem members think of the contest for the party presidency, the Comprehensive Spending Review, the Coalition, and the performance of key party figures. Almost 600 party members have responded, and we’re currently publishing the full results.

What Lib Dem members think about the party and its leadership


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

    65% (69%) – The right course
    23% (17%) – The wrong track
    11% (15%) – Don’t know / No

…

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Posted in LDV Members poll | Tagged | 123 Comments
Stephen Tall

LDV Saturday caption competition: “Tim Farron goes out on a wing” edition

By Stephen Tall | Sat 13th November 2010 - 3:15 pm

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


(Image courtesy the Lib Dems Flickr photostream.)

Here’s newly elected Lib Dem president Tim Farron preparing to launch a paper aeroplane into the debate at the party conference, as an unimpressed-looking Ed Davey, minister for employment relations, consumer and postal affairs, looks on. What do you think they might be saying to, or thinking about, each other?

The winner of our most recent caption competition, the “Downing Street CSR special edition” – according …

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Posted in Caption Comp | Tagged | 23 Comments
Ryan Cullen

Welcome to the new bloggers…

By Ryan Cullen | Sat 13th November 2010 - 1:55 pm

Nine blogs have recently joined my Liberal Democrat Blogs aggregator:

Good luck to all the new bloggers, and why not take a moment to pop over to their blogs, take a read and post a comment?

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Posted in Online politics | Tagged | 4 Comments
Helen Duffett

More results: party committees and interim peers panel

By Helen Duffett | Sat 13th November 2010 - 1:20 pm

Liberal Democrat Federal Conference representatives have voted for members of party committees for 2011-2012 and members of the panel from which future Liberal Democrat nominees for the House of Lords will be drawn.

The results are as follows:

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Posted in News and Party policy and internal matters | Tagged , , , , , and | 6 Comments
Helen Duffett

Lib Dem Presidential Contest: Result

By Helen Duffett | Sat 13th November 2010 - 12:19 pm

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Posted in News and Party Presidency | Tagged , and | 26 Comments
Stephen Tall

LDV survey: The qualities members want from the Lib Dem party president (and whose campaign reached most members)

By Stephen Tall | Sat 13th November 2010 - 11:15 am

Lib Dem Voice has polled our members-only forum to discover what Lib Dem members think of the contest for the party presidency, the Comprehensive Spending Review, the Coalition, and the performance of key party figures. Almost 600 party members have responded, and we’re currently publishing the full results.

As today is the day the result of the contest to become party president is declared, here’s a Wordle illustrating what party members feel are the most important qualities whoever is successful should bring to the role (click on the image to enlarge)…

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Posted in LDV Members poll, Online politics and Party Presidency | Tagged and | 6 Comments
The Voice

Lib Dem Presidential contest: result due early this afternoon

By The Voice | Sat 13th November 2010 - 10:00 am

The results of the election for president of the Lib Dems will be announced today, soon after 12pm, and Lib Dem Voice’s Helen Duffett will be reporting back live from the count. A reminder, as if you needed one, of the two candidates standing for the post:

  • Tim Farron
  • Susan Kramer

    • If you’re interested in looking back at the coverage of the race that’s appeared here on LDV, then click here.

    The results for the party committee elections and Peers panel are also expected early this afternoon, so watch this space.

    Posted in Party Presidency | Tagged and | Leave a comment
    Mark Pack

    The Saturday debate: how important should promoting military exports be for the MoD?

    By Mark Pack | Sat 13th November 2010 - 8:57 am

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

    The Ministry of Defence’s business plan lays down seven priorities for 2010-15, of which the fourth is:

    To promote defence exports consistent with export control criteria; as part of a defence diplomacy programme to strengthen British influence and help support British industry and jobs.

    Should the MoD have that as a goal? And if it does, should it fourth of the seven? Over to you…

    Posted in Op-eds | Tagged and | 10 Comments
    Stephen Tall

    We all know the Lib Dems U-turned on tuition fees, so why’s The Guardian indulging in half-truths?

    By Stephen Tall | Sat 13th November 2010 - 12:01 am

    The Guardian carries a sensationalist headline tonight: Revealed: Lib Dems planned before election to abandon tuition fees pledge. The truth is somewhat different from the newspaper’s anti-Lib Dem spin, however.

    The story is clearly designed to make the reader believe that, even as Nick Clegg and the Lib Dems spoke out against tuition fees, it was secretly their plan to renege on the party’s manifesto pledge. Yet, if you read more carefully it becomes clear that the party was simply anticipating the likely hung parliament scenario — that faced with two parties, Labour and the Tories, committed to tuition fees …

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    Posted in News | Tagged , , , , and | 126 Comments
    Helen Duffett

    Peers call for end of child detention in immigration centres

    By Helen Duffett | Fri 12th November 2010 - 7:02 pm

    Following the Home Office’s decision to postpone until March the end of child detention in immigration removal centres, a group of peers has written to the Guardian calling for the government to honour their commitment to end the practice.

    The group of Labour, Liberal Democrat and Crossbench peers includes Roger Roberts and Navnit Dholakia, as well as Sue Miller, who told Radio 4’s Today Programme this morning that the equivalent of four or five primary schools per year are being locked up:

    We are really tired of waiting for the end of child detention… We need not to lock

    …

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    Posted in News | Tagged , , and | 6 Comments
    Mark Pack

    Three simple ways to reform EDMs, without harming the fibreglass sheep

    By Mark Pack | Fri 12th November 2010 - 5:53 pm

    Dizzy Thinks has been on the case again about the costs run by Early Day Motions in Parliament. As he delicately puts it:

    Yes, we really do have to spend £150K alone on the salary, pension and NI contributions for the poor sods that have to sort out the latest self-congratulatory bollocks that our MPs want to spout off fruitlessly about.

    The combination of cost and triviality of many EDMs has caused some people to call for their abolition. I think this is going too far, as some EDMs do provide a useful mechanism, as a focus for external campaign groups, …

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    Posted in Op-eds and Parliament | Tagged , and | 1 Comment
    Helen Duffett

    The LDV Friday Five: 12 November 2010

    By Helen Duffett | Fri 12th November 2010 - 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

    1. Forced to work without pay…Labour got there first, says FT (173 comments) by Iain Roberts.
    2. Phil Woolas loses court case over his election (133 comments) by The Voice.
    3. Jeremy Browne MP writes… I’m no Tory: I’m a radical, authentic liberal (70 comments) by Jeremy Browne MP.
    4. A new member writes… Why I’ve decided to join the Liberal Democrats now (60 comments) by Tony Butcher.
    5. Setting the Independent straight on candidate’s defection (41 comments) by Helen Duffett.

    This week’s 5 most active Liberal Democrat online campaigns

    1. Lib Dems Against Tuition Fees
    2. I’m backing Susan for President
    3. Keep Wiggenhall Road waste site open
    4. Save Stapleford Walk-in Centre
    5. Save Our Cheques Windhill and Wrose

    5 from the LDV archive

    (from this week in 2006-09)

    1. A photo-shoot too far for Cameron? (8 comments) by Iain Roberts, from 2009.
    2. Doing the Database Rag (1 comment) by Helen Duffett, from 2008.
    3. Brian Paddick to enter I’m A Celebrity (26 comments) by Stephen Tall, from 2008.
    4. Anyone know what the Tory party’s policy on Europe is today? (4 comments) by Stephen Tall, from 2007.
    5. South East Lib Dems call for change in party policy on the Lords (6 comments) by The Voice, from 2006.

    5 top reader search returns to get to LDV

    (excluding Liberal Democrat Voice or its variants)

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    Posted in Friday Five | Leave a comment
    Simon McGrath

    Opinion: Are the poor going to be driven out of the south by the Coalition’s housing benefit reforms?

    By Simon McGrath | Fri 12th November 2010 - 3:28 pm

    A shocking story in the Guardian this week that, not content with driving the poor out of Kensington and Chelsea, the Coalition’s cap on housing benefit would force them out of southern England altogether. Worse, this came from the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH), who sound like they ought to know what they are talking about.

    I rang up the CIH and asked how I could get hold of a copy of the study and was surprised to hear that there has been not actually been one. They are apparently ‘doing some work for a Select Committee’ which …

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    Posted in Op-eds | Tagged , and | 40 Comments
    Stephen Tall

    LDV survey: What Lib Dem members think of the Coalition’s economic policies, housing benefit, and the CSR

    By Stephen Tall | Fri 12th November 2010 - 2:28 pm

    Lib Dem Voice has polled our members-only forum to discover what Lib Dem members think of the contest for the party presidency, the Comprehensive Spending Review, the Coalition, and the performance of key party figures. Almost 600 party members have responded, and we’re publishing the full results over the next few days.

    What Lib Dem members think of the Coalition’s economic policies

    Which of these statements comes closest to your opinion about how the Coalition should go about reducing the deficit?

      45% – It is important to cut spending quickly even if this means immediate job losses, because it will be better

    …

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    Posted in LDV Members poll | Tagged , , and | 36 Comments
    Mark Pack

    Jo Swinson presents dossier of evidence that media images have negative impact on body image

    By Mark Pack | Fri 12th November 2010 - 1:20 pm

    From a party news release:

    Co-founder of the Campaign for Body Confidence and Liberal Democrat MP Jo Swinson has given the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) details of 172 scientific studies which show that exposure to idealised media images has a negative effect on body image for adults and children.

    The portfolio of evidence gives a comprehensive overview of research examining the link between airbrushed media images and people’s dissatisfaction with their own bodies.

    The Campaign for Body Confidence is calling on the ASA to amend its codes of conduct for advertisers to require airbrushed images of people to be clearly labelled.

    Commenting, Jo …

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    Posted in News | Tagged , , and | 20 Comments
    Lembit Öpik

    Lembit Öpik writes… Why I’m going on “I’m a Celebrity – Get Me Out of Here!”

    By Lembit Öpik | Fri 12th November 2010 - 11:18 am

    As you may know, I’m hoping to be selected as the Lib Dem Mayoral candidate for London. For various reasons, the internal Party process has been postponed till around next summer, though I myself have been short-listed to be part of that selection process.

    I’m concerned to ensure that, in the meantime, we don’t vanish off the face of the electoral earth as Boris and Ken forge ahead with their campaigns. For this reason, I’m doing my best to illustrate what “Lembit’s London” would look like, and the nature of the campaign itself.

    Part of this will be sharing my policy positions. I’d summarise my campaign as “Freedom for the city, power to the people.” This motif centres on three key areas – Libertarianism, Localism and Labour (not the Party! I mean the workers who keep this city going).

    But the best campaigning narrative in the world is pointless unless people are actually interested in it, and have some association with the people putting it forward. Being worthy is not empowering to the public if you’re anonymous and can’t generate the coverage to get the message across.

    For this reason, I’ve decided to appear on the reality television show “I’m a Celebrity – Get Me Out Of Here!” It’s a great opportunity to get direct to the viewing public, and show, in what I believe to be a generally fair programme, how I operate in a team, under pressure and in a competitive environment.

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    Posted in Op-eds | Tagged and | 48 Comments
    Helen Duffett

    LibLink: Tim Farron – Tuition fees are the poll tax of our generation

    By Helen Duffett | Fri 12th November 2010 - 9:43 am

    Over at the Guardian’s Comment is Free, Tim Farron MP reiterates his pledge to vote against tuition fees, calling them “the poll tax of our generation” – a reference to the angry scenes at Wednesday’s demonstration.

    In his article, Tim makes the distinction between the NUS pledge against tuition fees, signed by Parliamentary candidates before the General Election (which he intends to abide by), the Liberal Democrat manifesto (which became a negotiating document) and the Coalition Agreement (which contains 65% of the Liberal Democrat manifesto).

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    Posted in LibLink | Tagged , , , , and | 34 Comments
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