Julia Bateman

Opinion: the Coalition Government is protecting fair trial rights in Europe

By Julia Bateman | Mon 25th October 2010 - 5:20 pm

The Coalition Government has today announced that it will take part in EU legislation on the right to information in criminal proceedings. The so-called “Letter of Rights”. This is one of a number of steps in the “Roadmap” designed to protect individual rights and raise fair trial standards in Europe. It is a much needed counter-balance to the powers police and prosecutors have when working across-borders.

This Letter of Rights is designed to be a short, standard written statement of basic rights given to a suspect when they are arrested and, importantly, before they are questioned. …

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Posted in Europe / International and Op-eds | 7 Comments
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Iain Roberts

Chris Huhne puts £60 million into offshore wind turbine manufacture

By Iain Roberts | Mon 25th October 2010 - 4:19 pm

An email from Chris Huhne:

Today we are taking a key step on the road to a more prosperous, fairer and greener Britain. We’ve announced support for wind turbine manufacture at Britain’s ports – opening the way to a major expansion of the country’s offshore wind industry.

The last week has been tough. None of us came into government to make cuts. Throughout the spending review, as Liberal Democrats and as a Government, we’ve had to make some difficult decisions. We believe they are necessary to stabilise Britain’s economy and eliminate the massive deficit in the public finances.

As Liberal Democrats in Government

…

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Posted in News | Tagged and | 9 Comments
Helen Duffett

Kerry McCarthy MP cautioned for illegally revealing postal vote results on Twitter

By Helen Duffett | Mon 25th October 2010 - 3:52 pm

Screenshot of Kerry McCarthy's illegal tweet, retweetedKerry McCarthy, the Labour MP who illegally revealed postal vote results on Twitter in April, has been given a police caution.

Labour’s “Twitter Tsar” and a qualified solicitor, has avoided a fine or a six month prison sentence for the offence. She deleted her original post after a few minutes, but not before it had been spread around the internet.

From the Guardian:

She boasted to thousands of followers that an early batch showed Labour receiving far more support in her constituency than the Conservatives

…

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Posted in Election law and News | Tagged and | 2 Comments
Mark Pack

Welcome news from Vince Cable on pensions

By Mark Pack | Mon 25th October 2010 - 3:25 pm

The BBC reports:

The government is planning a “very radical” overhaul of the state pension, Business Secretary Vince Cable says…

Mr Cable, speaking to BBC One’s Breakfast, said the government wanted to “get away from what we’ve had for the past quarter of a century where state pensions have fallen behind the rest of the economy”.

“What Steve Webb and his colleagues want to do is to particularly protect the position of women, who because they weren’t covered by contributions don’t have a proper state pension,” he said.

Women frequently fail to qualify for the full basic state pension because they have stopped

…

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Posted in News | Tagged and | 23 Comments
Dee Doocey

Dee Doocey writes… Just the ticket?

By Dee Doocey | Mon 25th October 2010 - 2:25 pm

The organisers of the London 2012 Olympics promised the most inclusive Games ever. We were told that the Games would be “highly affordable” and that “half the tickets would cost £20 or less”.

On 15th October, we discovered what is really going to happen.

Of the 8.8 million tickets that will go on sale, only 2.5 million (about a third) will cost £20 or less. Of this 2.5 million, 1.3 million will be reserved primarily for schoolchildren, leaving just 1.2 million £20 tickets for everyone else in London, the UK and the rest of the world.  And of those 1.2 million …

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Posted in London and Op-eds | Tagged | Leave a comment
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Mark Pack

One point that underpins much of the tax debate

By Mark Pack | Mon 25th October 2010 - 12:32 pm

Over on the IEA blog, Mark Littlewood recently repeated a very commonly made point by those of a more low tax persuasion:

It’s worth noting that the relatively affluent in Britain pay a very high proportion of the overall tax take. In terms of income tax, the highest earning 1% contribute nearly a quarter of all receipts and the top 10% account for well over half.

There’s no prizes for guessing what conclusion Mark drew from this, but turn the point on its head and it serves just as well for the opposite political perspective.

It’s worth noting that the very affluent

…

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Posted in Op-eds | Tagged and | 21 Comments
Mark Pack

So, what do you make of this graph about gender and politics?

By Mark Pack | Mon 25th October 2010 - 10:27 am

This is an update of the post I did earlier in the year, this time including the data for 2010.

Here’s the proportion of local election candidates of the three main parties who were female over the last twenty-five years . As you can see, proportions for all three parties grew in the late ’80s and since then have stalled (Lib Dems, Conservatives) or only crept up (Labour), with all of them remaining well under 40%.

The dips every four years are due to county council elections having a much lower proportion of female candidates than other local elections.

…

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Posted in Local government | 14 Comments
Helen Duffett

LibLink: Floella Benjamin – I want to be judged on my actions in a political place

By Helen Duffett | Sun 24th October 2010 - 7:23 pm

Today’s Independent on Sunday features an interview with Baroness Benjamin of Beckenham – Floella to the rest of us – which ranges over a variety of topics, from Floella’s childhood, her work on stage and TV, her charity and campaigning work, to her future ambitions.

Some of the stories featured in Floella’s recent maiden speech in the House of Lords, but there are some unfamiliar ones, which she has included in her new book about her teenage years Arms of Britannia:

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Posted in LibLink | Tagged and | 1 Comment
Helen Duffett

Any treasures in Nick Clegg’s Desert Island Discs?

By Helen Duffett | Sun 24th October 2010 - 6:02 pm

Nick Clegg appeared on BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs this morning, and revealed his eight essential tunes, as well as a book and a luxury item with which to be marooned.

You can listen to the whole programme on iPlayer here but for the record, here’s Nick’s list:

  1. Chopin’s Waltz in A Minor (played by Idil Biret)
  2. Sunday Morning Coming Down (Johnny Cash)
  3. The Cross (Prince)
  4. Petit Pays (Cesaria Evora)
  5. Street Spirit (Radiohead)
  6. Life on Mars (David Bowie)
  7. Waka Waka – the theme to the 2010 World Cup (Shakira)
  8. Schubert’s Impromptu No.3 in G Flat Major (played by Alfred Brendel)
  • Book: The Leopard, by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa
  • Luxury: A stash of cigarettes

    • As guilty pleasures go, it’s a pretty safe list; Desert Island Discs is a chance for famous people to judiciously bury treasure for the listeners to find, and from there to form their impression.

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    Posted in LibLink and Op-eds | Tagged and | 43 Comments
    Stephen Tall

    LDV Sunday caption competition: Downing Street CSR special edition

    By Stephen Tall | Sun 24th October 2010 - 3:58 pm

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

    Here are the Coalition leaders and their guys at the Treasury thrashing out the Comprehensive Spending Review — what do you think they might be saying to, or thinking about, each other?

    The winner of our most recent caption competition, the “Clegg and Hughes side by side” edition -– according to The Voice’s judging panel of one -– was this one by Benjamin, with an honourable mention for this one …

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    Posted in Caption Comp | 34 Comments
    Lembit Öpik

    Opinion: Power to the people, freedom for the city

    By Lembit Öpik | Sun 24th October 2010 - 2:25 pm

    I just wanted to update everyone on where we stand with the Lib Dem campaign for Mayor.

    I’m pleased to confirm that, having passed the selection procedure to be eligible to be on the short list, I will be standing in the selection of Lib Dem candidate for Mayor. I’m doing this for two reasons: Firstly, I want to see liberal policies put into practice in the nation’s capital. Secondly, I believe that I can help maximise our mayoral and list vote and, ultimately, have the best chance of winning.

    Many believe that we cannot win this Mayoral election. They …

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    Posted in London and Op-eds | Tagged | 25 Comments
    Mark Pack

    Nadine Dorries has me confused

    By Mark Pack | Sun 24th October 2010 - 12:52 pm

    Exhibit A: “I would also like to state that every word written on my blog is absolutely true.”

    Exhibit B: “My blog is 70% fiction and 30% fact. It is written as a tool to enable my constituents to know me better and to reassure them of my commitment to Mid Bedfordshire. I rely heavily on poetic licence and frequently replace one place name/event/fact with another.”

    PS Nadine, on the off chance you are reading this – don’t blame Twitter for my sceptical views of your attitude towards accuracy. Blame the fact that you and your office declined to …

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    Posted in News | Tagged | 4 Comments
    Helen Duffett

    LibLink: Kirsty Williams on what the Comprehensive Spending Review means for Wales

    By Helen Duffett | Sun 24th October 2010 - 10:13 am

    Kirsty Williams AM has written a piece for WalesHome on the implications of the spending review for Wales:

    THE CSR settlement means that for the Welsh Government, revenue expenditure will be down by less than 2 per cent in real terms each year, less than the three per cent they were planning for. Overall, the budget will be reduced by 12% over 4 years; the Government were planning for 16.5% over 3 years. Despite the obvious glee with which ministers have been playing the victim card, Wales has a better settlement than the UK overall.

    This week, we have seen crocodile

    …

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    Posted in Wales | Tagged | 14 Comments
    Mark Pack

    The British Political Speech archive

    By Mark Pack | Sun 24th October 2010 - 8:50 am

    A new website you may have missed – British Political Speech, which holds texts of speeches given by Conservative, Labour and Liberal/Liberal Democrat Party leaders going back to 1895. Well worth a browse.

    Posted in News | 2 Comments
    Iain Roberts

    Lib Dem MEP calls for EU budget cuts

    By Iain Roberts | Sat 23rd October 2010 - 7:05 pm

    Writing on 18th October, Lib Dem MEP Chris Davies called for the European Union to cut its spending, just as national governments across Europe are having to do.

    While George Osborne is proposing his cuts package to the House of Commons, Euro-MPs are likely to be voting on the first round of the annual EU budget debate. It seems certain that the European Parliament will end up supporting an increase above the rate of inflation, with our own institution seeking 5.5% more spending “to meet the additional costs of implementing the Lisbon Treaty.”

    It is bound to prompt the question of

    …

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    Posted in Europe / International | Tagged | 4 Comments

    Opinion: New Labour, New Machiavelli?

    By David Rundle | Sat 23rd October 2010 - 4:55 pm

    What has already become the best-known anecdote in Jonathan Powell’s The New Machiavelli is a snippet of conversation he had with his then master, Tony Blair. Powell asked him how he could put up with having a three-hour conversation with Gordon Brown, to which Blair responded by asking him whether he had ever been in love. ‘“Not with a man”, I replied’ — and we know he was lying. This book is testimony to his devotion to Blair.

    It is, for sure, a curious billet doux -– less like a bunch of roses than a handful of thorns. Comparing, however …

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    Posted in Books and Op-eds | Tagged , , , , and | 8 Comments
    Iain Roberts

    Speed voting European style

    By Iain Roberts | Sat 23rd October 2010 - 2:38 pm

    Votes at Westminster are painfully slow, as MPs are summoned from far and wide to file past into the voting lobbies.

    Not so the European Parliament, which was considering over a thousand amendments to the 2011 budget proposals.

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    Posted in Europe / International | Tagged | 5 Comments
    Stephen Tall

    New Statesman’s advice to Lib Dem-baiters: “Don’t count those pesky Lib Dems out just yet”

    By Stephen Tall | Sat 23rd October 2010 - 12:57 pm

    The latest YouGov poll showing the Lib Dems at 10%, one of the party’s worst ratings in years, has excited comment, especially and not surprisingly among those who are pleased to see the Lib Dems struggling. Less surprisingly still, YouGov’s fndings attract more publicity among our critics than ICM’s polls, which show the party consistently at or around the 18% mark.

    Credit, therefore, to the New Statesman’s Sholto Byrnes for bringing a quality on scarce display in political commentary: a sense of perspective:

    Ever since I entered journalism I have noticed how quick many, if not most, commentators and

    …

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    Posted in Polls | Tagged and | 117 Comments
    Dinti Batstone

    Have your say – diversity opportunities in political reform

    By Dinti Batstone | Sat 23rd October 2010 - 11:25 am

    In the wider debate around BAME issues in Liverpool, one aspect of the Diversity Motion seems to have slipped through largely unnoticed. The motion, as amended, called for the Federal Executive to commission a review into “structural” barriers to participation in politics faced by under-represented groups.

    As the drafter of this part of the motion, my thinking was simple. With Nick Clegg as Deputy Prime Minister in charge of political reform, Liberal Democrats have a once in a generation opportunity to change the way we do politics- and widen the political talent pool.

    Because the case for diversity is not just about equality …

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    Posted in Op-eds | 8 Comments
    Richard Morris

    Opinion: A Mayoral candidate in waiting?‏

    By Richard Morris | Sat 23rd October 2010 - 9:23 am

    With the launch of the shortlist of candidates for the London Assembly top up list, every good (London) Lib Dem’s thoughts should be turning to the Mayoral election – and who can we get to stand.

    While there are probably excellent reasons why we’ve postponed the process for up to a year (leaving any approved candidates feeling – well, bruised at best), our two main rivals have their candidates in place and are already slugging it out. So I’m feeling a little left in the cold. And with the party polling 4% (!!!) in the latest Mayoral polling we probably need to name a candidate sooner rather than later.

    The criteria seem clear:

    1. Someone who can actually win (wouldn’t that be nice?)
    2. A name that’s as well known as his/her rivals
    3. Someone who already represents Londoners and understands their issues
    4. A candidate who gets the City of London – but isn’t in their pockets.
    5. Perhaps someone who isn’t 100% happy in their current post – maybe someone who finds himself having to present policies he doesn’t 100% believe in and work with colleagues he doesn’t 100% trust? And is probably getting a little fed up with all the mudslinging going on at the moment, with much of it aimed at them.

    It’s Vince isn’t it?

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    Posted in London and Op-eds | Tagged and | 29 Comments
    Mark Pack

    Social workers sacked over Baby P lose their appeal

    By Mark Pack | Sat 23rd October 2010 - 8:55 am

    From the Evening Standard:

    Two social workers sacked over the Baby P tragedy have lost their claim for unfair dismissal, it emerged today.

    Gillie Christou and Maria Ward claimed they were unjustly fired by Haringey council in response to the public outcry about the toddler’s horrific death.

    But an employment tribunal panel ruled that the local authority acted reasonably in dismissing them because of serious failings in their care of the child.

    You can read the full report here.

    Posted in News | Tagged , and | Leave a comment
    Helen Duffett

    The LDV Friday Five: 22 October 2010

    By Helen Duffett | Fri 22nd October 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. “Loathe this government if you will…” – 4 points following on from Julian Glover’s must-read Guardian article (102 comments) by Stephen Tall
    2. Opinion: a broken pledge, but we knew how bad it was back in March (47 comments) by Hywel Morgan
    3. EXCLUSIVE: What Lib Dem members think about Browne and tuition fees (41 comments) by Stephen Tall
    4. Tuition fees – what party members believe Lib Dem MPs should do (51 comments) by Stephen Tall
    5. Opinion: Cable may do enough to deserve our support (58 comments) by Ben Johnson

    5 active LDV Members’ Forum threads

    Why politicians should never sign personal pledges.
    The Government plans to store your emails and phone calls
    Equal representation for N to Z
    Party President Campaign Literature
    FOCUS refuseniks

    5 most active groups on ACT

    1. Reclaim Your Vote!
    2. Coalition partners, not doormats
    3. Say No to Trident
    4. End Forced Adoption in the UK
    5. Liberal Democrats for Drug Policy Reform

    5 top reader search returns to get to LDV

    (excluding Liberal Democrat Voice or its variants)

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    Posted in Friday Five | 3 Comments
    Helen Duffett

    LDVideo: Susan Kramer and Tim Farron’s online Presidential hustings

    By Helen Duffett | Fri 22nd October 2010 - 3:41 pm

    Tim Farron and Susan Kramer took part in an online hustings this week, taking questions from a live and online audience. Play the video below to watch the two candidates explain why they want to be Party President and discuss what they would do in the role.

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    Posted in Party Presidency | Tagged and | 3 Comments
    Mark Pack

    Parliamentarians in the news

    By Mark Pack | Fri 22nd October 2010 - 2:25 pm
    Posted in Parliament | Tagged , and | Leave a comment
    Mark Pack

    Criminal records regime to be reviewed

    By Mark Pack | Fri 22nd October 2010 - 1:25 pm

    The headlines have been caught by the Home Office’s formal annoucement today of a review into the vetting and barring system:

    The review will examine whether the scheme is the best way to protect children and vulnerable people and, if so, how many roles it should cover.

    Home Secretary Theresa May suspended the “draconian” scheme in June.

    Launched in 2009, critics said it cast too wide a net and risked poisoning the relationship between generations.

    Home Office Minister Lynne Featherstone said: “While it is vital that we protect the vulnerable, this scheme as it stands is not a proportionate response.

    “There should be a presumption

    …

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    Posted in News | Tagged , , and | Leave a comment
    Mark Pack

    Tuition fees to be capped?

    By Mark Pack | Fri 22nd October 2010 - 12:45 pm

    From The Guardian:

    David Willetts said he disagreed with one of the main proposals of Lord Browne’s radical blueprint for universities, published last week.

    Browne, former chief executive of BP, recommended ministers allow universities to set tuition fees – currently £3,290 a year for students in England – as high as they thought they could command.

    Browne said institutions charging more than £6,000 should have to pay a rising percentage of each additional £1,000 as a levy to government. This would mean a university that charges £7,000 would receive 94% of the fee, while one charging £10,000 would receive 81%.

    Speaking to vice-chancellors

    …

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    Posted in News | Tagged , , , , and | 16 Comments
    The Voice

    Hemming in the headlines

    By The Voice | Fri 22nd October 2010 - 11:50 am

    The London Evening Standard reports:

    The wife of an MP was today charged with burgling the home of her husband’s ex-lover and stealing a kitten.

    Christine Hemming, wife of John Hemming, the Liberal Democrat MP for Birmingham Yardley, is alleged to have raided the home of Emily Cox, a researcher by whom Mr Hemming fathered a child in 2005. Mrs Hemming, 52, of Moseley, Birmingham, was not required to enter a plea during a brief appearance at the city’s magistrates’ court.

    She was granted bail and committed for trial at crown court over the alleged burglary on the night of September 29. Her

    …

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    Posted in News | Tagged | 7 Comments
    Tom King

    Opinion: cuts in welfare are the hallmark of a selfish society

    By Tom King | Fri 22nd October 2010 - 10:45 am

    During the Conservative Party Conference, George Osborne announced a simple change to child benefit. He took a difficult and historic decision to remove payments to households with at least one higher rate taxpayer, saving an estimated £1 billion of public money from going directly to the highest paid 12% in our society.

    In what turned out to be my last blog post, I railed – somewhat hysterically – against the reaction to this modest cut. It was clear that the right wing press would oppose such a move. But what was less clear, and more galling, was the way the …

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    Posted in Op-eds | Tagged , , , , and | 44 Comments
    Stephen Tall

    Are the unions a bigger threat to the Lib Dems than Ashcroft was?

    By Stephen Tall | Fri 22nd October 2010 - 9:40 am

    A Guardian headline today reads, Unions focus on Lib Dem seats in battle to save jobs. The story makes clear how trade unions will mobilise their resources to fight the budget cuts unveiled this by George Osborne’s comprehensive spending review — and in particular focus on Lib Dems:

    The campaign is expected to focus on constituencies held by Liberal Democrat MPs who, unions believe, will be vulnerable to local pressure as many of the people who supported them did not vote for cuts on the scale revealed this week.

    Nowt wrong with unions mobilising to protect their members’ interests: that, after …

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    Posted in News | Tagged and | 99 Comments
    Mark Pack

    Ministry of Justice’s paperwork overdose hits the media

    By Mark Pack | Thu 21st October 2010 - 10:27 pm

    My story Paperwork gone mad at the Ministry of Justice has hit the media today in a nice piece from Matthew Parris in The Times and in a long piece in the Daily Mail. If the latter’s piece sounds rather familiar when you read it, that’d be because the wording bears a remarkable resemblance to the story run on this site. Perhaps next time I should slip in a ficticious name and see what happens 🙂

    Posted in News | Tagged , and | 4 Comments
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