Iain Roberts

Default retirement age to be scrapped

By Iain Roberts | Thu 29th July 2010 - 1:20 pm

The Coalition Government plans to scrap the default retirement age of 65 from October 2011, allowing people to work beyond that age if they choose.  Employers will not be allowed to dismiss staff simply because they’re 65 years old.
As the BBC reports:

Business group, the CBI, criticised the speed of the proposed changes saying it left firms “with many unresolved problems”.

The government’s timetable to scrap the default retirement age would give companies little time to prepare, it added.

However Rachel Krys of the Employers Forum on Age was delighted, saying it was “really unfair” that people had been forced out of jobs because of their age.

“We have to stop these blunt discriminators,” she added.

The charity Age UK, which has led the campaign to end the default retirement age, welcomed the government’s plan.

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Iain Roberts

Crime prevention? Just choose pink

By Iain Roberts | Thu 29th July 2010 - 11:20 am

Few disagree that non-violent crime has been falling since 1995, sharply at first and more slowly over the last decade.

One of the explanations for the drop is simply that it’s become more difficult to commit certain sorts of crime.  Improved security, with the spread of double glazing and stronger doors as standard, has made life more difficult for the opportunistic thief.

Car security has improved and, whilst the serious car thief may not be put off, it’s certainly raised the bar.

But car colour?

Research from the Netherlands suggests that cars and bikes in more unusual colours, like yellow or pink, are …

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Posted in News | 2 Comments
NewsHound

LibLink: the worst kind of gerrymandering in the world?

By NewsHound | Thu 29th July 2010 - 11:03 am

Writing in the Guardian, Martin Kettle isn’t wholly impressed with Labour’s approach to reform.

It tells you something about today’s Labour party that it is no longer willing to go into the parliamentary lobbies in September to advance the equality of representation for which the Chartists campaigned. Instead it will enter the lobbies with the opposite goals. It aims to block a reform that would equalise parliamentary constituencies. And it seeks to protect an unequal status quo of over-empowered smaller seats of which Labour is the main beneficiary. It will do this, moreover, in the

…

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Posted in LibLink | Tagged | 35 Comments
Iain Roberts

TUC to Vince: it’s our ball and you can’t play

By Iain Roberts | Thu 29th July 2010 - 9:20 am

The Trades Union Congress has withdrawn an invitation to Vince Cable to speak at their Autumn conference.

The Financial Times (free registration required) reports that leaders of the big unions are upset about Government cuts (which might raise the issue of how they would have dealt with Labour’s £44 billion proposed cuts had they won the election).

As the FT reports:

A moderate unionist said: “It’s a serious embarrassment, a joke, I don’t know what they’re playing at.”

The TUC struck a conciliatory note, telling the FT that it would find an alternative mechanism to keep dialogue open with the

…

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Posted in News | Tagged and | 15 Comments

Have you signed up yet for the Lib Dem fantasy football league?

By Chris Wilson | Wed 28th July 2010 - 5:15 pm

Do you like football? Are you a Liberal Democrat? Do you want the opportunity to win a small prize?

Well in that case why not join the unofficial Lib Dem fantasy premier league? Here’s an opportunity to put together a team with some of your favourite players in, and compete against other Lib Dem football fans.

To set up a team go to http://fantasy.premierleague.com (http://m.fantasy.premierleague.com from a smart-phone) and follow the instructions to register. Choose your team name and design your club’s strip, then pick your squad for the season.

Once that’s done, you can choose to join a private league …

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Posted in Events | Tagged | 4 Comments
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The Voice

Hughes attacks Labour’s “naked opportunism” in opposing vote reform bill

By The Voice | Wed 28th July 2010 - 4:10 pm

Lib Dem deputy leader Simon Hughes has not minced his words in decrying Labour’s decision to vote against the Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill, which would allow a referendum on electoral reform:

This is staggering hypocrisy from Labour. Labour’s shadow cabinet decision is not about principle, it is about naked opportunism. With most of their leadership contenders claiming to back AV for a fairer voting system, it is astonishing they now wish to block the legislation to make that happen.

“Each and every Labour MP campaigned on a manifesto committing to a referendum. Now they have the opportunity to make

…

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Posted in News | Tagged , and | 76 Comments
David Thorpe

Opinion: Economic data a vindication of Coalition strategy on the economy

By David Thorpe | Wed 28th July 2010 - 2:40 pm

Amid the gloom of cuts, the opinion polls and the encroachment of dull weather this week it’s easy to grasp at any positive straw one can find to cheer us up.

But the recent economic growth figures which were announced really are a positive on several levels and a vindication of the strategy which the coalition is pursuing.

The principal criticisms of the coalition plans have been that withdrawing support from the economy too early could lead to a double dip recession, the latest growth figures indicate that the economy is entering a period of more robust growth, and with …

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Posted in Op-eds | Tagged | 77 Comments
Helen Duffett

Census preparations to go ahead for 2011

By Helen Duffett | Wed 28th July 2010 - 1:20 pm

The UK Statistics Authority has confirmed that preparations for the 2011 Census in England and Wales on 27 March 2011 “will now press ahead with all speed”:

The Statistics Authority is determined that, with the full support of the Government and all the other parties concerned, the 2011 Census will be the success that the country needs it to be, and will provide the information about our population which can only be derived from the full-scale Census, which has now been confirmed.

This came in response to an answer by the Minister for the Cabinet Office, Rt. Hon. Francis Maude MP, to a Written Parliamentary Question.
However, the 2011 Census could be the last of its type:

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NewsHound

LibLink: Phil Willis – We must re-think the role of universities if we want to produce a world-class workforce

By NewsHound | Wed 28th July 2010 - 12:25 pm

Former Lib Dem MP, Phil Willis – or Baron Willis of Knaresborough to give him his full title – has penned a piece for the Yorkshire Post arguing that now is the time for a radical re-think about the role and function of our universities and how they could be re-engineered to provide a world-class workforce to deliver world-class goods and services to a global economy. Until his retirement from the Commons, of course, Phil was chairman of the Innovation, Universities, Science and Skills Select Committee.

He has some tough things to say about the Coalition’s emergency budget:

The emergency Budget,

…

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Posted in LibLink | Tagged , , , and | 6 Comments
Helen Duffett

How much will coalition change Liberal Democrat conference?

By Helen Duffett | Wed 28th July 2010 - 9:20 am

Party conference rumour season is well underway, with more special guest speculation than last month’s Glastonbury. But whoever’s doing the briefing, it doesn’t seem to be coming from the Liberal Democrat side.

The story that David Cameron might address Lib Dem conference seems to have originated from the Independent:

David Cameron and Nick Clegg are drawing up plans for closer links between the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats and senior figures from the two parties will address each other’s party conference this autumn.

The two leaders are keen to cement the coalition and a special meeting of the Cabinet next month will discuss a joint approach to the party conference season, including co-ordinated policy announcements. One option is for Mr Cameron to address the Liberal Democrat conference in Liverpool and Mr Clegg the Tories in Birmingham. More likely, at present, is that other Cabinet ministers will “change places” and speak at their coalition partner’s event.

The Guardian also ran a similar story the same day: David Cameron could speak at Liberal Democrat conference.

– Well, yes he could,* but here are some things to consider:

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Helen Duffett

Labour to oppose voting reform legislation

By Helen Duffett | Wed 28th July 2010 - 7:50 am

The Labour shadow cabinet has decided to vote against the Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill, insisting that it should not be given a second reading.

From the Press Association,

Labour is to vote against legislation paving the way for a referendum on reforming the voting system.

The shadow cabinet decided to oppose the Government’s Bill because it also includes provisions for equalising the size of constituencies.

The move sets the stage for a major test of the coalition, with Labour MPs lining up alongside rebel Tories in a bid to derail the proposals.

The commitment to a referendum on switching to Alternative

…

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Posted in News | Tagged , , , and | 27 Comments
Stephen Tall

Is the Coalition Government’s honeymoon really over?

By Stephen Tall | Tue 27th July 2010 - 7:25 pm

Forget the Lib Dems’ current poll-ratings for a moment – though today’s 19% from ICM will have done a fair amount to repair nerves frayed by YouGov’s poorer recent scores – and let’s focus on the Coalition Government as a whole.

Last week, YouGov’s Peter Kellner stated categorically: The honeymoon is over. His logic was simple enough:

Over the past four weeks, the coalition’s approval rating has slipped slowly but remorselessly. Our latest figures report a net rating of plus four (approve 41%, disapprove 37%). In just over two months, the coalition’s rating has declined to levels that were not

…

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Posted in News, Op-eds and Polls | Tagged , , , and | 39 Comments
The Voice

Farron: “damning” evidence that Labour neglected Armed Forces

By The Voice | Tue 27th July 2010 - 6:25 pm

A memo released by the Iraq Inquiry today by Lieutenant General Sir Nicholas Houghton, then-Chief of Joint Operations at the military’s Permanent Joint Headquarters (PJHQ) to Ministers, shows that Labour ministers were formally warned that the military needed an alternative to the Snatch Land Rover in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Tim Farron, Co-Chair of the Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Committee for Foreign Affairs & Defence, comments:

This is yet another damning sign that the Labour Government ignored advice from its top military officials on their equipment needs. “As we long suspected, generals told ministers that they needed better equipment to protect

…

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Posted in News | Tagged and | 5 Comments
Helen Duffett

Dee Doocey challenges Met Police Commissioner over treatment of photographers

By Helen Duffett | Tue 27th July 2010 - 4:05 pm

Met Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson at City HallMetropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson has said that although the Met has issued guidelines to officers about people taking photographs in public places, he cannot guarantee that officers will interpret them correctly.

His remarks came at a meeting of the Metropolitan Police Authority at London City Hall on July 22, where Liberal Democrat Assembly Member Dee Doocey asked him,

Are you confident that your officers are aware of the law when it comes to members of the public taking photographs in a public place?

Stephenson replied,

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Posted in London | Tagged , , , and | 2 Comments
Stephen Tall

Paywall vs ‘Freemium’: why Parris, Finkelstein et al may rue Rupe’s decision

By Stephen Tall | Tue 27th July 2010 - 3:20 pm

Will The Times’s paywall work? It’s the question that’s been asked ever since Rupert Murdoch’s News International announced its intention to place The Times and The Sunday Times websites behind a paywall, blocking any user not prepared to pay a subscription for access.

Last week saw publication of early unofficial statistics which were extrapolated at length in The Guardian and suggest The Times’s website now attracts somewhere between 84,800 and 195,700 daily unique users – compared with c.1.2 million daily unique users pre-paywall.

It’s stating the obvious to point out that’s a huge drop: after all, the point of the exercise is to make money from the few, not be free to the masses. So far, it’s understood there are 15,000 paying users – though whether that figure includes those who signed up for cheap one-month trial offers is not certain – in addition to 12,500 iPad users.

Assuming The Times can retain all those paying customers (which is a big assumption), it’s estimated the paywall could attract revenues of £1-2m a year. I’ve not yet seen, though, a reliable figure showing what the cost in lost advertising revenue associated with a fall in online circulation will total – which make it difficult as yet to work out if News International will generate an immediate net profit from the paywall. That, after all, would be Mr Murdoch’s ultimate response to the naysayers.

What I don’t understand is why News International decided to go all out for the paywall at The Times without at least first testing the market by adopting a ‘freemium’ model, making basic content available free, but charging for premium content.

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Posted in Op-eds | Tagged , , , , and | 4 Comments
Sarah Teather

Teather: Pupil Premium is a real Liberal Democrat achievement

By Sarah Teather | Tue 27th July 2010 - 1:50 pm

I came into politics to make a difference for the most disadvantaged in our society. It is over three years since I, as Liberal Democrat education spokesperson, championed the Pupil Premium as our flagship education policy and debated it at Conference. I never dared imagine a time when I would be unveiling it as Government policy and then actually implementing it. But this week, the Coalition Government announced that a Pupil Premium, funded from outside the schools budget, will be introduced next September. It will mean that from next year, schools taking disadvantaged children will get the additional money they need to provide them with the extra support they deserve, no matter where they are in the country. This could mean more individual tuition or catch-up classes, but it will be for the school to decide, we won’t be telling headteachers how to spend the money.

This is a real Liberal Democrat achievement. It was the centrepiece of our education policy during the election campaign, and it is now being implemented in Government. While the Conservatives had a similar policy, it was the Liberal Democrats who pushed for it to be funded from outside the schools budget, and for it to feature specifically in the coalition agreement. And it’s no secret that it was one of the sticking points of the negotiations with Labour – they simply refused to agree to it.

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Posted in Op-eds | Tagged and | 18 Comments
Fred Carver

Opinion: Lib Dems should abstain or campaign for “No” on AV referendum

By Fred Carver | Tue 27th July 2010 - 12:20 pm

I’m passionate about PR. But when it comes to PR AV is, at best, a red herring.

Be very clear, AV is not one jot more proportionate than what we have now. It is a system of first Past the Post pure and simple. It does have other positive characteristics (although personally I think both our current FPTP and AV are systems I’d score at 0 out of 10) but it is not one iota more proportionate than the system we have now.

Some people have said that it is likely that AV will produce more proportionate outcomes. I think there are four things to bear in mind here:

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Posted in Op-eds | Tagged | 72 Comments
Iain Roberts

Marks out of ten for the coalition?

By Iain Roberts | Tue 27th July 2010 - 11:20 am

The Guardian is running the latest ICM poll today.

The overall story is good for the Lib Dems – up three points to 19% (both Labour and the Tories are slightly down against the last ICM poll), and the Coalition remains stubbornly popular, still in the 55-60% range.

But this is just one poll (and there are others both significantly better and worse for the party), so let’s not worry too much about the headline figures.

More interesting is the line the Guardian takes and the “marks out of ten” for the Coalition Government.

First the line taken in the article. If …

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Posted in Polls | Tagged , and | 15 Comments
Stephen Tall

Six Lib Dem MPs rebel on Coalition’s Academies Bill

By Stephen Tall | Tue 27th July 2010 - 10:20 am

The BBC reports:

MPs have approved legislation which paves the way for a radical overhaul of the school system in England. The Academies Bill, allowing schools to opt out of local council control as early as September, is now due to receive Royal Assent on Tuesday.

However, the Bill sparked a revolt among some Lib Dem MPs, with five defying the whips to back an amendment proposed by Southport MP (and former teacher) John Pugh allowing parents to be balloted if a school governor objected it to becoming an academy.

The five Lib Dems who supported John’s amendment were Annette Brooke …

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Posted in News and Parliament | Tagged , , , and | 10 Comments
Iain Roberts

Coalition tension is good for the Lib Dems and good for democracy

By Iain Roberts | Tue 27th July 2010 - 9:20 am

Former Tory leadership contender David Davies believes the Coalition isn’t right wing enough and rumours are spreading of a “Brokeback Club” to make trouble.

Former Lib Dem Deputy Leader contender Tim Farron has referred to the “Toxic Tories” and Simon Hughes, who won the vote to become Deputy Leader, has said the party wouldn’t have supported the Academies Bill if it were in opposition.

In a sense, Hughes’ comment is stating the obvious. A coalition means voting for some of their policies you can live with but don’t like, because otherwise the other lot won’t vote for yours. It’s …

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Posted in Op-eds | 30 Comments
Stephen Tall

Can you design a poster to win the AV “Yes” campaign?

By Stephen Tall | Mon 26th July 2010 - 7:22 pm

TakeBackParliament.com has launched a competition to crowd-source the design talent of bloggers who support abolishing first-past-the-vote and replacing it with the Alternative Vote in readiness for next May’s referendum.

Andy May – occasional contributor to LDV – has mocked up this effort to get the ball rolling:

AV Poster


But he’s asking for readers’ assistance:

What do you think? Could you do better?

We’re looking for your poster designs and ideas – post your design on your blog and paste the link in the comments or send them to

…

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Posted in Online politics | Tagged , and | 29 Comments
Helen Duffett

Joan Ruddock MP submits wholly notional expenses return

By Helen Duffett | Mon 26th July 2010 - 6:50 pm

Election expenses from the Joan Ruddock (Labour) campaign in Lewisham Deptford 2010
The Londonist reports that Joan Ruddock, the Labour MP for Lewisham Deptford, has taken the unusual step of submitting her election expenses return without attaching any invoices or receipts, instead listing all expenses as “notional”:

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Posted in Election law | Tagged , , , , and | 1 Comment
Helen Duffett

Rogerson and Teather: pupil premium will help all children

By Helen Duffett | Mon 26th July 2010 - 5:12 pm

Today the coalition Government announced that plans for a Pupil Premium will go ahead, targeting funding at schools that take pupils from deprived backgrounds.

The premium, a key part of the Liberal Democrats’ 2010 election manifesto, will provide additional per pupil funding on top of the existing funding provided to schools, and will be spent as individual schools choose.

Co-Chair of the Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Committee for Education, Dan Rogerson said:

Labour’s unequal education system left too many children falling behind.

The Liberal Democrats made clear during the election campaign that a Pupil Premium targeted at the most disadvantaged pupils was an

…

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Posted in News | Tagged , , and | 3 Comments
Andy Mayer

Opinion: A lucky escape from the graduate tax?

By Andy Mayer | Mon 26th July 2010 - 4:35 pm

If the BBC is correct there is sufficient opposition within the Coalition to stop a graduate tax seeing the light of day and instead come up with a system that is like fees, but not fees, and retains some kind of link between student and university. On that we will have to wait and see what it is before commenting.

I do not though fully understand why a reputable economist like Vince Cable gave the National Union of Students’ graduate tax proposal serious consideration. Apart from the clear inconsistency and hypocrisy, Vince presided over a party tax …

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Posted in Op-eds | Tagged , , , , , and | 17 Comments
NewsHound

LibLink: Simon Hughes – Ten weeks that have revitalised politics

By NewsHound | Mon 26th July 2010 - 3:15 pm

(In fact, it’s almost 11 weeks now, as the Voice inadvertently missed the Lib Dem deputy leader’s article when it first appeared …)

Over at The Guardian’s Comment Is Free website last week, Simon Hughes launched a vigorous defence of the Coalition Government and its initial achievements … especially the Lib Dem ones. Here’s an excerpt:

In the last 10 weeks we have seen three refreshing changes in the politics of Britain. There has been change from a government which had lost direction and run out of steam, to a government clear about its direction and full of energy. There has been

…

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Posted in LibLink | Tagged | 5 Comments
Helen Duffett

Revealed: the AV referendum question

By Helen Duffett | Mon 26th July 2010 - 1:35 pm

The wording of the question that voters will be asked in next May’s AV referendum has been published:

Do you want the United Kingdom to adopt the ‘alternative vote’ system instead of the current ‘first past the post’ system for electing Members of Parliament to the House of Commons?

The wording of the question is contained in the Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill, published last week. (The question will also be made available in Welsh.) The Electoral Commission is statutorily required to consider the intelligibility of the question, before reporting back to Parliament, who will consider the comments and have …

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Posted in Election law | Tagged , , , and | 1 Comment
Chris White

Opinion: Reasons to be cheerful

By Chris White | Mon 26th July 2010 - 11:45 am

As some of us head for the beach at the end of a very long term, it might be a good idea to see whether there is any light in the current political gloom.

I can count no less than 6 ‘reasons to be cheerful’.

First of all, last week saw the initial meetings of the new Westminster policy teams, designed to facilitate dialogue and communication between the Liberal Democrats in government, especially ministers, and interested parliamentarians, councillor representatives and the Federal Policy Committee.

The ones I attended were workmanlike – and anyway are a great deal better than anything our Coalition …

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Posted in Op-eds | Tagged , and | 18 Comments
Helen Duffett

Lib Dem Blog of the Year Awards 2010 – nominations now open

By Helen Duffett | Mon 26th July 2010 - 10:20 am

BOTY 2
The Liberal Democrat Blog of the Year Awards, run by Lib Dem Voice, are back for their fifth year. As usual, they’ll be awarded in a budget lavish ceremony at the party’s autumn conference in Liverpool. (There’s further information on the event over at the Lib Dems’ Flock Together site). Click on the following links to see last year’s Shortlist and the Winners.

This year’s awards are as follows:

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Posted in Best of the blogs and Conference | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , and | 1 Comment
NewsHound

LibLink: Paul Burstow – We can democratise health service

By NewsHound | Mon 26th July 2010 - 9:20 am

Over at The Guardian’s Comment Is Free website last week, Lib Dem minister of state for health Paul Burstow vigorously defended the Coalition’s health white paper, arguing it frames one overriding principle for the NHS – focusing on what people want, not what politicians prescribe. Here’s an excerpt:

Our consultation, Local democratic legitimacy in health, is a grand title for a simple question: how do we ensure the NHS better serves and accounts to the public for the money it spends and the results it achieves? In other words, how does the government’s localism agenda fit the NHS? …

Last year

…

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Posted in LibLink | Tagged and | 4 Comments
The Voice

Total Politics Best Blog Poll 2010: last week to vote!

By The Voice | Mon 26th July 2010 - 7:45 am

A gentle reminder to our readers of the fast-approaching deadline … We hope readers may be inclined to list Lib Dem Voice somewhere, alongside many of the other fabulous Lib Dem blogging talent listed on Ryan Cullen’s Aggregator.

It’s that time of year again, when Total Politics asks you to vote for your Top 10 favourite blogs. This is the fifth year of the poll. The votes will be compiled and included in the forthcoming book, the Total Politics Guide to Blogging 2010-11, which will be published in September. For the second year running, the poll is being promoted/sponsored by …

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