Search Results for: feed

Caron Lindsay

How you can support One Member One Vote for Party Committees

By Caron Lindsay | Published Tue 15th July 2014 - 9:32 pm

lib dem conf votingIn March, Sue Doughty invited members to take part in a consultation on the idea of allowing one member one vote for party committee elections and on party policy at Conference. The Internal Democratic Reform Working Group, which Sue chairs, then looked at the submissions they received and the feedback at a consultative session at York Conference. They have now drawn up some radical proposals which will give every  member the right to vote on policy at Conference and in Committee elections which they want to submit for debate at …

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Tagged , , | 62 Comments
Caron Lindsay

Lessons must be learned from the Jo Swinson speculation

By Caron Lindsay | Published Sat 12th July 2014 - 2:20 pm

jo swinson by paul walterOn Thursday, George Eaton of the New Statesman blogged that Jo Swinson was about to replace Ed Davey in the forthcoming Cabinet reshuffle.

Today, the Guardian’s Nick Watt says that this is not the case and Jo is expected to become Secretary of State for Scotland in September after the independence referendum.

Nick Clegg, acutely conscious that the five Liberal Democrat cabinet ministers are all men, is expected to promote the business minister Jo Swinson to the cabinet. But she is expected to succeed Alistair Carmichael as Scotland secretary after September’s independence referendum in September if, as expected, the pro-Union side prevails. Carmichael would be praised for his role in the victory as Swinson took charge on introducing greater devolution to the Scottish parliament.

Continue reading »
Posted in Op-eds | Tagged , , , , , , , | 36 Comments
Barry Holliday

Opinion: An end to OFSTED

By Barry Holliday | Published Tue 8th July 2014 - 12:41 pm

old schoolThe dissolution of OFSTED is a policy we as Liberal Democrats need to support and implement to ensure our young students are being offered the best education possible.

I am not saying that schools shouldn’t be inspected and checked.The public needs to have confidence in the school system. Parents have the right to be informed about teachers abilities and performance. Most of all we must be able to ensure that teaching meets the needs of our children.

OFSTED for too long has been nothing but a political football. School inspections should be …

Continue reading »
Posted in Op-eds | Tagged , | 39 Comments
Paul Burstow

Paul Burstow MP responds… On the Carer’s Bonus

By Paul Burstow | Published Mon 7th July 2014 - 3:45 pm

Care in the home Some rights reserved by British Red CrossMy post last week on the Carer’s Bonus generated a lot of feedback. Thank you.

A few quick responses. The £250 payment would be available to around a million people based on underlying entitlement to the benefit. So, for example, pensioners who are eligible for Carers allowance but because of overlapping benefit rules do not receive it would receive the Bonus.

Continue reading »
Posted in News | 2 Comments
Stephen Tall

5 things Nick Clegg could do next

By Stephen Tall | Published Fri 4th July 2014 - 11:30 am

Nick Clegg Q&A 8My last piece of advice to Nick Clegg was to stand down as Lib Dem leader. He didn’t, and it’s pretty clear now that Nick will lead us into the next general election.

Two problems remain, though, and we need to find ways of addressing them. First, morale in the party has dipped since the May elections. Secondly, support for the party has also dipped in the polls. Yes, Lib Dem MPs benefit from the incumbency effect but that only stretches so far – we also need to start winning the air war, or at the very least avoid being ignored. As it stands, what Nick says just isn’t getting a listening. However unfair, it’s a reality we need to deal with.

Here are five suggestions from me for ways in which Nick Clegg could help restore party morale and maybe get himself a hearing from the media and public…

Continue reading »
Posted in Op-eds | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 52 Comments
Caroline Pidgeon

Caroline Pidgeon AM writes: In praise of Freedom of Information legislation

By Caroline Pidgeon | Published Mon 30th June 2014 - 11:59 am

Parliament ActsTony Blair’s latest comments about Iraq, seeking to defend his disastrous actions back in 2003, have generated extensive media coverage.  However, there are other views expressed by Tony Blair which also deserve attention, most notably his incredible views over freedom of information.

But, before examining his comments lets go back 20 years or so.

For some people it might be hard to remember how Government departments and public bodies often operated.  Holding onto vast amounts of information, however mundane or non-controversial, was considered totally appropriate by most Government departments, quangos and local …

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Tagged , | 6 Comments
Alice Thomas

The Gender Agenda #1 Why have women only training? What’s so special about women?

By Alice Thomas | Published Mon 30th June 2014 - 10:30 am

Womens shortlistsOn May 7th, I wrote my first article for Liberal Democrat Voice.

It wasn’t exactly ground-breaking. It was promo for an internal SAO, written in a hurry by a first-time candidate (me), a couple of weeks out from one of the toughest elections we’ve ever seen. It was less than five hundred words of innocuous fluff.

You would never have guessed it from the reaction.

Within a few hours, it had over seventy comments, and it hovered on the Most Read list for days. Why? Because it was about Liberal Democrat Women, …

Continue reading »
Posted in Op-eds | Tagged , | 141 Comments
Caron Lindsay

Caron’s Sunday Selection: Must-read articles from the Sunday papers

By Caron Lindsay | Published Sun 15th June 2014 - 10:44 am

sundaypapsHere’s today’s picks, guaranteed to inspire, infuriate and amuse you. The first one will make you cry, though.

The first puts all the others into perspective. The Independence Referendum is the only game in Scotland at the moment, with dedicated people working their socks off on both sides. One of the key players in the Better Together campaign, Gordon Aikman, has been diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease. He writes in Scotland on Sunday about how he has coped with this shocking and terminal diagnosis. It’s a real, candid and moving piece.

…

Continue reading »
Posted in Op-eds | 6 Comments
Caron Lindsay

A bad week in the independence referendum starts to get better

By Caron Lindsay | Published Fri 13th June 2014 - 1:15 pm

Benefits of staying in the UKAlistair Carmichael, Liberal Democrat Secretary of State for Scotland, has launched a booklet, which will be delivered to every home in Scotland, outlining the case for Scotland to remain in the UK. The key facts from the weighty Scotland Analysis series of papers have been distilled into an easy to read booklet with lots of pretty pictures.

Continue reading »
Posted in News | 10 Comments
Caron Lindsay

Tales from the Federal Executive: The one where we discussed the elections

By Caron Lindsay | Published Tue 10th June 2014 - 1:10 pm

London December 9 2013 064 Thames Low Tide (4) ParliamentThe Liberal Democrats’ Federal Executive met last night in a Westminster Committee room looking out on a grey and brooding Thames.

The meeting had a bit of a comedy start with a last minute change of venue leaving member scurrying from one end of the Parliamentary Estate to the other.

The major item of business was, of course,  discussion about the recent elections. Several Federal Executive members had consulted widely amongst members to get their views. Only Candy Piercy, though, had been organised enough …

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Tagged , , , , | 229 Comments
Bill le Breton

Opinion: The First Rule of Campaigning

By Bill le Breton | Published Mon 2nd June 2014 - 3:57 pm

pensionsWe wake today to news that the Government is planning Dutch-style collective pension schemes which the minister of state for pensions,the Liberal Democrat Steve Webb, says are “some of the best in the world”. The proposed legislation will include the previously announced removal of tax rules that have prevented pensioners taking more than a quarter of their savings in a cash lump sum.

OK, there is no need for switch off. This piece is not going to be about pensions.  It is about campaigning and in particular about integrated campaigning. The subject has been chosen purely at random.  It is Monday. What has a Liberal Democrat minister announced today?  Ah! Pensions.

Continue reading »
Posted in Op-eds | Tagged , , | 31 Comments
Liz Lynne

Liz Lynne to stand for Party President

By Liz Lynne | Published Thu 29th May 2014 - 11:01 am

image001After being asked by many people from different parts of our party, I have decided to stand to be Party President.

These last four years have been tough and no more so than in the last week. We have seen too many good friends and colleagues defeated as councillors and most recently as MEPs. I know what that feels like. I fought my first parliamentary seat in Harwich for the Liberal/SDP Alliance in 1987 and came second. I then went on to win the seat of Rochdale in 1992. Sadly, I narrowly lost in Tony Blair’s 1997 General Election landslide following boundary changes. I look back with pride on what I achieved in Parliament as our spokesperson on Health and then Social Security, including representing disabled people in the fight for equal rights.

Continue reading »
Posted in News, Party Presidency | 24 Comments
Mike Biden

Opinion: The messenger or the message?

By Mike Biden | Published Tue 27th May 2014 - 10:07 am

nick_clegg_vince_cable_budget_2009_bCoalition government is very tough on the junior party.  No surprise there. The prize, in our case, was lots of our favourite policies implemented – something we haven’t achieved for 100 years. The downside is a massive amount of negative media coverage.

Your coalition allies hate you because they see you as imposing policies on them. The opposition see it as an open goal, a chance to squeeze you out of the next election.  It is a two party nut-cracker with the potential to crush us.  The voracious appetite of the press pack has a constant supply of stories.

Continue reading »
Posted in Op-eds | Tagged | 37 Comments
Caron Lindsay

Wondering who to vote for today? #EP2014

By Caron Lindsay | Published Thu 22nd May 2014 - 12:30 pm

Liberal Democrat badge - Some rights reserved by Paul Walter, Newbury, UKOnly about a third of people normally vote in European and Council elections. If you are one of the two thirds who hasn’t made their way to the polling station yet, please read on. This stuff actually matters.

Your MEPs and Councillors make decisions that affect your daily life, be it mobile phone charges on your holiday, potentially your job if it’s funded by European money, or the care your parents receive or the quality of your local parks.

Clearly I’d love it if you voted Liberal Democrat for your benefit as much as mine as a party member. Here are some reasons why:

Continue reading »
Posted in Op-eds | Tagged , | 14 Comments
The Voice

“Big job but low pay” moans Bristol’s Green Party Assistant Mayor about £32k salary

By The Voice | Published Mon 19th May 2014 - 10:25 am

SONY DSC£32,000 a year is well above the average wage. Many people earn significantly less. Yet Bristol’s Assistant Mayor Gus Hoyt has been moaning on Twitter about his low pay.

It all started when someone suggested on Twitter that he might like to go to New York. His reply was that he couldn’t afford it. When his correspondent suggested that was a shame, he replied:

Yeah, Big time. Am in big job but low pay…local government

When Liberal Democrat Councillor Alex Smethurst and his colleague Chris Martin questioned his view of low pay, and …

Continue reading »
Posted in Op-eds | Tagged , , | 41 Comments
The Voice

Liberal Democrat MEPs are far too good to lose

By The Voice | Published Mon 19th May 2014 - 8:55 am

Screen Shot 2014-03-09 at 08.06.08 Liberal Democrats LibbyOne of the drawbacks of the way we vote for our MEPs is that so few people know who they are. You don’t vote for a person, you vote for a party and the party decides who goes to sit in the European Parliament. I’m not complaining about the PR nature of it, just that one of the drawbacks of the closed list system means that people don’t necessarily have that connection with an individual.

Our MEPs and candidates are all individuals with different things …

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Tagged , , | 17 Comments
Caron Lindsay

Gove and Laws write for Times: We are committed to free school meals policy because evidence shows it helps kids achieve more

By Caron Lindsay | Published Thu 15th May 2014 - 10:55 am

20120907-FNS-LSC-0544On his various media appearances this morning, Nick Clegg has been asked whether he ordered Michael Gove and David Laws to write an article setting out the background to the free school meals policy. He  said on Call Clegg that he had suggested it to them that they clarify the situation to reassure parents that the policy will be delivered on time.

This comes after a febrile few days when Dominic Cummings, Gove’s former Special Adviser, has been telling everyone who will listen that this was a policy drawn up pretty much …

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Tagged , , , , , | 19 Comments
Gareth Wilson

Opinion: In coalition, more than ever, our leadership must listen to party members

By Gareth Wilson | Published Fri 25th April 2014 - 12:15 pm

lib dem conf votingThe Maria Miller furore has recently highlighted how voters between elections are powerless to change their MP, once they’re ‘in’ that’s it – you have to wait another five years to give your judgement on how they’ve performed.

In our ‘always on’ modern culture this is unusual. People can cancel utility contracts or switch broadband suppliers within days if they’re unhappy with the level of service, or give instant feedback online or over the phone which is listened to and actioned.  Shouldn’t we be able to …

Continue reading »
Posted in Op-eds | Tagged , , | 18 Comments
Caron Lindsay

Austin Rathe talks to the Standard about the importance of political geekery

By Caron Lindsay | Published Wed 23rd April 2014 - 8:26 pm

imageThe appointment of Obama’s strategist David Axelrod to advise the Labour Party has prompted the Standard to take a look at the digital operations of the three main parties. All three are looking to the success of the Obama campaign’s collection and use of data.

We know that the most effective digital campaigners are those who spend most of their time on the doorsteps. Jo Swinson was a Twitter pioneer, as was Willie Rennie and we know how much time Tim Farron spends on there. These three share a massive commitment and …

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Tagged , , , | 13 Comments
Caron Lindsay

There are way too many elephants in Lib Dem Members’ survey

By Caron Lindsay | Published Wed 23rd April 2014 - 9:39 am

elephants - Some rights reserved by Colin the ScotYesterday, I was delighted to receive the latest Liberal Democrat members’ survey and I quickly completed it. Once I actually read the questions, though, some things made me snort with rage. I would be very surprised if they were able to glean any meaningful data from what they asked. Yes, they may well get a few decent press releases out of “Lib Dem Members’ favourite achievements in Government” or favourite things that we have stopped the Tories doing that will be covered only …

Continue reading »
Posted in Op-eds | Tagged , | 46 Comments
The Voice

How to get Lib Dem Voice by email

By The Voice | Published Fri 11th April 2014 - 5:00 pm

Why not join hundreds of other Lib Dem Voice readers in getting our latest headlines by email?

Some people like regularly visiting a site to see if there’s new stories of interest. Some people like subscribing to its news feed (RSS) and checking that way. But if you prefer email, you can instead sign up to get a daily early morning email with a summary of the previous day’s posts from Lib Dem Voice, complete with a note of how many comments each post has got and convenient links to click on if any take your fancy and you want to take a read.

Continue reading »
Posted in Site news | 1 Comment
Suzanne Fletcher

Opinion: How we made policy on asylum issues

By Suzanne Fletcher | Published Thu 3rd April 2014 - 4:05 pm

Advocates disrupt transfer of asylum seekers from VillawoodEver wondered how party policy is made? I was on the “Immigration, Asylum and Identity” Policy Working Group, and the process has taken a whole year. Living in the north east, I daren’t begin to add up the cost of the fares, and food on the move, for meetings every 10 days on an evening in London, but it was an opportunity to get some good and Liberal policies for the Party for those asylum seekers who seek sanctuary in the UK.

Between March and …

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Tagged , , , | 14 Comments
Caron Lindsay

Nick v Nigel: What the commentators say – and don’t say

By Caron Lindsay | Published Thu 3rd April 2014 - 1:12 pm

Farage cleggWell, there’s a surprise. After last week’s largely positive stories, the headlines aren’t so good this week. It’s interesting to see that those who called for Nick to be more passionate and to go less on the detail weren’t satisfied when he did just that. I wonder if last week’s coverage prompted too much of a strategic rethink to an approach that was working fine. In my opinion, the only thing that needed changing from the LBC debate was a stronger answer on the referendum question, especially as it …

Continue reading »
Posted in Op-eds | Tagged , , , | 49 Comments
Stephen Tall

Time for Nick Clegg to ditch the “Great Britain not Little England” line

By Stephen Tall | Published Sun 30th March 2014 - 11:45 am

england-flag“Great Britain not little England” – it was a line Nick Clegg used in his recent Spring conference speech, setting up the new political dividing lines between those who are optimistic, outward-looking, progressive pro-Europeans and those who are gloomy, isolationst, reactionary anti-Europeans.

It’s a line he used again in this week’s Nick v Nigel debate. “Great Britain, not Little England” was the subject line, too, of the party’s immediate post-debate email to supporters.

Clearly it’s a line the party believes encapsulates the main fault-line in British politics right now. …

Continue reading »
Posted in Op-eds | Tagged , , , , , , | 37 Comments
Stephen Tall

Latest Euro poll shows how, in this May’s elections, every %-age point matters for the Lib Dems

By Stephen Tall | Published Fri 28th March 2014 - 11:45 am

clegg farage lbcInterest in the outcome of May’s European elections is picking up, at least judged by the number of polls the newspapers are commissioning – four have been published in the last fortnight. Here’s the average support for the parties:

    Labour – 30%
    Ukip – 26%
    Conservative – 24%
    Lib Dems – 9%

Converting that into seats using EuroElection predict’s online gizmo would produce the following figures:

Continue reading »
Posted in Europe / International, Polls | Tagged , | 28 Comments
The Voice

LDVideo: Vince responds to the budget (and takes on Labour “hubris” in the process)

By The Voice | Published Sat 22nd March 2014 - 6:17 pm

Business secretary Vince Cable was on his feet in the Commons on Thursday, providing his response to budget. His speech has already proved something of a hit, not least for his deft responses to point-scoring interventions by Labour MPs, including with the Voice’s Stephen Tall.

You can watch (and read) Vince in action below.

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Tagged , , | 6 Comments
Stephen Tall

Democratic Audit on the “scandal” of the poor value taxpayers get for the £800m spent on elections in the UK

By Stephen Tall | Published Mon 17th March 2014 - 2:45 pm

Ballot paperDemocratic Audit, an independent research organisation based at the London School of Economics, this week published a report, Engaging young voters with enhanced election information. The title may not be the most exciting ever, but the report itself is worth a read. (You can download it here.)

The executive summary from the report’s authors, Patrick Dunleavy and Richard Berry, sets out the current problem as they see it:

Current arrangements in the UK only give very poor, fragmented and old-fashioned feedback to voters about what effect their participation has had, and what election outcomes were.

Continue reading »
Posted in What do the academics say? | Tagged , , , , | 15 Comments
NewsHound

Vince Cable: I don’t understand why bankers need to earn a million quid a year

By NewsHound | Published Mon 17th March 2014 - 1:26 pm

Vince Cable speaking York Europe Jobs Some rights reserved by Liberal DemocratsIn an interview for the Observer magazine’s “This much I know” feature, Vince Cable has shared his life lessons.

He shares his incredulity that anyone needs a salary/bonus of over £1 million to live on:

I don’t understand why people need a million quid a year. I’ve asked one or two of the more sympathetic bankers to explain it to me. The response has been: “It’s not that I need the money, it is because others get it so I should, too.”

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Tagged , | 37 Comments
Caron Lindsay

So, what’s been going on at Conference?

By Caron Lindsay | Published Sat 8th March 2014 - 6:29 pm

It’s not always easy to blog from Conference. Wifi can be temperamental and distractions are plentiful. However, your team will have lots to tell you over the next few days.

Here’s a quick snapshot of what’s been going on so far:

The Rally:

Vince Cable got really personal. He said that he’d had a fair bit of pressure put on him to slash adult education. He refused to do it, because of his own family experience.

His mother had a long spell in hospital following a nervous breakdown. He talked about how adult education had given her a second opportunity to build a career.

That …

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Tagged , , | 3 Comments
Nick Harvey

Nick Harvey writes: Making free school meals work

By Nick Harvey | Published Fri 7th March 2014 - 5:42 pm

school mealsYesterday in Parliament I joined with the Children’s Society to chair a roundtable to discuss the Government’s new free school meals policy.

Announced at last year’s Liberal Democrat Autumn Conference, from the start of the next school year (2014/15) all children at infant school in England will receive a free school lunch. The policy, which is projected to cost around £1bn over the next two years, will apply to all children aged 4-7 regardless of their family’s income.

Yesterday’s event brought together MPs with experts in the fields of education and nutrition …

Continue reading »
Posted in Op-eds | Tagged | 12 Comments
Advert

Recent Comments

  • Hywel
    @Jeff There should then be a lot of evidence of people increasing working hours/finding better paid jobs in 2010-2015. How did that compare to people doing th...
  • Peter Martin
    Can I suggest an experiment with social housing? We'd need to find a local council who will be willing to co-operate. The government will need to lend out, s...
  • Jeff
    Daniel Walker 17th Jul '26 - 11:41am: Not the EU though, which covers much of Africa under the Everything But Arms program, and some of the rest, inc...
  • Jeff
    Peter Hirst 24th Jul '26 - 5:16pm: This country certainly needs something tangible that demonstrates to the world that it is becoming a different co...
  • Peter Hirst
    What is it that we want the media, the public and the world to take as the defining message of this conference? Most are not interested in the intricies of our ...