Tag Archives: charles clarke

Simon Wright MP

Simon Wright MP’s maiden speech

By Simon Wright MP | Sat 5th June 2010 - 12:15 pm

Back when Cix was the main way of talking to other Lib Dems online, a tradition emerged of posting Lib Dem MPs’ maiden speeches so that people could read them and respond – a tradition LDV would like to continue. Scheduled this weekend are Simon Wright, below, Duncan Hames and David Ward.

Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker, for giving me this opportunity to make my maiden speech. I am pleased to follow the maiden speeches of the hon. Members for Walsall South (Valerie Vaz) and for Stroud (Neil Carmichael) and of many other Members who have spoken today with great pride …

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Alex Foster

#ldconf podcast: IPPR fringe

By Alex Foster | Wed 23rd September 2009 - 8:01 pm

We were taping ippr‘s fringe with our own Editor at Large Stephen Tall along with some relative political unknowns – Shirley Williams, Menzies Campbell and Charles Clarke.

The ippr did say they were recording the event themselves, and their recording is probably better than ours, but I can’t immediately find it on their website.

Posted in Conference and Podcasts | Also tagged , , , , , , and | 1 Comment
Mark Pack

What they said about RIPA at the time

By Mark Pack | Thu 13th August 2009 - 8:50 am

It’s March 2000 and the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Bill is going through Parliament. Then Home Secretary Charles Clarke is defending the Bill during its second reading. Reading the views expressed by Conservatives in the debate shows up an interesting split: some MPs concerned about civil liberties but also some pressing for the powers to be made much more widely available. For Liberal Democrat MPs, the concerns are about the scale of snooping the Bill will permit and the controls over it.

But all would be fine according to Charles Clarke:

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Richard Huzzey

Should Lib Dems want Labour defectors to join us?

By Richard Huzzey | Sat 2nd May 2009 - 1:19 am

The Telegraph suggests that “senior” Labour MPs and peers are considering breaking away from their party in disgust at Gordon Brown’s leadership and fear of a lurch to the left. Talks are apparently afoot to convince them to become Liberal Democrats. As usual with unattributed stories, it is impossible to tell whether there is any basis to the newspaper’s speculation – or whether it is entirely unfounded.

But assuming for a moment it is true, some will be tempted to question whether the party should welcome defectors from Labour. I’ve previously outlined why I don’t subscribe to the view …

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Posted in News | Also tagged , and | 35 Comments
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