Tag Archives: conservatives

Coalition with Labour on, if they don’t “break the bank”

By Joe Otten | Mon 17th February 2014 - 12:03 pm

Tonight’s radio programme Nick Clegg: The Liberal who came to power has hit the news-stands for this apparent top line demand of any future coalition with Labour:

There is just no doubt in my mind that if there were a Labour-Liberal Democrat coalition, we the Liberal Democrats would absolutely insist that government would not break the bank.

More details can be found in the Mirror, Guardian and BBC, and other sources of news are available.

Let’s contrast the following comments by Nick on the Labour Party

I think they’ve changed. I think there’s nothing like the prospect

…

Posted in News | Also tagged coalition and labour | 44 Comments

Opinion: as Labour and the Conservatives play “Find the Lady” on immigration, what are we to do?

By Mark Valladares | Sun 12th January 2014 - 11:45 am

I must admit that the whole immigration debate bemuses me. As Labour and the Conservatives compete for the prize of being ‘not quite as tough on migrants as UKIP want to be’, some of my fellow Liberal Democrats respond by only talking of the benefits of migration, making the mistake of assuming that there is a rational debate to be had there.

The problem is that there isn’t – not now, at least. Instead, I suggest a different approach – holding the other three parties to account over their proposals. You see, I have concluded that most of the proposals will …

Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged labour, migration policy and ukip | 28 Comments

Danny Alexander MP writes: We shouldn’t fritter away our EU influence when we can lead drive for jobs and growth

By Danny Alexander MP | Fri 10th January 2014 - 7:57 pm

As the House of Lords debates the EU Referendum Bill, you may be forgiven for thinking that the Coalition Government has already legislated for a referendum. In fact we did – in 2011 Parliament passed the EU Act which holds that there will be a referendum if there is a transfer of powers from the UK to the EU. This is a sensible approach which means that the British people will get their say in a referendum when our terms of membership change.

At the time, Conservative Ministers strongly supported the EU Act and rejected attempts by their own backbenchers to …

Posted in Europe / International and Op-eds | Also tagged eu, eu referendum and featured | 22 Comments

LibLink: Christine Jardine: Let’s be grateful for the EU

By NewsHound | Sat 4th January 2014 - 9:08 am

Former Special Adviser and current Scottish Euro candidate Christine Jardine writes in the Scotsman about what Europe means to her and how she first became aware of what it meant as a child:

For me, joining what was then the EEC was the beginning of a very different, more positive and much less life-threatening relationship with the Continent than the previous generations of my family had experienced.

In 1973 Europe was all about new money, counting everything in tens and hundreds and new equipment to learn with at school.

Yard sticks were out and metre sticks were in. No more inches. It was

…

Posted in LibLink | Also tagged eu, Scotland, snp and ukip | 2 Comments

Telegraph: “Liberal Democrats believe party can oust several Tories”

By Caron Lindsay | Fri 27th December 2013 - 11:25 am

Yesterday’s Telegraph has a report that the Liberal Democrats believe that they can win or win back some seats currently held by the Tories.

The seats mentioned are Oxford West and Abingdon, Winchester and St Albans. These seats have all selected their candidates, Layla Moran, Jackie Porter and Sandy Walkington. I could also add Richmond Park, where Robin Meltzer is working hard, campaigning against Heathrow expansion with the help of two neighbouring cabinet ministers. In Harrogate we have Helen Flynn and in Newton Abbot and Truro and Falmouth, Richard Younger-Ross and Simon Rix are in place. All these candidates are …

Posted in News | Also tagged 2015 general election, liberal democrats and telegraph | 28 Comments

Liberal Democrat MPs may be bound by the Coalition Agreement, but that shouldn’t stop us campaigning against judgemental Tory marriage tax break

By Caron Lindsay | Sat 28th September 2013 - 8:40 am

Way back in May 2010, I divided the Coalition Agreement into The Good, The Meh and the “Bring me the gin now.” What do you think the very first item on the “lock me in a cupboard with a bottle of gin when they vote on this list” was?

“We also agree that provision will be made for Liberal Democrat MPs to abstain on budget resolutions to introduce transferable tax allowances for married couples without prejudice to this coalition agreement.”

Ok, it’s tokenistic but the principle is so plain wrong that

…

Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged coalition agreement, daily mail, david cameron, featured, marriage tax break and nick clegg | 40 Comments

Lord Tom McNally writes…Liberal Democrats secure best possible deal for collaborative EU justice

By Lord Tom McNally | Mon 15th July 2013 - 6:53 pm

The Commons votes tonight on whether the government should exercise the impenetrably-named ‘EU Justice and Home Affairs mass opt-out’.

While it sounds dry and technical, this decision is hugely significant as EU ‘JHA measures’ have been crucial in securing justice for hundreds of British victims of crime. These instruments have been prominent in the extradition of attempted London bomber Hussain Osman from Italy under a European Arrest Warrant, in coordinating via Eurojust the investigation into the Annecy killings and in Europol’s EU-wide investigation, ‘Operation Veto’, into match-fixing and corruption in sport.

The mass opt-out is not an ingenious new attempt by the …

Posted in News | Also tagged Danny Alexander, eu, justice and Parliament | 8 Comments

David Cameron says “I can be Prime Minister without Nick Clegg”

By Mary Reid | Tue 25th June 2013 - 5:06 pm

The Telegraph has the news that the Tories have drawn up plans for a minority Government, should Nick Clegg be ousted and replaced by someone who is less sympathetic to the Coalition.

Apparently, Cameron’s advisers have told him that he could stagger along to 2015 without Nick Clegg, because the Liberal Democrats would still support the key reforms to state pensions and long-term care.

What they haven’t revealed is how much of the programme would have to be ditched. I cannot imagine a full timetable of legislation in those circumstances.

The article once …

Posted in News | Also tagged david cameron and nick clegg | 7 Comments

Lord Paul Tyler writes…Never on a Sunday?

By Paul Tyler | Fri 21st June 2013 - 12:59 pm

Some little Englander MPs, as we know, are incredibly jumpy about anything they think might have come from Europe. The latest in the line of Brussels bogeymen is the worrying advent of public activity at the weekend, which could – they say – cause all kinds of terrible problems.

The British Social Attitudes survey (not the dangerous ‘Eurobarometer’) has found that 45.7% of the public regard themselves as belonging to ‘no religion’. Of those who do profess some faith, 57.5% say they ‘never or practically never’ attend meetings or services connected to their religion. A further 20% say they do …

Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged election law, eu and european elections 2014 | 6 Comments

Opinion: Against liberalism

By David Allen | Mon 31st December 2012 - 2:23 pm

I am a liberal. I believe in standing up for people and communities against over-powerful vested interests – in business, the State, the media, or the unions. However, I also believe that liberalism alone is an inadequate political philosophy, and an insufficient foundation for this Party.

The problem centres on our determination to play down the significance of Left and Right. We sneer that the concepts are simplistic. We seek to defuse or ignore left-right conflict. The inconvenient truth we deny is that Left and Right do matter, often enough to split our party.

Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged labour party and liberal democrats | 62 Comments

Opinion: We’ve got our strategy the wrong way round

By George Potter | Mon 31st December 2012 - 12:53 pm

Last Friday Lib Dem HQ sent out an email to parliamentarians, PPCs, council group leaders and other office holders about our party’s new message script. The full email, if anyone is interested, can be found herehere, courtesy of the Liberator.

Aside from the immensely ~~catchy~~ wordy message of “the Lib Dems are working to build a stronger economy in a fairer society, enabling every person to get on in life” (complete with an incredible 16 sub messages), a key point was this:

Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged labour party and liberal democrats | 41 Comments

Opinion: Cameron’s lurch to the right is Clegg’s opportunity

By Rob Murphy | Wed 10th October 2012 - 11:54 am

Party conference seasons are rarely memorable. Apart from Cameron’s “call that election – we will fight, Britain will win” bluff, which prompted Gordon Brown to call off the “election that never was” in 2007. Apart from a few leadership shocks – Ed Miliband’s pipping of his brother to the line on the shoulders of the trade unions in 2010 and the foundering of David Davis’ leaden leadership bid in 2005.

It may be premature to pass judgment on this conference season just yet. But it is a season that will be remembered for three things. Nick

Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged 2015 general election, david cameron and nick clegg | 70 Comments

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Tag Archives: conservatives

Coalition with Labour on, if they don’t “break the bank”

Opinion: as Labour and the Conservatives play “Find the Lady” on immigration, what are we to do?

Danny Alexander MP writes: We shouldn’t fritter away our EU influence when we can lead drive for jobs and growth

LibLink: Christine Jardine: Let’s be grateful for the EU

Telegraph: “Liberal Democrats believe party can oust several Tories”

Liberal Democrat MPs may be bound by the Coalition Agreement, but that shouldn’t stop us campaigning against judgemental Tory marriage tax break

Lord Tom McNally writes…Liberal Democrats secure best possible deal for collaborative EU justice

David Cameron says “I can be Prime Minister without Nick Clegg”

Lord Paul Tyler writes…Never on a Sunday?

Opinion: Against liberalism

Opinion: We’ve got our strategy the wrong way round

Opinion: Cameron’s lurch to the right is Clegg’s opportunity

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Vince Cable writes: Drill, baby, drill…or not

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Britain should be proud, but never afraid of the stranger

Lib Dem Women: Amplifying women’s voices at Conference

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