Tag Archives: evan harris

Stephen Tall

Will Labour allow a free vote on embryo bill?

By Stephen Tall | Sat 22nd March 2008 - 1:19 pm

The Easter weekend row over Labour’s refusal to say if they will let their MPs have a free vote on legislation which allows the creation of hybrid human-animal embryos for research rumbles on. The BBC website today reports speculation that at least one Catholic cabinet minister, Paul Murphy, would quit rather than support the bill; Ruth Kelly and Des Browne are also mentioned.

Both the Liberal Democrats and the Tories have confirmed a free vote will be granted to their MPs, though the Lib Dems’ science spokesman Evan Harris has made clear his views on the issue:

From a religious

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Posted in News | 39 Comments
Mark Pack

New attempt to abolish blasphemy laws

By Mark Pack | Tue 8th January 2008 - 7:35 am

A cross party initiative by Evan Harris (Lib Dem), Frank Dobson (Labour) and David Wilshire (Conservative) has won the backing of Lord Carey, the former Archbishop of Canterbury:

Lord Carey argues that the existing legal protections for Anglican Christianity are outdated and should be abolished. The move, supported by a former bishop as well as writers, academics, campaigners and comedians, comes in the wake of the diplomatic row over Sudan’s jailing of a British teacher who blasphemed against Islam.
   
Gillian Gibbons was jailed after allowing schoolchildren to name a teddybear after the prophet Mohammed. She was later pardoned after diplomatic protests from

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Stephen Tall

Let’s hear it for Evan

By Stephen Tall | Wed 31st October 2007 - 3:36 pm

Over at the Daily Mail website (the things I read for Lib Dem Voice), Leo McKinstry has cobbled together an unpleasantly personal attack on Lib Dem MP, Evan Harris.

The title gives away the prejudices of the author: ‘Meet Dr Death, the Lib Dem MP Evan Harris who backs embryo experiments, euthanasia and freer abortions’. It’s the kind of poisonous cuttings job which gives journalism a bad name, and has already attracted the ire of Mail readers:

Even if I do not agree with Mr Harris’ points of view, I find this article typical of modern discussion methods, there is

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Will Howells

Holmes re-elected parliamentary party chair

By Will Howells | Wed 8th November 2006 - 3:07 pm

Chesterfield MP Paul Holmes has been re-elected by Liberal Democrat MPs as chair of the parliamentary party. He was challenged by Cardiff Central MP Jenny Willott but won by 43 votes to 16.

Evan Harris defeated Chris Huhne to be elected as the English MPs’ representative on the Federal Policy Committee.

Posted in News and Party policy and internal matters | Also tagged , and | 3 Comments

Harris leads charge of the 50p brigade

By the founding editor | Wed 13th September 2006 - 9:45 am

The Guardian reports that Evan Harris MP has tabled an amendment to the Tax Commission motion at conference – he is apparently seeking to retain the 50p top rate of tax.

Evan appeared on the Today programme a couple of weeks ago to call for the retention of the 50p top rate as an easily understandable, symbolic gesture. The opening editorial of the August edition of Liberator magazine also seemed uneasy at the idea of dropping the big five-oh.

It always looked likely there’d be a feisty debate over this particular aspect of our tax policy, though in …

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    I think we all know that if it’s true that Hamas has agreed to disarm (which would be a clever move by them) Israel will not like it, and will try to prevent ...
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    "A true national liberal party I do not see how a "true national liberal party" can be solely based on social liberalism - such a party can be only half a li...
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    We may wish to have a clear and distinctive policy on the subject. But we shouldn't proactively be talking about it. For the same reason as we were wrong to get...
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    point taken...