Gurkhas have joined in the election campaign in Maidstone to support the Liberal Democrat candidate for Ann Widdecombe’s former Kent seat. Lib Dem candidate Peter Carroll set up the Gurkha Justice Campaign, which last year won the right for the Gurkhas to settle in the UK.
Mr Carroll said the Gurkhas, who are based in Folkestone, travelled to Maidstone on Saturday. “They brought all their musicians and dancers and it was like a carnival.”
Readers of the best-selling Why Vote Lib Dem book will have had chance to read a short article by Madan Kumar Gurung, a …
Welcome to this latest LDVideo instalment, and today as a special holiday treat we’re highlighting three political video clips showing Lib Dem leaders on top form at Prime Minister’s Questions.
First up, is Ming Campbell. Now Ming didn’t always have the happiest time at PMQs, but there were times when he hit his stride perfectly, and this was one such occasion, on 24th January 2007, when shaming Tony Blair’s failure to debate in the Commons whether troops should be withdrawn from Iraq:
Joanna Lumley and Peter Carroll, founder of the Gurkha Justice campaign, are to hold a press conference tomorrow to respond to criticism of the campaign.
Joanna Lumley today hit out at what she claimed was a Government smear campaign that saw her accused of “deathly silence” over Gurkhas’ rights.
Earlier this month, defence minister Kevan Jones expressed “irritation” with the actress amid claims that Nepalese veterans had been misled and exploited. “Her deathly silence, frankly, irritates me,” he said.
But in a letter circulated today, Ms Lumley denounced the allegations.
Signed by the actress, campaigner Peter Carroll and
Well, all six of them have contributed to the soon-to-be-published opus, Why Vote Liberal Democrat?, published this Thursday. To pre-order your copy from Amazon, please click here.
Here’s the party press release blurb:
Actor Colin Firth, former Director of Public Prosecutions Sir Ken Macdonald QC and musician Brian Eno have all contributed to a book entitled ‘Why Vote Liberal Democrat’. The book, which goes on sale on Thursday, covers topics as varied as fair taxes, gay rights, looking after our armed forces, political reform and the fight against climate change.
Other contributors include Gurkha veteran Madan Kumar Gurung, political reform
Ten days ago, in the dying days of the last decade, LDV launched our search for the Liberal Voice of 2009, to find the non-Lib Dem individual or group which has had the biggest impact on liberalism in this country in the past 12 months.
Our thanks to all who put forward nominations, all of which were considered carefully by the LDV editorial collective, which has agreed to short-list the following (in no particular order):
Guy Herbert, general secretary of NO2ID, for his campaigning work against the database state;
Peter Tatchell, for his tireless and fearless international human
All Gurkha veterans who retired before 1997 with at least four years’ service will be allowed to settle in the UK, Home Secretary Jacqui Smith has said. Ms Smith told MPs she was “proud to offer this country’s welcome to all who have served in the brigade of Gurkhas”.
It comes after a high-profile campaign by Joanna Lumley and other supporters of Gurkha rights – and an embarrassing Commons defeat for the government.
Some 36,000 Gurkhas who left before 1997 had been denied UK residency. Ms Lumley, the actress who has been the public face
The Liberal Democrat President, Ros Scott, has emailed out the following message to party members:
It has not been a good few weeks to be a be a politician. Liberal Democrat parliamentarians have made mistakes and errors of judgement. I would like to apologise to you – the members of our party that tirelessly contribute so much to our cause – for those mistakes. At the meeting of the Federal Executive on Monday we will discuss the issues of expenses and the party’s reaction to it. I can guarantee it will be a full and frank exchange of views.
Lib Dem support for the Gurkhas will cost them seats
His rationale for this, erm, counter-intuitive view? Though crediting Nick Clegg’s campaigning on behalf of the Gurkhas as “principled”, Kevin then argues that his “cosying up in bed together will cost the Lib Dems seats”.
Hmmm. Quite apart from the idea that the Lib Dem leader could (even if he’d wanted to) refuse to stand on the same platform as his Tory counterpart as part of a non-partisan campaign, what’s the evidence for Kevin’s suggestion?
Reading has a significant number of Gurkha ex-servicemen and their families, and Reading Liberal Democrats have joined some politicians from other parties, including retiring Reading West Labour MP Martin Salter, and the current Mayor of Reading Cllr Peter Beard, in campaigning for Gurkha justice and better welfare for Gurkha families.
Yesterday was an historic day for the Ghurkas. Nick Clegg’s motion to grant these brave soldiers the right to live in Britain passed by 267 votes to 246. It was a victory for justice. Clegg was absolutely right to press Gordon Brown on the moral principle at stake during PMQs- namely, …
My LDV colleague Richard Huzzey has already rounded-up the media’s praise for Nick Clegg’s campaigning role on behalf of the Ghurkas HERE – while Alex Foster highlighted bloggers’ encomia HERE – but it’s worth also noting The Economist’s pseudonymous columnist Bagehot’s only slightly back-handed praise for the party and its leader:
… it was a deserved victory for the Lib Dems and their leader Nick Clegg (as well as for the Gurkhas themselves, of course). Yes, Mr Clegg can seem a bit Rumpelstiltskinean at prime minister’s questions—though it is understandable that he sometimes strains too hard when it
Over at The Guardian’s Comment Is Free blog, former Lib Dem leader Ming Campbell explains how today’s Commons defeat of the policy to restrict Gurkhas’ right to settle in the UK is another crack in Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s authority:
What the government failed to appreciate was the extent of feeling within the Commons and the enormous public affection outside. The Gurkhas hold a special place in British hearts and, for once, public opinion was in favour of immigration rather than against it. …
It is wise to remember the government hasn’t fallen. But this defeat adds to the woes of a
Today’s historic victory for the Gurkhas and an historic defeat for Gordon Brown has already been chronicled by our own Alix Mortimer. Here is the Channel 4 News report:
Nick Clegg’s superb performance at today’s PMQ already won him rave reviews, as our Alex Foster noted.
Other mentions in dispatches for the role Nick Clegg played in forcing this issue:
“Credit in particular to Nick Clegg” – The Telegraph’sBenedict Brogan
“the Liberal Democrats can feel justifiably pleased that their long game has truly paid off” – BBC’s Gary …
Nick Clegg’s Opposition Day debate motion has passed this afternoon by 267 votes to 246 – a narrow but highly significant victory. The motion demanded that all retired Gurkhas be awarded the right to settle in the UK.
Brown seems to have a political death wish at the moment. He was on the wrong side of today’s argument and he’ll be on the wrong side tomorrow when he tries to push through his hasty YouTube mash-up of MPs expense reforms too.
More analysis when that happens – suffice it to say for the moment that
As I type, the Lib Dems are holding the Government to account on their stance on rights for Ghurka troops to settle in the UK.
But in PMQs this afternoon, Clegg launched a blistering attack on the Prime Minister on the Ghurka issue, despite following Cameron’s similar question.
And he’s been rewarded for his efforts with a round of ace reviews from bloggers across the spectrum:
But it was Clegg who played the real blinder. This was the Lib Dem leader’s best performance at PMQs. Clegg has struggled to find the right issue to get the PM on,
These are just some reactions to a Government announcement today on settlement rights for Gurkhas who retired before 1997.
So what’s the story and background?
Gurkhas have served all across the world in the defence of our country for nearly 200 years. Over 45,000 died in the two World Wars as part of the British Army, and they are still fighting in the British Army today.
But until quite recently, the Gurkhas had no right to citizenship in this country after completing …
Earlier this week, the High Court ruled in favour of Gurkhas wishing to reside in the UK. You can see some reactions to the judgement in this film from the campaign, which features, amongst others, party leader Nick Clegg.
Gurkha Justice campaigner Peter Carroll has issued an urgent plea for evidence to back up the legal team representing the Gurkhas in the current High Court hearing on the lawfulness of the 1997 ‘cut off’ date for citizenship. The case received huge coverage earlier this week when Joanna Lumley and others gave their backing to the cause.
The Gurkha’s legal team urgently (by end of Wednesday 24th September) need to find an example case of a soldier recruited directly to the British Army from a Commonwealth country to
At this week’s Prime Minister’s Questions, the Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg once again took Gordon Brown to task for his Government’s shameful refusal to give justice to those Gurkha soldiers who fought for this country. (You can read more about the Lib Dems’ Gurkha Justice campaign here).
The Prime Minister twice dodged the question of the Government’s refusal to recognise the citizenship claims and pension rights of Gurkhas who retired before 1997. “We have shown how we value the Gurkhas in this country,” claimed Gordon. We have indeed.
Of course, none of this will be reported in the media, who care only for marking the party leaders out of 10 for artistic impression. On that score, Nick is growing more comfortable by the day, easily riding the pathetic heckling from the Tory and Labour benches.
But the last couple of weeks have seen surprisingly weak performances from David Cameron, who has perhaps been more discomfited by David Davis’s resignation than he would care to admit. Tories may claim this is some cunning attempt to keep Gordon Brown in Number 10: they wish. He seems to have been knocked off his stride, and it’s not gone unnoticed. Let’s see if he gets it back before the summer recess.
Anyway you can judge for yourselves below, via YouTube and Hansard:
I was filled with pride about our party when I saw Nick Clegg speaking to those furious Gurkha veterans outside the Houses of Parliament, and when he brandished a Gurkha medal during Prime Minister’s Questions. Gordon Brown showed himself a glorified book-keeper in his response.
From his Dutch-Indian mother, Nick could have known that the Dutch have always been somewhat more pragmatic about our “native troops” from our Asian colonies, the Dutch East Indies.
Almost the first part of present-day Indonesia the Dutch occupied was the archipelago of the Moluccas. The Moluccans started cultivating spices for our East India Company (VOC). We noticed that they were fierce fighters; so when we made the Dutch East Indies a Crown Colony and integrated it in the Kingdom of the Netherlands (1816-30), we very soon mobilised Mollucan men in our Royal East Indian Army KNIL.
The Lib Dem leader used his two questions to Gordon Brown today to highlight the issue of Gurkha soldiers who served this country being denied British citizenship; and then to ask Gordon Brown if he has any regrets about signing the cheques that paid for the Iraq war.
Two very serious issues, and as has become his custom very punchily delivered by Nick. Indeed, the level of loutish barracking to which he’s subjected by Labour and Tory MPs is an indication that his questions are hitting home – the Lib Dems’ opponents are very keen to ensure his sure-footed performances are interrupted as much as possible to make it more difficult for them to be broadcast on the news.
(Ironically, I heard a BBC journalist mention on the radio that Nick was “struggling to make himself heard” in the Commons – as if that reflected negatively on him, rather than the ill manners of those who shout out to drown him out).
Following Vince Cable’s star turns at PMQs was always going to be a tough act. It’s considerably to Nick’s credit that he’s done it seamlessly, but in his own style.
Anyway, Hansard’s record is reprinted below, so judge for yourselves:
Tom Yue He - I echo what others have said. It would be a crying shame if someone thought that they couldn’t be involved in our party or our parliament because of ...
Bob Hale Keep going Yue He. Your obvious enthusiasm will get you there!...
Cassie @Jenny, 'the government has spent...'
Indeed. But that doesn't answer the question: 'what have repeated strikes achieved for rail workers?'
Which so far is 'n...
Joe Bourke The Conservatives have already raised income taxes by freezing personal allowances and increasing corporation tax from 19% to 25%. Neither the Conservatives or ...
Tristan Ward The political reality is that in the vast majority of our target seats, even if all the voters of non- Conservative parties voted Lib Dem, we would not win. To...
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