Tag Archives: lib dem leadership election 2019

Charley Hasted

A big thank you to Ed and Jo for championing Trans rights

By Charley Hasted | Wed 24th July 2019 - 10:30 am

As the dust begins to settle after the Leadership Election (and many congratulations to Jo and commiserations to Ed) there will, as usual, be time for some self-evaluation and reflection for the party, even if the other leadership election that’s happened means there might be a bit less of it than normal!

With that in mind I only have one thing to add to everything else that will be going on in the coming days and that’s a note of thanks to Jo and Ed for their unwavering support for trans people during the Leadership election. You both stood by us, unswervingly, even when it led to you getting so much abuse for that stance. It would have been so easy to step back and dial it down. To make vague equivocal noises about supporting equality. To throw us under the bus as we have been so many times before. Thank you for not doing the easy thing.

Both Jo and Ed showed yet again that the real essence of liberalism is doing the right thing and not the easy thing. Giving trans people a place to feel welcomed and at home at a time when we are so under attack in the media and everywhere we go was definitely not the easy thing for either of you to do. It has meant so much to the trans people I know in the party (and even quite a few outside it) to see you both prove that you will stand with us against those attacks, which frankly makes us unique as a party, and show conclusively that there is no place for bigotry and transphobia in the Liberal Democrats.

At a time when every other party has been backing down in the face of those attacks, you both stepped forward. Thank you for proving beyond a doubt that whatever your differences and whatever the future brings we have had a choice between two true liberals.

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Mark Valladares

29 June – 1 July 2019 – the weekend and overnight press releases

By Mark Valladares | Mon 1st July 2019 - 9:30 am

Labour leadership tone deaf to a People’s Vote

Responding to Len McCluskey’s comments on the Andrew Marr show this morning, Liberal Democrat Brexit spokespeson Tom Brake said:

No matter how loudly some in the Labour party demand that the leadership change its position on Brexit, it is clear it is still falling on deaf ears.

It is insincere to only offer a People’s Vote if it’s a Labour deal on the table. Any Brexit plan must go back to the British public.

Any Brexit deal, whether negotiated by Theresa May, Boris Johnson or Jeremy Corbyn will be bad for our country. It will damage

…

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The Liberator Collective

New Issue of Liberator Out

By The Liberator Collective | Wed 19th June 2019 - 5:00 pm

Issue 396 of Liberator will soon be on its way to subscribers and the free sample article for this issue is Ed Davey and Jo Swinson giving their answers to Liberator’s questionnaire to Lib Dem leadership candidates.

The topics here are intended to get both to think about what the party is for and what it should do now that it has unexpectedly and suddenly recovered its political standing from the post-coalition doldrums.

Here’s what we asked the two candidates. For their answers see: www.liberatormagazine.org.uk

  1. Were the European election results a one-off or can the support gained be kept and what other issues would you raise?
  2. Should the party seek to establish a core vote and if so from which parts of the electorate should this be drawn, and not?
  3. If you were in the same position as Nick Clegg was over tuition fees (a pledge made then broken) how would you handle the problem?
  4. Can the Liberal Democrats really ‘win everywhere’ or does this approach necessarily mean they can lose everywhere too?
  5. Would you regard your election as leader as a mandate to take the party in a particular political direction, and if so what?
  6. What policies should the party put forward to address climate change?
  7. If Brexit does take place should we become the party of ‘back in’ the EU?
  8. How are we to raise the resources to fix crumbling public services?
  9. Do you regret the Coalition’s austerity policies and what should be done to address the dismantling of the welfare state?
  10. Who is your current political hero?

Also in this issue:

IN – OUT – PENDING – Whoever becomes the next Liberal Democrat leader, they can look forward to an overflowing in-tray. Sarah Green takes a look inside

WHAT THE BBC WON’T TELL YOU – Liberals saw a renaissance in the European Parliament elections, despite the media emphasis on the populist right, says David Grace

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The Voice

Ed’s Day – 6th June 2019

By The Voice | Thu 6th June 2019 - 11:00 pm

Ed’s day started with a good luck message to Beki Sellick, Lib Dem candidate in Peterborough:

Phillip Hammond has been complaining about the costs of fighting climate change. Ed says that we can’t afford not to:

Hammond might be trying to reclaim his crown as a fiscal hawk in the dying embers of May’s premiership, but this intervention is wrong headed and threatens our children’s future.

The cost of tackling the climate emergency is massively outweighed by the long term cost of not acting. The Chancellor has got his sums wrong.

The time to act is now. Just this week a new report concluded that 30,000 premature deaths could be avoided by stopping the burning of fossil fuels, proving a clean future is a healthier future.

With ambitious, stable, policies, Britain can have a competitive green economy, benefitting from the lower cost of hi-tech renewable energy.

Ed also welcomed comments form the Speaker that there would be no chance of Parliament being prorogued to force through a no-deal Brexit:

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