Tag Archives: liberal democrats

Caron Lindsay

45,455

By Caron Lindsay | Sat 11th April 2015 - 2:45 pm

Things continue to look up on the Liberal Democrat membership front. During the first 3 months of this year, there’s been a net gain of 775 members,  bringing us past the 45,000 milestone to the figure you see in the headline.

This is the eighth consecutive quarter in which we have made gains, which is outstanding given our positioning in the polls and the fact that we are in government.

So why are we growing in membership? Well, for a start, we may be concentrating our campaigning in our held seats but we have made it a key priority to give all local parties an incentive for recruiting members. The more their membership grows, the bigger the percentage return for them.

What’s interesting is that these new members are not confined to areas where we are strong. 

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Also tagged | 37 Comments
David Warren

Opinion: What’s in a name ?

By David Warren | Mon 6th April 2015 - 9:00 am

 

Having recently finished reading a biography of Charles Kennedy, which covered the merger of the Liberal Party and SDP in detail, I pondered for some time on the controversy surrounding the names and philosophy of political parties.

In the late 1980s the Social and Liberal Democrats or SLD were lampooned as the Salads, the use of the shorter Democrats was unpopular because it omitted the word liberal, so we ended up with the Liberal Democrats – a title that is now long established.

If you look beyond the UK though, the confusion really begins.

Continue reading »
Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged | 66 Comments
Paul Walter

++Lib Dems hit another big fundraising target

By Paul Walter | Wed 1st April 2015 - 7:00 am

Great news! Just after midnight last night, Tim Gordon, Chief Executive of the Liberal Democrats, sent this message to party members from his Blackberry:

Continue reading »
Posted in Party policy and internal matters | 6 Comments
Paul Walter

Nick Clegg and the Lib Dems can be very proud of themselves

By Paul Walter | Mon 30th March 2015 - 5:30 pm

In the photo above, Nick Clegg leaves Number Ten Downing Street this morning for an audience with the Queen upon the dissolution of Parliament.

We’ve had many debates on this website about the record of the Lib Dems in government. Nick Clegg has received shedloads of stinging criticism.

Continue reading »
Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged | 164 Comments
Caron Lindsay

Back to the days of toxic factionalism in the Labour Party – will they ever learn?

By Caron Lindsay | Sun 22nd February 2015 - 11:37 am

I’ve always felt that the Labour Party would be much more effective if they could put their energies into fighting the problems the country faces rather than fighting each other. We all remember the schism between Gordon Brown and Tony Blair from Day 1 of their administration which overshadowed everything they did. Do you remember the time when they decided to show everyone what good friends they were in the run up to, I think, the 2005 election, sitting  together uncomfortably on the GMTV sofa.

Today the Sunday Times (£) shows us that toxic factionalism is still alive and well in the Party. Brown and Blair couldn’t even get on when things were going well for them. The two Eds, Miliband and Balls are apparently at daggers drawn and Balls may face demotion after recent blunders:

A shadow cabinet member said if Miliband becomes prime minister he should move the shadow chancellor and accused Balls of behaving with “contempt” towards colleagues and “undermining the leader’s agenda”.

Frontbenchers attacked Balls last night for committing Labour’s two worst gaffes of the election campaign so far.

They said his reputation as a “safe pair of hands” had been shattered when he failed to name a single Labour business backer and told voters they should get a receipt for work done cash in hand, both of which attracted ridicule.

Senior figures also expressed frustration and incredulity that Balls has dug his heels in over funding a cut in English tuition fees from £9,000 to £6,000 a year — three years after Miliband first backed the policy and with the announcement due at the end of this week.

Insiders say a meeting between Miliband and Balls last Wednesday, which many hoped would settle the policy, had “ended badly”.

Continue reading »
Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged , and | 21 Comments
NewsHound

LibLink: Danny Alexander: A defence of our role in Coalition, whatever Jeremy Browne thinks

By NewsHound | Sat 14th February 2015 - 10:25 am

Danny Alexander takes to the pages of the Independent to challenge the points made by Jeremy Browne in his critical interview in that paper yesterday.

He looks back at the recessions of the 80s with their mass unemployment and misery and highlights the differences in approach brought into government by the Liberal Democrats. This, he says, has brought about a quicker, fairer end to the economic downturn:

Liberalism is about individual freedom, fairness and opportunity. And freedom, fairness and opportunity cannot flourish without a strong economy.

Today, Britain has the strongest growth and fastest job creation of any advanced economy. Inflation is benign, business investment is rising and we have record numbers in work. By any measure, Britain is making strong progress and opportunity is increasing.

This recovery has not come about by accident. It has been hard earned by millions of people and businesses. But we needed the right economic climate for the recovery. That climate is the direct result of liberal values in the recovery plan – fairness and opportunity. Delivered in the Coalition by Liberal Democrat policies – a balanced approach to dealing with the deficit; raising the income tax personal allowance to make work more attractive; creating apprenticeships to give people the skills they need; and the priority we have given to boosting investment in regional and local businesses, innovation and infrastructure. This is not “splitting the difference” between the other parties. It’s doing things in a distinctly different way, the liberal way.

Continue reading »
Posted in LibLink | Also tagged , , , and | 13 Comments
Simon Foster

Opinion: What might happen after May 7th

By Simon Foster | Thu 12th February 2015 - 9:25 am

This article appeared earlier as a comment on our “Electoral fruit machine” post and is reproduced here with permission from the author.

(After May 7th) I believe the Lib Dems will have more than 20 seats and less than 40, with many polls and commentators going for somewhere around the 30 mark, at the moment. From all the qualitative data I’ve seen so far that seems a fair estimate in political science. Anything less than 20 would be a shock, as Lord Ashcroft’s polling indicates that this is not going to happen.

Continue reading »
Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged , , , , and | 96 Comments
The Voice

Liberal Democrats publish their election manifesto front page

By The Voice | Thu 12th February 2015 - 12:01 am

Manifesto_Covers_2015The Liberal Democrats are today launching the front page of their General Election manifesto. The front-page will set out the five Liberal Democrat priorities for forming a government after May 7th. The Scottish and Welsh Liberal Democrats will also today unveil their manifesto priorities, including greater devolution of power to Scotland and Wales. Nick Clegg will launch the campaign on a visit to a primary school in the Conservative-held constituency of Oxford West and Abingdon.

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Also tagged , , , , and | 61 Comments
The Voice

++Lib Dems to publish election manifesto front page tonight

By The Voice | Wed 11th February 2015 - 5:08 pm

At one minute past midnight tonight, the Liberal Democrats will publish the front page of their 2015 election manifesto, outlining their main priorities for governing the UK.

This is a great move by the party, capturing the voter’s attention with our main focus areas, up-front in the campaign.

We’ll carry the full details here on Liberal Democrat Voice from one minute past midnight tonight.

Posted in News | Also tagged | 8 Comments
Paul Walter

What will the electoral fruit machine* come up with on May 7th?

By Paul Walter | Wed 11th February 2015 - 9:45 am

This post is reserved for new and infrequent commenters. “Infrequent” is defined as having posted less than five comments in the last month.

Continue reading »
Posted in For new & infrequent commenters | Also tagged , and | 16 Comments
Caron Lindsay

Dear Tories, repetition doesn’t make something true. Cutting income tax for lowest paid was a Lib Dem idea and you know it.

By Caron Lindsay | Sat 7th February 2015 - 12:25 pm

lib dem manifesto tax cutFor some time now, the Conservative Party have been taking every opportunity to take credit for raising the tax threshold to £10,500 despite this being one great big fat distortion of the truth.

Most recently, Surrey Liberal Democrat councillor was distinctly unamused to find an email from Tory Treasury Minister Priti Patel in her inbox. It said:

Fiona,

See how much our income tax cuts will save you – try our quick calculator today.

The Conservatives believe in cutting taxes.

If you’re working hard to provide for your family, you should keep more of the money you earn.

That’s why we’ve cut income tax every year we’ve been in office – and why we’re committed to keep on cutting income tax after the next election.

Over 24 million people have had their income tax cut. To find out how much you’ll save, use our simple tax cut calculator today:

Find out how much you'll save

Yours,

Priti Patel

Nick Clegg told last year how he had to “drag the Tories kicking and screaming” to deliver the tax cut.

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Also tagged , and | 22 Comments
Paul Walter

Nick Harvey: ‘If you think we are going to spend another five years being shafted (this time) by Labour, you’ve got another think coming’

By Paul Walter | Sat 7th February 2015 - 10:55 am

The Liberal Democrat coalition negotiation team leave Cowley Street HQ for the fourth day of discussions with the Conservatives May 10th 2010.

Earlier this week we highlighted Nick Harvey MP’s report “Beyond the Rose Garden”. In it, he recommends a range of changes in arrangements for any future coalition governments.

In the wake of his report’s publication, Nick has now given an extensive interview with Huffington Post

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Also tagged , , , , , and | 113 Comments
The Voice

Lib Dems raise £50k for General Election in just one day

By The Voice | Sun 1st February 2015 - 1:30 pm

Good news from Lib Dem Chief Exec Tim Gordon in our inbox this morning. Yesterday, the party raised £50,000 in just one day from members and supporters. That’s half as much as it raised during the whole of January. Nick Clegg’s appearance on The Last Leg may well have stimulated a good old shot in the bank balance for the party.

What’s particularly good is that the £150,000 raised from members and supporters will be matched by major donors, giving the campaign a £300,000 boost.

This news, combined with the recent news that Liberal Democrat membership rose for the sixth quarter in a row shows steady progress.

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Also tagged , and | 9 Comments
Paul Walter

Sal Brinton: “We aren’t dead”

By Paul Walter | Wed 28th January 2015 - 11:55 am

Sal @ Crohns & Colitis Rec _2 CROPPED Nov 13
New Statesman carries an interview with Liberal Democrat President, Sal Brinton. It’s wide-ranging discussion, with Sal in upbeat mood:

The key message is, if I talk to a candidate or other senior people do, make sure that you pass the word on. It’s like handing a torch on to say, ‘actually we aren’t dead, there’s a lot happening, there’s a lot good that we’ve got to talk about in government, and yes there have been things that have been very difficult for us’. But if people only hear about the bad side, and the side that the other parties want you to hear about, we will be missing a real trick.

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Also tagged and | 17 Comments
Stephen Phillips

Opinion: A good reason to vote LibDem in May

By Stephen Phillips | Wed 28th January 2015 - 9:25 am

This post is reserved for new and infrequent commenters. “Infrequent” is defined as having post less than five comments in the last month.

Following the start of the 100+ day election campaign, I cannot help wondering what it is the Lib Dems need to do to recover what appears to be a significant dip in popular support. The problem is that we do not appear to be benefitting in the opinion polls from our many achievements in government. This is a shame, because there are so many of them; despite some comments on Lib Dem Voice, which could easily have been written by our political opponents in an attempt to demoralise supporters.

Continue reading »
Posted in For new & infrequent commenters, News and Op-eds | Also tagged | 6 Comments
Caron Lindsay

Another Lib Dem website brilliantly topical error message – a pity it’s out of date so quickly

By Caron Lindsay | Thu 22nd January 2015 - 1:58 pm

I wish I had seen this yesterday.

Page 3 error message

 

A brilliant response to the debate over Page 3.

The party has been doing this a few times with its error messages recently. It’s very amusing and it also directs people to relevant policy on the website.

Unfortunately, as we’ve all found out, the Sun was trolling us all along. Former presidential candidate and new member of the Diversity Engagement Group Daisy Cooper said this about the Sun’s behaviour on Facebook:

So, pretending to stop Page 3 was just a bit of fun. Raising expectations then crushing them in a humiliating way. Classic abusive behaviour.

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Also tagged , and | 12 Comments
Caron Lindsay

The Greens: the Lib Dem fightback begins

By Caron Lindsay | Fri 16th January 2015 - 7:35 pm

Yesterday’s news that the Greens had overtaken the Liberal Democrats in terms of membership – their 44713, compared to our 44680 – has, from what I’ve seen on my social media, galvanised our activists rather than demoralised them. And so we should be proud of ourselves. For a party in government in the most trying economic circumstances since the 30s to have grown for 6 quarters in a row is nothing short of miraculous. The Labour party couldn’t manage that and they had the most benign economic circumstances in years.

The Green’s figures include Northern Ireland which ours don’t so like for like it’s more neck and neck.  (Update: Adam Ramsay on Twitter assures me that the Greens figures do not include Northern Ireland).  I’ve also seen some people say that it’s not fair because the Scottish Greens and the Green Party of England and Wales are two separate organisations. There’s no point in splitting hairs, though.

The Party has been making a bit of a concerted effort to make sure that the Greens don’t have the stage for themselves. Tim Farron has written an article of the New Statesman in which he emphasises what the Liberal Democrats have done in government to protect the environment:

The Conservatives’ approach to the environment in Europe shows what sort of approach they would take if they are allowed to govern alone. In coalition, Liberal Democrats have fought to make sure that the environment has stayed at the top of the agenda. We’ve doubled the amount of energy generated from offshore wind and stopped the Tories from slashing support for renewable energy. And while senior Conservative politicians voice their doubts about man-made climate change, Energy Secretary Ed Davey has been busy paving the way for a global deal to cut carbon emissions. Without the Lib Dems, there would be nothing to stop the Tories from lurching to the right on the environment. The truth is, the only way to make blue go green is by adding yellow.

Continue reading »
Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged , , , and | 182 Comments
Paul Walter

Christmas is coming, draw tickets need to be sent back!

By Paul Walter | Fri 28th November 2014 - 1:54 pm

Vince Cable and Father ChristmasThe Liberal Democrat Christmas Draw is a much-loved and lucrative fund-raising institution for the party. From their organising nexus in Surrey, the Christmas Draw elves work hard all year to round up great prizes and send out ticket books by the sleigh load.

The top prize this year is a holiday voucher for £2000! There are 39 other wonderful prizes, such as half a case of champagne, which the elves will endeavour to get to winners before Christmas.

Continue reading »
Posted in Party policy and internal matters | Also tagged and | Leave a comment
Newsmoggie

Charlotte Henry resigns from the Liberal Democrats

By Newsmoggie | Wed 19th November 2014 - 12:28 pm

Prominent blogger and journalist, Charlotte Henry, has today resigned from the Liberal Democrats. She explains her reasons on her blog:

Today, with genuine sadness, I am resigning from the Liberal Democrat party.

I joined in 2009, becoming an intern for Don Foster MP. There are few better ways to get a political education than chasing after Don. Since then I’ve campaigned and consulted for candidates, held senior roles in the youth wing, and stood for the London Assembly and my local council. However, I can no longer remain in the Liberal Democrats.

Continue reading »
Posted in News | 52 Comments
Caron Lindsay

Let’s match up Doctors and (Liberal) Democrat leaders

By Caron Lindsay | Sat 8th November 2014 - 6:13 pm

Screen Shot 2014-11-08 at 16.13.30Tonight is the finale of Peter Capaldi’s first season playing the Doctor. I have been a very poor excuse for a Doctor Who fan this year. I had to cram in four episodes last night to catch up. It’s been difficult to watch them live due to the Referendum, Conference and, ironically, a Doctor Who convention keeping me busy. The added complication is that our house and lounge where our only television is, has been taken over by teenagers every week.

Anyway, I’m now caught up and am livid and awestruck in equal measure. Don’t get me wrong, Capaldi’s Doctor is brilliant – and played fantastically. I hear from people who know that he is so immensely professional on set with every single aspect of his performance fully prepared and worked out. He’s also great at supporting other members of the cast. I also love the fact that we’ve seen different aspects to Clara from grief-stricken derangement to superb leadership. It shows he can write decent female characters (though he managed it with Kate Stewart) so if we could have more of them and fewer of the River Song/Tasha Lem types,I’ll be happy. It’s not that I don’t like River and Tasha, but Moffat’s women come from a very small range.

Continue reading »
Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged | 8 Comments
Caron Lindsay

Cardiff Council under Lib Dems: Clear leadership, effective financial management. Cardiff Council under Labour: Fragmented leadership, weak performance

By Caron Lindsay | Thu 4th September 2014 - 6:45 pm

One of the most heartbreaking things about the last four years has been seeing really good, outstanding Liberal Democrat Councillors lose their seats and Liberal Democrat councils losing office through no fault of their own.

This stuff matters because, frankly, if the quality of services a Council provides deteriorates, people suffer.

Compare and contrast the Wales Audit Office reports of 2011, when the Liberal Democrats were in power, and 2014 when Labour were two years into their term of office.

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Also tagged and | 10 Comments
Anthony Vaughan

Opinion: Why I rejoined the Liberal Democrats

By Anthony Vaughan | Mon 1st September 2014 - 4:18 pm

I sit here having just rejoined the Liberal Democrats. I was previously a member and considered getting active in my local area. I left because I felt dismayed by the type of politics that I was seeing happening around the country. UKIP were making gains in the European elections, every politician I hear or representative blamed other parties for the failures of the past. In 2010 I was very active within my personal capacity to do so. I delivered campaign material on the doors in all weathers. I had conversations with lifelong Conservative voters in an attempt to highlight the reasons why more Liberal Democrats in Parliament would be good for society. However, since then it seemed that even 4 years on everyone blames someone else for things not getting better.

Continue reading »
Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged | 18 Comments
The Voice

++ Susan Gaszczak resigns from the Lib Dems over handling of Chris Rennard allegations

By The Voice | Wed 2nd July 2014 - 6:03 pm

Susan Gaszczak and her family have quit the party over the handling of the Chris Rennard allegations. Earlier this afternoon, Susan tweeted this, including her open resignation letter:

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Also tagged | 48 Comments
NewsHound

LibLink: Sam Ghibaldan: Clegg needs to be assertive

By NewsHound | Wed 4th June 2014 - 5:51 pm

Clegg on OsbourneI’m not going to lie, I bet a lot of you are thinking Sam who? Chances are if you live in Scotland, you’ll be less curious because you will know that he was a Senior Special Adviser to Scottish Liberal Democrat Deputy First Ministers Jim Wallace and Nicol Stephen. As such, his perspective on who the Liberal Democrats should proceed in the run up to the General Election is highly relevant. In a recent Scotsman column, he said that Nick Clegg needs to get out there and shout about our core beliefs.

Some of the headlines faced by Nick Clegg were also seen in Scotland:

Continue reading »
Posted in LibLink | Also tagged , , , and | 28 Comments
Gordon Lishman

Opinion: Long term gains from short term arguments

By Gordon Lishman | Wed 4th June 2014 - 8:57 am

Libby - Some rghts reserved by David SpenderMost participants in the post-election debate have concentrated on specific changes they want now: the Leader, his advisers, the communications team, the detail of policy issues etc.  I firmly believe that the underlying issues are systemic rather than one-off and that we should use the opportunity to establish structures for the future which minimise the likelihood of problems arising and improve our capacity as a democratic Party for dealing with them.

Some key targets:

  1. Agreement by the Party in advance on the elements which underpin construction

…

Continue reading »
Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged | 28 Comments

Opinion: Back in the front line – both of them

By Energlyn Churchill | Mon 2nd June 2014 - 11:15 am

joinThis week, I applied to re-join the Liberal Democrats after a two and a half year absence.

Back then, I’d felt deep shame at what the party was (and wasn’t) doing in government: austerity, welfare reform, tuition fees, ham fisted attempts at both electoral and Lords reform, to name a few.

I’m still angry, and still ashamed, about much that Coalition has done. I’m a fierce critic of Nick Clegg, and I’m not the world’s biggest fan of the Orange Book. So why, you may ask, have I rejoined now?

Continue reading »
Posted in Op-eds | 62 Comments

Opinion: An anti-Liberal Democrat press isn’t going to go any easier on any Liberal Democrat leader

By Nicholas Pentney | Sat 31st May 2014 - 4:39 pm

Sun newspaper - License Some rights reserved by vapour trail Liberal Democrats 4 Change have a point about one thing. They are right to say that the Liberal Democrats do not get a fair hearing. However, they are mistaken to think that a leadership change would alter anything in this regard.

It is instructive to recall the moment Clegg began to get a bad rap from voters. At what point was this? The answer is not as obvious as you may think, It didn’t start with Secret Courts, Bedroom Tax or Tuition …

Continue reading »
Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged and | 103 Comments
The Voice

What are Lib Dem MEPs doing for you?

By The Voice | Tue 20th May 2014 - 7:00 pm

We said yesterday that Lib Dem MEPs were too good to lose.

Here’s a short video which was played at the Conference rally at York this Spring which shows some of the excellent work that they do.

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Also tagged and | 1 Comment
Caron Lindsay

Not everything you read on the internet about UKIP and Nigel Farage is true

By Caron Lindsay | Tue 20th May 2014 - 3:29 pm

nigel farageThis morning, Facebook timelines were bombarded with an image of Nigel Farage next to a quote in which he is supposed to have said that UKIP wanted to ban beards of more than 2 inches. “The beard goes or you go” he is supposed to have said on Anglia Radio on Saturday. After a quick (and horrible) mental image of Prime Minister Farage banning Z Z Top from entering the country, I quickly realised that it didn’t sound right. And if it had been true, such a juicy quote as …

Continue reading »
Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged , and | 30 Comments
Guy Russo

Opinion: Labour’s cheap attacks on Clegg’s integrity reflect badly on them

By Guy Russo | Mon 12th May 2014 - 2:15 pm

Labour broadcast Shrinking manThe word appalling doesn’t even begin to cover Labour’s most recent campaign video. It’s a spiteful attack ad on the character of Nick Clegg, and in case you haven’t seen it, you can find it here. Feel free to grab something to vomit into beforehand.

I’m a 16 year old student, and I joined the Liberal Democrats in 2013 for three reasons. I believe passionately that democracy in Britain is failing, and the Liberal Democrats are the only party that seek that cause with integrity. I couldn’t deal …

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Also tagged , and | 69 Comments
Advert

Recent Comments

  • Jason Connor
    I think this is the most insightful of all the articles I've read on the left behind because what it says is so true. And not a link to the upper middle class G...
  • Jana
    @Mick Taylor “ So, Ros, and all our other MPs, stop calling for referenda. They’re not democratic, they are always capable of manipulation and voters rarel...
  • paul barker
    I agree with the comments so far except for the calls to delay Electoral Reform until yet another General Election. The Voters have already spoken in favour of ...
  • Mick Taylor
    Ros, I was right with you until you used the word referendum. Every time there is a referendum, the power of MPs to make the decisions they were elected to mak...
  • Nonconformistradical
    @George Thomas "....but only if we recognise that many people get paid when they shouldn’t and many people don’t get paid (or paid enough) when they shou...