Tag Archives: paul walter

Paul Walter

Opinion: What should the new leader do in his first 100 days?

By Paul Walter | Mon 10th December 2007 - 1:49 pm

In a week or so’s time, the Lib Dems will have a new leader – either Nick Clegg or Chris Huhne will have succeeded Ming Campbell. Lib Dem Voice is inviting party members to tell us what you think should be his top priorities. First up, is noted Lib Dem blogger, Paul Walter…

Without doubt, the priority for the new leader is to have an almighty media blitz in the first 100 days: Visits, interviews, tours, articles….you name it, the new leader should suddenly appear everywhere 24 hours a day for 100 days.

Can’t be done? Oh all right then, but it …

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Posted in Leadership Election and Op-eds | Also tagged and | 21 Comments
Richard Huzzey

“Beyond Rennardism”: Responses to Chris R’s Lib Dem News article

By Richard Huzzey | Mon 10th December 2007 - 12:30 pm

The latest issue of Lib Dem News featured an editorial column by the party’s Chief Executive, Chris Rennard, responding to comments he’d heard about the party needing to go “Beyond Rennard”. In doing so, Chris is himself kick-starting a debate about how our campaigning should evolve.

There have been a number of thoughtful responses on Lib Dem blogs where such a debate should lead us which are worth looking at:

The Canard of Rennard on James Graham’s Quaequam blog

Rennard’s Challenge on Andy Mayer’s blog

Beyond Rennard – Dangerous talk costs seats on Pete Dunphy’s Party Political PLC

We’re not going …

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Posted in News | 1 Comment
The Voice

Clegg and Huhne on Today this morning

By The Voice | Tue 4th December 2007 - 11:06 am

If you missed Nick Clegg and Chris Huhne on Radio 4’s Today program this morning, you can listen again on the BBC’s website: click the 07:50 link on the right-hand side of http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/today/

Blog reactions so far:

Let The Voice know about any other postings in the comments and we’ll update this list.

Posted in Leadership Election | Also tagged , and | 1 Comment
Stephen Tall

Have you asked a YouTube question yet?

By Stephen Tall | Sat 17th November 2007 - 9:20 am

Tens of thousands of folk have already watched Lib Dem chief executive Chris Rennard invite questions to Nick Clegg and Chris Huhne for the party’s YouTube hustings. And, at the time of writing, there have been 17 – how shall I say it? – eclectic responses.

James Graham has posted his question over at his Quaequam Blog! here. Two other bloggers have posed their questions to the candidates:

Paul Walter:

And, erm, me:

You have another week – until 25th November – to film yourself (whether on your phone, webcam, or camera) and post it to YouTube.

Posted in Leadership Election and Lib Dem TV | 1 Comment
Stephen Tall

Opinion: The post-match QT analysis

By Stephen Tall | Fri 16th November 2007 - 4:57 pm

The post-match blog analysis on the Question Time leadership special has been pretty evenly split, with a tilt towards Chris Huhne having gained the edge overall.

(Paul Walter linked through to the early reaction this morning; more have appeared since – check out the Lib Dem blog aggregator for the latest. And, if you haven’t watched the programme yet, you can see it online here.)

Last night did little to help make up my mind: both candidates, I thought, performed equally well, and displayed almost to the full their respective strengths. Which is why I take with a pinch …

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Posted in Leadership Election and Op-eds | Also tagged | 20 Comments
Mark Pack

Labour’s verdict: it’s ok for our candidates to lie during an election

By Mark Pack | Thu 8th November 2007 - 12:06 pm

Miranda Grell, the Labour candidate who was convicted of smearing a political opponent as a paedophile, is back in the news.

She’s appealing the guilty verdict, and Labour supporters are mostly (though with a few exceptions) using the pending appeal to argue that, “oh, nothing’s been proved yet, she’s really a lovely person, all will come right on appeal”.

(Do you notice the irony here by the way? Labour is also the party that is oh so keen for people who haven’t been convicted of any offence to be locked up, given detention orders or have their DNA records kept by …

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Posted in News | Also tagged | 69 Comments
The Voice

General election news: what the Lib Dem bloggers say

By The Voice | Sat 6th October 2007 - 5:15 pm

…

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Posted in General Election and News | Also tagged , , and | 2 Comments
Stephen Tall

JS Mill voted ‘Greatest Liberal’

By Stephen Tall | Fri 21st September 2007 - 1:33 pm

John Stuart Mill has, perhaps inevitably, been acclaimed the ‘greatest British liberal of all time’, according to a poll conducted by the Liberal Democrat History Group. (Hat-tip: Jonathan Calder via Paul Walter).

Duncan Brack, editor of the Journal of Liberal History, wrote about the contest last week on Lib Dem Voice, including brief profiles of the four short-listed candidates, who also included Gladstone, Keynes and Lloyd George. (Only the deceased were eligible.)

Posted in News | Also tagged and | 2 Comments
Stephen Tall

Euro-referendum – the view from the Lib Dem blogosphere

By Stephen Tall | Thu 13th September 2007 - 8:47 am

I think it’s fair to say there’s not been universal acclaim of Ming’s verdict, posted here on Lib Dem Voice yesterday, that a referendum on the EU reform treaty is “not necessary”. Here’s the scores on the doors…

Agreeing with Ming

David Nikel
Paul Walter
Frank Little

Disagreeing with Ming

Gavin Whenman
Chris Black
Arwen Folkes
Nich Starling
Antony Hook
Jonathan Calder
Toby Philpott
Stephen Tall
James Graham

Finally, it seems there may well be a fourth Lib Dem MP backing moves for a referendum, according to the Daily Mail’s Quentin Letts: “Paul Keetch …

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Posted in Best of the blogs and News | Also tagged and | 20 Comments
Will Howells

Blog of the Year Awards 2007: The Shortlists

By Will Howells | Wed 5th September 2007 - 11:25 am

Nominations closed on Friday for the Liberal Democrats’ annual Blog of the Year Awards which we’re running in conjunction with Liberal Democrat Voice.

The judges – myself from Cowley Street, blogging MP Lynne Featherstone, LibDem Blogs mastermind Ryan Cullen and last year’s winner and Liberal Democrat Voice commissioning editor Stephen Tall – have drawn up our shortlists. With the sheer number of Liberal Democrat blogs (there are now 133 on LibDem Blogs alone), six categories and lots of nominations, and with such a high standard of entries, it was quite a task. In some cases we were sorely tempted to lengthen the shortlists, but instead we ruthlessly cut some excellent blogs in order to whittle the nominations down to just five.

For the Best Designed Blog category, we’d like you – readers of Liberal Democrat Voice – to choose the winner. There is now a poll on the sidebar where you can cast your vote. The poll will close at 4pm on the 16th, so there’s plenty of time to take part. The winner will be announced along with the winners of the other five categories at party conference. The Blog of the Year Awards ceremony is being held in the Holiday Inn Restaurant in Brighton from 9pm on Sunday 16th September (do come along if you’re at conference), and will appear here shortly afterwards.

The finalists comprise some of the best of Liberal Democrat blogging and are a great place to start if you’re not yet a regular reader of LibDem blogs. Here, then, by category, are the shortlists.

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Posted in Best of the blogs | Also tagged and | 12 Comments
Paul Walter

Opinion: Three cheers for ‘bomb proof’ Lib Dems

By Paul Walter | Mon 23rd July 2007 - 7:09 pm

It is nice for us LibDems to be heading towards our holidays with a bit of a spring in our step, due to a couple of reasonably sanguine by-election results.

We do have reason for confidence in the long-term due to robust structures in our party which mean we are “bomb proof” in three areas where the Tories have just received three direct hits.

Firstly, there is candidate selection.

We have a local selection process bolstered by independent returning officers. The process is sacrosanct. No Lib Dem leader is going to override it. If they did, there would be mayhem. The leader would be found hanging upside down from a lamppost in Cowley Street with his sandals stuffed into his mouth.

In sharp contrast, David Cameron overrode the Conservative candidate selection process at the Ealing Southall by-election, with shattering consequences for his reputation and that of his party.

Secondly, there is the policy-making process.

Again, the LibDem policy-making process is laid down in concrete in vast detail. Those of us who have attended conferences know that the debate and voting process is painstakingly democratic. For those of us who have tried getting to speak or proposing a motion at conference, we know that it is not a process which can be hijacked.

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Posted in Op-eds | 52 Comments
Stephen Tall

Razzall and Littlewood on Ming’s future

By Stephen Tall | Mon 16th July 2007 - 9:04 pm

The Guardian reports on today’s BBC World at One interviews with former Lib Dem campaign manager, Lord Tim Razzall, and former head of communications, Mark Littlewood, here. Both suggest Ming Campbell’s future would come under the spotlight if the party were to under-perform in the Ealing Southall and Sedgefield by-elections this Thursday.

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Posted in News and Parliamentary by-elections | Also tagged , , , and | 6 Comments
Stephen Tall

Paddy on the ’97 Lib-Lab ‘Project’

By Stephen Tall | Thu 12th July 2007 - 2:42 pm

Former Lib Dem leader, Paddy Ashdown, was interviewed by Iain Dale last night on Internet TV politics channel, 18 Doughty Street.

Here’s a clip in which Paddy talks about his ‘Project’ negotiations with Tony Blair before the ’97 election, as well as his views on the current state of the party.

http://www.18doughtystreet.com/on_demand/597

The full interview is available via the 18 Doughty Street website here.

Lib Dem bloggers Gavin Whenman and Paul Walter have posted their thoughts on the interview here and here.

Posted in Lib Dem TV and News | Also tagged and | Leave a comment
Stephen Tall

Brown’s failed poachings: the views of the Lib Dem blogs

By Stephen Tall | Thu 21st June 2007 - 2:13 pm

Fifteen Lib Dem bloggers have so far had their say on Gordon Brown’s move to ensnare some of the Lib Dems’ top talent inside his first cabinet.

Here are the links (in reverse chronological order):

Neil Fawcett, A Liberal Dose: ‘More Guardian Tripe’

Tristan Mills, Liberty Alone: ‘Pacts with Labour’

Jonathan Wallace: ‘Cabinet seats and spin’

James Graham, Quaquam Blog!: ‘Deny everything, Baldrick (Updated)’

Mike Bell, Word from Weston: ‘A cosy consensus’

Anders Hanson: ‘Do we really worry the other parties that much?’

Paul Walter, Liberal Burblings: ‘Liberals resist headless chicken hysteria at “bums …

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Posted in Best of the blogs and News | Also tagged and | 6 Comments
Richard Huzzey

Pinstripe Radicalism

By Richard Huzzey | Sat 16th June 2007 - 12:58 pm

As already noted by Paul Walters and Linda Jack, there is a very significant piece in today’s Indie.

The article is based on a ‘leaked’ document, outlining a strategy to remark Ming as a ‘pinstripe radical’ and show to the public that radical side and anti-establishment ethos that he shows in private.

This sounds to me like a sound statement of principles. Ming must play to his strengths – and he has many. But there is no reason why a dissenting interrogation of modern society shouldn’t come from someone who is clearly held in esteem by that same establishment …

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Posted in News | Leave a comment

Opinion: There will be no dancing in the streets of Crystal Palace over Lords reform

By the founding editor | Wed 7th March 2007 - 9:45 pm

I don’t believe in a 100% elected House of Lords.

There you go, I’ve said it – there’s no point reading any further, the comment boxes are below and you can start calling me an undemocratic monster…. now.

I won’t be joining Paul Walter who is, as you read, dancing through the streets of Newbury. As I type this at home in Crystal Palace I even find myself in that rarest of positions – less than entirely in agreement with Alex Wilcock.

But then, I’m a monarchist too. There you go, I’ve said that as well. Mainly …

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Posted in Op-eds | 21 Comments

Matthew Taylor to step down at next election

By the founding editor | Wed 17th January 2007 - 3:27 pm

More on the BBC.

Nice winnable seat there, but there’ll be lots of competition – selection contest in the neigbouring new constituency has been very active.

I’d say something nice about his years of service, but the only time I encountered him in person he was a complete arse. Oh, and he sneered at me on the World at One once. So someone else can lead a tribute in the comments.

Update: Apparently the announcement may have come today because a journalist spotted that on 4 January someone working for Canongate Properties Ltd announced his resignation on Wikipedia.

Update 2: Paul Walter has been kinder.

Posted in News | 11 Comments

What happened there then?

By the founding editor | Wed 10th January 2007 - 10:20 am

The keen eyed among you will have noticed that Lib Dem Voice took a slight holiday last night, courtesy of our web provider.  Apologies for that! So, let’s get back in to the swing of things:

Defection-o-rama continues, with a “senior Labour councillor” in Essex seeing the yellow light*.

Liberal Review have picked up on an update to the Tory cash-for-dinners inquiry.

That nice Mr Wherry from party HQ has fixed my Lib Dem News subscription, so PPC notices etc will resume shortly.

Many are wondering what Paul Walter said about Keith Chegwin, though I’m sure the entire political blogosphere will unite in support of… …

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Posted in News | 1 Comment
Alex Foster

Tory “Tosser” Furore

By Alex Foster | Fri 24th November 2006 - 10:31 pm

So, here’s the story: the Tories launch a rather lurid website about the problem of personal debt in which they label the financially incontinent “tossers.”

A few Lib Dems (Nich, and Jonathan Wallace) wonder whether really that’s the sort of language a political party ought to be using to refer to voters. Even Vince Cable condemns it with some rather choice words. And there are plenty of Tories who aren’t that keen either – as Paul Walter points out.

That nice Iain Dale weighs in with “My party right or wrong,” and a reference to …

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Posted in News | Also tagged | 12 Comments
The Voice

US mid-terms: best of the Lib Dem blogs

By The Voice | Wed 8th November 2006 - 10:13 am

Here’s a quick round-up of the best Lib Dem commentary on the mid-terms

Posted in LDVUSA and News | Also tagged , and | Leave a comment

WebCameron.. well it’s… different

By the founding editor | Sat 30th September 2006 - 12:12 pm

WebcameronVia Paul Walter comes news of the arrival of WebCameron. Initially like a party political broadcast – but with the twist no-one thought of before… add a screaming kid in to the mix.

It’s all very Conservative Party meets “web 2.0” – embedded video, gradient graphics… and not a hint of blue or a tree in sight. This is, we are to believe, David’s “personal” blog.

It’s also at the moment very broken, and taking an age to load.

Whether it is a success or not, only time will tell. But clearly the  …

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Posted in Online politics | 16 Comments
Paul Walter

Thoughts on the Presidency

By Paul Walter | Sun 17th September 2006 - 7:30 am

I am apparently fairly alone in thinking Simon should continue as President. He is very popular with rank and file members as President (though not as a potential leader apparently!).

The move to find someone else may be a blogging thing. In the leadership campaign, it was quite rare to find many bloggers for Ming. Bloggers mostly seemed to be Huhne or Hughes fanatics. Then it came as a bit of a surprise when Ming walked it. The ordinary non-blog members liked him in preference to the others.

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Posted in News | 4 Comments
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