Tag Archives: tavish scott

Iain Roberts

Tavish gives conference a postal guarantee

By Iain Roberts | Sun 19th September 2010 - 10:50 am

Tavish Scott, leader of the Lib Dems in Scotland, bravely took the stage on a wet Sunday morning at Liberal Demcrat conference, and gave a cast iron guarantee from Vince Cable on the Royal Mail and Post Office, following from the recent Government announcement that the Lib Dem policy to privatise Royal Mail whilst keeping the Post Offices in public ownership .

The reason behind privatising Royal Mail (the letter-delivering part) is to give it the ability to raise funds from private sources to modernise and improve, to challenge its private competitors.

The commitment from  from Vince Cable is:

1. Universal service obligation …

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Posted in Conference | Also tagged , and | 12 Comments
Stephen Tall

Leading Lib Dems’ approval ratings, as voted by party members

By Stephen Tall | Tue 16th February 2010 - 3:23 pm

A week ago, Lib Dem Voice invited the members of our private discussion forum (open to all Lib Dem members) inviting them to take part in a survey, conducted via Liberty Research, asking a number of questions about the party and the current state of British politics. Many thanks to the 200 of you who completed it; we’ve been publishing the results on LDV over the last few days.

LDV asked, How would you rate the performances of the following leading Liberal Democrats? And here’s what you told us (with results from September 2009 – the last …

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Posted in LDV Members poll | Also tagged , , and | 3 Comments
Caron Lindsay

Haggis, Neeps and Liberalism #12

By Caron Lindsay | Tue 1st December 2009 - 5:53 pm

Yesterday was St Andrew’s Day, a special day of celebration in Scotland. If Iain Smith, Liberal Democrat MSP for NE Fife which includes the town of St Andrews had his way, it would have been a full public holiday, not just the half day that civil servants can take if they want that the SNP have delivered in Government.

There’s a lot going on in Scottish politics at the moment. Here are just a few snippets:

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Posted in Scotland | Also tagged , , , , , , , , and | Leave a comment
Stephen Tall

Daily View 2×2: 30 November 2009

By Stephen Tall | Mon 30th November 2009 - 7:45 am

Welcome to a new week, and the anniversary of the end of the invasion of Iraq … first time round, that is – Operation Desert Storm officially finished in 1995. And happy birthday to David Mamet, Billy Idol, Lorraine Kelly and Gary Lineker and Gael García Bernal. On with the day …

2 Must-Read Blog Posts

What are other Liberal Democrat bloggers saying? Here’s are two posts that have caught the eye from the Liberal Democrat Blogs aggregator:

Richmond Park: Lib Dem Hold (Jonathan Calder)

… some will ask how extraordinary personal wealth can be squared with [his’ talk in an

…

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Posted in Daily View | Also tagged , , , , , and | 6 Comments
Mark Pack

Tavish Scott on devolution, Donald Trump, liberalism and more

By Mark Pack | Mon 23rd November 2009 - 8:08 pm

At the weekend, the Scottish Liberal Democrats leader Tavish Scott gave an interview to a group of Lib Dem bloggers meeting at the party HQ in Clifton Terrace for an ‘unconference’.

Devolution and independence referendum

I kicked off with one of the main issues in the news at the moment: should there be  a referendum on Scottish independence, and hence should the Liberal Democrats be supporting one?

Tavish was scathing about the idea of a referendum, calling it an SNP trick which the party shouldn’t go along with. His argument was that there is one pro-independence party and there is a vote coming …

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Posted in Blogger Interviews and Scotland | Also tagged , and | 8 Comments
Helen Duffett

Edinburgh, brace yourself: the first Lib Dem Bloggers’ Unconference

By Helen Duffett | Tue 3rd November 2009 - 5:34 pm

Just under three weeks to go now – but there’s still time to register for the feast of blogging talent and advice that is the Lib Dem Bloggers’ Unconference.

I’m pleased to announce that Tavish Scott, Leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats, has agreed to give a Bloggers’ Interview around lunchtime.

Also joining us: Jo Swinson MP, John Barrett MP, Mike Crockart (newly-selected PPC for Edinburgh West), leading Scottish bloggers, Andrew Reeves (prolific blogger and Deputy Director of Campaigns for Scotland) as well as Lib Dem Blogfather Jonathan Calder and members of the Lib Dem Voice team.

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Posted in Blogger Interviews and Events | Also tagged , , , , , , , and | 2 Comments
Stephen Tall

Scottish Lib Dem conference: your LDV reader

By Stephen Tall | Mon 2nd November 2009 - 10:30 am

On Saturday, LDV reported the news that the Scottish Lib Dems were uniting behind leader Tavish Scott’s opposition to the SNP referendum on independence, ahead of a special private conference for party members. And so it came to pass, as the BBC reports:

Tavish Scott has consistently opposed a referendum, but some divisions within the party have emerged and the issue was debated in a closed session at the party’s autumn conference in Dunfermline, Fife, on Saturday.

Senior Lib Dem MSP Ross Finnie, who has been asked to lead a consultation with members about the party’s stance,

…

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Posted in Scotland | Also tagged , , , , , , , and | Leave a comment
Stephen Tall

Times: Tavish Scott expected to see off Lib Dem rebellion on opposition to referendum

By Stephen Tall | Sat 31st October 2009 - 1:00 pm

A week ago, LDV asked the question, Is it time for the Scottish Lib Dems to back an independence referendum?, amid suggestions in The Sunday Times that there was “a growing rebellion within the party’s ranks over its opposition to Alex Salmond’s Referendum Bill.” Today’s Times reports that Scottish Lib Dem leader Tavish Scott will win overwhelming backing for the leadership line:

Senior Lib Dems were increasingly confident that a minority of “referendum rebels” would not succeed in forcing Mr Scott into a U-turn that could pose serious question marks over his continued leadership.

The issue of the Scottish government’s

…

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Posted in Scotland | Also tagged , , and | 12 Comments
Stephen Tall

Is it time for the Scottish Lib Dems to back an independence referendum?

By Stephen Tall | Sun 25th October 2009 - 3:05 pm

The Sunday Times reports:

Senior Liberal Democrat figures will hold talks in an attempt to halt a growing rebellion within the party’s ranks over its opposition to Alex Salmond’s Referendum Bill. Party managers will meet on Monday to decide the best way of tackling the revolt, which could seriously undermine Tavish Scott’s leadership of the party.

Strategists have yet to decide whether they will allow the issue to go to a vote at a special conference being held in Dunfermline next Saturday to confirm the party’s stance. It is understood that several of the party’s Westminster candidates are preparing to join

…

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Posted in Scotland | Also tagged and | 20 Comments
Andrew Reeves

How you can help the Lib Dems in Glasgow North East

By Andrew Reeves | Sat 17th October 2009 - 5:45 pm

With the writ moved on Friday, all four main parties in Scotland are getting on with the campaign and their campaign launches. On Wednesday, the Liberal Democrats and the SNP both launched their campaigns, Thursday it was the turn of the Tories, and then on Monday it will be Labour’s turn.

The good people of Glasgow North East have now been 117 days without Westminster representation, and – as our candidate Eileen Baxendale said at the launch with Scottish Leader Tavish Scott – this is simply unacceptable, and Labour should be ashamed of themselves they have left it that long.

Tavish Scott, Eileen Baxendale and Robert Brown MSP launched the Liberal Democrats campaign at the Red Road flats in Sprinburn and joined a family there to listen to how they have been badly let down by both Labour and SNP Governments.

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Posted in Parliamentary by-elections and Scotland | Also tagged and | 1 Comment
The Voice

Glasgow North East Lib Dems launch by-election campaign

By The Voice | Thu 15th October 2009 - 6:20 pm

From the BBC:

The Scottish Liberal Democrats have launched their campaign for the Glasgow North East Westminster by-election. Former social worker Eileen Baxendale, 64, will fight the seat which was left vacant by the resignation of former Commons Speaker Michael Martin.

Ms Baxendale said she could give people “something different” and it was “a disgrace” the constituency had been without an MP for 115 days. The by-election has been scheduled to take place on 12 November.

The Lib Dem campaign was launched by Scots leader Tavish Scott, who said his party was the only one with “proposals for real change”.

…

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Posted in Parliamentary by-elections | Also tagged and | 1 Comment
Callum Leslie

Haggis, Neeps and Liberalism #10

By Callum Leslie | Thu 15th October 2009 - 9:55 am

Last month – in Haggis, Neeps and Liberalism #8 – Ruaraidh Dobson wrote about the upcoming Freshers’ season, and how it was an exciting time to be in student politics. He wasn’t disappointed.

Liberal Youth Scotland and university societies across the country signed up droves of new party members, and vastly increased our university presence. St Andrews in particular, a society which had been in the doldrums for many years and has only recently been re-started, is now the largest political society at the University.

Aberdeen, who only re-started in January, signed up 60 new members to their society, making them one of the biggest university societies in the country. Glasgow University Lib Dems signed up 57 new party members, more than any other society in the UK in 2008.

These societies were all supported in their efforts by Liberal Youth Scotland, providing materials and manpower to help achieve these phenomenal successes. However, the work does not stop here.

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Posted in Op-eds and Scotland | Also tagged , , , , and | Leave a comment
Bernard Salmon

Haggis, Neeps and Liberalism #9

By Bernard Salmon | Tue 6th October 2009 - 1:45 pm

Who does Alex Salmond think he is?

With all three main party leaders having now agreed to participate in televised debates in the run-up to the next general election, Scotland’s Opportunist-in-Chief is threatening to throw his toys out of the pram
unless he’s included in any debate shown north of the border.

But Salmond is indulging in pure gesture politics once again. As my colleague Stephen Glenn has pointed out before, Salmond has no right to expect to take part in a leaders’ debate when he won’t even be a candidate at the next Westminster election.

He leads the fifth biggest party at Westminster (behind the Democratic Unionists) and will be fielding candidates in less than 10 per cent of constituencies UK-wide.

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Posted in Op-eds and Scotland | Also tagged , , , , and | 8 Comments
Alix Mortimer

Conference: Day 2

By Alix Mortimer | Sun 20th September 2009 - 10:24 am

The agenda

Reports from the Campaign for Gender Balance and the Diversity and Equality Group this morning, then a Scotland/Wales double-act in the form of the policy mortion on the  Future of Devolution (short version: more of it please!). There’s a presenttation from Kingston’s Lib Dem group (go Mary!), speeches from Norman Lamb and Ed Davey and a policy motion on the paper “Thriving in a Globalised World – A Strategy for Britain”.

And that’s just before lunch.

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Posted in News | Also tagged , , and | 1 Comment
Stephen Tall

LDV pre-conference members’ survey (2): leading Lib Dems’ approval ratings

By Stephen Tall | Thu 17th September 2009 - 2:25 pm

Over the last week or so, Lib Dem Voice has invited the members of our private forum (open to all Lib Dem members) inviting them to take part in a survey, conducted via Liberty Research, asking a number of questions about the party and the current state of British politics. Many thanks to the c.250 of you who completed it; we’re publishing the results on LDV over the next few days. You can catch up on the results of our exclusive LDV members’ surveys by clicking here.

Tomorrow we’ll take a look at the satsfaction ratings with the Lib Dem shadow cabinet; but today we’re going to focus on those leading Lib Dems beyond Westminster.

LDV asked, How would you rate the performances of the following leading Liberal Democrats? And here’s what you told us (with results from April – the last time LDV asked the question – in brackets):

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Posted in LDV Members poll | Also tagged , , and | 4 Comments
Andrew Reeves

Haggis, Neeps and Liberalism #6

By Andrew Reeves | Mon 10th August 2009 - 12:50 pm

It has been a busy time in Scotland over recent weeks and what with Holyrood in recess for a month before Westminster broke up, there have been holidays to work around, babies being born, MPs standing down and candidates being selected all over as well as an away day for all parliamentarians and campaign staff.

Archie Scott was born earlier this week, weighing 8.5lbs to the delight of Kirsten and Tavish, our sincere congratulations to them both.

Alison and Mike Moore also have recently had a baby, Ella Louise. Now, Ella Louise was born prematurely so Mike …

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Posted in Op-eds and Scotland | Also tagged , , , , and | Leave a comment
Helen Duffett

Congratulations to Tavish and Kirsten

By Helen Duffett | Mon 3rd August 2009 - 7:10 pm

Congratulations and warmest wishes to Tavish and Kirsten Scott on the birth of their son, Archie.

From the Press Association:

“The wife of Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Tavish Scott has given birth to a baby boy, a party spokeswoman confirmed.

Mr Scott and wife Kirsten, a BBC journalist, have named the youngster Archie.

The couple married a year ago and announced the pregnancy in March.”

Posted in News | 1 Comment
Andrew Reeves

Haggis, Neeps and Liberalism‏ #4

By Andrew Reeves | Fri 24th April 2009 - 3:53 pm

I have been in Scotland 11 months now and today I am shouting from the rooftops.

Today we have won two by-elections, not that we shouldn’t shout more often when we do win these but these two are particularly important for us in Scotland.

One was Inverness West ward, in Danny Alexander’s seat and although the SNP came second, we won this by-election on the first round with 60% of the vote and there was a 22% swing to us from the SNP and the Conservatives came a dismal 5th. So a fantastic result for Councillor Alasdair Christie, Danny Alexander MP …

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Posted in Op-eds and Scotland | 4 Comments
Stephen Tall

Scottish Lib Dems win anti-independence vote, call for new Holyrood powers

By Stephen Tall | Fri 6th March 2009 - 9:41 am

As anticipated on Lib Dem Voice here, the Scottish Lib Dems’ call for a referendum on Scottish independence to be postponed until at least 2011 – the date of the next Holyrood elections – received a substantial majority last night. The FT reports:

Labour and the Conservatives backed a Liberal Democrat call for the SNP to ditch its plans for an independence referendum, and the amendment was carried by 72 votes to 47. …

Mike Rumbles, the Liberal Democrats’ chief whip, said Thursday’s vote was a “reality check” for the SNP. “They need to ditch the referendum and ditch it

…

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Posted in News and Scotland | Also tagged , , , and | 1 Comment
Stephen Tall

Scottish Lib Dems call for end to “chatter about the constitution”

By Stephen Tall | Wed 4th March 2009 - 6:08 pm

Lib Dem Voice reported last week that Scottish Lib Dem leader Tavish Scott had made clear his opposition to a referendum on Scottish independence:

Liberal Democrats do not support independence and we will not support a referendum that could let independence in through the backdoor.”

Today the Scottish party will go one stage further and move an amendment in the Holyrood Parliament calling for any idea of a referendum to be dumped until after the next elections in 2011. It is thought likely that Labour and the Tories will rally behind the Lib Dem amendment, which would ensure the SNP was …

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

Tavish makes BBC webcast date

By Stephen Tall | Tue 3rd March 2009 - 5:58 pm

BBC.co.uk reports:

An online interview with Scottish Lib Dem leader Tavish Scott will see him answer questions submitted by members of the public at the party conference. BBC Scotland’s political editor Brian Taylor will quiz the Shetland MSP in the half-hour webcast at the conference, being held on March 13-15. … You can watch the webcast live by clicking on the BBC Scotland news website at bbc.co.uk/scotlandnews. The interview will take place during the Scottish Liberal Democrat spring conference in Perth.

Any member of the public may submit questions to Tavish using the form at the BBC website

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Posted in News and Scotland | Also tagged | Leave a comment
Stephen Tall

Tavish vetoes SNP independence referendum hopes

By Stephen Tall | Thu 26th February 2009 - 4:48 pm

Despite Lord (Paddy) Ashdown’s public declaration last week that the Lib Dems should support a referendum on Scottish independence, Tavis Scott has made it clear he won’t budge – here’s today’s Daily Telegraph:

Tavish Scott, the Scottish Lib Dem leader told the Daily Telegraph he would rebuff any offers made by the First Minister because he did not want to be drawn into a constitutional “trap” that could threaten the Union. … The rejection leaves Mr Salmond with an almost impossible task to win the parliamentary majority he requires at Holyrood to get his Referendum Bill passed. Without the

…

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Posted in News | Also tagged , , , , and | 5 Comments
Stephen Tall

Lib Dem Scottish and London budget news

By Stephen Tall | Tue 3rd February 2009 - 8:45 pm

Okay, okay I admit it – that title isn’t likely to entice in hordes of readers. But it is kinda important, so read on…

In Scotland:

The SNP will be able to pass its budget, second time around, thanks to the support of the Lib Dems. As the BBC reports:

In return for the party’s backing, ministers have agreed to take forward a strategy for boosting the economy. … The agreement was reached after Labour, the Liberal Democrats and the Greens combined to vote down the budget in parliament last week, saying it would fail to help the Scottish economy through the

…

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Stephen Tall

See if you can spot the flaw in The Scotsman’s reasoning

By Stephen Tall | Sat 31st January 2009 - 10:45 am

LDV reported this week on the Scottish Lib Dems’ decision to open talks with the SNP, following the casting vote rejection by the Holyrood parliament of the nationalists’ £33bn budget. In its budget analysis, The Scotsman poses the question, Why did the Lib Dems change their tune?

The article begins by mounting a fierce attack on the Scottish Lib Dems for ditching their principles:

Why had the party, which had adhered to its principle of a 2p cut in income tax throughout the process, suddenly thrown it all away to offer the SNP its support in getting the Budget through?

…

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Posted in News and Scotland | Also tagged and | 3 Comments
The Voice

Scottish Lib Dems offer to “get round the table” with SNP over budget

By The Voice | Thu 29th January 2009 - 9:49 am

Tavish Scott, Lib Dem leader of the Scottish Lib Dems, has offered to open discussions with the SNP government in Scotland to resolve the budget breakdown triggered by the Holyrood parliament’s rejection of the SNP’s budget for 2009-10.

Though the Tories fell in line with the SNP, the 16-strong Lib Dem group, together with Labour and the Greens, voted against – the budget was ultimately defeated on the casting vote of the presiding officer. But this morning the BBC reports:

The Liberal Democrats want discussions with the Scottish Government about what concessions might gain their support for a revised budget.

…

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Stephen Tall

10 key Lib Dem questions for 2009

By Stephen Tall | Tue 30th December 2008 - 10:10 am

In what is fast becoming a pre-New Year tradition as eagerly anticipated as ‘the biggest ever DFS sale’, Lib Dem Voice is publishing its list of 10 key questions, the answers to which we think might well help shape 2009 for the party. You can read last year’s list here; and our answers to those questions here (Part I) and here (Part II).

Here below, then, for what it’s worth are my top 10 questions for the coming year in Lib Demmery.

1. Will there be a general election in 2009? (If yes, many of the rest of

…

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Posted in News | Also tagged | 15 Comments
Stephen Tall

Our starters for 2008 – how did we do? (Part II)

By Stephen Tall | Mon 29th December 2008 - 10:20 am

A year ago, Lib Dem Voice posed 10 questions, the answers to which we believed might shape the Lib Dem year – time to revisit them, wethinks. To read Part I dealing with Qs 1-5, click here.

6. Will Nicol Stephen’s leadership of the Scottish Lib Dems continue to bounce back?

No, it didn’t, though this was in large part due to Nicol’s decision to resign the party leadership at the beginning of July, in order to put “the health and wellbeing” of his family first. The Scottish party has had a tough time, playing third fiddle to …

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Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged , , , , , , , and | 2 Comments
Alex Foster

Glenrothes update

By Alex Foster | Tue 28th October 2008 - 10:36 am

A few members of our forum have mentioned the lack of coverage of the Glenrothes by-election, and by a curious coincidence, I received an update email from the campaign manager Andrew Reeves at almost the exact same time.

I was sat in the by-election HQ in Markinch, Glenrothes on Saturday afternoon with Tavish Scott MSP, the new Leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats looking at the article in the Guardian, where they have said “even the Tory and the Lib Dem could lose their deposits.”

We have had this happen once this year, in the Glasgow East by-election, let us ensure it

…

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Bernard Salmon

Your chance to interview Tavish Scott

By Bernard Salmon | Thu 25th September 2008 - 5:04 pm

The new leader of the Scottish Lib Dems, Tavish Scott MSP, has agreed to take part in a bloggers’ interview. This will take place at the Scottish Lib Dem conference in Edinburgh on Saturday October 11 between 3.25pm and 4pm.

The interview is open to any Lib Dem blogger. All that is required is that you write up the interview on your blog. If you don’t have a blog of your own, you could write it up on Lib Dem Voice or another site of your choice.

Anyone interested in taking part should contact me by email at [email protected]

Posted in Blogger Interviews and Scotland | Leave a comment
Will Howells

More from the hall

By Will Howells | Mon 15th September 2008 - 12:54 pm

Two more our of frontbenchers’ speeches for your delectation.

First off, David Laws, in a video AOL wouldn’t let me upload unless I took the word “children” out of the description:

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Posted in Conference and Lib Dem TV | 1 Comment
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