Tag Archives: the independent view

The Independent View: Why Lib Dems should support the Employment Rights Bill

When people think of the priorities of the Liberal Democrats, they may not immediately think of employment rights, compared to the focus on health and care, or on Europe. But reading last year’s manifesto, the degree of attention paid to this issue would surprise many. The manifesto that delivered such a resounding result for the party included a commitment to ensure “the highest possible standards” of labour protection, alongside individual measures on zero hours contracts, sick pay, and more.

Such language isn’t a surprise to me or to the trade union I lead. As a politically independent union, Prospect has a long history of working with Liberal Democrats, and we know that concern for worker’s rights isn’t confined to one corner of the political spectrum. That is why I am confident that the Liberal Democrats, and especially Lib Dem peers, will play a positive role in the next stages of the Employment Rights Bill.

The Bill has clearly been the subject of considerable commentary, and the number of amendments reflects the extensive discussion that has taken place between government, business and trade unions. At its heart though, the Bill remains a vehicle for tackling some of the worst abuses in our labour market, guaranteeing individual and collective rights, and setting us back on a path to a high growth and high productivity economy based on positive employment relations. All of these aims fit squarely within the Liberal Democrat tradition, as does the way that the Bill assists with the immediate challenge we face in health and care which is rightly the party’s priority.

The headlines here will of course be about the way the Bill seeks to tackle our broken sick pay system which was horribly exposed by the Covid pandemic, and the move towards solving the workforce crisis in social care by introducing a new Fair Pay Agreement. This is a necessary, though clearly not sufficient, step towards fixing this broken system and I know Lib Dems will continue to campaign on this issue.

Posted in Op-eds and The Independent View | Also tagged , and | 3 Comments

The Independent View: Coalition should do more to promote the creative industries as a growth sector

WordleThe Coalition Government’s record for the creative industries is mixed.

On the plus side, innovations such as the Creative Industries Council are welcome and have enabled a lot of cross industry collaboration on common issues affecting different sectors, such as skills and access to finance.

The enabling of the Live Music Act to come into law and promises of further entertainment deregulation are of huge benefit to my sector.

Creative industries have benefited from tax breaks to enable them to continue to compete globally.

Posted in Conference and Op-eds | Also tagged and | 10 Comments

The Independent View: The major environmental tests facing the Liberal Democrats in 2012 (Part 1)

The Liberal Democrats have long been seen as the greenest of the biggest three political parties. Now in government, the party is facing tough decisions with huge implications both for our country’s efforts to reduce carbon emissions and for wider protection of the natural world.

During his time in office Lib Dem Climate Secretary Chris Huhne won a couple of significant battles with Cabinet colleagues. Most notably, despite opposition from the Chancellor, he won the backing of David Cameron to put into law tough new carbon targets for the 2020s that were recommended by their independent advisers the Committee on …

Posted in Op-eds and The Independent View | Also tagged , , , , , and | 6 Comments

The Independent View: Lib Dems crucial in preventing further welfare reform injustice

Child maintenance is a life-line for many single parent families, whose children are twice as likely to live in poverty as those of couple families. The Government’s proposals to attach charges to access the Child Support Agency will see vulnerable families with no option but to seek state help to gain maintenance pushed further into financial distress – with their children ultimately footing the bill.

After a week of turmoil in the House of Lords where crossbench alliances have proven crucial, this evening attention will turn to the Government’s child maintenance proposals – and the possibility of another government defeat of the …

Posted in Op-eds and The Independent View | Also tagged , , , and | 4 Comments
Advert

Recent Comments

  • Mark Paine
    I have just left the Labour Party, having first joined about 39 years ago. Whilst I have never been a doctrinaire socialist or a believer in a Marxist class str...
  • expats
    @Mark Frankel 20th Apr '25 - 8:15am.... The key slogan is ‘Palestine will be free from the river to the sea’. The phrase, " between the Sea and the Jorda...
  • Mick Taylor
    Predicting the 2026 congress results in 2025 is a mugs game. Can the demoralised Democrats really pull together a national campaign against The Donald? What is ...
  • Thelma Davies
    Just watched that YT link .Truly awful. 'American universities are citadels of open-minded, free-thinking, liberalism of the sort that has made America great' ...
  • Joseph Bourke
    The invasion of Ukraine destroyed the post-war rules based international order established with the creation of the United Nations. Trump's Tariff policy has up...