Tag Archives: tim farron

LibLInk: Tim Farron: Why Lib Dems will continue to fight for the single market

By NewsHound | Mon 13th February 2017 - 11:00 am

Tim Farron has written a powerful article in the FT accusing Theresa May of sacrificing the British economy as Labour stand by and help her.

We have tried to bring sanity to the debate, tabling amendments in the House of Commons to retain single-market membership, to allow EU citizens lawfully resident in the UK to keep their right to remain, and to give the British people a vote on the final Brexit deal. Mrs May, though, is not listening. She has crushed opposition from her MPs and made the political decision to sacrifice the British economy. The situation has been made worse by a divided Labour party that has failed to oppose the government’s Brexit strategy. Labour has not merely failed to provide an opposition, it has conspired to help the Conservatives risk the stability of the UK economy.

He outlines the damage that leaving the single market would do:

For our efforts, we have been denounced as democratic deniers and enemies of the people. It would be amusing if the Conservatives were not pushing Britain towards an economic shock. A series of reports puts the price of leaving the single market as high as £200bn over 15 years. Liberal Democrats are not only standing up for the 48 per cent who backed Remain but also for Leave voters who do not understand why Mrs May would choose to lose regulatory control over exports to our largest market — all against a darkening economic picture. The UK economy is being buoyed by consumer spending but with public-sector wage caps, rising inflation and deep cuts to public spending, few are betting that shoppers will spare the government’s blushes for much longer.

Posted in News | Also tagged financial times. brexit | 23 Comments

WATCH: Tim Farron on Sky News: “It’s a dark day”

By The Voice | Wed 8th February 2017 - 8:57 pm

Tim Farron was on Sky News this evening just before MPs voted for the final time on the Article 50 Bill before it goes to the Lords. He could not conceal his anger at the Tory and Labour MPs who had simply given the Government carte blanche to pursue a hard Brexit that “wasn’t on the ballot paper.” He called those MPs who had defied the Tory and Labour whips noble and suggested that history would be kind to them.

"It's a very dark day" @timfarron reacts to likelihood of third reading of Brexit bill

…

Posted in News | Also tagged brexit, nick clegg and sky news | 56 Comments

Farron: Lib Dems will not make a pact with Corbyn’s Labour

By NewsHound | Tue 7th February 2017 - 1:01 pm

Tim Farron went to Stoke-on-Trent yesterday to persuade students to register to vote ahead of today’s deadline.

While he was there, he spoke to the Huffington Post. He was asked about reports over the weekend that Labour were seeking an alliance with us in Stoke. Not much chance of that, he said. How can you have a progressive alliance with people who are not progressive?

When asked if Corbyn was keen for a pact, he said: “If he’s doing it he’s doing it via gunboat diplomacy as I only hear it via the media.

“No direct approach has been made at all.”

He added: “The notion that we want to be aligned with any of the parties, or stand down in favour of one of the parties, who is backing a hard Brexit – well, what good would that do the national message? What good would that do those people in the country, who I believe to be the majority, who don’t want a hard Brexit.

“How can you have a progressive alliance with somebody who’s not progressive?”

But he was more sympathetic to the idea of working with one Green in particular:

Posted in News | Also tagged stoke on trent central | 34 Comments

Farron attacks Government plans to make patients pay upfront for NHS treatment

By Caron Lindsay | Mon 6th February 2017 - 5:56 am

Don’t make scapegoats out of foreigners for the crisis facing the NHS. That’s Tim Farron’s message to Jeremy Hunt as the Government says it is going to get hospitals to check upfront whether people are eligible for free NHS treatment and charge them before treatment Because NHS staff don’t have enough to do already. Tim said:

We all want to see the NHS recover money owed it to it, but this is a completely disproportionate response to what is a fairly minor problem. The Health Secretary is turning NHS staff into the Border Force, its unacceptable.

Asking people to show their ID before receiving treatment will mean longer waits for treatments and heap more pressure on already overstretched NHS staff.

The government must explain how much it expects the new system will cost to administer and what the impact on patients will be.

Instead of trying to blame foreigners for the crisis facing the NHS, Jeremy Hunt should take responsibility and give our health service the extra investment it needs.

Posted in News and Op-eds | Also tagged NHS | 43 Comments

Tim Farron’s message for Time to Talk Day

By The Voice | Thu 2nd February 2017 - 2:40 pm

Today is Time to Talk Day, when we are asked to talk about mental health to help reduce the stigma and provide support to those who suffer from mental ill health.

Tim Farron has recorded a message for the day.

Posted in News | Also tagged time to talk day 2017 | 3 Comments

In full: Tim Farron’s speech in the Article 50 debate

By The Voice | Wed 1st February 2017 - 5:30 pm

Tim Farron spoke in the Commons debate on Article 50 this afternoon. Here is his speech in full:

She is not in her place now, but I want to pay tribute to the hon. Member for Sleaford and North Hykeham (Dr Johnson) for her excellent maiden speech.

Liberal Democrats have always been proud internationalists. It was the Liberals who backed Winston Churchill’s European vision in the 1950s, even when his own party did not do so. Since our foundation, we have been champions of Britain’s role in the European Union and fought for co-operation and openness with our neighbours and with our allies. We have always believed that the challenges that Britain faces in the 21st century—climate change, terrorism and economic instability—are best tackled working together as a member of the European Union.

Being proud Europeans is part of our identity as a party, and it is part of my personal identity too. Personally, I was utterly gutted by the result. Some on the centre left are squeamish about patriotism; I am not. I am very proud of my identity as a northerner, as an Englishman, as a Brit, and as a European—all those things are consistent. My identity did not change on 24 June, and neither did my values, my beliefs, or what I believe is right for this country and for future generations. I respect the outcome of the referendum. The vote was clear—close, but clear—and I accept it.

But voting for departure is not the same as voting for a destination. Yes, a narrow majority voted to leave the EU, but the leave campaign had no plans, no instructions, no prospectus and no vision. No one in this Government, no one in this House and no one in this country has any idea of what the deal the Prime Minister will negotiate with Europe will be—it is completely unknown. How, then, can anyone pretend that this undiscussed, unwritten, un-negotiated deal in any way has the backing of the British people? The deal must be put to the British people for them to have their say. That is the only way to hold the Government to account for the monumental decisions they will have to take over the next two years.

Posted in Op-eds and Parliament | Also tagged article 50, brexit and house of commons | 49 Comments

Tim Farron welcomes LGBT History Month

By Caron Lindsay | Wed 1st February 2017 - 9:00 am

February is LGBT History Month, a chance to celebrate those campaigners who have made such a difference for LGBT rights and a chance to remember all those who suffered as a result of repressive attitudes and laws. When I was growing up, I was heartbroken to hear accounts of long-term partners being frozen out of hospital visiting or funeral arrangements by family members who didn’t recognise their relationship. You could live with someone for decades and have no rights when they were ill or when they died.

It looks as though the US may be about to enter a period when these hard-won rights are cast aside and we’ll have new examples of the effects of harsh and cruel intolerance. There are numerous examples of repressive regimes where LGBT people face death or imprisonment. In this country, hate crime is on the increase. The road to equality across the world is still being built and it’s important that we all do our bit to help.

I am constantly awestruck at the courage of some of my friends, who took risks when same sex sexual activity was still illegal (officially until 1980 in Scotland) to support others and to lay the foundations for the much more welcoming environment we have today. Scotland is one of the best places in the world to be LGBT these days and it’s due to people like my friend Gregan Crawford, who is now Edinburgh Lib Dems’ Master of All Things Connect (seriously, he makes the best delivery runs EVER).

Anyway, here is his account of an International Gay Rights Congress which took place in Edinburgh in 1974 which ended up with 2000 people marching on the BBC:

Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged gregan crawford, LGBT and lgbt history month | 3 Comments

The refugee ban harms not just our reputation, it will harm our armed forces too

By Chris Key | Mon 30th January 2017 - 11:25 am

Embed from Getty Images

Yesterday, Tim Farron quite rightly called out the desperate situation in which Theresa May now finds herself. Like a door to door salesman selling their wares she is now desperate in terms of who she will deal with on the world stage.

The refugee ban imposed by Donald Trump goes against all of the British values we stand for as a party and has even resulted in a Conservative MP being banned from visiting the US.

The primary duty of any Prime Minister is to defend British citizens. Yet when quizzed at the press conference in Turkey she claimed it was for the US to determine the refugee policy of the United States. Imagine if Churchill had said the same about Nazi Germany in 1940 when it came to the treatment of Jews.

Secondly there is the impact this ban will have on our armed forces. Among those detained at a US airport was an Iraqi who had been a translator for the US army. He was held in handcuffs and quizzed for 17 hours before being released. If that’s how the US treats those who work for their military risking their lives it is much less likely that Iraqis or others for that matter will step forward to help. Would you do so if you knew safe passage to the US could not be guaranteed?

Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged donald trump and theresa may | 2 Comments

Tim on telly – the highlights

By Caron Lindsay | Sun 29th January 2017 - 12:43 pm

Tim Farron is fast becoming the grown-up in the room in British politics. He speaks for many, across the Remain/Leave divide and is the strongest voice of opposition to Theresa May’s government – and Jeremy Corbyn’s sorry excuse for an opposition. In fact, we should stop referring to Labour as the opposition while they enable the worst government in my lifetime to wreak havoc on our economy and future prosperity.

Tim has been doing the media rounds this morning. He’s been interviewed by Andrew Marr and Sophy Ridge.

Now is the time for him to be in the form of his life – and he was. He answered the questions clearly and put our point of view very well. It helps when he is actually in the room rather than down the line, even if we miss out on the gorgeous Cumbrian scenery. Here are some of the highlights courtesy of the various Twitter feeds. You can see the whole Marr interview here from around 50 minutes in and you can read the transcript of the Sophy Ridge interview here on the Sky media website.

"It's not insulting to stand up to somebody" behaving in "appalling" way – Lib Dem leader @timfarron https://t.co/dAJpUslgZV #Marr pic.twitter.com/m7yMV8mdFz

— BBC News (UK) (@BBCNews) January 29, 2017

Posted in News | Also tagged andrew marr show, brexit and soppy ridge on sunday | 21 Comments

Farron: Put Trump state visit on hold until he stops banning people because of their faith

By Caron Lindsay | Sun 29th January 2017 - 11:48 am

I have been musing for a while that Tim Farron should boycott the forthcoming state visit by Donald Trump. I was exceptionally proud when Vince Cable as acting leader boycotted the visit of the Saudi King back in 2007.

The Saudi regime has always had an appalling human rights visit, but Trump is taking the US in a dangerous and deeply unpleasant direction and he needs to be told in no uncertain terms that this is not on. From support for torture to his nationalism and isolationism to his latest outrage in banning anyone who just happened to be born in certain places, he is trashing the values the US was founded on.

So I’m glad to see that Tim told Sky’s Sophy Ridge this morning that the state visit invitation should be put on hold while the ban stays in place:

Posted in News | Also tagged donald trump | 33 Comments

Tim Farron on Andrew Marr show this morning

By Caron Lindsay | Sun 29th January 2017 - 8:00 am

It’s almost unheard of these days to have Lib Dems on the Andrew Marr show two weeks running. Last week we had Nick Clegg and this morning we have Tim Farron.

He’ll no doubt be talking about the Lib Dem’s unique position on the Article 50 Bill and will no doubt want to continue his criticism of Theresa May for being not very bothered about Donald Trump’s ban on Muslims entering the US.

Watch on BBC1 at 9 am or on iPlayer later.

Posted in News | Also tagged the andrew marr show | 3 Comments

Farron attacks Theresa May for failing to condemn Donald Trump’s Muslim ban

By Caron Lindsay | Sat 28th January 2017 - 11:03 pm

We might have hoped that someone sensible would have managed to talk Donald Trump out of actually banning Muslims from the US. After all, even one of the more hawkish Republicans, George HW Bush’s Defence Secretary and W’s Vice President Dick Cheney had condemned it previously. Even Trump’s Vice President was against it before he was for it. He doesn’t seem to listen to reason, though, so today’s news, however disappointing, is not surprising.

What we should expect, though, is for our own Government to condemn something so blatantly discriminatory, e especially when it affects British citizens. One example on tonight’s news was Mo Farah who holds dual nationality with Somalia but who trains in Oregon.

Refusing entry to people if you have evidence that they are actually a threat is one thing, refusing entry to a group of people just because they follow a particular religion or come from a particular country is beyond the pale.

Posted in News | Also tagged brexit, donald trump and theresa may | 13 Comments

Tim Farron’s statement for Holocaust Memorial Day: We must be bastions of hope in the tempest of fear”

By The Voice | Fri 27th January 2017 - 5:54 pm

Tim Farron has released the following statement for Holocaust Memorial Day:

In the last year, we have seen a rise in the politics of division that is reminiscent of an old and ugly Europe. In this environment, the Liberal Democrats will continue to champion a country that is open, tolerant and united.

This year we remember the survivors, who time and time again demonstrate both dignity and courage as they rebuild and restore their communities from the ruins. We also remember the divisive ideas and practices from the past- so that they may never be repeated ever again.

We must continue to be

…

Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged holocaust memorial day | 3 Comments

New Liberal Democrat PPB: Groundhog day – and what you can do about it!

By Caron Lindsay | Wed 25th January 2017 - 5:20 pm

Here is the new Liberal Democrat party political broadcast being broadcast this evening

It illustrates that feeling many people have every time they listen to a news bulletin these days. Tim Farron invites people who are worried about what’s going on in the world to do something about it by joining us.

Posted in News | Also tagged party political broadcasts | 36 Comments

Farron: Soaring homelessness is an utter disgrace

By The Voice | Wed 25th January 2017 - 1:15 pm

We know that Tim Farron is passionate about tackling homelessness. It’s the issue that famously brought him into politics as a teenager. In November last year, he took part in a sleep out with Centrepoint. Here is his bleary-eyed wake-up video:

Today, figures revealed a 16% rise in the number of people sleeping on the streets. It’s absolutely heartbreaking to think that there are over 4,000 people with nowhere else to go. These people need help – right now..

Tim said:

Posted in News | Also tagged homelessness | 16 Comments

Maybe not! We must not let Theresa get away with it.

By Katharine Pindar | Mon 23rd January 2017 - 3:07 pm

Embed from Getty Images

We have two by-elections to fight within five weeks, so this is urgent.

It was bad enough that Prime Minister May declared on January 17th her intention for Britain to leave the single market and make a definite break with the EU. But it was also made clear subsequently that, when the negotiations on terms of leaving are completed, the options she intends to put to Parliament will be to either accept them, or reject them and leave without a deal.

The option of rejecting the deal, but also deciding to remain in the EU, will not be offered.

Of course, Parliament could refuse to endorse this, probably involving a vote of no confidence and an early General Election, but that looks unlikely. The Liberal Democrats alone demand that the final decision should be between leaving with the negotiated terms or staying in, and that this should be decided by the people in another referendum. We maintain that what voting out in the first plebiscite on June 23 would mean for the country was not fully explained or foreseen, and when the full consequences for Britain’s future out of the EU have become apparent in two years’ time, the people should have the final right to decide.

Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged brexit and theresa may | 57 Comments

LibLink: Tim Farron writes “May’s Brexit intentions will betray the values promoted by Churchill”

By Mary Reid | Mon 23rd January 2017 - 11:29 am

Tim Farron has written an article in The New European. He starts:

If 2016 felt like a never-ending cycle of shocks and surprises, then 2017 already shows no sign of relenting.

…

I, like all other ‘Remoaners’, get constantly criticised for being too negative about the prospects of Brexit Britain. Yet right now, it is not my confidence in the government’s direction that is significant, it is the markets, displayed so clearly in the pound slumping to a fresh 31-year low on Monday.

The prompt for this had been the impending sense of gloom in anticipation of Theresa May’s Brexit speech on Tuesday, which outlined her plans for the UK to quit the single market, before even entering into negotiations with the EU.

Staggeringly, the PM, increasingly characterised as ‘Theresa Maybe’, has chosen her only act of decisiveness to be on leaving the single market – a British invention that she and her own cabinet have spent their careers recognising as being so fundamental to our public life and economic wellbeing.

Posted in LibLink | Also tagged brexit and theresa may | 14 Comments

Tim Farron’s message to the London Women’s March: We fight back against divisiveness and intolerance by working together

By Caron Lindsay | Sat 21st January 2017 - 2:27 pm

I may have spoken too soon last night. Seems like the leader was on the case after all.

We change the world when we fightback against intolerance and divisiveness by working together. #WomensMarch pic.twitter.com/d8c2Mq2Uh0

— Tim Farron (@timfarron) January 21, 2017

And here is Sarah Olney MP leading the Lib Dem delegation at the march.

.@LibDems out in force at Londons #WomensMarch with @sarahjolney1 pic.twitter.com/YNBX2btKrh

— Lib Dem HQ Diversity (@LibDemDiversity) January 21, 2017

Posted in News | Also tagged march for women and sarah olney | 5 Comments

Labour lashes out at Lib Dems

By NewsHound | Sat 21st January 2017 - 9:02 am

Remember how, last week, Jeremy Corbyn’s relaunch was such a runaway success. Not even Tony Blair in the early years could gather such positive headlines.

Ok, so maybe that’s not quite how it happened. At least we’re now clear on their policy on freedom of movement. They love immigration and they hate it, depending on who they are talking to.

Labour has stepped up its attacks on the Lib Dems in the last couple of days, presumably because they have to fight two by-elections on 23rd February where the Leave vote will be split 3 ways and we are the only party offering any sort of opposition to the Tories.

But they couldn’t quite manage it competently. The International Business Times was none too chuffed to find its video being used by Jeremy Corbyn, uncredited, to attack Tim Farron.

Posted in News | Also tagged keir starmer and labour | 29 Comments

Tim Farron tops Guardian front page as Carmichael’s “You’re not an opposition” riposte to Thornberry gets biggest Question Time cheer

By NewsHound | Fri 20th January 2017 - 3:58 pm

Last night, Alistair Carmichael took full advantage of the opportunity his last minute addition to the Question Time panel gave him to give both Conservatives and Labour a blast.

Watch him tell off Labour’s Emily Thornberry:

Earlier today, Tim Farron was the top story on the Guardian website as he lambasted Labour’s failure to put up any sort of opposition to the Tories.

In an overt attempt to steal votes from Labour in pro-remain constituencies, Farron said he believed Corbyn had put his party on the wrong side of the biggest political issue in a generation and was struggling because his MPs were increasingly split on how to respond.

Posted in News | Also tagged Alistair Carmichael, question time and the guardian | 7 Comments

LibLink: Tim Farron: Whether you are Leave or Remain, Theresa May just betrayed you on Brexit

By NewsHound | Wed 18th January 2017 - 10:51 am

Tim Farron wrote a long response to Theresa May’s speech yesterday for the Guardian. Here are some of the highlights;

The new Ukip leader, Paul Nuttall, himself commented that May’s words could have come straight from a Ukip party conference speech. Farage and Nuttall might like to convince themselves that the referendum was an endorsement of their nationalist, populist politics, but that is an injustice to most of the British people who voted leave. Pursuing Ukip’s warped vision will not only have severe consequences on our economy, it will also severely damage our standing in the world.

A reckless exit from the

…

Posted in LibLink | Also tagged brexit, the guardian and theresa may | 15 Comments

Senior Liberal Democrats respond to Theresa May’s hard Brexit

By Caron Lindsay | Wed 18th January 2017 - 5:46 am

We brought you Tim Farron’s response to Theresa May’s announcement that Britain is seeking reckless isolation, but what have other Liberal Democrats been saying about it.

Liberal Democrat MEP Catherine Bearder:

This government’s pursuit of a hard Brexit and pulling Britain out of the Single Market will mean losing so much more than just free trading arrangements.

Theresa May’s hard Brexit will strip future generations of the life-changing opportunities to travel, work and study across Europe.

Millions who voted both Remain and Leave on 23rd June don’t endorse this extreme version of Brexit. It must be the people who have a say on any final Brexit deal.

The EU referendum left Britain deeply divided and it seems Theresa May is intent on stoking further discord and division.

Sooner or later this Conservative Brexit government will realise that it cannot govern for only those who endorse Nigel Farage’s vision for Europe.

Paddy Ashdown:

May’s speech: These are the words of someone who has always been a Brexiteer – whatever she claimed to the contrary…

— Paddy Ashdown (@paddyashdown) January 17, 2017

Willie Rennie: The Conservatives are hell bent on a hard Brexit that nobody voted for

Nick Clegg:

Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged brexit, catherine bearder, nick clegg, paddy ashdown and willie rennie | 33 Comments

Farron: May is leading the UK towards a hard Brexit that was never on the ballot paper

By Paul Walter | Tue 17th January 2017 - 12:52 pm

Reacting to Theresa May’s Brexit speech, Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron said:

Theresa May is leading the UK towards a hard Brexit that was never on the ballot paper. This is a theft of democracy, a presumption that the 51.9% of people who voted to leave meant the most extreme version of Brexit available.

The BBC reports further remarks from Tim:

Lib Dem leader Tim Farron says Mrs May has adopted “Nigel Farage’s Brexit plan” which is bad news for the UK, accusing the prime minister of “waving the white flag across the white cliffs of Dover” regarding single market exit.

Posted in News | Also tagged brexit and theresa may | 54 Comments

Tim Farron on Gove’s interview with Trump

By Mary Reid | Mon 16th January 2017 - 12:36 pm

Embed from Getty Images

I expect that many of you will, like me, feel slightly sickened by Michael Gove’s interview of Donald Trump for The Times. Private Eye has a word for it…

Tim Farron has given a robust response:

Michael Gove has had a rare opportunity to put questions to the most divisive and reactionary President Elect in modern history and all we get is a puff piece from a clearly admiring fan.

In the same interview Trump told a German newspaper that NATO is obsolete, it will make for a more dangerous world if this view is strong enough for him to turn down his invite to this year’s summit.

This president warns that helping refugees, saving people escaping the horrors of war, is a bad idea and instead we should be lifting sanctions on Putin despite him backing Assad. This is a man lacking a moral compass who is about to be inaugurated as the President.

He has picked environmental protection and the desire to show compassion to the most needy as good reasons to leave Europe.”

I don’t know the shape of the Europe that Trump dreams of but I know it frightens me.

Posted in News | Also tagged donald trump and michael gove | 27 Comments

Farron: There is no democratic mandate for a hard brexit

By The Voice | Sun 15th January 2017 - 6:51 pm

Tim Farron confirmed that Liberal Democrat MPs will vote against the triggering of Article 50 unless the Government agrees to a referendum on the final deal.

He added that Liberal Democrat peers would submit amendments calling for a referendum.

He was speaking to Andrew Neil on BBC1’s Sunday Politics.

Here are ac couple of clips:

"A hard Brexit is not the democratic choice of British people" says @timfarron #bbcsp pic.twitter.com/k2E06OFP7o

— DailySunday Politics (@daily_politics) January 15, 2017

"Freedom of movement is a good thing" @timfarron tells @afneil #bbcsp pic.twitter.com/rjlpLawnHO

— DailySunday Politics (@daily_politics) January 15, 2017

Posted in News | Also tagged brexit and sunday politics | 37 Comments

Farron: Corbyn’s relaunch shows that Lib Dems are the real voice of opposition

By Caron Lindsay | Tue 10th January 2017 - 6:09 pm

I have to say I do feel for my friends in the Labour Party – those people whose views on many of the issues of the day are not wildly dissimilar to mine. They stuck with Labour through Iraq and the erosion of civil liberties despite feeling uncomfortable with both of these things. And now they are faced with a leadership delivering them at the feet of Theresa May and her Brexiteers.

When you have devoted a huge amount of your life to working for a political party, you have a huge amount of your social and emotional ties wrapped up in it too. It’s not easy to walk away from.

I understand those ties because I feel them for this party, an organisation to which I have devoted more than two thirds of my life.

I wouldn’t ask or expect my friends to leave Labour – although I think most of them could be quite happy in the Liberal Democrats – because that has to be a personal decision for them. I’d welcome them if they did decide to join us and I will certainly find ways to work with them on the issues where we agree, most notably in opposing the Tory/Labour hegemony on Brexit.

This is the biggest thing that this country has done in my lifetime. The shock waves will be felt for generations. The vote was knife-edge close, so the government should have to prove itself at every step of the way by being scrutinised within an inch of its life – ultimately by the people of this country being asked to ratify the Brexit deal or not. Yet the Labour Party under Corbyn has capitulated and given the Tories free rein.

So I won’t be asking my friends in Labour directly to join us. They can make their own minds up about where their future lies. But I do extend an invitation to all those people out there who vote Labour, or who maybe have never been involved in party politics before but who are deeply uneasy about what they see unfolding before them.

Tim Farron this afternoon recorded a short video in which he outlined the two reasons why Corbyn’s relaunch is bad news. Firstly, the obvious Brexit one, but secondly and as importantly, having a Trump on the left is not a good thing. Populism is bad news wherever it comes from.

Corbyn never had his heart in fighting to protect Britain’s place in Europe. Join the #RealVoice of opposition > https://t.co/uhtmkgT1D2 pic.twitter.com/pIlsmhRbu4

— Liberal Democrats (@LibDems) January 10, 2017

He also sent an email to Lib Dem members entitled “We’ve got to talk about Jeremy” saying:

Posted in News | Also tagged brexit, jeremy corbyn and labour | 18 Comments

Tim Farron doing LBC phone in at 6pm tonight

By The Voice | Tue 10th January 2017 - 11:10 am

Tim Farron will be taking calls from listeners on Iain Dale’s LBC show this evening. As the Tories and Labour seem to linking arms and heading off to Hard Brexit land together, Tim will know doubt be showing off what a proper opposition leader does.

ALERT: LibDem Leader @timfarron will be taking calls on my @LBC show from 6pm tomorrow. Questions to [email protected]. Please incl phone no. pic.twitter.com/76ZWriVHfO

— Iain Dale (@IainDale) January 9, 2017

Posted in News | Also tagged iain dale and lbc | 4 Comments

What the Lib Dem PPCs got up to in Brussels

By Annabel Mullin | Thu 5th January 2017 - 4:24 pm

Earlier this autumn I was at the London AGM where Liberal Democrat MEP Catherine Bearder gave a rousing speech. I was lucky enough to see her at the Newbie Pint at Conference, so I know how passionate she is. When Catherine mentioned that she was running a training event in Brussels aimed at PPCs, I leapt at the opportunity. And what an experience!

It was my first time to Brussels, the European Parliament was gladiatorial in size and the scope of what it does is extraordinary. Even for someone who is an ardent European (currently Brexit will remove it legally but not in birthright) I hadn’t understood the wealth of research, knowledge and resource that it provides. We were given a tour and a tutorial to have a better understanding of exactly how all the cogs work. That should be taught in all schools.

Then we had the chance to meet lobbyists, MEPs and the Brussels Lib Dems. They were kind enough to host us for the evening for a wonderful night, doing what we do best, waxing lyrical about liberalism! We took in a light show in the heart of Brussels to celebrate St Nicholas Day, with some amusing videography from the enthusiastic Daisy Benson.

Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged brexit, daisy benson. catherine bearder, eu and european parliament | 1 Comment

Farron: Theresa May marching towards Brexit without “plan or clue”

By The Voice | Wed 4th January 2017 - 9:59 am

Yesterday, Sir Ivan Rogers’ resignation as the UK’s representative to the EU caused New Year shock waves. Last night, his resignation email to his colleagues was published. His assessment of the Government’s performance so far is not one which inspires confidence in ministers. He told his colleagues:

I hope you will continue to challenge ill-founded arguments and muddled thinking and that you will never be afraid to speak the truth to those in power.

And this paragraph can only be described as “take that, Liam Foa.”

As I have argued consistently at every level since June, many opportunities for the UK in the future will derive from the mere fact of having left and being free to take a different path. But others will depend entirely on the precise shape of deals we can negotiate in the years ahead. Contrary to the beliefs of some, free trade does not just happen when it is not thwarted by authorities: increasing market access to other markets and consumer choice in our own, depends on the deals, multilateral, plurilateral and bilateral that we strike, and the terms that we agree. I shall advise my successor to continue to make these points.

Nick Clegg had already made his views clear yesterday, praising Ivan Rogers with whom he had worked for being “punctiliously objective” and “rigorous” in the advice he provided.

Posted in News | Also tagged brexit, eu, nick clegg and sir ivan rogers | 18 Comments

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