Tag Archives: vince cable

Vince Cable talks about helping regions

By NewsHound | Sat 20th April 2013 - 4:06 pm

The business secretary, Vince Cable, has highlighted the serious disparities between different parts of the country in economic performance and job prospects.

He was speaking at a conference designed to boost local enterprise partnerships, the government’s chosen vehicle for regional business growth.

Cable said: “There are worryingly high disparities between economic performance and employment prospects in different parts of the UK, and those areas that become highly dependent on the public sector face particularly difficult challenges.”

Liberal Democrat ministers have often talked of the need to ensure that all parts of the UK benefit …

Posted in News | Also tagged economy and regional growth fund | Leave a comment

Cable: No room for complacency over getting more women on company boards

By NewsHound | Thu 18th April 2013 - 2:05 pm

The Guardian reports comments from Lib Dem business secretary Vince Cable, following evidence that the proportion of female appointments to FTSE 100 and 250 companies has reduced:

The Liberal Democrat business secretary and former chief economist at Shell is also clear that slow progress isn’t an indication of disregard for the agenda, instead he explains that the overall trend shows culture and practices are changing.

Earlier this year however, Boardwatch, part of the Professional Boards Forum, found that while female appointments to non-executive director roles are increasing, executive board promotions remain low. Cable admits

…

Posted in News | 6 Comments

Vince Cable, One Direction, and a minimum wage rise for apprentices

By Caron Lindsay | Wed 17th April 2013 - 1:58 pm

There was a significant amount of chortling in LDV Towers over the Telegraph’s report of Vince Cable’s comments about One Direction’s earnings. One member of our team even suggested photoshopping his head onto this photo of the boy band wearing onesies. Mercifully, copyright and lack of photoshopping skills on my part spares you that sight.

Vince thought he was being asked about, I presume, a director’s £5 million salary, which he described as “mad”, “downright immoral” and “grossly offensive”. It would be hardly surprising that he would take that view given his actions to curb executive pay. He added, …

Posted in News | Also tagged apprentices, executive pay, minimum wage, one direction and telegraph | 8 Comments

Vince increases the minimum wage. It’s the right decision, but we do need to get local about it.

By Stephen Tall | Mon 15th April 2013 - 8:25 pm

This was the Mirror (and many other news outlets) two weeks ago:

Minimum wage cut fears: Fury as Government considers ‘kicking’ low-paid workers

The reality? The Government has accepted the independent Low Pay Commission’s recommendations to increase both the adult and youth National Minimum Wage rates. The BBC reports:

Minimum wage to increase to £6.31

To be clear, the 1.9% increase is below the expected rate of inflation — so this is a real-terms cut. The increase is, however, higher than either public sector workers or those on benefits will receive. The only recommendation of the Low Pay Commission that was rejected …

Posted in News | Also tagged featured, local pay, low pay, low pay commission and minimum wage | 33 Comments

Lib Dem ‘mansion tax’: the right policy AND a vote-winner, say 69% of party members

By Stephen Tall | Wed 3rd April 2013 - 12:15 pm

Lib Dem Voice polled our members-only forum recently to discover what Lib Dem members think of various political issues, the Coalition, and the performance of key party figures. Some 650 party members have responded, and we’re publishing the full results.

The Lib Dems are committed to levying a new household tax (known as the Mansion Tax) of 1% on the value of properties over £2m. Which of these statements best represents your own view?

69%

…

Posted in LDV Members poll | Also tagged mansion tax | 12 Comments

Opinion: How I helped develop our £10,000 tax threshold policy

By Elizabeth Jewkes | Mon 25th March 2013 - 11:55 am

When Nick Clegg was first elected leader, he announced a new tax policy – to reduce the percentage paid from 20% to 16%. The policy was duly passed at the 2008 Conference. Another delegate mentioned to me that he would prefer to see the Income Tax threshold raised taking the lowest paid out of tax. ‘Too late now’ he said.

I took this as a challenge and looked for a way of changing tax policy. I didn’t have to wait long. Jo Swinson MP sent an email to Women Liberal Democrats asking for policy ideas for the Manifesto Day at the …

Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged nick clegg and tax threshold | 8 Comments

2013: The Year of Vince

By Joe Otten | Sat 23rd March 2013 - 4:27 pm

Following Vince Cable’s gentle call for more capital spending – now reflected in the recent budget – Politics Home talks to the Business Secretary. In suitably glowing terms…

In many ways, his allies think 2013 is The Year of Vince. His once lonely call (in the Coalition at least) for more capital spending and reliefs has been heeded. His ‘responsible capitalism’ agenda will bear fruit this year with boardroom and shareholder changes. He’s outmanoeuvred the Treasury by getting a £1bn business bank – in return for a Tory policy on employee share rights that has been gutted by the

…

Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged business bank and green investment bank | 6 Comments

No braking at Gambon – a monetary policy guide for petrolheads

By Bill le Breton | Fri 22nd March 2013 - 11:48 am

If you had to choose a person from the following list, and only this list, to be Chancellor of the Exchequer, would you choose James May, Jeremy Clarkson or Richard Hammond? Tough choice, but go on: indulge me!

The last time I wrote here, I predicted that the Quad had reached a turning point on monetary policy. I did this not on the evidence of Vince Cable’s New Statesman article, but on a report in the Financial Times that Osborne was set to change the regime imposed on the Bank of England.

Well, …

Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged economic policy and top gear | 10 Comments

My highlights of Scottish Liberal Democrat Conference

By Caron Lindsay | Wed 20th March 2013 - 11:56 am

I’m a bit bleary eyed today. One conference is exhausting, two on successive weekends is positively foolhardy. Following that up with a trip to London for Federal Executive is craziness.

I spent the weekend in Dundee where Scottish Liberal Democrats held their main Conference. Over three days, there were no fewer than twelve policy debates, some of them incredibly powerful or controversial. Here are my highlights.

The Secret Courts debate

Yes, I’m biased as I proposed the motion rejecting the Government’s proposals, but the debate itself was very high quality. Liberal Youth co-chair Kavya Kaushik won the Russell Johnston award for the best …

Posted in News and Op-eds | Also tagged mental health, Scotland, Scottish liberal democrat conference, secret courts, tavish scott, wilie rennie and willie rennie | 2 Comments

Opinion: Is Vince writing for the Economist?

By Joe Otten | Wed 13th March 2013 - 8:13 am

A leader in the latest Economist offers the UK a growth plan that involves structural reforms, infrastructure spending and monetary policy changes while maintaining fiscal discipline. Particular highlights include a more welcoming attitude to talented immigrants, and Land Value Taxation.

The tax system could also be changed to promote growth. One reason why companies sit on development land is because they do not pay taxes until the offices and warehouses are built. It would be much better to tax the land value: that would make hoarding expensive and force owners to sell to someone who can use

…

Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged economy and the economist | 1 Comment

Opinion: Cable’s New Statesman article presents a classic Liberal Democrat dilemma

By David Thorpe | Tue 12th March 2013 - 9:05 am

The reason Vince Cable stood so far above his Labour and Tory counterparts during the financial crisis was his unique combination of economic subtlety and political guile; his rivals possessed those attributes the reverse way around.

In his much mentioned essay in the New Statesman entitled ‘When the facts change should I change my mind?” Cable shines a light on the dilemma serious politicians face in trying to balance the economic and political concerns inherent in policy making.

The essay, which takes its title from a famous JM Keynes quote, debunks a number of the left’s cherished myths, and delivers …

Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged economy | 6 Comments

Vince Cable on Labour’s opposition day debate on Mansion tax

By Helen Duffett | Mon 11th March 2013 - 8:55 pm

This evening, the Liberal Democrats have confirmed they won’t vote for Labour’s mischievous Opposition Day debate on mansion tax, instead tabling a Coalition amendment stating our support for the mansion tax and the Conservatives’ opposition to it. Vince Cable, architect of the mansion tax, has issued a statement explaining why:

This amendment allows Liberal Democrats in Parliament to back our long-held policy of the mansion tax. We created it and will continue to champion it.

The amendment also makes it clear that although we are in coalition with the Conservatives, we have different views on the desirability of a mansion tax.

…

Posted in News and Parliament | Also tagged featured, labour and mansion tax | 66 Comments

LibLink: Vince Cable – budding Asian entrepreneurs help create thousands of UK jobs

By Mary Reid | Tue 5th March 2013 - 3:45 pm

The Telegraph has published a supportive report of a speech by Vince Cable at the launch of the National Asian Business Association yesterday. He referred to the 50,000 British Asian businesses in the UK which together generate more than £60bn nationwide, which in turn help to create thousands of jobs. He claimed that British Asians are probably “the most entrepreneurial section of the British public”

He said:

The stereotype of Asian businesses is changing rapidly; while that stereotype is still there – 30pc are in the retail sector – it’s rapidly diversifying. Their growth is essential to job creation and national economic recovery,

…

Posted in LibLink | 3 Comments

A hole in his sock

By Mary Reid | Tue 19th February 2013 - 4:44 pm

The Telegraph has a lengthy profile of Rachel Smith, Vince Cable’s wife.

If cows can be considered to have a casting vote, then Hopeful and Caramel have done their bit to make sure Rachel Smith sees more of her husband in the future. The wife of the business secretary, Vince Cable, is a farmer with a dwindling beef herd in the middle of the New Forest. For months she has been trying to get these two Dexters in calf. The bull has visited; the artificial insemination man has

…

Posted in News | Also tagged rachel smith | 4 Comments

Eastleigh by-election: your essential round-up of all the weekend’s news (18 Feb)

By Stephen Tall | Mon 18th February 2013 - 8:25 am

The penultimate weekend’s campaigning was frenetic at the Lib Dems’ Eastleigh HQ…

Over 530 Lib Dem volunteers passed through its doors in just this weekend (to add to the 1,000+ who’d visited in the previous week). Visitors included an upbeat Nick Clegg (BBC report and video here) and others — as this video shows:

Posted in Parliamentary by-elections | Also tagged eastleigh by-election, john o'farrell, Maria Hutchings, mike thornton and nick clegg | 2 Comments

Eastleigh by-election: your essential round-up of the week’s campaign news

By Stephen Tall | Fri 15th February 2013 - 3:45 pm

It’s only just over a week since the Eastleigh by-election was called. But this first Lib Dem / Tory by-election battle of the parliament has attracted a lot of interest. One aspect that hasn’t been noted much in the media is the level of enthusiasm within the Lib Dems to fight this by-election, and fight it to win.

As the party’s weekly briefing itself noted, Mike Thornton’s campaign has broken the party’s by-election records, with “more volunteers, more money raised and more campaign literature delivered in the opening days of the Eastleigh by-election campaign than any other”.

Here a few of the stats:

Well over 1,000 Lib Dem volunteers have visited the by-election HQ since it was officially opened on Saturday morning.
On Thursday alone, 2,200 phone calls were made to prospective voters and activists knocked on 1,700 doors.
More than 650 individual donations have been received through the party’s website and through email appeals in the last six days.
21 of the party’s 57 MPs have already visited: Nick Clegg, Danny Alexander, Ed Davey, Vince Cable, Sir Malcolm Bruce, Sir Nick Harvey, Tim Farron, Jo Swinson, David Laws, Duncan Hames, Andrew Stunell, Simon Wright, Sir Robert Smith, Stephen Gilbert, Tom Brake, Roger Williams, Don Foster, John Leech, Tessa Munt, Mark Williams, John Pugh and Adrian Sanders.

Huge amount of action this morning at our HQ! Amazing turnout. #eastleigh instagr.am/p/VtMPkhhtpR/

— Mike Thornton (@Mike4Eastleigh) February 14, 2013

Posted in News and Parliamentary by-elections | Also tagged andrew sparrow, Danny Alexander, eastleigh by-election, ed davey, featured, julian huppert, liberal youth, matt downey and mike thonrton | 11 Comments

IFS verdict: Labour’s 10p tax idea “has no plausible economic justification”

By Stephen Tall | Fri 15th February 2013 - 8:00 am

Ed Miliband’s announcement yesterday that Labour will re-introduce a 10p starting rate of income tax paid for through the introduction of Vince Cable’s mansion tax has received a tepid response from the Institute for Fiscal Studies. The IFS put out a note yesterday headed simply, Better options exist to help low earners than 10p tax rate:

A 10p tax rate would reduce taxes for those on low incomes and strengthen their work incentives. A far simpler and more sensible way of achieving these aims would be to spend the same

…

Posted in News | Also tagged ed miliband, featured, income tax, institute for fiscal studies, mansion tax, national insurance and tax | 12 Comments

Rejoice! Labour has a policy. Even better it’s a Lib Dem policy.

By Stephen Tall | Thu 14th February 2013 - 11:35 am

Yesterday at PMQs Ed Miliband channelled Ronald Reagan. Today he’s channelling Vince Cable:

Labour does have a policy after all. Two in fact! It’s just that they’re both Lib Dem policies: tax cuts for low-paid funded by mansion tax.

— Stephen Tall (@stephentall) February 14, 2013

Here’s what Ed has just announced:

Let me tell you about one crucial choice we would make, which is different from this government. We would tax houses worth over £2 million. And we would use the money to cut taxes for working people. We would put right a mistake made by

…

Posted in News | Also tagged Centre for Policy Studies, ed miliband, featured, ronald reagan, ryan bourne and tax | 31 Comments

LibLink: Vince Cable – Investors deserve red carpet, not red tape

By Mary Reid | Tue 12th February 2013 - 10:56 am

In the Telegraph, Vince Cable writes:

Britain is open for business. What we say to the emerging economies of the world is that, more than other Western countries, we welcome their investment, ideas, talent and visitors. We are not economic nationalists. We are not inward looking. That is a powerful message in São Paulo, Moscow, Mumbai and Shanghai.

In the article he concentrates on our trading relationship with China.

Posted in LibLink | Also tagged china and invest | 2 Comments

Vince the Lib Dem Eurosceptic on the “extraordinarily historically important” European single market

By Stephen Tall | Sat 12th January 2013 - 6:10 pm

Vince Cable - Some rights reserved by Liberal Democrats I’m grateful to PoliticsHome’s Paul Waugh for reporting Vince Cable’s words stressing the importance of the EU’s single market at a time of deep austerity in the western world:

“State aide cuts to the heart of the big debate which is rippling though our country at the moment which is about our future within the European Union. I have to say that this whole issue of raising again in a fundamental way British membership and the terms of

Posted in News | Also tagged european union and paul waugh | 25 Comments

Independent View: two cheers for Vince

By Rick Muir | Fri 11th January 2013 - 11:39 am

Landlords and punters across the country should be raising a glass to Vince Cable today after he announced new rules for pub companies (or pubcos) which will help local publicans in these difficult economic times.

His plans include the introduction of an independent adjudicator and a new statutory code for the industry – something I argued for in this IPPR report: Tied Down.

Pubs are an important part of the community – they’re a meeting place for family and friends and host meetings of local clubs and associations, promoting local charities and events. But they’ve faced serious demise with 16 pubs …

Posted in News and The Independent View | Also tagged featured, ippr and pubs | 2 Comments

Opinion: Bullseye banzai

By Bill le Breton | Fri 11th January 2013 - 8:51 am

In the spirit of the season, I thought I’d do my own Mid-Term Review and not keep it secret.

Back on the 14th November 2012, I wrote a piece for LDV on how Shinzo Abe, the clear favourite to become Japan’s next PM, was telling the Bank of Japan to deliver 3% growth in the money measure of GDP (NGDP) on pain of having its independence withdrawn. NGDP in Japan had been virtually static for twenty years – a sort of Great Stagnoflation.

How’s Mr Abe doing just eight weeks on? Well, he’s Prime Minister, he’s told the …

Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged economics | 39 Comments

Party members vote Vince Cable Lib Dem Minister of the Year (again)

By Stephen Tall | Thu 27th December 2012 - 8:05 pm

Lib Dem Voice polled our members-only forum recently to discover what Lib Dem members think of various political issues, the Coalition, and the performance of key party figures. Over 500 party members have responded, and we’re publishing the full results.

Vince, Ed and Michael: the Lib Dems’ top trio in government

LDV asked: In your opinion, which Lib Dem government minister has had the best year?

This question allowed an unprompted, free-text response, which c.450 of our respondents rose to. And here’s what you told us:

Posted in LDV Members poll | Also tagged ed davey, featured and Michael Moore | 9 Comments

Cable orders inquiry into Comet failure

By Nick T | Thu 20th December 2012 - 9:43 am

The Guardian reports:

The business secretary, Vince Cable, has ordered an inquiry into the collapse of high street electricals chain Comet after the government was left with a £50m bill in unpaid taxes and redundancy costs.

The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) confirmed that the Insolvency Service had begun a “fact-

Posted in News | Also tagged comet | 3 Comments

LibLink: Vince Cable – We’ll hunt down the tax avoiders

By NewsHound | Sat 15th December 2012 - 9:50 am

Over on The Guardian website, Vince Cable writes:

Tax avoidance, sham directors, money laundering: the recent Guardian investigation made sobering reading. In the UK we are proud that it is easier and cheaper to set up a company here than just about anywhere in the world. This flexibility is hugely valued by the start-ups and small companies which create a significant proportion of our wealth and jobs, and which are vital to recovery from the latest recession. But this flexibility provides a challenge: how do we stop our system from being abused by people who want to use it to dodge tax or to launder the proceeds of crime?…

Posted in LibLink | Also tagged tax, tax avoidance and tax evasion | 4 Comments

‘Please give generously’: Tories mail-shot supporters asking for donations to fight Lib Dem mansion tax

By Stephen Tall | Sun 9th December 2012 - 10:05 am

That’s the story in the Guardian this weekend:

The Conservative party privately sent letters to Tory donors and wealthy homeowners promising to defeat Liberal Democrat plans for a mansion tax at the same time as their coalition partners thought they were negotiating on a version of the proposal ahead of the autumn statement, it emerged on Friday. … The letters were sent by the Conservative treasurers Lord Fink and Michael Farmer in November, when Lib Dem cabinet ministers privately believed there was hope that the Conservatives would agree to two extra higher-rate council tax bands as a way of raising

…

Posted in News | Also tagged ConservativeHome, david cameron, george osborne, mansion tax, nick clegg and tax | 5 Comments

Vince Cable criticises Starbucks over ‘tax dodging’

By NewsHound | Tue 4th December 2012 - 12:32 pm

In the Guardian today, Vince Cable says that he understands why people are boycotting Starbucks.

The business secretary, when asked by the Guardian if he would consider boycotting their products, said:

I don’t shop at Starbucks so this doesn’t apply to me, but I can fully understand why people would vote with their feet as a result of their tax dodging.

Posted in News | Also tagged Danny Alexander, starbucks and tax avoidance | 13 Comments

Cable voices concern over faith school intake

By Nick T | Thu 29th November 2012 - 12:53 pm

The Guardian reports on what it (somewhat exaggeratedly) terms a “furious row” between business secretary Vince Cable and Michael Gove, the education secretary:

A row has broken out within the coalition over the expansion of faith-based schools, with the business secretary, Vince Cable, writing a furious letter to Michael Gove‘s education department accusing him of flouting the 2010 coalition deal.

Department for Education officials, acting on Gove’s direct orders, had undermined the Liberal Democrat/Conservative deal by intervening to ensure a pair of proposed Catholic schools

…

Posted in News | Also tagged education and michael gove | 12 Comments

Michael Moore MP: Green investment bank good for Scotland and whole UK

By Caron Lindsay | Wed 28th November 2012 - 7:31 pm

Secretary of State for Scotland Michael Moore has tonight emailed Liberal Democrat members to mark the launch of the Green Investment Bank. Three of the five Liberal Democrat Cabinet ministers were in Edinburgh today for the occasion: Mike, Vince Cable and Ed Davey.

The email said:

Earlier today I joined Vince Cable and Ed Davey in Edinburgh to give the UK Green Investment Bank (GIB) its official launch.

The triumvirate of Ministers underlines that this is a Liberal Democrat-led initiative that will stimulate renewable energy innovation in

…

Posted in News | Also tagged ed davey, green investment bank, internal communications and Michael Moore | 2 Comments

Op-eds

Vince Cable writes…Labour and Fiscal Rules (Vince Cable)
Josh Babarinde writes…The Lib Dem Summer of Strategy (Josh Babarinde)
Mathew on Monday: “We need to be bold” (Mathew Hulbert)
As a party we must be better defined for the 2029 general election (Chris Bowers)
From national averages to local realities: inequality in our communities (Tom Walker)

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Josh Babarinde writes…The Lib Dem Summer of Strategy

Alison Suttie writes: Thank you to our volunteers

What’s going on with party strategy?

A strange but welcome feeling

Tag Archives: vince cable

Vince Cable talks about helping regions

Cable: No room for complacency over getting more women on company boards

Vince Cable, One Direction, and a minimum wage rise for apprentices

Vince increases the minimum wage. It’s the right decision, but we do need to get local about it.

Lib Dem ‘mansion tax’: the right policy AND a vote-winner, say 69% of party members

Opinion: How I helped develop our £10,000 tax threshold policy

2013: The Year of Vince

No braking at Gambon – a monetary policy guide for petrolheads

My highlights of Scottish Liberal Democrat Conference

The Secret Courts debate

Opinion: Is Vince writing for the Economist?

Opinion: Cable’s New Statesman article presents a classic Liberal Democrat dilemma

Vince Cable on Labour’s opposition day debate on Mansion tax

LibLink: Vince Cable – budding Asian entrepreneurs help create thousands of UK jobs

A hole in his sock

Eastleigh by-election: your essential round-up of all the weekend’s news (18 Feb)

Eastleigh by-election: your essential round-up of the week’s campaign news

IFS verdict: Labour’s 10p tax idea “has no plausible economic justification”

Rejoice! Labour has a policy. Even better it’s a Lib Dem policy.

LibLink: Vince Cable – Investors deserve red carpet, not red tape

Vince the Lib Dem Eurosceptic on the “extraordinarily historically important” European single market

Independent View: two cheers for Vince

Opinion: Bullseye banzai

Party members vote Vince Cable Lib Dem Minister of the Year (again)

Vince, Ed and Michael: the Lib Dems’ top trio in government

Cable orders inquiry into Comet failure

LibLink: Vince Cable – We’ll hunt down the tax avoiders

‘Please give generously’: Tories mail-shot supporters asking for donations to fight Lib Dem mansion tax

Vince Cable criticises Starbucks over ‘tax dodging’

Cable voices concern over faith school intake

Michael Moore MP: Green investment bank good for Scotland and whole UK

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Josh Babarinde writes…The Lib Dem Summer of Strategy

Alison Suttie writes: Thank you to our volunteers

What’s going on with party strategy?

A strange but welcome feeling

Tag Archives: vince cable

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Vince, Ed and Michael: the Lib Dems’ top trio in government

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