There is an excellent article from Tim Farron in the Grauniad in which he defends our record in government and calls on Lib Dems to have a bit more pride in our achievements. The fact that we are delivering on lowering tax for the lowest paid, putting more money into schools and - something which has been forgotten - 'kicking the decision on Trident into the long grass' is mentioned by Farron. He also mentions the little fact of the disastrous war in Iraq which any Labour politician in government at the time must wear like an albatross around their ...
Nick Clegg did his obligatory Q&A at conference. Rather than write a post just with my responses, I have posted some of the questions here with my responses to each of his answers (where relevant) below. Q: Why was the health bill allowed to progress when it was not in the coalition agreement? Clegg says there is ...
At least I assume it has been. Back in August 2007 I reported that Sarky, a 'borderline terrrier' belonging to Ludlow town councillor Mitch Mitchell, has now won the right to attend meetings with his master. Now comes news that Mr Mitchell has been removed from the council after failing to attend a meeting for six months. The South Shropshire Journal report does not say so, but I this presumably means that Sarky has also lost the right to attend meetings too. The good news is that, according to the same report, you can see: Mr Mitchell, known as Mitch, ...
All four West Country bids from Bristol, Gloucester, Torbay and Cornwall (Eden Project) to be home to the UK's new and first Green Investment Bank (GIB) have been snubbed as Business Secretary Vince Cable announced on Thursday (8th) that the headquarters will be in Edinburgh, with the main transaction team in London.Capitalised with £3 billion, the GIB will play a vital role in addressing market
I adore Shirley Williams, always have, always will. She's one of my political heroines. The way she has fought for women's rights and helped emerging democracies to develop shows a truly liberal and compassionate spirit. So that's my declaration of interest out of the way. But I'm not alone. I'd say most of us in Gateshead this weekend feel the same way. The future of the NHS is not something that you can pin to personalities. That's why I was not best chuffed when Nick Clegg said this afternoon that you were either on Shirley's side or Andy Burnham's. We ...
Sat 10th
20:50
Nick Clegg holds up BBC 3.29pm weather bulletin - inside report from the BBC #bbctours
Here I am in the BBC Weather Studio (tour mock-up version) this afternoon. Severe Storms, apparently. I know, I was standing in the corridor outside the BBC weather studio as it happened. I saw it all on the monitors. Darren Betts, the weatherman was standing there very patiently for ten minutes waiting to go. (And, incidentally did you know that each BBC Weather bulletin costs just £60? It's all part of the unique way the BBC is funded....) But Nick Clegg went on and on, and in the end, Darren Betts had to record his piece, for it to be ...
Buffy is losing to Sansa Stark. Make your views known!
I adore Shirley Williams, always have, always will. She's one of my political heroes. The way she has fought for women's rights and helped emerging democracies to develop shows a truly liberal and compassionate spirit. So that's my declaration of interest out of the way. But I'm not alone. I'd say most of us in Gateshead this weekend feel the same way. Policy decisions we make, though, are not about her. The future of the NHS is not something that you can pin to personalities. That's why I was not best chuffed when Nick Clegg said this afternoon that you ...
There is something of an uproar going on this evening at Liberal Democrat Conference in Newcastle. A motion had been submitted for debate that called for the bill to be dropped altogether while another, submitted by Baroness Shirley Williams called for it to be supported but with amendments. Its not surprise that i was in the ...
Imagine the scene... It's Sunday afternoon and an editor is on the phone to a journalist. Editor: Thanks for filing this piece about the Lib Dem NHS debate. Journalist: Good piece, isn't it? Editor: There's just one thing I don't understand. Journalist: Oh, what's that? Editor: Well, you know how you say there was a debate this morning at the Lib Dem conference about the NHS Bill? Journalist: Yes, that's right. Editor: Are you sure it took place? Journalist: Of course! I was there. Editor: You sure you're not on an expense scam trip somewhere else? Journalist: That's outrageous! How ...
Here is something for my fellow Lib Dem Conference Reps to consider before voting on the Emergency Motion debate tomorrow. Dr Charles West and Dr Evan Harris, who proposed the amendment, report back. Conference therefore calls on Liberal Democrats in Parliament to amend the Health Bill to provide for: I) More democratically accountable commissioning. The Government says: "Commissioning will now be more democratically accountable. Clinical Commissioning Groups will have to involve Councils' Health and Wellbeing Boards in commissioning decisions." [Source: Government leaflet at Gateshead Conference] The true position: The Bill has had no significant amendments in this area [see Schedule ...
Sat 10th
19:12
Ask yourself this. Why isn't Nick Clegg framing the health debate as Paul Burstow vs. Andy Burnham?
I can't pretend I'm not bitterly disappointed that we're not debating the kill the bill motion at conference. As someone pointed out earlier, there is a certain irony that the rebel motion won on the first preferences but lost on the transfer votes - stuffed by AV again! But we do still have a health debate to vote on - and as a party we should defeat the motion and demonstrate just what we, the grass roots members really feel about this bill. There are many reasons to vote against the leadership's motion. The one I'm most fed up about ...
At the request of residents I recently asked the City Council for repairs in Strawberrybank's footpaths. I am pleased to have received the following feedback from the council's Roads Maintenance Partnership: "An order has been raised to fill various trips on the footway in Strawberrybank with a timescale for completion of twenty eight days or sooner."
Sat 10th
18:55
LDVideo: Nick Clegg - "If I thought this Bill was about privatising the NHS, it would never have see...
Nick Clegg took part in an afternoon Q&A at today's Lib Dem conference, and vigorously defended the changes to the NHS being implemented by the Coalition as amended by the party. Conference representatives earlier voted, by a slim margin of 309 votes to 280, to debate tomorrow morning Shirley Williams' motion, 'Saving the NHS', rather than the 'Drop the Bill' motion put forward by Winchester Lib Dems. (Also available on the BBC website here.) * Stephen Tall is Co-Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice, and also writes at his own site, The Collected Stephen Tall.
Credit should go to where credit is due, which is why the government should be commended for building on the positive work initiated by Labour's commitment to the Council of Europe's convention of violence against women. The Prime Minister announced two days ago that the UK has agreed to become the 19th signatory to the convention - a move which would see the convention's recommendations translated into British law. That is no bad thing. The fact that Cameron, with his reputation for pandering to the Europhobic elements of his party, has fully embraced the convention's ideals more than demonstrates that ...
The agenda of this weekend's LibDem spring conference in Gateshead has been almost entirely devoted to domestic matters, from tax to the NHS. But this morning, Conference overwhelmingly passed an important motion reaffirming the Party's belief in the future of the European project and how Britain needs to be right at the heart of the ...
I've just noticed that several legitimate emails to me appear to have been spamtrapped recently. I regularly delete my spam unread, so if you've not had a reply from me and your email was one that would normally have had one, I may not have seen your email. Sorry about that.
[IMG: 20120310-181139.jpg] All, Following the sale of Shipston Police Station to the Town Council Warwickshire Police released the following press release: "A message from the Shipston SNT: Friday 9 March sees the transfer of ownership of the former Shipston Police Station from Warwickshire Police Authority to Shipston Town Council. But members of the community will see no difference in the policing in the town as the Safer Neighbourhood Team will continue to operate from the former police station in West Street. Space has been leased to the Safer Neighbourhood Team enabling them to remain in the same building. The building ...
'Nick Clegg goes after the ultra-rich' is how the Telegraph today trails its interview with the Lib Dem leader, in which he signals his determination to write into law a 'Tycoon Tax' — a specific minimum rate of tax to ensure people are "paying their fair share" and not "massaging" the system. (Also available on the Telegraph website here.) Here's an excerpt from the Telegraph interview: The Deputy Prime Minister says he decided on the need for a tycoon tax after Mitt Romney, who is expected to be the US Republican Presidential candidate, disclosed he was paying just 13.9 per ...
So, Liberal Democrat Conference has voted to debate the leadership favoured alternative in the emergency motion ballot, by a margin of 309 to 280. And the majority, small that it was, includes me. There's no doubt that such a margin demonstrates how important the work of the Lords has been in revising what was a very poor piece of legislation. And, whilst the public debate has centered on what was in the original bill, I would rather have us debate what we now have, rather than what others would like us to believe. I'm intrigued by the protests. They have ...
I've just completed my first lab and "homework" for MITx 6.002x – and I achieved a decent result too! [IMG: MITx 6.002x - week1 progress] However, before I get too excited, I need to point out that they have a rather odd system of marking assignments – and one that anyone who's studied an OU course would love! You are allowed to make as many attempts at each question as you want. Not only that, but it the course software gives you instant feedback on whether your answer was right or wrong. So getting 100% (or close to it) didn't ...
I hated to hear our leader say during his Q&A "We need to say tomorrow we're on Shirley Williams' side & not on Andy Burnham's." For a start I also hated the fact that one of the two motions on the NHS yesterday bore the subtitle The Shirley William's Motion. I thought as Liberal Democrats that were not in the business of political personality cults, but rather into testing each option on the facts. The fact that even with Our Shirl on the motion it only won by 29 votes after transfers should tell Nick that it isn't just about ...
"The services provided as part of the health service in England must be free of charge except in so far as the making and recovery of charges is expressly provided for by or under any enactment, whenever passed" What this means is that if the bill is passed, only those charges that already exist can ...
Sadly I am unable to attend the parade this year. I am at the Lib Dem Conference in Gateshead and won't leave until about 10am. Hence I won't arrive in Birmingham until after the parade has ended.
The last years of the Labour government were plagued by the financial crisis. There will always be arguments about how much control the government really had, but it became clear that something had to be done to stop a repeat ever happening. And so with Vince Cable as the Business Secretary, the Lib Dems in government have taken action to separate the ordinary high street banking that you and I rely on from the risky investment banking which ultimately brought our economy to its knees. Tweet
This is a brief foray into the lighter side of Liberal Democrat Conference in Gateshead. There may well be more issues before the weekend is out but that depends on the amount and quality of the information I receive. The most pressing matter, of course, is the mystery of the missing chocolate. Yesterday, I put a box of Celebrations and a bag of Minstrels in the Liberal Democrat Voice office. By the time Mark Pack arrived here at the crack of dawn this morning, it had disappeared. What could possibly have happened? I'm sure that we could run to a ...
Save the NHS - The Shirley Williams Motion 309 Withdrawal of the Health and Social Care Bill 280 after transfers So the result of the ballot on the emergency motion came as a disappointment to me. The outrage that flowed on Twitter afterwards less so following on from the number of tweets urging conference to drop the bill in the last 24 hours. That was something that as I had access to a left of centre blog with more Labour readers I chose to write about elsewhere. However, there are a few things to note about that outrage. Firstly there ...
And we go to our commentary team at Liberal Democrat Conference as kickoff approaches... Thank you, and welcome to the Sage, here in Gateshead. As the home supporters take their seats for this afternoon's critical six-pointer, I can confirm that controversial midfielder, Vince Cable will be taking his usual place in the line-up this afternoon. So, settle down with a cold beer (priced accordingly to combat binge drinking), for our live commentary on this Premier League fixture, Liberal Democrats versus the Undeserving Rich... And as a warm-up, I can confirm that the Saving the NHS – Shirley Williams motion has ...
Sat 10th
14:58LibLink: Nick Thornsby - The coalition was the best option in May 2010, and it's the best option now
Over at the New Statesman, Lib Dem blogger and Voice day editor Nick Thornsby has a piece setting out why he thinks the arguments for going into coalition remain as strong today as in May 2010. Here's an excerpt: A coalition with Labour and a number of the smaller parties in Parliament was never a serious proposition, both because of the numerical difficulties and because of Labour's intransigence. In hindsight it's clear that most in the Labour party weren't interested in joining a coalition. They'd rather be in opposition. A confidence and supply arrangement was another option, but in my ...
I think the NHS bill is a bad bill, but it's not as bad as its detractors say, now. It's entirely possible that Lib Dem conference will vote to kill the bill tonight, but even if they don't, I don't think it will do the things its detractors say, now that it's been amended significantly ...
I am pleased to let you know that East Sussex County Council has taken swift action after Castle Ward Lib Dems contacted them about the broken and wobbly paving stones in the middle of the pedestrian area at Wellington Place in the Town Centre. Although the tarmac repair looks a bit ugly, at least it ...
I am not at the Liberal Democrat Spring Conference in Gateshead (or "Newcastle-Gateshead", as some are calling it). A lot of the media coverage focuses on the Emergency Motion that will be debated tomorrow, Sunday morning. There's been a ballot of people at the conference to choose which one of four motions gets debated tomorrow. Two are on health, one is on criminal justice and the other is on Syria. The members rarely vote for foreign-policy to be the subject of this one and only Emergency Debate; they usually vote to debate either this week's big UK news story (which ...
Yes, Gateshead. Not Newcastle, which is where the BBC has located us. Or NewcastleGateshead if you prefer – a local attempt to model the dual cities on Budapest but without the brevity. The Sage is the centrepiece of the riverside regeneration of the south side of Tyne. Together with the Baltic Arts Centre (drop in if you need a break from politics) it forms a superb arts complex, joined symbolically to the north (Newcastle) side by the iconic blinking-eye Millennium Bridge. This is the first time that Liberal Democrats have used the Sage for a Federal Conference. Whilst not large ...
"It went in didn't it?" was the remark from the Sky pundit when QPR's Clint Hill heads the ball into the Bolton net by at least a foot and the goalkeeper hits the ball against the crossbar and out again. In the next five minutes the same pundit tells us again and again how bad the linesman is and how he is going to lose his job. I check the BBC website and Jimmy Armfield has written ""It's in, we've seen a reply. It is over the line and Adam Bogdan has pulled it back. Unless my National Health glasses ...
Sat 10th
12:54I suppose being slagged off by Political Scrapbook is another one of those rites of passage...
Well they say all publicity is good publicity And I've never been called a party hack before. But Political Scrapbook REALLY didn't like my piece in the New Statesman last Monday. Ho hum.
A rather depressing Telegraph online headline today reads "Nick Clegg goes after the ultra-rich" . Nick Clegg has apparently recently "uncovered evidence" that our tax code is too complex and that complexity is benefiting tax-lawyers and the super-rich. "The Deputy Prime Minister says he has uncovered evidence that hundreds of millionaires are paying a tax rate of less than 20 per cent on their earnings by using an "army of lawyers and accountants....... A wide array of tax loopholes and reliefs are exploited by the wealthy to reduce their tax bills, leading to them paying overall rates on annual earnings ...
Well, it has arrived. The long expected response to Medway Council's letter pleading the case against any airport in the Thames Estuary or on the Isle of Grain signed by the leaders of the four main Political parties in the council (Con, Lab, Libdem and Independent). It only took 7-8 weeks and is written in typical management speech which I will attempt to translate using my experience in middle management and civil service. Dear Councillor Chambers, Thank you for your letter of 18th January 2012 sent on behalf of all political groups from Medway Council requesting a meeting to discuss ...
Given some of the recent speculation over the 50p tax rate, the speech from Stephen Williams (Co-Chair of the Parliamentary Party Committee on the Treasury) opening the debate on tax policy was significant: Now is not the right time to drop the 50p tax rate. The full context left open if there might ever be a right time, but unlike speculation in The Times a few days back, there was no offer of trading off the 50p rate against the introduction of a mansion tax. His comments also reflected the text of the motion passed, which included: The wealthy and ...
I remember the outcry when Labour increased the basic state pension by just 75p. This achievement by Liberal Democrats in government was the very opposite of that attitude. By restoring the link between earnings and pensions, the coalition government secured the biggest ever rise in the level of the state pension. And it means that the average pensioner will receive £15,000 more in their lifetime than they would have done before. Tweet
Sat 10th
12:15Do Lib Dem members' views differ from conference representatives' views? Here's what our survey says...
We published yesterday the results of our survey of Lib Dem members' views of the Coalition's NHS reforms. Given the importance of this weekend's debate at the party's spring conference, we have also tried to test how Lib Dem members who are conference representative might vote on Sunday, when there is likely to be an emergency debate on the future of the Health & Social Care Bill. All party members registered on the LibDemVoice forum were able to vote: 507 did so, including 147 who said they would be attending the conference as a voting representative. To compare their views ...
Blackcherry appears to have been sold and renamed Draft House. The first thing the new owners do – talk to neighbours NOPE but apply for shorter licensing hours. They have applied to be open Thus, Fri and Sat 10am until 1am and the rest of the week 10am until midnight. Draft House licensing extensions. This is dramatic improvement on the current 2am and 3am closing. If you think Lordship Lane and East Dulwich already has enough anti social problems from late night revellers then please do SUPPORT this application by emailing licensing@southwark.gov.uk and please copy me james.barber@southwark.gov.uk. Equally if you ...
The fantastic Sage conference hall was the venue for Brian Paddick's speech to the Liberal Democrat spring conference. Or rather, his co-speech. Because for the purposes of the London 2012 campaign, Brian Paddick is no more. Instead he has been merged into Brian-Paddick-Caroline-Pidgeon. It is one of the lessons from previous London campaigns that the party needs to be far better at turning profile for a Mayor candidate into votes for the London Assembly list, the best prospect for the party to gain new seats. This then was not Brian Paddick's speaking slot. It was the Brian-Paddick-Caroline-Pidgeon speaking slot, preceded ...
Councillor backs £250m green fund for SeftonCardboard and plastic collections in SeftonA BIRKDALE councillor wants to see Sefton bid for a share of a £250m recycling fund.Earlier this year Eric Pickles, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, announced the Weekly Collection Support Scheme.Councillor Simon Shaw, who is cabinet member for environment, hopes Sefton lodges a successful bid for the grant so Southport homeowners canbegin recycling cardboard and plastic from their doorsteps.Cllr Shaw (Lib Dem) said: "I am very aware that there is strong public support locally for the idea of the council collecting cardboard and plastic. The problem ...
Today's Independent has an editorial with some friendly advice for the Liberal Democrats. The paper praises the party for the amendments made to the Health and Social Care Bill but advises that it's now time to "make peace and move on" by passing the Bill: With the Liberal Democrats in Gateshead for their spring conference this weekend, NHS reform is once again top of the agenda. And once again grassroots activists are threatening rebellion. It would be a mistake - for the NHS and also for the party. It is time to make peace and move on. Last year's conference ...
I have reluctantly come to the conclusion that the Lib Dem membership this weekend should vote to stop the NHS bill currently going through parliament. I am afraid this is not really for reasons of principle. I have long thought that the NHS is going to need major reform in the coming years and I think certainly some of the aspects that I have read about in the current bill would be to the benefit of the organisation. I must confess I am not up on all the latest details but I know Lib Dems in parliament have been working ...
Well, after thirty-five years, the magic has come back. The first run of Leela stories from The Face of Evil to Horror of Fang Rock is in some ways the peak of the Tom Baker era, possibly of the whole of Who, and I have been a bit disappointed that neither the spinoff novels set in this period nor the Big Finish Companion Chronicles featuring a dying Leela reminiscing about untold adventures have quite captured the Zeitgeist. But Big Finish have now pretty much pulled it off. The Fourth Doctor Lost Stories box set includes a six-parter by Robert Banks ...
Despite a resurgence in recent years, the tabling of questions to party committee reports at Liberal Democrat conference is still very much a minority sport. So much so that 100% of questions to the Federal Policy Committee came from a certain North London Doctor with an penchant for chocolate... The questions do however provide a good opportunity to ferret out information or push for a decision where you know the door is half-open. In my case this morning at Gateshead that resulted in questions to both the Federal Conference Committee and the Federal Policy Committee asking them to start publishing ...
I am not at the Liberal Democrat Federal Conference in Gateshead. It is a long way to go for what is essentially an English policy event, especially when there is plenty to do at home in preparation for the local elections. That does not mean that I am not watching events as they unfold and particularly the spin being put on Nick Clegg's speech. According to the Telegraph the Liberal Democrat leader will be using the occasion to call for the introduction of a "tycoon tax" which will mean that wealthy Britons have to pay a minimum rate of tax ...
Well, this is very entertaining! While The Princess Bride is at its core a rollicking fairy tale that does nothing at all to challenge racial or sexual stereotypes, what saves it is the witty and occasionally self-mocking tone of the text, the framing narrative of an author reclaiming a story he loved in childhood for his grandson, and also the sub-plot about the process of editing down and publishing a story written by another person in another time for another audience. I'm also impressed by the ambiguity of the ending (I understand that the film doesn't dare to replicate that). ...
The BBC reports: More than 6,000 branches of the Post Office are to be revamped by the government in the next three years. An investment programme costing £1.34bn will modernise the sub-branches... The government repeated its pledge that there would be no further closures of post office branches... The postal affairs minister, Norman Lamb, said: "This government has made a commitment that there will be no closure programme and invested £1.34bn to secure the long term future of the Post Office. "However, change is needed to secure the long term future of post offices; the pilots are showing the new ...
The fifth in my series on Liberal Democrat achievements in government is all about the environment - and jobs too. The Green Deal is a scheme to help people invest in their homes by creating a loan scheme to fund environmental improvements like insulation, more efficient heating systems and solar panels. And by making the scheme small scale and local, it will help to create and safeguard local jobs too. Tweet
I'm really looking forward to The Shard opening, complete with a public viewing platform that will give stunning views out over London. However, there is a problem, as I wrote about when profiling Lib Dem councillor Poddy Clark: What is for me one of the best aspects of The Shard development is for her a ward nightmare: the viewing platform that will be open to the public and, at 243.8 metres height, offering amazing views across and beyond London. With estimates that this will attract as many as two million visitors a year, the viewing platform will offer a fantastic ...
Crikey, this Labour candidate's views on Ken Livingstone make mine seem almost mild... Your supporters will say I'm disloyal to the Labour Party, but don't seem to mind you campaigning against our candidate in Tower Hamlets. Your supporters cheered you when you called tax avoiders "rich bastards", but they don't seem to mind the £50,000 you have allegedly avoided yourself. Your supporters criticise Boris Johnson as a "part time Mayor" for churning out a weekly article for the Telegraph, but they don't seem to mind that you were an MP and a writer for the Independent during substantial parts of ...
So after an over indulgent night out Thursday, yesterday morning started not with a fizzle but with a huge whimper, but here is my account of the day! At about 2:00 being with several other party members, we made our way down to the Sage in Gateshead, greeted by what is essentially a portacabin security and metal detectors was an interesting experience. When we finally managed to enter the sage, it was a sight to behold, a beautiful building anyway, it was decked out in all shades of lib demmery, within minutes my MP spotting had started. Yes that's right ...
What would cheer you up as an event in the Town Centre? Have your say at a consultation about a programme of events to make Consett town centre the place to be in 2012.
Later today Lib Dem conference reps in Gateshead get to choose Sundays' emergency motion. There are four choices. A motion on justice and security, a motion on Syria and two motions on the NHS. One is the "Shirley Williams" motion asking for support for the Bill as amended by the Lords, the other asks for ...
Alright, so I've made it to the Liberal Democrat Conference after a not terribly epic journey. Yes, the journey to Peterborough was pleasantly familiar, and the trip from there to Newcastle gave me long enough to catch up with the blog and with my Liberal Democrat Voice stuff, so I arrived with a vague sense of achievement. I've popped into the conference HQ hotel to catch up with old friends, and now I'm heading back to the hotel for some sleep. Life is going to be very interesting in the goldfish bowl for the next couple of days, and I'll ...
