An extraordinary snippet in a wonderful recollection of the Orpington by-election by Chris Rennard on Liberal Democrat Voice: The Daily Mail was actually the most confident of the papers in forecasting a Liberal gain. The Liberal agent bought 9,000 of them wholesale and volunteers gave them out at the railway stations early in the morning in a constituency dominated by commuters. Most of the recipients probably thought that it was a marketing exercise by the Daily Mail. But they read that a Liberal would win - and they had confidence in voting for the party when they returned home. [IMG: ...

Posted by Paul on Liberal Burblings
Fri 16th
21:34

Miliband is such a Tory

He can't score many column inches, but with the trite that comes out of Ed Miliband's mouth, it's no wonder more of his members are leaving the foray. The tiny snippet (although arguably he may be trying to keep a low profile for Ken, who's presence is notably also absent) in the Evening Standard is ...

Posted by Curious on Political Parry

It's a good thing that the Leicester Labour Party is at each other's throats. Otherwise, with a Labour elected mayor and 52 out of the city's 54 councillors being Labour as well, there would be no debate at all. Last week, on the eve of the Queen's hugely successful visit to Leicester, the mayor Sir Peter Soulsby announced plans for the creation of a Jubilee Square to commemorate the event. Located at St Nicholas Place, the Medieval centre of the city, it would replace a taxi rank and park-and-ride bus stop with landscaped gardens with benches, trees and outdoor cafes. ...

Posted by Jonathan on Liberal England

I met Ted Howard earlier in the week, but sadly missed his seminar last night. On the other hand, and thanks to him, I do now feel geared up to battle for a more local approach to reviving the economy - where it really matters. The visit was organised by Clare Goff of New Start magazine who wrote en excellent profile of Howard and his Evergreen project in Cleveland, Ohio. This is Neil NcInroy's blog about last night's event. Cleveland is the American city worst hit by the sub-prime mortgage crisis. There are two major economic players still active there. ...

Posted by Davidboyle on The Real Blog

The controversial proposals by the Conservative-run Harborough District Council to move the town's market from the Market Hall to a car park behind the council's office will be the subject of a demonstration tomorrow. It will begin at 1the Market Hall at 11.30 a.m. and finish at the Square at noon. Market Harborough People says that leaflets and posters will be handed out to raise awareness of the council's controversial plans, which include leasing the Market Hall to a chain store. I expect the demonstrators will find a lot of support. As the Leicester Mercury reports: More than 14,000 people ...

Posted by Jonathan on Liberal England

All, In some breaking news the planning permission for Pettiphers' Garage was approved today. The plans will mean a retail unit (possibly another food store) on the ground floor and 8 flats above it. The planning application including plans can be found here. Although I doubt this will be welcome news for those who want a larger store in Shipston, it is, at least, a potential improvement on the current two Co-Ops in the Town, and is based on a brownfield site near the Town Centre. When I hear who's going to move in I'll let you know! Philip

Posted by Philip Vial on Shipston on Stour blog

Last month I reported that the Liberal Democrat group on Leicestershire County Council had called for the resignation of the body's Conservative leader David Parsons over alleged expenses irregularities.. And informed gossip suggested that his own group was not much keener on him. Parsons survived that crisis, but he is under renewed pressure today after the Leicester Mercury's revelation that he has cost taxpayers more than £1m in expenses and allowances over the past five years. At a time when his council is making £74m cuts, Parsons has made extensive use of a chauffeur-driven car: Trips included media appearances, theatre ...

Posted by Jonathan on Liberal England

Following concerns expressed by constituents that a coned-off lane restriction on the busy Riverside Drive at the site of the Tay Rail Bridge has been in place since late last year, I raised the matter with Dundee City Council to find out when the coned off area will be back to normal traffic. The cones were put in place during November 2011 following a vehicle hitting the bridge. The City Council's Head of Transportation advised me : "This is a deliberate section of temporary traffic management to ensure that no further vehicle strikes occur. The City Engineer's Structural engineers have ...

A disaster by anyone's standards

Posted by Richard Morris on A VIEW FROM HAM COMMON
Fri 16th
18:13

Retro-quote of the week

I don't drink any more. I freeze it now and eat it like a Popsicle. Dean Martin [IMG: Post to Twitter] Tweet This Post

Posted by Paul on Liberal Burblings
YouGov

Today, The Guardian reports on the OECD's new study of the global environmental outlook until 2050. The report found four key areas that are of most concern - climate change, loss of biodiversity, water and the health impacts of pollution. I was impressed by this comment by Simon Upton, head of the OECD environment directorate: Upton said that if governments took action now, and developed long-term views of these environmental problems, it would give them a much greater chance of avoiding the worst outcomes. "The key thing is that these four biggest problems are interconnnected - biodiversity is affected by ...

Posted on NeilStockley.com

As a South Londoner of many years standing, the only wildlife I was likely to see consisted almost entirely of urban foxes. And whilst they were occasionally quite attractive, they weren't exactly cute. Of course, I now live in the countryside, and wildlife sightings are relatively commonplace. Deer, rabbits, hare, slowworms, weasels and a range of game birds give me something to watch out for on my walks around the parish, or community bus rides to and from the station. However, I clearly haven't been as observant as my fellow parish councillors. Dan, who joined us from the now sadly ...

Posted by Mark Valladares on The view from Creeting St Peter

It is a normality to hear about companies closing and jobs being lost in the UK but there is something socially unjust about the closure of Remploy and it doesn't make business sense either. I have been doing alot of research into this and a number of discrepancies occur. This blog post has been inspired by my friendship with Peter Gordon Smith who works at Remploy Ashington. I have to write this blog post in 3 parts which will be posted over the next few days because there is so much to analyse. Remploy is actually a British manufacturing firm. ...

Posted by Maelo Manning on libdemchild, aged 11

The rumour mill is turning at an alarming rate about next week's budget- the grapevine is whispering that the 50p rate is about to be scrapped, and less than a week after Liberal Democrat spring Conference voted for this: "Conference resolves that the wealthy and those with the very highest incomes should make the greatest proportionate contribution to the tax measures necessary for the reduction of the structural budget deficit and that the Additional Income Tax Rate of 50% on the top 1% of earners is needed to achieve this." Fairer taxes, one of our four key manifesto pledges supposedly ...

Posted by Joe Jordan on Liberal Democrat Voice

The results of the Poll of Members of The Royal College of Physicians into the support for the NHS Bill have just been announced and an astonishing 69% - basically 7 out of 10 - have asked for the Bill to be withdrawn. This follows an earlier vote of Fellows of the RCP with an even clearer majority calling for the withdrawal of the Bill There is one more throw of the dice on the NHS Bill - that the House of Lords support the Owen amendment (as we're giving motions people's names now) to pause the Bill until the ...

Posted by Richard Morris on A VIEW FROM HAM COMMON

FROM: Sam Speed, Emergency Social Work Co-ordinator TO: Silesia Jones, Equality and Diversity Beacon Consultant Hi! Have all the kettles disappeared from your kitchen too? FROM: Silesia Jones TO: Sam Speed Yes. It's a bummer. Terry's trying to find out what's happened. FROM: Sam Speed TO: Silesia Jones Especially as I work nights and the water heater is set to go off at 5. FROM: Hamish Carpenter, Transformational Excellence Manager TO: Calandra Larkins, Spatial Diversification Officer (Upper) Don Coggins, Hard Systems Manager (Core) Colleagues: People on B11 have been asking what happened overnight to the kettle in our kitchen. It ...

Posted by SibatheHat on Siba The Hat

We have heard so much in the last few weeks of desperate pre-budget lobbying about how another runway at Heathrow would kickstart what they call 'growth' (an amorphous and undefined objective at the best of times). Actually, the reverse may be true:

Posted by Davidboyle on The Real Blog

It's Friday. It's five o'clock. Here's a fistful of lists that sum up the LDV week: 5 most-read stories on LDV this week A letter from Andy Burnham to Liberal Democrat members (62 comments) by Andy Burnham MP Baroness Shirley Williams writes... I am fed up with lies about Lib Dems and the Health Bill (50 comments) by Shirley Williams Round-up of initial reactions to the Lib Dem conference NHS Bill vote (50 comments) by Stephen Tall What Lib Dem members think about the NHS Bill: 57% opposed, but majority might back it if significantly amended (18 comments) by Stephen ...

Posted by Helen Duffett on Liberal Democrat Voice

The 1932 Games were held in the middle of the Great Depression. No country bid to host the Games but they were awarded to the runners up to Amsterdam the city of Los Angeles. Because of the economic situation many nations who had attended in 1928 cound not afford to send teams or as many competitors in 1932 reflected in the stats below. Nations 37 (-9) Competitors 1332 (-1551) Sports 14 (-1) Events 117 (+12) Despite the reduction in nations there were two debutante nations Columbia and China. The most populous nation in the world made their Olympic debut with ...

Posted by Stephen Glenn on Stephen's Liberal Journal

I might have had EpicTechnologyFail today, but there ARE some good things abroad: 30 years ago today, Adric died. And even better, 28 years ago today, the Fifth Doctor turned into the Sixth. Happy Colin Day, everybody! This post is brought to you by the words grasping, desperately, and straws. [IMG: comment count unavailable] comments

eUKhost

So today's plan was to record an interview with a Very Important Person for the Pod Delusion. This had been set up some weeks in advance, and the VIP had kindly set aside some time for me, and all was cool. As the allotted time approached I was contacted by an underling: they were having some problems with Skype, could I bear with them while the IT person sorted it out? Obviously, I said of course, and hung around watching lips move but no sound appearing on an increasingly frustrated underling's face as Skype steadfastly refused to work at their ...

Following a protest outside the Sudanese embassy in Washington, George Clooney, Martin Luther King III, Massachusetts Democratic Congressman Jim McGovern; Virginia Democratic Congressman Jim Moran; and National Association for the Advancement of Colored People President Ben Jealous have all been arrested. The arrests came as the campaigners were raising the issue of the humanitarian crisis that is happening at the border between Sudan and South Sudan. Yesterday Clooney was at the White House to discuss the issue with President Barack Obama. As you can see the protest was a peaceful one and those arrested did not resist being cuffed by ...

Posted by Stephen Glenn on Stephen's Liberal Journal

Secretary of State for Scotland Michael Moore has been talking to the London Evening Standard about such subjects as varied as beach volleyball, the independence referendum and taxes. On the latter, he was clear where Liberal Democrat priorities for the Budget lie:"The simple equation is that we think the priority is to help those on the lowest incomes to get as much support as they can," he said. "Clearly that is going to have to be paid for and we think it is fair that those who have the broadest shoulders should be the ones who contribute to that. That ...

Posted by Caron on Caron's Musings

This morning I had the pleasure of meeting the hard-working and dedicated team at Human Appeal International in Fallowfield. Since its creation 20 years ago, it has worked in 27 countries and saved many thousands of lives. http://humanappeal.org.uk/index.html I was ... Continue reading →

Posted by John Leech MP on John Leech MP

Secretary of State for Scotland Michael Moore has been talking to the London Evening Standard about such subjects as varied as beach volleyball, the independence referendum and taxes. On the latter, he was clear where Liberal Democrat priorities for the Budget lie: "The simple equation is that we think the priority is to help those on the lowest incomes to get as much support as they can," he said. "Clearly that is going to have to be paid for and we think it is fair that those who have the broadest shoulders should be the ones who contribute to that. ...

Posted by Caron Lindsay on Liberal Democrat Voice

A fun video with a serious message Tweet

Posted by Alex Folkes on A Lanson Boy

The Principal of Dundee College opens the National Convention on Youth Employment Yesterday, I had the pleasure of attending part of the National Convention on Youth Employment at Dundee College's Gardyne Campus, along with a large gathering of national and local politicians, major employers, JobCentre Plus, the further & higher education sectors and many others. The event was organised by the Scotland Office. Tackling youth unemployment is a major challenge for both the Westminster and Scottish Governments and it was refreshing to see Ministers from both governments speaking on the same platform and emphasising the close working relationship between the ...

[IMG: Alex Folkes] On the Local Government Association blog, Cllr Alex Folkes writes: At a time when all councils are trying to save money, why should an authority be funding both sides of an expensive battle? That's the case in Cornwall, and many other councils, in terms of the tobacco industry. On the one hand, in our public health role, we have a duty to work to cut smoking rates. On the other we have pension funds, which are invested for the benefit of our former and current staff and for which members are trustees charged with a duty to ...

Posted by The Voice on Liberal Democrat Voice

Whilst I was busy commentating on Southend United v Accrington Stanley last Saturday Southend West's PPC in 2010 Peter Welch was busy talking to Danny Alexander and congratulated him on his work to wrestle £24million for seaside town rejuvenation. Here is what Peter was up to along with a grinning picture of the two of them. [IMG: Peter Welch meets Danny Alexander] Peter Welch meets Danny Alexander The Liberal Democrats' candidate for Southend West at the last General Election has met with Cabinet Minister Danny Alexander to congratulate him on finding the funds needed to set up a £24 million ...

Posted by neilmonnery on The Rambles of Neil Monnery

With my finger on the pulse of events that, er, happened a week ago, I was very interested to read this speech by Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, in which he said: "The world, as I see it, is not split along traditional lines: North/South; East/West; Developed/Developing. It is divided into those societies which are open and those which are closed." Worth a read if you are interested in Liberal Democrat foreign policy in terms of the UK's Coalition Government. Oh, and to anyone who might ever suggest that British politicians have a tendency to talk about Israel/Palestine to ...

Posted by Matthew Harris on Matthew Harris

Writing for Total Politics, The Voice's Mark Pack welcomes public arguments over the Budget: What would you do if you have a really important set of decisions to make? Decisions that will have a direct impact on the lives of millions of people, on the future of the country and - although of course you are too saintly to think of this - on your own future career prospects. Locking yourself away in secret and deciding all the key decisions on your own before presenting them to the rest of the world as a fait accompli is not the route ...

Posted by NewsHound on Liberal Democrat Voice

Enjoy:

Posted by Mark Pack on Mark Pack

... Brian Paddick for this line in is winning debate performance last night: Boris likes his [new] bus because it's like his house - it has two staircases and three doors.

Posted by Mark Pack on Mark Pack

Read my account of last nights' Health and Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee discussion on the future of St Helier hospital by visiting my local blog here.

Posted by Lester Holloway on cllrlesterholloway

The Welsh Liberal Democrat Assembly Member for South Wales West, Peter Black has visited the Remploy factory in Swansea and addressed workers so as to express his support for their fight to keep it open. Mr. Black arranged the visit after the UK Government announced plans to close seven of the nine Remploy factories in Wales just over a week ago. He was also the joint author of a motion passed unanimously by Swansea Council last night pledging their support for the factory and agreeing to lobby for its retention. Commenting on the visit, Mr. Black said: "When I toured ...

Posted by Aberavon & Neath Liberal Democrats on Aberavon & Neath Liberal Democrats

Cornwall Council's parking service will need a second bailout this year according to a report being presented to next week's cabinet meeting. Back when the budget was agreed the Lib Dems warned that racking up car park charges would result in less income not more. At the time, cabinet member Graeme Hicks said that he was confident in the predictions. Then, in the autumn, he was persuaded by officers to cut the amount they could expect to make from car parking by a massive £2.5 million. The latest papers reveal that Cllr Hicks will miss his revised target by another ...

Posted by Alex Folkes on A Lanson Boy

Since Chris Rennard coined the groundbreaking concept of 'pavement politics' the party has struggled to move forward and evolve with regards to innovative and modern strategic frameworks. Whilst no one individual holds the monopoly on this, I would like to share a few thoughts on the matter. First, it is important to acknowledge that things have changed considerably since May 2010. We can no longer package ourselves as the anti-establishment party and must accept that our voter demographic has altered significantly. The days of lentil-eating, sandal-wearing members are over. We are now a fully-fledged, professional, suited-and-booted organisation that has demonstrated ...

Posted by Scott Hill on Liberal Democrat Voice

In the aftermath of the recent wave action in the Indian Ocean, even the archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williamson [sic], proved himself a latter-day Voltairean by whimpering that he could see how this might shake belief in a friendly creator. Williamson is of course a notorious fool, who does an almost perfect imitation of ...

Posted by danielfurr on Too lib·er·al [adj.]

Meet the Candidates: Rhys Taylor (Policy & Campaigns). Filed under: Politics

Posted by Rhys Taylor on Ramblings of a Lib Dem.

Great fun from PoliticsHome: And what of ground campaigning, the party's supposed strength? The production of election literature plays a similarly central role in Liberal Democrat election campaigning to human sacrifices in the Aztec Empire, with a similar commitment to measuring its effectiveness. Unfortunately, the other parties have begun to take a very similar role to the Spanish in this allegory - coming with new vastly superior campaigns technologies from across the seas (the Republican and Democratic campaigns, in this case) to decimate this faithful traditional civilisation. @LonWon storifies some Tweets about this here. [IMG: Post to Twitter] Tweet This ...

Posted by Paul on Liberal Burblings

Last week the Adam Smith Institute published my policy paper on reforming the UK's sclerotic and highly damaging planning system. The land-use planning system in the UK has created a housing crisis, stifled our economy and had a negative effect on our environment. You can download the full report from the Adam Smith Institute. If you want to engage in the lively debate, you can do so at Lib Dem Voice, here and here. Apparently, this is "sprawl"

Posted by Tom Papworth on Liberal Vision

It was days like Monday that made me extremely proud of being an MP in Manchester. I went to two seminars in the Commons held by local scientists Dr Simon Dovedi and Harry Milton. Dr Simon Dovedi works at the ... Continue reading →

Posted by John Leech MP on John Leech MP

A Labour proposal to split Cheadle, and Cheadle Hulme, in half is being strongly opposed by the Lib Dems. The Boundary Commission is considering where to draw the new parliamentary boundaries. Their initial report doesn't rule out a Labour proposal to take the Cheadle Hulme North ward into Stockport Constituency. The Labour proposal to split Cheadle is to save some of their seats elsewhere in Greater Manchester. That would mean the centre and west side of Cheadle village staying in Cheadle constituency with Cheadle Green, Queens Gardens and the whole Councillor Lane area hived off into Stockport Constituency. The part ...

Posted by Iain Roberts on Keith Holloway, Iain Roberts & Pam King

I guess I am the only Lib Dem Voice editor who actually remembers the Orpington by-election of 1962. I was not old enough to vote (in case you were wondering) and I did not actually get involved in campaigning, but the excitement of the event certainly made an impression on me as a young supporter of the Liberals. Eric Lubbock, now Lord Avebury, gained a huge swing in Orpington, taken mainly from from the Conservatives. That victory was widely perceived as a turning point for the party. For many years before, Liberal support had been declining; the standing joke was ...

Posted by Mary Reid on Liberal Democrat Voice

My favourite website page produced by the Electoral Commission? It's this one. If you wonder why, scroll down to the bottom 'myth'.

Posted by Mark Pack on Mark Pack
Fri 16th
10:40

50th Anniversary Dinner

Wednesday, the National Liberal Club gave a splendid dinner attended by a capacity 120 people, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Orpington by-election. Many of the 1962 warriors were there and we had a great time exchanging reminiscences. Here is an extract from my after-dinner speech, proposing the toast to LibDem candidates: The arguments that are going on within the coalition reflect the tensions caused by the need, accepted on all sides, to eliminate the deficit. There's no fundamental principle which decides who's to pay the bill, but I imagine the Prime Minister must have regretted echoing the slogan ...

Posted by Eric Avebury on Eric Avebury

Alan Garner to conclude Weirdstone of Brisingamen trilogy Only 49 years since the second volume was published! (tags: sf ) H.P. Lovecraft, Author, Is Dead 75th anniversary. "It seemed to be a sort of monster, or symbol representing a monster, of a form which only a diseased fancy could conceive..." (tags: sf ) Why We Should Fear Amazon By Scott "Presumed Innocent" Turow. (tags: amazon ama ) Without the Convention on Human Rights - our human rights depend on what our government says they are | Charon QC Defence of the ECHR. (tags: ukpolitics ukp humanrights )

Fri 16th
10:24

Avoiding oblivion

Mark Gettleson, former leader of Liberal Youth and Students, Councillor in Southwark and writer and head of research for politicshome.com has written an excellent article, in my opinion, on the challenges the Liberal Democrats are facing ahead of the next election "How can the Lib Dems avoid oblivion". It is on Politicshome.com, having previously been published ...

Posted by Greenwich Liberal on Greenwich Liberal

"With Chancellor George Osborne finalising next week's budget, the Social Liberal Forum reaffirms the Liberal Democrat commitment to fair taxation and urges the government to consider the political implications of cutting taxes on income for the highest earners. Of course ... Continue reading →

Posted by prateekbuch on Social Liberal Forum
Fri 16th
10:00

Sympathy but move

I have some sympathy for local politicians undertaking cabinet roles part time. Politics is one of the least secure roles you can have. Giving up a day job to become a local full-time politician is a brave or foolish act especially if you have a family to support. Short-term you have little job security. In the Lib Dems you have to please all your colleagues and they elect you to the role every year. Annoy them and you're out. In the Labour party the leader appoints you. Neither routes to holding a cabinet portfolio offer much job security! Longer term ...

Posted by James Barber on James Barber

Pauline Pearce's outspoken and down-to-earth condemnation of the London rioters at the height of the violence last summer gained the attention of the nation, and she was dubbed the 'Heroine of Hackney'. Now she is standing for the Liberal Democrats in this May's local elections. For those who don't remember or have never seen Pauline's most famous moment, here's the video footage. (Please note there is strong language throughout.) (Available on YouTube here.) Here's how the Hackney Citizen reported her joining the ranks of Lib Dem candidates looking to put community politics into action this May: The 'Heroine of Hackney', ...

Posted by Stephen Tall on Liberal Democrat Voice

Well, kind of. Even though it's not his fault that he found himself having to high tail it to St Andrew's last night to take part in Question Time at the last minute. There was even a sort of symmetry about one great by election winner taking a role on the national stage exactly 50 years after another's ground breaking win. But, did it really have to be the night before the F1 practice sessions started in Australia? I need my sleep, otherwise I turn into the Witch Queen from Hell. There was no way I'd manage to get up ...

Posted by Caron on Caron's Musings

@jamesgraham Tho without the chance to vote off your least favourite act. Admit it, you'd watch then, yes? in reply to jamesgraham # Gerard Depardieu: genius. #grahamnorton # @sunny_hundal Not true, Sunny. @timfarron blames Guardian readers for not voting in enough numbers for the LibDems. in reply to sunny_hundal # @sunny_hundal Yes, the Tories would have a majority. They'd have won an autumn 2010 election. in reply to sunny_hundal # But so was mass franchise to Charles M RT @mustberead: Gay marriage is a Tory modernisation too far, says Charles Moore http://t.co/Clcyjekx # @sunny_hundal I'd agree, it's not /all/ Guardian ...

Posted by Stephen Tall on stephentall.org

A fortnight ago, I was waiting for news from the Bureau of the European Liberal Democrats (ELDR), regarding a potential appointment. I waited... and waited... but silence was all that came. So, I went to Gateshead for the Spring Federal Conference and pottered about a bit. I did run into Sir Graham Watson, ELDR President, but I was far too polite to ask him, especially as the news might have been bad. However, on Wednesday, I received an e-mail from Roman Jakič, the ELDR Treasurer; "I have the pleasure to announce to you that in accordance with the rules of ...

Posted by Mark Valladares on The view from Creeting St Peter
Fri 16th
09:12

Arguing over Amritsar

London University's Institute of Historical Research, where I was until recently a seemingly perpetual student, runs the excellent Reviews in History resources on its website. This provides an opportunity for longer discussions of new history books than can be included even in specialist academic journals and also for the book's author to respond to the review. Normally it is fairly well mannered stuff with measured reviews being met with grateful thanks for constructive comments on the book in question. But just occasionally it is handbags at dawn, as in the case of Kim Wagner's review of Nick Lloyd's recent The ...

Posted by Iain Sharpe on Eaten by missionaries

A4e From a Clients Perspective. | Online Protest Against Workfare And people think Pauline in the LEague of Gentlemen is an exaggeration... (tags: workfare ) The British Public are in favour of equal marriage - no they aren't - yes they are - etc. Full Fact delves into the various polls. (tags: ) Harriet Potter OMG Lady Neville is so adorable! And Lady Voldy is fabulous. (tags: art ) For the last time - yes, you can be feminine and play sports! « Fit and Feminist I want to know why people find it so unsettling when they encounter a ...

The government has reaffirmed its commitment to encourage firms to put more women on their boards in the wake of the launch of the first annual progress report on Lord Davies of Abersoch review of Women on Boards. In the run up to International Women's Day last week various high profile women, from Cherie Blair to Jeanette Winterson, also argued that gender parity on company boards is the defining issue for women's equality. Much of the debate has centred on how to get there. The government favours a light touch approach, hoping businesses will see sense in response to Ministerial ...

Posted by Tess Lanning on Liberal Democrat Voice

It was a busy day yesterday – launching the Coalition's consultation which outlines plans to enable same-sex couples to have a civil marriage ceremony. You can access a copy of the full consultation document on the Home Office website – here . The Coaltion Government recognises that there are a wide range of views on this issue and wants to hear from all perspectives. So please send in your views by completing a simple, online survey available here . You can follow this on twitter at #equalcivilmarriage. If you have any queries, please email Holly.Riley

Posted by Lynne Featherstone on Lynne Featherstone » Blog

Yesterday that long-awaited day final arrived, and the Westminster Government's consultation on marriage equality began. There were no surprises in the consultation and it has been made clear it's not really about if but how the Government introduces civil marriage equality. You can have a read of the proposals and find out how to respond here. There are two important reasons why those of us in favour of full marriage equality should respond: 1) most importantly to confirm our support for this step forward. As I've said before on civil partnerships as long as one in clear it's not ideal ...

Posted on Neue Politik

Cllr van de Ven (LD, Melbourn) Cambridgeshire Liberal Democrats have put a motion to council on March 23rd - the same meeting where councillors will vote again on their allowances - calling for a freeze in councillor allowances and for the £100,000 set aside by the Conservatives for a possible pay rise to be used to fund free public transport for young people seeking education, employment and training. The £100,000 would be used to provide free public transport to help young people aged 16-19 make their first steps into education,employment or training, such as attending a job interview or visiting ...

Posted by Andy Pellew on Focus on Bar Hill

Cllr van de Ven (LD, Melbourn) Cambridgeshire Liberal Democrats have put a motion to council on March 23rd - the same meeting where councillors will vote again on their allowances - calling for a freeze in councillor allowances and for the £100,000 set aside by the Conservatives for a possible pay rise to be used to fund free public transport for young people seeking education, employment and training. The £100,000 would be used to provide free public transport to help young people aged 16-19 make their first steps into education,employment or training, such as attending a job interview or visiting ...

Posted by Andy Pellew on Focus on King's Hedges

Lib Dem Voice has polled our members-only forum to discover what Lib Dem members think of various political issues, the Coalition, and the performance of key party figures. Over 500 party members responded, and we've been publishing the full results. Today we focus on the performances of the leading lights of the Liberal Democrats — those of our MPs in the cabinet, those occupying ministerial positions, and other leading Lib Dems. LDV asked: How would you rate the performances of the following leading Liberal Democrats and government ministers? Full results are published below, but here's three key lists for those ...

Posted by Stephen Tall on Liberal Democrat Voice

Conservative controlled Herts Highways resurfacing work in Castle Road, St Albans has descended into chaotic mismanagement. Ashley Ward Lib Dem Councillor, Anthony Rowlands said: 'A few days ago Herts Highways discovered they had fouled up the road closure order. 'They had already booked in the contractors. So, they issued an emergency road closure order and pressed on with the scheduled work which started on Wednesday. 'Did they inform residents in time to make preparations, as we always ask them to? No 'Did they warn Councillors in advance? No 'I have already spoken to a number of residents who have been ...

Posted by chriswhite on Chris White

A new online system for reporting Highways problems, meant to be an "improvement", has come in for sharp criticism from Hertfordshire's Liberal Democrats. The new system, rolled out recently by Conservative-run Herts County Council, now requires a compulsory registration process, which includes a check against the electoral register. Malcolm Cowan, the Lib Dem Resources spokesperson, commented: "I entered the site last week and was advised to register. I registered. Then I went in again to make a fault report, I wasn't even asked to log in." The lack of clarity about the new system doesn't stop there. Malcolm added: "The ...

Posted by chriswhite on Chris White
Fri 16th
07:20

A welcome MP revolt

Yesterday's Independent has details of an MPs' revolt that many people will welcome. However, for once this act of defiance has nothing to do with the English health service or welfare reform. The paper says that visitors will continue to see Big Ben for free after MPs blocked a plan to charge tourists £15 for trips up Westminster's famous Clock Tower. Apparently, the House of Commons Commission wanted to levy the fee in a bid to make savings across Parliament. But opponents claimed charging for access to the landmark housing the famous Big Ben bell breached citizens' democratic rights. Visits ...

Posted by Peter Black on Peter Black

The Cabinet meeting of Wirral Council of the 15th March 2012 in Committee Room 1, Wallasey Town Hall, Brighton Street, Seacombe, Wirral in audio form (7 parts). Also links to agenda, reports, supplementary agenda and meeting information.

comebaaack: incywincymouse: ruthdeller: From the latest issue of our student mag, SHULife. Made me chuckle. haha. Oh Nick. He shouldn't be so trusting around Tories. xD Hey! We're actually rather sweet if you get to know us! XD *see something pop up on my dash from my University's local magazine despite not following on tumblr anyone from my uni* Ok!

Newsnight reports that Lib Dem MPs are to back Conservative budget plans to abolish the 50p tax rate for those earning over £150,000 per annum. Newsnight claimed that Lib Dem MPs couldn't stop it happening and would be rewarded by further moves to raising the tax threshold towards £10k. If true, one can only despair at the concept of confirming people's worst fears about this government at the price of doing something that was going to happen anyway. But then over the last two years Clegg and the Lib Dem leadership have never failed to snatch defeat from the jaws ...

Posted by Dan Falchikov on Living on words alone
Fri 16th
00:28

this is katie

Name: Katie Sutton Birthday: 4th August Place of Birth: Stockport, England Marital Status: In a non-monogamous relationship Occupation: Junior software developer Star sign: Leo Hair: naturally chestnut brown; currently coloured with Lush Caca Rouge/Marron. Eyes: hazel Height: 5'4" Weight: yes Q: Do you have a nickname? My dad likes to call me his little fried egg, because when I was a baby I took up no more space than a fried egg on the palm of his hand. I don't care to think why he knows this. Q: How long have you kept a blog? On and off since late ...