Today is the 50th anniversary of Jo Grimond's famous 'Gunfire' speech to the Liberal Assembly (the Liberal Party's annual conference) on 14 September 1963. That speech had a remarkable effect at the time, inspiring a generation of Liberals. One effect was that the Young Liberals started a magazine called Gunfire. It was the end of that magazine in 1970 that provoked the creation of Liberator magazine, still with us 43 years later. At my suggestion, David Boyle blogged yesterday about the anniversary of Grimond's speech. He is generous to the present leadership but I do not share his generosity. In ...
While I have Liberator 135, the issue that was sold at the Liberal Party's 1983 Assembly in Harrogate, on my desk, let me quote from an article that has surprising contemporary resonance. This comes from an article by Michael Meadowcroft, the newly elected Liberal MP for Leeds West: The task for Liberals is as it was in 1974 and in 1979 and was barely tackled. It is to win the battle for the hearts and minds of those thousands of concerned, worried, caring and potentially political individuals who exist up and down the land. These are the footloose idealists who ...
A brief escape from the balloons, streamers, laughter and merriment to tell you the winners of our awards: Tweeter/Facebooker of the year: Liberal Youth Favourite Labour MP: Alan Johnson Best online campaign run by a Liberal Democrat: No Government above the Law: Liberal Democrats against secret courts Political commentator of the Year: Andrew Rawnsley Political Broadcaster of the Year: Eddie Mair The Tim Garden Award: Tim Farron Liberal Democrat Councillor of the Year: Cllr Abi Bell Liberal Democrat MP of the Year: Julian Huppert Liberal Democrat Minister of the Year: Vince Cable Liberal Democrat Parliamentarian of the Year: Willie Rennie ...
"You've dropped some paper!" A shout came from behind me as I was wandered dazedly around the labyrinth that is Glasgow's SECC, where this year's Autumn Lib Dem conference is being held. I turned round to discover that is was no less a person than former Lib Dem leader Lord Paddy Ashdown who was calling out. And I had dropped accidentally dropped one of the many handouts that conference goers pick up. This one on plain packaging for cigarettes; or Battersea Power station; or from retailers fearing the effect of a new law on minimum pack sizes of cigarettes. As ...
If you were using the Liberal Democrats to cast a dramatisation of Winnie-the-Pooh, Vince Cable would be Eeyore and Paddy Ashdown would surely be Tigger. Ashdown may be advancing into his eighth decade, but the former leader bounces with energy and optimism, even when contemplating the prospects for his party.writes Andrew Rawnsley, opening an interview with Paddy Ashdown in tomorrow's Observer. So if Vince is Eeyore and Paddy is Tigger, what about the rest of A.A. Milne's characters? We lost our Wol when Roy Jenkins died, though I suppose Ming Campbell comes somewhere close today. And Nick Clegg must be ...
In tomorrow's Observer, Andrew Adonis says As a member of Labour's team in the coalition negotiations with the Liberal Democrats in May 2010, I might not be the most objective commentator. But what I saw then, and what the country has seen since, has convinced me that Clegg made a series of serious misjudgments which are costing the country (and his party) dear.First, he closed down his options. By saying that he was obliged to seek agreement with the party that had won the most seats - a mythical constitutional doctrine - he gave legitimacy to the Tories and fatally ...
Recent weeks have seen a frenzy of crossed accusations and abuse in response to the comments about the Bedroom Tax made by the Brazilian, Raquel Rolnik who spoke out in her capacity as the United Nations special rapporteur on housing. Many rounded upon the fact that someone from that country was not in a position to speak due to the woeful state of housing in Brazil. Having been to Brazil's major cities, there can be little rebuff to the claim that Brazil's major cities make a very good claim to be among the world's most squalid. However it was not ...
The 500 year old Coombe Conduit is a hidden gem behind a non-descript wall opposite the popular Coombe Hill primary school in New Malden. But for 350 years it gathered local spring water and piped it the three miles to nearby Hampton Court palace. And today the water is still so pure it meets current EU drinking standards. English Heritage has more.
At 10 pm tonight in a lavish, money no object red carpet type affair that couldn't be more glamorous if Russell Brand was giving out the gongs, it will be the LVD Awards. And I thought a brief review of the main runners and riders for the big one, the BLOGGER OF THE YEAR would be in order.. But before that, can I just say a big thumbs up to the team at LDV who have rejigged, reformatted and althogether transformed the awards this year - new categories, a combination of judged awards and elected awards, great communications. The BOTYS ...
Sat 14th
20:36
Opinion: It shall not pass: The case against F17, the motion on protecting children from online porn...
Many of you will have seen or heard about motion F17 - Protecting Children From Online Pornography. If you are here in Glasgow at Autumn Conference, you will have also heard about the campaign to stop this motion, either through a reference back or voting it down. This motion must not be allowed to pass, either as is or amended, and here we want to lay out five reasons why: 1. Impossible to Implement The recommendations put forward in both in the motion and amendment, are simply unworkable. The Internet does not work in the same way as other broadcast ...
[IMG: Jo Swinson Glasgow] Speaking to Scottish Liberal Democrat autumn conference in Glasgow today, Scottish Liberal Democrat MP and Minister of State for Business and Consumer Affairs Jo Swinson set out how she was taking steps to build a stronger economy and a fairer society by tackling unscrupulous payday lenders. In her speech to conference, Jo Swinson said: Since becoming the Minister responsible last year, I've tackled this issue head on. Last December we published research on the problems and options for action. In March we saw the Office of Fair Trading announce a crackdown amidst evidence of the widespread ...
Tim Farron is by far the most accomplished orator among the current generation of leading Liberal Democrat politicians. Rarely does one of his speeches as Party President pass without someone making use of the word "barnstorming". His speech on the opening day of this year's autumn conference was no exception. Farron is adept at pressing all the right buttons for the party faithful. His speech today roamed widely. It touched on the benefits of immigration, being part of Europe and remaining a United Kingdom. The last is, of course, particularly pertinent given the location of this year's conference. There was ...
[IMG: Nick Clegg arrives at Glasgow] Speaking at the Liberal Democrat Autumn Conference rally in Glasgow this evening, Liberal Democrat Leader and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg is expected to say: Welcome to Glasgow. This year's conference sees us gather in a city that has always been important to the Liberal Democrats, a city once represented by Roy Jenkins, that gave us Ming Campbell and where nearby in 2005 Jo Swinson won a famous victory to take her seat from Labour and become an MP at just 25. Before anything I want to pay tribute to our team of Scottish ...
Thank you to everyone who came along to hear Harriet Sergeant, Stephanie Flanders and I, slugging it out at the Chiswick Book Festival this morning. It was packed out in the Tabard Theatre and it was a fascinating conversation, thanks largely to Stephanie's chairing powers. The session was billed as a discussion about our failing institutions, and - even though I talked about the middle classes and Harriet talked about south London gangs - there did seem to be some parallels. What I argued in Broke is that the middle classes have been taken for a ride by the financial ...
Because just before conference started, someone asked what time things were meant to kick off. And guess, who instantly replied. Quite amazing
[IMG: William Rennie] Speaking to Scottish Liberal Democrat Autumn conference in Glasgow, Willie Rennie MSP, Leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats said: On the first Sunday of this month I took part in a relay race over the Comrie hills near Perth. Covering 20 miles with teams of five runners we battled clubs from across Scotland. For the third year in a row my partner was David Greig. That's right. David Greig, one of Scotland's foremost playwrights. We are equally matched runners. Less equally matched playwrights. We support each other up and down the hills. Through the bogs and over ...
The trouble with words is that you never know whose mouths they have been in. Dennis Potter From Brainy Quotes, quoted by Catherine Bearder today at conference. [IMG: Post to Twitter] Tweet This Post
[IMG: Lego Workers] This week Labour began to move the economic debate away from deficit reduction to living standards. It really is a shame that the party elected in 1997 to tackle social mobility and subsequently failed to shorten the gap between the richest and poorest in our society now seem to stand up for working families in hard economic times. Wednesday saw Ed Miliband's dismal attempt to rekindle his relationship with the TUC but for me he did touch on an issue close to my heart; he committed to legislating to curb the use of zero hour contracts. I ...
I had forgotten how energising conference consultative sessions are. They are informal, you can put your hand up, and you feel that you are in the boiler room of policy creation, rather than rubber stamping or rejecting formed policies. I thoroughly enjoyed this morning's most stimulating consultative session on immigration, asylum and identity. Two speakers who stood out for me were: Anuja Prasher, articulate and passionate. I hope we her speaking in an emergency debate later on the "go home" vans. Lord Roger Roberts, bless him. As usual, passionate, informed and funny. Do you know the height of the London ...
I've only been nominated for the Big Botty, not even won it, still hoping I don't, and already the ribbing has started: Sam Phripp: "She's a darling of the establishment. Tut tut." Andy Emmerson: "I heard Nick telling people how much he loved Jennie and how he wanted her to work for HQ" Sam Phripp: "I heard he said she was always on message in volume over time... True story." Andy Emmerson: "In fact I heard Jennie was personally fed lines for blogging from the establishment; people like Clegg" Richard Morris: "I heard Nick is thinking of changing his surname ...
The conference amendments can only be an expedient stop-gap to complete repeal. Here are ten reasons why the bedroom tax (also known as the spare room subsidy) should go. 1. Bedroom Tax is targeted to victimise the most vulnerable members of society. Two thirds of the victims of Bedroom Tax were receiving Incapacity Benefit: over 440,000 nationally. 2. An extra bedroom is not an extravagance if you need additional space for medical equipment, a room for carers to sleep in or live in a household where an ill person is too unwell to sleep in the same room as their ...
One is a power-crazed tyrant who dealt ruthlessly with anyone who stood in his way. The other is a widely loved monarch tragically slain at the Battle of Bos... You can see where this is going. Thanks to the Leicester Mercury for the photo.
[IMG: Social Liberal Forum] There is some welcome cause for cautious optimism among Social Liberals on the beautiful train journey to Glasgow (and, indeed, for those observing from the side-lines). A series of pieces, for example in the New Statesman and on Politics Home, by prominent figures reasserting the traditions of Beveridge, Hobhouse and Keynes have helped allay fears about the direction of the party and reminded the wider world we are still here. The Social Liberal Forum has been busy, too. Yet again a large number of agenda items have had significant SLF input, resulting in a healthy balance ...
The Royal British Legion has announced the Centenary Poppy Campaign which will see them asking the public and local authorities to buy Flanders poppy seeds from B&Q to plant on their own land. Funds raised by the campaign will go towards the £1.6million the Legion spends each week on vital care and support to the...
A light-hearted but bitter look at the (then) Jehovah Witness headquarters in Brooklyn, New York in the 1980s, Journey To God's House can't help but be interesting. The HQ, known as Bethel, is described in grim detail in a series of vignettes. For all its claims to godliness Bethel seems very "worldly" (which is how we unbelievers are described by followers of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society), with its very corporate way of working and instances of very human power struggles and jealousy. Talon's (not his real name) writing style is jokey and sarcastic. He writes well but his ...
The Lib Dem message at conference this year is: "Stronger Economy, Fairer Society". We wholly endorse this message, and our Campaign for Fairer Gambling is absolutely focused on this direction. There must be sensible enforcement of sensible gambling regulation. The most addictive form of gambling is roulette machines in betting shops - Fixed Odds Betting Terminals, also known as FOBTs. Because these machines are a very labour unintensive form of consumer spending, they result in a net loss of jobs in local communities and this has a negative impact on tax revenue generation. In addition to the economic cost of ...
Harriet Harman has post at the Huffington Post today. The theme of the post is that, regardless of what the Liberal Democrats say, they can't be trusted: Nick Clegg has repeatedly said one thing and then done another. Time after time Nick Clegg has tried to distance himself from the failures of David Cameron's Government but the truth is he has ditched his principles and voted in Parliament with the Tories all the way. Harman then goes on to list her top ten examples of the Lib Dems betraying their principles and promises. The post is slightly odd inasmuch as ...
Sat 14th
12:49
"Religious Sacrament" Doesn't Mean What Shirley Williams Wants It To Mean #equalmarriage #ldconf
At the Lib Dem Conference Shirley Williams has decided that voting against LGBT freedom wasn't enough. Now she needs to defend her views with ridiculous statements. Shirley says she has always voted for #lgbt rights but is feels that marriage is a religious sacrament. #sldconf — Caron Lindsay (@caronmlindsay) September 14, 2013 It all sounds so reasonable doesn't it? I don't think LGBT people deserve liberty because marriage is a religious invention. Well it sounds reasonable if you lack the imagination to think outside of your tiny little cultural box. The word "religion" is often used in society as a ...
I became a member at the age of 10 and have attended every conference for four years except this one in Glasgow. To say I am hugely disappointed at not being there is an understatement. That aside it is interesting to note that the papers are talking about another coalition and where our party will position itself. I would have thought that the priority of party business at conference would be the latter as a stand-alone issue. What with a reduced membership and current members being unhappy about what we see as the tactics of following Tory policy I do ...
posted The Blood is The Life 13-09-2013 http://t.co/TFUqSNTKHs on #dreamwidth (tags: (from twitter) dreamwidth ) @AAEmmerson it's this: http://t.co/eYwIeBF5mc @hmatthews92 (tags: (from twitter) ) #ff to my fellow @libdemvoice Blog of the Year nominees @zoeimogen @lordbonkers @davidboyle1958 @markpack @samphripp http://t.co/W5bWRBz9Qg (tags: (from twitter) ff ) Fantasy Politics League: Submit Team My teams are all ladies, except the Lib Dems. I have the Huppmeister as my Dark Horse, Featherstone as my Position player, and Farron as my big hitter... Tory and Labour it was easier to pick ladies for, sadly, due to lack of MPs in general and ...
Pravda, the paper that in the days of the USSR was the voice of the Soviet Government is still being published. And after several years as a commercial operation it is once again owned by the Communist Party and is pumping out propaganda such Obama to step on Hitler's path?, Putin overshadows blood-hungry, 'exceptional' Obama [...]
If you are a voting rep, please please PLEASE go into the hall for F17 at 17.00 Sunday evening and vote for the reference back. If the reference back fails then please vote against the motion, whether it is amended or not. The motion as submitted is terrifyingly illiberal, technologically illiterate, and will almost certainly be counterproductive. The amendment selected for debate by FFC takes all this badness and adds internet pop-ups to it too. I have no idea what FCC were on when they accepted this motion, nor when they selected the least popular and most senseless amendment from ...
[IMG: Clegg Speech] It fairly wall to wall Lib Dem coverage in the national press today and party leaders are cheerleading for our role in the coalition. Even newspapers that are not normally friendly towards the Lib Dems have something positive to say. There is a grudging respect that the Lib Dems took on the near impossible task of collaborating in a coalition government and have stuck with it. Nick Clegg gives an exclusive and upbeat interview to the Independent. Over in the Telegraph, Danny Alexander says that hard pressed workers deserve pay rises as the economy recovers. He says ...
The Liberal Democrats Conference has barely got underway and already the party has hit the headlines with the proposal to introduce a 5p carrier bag charge in England. I have just watched the Taxpayer's Alliance moaning about the proposal on the news. They say the 5p charge is a tax. It is not. What is more it works, as is evidenced in Wales where we have cut carrier bag usage by 80%. The Taxpayer's Alliance argue that carrier bags are a small part of the waste stream. That is correct but that is no reason not to take small but ...
There is only one meeting scheduled at Blyth Town Council next week Full Council ( including Public Question Time) Thursday 19th September , 6:30 pm at Arms Evertyne House The public are welcome at the meeting, indeed are encouraged to attend. However the council might prefer advanced notice of any questions so that the answers can be researched. I can understand this point, there's nothing more frustrating for a questionner than being told "We'll get back to you" when an answer is sought. However, it is public question time, so don't be put off asking a question that is relevant ...
Sat 14th
09:08
The Financial Transaction Tax standing on platform 4 is delayed, due to a technical fault...
The news that the main legal advisors to EU finance ministers have concluded that the Commission's plan for a financial transaction tax infringes EU treaties is a blow for those who feel that it offered a relatively painless means to balance state budgets, whilst providing a disincentive against short-termism in the financial markets. And it's been a good week for those who doubt the wisdom of EU intervention in the financial sector (I'm pretty certain that George Osborne is delighted). The Advocate-General to the European Court of Justice has indicated agreement with the United Kingdom's position that the European Securities ...
If you are going to be at the Economy debate on Monday you may find this excellent presentation explaining the two SLF amendments useful.
[IMG: White and Blue] I am sitting in the Lomond hall watching Willie Rennie rehearse his speech to the Scottish Liberal Democrat conference. Yes I've found it! The ScottishLiberal Democrat conference. Not the Federal Liberal Democrat Conference in Scotland. The actual Scottish Liberal Democrat conference. I am sorry if all that repetition of words is annoying, but after all these years, since 1970, of looking up to these giants such as Jo Grimond, Russell Johnston, Charlie Kennedy and modern day giants such as Jo Swinson and Alistair Carmichael, I now find myself sitting in their spiritual environs. As I always ...
Sat 14th
08:55The Independent View: A liberal democracy must protect all people from the state. Support Emergency ...
Last week Chris Grayling, the Minister for Justice, responded to 16,000 consultation objections, with changes to his criminal legal aid proposals. He conceded that someone who's been arrested should be able to choose their solicitor; and criminal representation shouldn't be just about price, but quality too. You may think justice has been saved. But it hasn't. Far from it. Which is why we are asking you to urge your conference voting reps to choose the Legal Aid Motion (Emergency Motion 2) for debate. Because Chris Grayling is still removing legal aid and access to justice from whole groups of people, ...
[IMG: Vince Cable] Compared to the flurry of activity to win over Liberal Democrat conference representatives on the party's proposed Trident policy (see the steady stream of guest posts on Lib Dem Voice on the subject), there's been remarkably little activity over Monday's vote in Glasgow for or against a 50p top rate of income tax. People in the party leadership I've spoken to are increasingly confident that conference will vote against a 50p rate. There's some justification for that confidence, given how conference has voted previously and the fact that it's an issue Vince Cable feels strongly on and ...
On Monday, Liberal Democrats will debate economic policy at our Glasgow conference. The SLF has submitted two amendments – supported by an unprecedented number of voting members – that improve this motion. You can find out more about the amendments,...Read more ›
#Construction new orders up in Q2, led by orders for wind turbines and solar farms http://t.co/BeV2HMMksU — ONS (@statisticsONS) September 13, 2013
Sat 14th
08:15
OUT TODAY! 'Coalition and Beyond': Foreword by Nick Clegg, edited by me, published by Liberal Reform
[IMG: Lib Reform book] 'Coalition and Beyond: Liberal Reforms for the Decade Ahead' is published TODAY, Saturday, 15th September, at the Glasgow conference. With a foreword by Nick Clegg, and ahem edited by me, it brings together 20 essays by a disparate group of liberals. Some will have you nodding along in agreement; others will probably have you spluttering in disbelief. That's as it should be. Nowt worse than group-think, especially in a party wrestling with how to defend its record in government while renewing itself ready for the next election. Liberal Reform, which has brought the contributors together, has ...
Sat 14th
08:01Nick Clegg - "The clouds are lifting. We need to look people in the eye and say - we got it right"
[IMG: Clegg Watford] Speaking to the Independent, Nick Clegg is upbeat: We need to be unabashed about the fact that we have played a vital, even pivotal, role in saving the British economy and a leading role in providing fairness in the tax, education and skills systems and greening our economy for the future. Clegg gives a list of Tory proposals that the Lib Dems have vetoed. Among them are a recent attempt to cut planned child care provision for two-year-olds; a 40p top rate of income tax; cuts in inheritance tax for the rich; workers being "fired at will" ...
This will be quick - I need to catch a train in 20 minutes and I'm still at kitchen table with towel round my head. Remember how I told you about how Federal Conference Committee had bizarrely rejected a very sensible amendment which would have given us a great debate on internet porn? Well, FCC rejected the appeal on that amendment too. So the #talknottech campaign needs to move up a gear. We want decent sex and relationship education to be a the heart and soul of any policy on this. Filters will not solve and may actually harm by ...
A photograph especially for anyone revising for their Open University ED209 exam at the moment. But even if you aren't and you have no idea of the significance of ducks, rabbits and gorping, it's still a cute photograph. [IMG: 20130914-065825.jpg]
The fundamental question for Liberal Democrats gathering for conference is this: are we proud of our Government or ashamed of it? I think we should be proud. The Coalition Government came together in 2010 when Britain was in deep trouble. We had been hit by an economic shockwave. The last Government was borrowing a ruinous £450 million extra every single day. We also faced serious problems which held our people back and threatened our future prosperity. Entrenched inter-generational poverty and welfare dependency needed to be tackled head-on. School standards had fallen behind our international competitors, wasting the talent of our ...
The north side of Perth Road, Dundee, is seen in this Alexander Wilson photograph, which a mill chimney near the Hawkhill visible in the distance. Thomas Malone 'the up-to-date boot repairer' was at No. 101 Perth Road, with other shops at No. 6 Hilltown, No. 63 Hawkhill, No. 84 Albert Street, No. 158 Strathmartine Road and No. 19 Benvie Road. He lived at No. 20 Forebank Road. John Paton's fish store was No. 99 Perth Road. To the east of West Wynd was Miss Helen Banks' shop, listed in the Dundee Directory as 'tobacconist and confectioner'. She lived at Gate ...
Sat 14th
05:44
10,000 patients waiting over 36 weeks for treatment should shame the Welsh Labour Government into ac...
Statistics released last week show that 10,130 Welsh patients had been waiting for more than 36 weeks from referral to the start of their NHS treatment, an increase of around 1,200 when compared to the previous month. The Welsh Government's target is that not a single person should wait longer than 36 weeks. The figures come in the same week that a Welsh Labour MP Anne Clwyd, who was charged with looking into the NHS in England, has made scathing comments stating that in relation to the NHS "Wales is behind England in every instance". These figures should shame the ...
As I type, I'm back in my hotel room on the eve of Lib Dem Conference in Glasgow, having spent the day travelling to Fort William to climb Ben Nevis - arriving back around 30 minutes ago. Four of us took on the challenge of the three and half hour ascent of the highest peak in the United Kingdom with the aim of raising funds for the Disasters Emergency Committee's Syria Appeal. You can donate in support of our efforts here. Meanwhile, here are some photos from the day... Meall an t-Suidhe, which the path to Ben Nevis skirts before ...
