Caron Lindsay 9:25pm I am not sure how long I will last tonight, but I thought I'd at least start an open thread to bring news and views as things unfold tonight. It's not, I fear, going to be a very good night, hence the large box of tissues next to me and cushions to hide behind. There's emergency malt whisky in the cupboard, too, if I need it. I'm starting off this Election Results night listening to Iain Dale and Duncan Barks on LBC. Tim Farron has already been on saying much as he did this morning, that he's ...
The results last Thursday were appalling for Liberal Democrats across England except in a relatively small number of heartland areas. Locally, Southport has continued to buck the trend like Stockport and South Lakeland in the North West but virtually everywhere else it was carnage. The problem is that our Party is retreating into its heartlands and becoming almost without presence elsewhere. Nick Clegg is a brave and decent man but he is held in utter disregard by most voters as was Gordon Brown before the last General election. Sadly, I have concluded that the electoral policy of retreating into the ...
The European Leadership Network has published a short guide that ELN reviews the foreign and security policies of eight of the continent's leading populist parties. The guide's conclusions are: The Euro-sceptic attitudes of all of these parties will present a challenge to the future of the European project. This is likely to come through mainstream parties toughening their approach to Europe to stem the populist surge.The paper's authors find the parties all share a favourable attitude to Russian Premier Vladimir Putin and all, bar one, support Russia's approach to the crisis in Ukraine. A growth in support for these parties ...
[IMG: nick clegg rally 1] As a working-class Northern lad it would be fair to say that in terms of personal background I don't have much in common with Nick Clegg. And like Carl Minns and Richard Kemp I've been on the wrong end of some tough election results in recent years. But I totally disagree with George Potter - I passionately believe Nick should lead our party into the next General Election and beyond. I've probably had more arguments with Nick than most commentators on here, and he knows I'm more than willing to tell him when he's wrong. ...
[IMG: image] On Friday night at 18:42, we sad Liberal Democrat election geeks were almost feeling punch drunk as the results came in from London. It was bad enough at a distance of 400 miles to hear of wipeout after wipeout, of decades of hard Liberal Democrat representation on councils coming to an end. Heaven knows what it must have been like to have been there. Actually I do know what that feels like, having gone through the Scottish elections in 2011. Just as all that horror was unfolding, into my inbox came an email from Annette Brooke MP, the ...
The TINA brigade are out. Neo-Thatcherite proclamations that 'There Is No Alternative' and, in the spirit of Dr Pangloss, all is for the best in this liberal Utopia under Nick Clegg. They are wrong: for there is. Here are a few key points to what the alternative might be:- 1. A core message based on Liberal values, not bland centrism. Nobody really knows what 'Stronger Economy, Fairer Society' stands for, although it is clear that it reflects the triangulation strategy of what we are against. It says nothing and must go: it is interesting that almost all the places where ...
Sun 25th
17:59
Paddy Ashdown: This is moment we need to campaign through Summer and get good message out for the Ge...
[IMG: paddy ashdown - paul walter] Paddy Ashdown, not surprisingly, came out strongly in Nick Clegg's defence on the Sunday Politics this morning. He said that we had a good message to proudly proclaim in the run up to the General Election. Ditching Nick now would irreparably damage the party, he said, as it would show that we can't hack being in Government. He reminded us of his drubbing 25 years ago at the first European elections the party fought where we ended up as an asterisk. He has upset some of the people who are unhappy at the moment ...
Sun 25th
17:48
Why Nick Clegg has built up considerable kudos with the Lib Dem membership in the last few months
[IMG: Clegg Speech 51] One of the reasons I am not joining the very earnest people signing the letter calling for Nick Clegg to stand down, is that during the last few months I have been very impressed indeed by his leadership of the party. His speech to the York conference had me enthralled. I am very proud indeed of his positive stance towards the EU and the way he took on the extremist views of Nigel Farage. So I am currently in a mood to support Nick Clegg to the hilt. Politics is occasionally about following your principles and ...
I've spent the past week on a walking holiday in Anglesey: hence no posts. (I leave my computer behind. Surely one point of a holiday is to provide a break from normal activities.) Northern Rail Network. The first leg of my train journey to Anglesey was by Trans-Penine Express from Dewsbury to Manchester. Although it was Saturday morning, (no business travellers) the train was absolutely packed and I had to spend the entire journey standing jammed with my luggage in the entrance area. I understand that extra carriages have been acquired for the Northern Rail Network but someone has decided ...
Sun 25th
16:32Adrian Sanders MP writes...Let's have a respectful debate about how we persuade voters to support us...
[IMG: Autumn 2012 conference - Some rights reserved by Liberal Democrats] How we engage with a sceptical electorate before they cast their votes in the General Election next year is the critical question facing the Liberal Democrats. I'm no expert in psephology but even I can tell we are heading for a worse General Election result in 2015 than in 2010 when we often forget we actually lost seats. In fact we have been losing elected representatives 6 years in a row, a trend that started before we entered Government. Thankfully Party leaders are not football managers or there would ...
I have a rule here, in that;I do moderate comments, rejecting those I deem to be offensive, libellous or otherwise unacceptable. Anonymous commenters can expect to be either ignored or abused unless I agree with them. After all, like any publisher, I maintain the right to uphold certain standards. However, dissent with my views shall not, in itself, cause me to reject a comment.And, generally, I stick to it. However, today, this comment arrived for moderation (I moderate all comments for self-protection as much as anything else);The sooner this liar goes the better. He is dishonest and loves a cover ...
[IMG: 7 ver 4 full] Many thanks to the 33,765 visitors who dropped by Lib Dem Voice this week. Here's our 7 most-read posts... Not everything you read on the internet about UKIP and Nigel Farage is true (28 comments) by Caron Lindsay About that UKIP earthquake...Farage's party national vote share DOWN on 2013 (39 comments) by Stephen Tall Local Elections: Overnight results roundup (updated) (73 comments) by Caron Lindsay Opinion: Why I was persuaded to back Lib Dems 4 Change (298 comments) by George Potter Local Elections 2014: Friday afternoon Roundup (Updated) (60 comments) by Caron Lindsay Post May ...
Sun 25th
14:56
They are Sexist Killings. Not Hunger Games killings, or Virgin Killings. Look at the misoygny, it's ...
I've been told to enjoy being a newly-wed today, but I'm getting really wound up by the killings by Elliot Rodger and the consequent reporting of them From the quick move to describe him as mentally ill (I imagine he was, but shouldn't we ask why did he feel entitled to his views on women?) to the reporting of the "Hunger Games" killings or the "virgin" killings. These were sexist, misogynistic killings. He hated women. Not just these women, but all women. He hated them because he'd been rejected. He felt that this rejection was unfair, and that he should ...
There are very few things that genuinely annoy me; people who pack their shopping at self-service checkouts after they pay; people with Welsh names who mispronounce them; bad suit and tie combos. And illogicality. And, I'm afraid, this is the ... Continue reading →
The parallels with the LibDems in May 2014 and the Tories in October/November 1990 are interesting, no more than that, but interesting nonetheless: The Conservatives, terrified of electoral annihilation, ditched their unpopular leader prior to a general election, who should have been given the chance to defend her record before the voters, and then spent the next few years with serious internal divisions with the consequences earning the contempt of the electorate and the electoral annihilation replacing Maggie was meant to forestall....
[IMG: Nick Clegg addresses Birmingham Liberal Democrats conference. Photo courtesy of the Liberal Democrats] One of the most interesting (and logistically challenging – though that's another story) conference fringe events I have had a hand in organising through my involvement with Liberal Reform was a panel of fellow liberals from across Europe talking about their experiences of being members of a coalition. I wanted to hold such an event to counter the all too prevalent assumption that the problems facing the Liberal Democrats are somehow unique to us. Because they are most certainly not. Where parties enter into government in ...
[IMG: Typing] We've heard what the papers have had to say about Nick Clegg's future, and we've had some reports of tv interviews with senior party figures. But what's the Liberal Democrat blogosphere say? As you might expect, there is a wide range of opinion. Here are some snippets. Senior Liverpool councillor Richard Kemp, who gave one of the best speeches at Federal Conference last Autumn against the Bedroom Tax, says that Nick should stay: I believe that Nick Clegg is a thoroughly decent man who has made the best of a bad deal for our Country's sake. So many ...
Somewhat like "hard-working families" I am starting to have an instinctive "ugh" reaction to the use of this phrase. "Where we work we win" implies that all one had to do is deliver more leaflets, make more phone calls, knock on more doors, and the election is in the bag. While those things certainly help, other things are necessary too. It also implies that all those people who DIDN'T win on Thursday only have themselves to blame for not working hard enough; while this is undoubtedly true in some cases it's a horrific insult in others. So yeah, if I ...
I am greatly concerned by the rumours that are flying around (I've not been able to watch the news or read a paper today or this weekend as my kids make me watch Tangled and Frozen AGAIN...) about Michael Gove's plans to remove non-British subject matter and books from our schools. Where I work we have a video on loop of a Minister stating that his party had removed all the foreign influences on the Country's Culture. Sadly this Minister was Reichsminister Josef Goebbels and his speech ran something like this: We have a German theatre, a German Press, German ...
I should start by saying that Liberal Youth chair Sarah Harding was my agent and we devised a plan to rally people behind our vision of a tolerant and free society and in opposition to UKIP's backward looking stance. Listen to the punters on the doorstep, that is my advice. I was canvassing Eastbourne Rd one cold and wet evening at the beginning of the campaign. A young man came to the door, we chatted and he volunteered that he just couldn't comprehend UKIP especially relating to gay people -'get over it'. I tried this out on every young person ...
Haydn Preece Liberal Democrats 1187 30% Elected Jamie Halsall Conservative Party 1159 29% Not elected Terry Durrance United Kingdom Independence Party 990 25% Not elected Stephen Jowett The Labour Party 444 11% Not elected Barbara Ann Dutton The Green Party 207 5% Not elected Birkdale Iain Brodie Browne Lib Dem, win!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Birkdale - resultsElection CandidatePartyVotes% Iain Brodie - Browne Liberal Democrats 1484 41% Elected Tom McKenzie United Kingdom Independence Party 945 26% Not elected Ged Wright The Labour Party 521 14% Not elected Georgia Twist Pactor Conservative Party 489 14% Not elected Tony Young The Green Party 178 5% Not ...
[IMG: bayer10kme] Well done to the over 1000 runners who took part this morning. As usual, one was reminded that this must be one of the most picturesque runs in the country. The sun today made Speen moor and the Canal look stunning. And usual thanks go to the benevolent course designers who put the uphill bit at the beginning followed by lots of flat running! [IMG: Post to Twitter] Tweet This Post
Sun 25th
12:14Sandra Gidley: "We can't make our case because Nick is associated with negative aspects of coalition...
[IMG: Sandra Gidley speaking at Lib Dem Conference, Brighton 2007] One of the most prominent party figures yet to sign the letter calling for Nick Clegg to step down as party leader, Sandra Gidley, former MP for Romsey, was interviewed on the Murnaghan programme on Sky News this morning. She said that Nick was holding us back from being able to make our case. This is not about pros or cons of the coalition, it's more about howe we've handled it and how we should be making more of a case about the good things we've done in the Coalition. ...
Last night I went to see Matthew Bourne's production of Swan Lake. I'd forgotten quite how wonderful it was: Sassy, witty, sexy, sensual, violent, it's a fabulous interpretation of the story. It's also a rare thing - a huge commercial success (it's 20 years old and still being performed to packed auditoria) with artistic merit. Whilst ballet purists may not appreciate Bourne's appropriation of more modern styles of dance or his cultural references, it can't be suggested that the use of all-male swans is merely a gimick. The story is twisted, and the swans become much more swan like: graceful, ...
Can you name the time and place? 1. A country which has come through some tough times but beginning to recover 2. A section of society being singled out and blamed by some for the country's ills 3. Individuals concerned about their country's culture and traditions who feel they are being ignored 4. General disillusionment, distrust and, in some cases, absolute hatred, with the established political parties and individuals 5. Controversial posters going up focusing on a campaign of hate and fear 6. Overwhelming apathy with the democratic and political processes 7. Increasing support for a right wing party with ...
There are four things I want a leader to do: Deliver a winning political strategy Create an effective election winning core team Effectively communicate a distinctive vision – especially at major elections Deliver Liberal Democrat policies – whether in or out of Government On political strategy, I am extremely concerned that the 'centrist party of government, not a party of protest' positioning is completely wrong. The most effective political leaders – Thatcher – Blair – and, dare I say it, local government leaders like Keith House in Eastleigh – manage the double of being both credible in Government AND dissatisfied ...
During the election campaign we heard the DUP leadership complaining about the split vote in unionism. For these elections that would have less impact as both our councils and European elections are determined by STV. However, as soon as these elections are over what do we learn but that the DUP are in discussions about forming an electoral pact with the UUP ahead of next year's Westminster elections. They have only themselves to blame however. Three years ago they came out very strongly against the use of the Alternative Vote (AV) in Westminster elections indeed they viewed the referendum as ...
It was three weeks ago that the ALDE Party Council met in Vienna, with nothing in particular in the agenda, but a lot of anticipation for the European elections to come. You see, for most of our European sister parties, the FDP excepted, the prospects were not so as troubling. The Dutch were optimistic, as were the Danes, most other parties expected little change in terms of the number of MEPs, and talk was of the threat of extremists to the future working of the European Parliament. Naturally, as a directly elected member of our Party's delegation, I was keen ...
It was certainly a tough local election campaign. So many leaflets delivered, so many people spoken to and so many roads walked on. And pairs of shoes (and legs) worn out! Me with new Councillor Gary Busuttil and Andrew Steed Thankfully the Southfield and Ealing Common ward Liberal Democrat Councillors retained their seats as the Tories were punished. Their number of their Councillors was halved. Gary Busuttil topped the poll in his first election in Southfield! Well done Gary as you have been a great local campaigner. So many people agreed with the campaign you led to stop the Council ...
Sun 25th
10:47Farron: I understand why people feel bruised, but it would be foolish to turn in on ourselves
[IMG: Tim Farron] Tim Farron has done a stonkingly good interview on the Andrew Marr Show. He struck absolutely the right tone, showing great empathy to those activists who are concerned, anxious and fearful. He was clear, though, that the last thing we need to do is to turn in on ourselves. First of all, he said that Liberal Democrats need to be looking to the General Election under Nick Clegg's leadership, proudly defending the good things we have done in government. He added that we were always going to suffer as a result of going into government – that ...
THE NEXT BLETHER MEETING WILL BE IN THE BURGH COFFEE HOUSE COMMERCIAL STREET TUESDAY 27th MAY7pm to 9pm THE THEME FOR THIS MONTH IS.................FAIRIES HOPE TO SEE AS MANY OF OUR REGULARS AS POSSIBLE....AND SOME NEW FACES MAYBE? More information about the group can be accessed here.
Chrissie Hynde was on Danny Baker's Radio 2 show yesterday morning - you can listed to it on the BBC iPlayer for the next six days (it starts at around 1:06:40). In the course of it Baker played this Pretenders track from 1999. As Human on the Inside, it had been a minor Australian hit for the duo divinyls, who are best known for their hit I Touch Myself. Hynde's story is fascinating. She came to Britain from Ohio in her early twenties because she loved horses and the music scene. She landed a job at the NME and then ...
Elliot Rodger's California shooting spree: further proof that misogyny kills I am constantly grateful that I know so many good men who are proper feminists. and then I get sad that I feel grateful because that means it's not normal (tags: ) [IMG: comment count unavailable] comments
[IMG: Nick Clegg visits Manchester Velodrome] Well, there was a certain inevitability that poor election results would lead to calls for Nick Clegg to resign. Today, the papers are full of comments from activists and MPs critical of the Deputy Prime Minister. John Hemming, John Pugh and Adrian Sanders have all gone public with their criticism of Clegg. It should be noted that none of them are particularly noted for being his biggest fans. There is a certain irony that where there were elections on their patches, they did reasonably well. In Pugh's Southport constituency, as Iain Brodie-Browne reports in ...
You might have thought we were currently in the eye of the storm. We've been through the pain of seeing more than 300 Libdem local councillors lose their seats. And today the results of the European Parliamentary elections will no doubt bring fresh horrors. So perhaps the intervening period was the time to take a moment to quietly steel ourselves for further bad news. Not a bit of it. Person(s) unknown thought it a good idea to launch Libdems4change. My first reaction to that title was to think surely all Libdems are for change? They are very much for a ...
Here's some of the articles that have caught my attention in the past couple of days... Politics Weekly podcast: Is the Ukip surge sustainable? | Politics | theguardian.com Me, @jamesrbuk, @MichaelWhite & @guardian_clark on @GdnPolitics weekly podcast: "Is the Ukip surge sustainable?" http://bit.ly/1k1KTMI What I told BBC News about the local election results (so far) | Stephen Tall What I told BBC News about the local election results (so far) http://bit.ly/1n9I01W
Here's what I told The Observer: There is a debate in the party about the extent to which it should now portray itself as part of the establishment, having spent four years in government, as opposed to a radical force for change. Mark Pack, editor of the newsletter Lib Dem Newswire, says Lib Dems should not bother battling Ukip for the anti-immigrant vote but instead make clearer it is not now part of the establishment. "Some of Ukip's support – that from those who say 'I once met a nice Romanian, but...' – is the kind the Lib Dems should ...
A small, and it has to be said, shadowy group called Liberal Democrats for change are gathering a petition calling on Nick Clegg to stand down so that a new leader can take the party into the general election. At the time of writing they have 200 signatures. The Independent adds that a block of unnamed MPs are poised to join in this demand for Clegg's resignation, paving the way for the Business Secretary, Vince Cable, a possible "unity candidate", to take over in a "coronation" before next year's general election. They add that some are considering going public within ...
Time2Give, the West End's timebank, has recently launched a newsletter, with updates from the timebank and other articles. You can download the newsletter here. Time banking is a community based project, which promotes two way volunteering using time as its currency. Timebanks bring the community together and reward people for the help they provide to others in their neighbourhood. For further information, you can contact Time2Give by calling Vanya Zaczek on 07530 228810.
27 Tories and 27 Socialists; that's it, they are deadlocked. But they have been in this bind before and I am old enough to recall the time when Bob Germin was the sole SDP councillor on that council and him holding the balance of power. As West Lancs is often in this situation a small group of councillors who are neither socialist nor Tory could have significant influence but for some odd reason such a group has not developed. Common political talk is that West Lancs Borough Council does not have a secure and sustainable future as a unit of ...
Sun 25th
05:12
Assembly Member raises the confusion and bureaucracy surrounding blue badges with Welsh Minister
The Welsh Liberal Democrats spokesperson on local government and equalities, Peter Black has challenged the Welsh Transport Minister to sort out the confusion and bureaucracy surrounding the issuing of blue badges to disabled and elderly people in Wales. Speaking in the Assembly last week, Mr. Black said he has had many representations from constituents regarding the issuing of these badges. Problems include: • elderly people who do not have access to consultants having no way to provide medical evidence as the Minister has excluded GPs from providing notes; • unqualified council officers making assessments; • councils refusing to carry out occupational therapist assessments ...
