I took one of my children to the opening of the Lib Dem conference in Bournemouth on Saturday (we also spent some time on the beach). He is eleven and not keen for me to engage in any conversation beyond about two and a half minutes. But he really followed Baroness Brinton's opening address. "Come on," I kept saying, half way through the party president's address. "We've got to catch a train." But no. "Wait; I'm enjoying this," he said. I'm not saying I was surprised that Sal Brinton gripped his attention - it was a very good speech - ...
Fair play to the Lib Dems. It's packed to the rafters in here. Never seen it so busy. pic.twitter.com/Vp2KCCPayS — Ian Dunt (@IanDunt) September 21, 2015 Who can they mean? Quentin Letts writes... [IMG: Ignomy in the Daily Mail] Full text of Nick Clegg's speech On the morning after I resigned as Leader of our party in the wake of that devastating election result, I decided to buy... a phone. Rather than moping at home I thought I'd cheer myself up by buying some new gadgets. In any event, I half expected some grim faced official from the Home Office ...
I have always been a bit of a One Member, One Vote sceptic when it comes to Liberal Democrat Conference. My major worry about it - that the press would have too much influence on Conference votes if it were brought in - no longer applies. The press now has many better things to do with its time. But the pro-OMOV arguments still seem a bit weak to me. The main one runs something like: "OMOV is democracy so if you are against it, you are against democracy." This will not do. Democracy takes many forms, and the representative democracy ...
Hallejujah! We have got there! We have at last completed our arduous journey over mountain, through thick jungle and through crocodile infested waters. We have at last arrived in the Elysian Fields! #ldconf overwhelmingly backs constitutional amendment to introduce OMOV for party elections and conference votes. Well done! — Liberal Reform (@liberal_reform) September 21, 2015 Well done, #ldconf! We are now a modern 21st century party that gives all its members a vote. Great news. — Caron Lindsay (@caronmlindsay) September 21, 2015 * Paul Walter is a Liberal Democrat activist in Newbury and West Berkshire. He is part of the ...
Here follows the text of the motion passed by conference this afternoon at the end of the debate entitled "Scrapping Trident" on the agenda. I have shown the original motion in normal text with the original line numbers, and lines through the text which was deleted by conference. In italics I have shown the text inserted by virtue of conference voting for Amendment 1: Motion begins: 1 Conference notes that the go-ahead for building Successor submarines 2 for the Trident system is scheduled to be decided upon in 2016. 3 Conference believes that British possession of nuclear weapons is 4 ...
Mon 21st
17:15
++Big conference decision: Amendment 1 to "Scrapping Trident" motion is carried after a card count
Conference voted in favour of amendment 1 to the "Scrapping Trident" motion this afternoon. * News Meerkat - keeping a look-out for Liberal Democrat news. Meerkat photo by Adair Broughton
[IMG: Jo Swinson Opening Glasgow Conference] The BBC reports: Former minister Jo Swinson has spoken of the "delicious" moment she was mistaken for a secretary by a senior government official. The ex-Lib Dem MP, an equalities minister in the coalition government, was speaking about the difficulties faced by women in the workplace. She said the official was mortified when he realised his mistake. She also revealed that her then boss Vince Cable skipped a diversity training seminar she had set up. Ms Swinson said she had set up a session for business department ministers and senior civil servants on avoiding ...
My spoiler rich review of Doctor Who's assured and unsettling return. If one was to write a formula for a Dr Who scene what would it include? There'd be a repelent monster of course, there'd be an other worldly setting that also looks like somewhere in Wales, perhaps there'd be a child in peril - Dr [...]
My Sunday at Liberal Democrat Conference seemed to dwell more on Jeremy Corbyn than might be ideal. In the Agenda 2020 session on spelling out our priorities and vision for policy development for the next 5 years, I may have derailed things a little with the following observation. Corbyn's election is certainly a challenge to liberal economics. If anybody else – ourselves included – had suggested price controls, printing money, and offering easy alternatives to austerity that (like Syriza) you can't deliver, they would not only be seen to be wrong, but thought to be highly cynical, grubbing around for ...
Last night I went to the London Lib Dem reception. I ended up bidding successfully for a copy of the Camden Lib Dems' cookery book "Serve a Liberal Helping", signed by Shirley Williams. Camden Lib Dems are now being warned that I will be testing out some of the recipes - and I'll be filming the whole experience. Watch this space on YouTube!
Tim Farron positioned the Liberal Demcrats firmly at the fore of the campaign for Britain to remain a member of the European Union in a rousing speech to a packed fringe meeting at the Party's Bournemouth conference today. He described himself as a patriot who loves his neighbours and said that the forthcoming EU referendum [...]
The conference hall was packed for Nick Clegg at 12.20pm. He gave an excellent speech outlining our achievements in government, the dangers the country now faces with the Conservatives ruling with a majority and opportunities for Lib Dems now that Labour has abandoned the liberal progressive centre for the far left. But most of all, he warned of the dangers to the unity of the UK and our future
On the first day at the 2015 Liberal Democrat autumn conference, I delivered my speech about our campaign in the 2015 general election. In my speech instead on mentioning what we did wrong. I spoke about what we did right. During the 2015 general election, I think we delivered a strong campaign and here is [...]
Southport councillors, businesses and residents say they are " very disappointed" at the NatWest bank's decision to 'slam the door' on a planned public meeting over the proposed closure of their Churchtown branch. Talks between Lib Dem councillors Pat Keith and John Dodd and Stephen Parle, NatWest's chief executive for Merseyside and Lancashire, resulted in agreement to hold a public meeting at St Cuthbert's Church hall when all parties could put forward their points of view. But Councillor Keith had now been told by Mr. Parle that he has decided not to appear at the planned meeting and that he ...
Mon 21st
14:00VIDEO: Tim Farron's very impressive debut Question & Answer session at conference in full
Please click below to see the whole of Tim Farron's Question and Answer session at conference yesterday. Tim was in extremely impressive form for his first such session – which can be extremely demanding for a party leader. He was relaxed, confident, funny where necessary and very passionate. (Note for the slightly anoraked: After you have watched Tim, you can use the slider at the bottom of the YouTube box to explore the whole eye-popping six hours of conference from yesterday). * Paul Walter is a Liberal Democrat activist in Newbury and West Berkshire. He is part of the Liberal ...
The Liverpool Echo has the story together with a link to the petition – see link above
[IMG: 20th Sep 2015 conference LDV fringe] Liberal Democrat Voice hosted a very stimulating conference fringe meeting yesterday evening. Our editor, Caron Lindsay chaired the session discussing how we forge a liberal foreign policy in these challenging times. The panel consisted of Hannah Bettsworth, Julie Smith, William Wallace and Nick Tyrone. My photo above shows the panel while Hannah was speaking. Thank you to the panel for each providing extraordinaryly thought-provoking inputs. Thank you also to the representatives who came along and asked excellent questions or made superb points. I also attended a debate hosted by the Liberal Democrat Friends ...
And so another week at Bonkers Hall draws to a close. If you wish to know more about the old brute, read Twenty Years of Lord Bonkers. Monday Walking by the shore this morning I see that a craft loaded to the gunwales (whatever they are) with people has run aground in the shallows. It turns out that the passengers have made their way from Syria risking gunfire, high explosives and the Rutland Water Monster. Naturally, I give orders for them to be put up at the Hall. As our Lord said (and I think rightly): "And as ye would ...
Mon 21st
12:57
Assisted Dying – A guest posting from Jen Robertson looks at conflicting views. Corbyn's is qu...
To start this posting it is important that I make it clear I am a supporter of assisted dying. Here's what Jeremy Corbyn had to say. In my view a terrible stance on the matter:- How would you/did you vote on the following issues: Assisted suicide? "I don't believe we should be talking about assisted dying until our social care and health care systems have been improved sufficiently with focus on the sick and elderly, especially since we are living in an age where longevity is on the rise and so many more elderly people are in need of ...
More comedy genius from Australia's Clarke and Dawe:
Mon 21st
12:51Prison Break – Labour MP's demand answers after prisoner escapes from guards and becomes Leade...
Following the decade's highest profile prison break there are demands from many right wing Labour MP's for the circumstances of the breakout to investigated. Mr. B(ig) Control-Freak MP said "Prisoner No.59.5% held in Clause 4 Wing had been securely behind bars, together with all those suspected of being 'lefties', since the infamous purges (chases) of the Cannock era; that they should all escape now and become our Leaders is embarrassing and unacceptable." Another right winger who did not want to be identified said "He was locked up and the key had been chucked away so how did he get out ...
[IMG: Clegg conference 2015] Here is the speech Nick Clegg is currently delivering at conference: On the morning after I resigned as Leader of our party in the wake of that devastating election result, I decided to buy... a phone. Rather than moping at home I thought I'd cheer myself up by buying some new gadgets. In any event, I half expected some grim faced official from the Home Office to turn up and demand my security vetted Blackberry back at any minute. So, I figured, what better way to prepare for life out of Government than getting my own ...
I don't think there's any question that David Cameron's student days were more colourful than mine. According to a book serialised in the Daily Mail: his antics included drug taking, membership of obnoxious drinking societies and, most strangely, putting his penis into the mouth of a dead pig. By contrast, I became a local councillor [...]
The spotlight moves a little away from Jeremy Corbyn this week as a result of Lib Dem conference and Ashcroft's allegation concerning the prime minister's pig related activities – but Labour conference starts in Brighton five days from now resulting in more coverage of Corbyn than ever. He's turned down Marr twice now – no mass media as the tool of Satan quips will allow him to dodge it again, and definitely not while Labour conference is on. The problem with Corbyn's start as leader isn't that he's been a little out of his depth or had a few unfortunate ...
[IMG: Tim Farron 2015 bournemouth] Tim Farron, with Rosie Farron, awaits the cue to deliver his first conference speech as leader at Saturday's night conference rally.Photo by Paul Walter. Pssst. Let me tell you a little secret which you may not have noticed if you haven't attended Lib Dem conferences. As we went through the coalition years, the numbers of members attending conference dwindled. No doubt someone is going to dispute this and quote detailed numbers. But it was pretty obvious and, towards the end, feintly embarrassing. While the numbers of members attending conference went down, the numbers of media, ...
Blogging, it seems, is in decline - no one has offered me an expenses-paid trip to New York in years. Even so, I think it a shame that the Liberal Democrat Blog of the Year award has died without even an announcement of its demise. I have done my own small bit to try to encourage Lib Dem blogging by picking up the welcome to the new bloggers feature that used to appear on Lib Dem Voice. Maybe I should start giving awards too? A unique insight into how the web has changed since the heyday of blogging can be ...
The Lib Dem team have long worked to secure Barnes Hospital for Cheadle as the building declined year after year. We are very pleased that work is well underway on the hospital building, which is being converted into apartments. Houses will be built around it on the site and the package altogether stacks up financially, making the whole thing possible. [IMG: barnes hospital] You can see the building from the A34 or the motorway slip roads but, for a closer view, there's a path that runs from Kingsway across to Mill Lane where we took this photo.
The most frequent request that I have had in the last few days is to explain why I was unable to respond to the tissue of half truths, misleading information and dissembling which was the basis of Anderson's speech to ... Continue reading →
I arrived at conference this morning with, for me, an unusual interest in the Conference Daily Announcements, a daily publication all about the debates and amendments. I thumbed through looking for the results of the ballot on emergency motions. Sadly, the one about the bees did not get selected. It was beaten by, among others, a call to protect the BBC. As I pointed out to people, we can live
Europe and Britain's continued membership of the European Union were centre stage at the Liberal Democrat conference in Bournemouth yesterday morning, as we debated (and passed overwhelmingly) a motion calling for a vigorous campaign in favour of remaining in the EU in the referendum that is forthcoming, probably in the Autumn of next year. There [...]
We hope you've spotted the open thread on the action taking place in the main auditorium today. In comparison, this thread is for you to talk about fringe meetings, the exhibition and all the other things going on around the main business. What is going on today? After Vince's foray into the fringe yesterday, it's Nick Clegg's turn today. Anyone who stays till the end of the One Member One Vote debate is unlikely to get a seat. He talks to Phil Collins from the Times in the Trouville Hotel at 6:15. He makes a speech to Conference just before ...
If you want a list of things electoral reformers got wrong for the 2011 AV referendum, you better also have a good few hours to spare. Just for the summary. But one thing reformers got wrong has gone mostly unremarked, even though it now has strong echoes in the early days of Jeremy Corbyn's leadership. It's that pre-referendum, electoral reformers had mostly spent their time talking to each other, and as a result adopted a barrel load of beliefs and assumptions that were, in their eyes, obviously correct. When the referendum came, things that were seen as so obvious as ...
I just got back from two days at the Conference in Bournemouth. The absence of discussion of strategy was deafening. However, no less than three people either said to me, or mentioned from the dais, the reduction of seats from 650 to 600 "which the Tories are going to do". I have bemoaned the lack of psephological nous in the party before but really some members seem to like to wallow in misery and fantasy. It is true that the seat reduction as proposed WAS to disadvantage us and Labour at the Tory benefit. That is a given. However time ...
Seven takewawys from the Greek election. Story continues. (tags: eu greece ) Archbishop of Canterbury to host refugees at official London residence "Jesus was a refugee." (tags: migration humanrights religion ) Don't Breathe Here "every major car manufacturer is selling diesel cars that fail to meet EU air pollution limits". (tags: climatechange health pollution )
There are three ways to watch the Lib Dem conference live: 1. Go to conference. That may sound facetious, but you can still register for a day session this week and, if you just happen to be around Bournemouth and have a hour to spare, you can pop into a fringe meeting without registering (but I didn't tell you that [IMG: 😉] ) 2. Watch the sessions live on the party's website here. The party also plonks a YouTube of the previous day's session on the same website every evening. 3. Watch the conference on BBC Parliament here. (If you ...
Mon 21st
09:47
It shouldn't happen to a press officer at a party conference, part two: A Nazi slur, a botched annou...
The last time we had a party conference in Bournemouth, in autumn 2009, one of my responsibilities was press work for our home affairs spokesperson Chris Huhne. Now, Chris is not a man to mince his words and he had a speech coming up that he intended to be about as absent of mince as a [...]
It is the 1982 story of how a Marxist leader assumes power as the Prime Minister of Great Britain only to find the establishment lining up against him, undermining him at every turn and ultimately staging a military coup against him. A Very British Coup by former Foreign Office Minister, Chris Mullins, introduces Harry Perkins, a former Sheffield steelworker who sweeps to power on a radical manifesto of nuclear disarmament, withdrawal from Nato, public control over the nation's finances, the break-up of all-powerful media monopolies and abolition of the House of Lords. Shortly after the election of Jeremy Corbin as ...
[IMG: Putney Lib Dems raffle ticket] Welcome news from the English Party on candidate selection this time: the plans are to carry out selections for the next European Parliament elections in 2016, so that all the candidates are in place by the end of that year. That's sensibly quick as for really good candidates who know how to use their time well, having over two years as a selected candidate will greatly increase their ability to assist the rebuilding of the party in those areas of the country that can very easily make the difference between a gain of a ...
Whether you are physically in Bournemouth or are following what is happening from home, this is your place to talk about the public face of the Conference – in other words, all the debates and speeches that are going on in the main auditorium. Please use the comments below to add your reports on policy and constitutional debates or to draw readers' attention to ones in the pipeline. We will be running a similar thread each day, so please confine your comments today to what is actually happening today. Tomorrow's instalment will appear at 8.30am tomorrow morning. We will also ...
The Dundee Directory for 1895-96 lists two streets in the city called Scott's Close. One is given at No. 97 Overgate, and the No. 6 Hawkhill. It is impossible to say categorically which this - see below - is. This photograph shows an alleyway between two tenement blocks, with a gaslight attached to the left-hand side. The image is important, because shortly afterwards the buildings were demolished.
Buzzfeed went to the Lib Dem Disco so sensible people (inc me) didn't have to [IMG: comment count unavailable] comments
Mon 21st
07:55
Devolution from central government is set to happen across England but not in Shropshire
Amid all the gloom about funding cuts, there is a sense of excitement in the air around local government about new powers being promised by ministers. Communities minister Greg Clark is an advocate of devolution of powers from central government, as is George Osborne. At first, it was thought that this project would just apply [...]
In his brilliant book on academic politics "Microcosmographica Academica" , F M Cornford wrote that there was only one argument for doing anything - that it was right. There were, however, many arguments for not doing anything, of which "the doctrine of unripe time" is one of the most common. This applies perfectly to the Liberal Democrat Conference debate on Trident. On the surface, the question seems simple - replace Trident or scrap Trident - but the waters have been muddied by an amendment from Baroness Jolly which says neither. It says we should set up another working group to ...
Labour Ministers in Cardiff Bay are failing to truly recognise the benefits of apprenticeships to the Welsh economy. A report by the National Training Federation Wales entitled The Value of Apprenticeships to Wales notes that there is a "£74 return for every £1 invested compared to a £57 return for every £1 invested for the average degree". Despite this, Labour Ministers have chosen to cut funding to apprenticeship schemes in recent budgets, instead favouring less effective work experience schemes like Jobs Growth Wales. A Welsh Government evaluation of Jobs Growth Wales found that 73% of participants would have found a ...
