Here is the full text of Ed Davey's speech to Liberal Democrat Federal Spring Conference in York. More about the nuclear deterrent policy is on the party website and in coverage from The Guardian. Thank you friends. What a wonderful weekend it's been - here in York. It's hard to remember now, just how different things were - the last time we met here. Only two short years ago. We didn't know it, but we were just two months away from Rishi Sunak standing outside Number 10 - as he called that general election. Wishing he'd remembered his umbrella. And ...
Emergency motion – for my sins, I once got an emergency motion (on the situation in Fiji, since you ask) onto the ballot at a Bournemouth conference. Baroness Ludford was very sympathetic to it. It wasn't chosen in the ballot but it gave me an appreciation of the work and energy involved into putting forward an emergency motion to conference. So, well done to the Young Liberals for getting "A Liberal Future for Under 18s" into the hall for debate. The Tories are proposing an outright ban on social media for under 16s following the ban in Australia (the home ...
Lib Dem Culture and Media sportsperson Anna Sabine delivered a robust defence of the BBC in her keynote speech to Conference yesterday. She compared our public service broadcaster to the dreadful right wing news channels which broadcast the most outrageous and emotive misinformation. She set out Lib Dem plans to protect the BBC – a supermajority and ratification by all nations for any changes in its charter to be implemented, and banning all political appointments to the BBC board among them. There is even mention of farting. Enjoy! * Caron Lindsay is Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice and blogs at ...
I came across this on BBC Radio 3's Night Waves, but what they played was an orchestration of In a Studded Procession rather than the electronic version above. If you want to hear that, and I think it's preferable, then go to Night Waves for 1 March on BBC Sounds and you will find it starting at 35:50. If you don't want to bother with that, the version here is still very good. Abul Mogard? Digital in Berlin explains: Abul Mogard is an alter-ego created by Guido Zen, an Italian musician currently based in Rome. He has performed at renowned ...
Today at Conference, after a hotly contested emergency motions ballot, Conference will be debating a motion by the Young Liberals which would introduce a ratings system for social media for under 18s. You can read it in Conference Extra here. Local Government finance and a motion on how to deal with Trump's increasingly illegal and dangerous policies are also on the agenda before Conference ends with Ed Davey's keynote speech. Here's the full agenda: 09.00-09.30 F15 Emergency motion – Social media for under 18s 09.30-10.00 F16 Question and Answer Session: Parliamentary Parties 10.00-10.15 F17 Speech: Peter Taylor, Elected Mayor of ...
Invigorating. That's the best word to sum up the LDER (Liberal Democrats For Electoral Reform) fringe last night. The panel, brimming with optimism and passion, was (L to R in the photo above): Chair Keith Sharp (LDER), Emma Harrison (Make Votes Matter), Lena Swedlow (Deputy Director, Compass), Lisa Smart MP (Cabinet Office spokesperson & Vice Chair Fair Elections APPG (All Party Parliamentary Group)). The Representation of the People Bill (ROPB) is going through Parliament, currently entering the committee stage. While it contains some good things such as votes for 16 and 17 year olds, Lisa Smart said that the bill ...
As we approach the business end of the elections for a new Welsh Senedd, all the parties will be preparing to publish their manifestos, complete with a list of expensive promises and actions that they believe will transform Wales, however the reality might prove more difficult to navigate than they think. The Institute for Fiscal Studies has published its own analysis that suggests that the next Senedd is not going to be an easy ride for whoever forms the next government. The IFS say that increases in resource funding are set to slow significantly and capital funding is set to ...
The latest edition of my email newsletter about work in Parliament, A Lord's Eye View, is out and you can also read it in full below. But if you'd like to get future editions emailed direct to you as soon as they are published, sign up now: This week Sarah Teather, former MP and now member of the Liberal Democrat group in the House of Lords, gave her maiden speech. It was excellent – so here it is for you to enjoy too. Did someone share this with you? If so, sign up here to get future pieces sent directly ...
Arriving in York, I was reminded of what a wonderful city this is. To watch the beautiful Ouse meandering amidst some wonderful old buildings, is enough to raise anyone's spirits. On Friday evening, at the historic Mason's Arms, it was great to see old friends and enjoy marvellous food. Today, I did a tour of the exhibition hall and bought my customary LGBT+ badge, signed up for Liberal Democrats for Electoral Reform and supported Liberal Democrat Friends of Hong Kong. The "Driving Forward – Road to Access" debate was a reminder that, though we applaud walking, cycling and wheels, driving ...
Welcome to my summary of the latest national voting intention polls for the next general election, along with the latest MRP projections and party leadership ratings. If you'd like to find out more about how polls work, how reliable they are and how to make sense of them, check out my book, Polling UnPacked: the History, Uses and Abuses of Political Opinion Polls, or sign up for my weekly email, The Week in Polls: General election voting intention polls PollsterConLabLDGrnRefLab leadFieldwork Find Out Now 17% (nc) 15% (nc) 11% (+1) 21% (nc) 26% (-1) -11% (4th, vs Ref) 11/3 GB ...
Sometimes I am asked why I, as a Lib Dem councillor in Liverpool, do a lot of blogs about Trump and America. The answer is simple. What Trump's America does affects us all. Two examples. I have friends from Liverpool who went on a 'holiday of a lifetime to the far east who have spent the last ten days worrying about getting home and will arrive at least a week late because of the disruption to transfer. Have you bought any petrol lately? The lowering of pump prices seen at the start of the year has gone into reverse and ...
While the Lib Dem Voice team were having delicious food in the Mason's Arms last night, the loud and raucous Conference rally was taking place. The rally is like Glee Club and marmite and all these things you either love or don't. I'm more on the "don't" side because it just seems a bit like an American convention rather than a British Conference, but others love the fun and spirit and theatre of it. I always feel like you can watch things like this later, but the chance to spend time with friends is precious so that's what I tend ...
On 13th March 1915 Sir George Riddell recorded golfing and lunching with David Lloyd George (then Chancellor of the Exchequer) and Rufus Isaacs (Lord Reading, the Lord Chief Justice). Isaacs had spent the weekend at Walmer with the prime minister, H. H. Asquith, and told Riddell that Asquith's great responsibilities sat lightly on him "except for two hours dealing with business ... he barely mentioned the war". Riddell asked Lloyd George if he thought the war was being prosecuted with sufficient energy, and was Asquith too easy going. LlG replied "Things are very unsatisfactory in that respect. Winston [Churchill] said ...
Some local lithic goodness from the redoubtable Bob Trubshaw.
Greetings from my very comfy bed in York where I have spent most of my time since I arrived at lunchtime yesterday. I did manage to get out to make sure that the Mason's Arms had an adequate of supply of Black Cherry gin and catch up with Lib Dem Voice colleagues, with more of us in one place at any time since Bournemouth 2019. Mary Reid, Mark Valladares, Paul Walter, Charley Hasted and I are all around so do come and say hello. A Q and A from Ed Davey, speeches from MPs Anna Sabine and James MacCleary and ...
Not many people know that Gladstone once visited Swansea. I first discovered this in 1980 when my new history professor, Richard Shannon took up post in Swansea University. He had built his reputation on his studies of Gladstone, one of which can be found here. His inauguaral lecture, 'Mr Gladstone and Swansea 1887' delivered at the College on 18 November 1980, does not appear to be any longer in print. However, I have found this account of the visit: Gladstone visited south Wales in 1887 to draw attention to the support given for Irish Home Rule in Wales in an ...