News trickling in that the Conservatives have offered the Liberal Democrats a coalition. The Lib Dem parliamentary party and Federal Executives, without whom a coalition cannot be ratified, are currently meeting to consider it. There's even talk of an emergency Special Conference this weekend which will mean conference representatives across the country pricking their ears up. But the rolling news media are considering it a done deal already. Amongst the headlines are that Nick Clegg will serve as Deputy Prime Minister, Danny Alexander as Secretary of State for Scotland, along with three other Lib Dems in the cabinet and a ...
Today caps even yesterday for sustained political drama. Talks on and off again with Labour then back to deal with the Tories. Before anything is finally concluded Gordon Brown resigns as PM. David Cameron heads for the Palace to kiss hands. At the time of writing Nick Clegg is finishing off his meeting with MP's, Peers and the Federal Executive with a view to forming a full term coalition with the Tories. My understanding is that Labour were utterly uncompromising in the negotiations while the Tories had moved significantly. Labour seem to have made the same mistake that they made ...
I'm back after weeks not writing the blog - not been on a holiday or picnic - working flat out on the election, Working very hard on getting over our "Fairness" message, answering countless phone calls on our policies, and working to get Ian Swales elected as the MP for Redcar. You will all have had enough political commentary to last a long time (although I suspect a lot more to come!) so I...
The liberal moment has arrived and I know that the Lib Dem members of this Government, both at Cabinet and junior Ministerial level, will be the heart and conscience of this coalition administration.
From Decline of the Logos: The Liberal Democrats have been in favour of electoral reform for ninety years. Ninety years. Protesting in front of their HQ is equivalent to standing in front of Shell's corporate headquarters and yelling, "MORE OIL DRILLING! SELL OIL AT THE HIGHEST PRICE YOU CAN GET!" It's just stupid. I make no apologies for labelling Power2010 and Take Back Parliament daft for doing this, it's the truth.
Today has been the most exciting — and in many ways extraordinary — day in British politics for a generation. Suddenly it looks as if the country has its first coalition government since the Second World War, in which the Liberal Democrats will be the junior partners to the Conservatives. I am struck by the ...
David Cameron as Prime Minister, Nick Clegg as deputy PM isn't quite what I had in mind during the campaign up to May 6th. I still await the detail tonight but it seems that our Parliamentary party and our Federal Executive are about to endorse a deal which falls short of what I wanted in terms of the reform of our voting system. However, I shan't comment any further on the details till they're
I cant formulate the words right now to describe what it was like being at the cabinet office and Westminster tonight watching history being made so here are the pictures that I took instead for now. Filed under: conservatives, general election, Liberal Democrats, Spiderplant Says, UK Current affairs Tagged: chris huhne, Coalition for change, danny ...
I must admit I never expected a coalition, but at the end of the day it is probably the least worst alternative. We could not have done nothing. There is a country to be run. Supporting a Conservative minority government would have been possible but it would have been fragile, most Liberal Democrat policies would ...
But well done that man. Watching David Cameron speaking before 10 Downing Street, I realised what a long way has been travelled since 2005. For a long time I didn't think it could be done. Of course, I'm talking about myself, and my achievement of being able to look upon another Tory prime minister without ...
Today's announcement that the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats are to form a coalition government represents a very brave decision by Nick Clegg. The Labour party have taken the easy way out. They have made it clear that they weren't interested in working with us in a progressive coalition, and they have opted for opposition at ...
ok it's still not confirmed - but source is quite good... Also heard that Danny Alexander to get Scotland . well which Tory would YOU put in the post?... and from another source Nick IS deputy prime minister.... A less committed source suggests Huhne might get Home Affairs - though that would be a huge leap of faith from the Tories. But who knows....
How many good reason do we need to know the Tories are not the people we want to sit with ? 1) Homophobia - The Tories have consistently had problems with homophobia amongst their ranks. Chris Grayling started it all off again recently by claiming that B&B owners ought to be able to refuse to have gay peoiple staying in their establishments. Then we had the Tory PPC who set up a prayer group to use the power of religion to stop people geing gay. Need I go on and list all the others ? 2) Nadine Dorries - The ...
If you supported me in the General Election and you are feeling uneasy with the news that the Liberal Democrats are considering whether to enter into a formal coalition with the Conservatives, may I reassure you that your vote in Henley was important and not wasted. Firstly, your support contributed to the overall number of votes for Liberal Democrats across Britain being recorded as nearly 6.8m. That figure compares to 8.6m for Labour and 10.7m for the Conservatives. The next highest vote tally was 168,000 for the Democratic Unionists. Your support means that the Liberal Democrats have been taken more ...
Take a look at this great post comparing the Scottish and English versions of The Sun.
So much for all the Labour rhetoric about how only a vote for Labour could keep the Tories out of power. Turns out Labour was quite willing to see David Cameron become Prime Minister as you can see from tonight's statement from 'a Liberal Democrat spokesperson': It is clear that the Labour Party never took seriously the prospects of forming a progressive, reforming government with the Liberal Democrats. Key members of Labour's negotiating team gave every impression of wanting the process to fail and Labour made no attempt at all to agree a common approach with the Liberal Democrats on ...
So, it looks like its finally resolved. Brown's gone. Cameron's in. And LibDem's have jumped into bed with the Tories. Oh dear. Yes, I can see why it may have happened. But as part of the more left-wing part of the party, I can never support a LibDem/Tory coalition. I genuinely think this is the ...
Tue 11th
21:45
Mum just out from her operation. Went to sleep with one PM in place, woke with another. But that's t...
Mum just out from her operation. Went to sleep with one PM in place, woke with another. But that's the last thing on her mind!
PoliticsHome thinks it knows who will be in the new cabinet. So far it has listed: Prime Minister - David Cameron Deputy Prime Minister - Nick Clegg (unconfirmed) Chancellor of the Exchequer - George Osborne Chief Secretary to the Treasury - Vince Cable Foreign Secretary - William Hague Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families - David Laws Secretary of State for Work and Pensions - Philip Hammond (unconfirmed) Secretary of State for Health - Andrew Lansley Secretary of State for Defence - Lord Ashdown (unconfirmed) Later. I don't how much this is worth. Already it has changed its ...
I was asked to do an 'op ed' piece for the local newspaper on whether we need voting reform in 250 words. Well, 250 words is never going to cover what could be a PhD. thesis but this is what I submitted. The simple answer is yes. The newly formed coalition government of Britain is an anomaly because it can claim the support of more than 50% of British voters. Such an outcome does not normally happen under our electoral system. In 2005 the Labour government took office with 37% of the votes cast, which is a pretty normal result ...
Cameron has announced full coalition. While we wait for the details of the agreement, I shall just list a few things that will and won't happen.Things that will happen:The media will continue to speculate furiously, and will probably not read the agreement properly and will need to have their mistakes pointed out by bloggers. Tories shackled in government by a coalition with the Lib Dems will be orders of magnitude better than Tories in government unfettered and running amok. Nick Robinson will continue frotting Dave until Dave can stand it no more. We will lose members, supporters and voters who ...
Time to return to Nevill Holt, now accepted by most scholars to be the model for Bonkers Hall. I recently received some interesting gossip from the mother of a former pupil of the prep school that used to occupy the buildings. I shall share it with you one day. In the mean time, let me point you to a fascinating article about Nancy Cunard, who was brought up at Nevill Holt: Nancy was a writer, heiress and political activist. She was born into the British upper class but strongly rejected her family's values, devoting much of her life to fighting ...
So, that's that then, and we're on the brink of a new government being formed – it looks like (despite the efforts of the Tory press) enough people voted Lib Dem to give us influence and temper toxic Tory tendencies. For my part, I was squeezed in Westminster North but pleased that the winner was ...
In 1997 when Tony Blair entered Downing Street when the country was erupting in a chorus of "Ding Dong the Wicked Tories are gone" I lay in bed watching him and I felt nothing. Not one thing. I was numb. I just didn't trust him one little bit and something inside kind of knew he'd let the country down. Even I didn't predict the awfulness that followed, the illegal invasion of Iraq, complicity in torture, the vernacular of the war on terror and the accompanying assaults on civil liberties - control orders and 42 days' detention. The last few days ...
Why the Lib Lab talks failed Just got this from the party It is clear that the Labour Party never took seriously the prospects of forming a progressive, reforming government with the Liberal Democrats. Key members of Labour's negotiating team gave every impression of wanting the process to fail and Labour made no attempt at all to agree a common approach with the Liberal Democrats on issues such as fairer schools funding for the most deprived pupils and taking those on low incomes out of tax. It became clear to the Liberal Democrats that certain key Labour cabinet ministers were ...
According to the BBC, the Conservatives have agreed to increase the income tax threshold to £10,000 and to scrap their tax breaks for married couples. These are two extremely positive first steps as is the agreement to have a referendum on the alternative vote system. These are exciting times. For those who are curious, the alternative vote system requires voters to rank the candidates in order. So, for example, you may have seen the following for the Shoreham and East Worthing constituency: Candidate (Party) Rank Benn, Emily (Labour) 5 Board, Susan (Green) 4 Doyle, James (Liberal Democrat) 1 Glennon, Mike ...
My wife is a member of the Liberal Democrats. She's also an immigrant, and was upset that she didn't get to vote in this election. The rumour is that party members are going to get balloted on whatever deal has been agreed. If so, my immigrant wife will get far more of say with her ...
Comment is Free ran this piece from me earlier today: We Lib Dems are pragmatic about how our policies get delivered The Lib Dem grassroots realise that allying with either party has disadvantages. But they badly want proper electoral reform Plunged into negotiations with other parties off the back of an election result where the party lost seats, you might expect the Liberal Democrats to be racked by internal dissent and argument. Instead, the mood at the grassroots is remarkably unified. Pensive and tense, certainly, as the latest news of the negotiations rolls across the TV screens and blogs, but ...
For those three people who don't yet know, the Labour party refused to make any concessions to form a coalition with the Liberal Democrats. As a result, the Lib Dems were left with the choices of either a Conservative minority government or forming a coalition with the Conservatives. One or other has happened and now ...
I have been getting a lot of email from constituents from both sides of the divide over the argument of which coalition, and indeed none, the Liberal Democrats should have entered into. So I'd like to make the following comment on the goings on of the last five days and especially the last 24 hours or so. I now am watching scenes of Gordon Brown resigning while we do not yet now if the Liberal Democrats or the Conservatives have agreed upon the decision as William Hague only left the discussions after Brown entered the Palace. One phrase that grated ...
Just heard the voice of another LibDem blogger on LBC (James Whale's Drive Time Show) and she spoke a hell of a lot of common sense. Adding you to my blog roll! Like your outlook and perspective!!
It doesn't surprise me that there may be an agreement formed. Nick Clegg always said that he would negotiate with the party with the largest number of seats. There will obviously be a number of concessions made, obviously as SKY has apparently announced (according to tweetdeck feed) the immigration amnesty is one of these. I am ...
During the election both my Tory and Labour counterparts were sure of one thing - a vote for me was a vote for the other party! My conservative opponent kept inviting me to sign his silly pledge, which invited me to "never ever vote in parliament to support a continuation of Gordon Brown and Labour in Government" (presumably he wouldn't have voted with the Conservative whip in previous parliaments to support Labour then!). My Labour opponent put out charming postcards saying "A vote for the Lib Dems is a vote for Cameron" Now the silly season is over we have ...
Here is a selection of issues making headlines during the past week: Tories stay strong in Wokingham but Lib Dem gain brings consolation Warm reception at send-off for out going mayor Campaigners get ready to protect Heatherwood General Election 2010: Phillip Lee wins Bracknell seat This weeks bonus The BBC has a collection of pictures from the Bracknell half marathon If you know of any other local political stories then please add them in the comments below. Reading List is also posting a weekly Newsweek last weeks is here
The antediluvians of the Labour Party have wrecked any chance of a progressive alliance, confirming what an archaic, conservative force Labour is. David Blunkett and Jack Straw, two of the worst Home Secretaries ever, can't cope with the idea of a government that actually represents the majority of people instead of their own prejudices.
I may be getting a bit ahead of myself here but what the hell, it's good fun! I thought I might quickly speculate about what cabinet positions which Lib Dems might get if a coalition is confirmed later this evening as seems now to be likely according to reports. So, the first rumour is that Nick Clegg could be Deputy Prime Minister and also Home Secretary. The Home Office brief would certainly make sense for Clegg in my view. The idea he could be DPM is very interesting though. Would that mean he would stand in for Cameron at PMQs!? ...
It appears very probable now we will have a Tory/Lib Dem coalition. That would put me in the extraordinary position of supporting the government, for the first time in my life. I would still much prefer the Lib Dems to remain in opposition. To a large extent that is for pragmatic reasons - I very much fear a coalition with the Tories will be electorally disastrous for the Lib Dems. But will I resign from the party? No, I won't. Part of the reason for this is my revulsion at the list of dreadful authoritarian New Labour figures who have ...
round 1 to the Labservatives and their huge and vicious spin empire free the people keep the faith
A quick round-up of where we seem to be at right now (with apologies for the slowness of the site loading: our servers are taking a bit of a battering right now!) ... Throughout the afternoon a succession of Labour figures ruled out any prospect of a Lib-Lab coalition deal. This morning people like John Reid, David Blunkett and Tom Harris dismissed the idea – this afternoon they were joined by serving ministers such as Andy Burnham, Jack Straw, Liam Byrne, Sadiq Khan, Diana Johnson and Peter Ainsworth. With the possibility of a Lib-Lab pact utterly dependent on unity within ...
The Shropshire Star has a photograph of Emlyn Hooson being carried through the streets of Welshpool after retaining the seat at the October 1974 general election.
From my office, high on the thirteenth floor of Euston Tower, one can see the Palace of Westminster clearly. Today, my view is enhanced by the sight of two helicopters flying over the area, seemingly waiting for someone to emerge from an office somewhere, get into a car, and sign a deal between two political parties. And whilst it looks increasingly likely that this will happen, it is clear that it isn't actually nailed down until the Federal Executive and the Parliamentary Party in the Commons says so. It's been a tough few days, though, as the negotiations have progressed, ...
Sorry.
Yes I know it sounds mad. But I have been told that the deal with the Conservatives has been sealed. It will be announced with in the hour. Liberals have SIX seats in the cabinet . Really? I know that sounds bonkers .. but SO BONKERS , from such a good source, it just might be true! After all I saw The PM resign and the Tories offer the Libs a referendum on electoral reform yesterday! Anything could be true. Update: Looks, in fact, like 2 or 3 in the Cabinet, and 3 or 4 junior ministers. Plus - Brown ...
Many residents have expressed concern to me about the future of Ward 6 at Royal Victoria Hospital and, in particular, care for older people at the hospital. I recently wrote to Professor Tony Wells, Chief Executive of NHS Tayside, to express my concerns and seek assurances. I have today received the following response : "Due to the physical environment of Ward 6, the proposed changes mean that there will be a planned, phased closure of this ward over the next five months. However, over the same period, we will be increasing the number of acute medicine or the elderly beds ...
So it appears (at 4.39pm) that Labour are admitting defeat and GB is moving out of Downing St. Lib Dem sources are saying that the talks with Labour never really got anywhere. My sources (hmmm - sounding like journo now) are telling me that whilst the Labour peers in the room (Mandelson and Adonis) were fairly serious about a deal, the MPs (Harman and Balls) had bad body language and were more concerned about their own leadership election than anything else. Could the Lib Dems have done a deal with Labour of they didn't feel that the Labour hearts were ...
[IMG: PD*25604954] And so it came to pass that in the end, Labour's ill-disciplined, splintering politicians ensured that the only possible outcome from the hung parliament negotiations was a Liberal Democrat/Conservative coalition, or a Conservative minority government. People who voted for Labour tactically will not be very pleased to see the chronic lack of discipline and a collegiate spirit. To these people keeping the Tories out is the most essential result of any activity in the ballot box. Yet because of Labour's inability to show any sort of positive intent or internal party consensus, the Lib Dems have been 'forced' ...
The BBC is reporting that our negotiations with the Labour Party are on the road to nowhere. It sounds therefore that some sort of deal, whether it's confidence and supply, or a full coalition, is likely with the Tories. Some might say that we're on the road to hell. I know that if this actually happens, it's really going to upset a fair few party members. Good people whose feet still bear the battle blisters and who are still suffering the pain of defeat will feel betrayed. Membership cards will be ripped up. Folk will be angry. They will say ...
In the last couple of hours, things have started to move decisively in the direction of a Liberal Democrat/Conservative deal. It is still not clear what sort of deal this would be but the indications so far are that it will be a full coalition deal. Holdalls have been seen round the back of Downing Street being taken away in a government Range Rover. The interesting question now is whether whatever deal has been brokered is ratified by the Parliamentary Lib Dem Party (75% of them need to agree) and then the Federal Executive of the party (75% of them ...
There's something fanciful about protests coming from Labour sympathisers about a possible deal with the Tories, and vice versa. Labour and the Conservatives have for decades conspired to keep each other in power - untrammelled power - about half the time. They do this by maintaining an electoral system that frequently hands absolute power to their supposed opponents on a minority of the vote. But what goes around comes around, doesn't it? There is a quid pro quo for Labour and the Tories isn't there? No. Your co-conspirator-opponent can always do more harm in government than you can make up ...
Animal Aid launched a new initiative during the election period, one I hope to get involved in too. The plan, probably obviously, is to not eat meat on Mondays. My ward colleague Victor Chamberlain is a veggie, so should be okay, however, I am on the opposite end of the spectrum. Not only cutting the number of animals slaughtered, but also very good for the environment and carbon reduction in particular, I would love to encourage more of you to get involved. An explanatory booklet with recipes is linked.
My mum is having a weird firefox problem. It crashes when she tries to look at a shopping basket on any internet shopping site. It totally shuts itself down and you get the "firefox has encountered a problem" thing. Two virus checkers have found no threats, and my instinct is it's something she's done to the security settings. The problem is that mum is not the most computer literate person in the world, and trying to get her to describe the problem was difficult enough; trying to get her to tell me if she's clicked a security option will be ...
And so it seems like the Lib-Lab talks have broken down, as even a Labour minister signals the end, and Sky (reassuringly, in my opinion) say that differences of opinion over the deficit caused the breakdown. Mike Smithson at pb.com cites a "top source" from the Lib Dems informing him that Lib-Con talks are back on, and the LD cabinet is said to be meeting later this afternoon. Could we soon see the climax of the most chaotic and fun 5 days in modern British politics? [IMG: libservatives]
Over 700 people responded to the survey which was really great. The top three bus driver behaviours that caused concerns for all the cyclists who responded, whether they cycle occasionally or everyday, were (figures expressed as percentages of respondents that selected the behaviour): 1) 'Passing too close to you' (76%) 2) 'Pulling out from bus stops without looking and signalling' (60%) 3) 'Overtaking when not necessary (in busy traffic or approaching a bus stop)' (43%) In Greater Manchester there are very few cyclist fatalities or serious injuries from incidents between buses and bicycles. However, poor or thoughtless bus driver behaviours ...
I just wanted to log on quickly to say a big thank you to all the people who voted for us in Downham. [IMG: thank you] Julia, Duwayne and I were all re-elected and we're already back to work catching up on casework. As always do get in touch if you have any concerns. We'll be here for another 4 years to help you. It truly is a privilege. All the best, Jenni
Strange to think that only last Thursday Michael Connarty was being as nice as pie to the people (well with the possible exception of Tam Smith) representing the votes cast by over half the constituents in Linlithgow and East Falkirk. A concerned constituent has forwarded an email that was sent to him from Connarty over the issue of forming a coalition. Indeed he was urging him not to form a minority or rainbow coalition. The additions in red are my own corrections and comments. Strong words Mr X, Why should the Lib Dems be in any government when their vote ...
Election over, objective very much achieved. Strong second place, 8,000 more votes, target seat next time with any luck. Back to the business before Cape Verde in 3 weeks or so.
For some reason or other, I'm browsing wikipedia articles about previous PM's from minority administrations. Here is what Ramsay MacDonald supported during the Great Depression. And here is the general election result that followed. Ouch!
Over at The Guardian's Comment is Free website, LDV Co-Editor Mark Pack notes how united the Lib Dem membership has been, at least so far, in nervously watching and waiting to see how the balanced parliament negotiations develop. There's general recognition that Nick Clegg and the party face the toughest of choices – but also a determination to see electoral reform brought in. Here's an extract: Many have an instinctive preference or aversion to one of the other main parties, but what they all have in common is a commitment to the Liberal Democrats. Those in principle who would never ...
Whilst a coalition with the Conservatives is something I personally find uncomfortable, a Lib Dem/Con coalition still remains the only lasting show in town. A coalition with Labour would see a government constantly on a knife edge. It would be difficult also to win acceptance of the nation for a coalition in which the identity of the Prime Minister will not be sorted until September. The nation's
You have people in the West Country saying `the Tories got the votes and should go it alone` and a Tory Council leader said `the Lib Dems are trying to face both ways and they're duplicitous`. One has to laugh – it shouldn't have ended like this. FACT: The Tories only got 36% I guess ...
It has certainly been a bad week for Nick Griffin. The party polled badly in the General Election, with Griffin's much-hyped bid to win Barking constituency ending in a poor third place. The BNP's already tiny local council base took a pounding, with total wipe-out in Barking & Dagenham, a council they hoped to control. Most damning for the future of the party itself, there has been huge damage from defections and scandal, resulting in the BNP main web site being taken down just a week before the election. Nick Griffin has sent an email out to party members, attempting ...
No one really knows what is happening at the moment - and I don't want to speculate here. Along with many local Cllrs my phone and email Inbox have been buzzing all weekend with people firmly pro and anti the various discussions that are going on in London at the moment. But I can assure anyone that has contacted us that we have passed on your views! Closer to home, due to work commitments David Jenkins has stood down as group leader of the Lib Dems on the County Council, and I have replaced him. David and his predecessor, our ...
There are a lot of outraged Tories around at the moment. Some of them have even reverted to calling my party 'Liberals'. However, if the insight provided by Polly Toynbee in today's Guardian is anything to go by David Cameron has nothing to worry about. She reports that Labour may not be as serious about a progressive alliance as they claim: Talking to some high-ups on the progressive wing of the Lib Dems, they worry that some the Labour chief negotiators are just going through the motions while putting serious obstacles in the way. They fear many in Labour agree ...
A quick piece of new functionality in the way Flock Together uses Twitter: If you look at this tweet and click on the word 'here', it will show a map with the location of the Flock Together event referred to in the text. In essence, the tweet now has a location associated with it. This means it will appear in searches for tweets near to a particular location. The interesting question now is where we go from here. The next priority for FlockTogether is a dramatically improved interface. But I think there are plenty of opportunities for further integration of ...
When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other ...
I hate calling a particular type of politics by a particular handedness; it speaks of the sort of crass pseudo-intellectualism that passes for discussion in the media. But there's little other way to describe the aggregate of bizarre activity & analysis we've seen from a particular section of what you could call the wonketariat. Firstly, ...
The mood music now seems to be hardening in favour of the Tories. I have just googled 'abyss' as I wanted one to stare into but sadly Google let me down. I will just have to imagine one instead.
The airwaves are full of siren voices: Ben Bradshaw calls for "a progressive coalition", Peter Hain for "a new voting system, a new second chamber, a fixed term parliament", the Prime Minister resigns to make a deal possible. It's heady stuff for a Liberal Democrat, so why isn't Clegg beating down the door of number 10? Years back I was newly elected to a hung council. The 25 Tories had gone into opposition, so we 24 Lib Dems tried to form a coalition with seven independents, themselves split into three small groups. The Tories confidently predicted we'd fall apart in ...
The tragic Bradford City football stadium fire was twenty-five years ago today. Every year on this date the ground has rows of seat covered with commemorative drapes; I could see them from where I used to work at my son's business. This year the nation remembers with Bradford. Bradford City commemoration
Having said yesterday that Labour needs to seriously up its game if it wants to woo the Liberal Democrats, Gordon Brown most certainly did that. It's clear also that many in the Labour Party are willing to consider a major offer that would include very substantial electoral reform. Many, but by no means all – which brings us to the irony of the situation. Although Labour campaigned in many areas on the claim "Vote Lib Dem, get Cameron", many in Labour are now willing to make it a case of "Vote Labour, get Cameron". They are willing to see Cameron ...
From the fabulous Jennie Rigg on my facebook page: "Why is there this assumption that we want a deal with Labour? None of us have forgotten 1997. They shafted us then, and they want to shaft us now. Labour and the Tories suck equally. Most Lib Dems think so, including, and I have asked him this in person, Clegg."
There is a fundamental distrust in British politics between all the main political parties; if this is to change we must as the party of progress take the first step. If as a party we are to accept proportional representation we have to accept coalition governments and that no party will be able to dictate, not just now but in the future. Nick told us in the debates that we need to work together and we do. In Germany they experience coalitions of all sorts, left-green, right-liberal, left-liberal, left and right! Both at national and state level, they cope, so ...
I'll have to admit a referendum on AV which one part of a coalition is free to campaign against is the not the ideal way to bring about new politics, however I doubt that this is the only concession that the Conservative team have given away. I suspect that there are also retractions on just how must they are going to cut in the first year as well. You also have to look at some of the things that we have agreed upon. Education There is plenty of scope for agreement, the Tories are also looking at a pupil premium ...
The opponents of reform are already using the current negotiation process as a case study, painting it as a grubby business in which nobody gets exactly what they voted for (personally, I'm quite used to this idea; normally I don't get anything I voted for at all), and Gordon Brown is allowed to squat in ...
As we know, there are offers on the table now from the Conservatives and Labour. Subject to any further amendments from today's talks between the negotiating teams, the LibDems have to make up our minds on whether to accept either offer, first on the basis of our undertaking to do what is necessary in the national interest to get a strong and stable Government, and on the extent to which the agreement satisfies the principles we had set out in our manifesto. We must obviously have regard to the likelihood that the offers made are deliverable by the leadership of ...
Tue 11th
11:50
As Labour MPs line up to reject 'progressive alliance', is a deal with the Tories back on?
Two interesting snippets from today's commentary ... Growing hostility within Labour to a coalition with the Lib Dems (FT) Points out that senior Labour figures have been queuing up to denounce any prospect of a progressive alliance between their party and the Lib Dems: Jack Straw, John Reid, David Blunkett, Diane Abbott and Tom Harris have all argued it would be unworkable. The FT's Jim Pickard notes: I'm equally incredulous about the attempts to cobble together up to seven parties (including the Greens' single MP) to hold off the Tories at any cost. Not least because one pro-coalition cabinet minister ...
I notice a debate is taking place as to whether the new council should be the sole preserve of the "non political" candidates such as the Campaign for an Andover Town Council and if borough and other councillors should also stand for the town council. The CATC may have once been a broad based cross party campaign but many of the original members have since moved on and chosen to stand for the new council under other banners. This is only right, because to claim to be an independent whilst being a member of, or actively supporting a political party, ...
Believe it or not, I have been reading up on the Greek/European/World scenario as a way of taking my mind off fingernail-destroying horsetrading over here in Westminster. Yes, those perfidious Europeans used the cover of a protracted UK negotiation over AV Plus to sneak out a 750bn Euro guarantee fund. Several points are worth making, ...
There are serious doubts about the liberal credentials of Obama's supreme court nominee, Elena Kagan. Some excellent analysis here:
Just in case you missed it - the elections in West Hampstead have resulted in six Lib Dem Councillors - in Fortune Green these are Russell Eagling, Nancy Jirira and Flick Rea. We thank everyone for their support and look forward to working for you in the future as we have in the past. We will continue to produce our local Spotlight newsletter both on paper and email (please let us know if you would like to be added to our email list)and to provide occasional updates by posting on this blog. Looking to the future - don't forget we ...
Executive summary: In a move that would shock most of the people who know me, I have no choice but to back the LDs into a coalition with the Tories. No other option is tenable, and coalition is the best way to achieve LD policies. Full thinking follows... The incredible developments of yesterday have combined ...
Unsurprisingly there's been much talk about a Hung Parliament in the last few days and even the months preceding it. But, when it comes to majorities, what is the actual number needed and how do the numbers stack up? The ... Continue reading →
Four blogs have recently joined Ryan's Liberal Democrat Blogs aggregator: Adam Croft - http://adamcroft.net/ – including the perspective from New Zealand on our Parliamentary situation Andy Mesa - http://www.andymesa.co.uk/ – not just politics, but also technology blogging Matt Smith - http://liberalsmithy.blogspot.com/ – including, shock horror, commentary on balanced Parliaments Phil Wainewright – http://www.rawliberal.com/ – can you guess what Phil has also been writing about? Steve Boswell - http://steveboz.blogspot.com/ – how can you not like a blog called ChoccyHobNobBlog? Good luck to all the new bloggers, and why not take a moment to pop over to their blogs, take a read ...
Got an email this morning to say the Bradford Fair Votes Rally will now be at Leeds . More details ...
This is the first time in most of our life times that we are facing post-election coalition negotiations. It is therefore understandable - as this is new to everyone - that it will take a while to reach a conclusion. BUT having watched unfolding events yesterday, and listened to various phone-ins this morning, it is clear that the country's patience is running out. The Liberals are right on the cusp of screwing this up. If a definitive statement is not made in the next few HOURS (not days as some suggest) - then the Liberal's standing with the electorate may ...
Five days have passed since last Thursday's election in which the Conservatives won the most seats and the most votes of any party, but failed to obtain the necessary majority to form a government by themselves. The result of this was a hung parliament in which the Liberal Democrats hold the balance of power. The only question that remains now is with whom should they side; Labour or the Tories? I fully expect to be invited to a special conference, as a member of the Liberal Democrats, in the next few days to be asked to vote on this question ...
I have agonised about publishing this post but in the end I have to be honest about what I think is politically possible. First of all I think that our negotiating team has done a great job. The fact that the Conservative Party is now offering a guaranteed, whipped vote in the Commons on the Alternative Vote system is testament to how well they have done. The Tories are so wedded to FPTP that that has to be viewed as a real concession. However let me also be very clear that AV is not what I ultimately want. It can ...
Some of you may have heard of Sam Freedman, an excellent chap behind interesting Conservative ideas on education, and top Twitterer . He has asked me and another defender of interparty horsetrading "how long would this have to go for before you decided it wasn't a good idea?" Well, let's distinguish a few things: What ...
The vituperation falling upon the Liberal Democrats from the Conservative press is not a pretty sight. The people have spoken, and now it is up to the politicians that they have elected to behave responsibly and calmly in order to create a government that will serve out the Parliament and establish a stable framework for the decisions that must now be taken to strengthen our economy and our politics. The Conservatives have offered a coalition beyond a confidence and supply agreement, and that is -at least on the surface- a handsome gesture. Labour have removed their leader, knowing that the ...
John Reid is against it. David Blunkett is against it. Ian Dale is against it. Even 'Lib Dem' Mark Littlewood is against it. [For the 8.55 argument on the Today programme, Mark Littlewood was asked to speak for the Lib Dems. His Labour foil, Sunder Katwala, asked why and pointed out that he could understand why Littlewood was in favour of a Tory/LD coalition since he runs 'a Thatcherite Think Tank'. Well, quite.] These are all compelling reasons to think that a coalition between the LDs and Labour could work and could deliver a significant amount which a LD/Tory coalition ...
Amid all the chatter and speculation in the last few days, one point has been repeatedly uttered by those in the Labour and Tory parties opposed to electoral reform: that the fact that politicians have spent the past few days talking to each other to work out where they agree will mean the public will never vote for a proportional system which is likely to lead to regular coalition government. I'm not too sure where they draw their conclusion from – most non-political friends I've talked to have been quite enjoying the spectacle, finding it all quite fascinating. Now that ...
In what has been described by experts as "elfern safetee gonmad", a man faces a fine, imprisonment and decapitation after moving a fish. In fairness, it's not just the Mail and the Telegraph, it's a couple other "news" organisations doing this. Just another reminder of the terrible state of gutterpress (a term fully applicable to the Telegraph) reporting in the UK.
Like a many other LibDem bloggers this morning, I never thought I'd say this but... Clearly my heart says "progressive alliance" but the numbers just aren't there. Even is we could get it to work in a stable way, we would only get electoral reform if all of the alliance voted for it, including all of Labour. I'm really not sure you would get that. There are a lot of fierce opponents of reform out there (witness Labour "big beasts" all over the media slagging us off). Word is that Labour have dropped the referendum requirement and will just legislate ...
Four days after last Thursday's election resulted in a 'hung parliament', and the talks continue. I'm being stopped in the street, asked by email, picking up comments on Facebook and elsewhere, by people wondering what the outcome will be. In shock news: I don't know. This is a difficult situation for the Liberal Democrats. As pundit Olly Grender put it pithily on Twitter: "It's official - we are now in formal conversations with a 'rock' and a 'hard place'". Though not the only important discussion point on the table, a commitment to serious moves on electoral reform will be a ...
Diego Garcia remains one of the worst atrocities of all time British foreign policy - and it continues under New Labour. In 1971 Britain commenced the forced removal of the population of the Chagos Archipelago to make way for a huge US airbase. This base has been used for bombing Iraq and Afghanistan, and as a torture centre under extraordinary rendition. The Chagossians were rounded up by military force, transported over 2000 miles and dumped without support on a variety of faraway islands. Many subsequently died. The term "genocide" has not commonly been applied to Brtain's treatment of the Chagossians. ...
A famous left-wing MP called Jimmy Maxton once said, "If you can't ride two horses at once, you should get out of the bloody circus". It appears that Nick Clegg can.
Well not about hung Parliaments themselves but people's reactions to them and perception of them. 1) "Unelected Prime Ministers". This is a hold over from before the election. The sort of idiotic issue that only the uneducated journalists of our rotten press could come up with. But when I heard William Hague, one of the great Parliamentarians of our time, mutter those words I knew something was up. There's no way anyone with his experience could use that phrase except for politically dubious reasons. Obviously he wishes people to accept David Cameron as our "elected PM" but in so doing ...
We've had the referendum on AV, lower taxes for low earners and lower class sizes to tackle discipline and nurture learning. Now all we need is to add a + to AV. Iain Dale jumping up and down saying `that the Conservatives have gone as far as they can` is just trying to stop his ...
Electoral reform, improbably enough, is now at the heart of everything. This is the long-discussed 'dream scenario' for the Liberal Democrats, and of course they're terrified by it, even as Nick Clegg, Chris Huhne, David Laws & co. expertly manoeuvre us into the ideal equidistant central position for the last day or so of negotiations. ...
With all the talk of negotiations and hung parliaments, coalitions etc I thought it would be good to remember the "important" things coming up...The World Cup! As you are probably aware the naming of the squad is coming up today so I have a simple question, who would be your starting 11. So here is ... Read more
Last weekend we saw Kay Burley bullying a protestor live on Sky News. Last night we saw Adam Boulton get very angry with Alistair Campbell for telling him what he thought! Is this not what Adam Boulton does to politicians and others every day of the week? My own view on this is this, we have a group of political editors/commentators who have become a little bit to big for their boots and think the show is about them. I am afraid Adam Boulton is one of those, he like others should take a few lessons from David Dimbleby. Anyway ...
Remember that line about being wary of them even when they bring gifts? That is how I feel about the Conservatives with their very late offer of a referendum on the Alternative Vote system. Behind the courtesy at the negotiating table they thought the Lib Dems had no alternative to a Tory-LD deal. The Right were salivating at the thought of getting power back. It seems they thought they could get away with not offering a referendum. The offer was only dragged out of them when the LD team began to walk away. Clearly the Conservatives still love First Past ...
.. with my colleagues. Today's Daily Post carries a story about an e mail sent by some members of the Liverpool Lib Dems to Nick Clegg about negotiations with other parties. The e mail comes from a meeting of Executive Board members - a meeting I couldn't get to. The thrust of the story is that we are asking Nick Clegg not to deal with the Conservatives because of the possible electoral consequences for council seats in Liverpool. Now I hold no brief for the Tories or Labour. I dislike both. They both have policies which in my view are ...
The general election result seems a long time ago now and we are still waiting for the result. No doubt everyone has made studious notes of the last few days for their forthcoming memoirs but in the meantime we are still in the dark. My own view is rather straight forward. 1. Nick Clegg was right to start negotiations with the Conservative party. With 36%, they got more votes and more seats than Labour and together we can form a stable government if we concentrate on common ground. 2. Voting reform MUST be one of the results of any negotiations. ...
[IMG: cameron-clegg_1529392c] Photo: Andrew Cowie/Barcroft Media I never thought I'd say this, but for the Liberal Democrats, it is now the Conservatives or nothing. I am the same as many Lib Dem members. To me the idea of a coalition with the Tories leads to an instant, instinctive and deeply negative reaction. After all, they are the Conservatives: the party of power, big business, the establishment, and Thatcher. But these negotiations have been very revealing. Nick Clegg used to negotiate for Britain in Europe and with the Chinese government, and those skills have clearly stood him in excellent stead during ...
Good morning and welcome to the most environmentally friendly 4×4 you will ever meet. It looks like 11th May 2010 could itself go down in history, but until then, here are a few fascinating facts from previous years. 198 years ago today, Prime Minister Spencer Perceval was assassinated by John Bellingham in the lobby of the House of Commons. One this day in 1985, 56 people were killed following a fire at Bradford City's Valley Parade ground. This had particular meaning to me, as I had been at the ground for the previous home game. Today in 2001, author Douglas ...
There is an telling letter about the economic views and background of the SNP leader in the new London Review of Books: That the primary cause of this disaster, in the UK's case, was the total recklessness of the two main Scottish banks, RBS and HBOS, is an inconvenient truth that we could never expect the current SNP leader to confront, especially as he was previously employed as an economist by one of those now zombified institutions. Even more inconveniently for Alex Salmond, the twin pillars of the once proud Scottish banking sector are now being propped up by the ...
This morning at 7am I was interviewed by an ABC radio star called Sonya Feldhoff for her show 891 Drive. The election fever is running high Down Under. I was asked many questions about the election. I was nervous because i had never been interviewed for a show before. Sonya was very freindly and made the interview fun for me. She asked me why it was taking so long for Nick to decide I said he was taking his time because it is a very important decision. The world is waiting for NIck!
Last night William Hague described the upped offer to the Liberal Democrats as 'going the extra mile' so what must have been lacking before? His statement said: "In the interests of trying to create a stable, secure government, we will go the extra mile and we will offer the Liberal Democrats, in a coalition government, the holding of a referendum on the alternative vote system, so that the people of this country can decide the best electoral system." It appears that before that statement the Tories may only have been seeking an 'confidence and supply' agreement, why else would Hague ...
The ongoing developments in the coalition talks between us and the Tories are something that I am watching carefully from afar (I am based in Singapore). I am trying to make headway over the deal breaker of electoral reform and the latest offer of an AV referendum. My first response is that we've already had the Jenkins Commission which came to the conclusion that the most appropriate way to reform the voting system is through AV+. While it is inevitable that this requires a longer time to implement, it nonetheless means that AV, subject to a referendum, would be one ...
This is the bottom line. Well, I hope it's the bottom line because I am getting sick of this. Oh, and I know it's 4.30am as I write – with hotel air conditioning systems you're damned if you do and damned if you don't, rather like joining a Con-LD coalition, really. The idea of a Lab-LD-tiddlers coalition has as much robustness as a hastily assembled 1980s MFI table. No glue and a screw missing. Tom Harris MP just has to gently lean on it and it collapses. James Graham has tweeted words of exquisite wisdom on this: Bottom line: if ...
The first past the post electoral system has created this situation and it is a change in the electoral system that will get us out of it. The only way Liberal Democrats are ever going to change the v...
I haven't posted on here for a very long time, but events are such... Mr. Clegg is probably being bombarded with advice right now. I'm afraid I'm going to join the cannonade. First things first, whatever decision is made, it is not going to make everyone happy. It is going to make a lot of people unhappy. The people that the Liberal Democrats have a duty to make happy are the people who granted them a mandate to pursue their manifesto promises. Electoral reform is a keystone of that. Democracy is not cricket. It is not the Tories' innings. It ...
[IMG: logo-shipston-town-crest-colour-2.jpg] All, We had probably the shortest Town Council meeting in 2 years tonight. Simon Welch was elected as Mayor, and Paul Rathkey as Deputy Mayor. Many thanks were given to Alan Noyce for his leadership in the past year, a difficult one for him personally. One of the more important things discussed was the planning application from Orbit for the former workhouse site - where Shipston Town Management Partnership are campaigning (with my and Richard Cheney's support) for Shipston House to be handed over for community use. STMP are hopeful that they would be able to get grants ...
Lets look back over the events of today: - Talks with the Conservatives were going along OK, but some of their backbenchers were grumbling, and our party was evidently very iffy about signing up to anything which achieved no advance on electoral reform. There had been reports of some meetings going on between ourselves and ...
Please come to our Thank You Party at Blaydon Rugby Club this Saturday. There will be lots of helpers and members from across Gateshead who gave so much to the campaign. Cllr John McClury is promising a witty quiz - so this is worth coming for itself. All welcome.
The common cry from Labour is that you win some and you lose some. Well it suits them to say so. If history is anything to go by then the pendulum will swing slightly their way again and they will have absolute power. Diane Abbott, a Labour MP who did win this time said that we have to do what is best for the British people. What she meant is that we have to accept this result from what should have been a discredited FPTP system. Pat Case, a Tory concillor was saying on Radio Lancashire that "there is absolutely ...
As someone who has taken the view that one should await the details of a deal before getting too excited, I have also taken the view that insulting your potential partners or, worse still, attempting to coerce, threaten or blackmail them is probably unwise. Perhaps I'm being naive, but it seems like good politics and basic courtesy. And before I carry on, I am fully aware that some of my colleagues have become a bit excited. There is no doubt that some Liberal Democrats are just as tribal as their Conservative and Labour opposite numbers. There is one key difference ...
