There will be many people with sympathy for the personal circumstances of David Laws. The problem is that he clearly breached the rules. I think his decision to resign, promptly, following these revelations, is the right one, given the role he was playing in the government. For his prompt resignation, he should be given some credit.
What does this mean for the "New Politics" of the coalition? Some quick thoughts:
- The Liberal Democrats claims to be better than the Labour / Conservatives at a national level in terms of the expenses scandal are in tatters
- The General Public will now simply be thinking, "different government, same old politics"
- One of the key links between the Conservatives and the Lib Dems in this coalition is now removed. In what will at times be a very strained relationship in the coming years, he may have proved to be the difference between a coalition that cracks, and one that holds together
29 May 2010
28 May 2010
A Facebook Question - Answers Wanted
The big political story in Liverpool today is unfortunately this piece:
"Liverpool Lib Dem Councillor in web disabled 'joke' fury"
Before I go on, I should declare an interest in this. Sharon Green won the St Michaels seat in a close contest with Tom Crone, our local and very hard working candidate. She had been a relative late entry to the ward, with very little seen from the outgoing Lib Dem councillor. In contrast Tom had worked alongside our two Green councillors for the last four years and lives in the ward. The increased turnout and postal votes going out in the middle of "Cleggmania" enabled the Lib Dems to pull off what was a shock victory.
This post is to pose a question to Green bloggers and readers. Two alternative explanations are being offered. If you are a Facebook expert, please could you identify whether either or both are plausible (you need to view the screenshot on the news story):
Explanation 1:
“This picture was posted via an external source to her profile by another, which subsequently downloads automatically into your photo file."
She [Sharon Green] “could not be held responsible”.
Someone else sent the image to her page and she thought she had removed the “offensive” picture.
Explanation 2:
"...the picture appeared to have been placed in an online 'album' called 'the opposition by Sharon Green', which could not be created or accessed by anyone but the owner of the Facebook page."
Views please.
"Liverpool Lib Dem Councillor in web disabled 'joke' fury"
Before I go on, I should declare an interest in this. Sharon Green won the St Michaels seat in a close contest with Tom Crone, our local and very hard working candidate. She had been a relative late entry to the ward, with very little seen from the outgoing Lib Dem councillor. In contrast Tom had worked alongside our two Green councillors for the last four years and lives in the ward. The increased turnout and postal votes going out in the middle of "Cleggmania" enabled the Lib Dems to pull off what was a shock victory.
This post is to pose a question to Green bloggers and readers. Two alternative explanations are being offered. If you are a Facebook expert, please could you identify whether either or both are plausible (you need to view the screenshot on the news story):
Explanation 1:
“This picture was posted via an external source to her profile by another, which subsequently downloads automatically into your photo file."
She [Sharon Green] “could not be held responsible”.
Someone else sent the image to her page and she thought she had removed the “offensive” picture.
Explanation 2:
"...the picture appeared to have been placed in an online 'album' called 'the opposition by Sharon Green', which could not be created or accessed by anyone but the owner of the Facebook page."
Views please.
25 May 2010
The Alternative Queen's Speech
As reported by Channel 4:
My government's overriding priority is to modernise the British economy for a low-carbon future, to create an economy more balanced between manufacturing and services, more resilient in the face of financial crises, where wealth is more equitably distributed and the more vulnerable in society are offered greater protection.
My government will bring forward a bill to initiate an emergency investment package, to cost £44bn, which will be intended to create over one million new jobs and training places.
This investment programme will result in significant improvements to public transport, including fare reductions of up to ten per cent. It will provide free insulation for all British homes. It will transform Britain's renewable energy sector into a world leader, which in turn will support the restoration of domestic manufacturing industry. It will also set our country firmly on the road to a zero waste economy.
In parallel with this bill, my government will continue the previous government's efforts to tackle Britain's budget deficit by 2014, but with greater emphasis on raising tax levels on the wealthiest thirteen per cent of earners.
The redistributive tax measures will ensure that a non-means-tested citizen's pension may be introduced at the level of £170 for individual pensioners and £300 for couples. This will ensure that no British pensioner is living below the poverty line.
My government will cancel new road building plans and transfer £30bn from the road building budget towards public transport and measures to promote and facilitate cycling and walking, including safe routes to school programmes.
Other fiscal measures my government will bring forward will include measures to ensure that the costs of high-carbon modes of transport better reflect their costs to society.
My government will introduce a bill to prevent any further private finance initiatives, and to keep the Royal Mail in public ownership, as the first step towards reversing the privatisation of public services.
My government will seek effective global and European collaboration to combat climate change, in a globally equitable manner, which will involve 90 per cent cut in UK CO2 emissions from 1990 levels by 2030, starting with a ten per cent cut in the coming year and following with successive year-on-year cuts to ensure the overall target is met.
My government will complete the reform of regulation of the financial services industry to ensure greater protection for savers and taxpayers, but will bring forward further legislation for the establishment of a nationwide network of not-for-profit community banks, and to separate retail from investment banking. Those banks which are wholly or partly state-owned will pay no bonuses above £25,000, and a permanent tax on bonuses will be introduced. A "Robin Hood tax", a tax on financial transactions, will also be established.
Recognising the international nature of the problems in financial services, my government will actively pursue with our European partners regulation at an EU level.
My government will introduce legislation to bring about wide-ranging political and electoral reform, including a fair and inclusive voting system which will be extended to a fully-elected second chamber.
My government is committed to making Britain a fairer and more inclusive society, and to this end will bring forward legislation to promote this. This will include a requirement for all companies to have at least 40 per cent of their boards of directors made up of women, and to penalise employers who implement unequal pay. The same legislation will strengthen the protection of disabled people and those with mental health problems against discrimination.
My government will bring forward plans for a very early withdrawal of British forces from Afghanistan. At the same time it will seek international support for the establishment of a peace conference involving all Afghanistan's neighbouring countries, and measures to enhance economic and political stability in Afghanistan.
Legislation will be brought forward to decommission Britain's nuclear weapons.
Other measures will be laid before you.
I pray that the blessing of almighty God may rest upon your counsels.
My government's overriding priority is to modernise the British economy for a low-carbon future, to create an economy more balanced between manufacturing and services, more resilient in the face of financial crises, where wealth is more equitably distributed and the more vulnerable in society are offered greater protection.
My government will bring forward a bill to initiate an emergency investment package, to cost £44bn, which will be intended to create over one million new jobs and training places.
This investment programme will result in significant improvements to public transport, including fare reductions of up to ten per cent. It will provide free insulation for all British homes. It will transform Britain's renewable energy sector into a world leader, which in turn will support the restoration of domestic manufacturing industry. It will also set our country firmly on the road to a zero waste economy.
In parallel with this bill, my government will continue the previous government's efforts to tackle Britain's budget deficit by 2014, but with greater emphasis on raising tax levels on the wealthiest thirteen per cent of earners.
The redistributive tax measures will ensure that a non-means-tested citizen's pension may be introduced at the level of £170 for individual pensioners and £300 for couples. This will ensure that no British pensioner is living below the poverty line.
My government will cancel new road building plans and transfer £30bn from the road building budget towards public transport and measures to promote and facilitate cycling and walking, including safe routes to school programmes.
Other fiscal measures my government will bring forward will include measures to ensure that the costs of high-carbon modes of transport better reflect their costs to society.
My government will introduce a bill to prevent any further private finance initiatives, and to keep the Royal Mail in public ownership, as the first step towards reversing the privatisation of public services.
My government will seek effective global and European collaboration to combat climate change, in a globally equitable manner, which will involve 90 per cent cut in UK CO2 emissions from 1990 levels by 2030, starting with a ten per cent cut in the coming year and following with successive year-on-year cuts to ensure the overall target is met.
My government will complete the reform of regulation of the financial services industry to ensure greater protection for savers and taxpayers, but will bring forward further legislation for the establishment of a nationwide network of not-for-profit community banks, and to separate retail from investment banking. Those banks which are wholly or partly state-owned will pay no bonuses above £25,000, and a permanent tax on bonuses will be introduced. A "Robin Hood tax", a tax on financial transactions, will also be established.
Recognising the international nature of the problems in financial services, my government will actively pursue with our European partners regulation at an EU level.
My government will introduce legislation to bring about wide-ranging political and electoral reform, including a fair and inclusive voting system which will be extended to a fully-elected second chamber.
My government is committed to making Britain a fairer and more inclusive society, and to this end will bring forward legislation to promote this. This will include a requirement for all companies to have at least 40 per cent of their boards of directors made up of women, and to penalise employers who implement unequal pay. The same legislation will strengthen the protection of disabled people and those with mental health problems against discrimination.
My government will bring forward plans for a very early withdrawal of British forces from Afghanistan. At the same time it will seek international support for the establishment of a peace conference involving all Afghanistan's neighbouring countries, and measures to enhance economic and political stability in Afghanistan.
Legislation will be brought forward to decommission Britain's nuclear weapons.
Other measures will be laid before you.
I pray that the blessing of almighty God may rest upon your counsels.
14 May 2010
Our First Green MP!
We've had a Green MP for a week now, and a week truly is a long time in politics. Last Friday morning at about 6am I exited Ormskirk Civic Centre, and my second count of the night. I got back to a local member's house, ready to go to bed for two hours before going to work, when in came the Brighton Pavilion result on my phone. What a moment that was.
I can understand that to the bigger parties, it isn't such a big deal. One MP. But it is a big deal for us. A really big deal and it has already had an effect. While the local disappointment was palpable in the party, this result was historic and showed that when we get things right as a party, we can achieve tremendous things. All of those involved deserve a huge pat on the back.
Elsewhere, it was a squeeze. A credible 14.9% for Adrian Ramsay in Norwich South, but not quite what we hoped for. Tough in Lewisham and Lancaster for us, but with a positive advance in Cambridge under the excellent Tony Juniper, there was still cause to be optimistic for future FPTP elections, if that remains our Westminster system. Salma Yaqoob also deserves a mention for a strong showing for Respect in Birmingham Hall Green.
I'll be writing more at length about how we can go forward, and our national political situation soon. Membership is up nationally (again) and the future is looking very positive for us as a party. It won't be long before more Liberal Democrats follow the example of their Worcester chair.
I can understand that to the bigger parties, it isn't such a big deal. One MP. But it is a big deal for us. A really big deal and it has already had an effect. While the local disappointment was palpable in the party, this result was historic and showed that when we get things right as a party, we can achieve tremendous things. All of those involved deserve a huge pat on the back.
Elsewhere, it was a squeeze. A credible 14.9% for Adrian Ramsay in Norwich South, but not quite what we hoped for. Tough in Lewisham and Lancaster for us, but with a positive advance in Cambridge under the excellent Tony Juniper, there was still cause to be optimistic for future FPTP elections, if that remains our Westminster system. Salma Yaqoob also deserves a mention for a strong showing for Respect in Birmingham Hall Green.
I'll be writing more at length about how we can go forward, and our national political situation soon. Membership is up nationally (again) and the future is looking very positive for us as a party. It won't be long before more Liberal Democrats follow the example of their Worcester chair.
Local Disappointment
After a busy week of work and being more ill than I care to deal with at work, time for a posting...
We got swamped in a tide of turnout and entrenched voting patterns in Liverpool. Our failure to gain seats this time mirrors the experience of Greens around the country - Manchester, Sheffield, Lewisham, Camden - despite polling record numbers of votes in local elections, Green councillors lost their seats and we failed to make gains. There was the odd spectacular exception, including Rob White's breakthrough in Reading, but generally it was a difficult result.
Before the campaign started, we knew we would have to be ambitious in Greenbank, pushing things hard just to compete. Our sampling from the Euros in 2009 was very promising. We had pipped the Lib Dems (just) across the ward. We were probably marginally down in terms of the actual number of people that voted for us this year in Greenbank, but without exact figures, that is difficult to tell.
The campaign team worked really hard for me. They deserve huge thanks, as do the 800 people that voted for us in the local elections. However, we knew once postal votes were coming in that the seat was now being pushed beyond reach, although as anyone in politics knows, you can't comment on PVs. We were prepared for the result on the day. Congratulations to Elaine Allen on winning the seat.
St Michaels was a much harder result to take. The Lib Dems did well. Despite a candidate that was only selected in the last few months, the then leader of the council, Warren Bradley, put a huge amount into this one ward. I think Labour will look at the level of vote they got without a campaign and will be quietly kicking themselves that they went for Greenbank and not St Michaels, although I can understand tactically their reasons for doing so.
Tom Crone, our candidate in St Michaels, has put in a tremendous amount of work over the past four years for us. He's effectively been a third councillor, without ever being paid for it, and has done some incredibly work. He deserved better than to miss out this time. Politics can be very unforgiving, but I hope he looks back with pride on his record 1790 local Green votes, and his excellent work as our Parliamentary candidate this time. I think he should take particular pride in the cartoon in the Guardian, where he Larry and Alex are so "on message" just days before our historical breakthrough to Westminster.
Finally, although we lost our deposits in Liverpool, not a single vote for us in the Parliamentary election was wasted. The Green Party will now get public funding (Short money) worth £53,987, plus £1,573 travel expenses after qualifying by getting one seat and at least 150,000 votes. For the trainspotters amongst us, the formula used is £14,015 per seat in Parliament, plus £27.99 per 200 votes. What it effectively means is that the lost deposits we've had to pay for will effectively be recycled back to us as a political party over the next five years.
And now for the fun post...
We got swamped in a tide of turnout and entrenched voting patterns in Liverpool. Our failure to gain seats this time mirrors the experience of Greens around the country - Manchester, Sheffield, Lewisham, Camden - despite polling record numbers of votes in local elections, Green councillors lost their seats and we failed to make gains. There was the odd spectacular exception, including Rob White's breakthrough in Reading, but generally it was a difficult result.
Before the campaign started, we knew we would have to be ambitious in Greenbank, pushing things hard just to compete. Our sampling from the Euros in 2009 was very promising. We had pipped the Lib Dems (just) across the ward. We were probably marginally down in terms of the actual number of people that voted for us this year in Greenbank, but without exact figures, that is difficult to tell.
The campaign team worked really hard for me. They deserve huge thanks, as do the 800 people that voted for us in the local elections. However, we knew once postal votes were coming in that the seat was now being pushed beyond reach, although as anyone in politics knows, you can't comment on PVs. We were prepared for the result on the day. Congratulations to Elaine Allen on winning the seat.
St Michaels was a much harder result to take. The Lib Dems did well. Despite a candidate that was only selected in the last few months, the then leader of the council, Warren Bradley, put a huge amount into this one ward. I think Labour will look at the level of vote they got without a campaign and will be quietly kicking themselves that they went for Greenbank and not St Michaels, although I can understand tactically their reasons for doing so.
Tom Crone, our candidate in St Michaels, has put in a tremendous amount of work over the past four years for us. He's effectively been a third councillor, without ever being paid for it, and has done some incredibly work. He deserved better than to miss out this time. Politics can be very unforgiving, but I hope he looks back with pride on his record 1790 local Green votes, and his excellent work as our Parliamentary candidate this time. I think he should take particular pride in the cartoon in the Guardian, where he Larry and Alex are so "on message" just days before our historical breakthrough to Westminster.
Finally, although we lost our deposits in Liverpool, not a single vote for us in the Parliamentary election was wasted. The Green Party will now get public funding (Short money) worth £53,987, plus £1,573 travel expenses after qualifying by getting one seat and at least 150,000 votes. For the trainspotters amongst us, the formula used is £14,015 per seat in Parliament, plus £27.99 per 200 votes. What it effectively means is that the lost deposits we've had to pay for will effectively be recycled back to us as a political party over the next five years.
And now for the fun post...
5 May 2010
Snatching Defeat from the Jaws of Victory?
Ouch. The Lib Dem Wavertree campaign has been hit with this front page headline this morning.
Cleggmania is waning. The most recent opinion polls are showing a firming of Labour support and the Lib Dems back in third place. It has been the most interesting election since 1992, and there are council seats at stake for us here in Liverpool, and our first potential MPs in Brighton and Norwich. More from me after it is all over...
Cleggmania is waning. The most recent opinion polls are showing a firming of Labour support and the Lib Dems back in third place. It has been the most interesting election since 1992, and there are council seats at stake for us here in Liverpool, and our first potential MPs in Brighton and Norwich. More from me after it is all over...
2 May 2010
Have a word with your brother Ed...
I don't think Labour are going to do very well nationally. I think they are likely to lose (the Greens will get a decent first time vote) in Liverpool Wavertree.
[The LDs have quoted my blog a few times!]
Ed Miliband should have a word with his brother. David really doesn't look like leadership material. An account from one of our Lancaster councillors below:
"Last Monday evening David Milliband helicoptered into my ward with 10 security minders and he spent one hour knocking on doors and canvassing. He then went to the Community Association (the Gregson) that I have been on the committee of since 1983 and joined in jolly chat. I am delighted that such a senior cabinet member feels it necessary to do his stuff in my ward and in territory represented by 3 hard working green councillors and plastered in vote green posters. He even canvassed Councillor Maia Whitelegg before he realised she was a green councillor and had a vote green poster in her window."
Helicoptered into... Helicoptered into a constituency where there is a big Green vote. Not good David. Have a word Ed.
[The LDs have quoted my blog a few times!]
Ed Miliband should have a word with his brother. David really doesn't look like leadership material. An account from one of our Lancaster councillors below:
"Last Monday evening David Milliband helicoptered into my ward with 10 security minders and he spent one hour knocking on doors and canvassing. He then went to the Community Association (the Gregson) that I have been on the committee of since 1983 and joined in jolly chat. I am delighted that such a senior cabinet member feels it necessary to do his stuff in my ward and in territory represented by 3 hard working green councillors and plastered in vote green posters. He even canvassed Councillor Maia Whitelegg before he realised she was a green councillor and had a vote green poster in her window."
Helicoptered into... Helicoptered into a constituency where there is a big Green vote. Not good David. Have a word Ed.
Sunday Independent Says Vote Green in Brighton Pavilion
About time we got some national media endorsement.
We've got four days left and the first Green MP will be historical, especially in this election, where three parties have dominated the media. Post election, things will get very interesting.
We've got four days left and the first Green MP will be historical, especially in this election, where three parties have dominated the media. Post election, things will get very interesting.
1 May 2010
Greenbank Ranter
I've just picked up this local blog. Thoughtful stuff and interesting to read, although I have no idea how she/he is going to vote this time.
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