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Letter published in The Times, 29/05/2014
May 29, 2014 9:44 AM
There's no escaping just how strongly the electorate has rejected our party's offer in the European and local elections, with a few welcome exceptions. Such heavy losses can't be attributed just to no longer being a party of opposition, even if governing as a junior member of a coalition means supporting policies many of us disagree with. Nor is it just down to the Lib Dems being an isolated voice in taking on UKIP's dangerous populism. So it's right that the party seriously re-examines its stra -
Action on welfare and food poverty
May 16, 2014 10:34 AM
Work to write the crucial Liberal Democrat pre-manifesto will be stepping up as we move into summer. Social Liberal Forum campaigns on welfare and food poverty illustrate the need for that document to -
Independent, 14/05/14: Nick Clegg under pressure from Lib Dem activists to water down Coalition’s welfare reforms
May 16, 2014 9:26 AM
The Social Liberal Forum (SLF), the biggest left of centre pressure group inside the party, is pressing Mr Clegg and other Lib Dem ministers to make changes after a wholesale review of the Coalition’s approach to welfare. “The so-called ‘bedroom tax’ should certainly be reviewed, and the evidence I have seen supports radical reform if not outright abolition" said Gareth Epps, [SLF co-chair] Kelly-Marie Blundell, the Lib Dems’ prospective parliamentary candidate in Guildford, said:
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Faith Leaders Speak Out on Food Poverty Campaign Led By SLF
April 15, 2014 11:41 PM
The Social Liberal Forum, which backed the motion on Food Poverty passed unanimously at Liberal Democrat Spring Conference earlier this year, applauds and welcomes further pressure by End Hunger Fast and faith leaders on this issue which so gravely concerns all of us.
Faith groups are well-represented among those working on the front line in offering support to those in need. It is clear that support traditionally offered by the welfare safety net is failing far t
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Towards a sensible welfare system
April 08, 2014 3:39 PM
This post was originally published at Liberal Democrat Voice. Where is the development of Lib Dem welfare policy? It’s hard to see any. Even the recent living standards policy paper (pdf) said “we do not believe tha -
Budget 2014: where are the Liberal Democrat priorities?
March 19, 2014 2:56 PM
Much of this year's Budget comes as little surprise. With a tight fiscal background and given George Osborne's penchant for playing to the gallery, so much is predictable. Ditto the widely-trailed coalition announcements on the income tax threshold (where Nick Clegg has been desperate to stop the Tories claiming credit for the policy they opposed in 2010) and childcare. But where - again - are the unequivocally Liberal policies? Extending childcare for those in receipt of Universal Credit is ab -
The Policy Lib Dems are not allowed to see
March 05, 2014 10:37 AM
So what are these proposals that no-one dare let Liberal Democrats see at Conference? There is an increasing body of reputable opinion and evidence that market competition is an expensive irrelevance in healthcare. It is interesting to note that every government since Margaret Thatcher has pursued the same policy: that of exposing the NHS to more and more market competition. The assumption has been that the only way to raise standards and reduce prices in the NHS is the market. Recently a strin -
How to fix the structural deficit, the fair way
March 04, 2014 11:09 AM
There has been considerable debate about how best to fix the structural deficit. Figures of £25billion have been posited as how much is needed to do this. There is some dispute as to whether this figure is really accurate; but for now the assumption that it is can be made. There is also confusion between the various measures of balancing the books. The speech by -
On Child Poverty Targets - On which I agree with David Laws
March 03, 2014 12:58 PM
This article first appeared on Lib Dem Voice on 1st March. "A fair, free and open society, in which… no one shall be enslaved by poverty.” The fundamental basis of our party’s constitution – its very soul – is the elimination of poverty. We may disagree amongst us on how best to achieve this ambitious goal, but there’s little dissent on having it as a goal, particularly when
