OPINION

Liberal Democrats are reflecting on the likely and disappointing loss of the AV referendum, and difficult electoral results in Scotland, Wales and in English local elections. The Social Liberal Forum has said for some time that the party needed to show more publicly how the Liberal Democrats differ from the Conservatives within the coalition. The Party signed up to this at the March conference when 

Read more

The article by Dr Evan Harris was published in the Guardian's 'Comment is Free' section on 4th April 2011.

Our determination to amend the health bill demonstrates the value of the junior coalition partner's democratic processes

There have been a great deal of

Read more

This morning the Liberal Democrats overwhelmingly voted in favour of taking tougher action on banks an bonuses. In a highly topical debate delegates applauded proposals put forward by the Social Liberal Forum to, amongst other things: • break up banks 'too big to fail' into smaller, safer entities • ensure that in State-owned banks, pay packages larger than that of the Prime Minister are fully disclosed • split high-risk ban

Read more

Responding to the overwhelming vote which called for amendments to be made to the Health Bill going through Parliament to get rid of the marketization and enhance accountability, Dr Evan Harris, who drafted the amendment, said:

"It is now incumbent on Nick and his ministerial team to deliver the major changes to the Government’s Health Policy and the significant amendments to the Health and Social Care Bill

Read more

Jon asks: The last serious survey on the subject, about 10 years ago, showed that graduates earn on average some £600,000 more than non-graduates over their working career. I don’t think there can be any debate about the fairness of students contributing about 3 to 4 per cent of the cost of their passport to greater riches. It would be regressive taxation for poorer taxpayers to have to shoulder the burden. The real issue is repayment, and when. It should be seen not as a discou

Read more

Saturday 9.15 – F3 – Community Futures

At end of Motion F3 (line 85), insert: Conference believes that voluntary work is boosted more effectively by the concrete measures set out in these policies, and by adequate public funding for the charitable and not-for-profit sector when delivering public services, than by mere sloganeering and nebulous references to the “Big Society”.

Saturday 10.45 – F5 – Updating the NHS

Delete lines 6-15 Amend line 16 to read

Read more

Action on banks and bonuses

Conference notes a) the importance of a healthy banking system to the future of Britain’s economy b) the regrettable failure of decades of ‘light-touch’ regulation that socialises risk and privatises extraordinary profits at the expense of sustainable investment and growth. c) that Liberal Democrats have long emphasised the need to tackle disproportionate rewards for risky financial behaviour and the concentration of power in the hands of a few in the City

Read more

Conference Diary in brief

Day	Time	Event
Friday 11th	3pm	Inequality consultation
Friday 11th	8pm	Fringe meeting: Is the Health Bill toxic for the NHS and for the Lib Dems?
Saturday 12th	1pm	Fringe meeting: Q and A with Vince Cable
Saturday 12th	6.15pm	Fringe meeting: Distinct

Read more