OPINION

On Thursday February 3rd 2011 MPs will vote on a motion tabled by Stella Creasy MP (Lab, Walthamstow), on whether to introduce caps on lending rates charged for payday loans and other unsecured debt - the Social Liberal Forum supports the motion, as well as the wider campaign to end legal loa

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There is little doubt that it has been a difficult week for Liberal Democrats; our Parliamentary party faced the choice between backing a rise in university tuition fees that the majority of Lib Dem voters and members do not support, and causing a potentially damaging split within the Coalition. The decision to raise fees has been protested - vociferously, at times violently - and the Lib Dems' role in this policy has been subject to much Parliamentary and media scrutiny, without muc

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Dear Nick, In delivering the Hugo Young memorial lecture, you raised the challenges that progressives face in times of fiscal constraint. We share your view that these are timely and important issues to discuss. We also found much in your lecture that we agree with. In particular, we welcome your commitments to localism, civil liberties and political pluralism. We are, however, concerned th

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The Autumn 2010 edition of Renewal - a journal of social democracy - sees the Chair of the Social Liberal Forum David Hall-Matthews writing about the formation of the Coalition government from a Lib Dem perspective.

The Liberal Democrats have always believed in coalition government – not just out of necessity, but also on principle. You cannot believe in proportional representation without thinking that rule by consensus is inherently desirable. Perhaps less obviously, if you believe

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Both candidates for the Presidency of the Liberal Democrats have been hard at work in recent weeks, touring media outlets, local parties and online blogs (such as Liberal Democrat Voice, Liberal

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The Social Liberal Forum welcomes the Coalition Government's commitment to building 150,000 affordable homes over the course of this parliament, which goes some way to benefiting some of the 4 million people on social housing waiting lists. However the SLF remains concerned that the proposed changes to housing benefit, announced by the government as part of the Comprehensive Spending Review, are likely to impact particularly on vulnerable families in inner-city areas across the country. The SLF

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The Social Liberal Forum supports the Coalition Government’s commitment to maintain and develop the network of post offices. In particular, it warmly welcomes the announcement from the Business Secretary, Vince Cable, that he will be doubling the subsidy to the Post Office over the next four years. We greatly regret the closure of some 2,500 post offices by the previous Labour Government, as we are very aware of the impact of their loss on many small communities, especially in rural areas. Libe

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Having examined the announcements in the Comprehensive Spending Review, the Social Liberal Forum has released the following statement: “The Government’s Comprehensive Spending Review contains a range of measures to reduce public spending, some of which the Social Liberal Forum welcomes. There are however some aspects of the Review that cause grave concern, as many of the proposed cuts will impact on the most vulnerable in society. Others risk deepening the lack of economic demand whilst expecti

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