OPINION

Following Baroness Ros Scott's decision not to seek a second term as Party President, the race is on to become the Liberal Democrats' first new President under the Coalition government - a role that is increasingly significant given the Party's participation in said Coalition. The experience and calibre of candidates standing for election -

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“In his report on the financing of Higher Education (HE), Lord Browne has made several recommendations that, if implemented by the government, would put at risk the key principles in Higher Education – widening participation, fair access and financial equity – that must remain at the heart of Liberal Democrat policy. Business Secretary Vince Cable has recently sought to reaffirm the Liberal Democrat commitment, and that of the Coalition government, to the principle of fairness in Higher Educati

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Following Chancellor George Osborne MP's announcements regarding child benefit, the Social Liberal Forum has released the following Position Statement:

“The Chancellor’s announcement of the end to the universal payment of child benefit will have both welcome and regrettable consequences. The recent Liberal Democrat conference

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The centrepiece of Social Liberal Forum's Conference programme was the debate on Motion F34: Ensuring Fairness in a time of Austerity. Below are the highlights from the excellent discussion that the Motion inspired - full versions of the speeches can be found on our

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Following internal elections over the summer, the Social Liberal Forum are pleased to announce a new Council which will govern the work of the organisation over the next couple of years. The following people will serve as members of the Social Liberal Forum Council 2010-2012: Our governing council is as follows:

• Prateek Buch
• Theo Butt Philip
• Gareth Epps
• James Graham
• David Hall-Matthews
• Simon Hebditch
• Linda Jack
• Pa

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We are delighted to have got this motion onto the agenda of this autumn's Liberal Democrat conference in Liverpool. It will be debated during the morning session on Tuesday 21 September.

F34 Ensuring Fairness in a Time of Austerity 34 conference representatives Mover: James Graham Summation: David Hall-Matthews Conference notes: i) The fragile state of the global economy. ii) That the poor, the young and the vulnerable have historically suffered during periods of

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Anyone would have thought that Mr Gove was the first Secretary of State to have taken an axe to school building programmes. In the great devaluation crisis that played out during the final months of 1967 and early 1968, school building was savaged just as now, along with the raising of the school leaving age from 15 to 16. Here is what Prime Minister, Harold Wilson, said to the House of Commons on the 16th January 1968:

31. Education. Next education, one of the biggest and most rapid

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Former Chair of the Social Liberal Forum Richard Grayson writes:

Check out an e-pamphlet I have written called The Liberal Democrat Journey to a Lib-Con Coalition - and Where Next? which is published today by Compass. A shorter version of it is published in the New Statesman available from newstands in London today and everywhere else in the UK from tomorrow.

The full pamphlet can be found on the

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