OPINION

David Hall-Matthews’ speech on Motion “Growth that lasts: A fair, green and sustainable economy.” Conference, I am speaking in favour of lines 22-23: “a fair and sustainable economy means delivering growth that lasts, through... honesty about the tough choices needed to cut the deficit and put the public finances back in order without damaging vital public services.” I couldn’t agree more. This is at the heart of how will distinguish ourselves from Labour and the Cons

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The Social Liberal Forum had another successful conference, with two fringe meetings that were standing room only. This was perhaps not surprising for our joint fringe with the One Society campaign on equality, but our evening session was an ostensibly much drier affair, to adopt a constitution so that the SLF can become a membership organisation. It was surprising - and very encouraging - that so many people turned up to give us such a flying start.

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Not having decent internet access over the weekend at Lib Dem conference, I've been itching to get my paws on the latest Left Foot Forward report on the Lib Dem proposal to raise the income tax threshold to £10,000. "Think Again, Nick!" (pdf) purports to show that, far from being the most redistributive policy on

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Jointly published by Soundings, Social Liberal Forum and Compass, After the Crash is a call to arms for a coalition of ideas and action on the centre left, working together to find common ground for change. It was jointly edited by Richard S. Grayson and Jonathan Rutherford

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The Social Liberal Forum believes Nick Clegg’s newly promulgated policy to rely on spending cuts raises serious questions. We believe that this policy has to take into account the following issues:

• It could require even deeper cuts in areas like affordable housing, schools and universities that are central for either the growth potential of our economy or to social harmony.
• Tax increases help the stronger in ou

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Inaugural General Meeting Saturday 13th Early Evening 18.15 - 19.30 The ICC, Hall 6b The Social Liberal Forum has been up and running for just over a year now.  We always intended to make it a membership-based organisation and that time has come! At this year's Lib Dem Spring Conference in Birmingham, we will be holding our first general meeting to agree the organisation's constitution.  Anyone who is a member of the Liberal Democrats and agrees with our aims and obje

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I want to support the new campaign for a "Robin Hood Tax" - really I do. I understand the logic behind the Tobin Tax and have a lot of sympathy for the idea.

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We can only speculate what the Tory campaigns department were thinkin when they launched the now much-spoofed "R.I.P. OFF" poster. In a nutshell it demonstrates all that is wrong with David Cameron's Conservatives: naive and focused on the wrong priorities

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