See if you can spot the flaw in The Scotsman's reasoning
by Stephen Tall on January 31, 2009
LDV reported this week on the Scottish Lib Dems’ decision to open talks with the SNP, following the casting vote rejection by the Holyrood parliament of the nationalists’ £33bn budget. In its budget analysis, The Scotsman poses the question, Why (…)
Henry Porter: "Labour is about as conservative as my grandmother"
by Stephen Tall on January 31, 2009
The question of which political party might have the best claim to the title of the most progressive force in British politics has been much debated here on the pages of LDV recently – Alix Mortimer posed the question, Yes, (…)
Are you on your way to the Forum?
by Stephen Tall on January 31, 2009
Don’t forget, if you’re a party member you can register for the Lib Dem Voice members’ forum. You’ll be in good company: there are 879 registered members, all of whom have the opportunity to read and post on a rich (…)
BBC Question Time (29/1/09): open thread
by Stephen Tall on January 29, 2009
Jo Swinson, Lib Dem shadow foreign affairs minister – and one of LDV readers’ top choices for promotion to the party’s shadow cabinet – is the Lib Dem representative on tonight’s Question Time (BBC1 and online, 10.35 pm GMT). Jo (…)
Labour backs Heathrow expansion – Norman and Susan lead Lib Dem opposition campaign
by Stephen Tall on January 29, 2009
As BBC News reports: The government has won a vote over plans for Heathrow’s third runway – but saw its majority cut to just 19. … The Lib Dems supported the [motion urging the Government to "rethink" plans] but the (…)
Who has more power? A council chief exec, council leader or a local MP?
by Stephen Tall on January 28, 2009
One former Council chief executive is much in the news just now – Christine Laird, former managing director of Cheltenham Borough Council, is being sued for £1m by the authority, which claims she concealed her depressive illness. The BBC reports: (…)
Top Lib Dem donor short-selling bank shares
by Stephen Tall on January 28, 2009
Late last week, there was a small flurry of media interest in hedge fund Lansdowne Partners: A hedge fund run by two Tory donors made a £12million killing in days by exploiting the collapse of Barclays shares, it was revealed (…)
Top of the Blogs: The Golden Dozen #101
by Stephen Tall on January 27, 2009
Welcome to the 101st of our weekly round-ups from the Lib Dem blogosphere, featuring the seven most popular stories according to click-throughs from the Aggregator (18th-24th January 2009), together with a hand-picked quintet, mostly courtesy of LibDig, you might otherwise (…)
Foster brands BBC "disgraceful" for refusal to air charity appeal for Gaza
by Stephen Tall on January 24, 2009
The BBC reports on the latest developments in the ongoing row over the Corporation’s decision not to screen an appeal by the Disasters Emergency Committee for Gaza because it does not want to compromise its commitment to impartiality: ITV, Channel (…)
Stormin' Norman on the warpath again
by Stephen Tall on January 24, 2009
That tireless Parliamentary terrier, Lib Dem MP Norman Baker, has been doing what he does best, once again: demanding answers to awkward questions. The man who forced Peter Mandelson to quit the cabinet last time around has now turned his (…)
