Posts Tagged “adrian sanders”

++ Government wins vote on Benefits Uprating Bill; 6 Lib Dem MPs rebel

by Stephen Tall on January 8, 2013

There were no serious doubts the Coalition Government’s Benefits Uprating Bill — pegging increases in welfare payments at a below-inflation 1%, the same as public sector wage rises, for the next three years — would be approved. The only question was the size of majority and how many Lib Dems would rebel (I’ve been keeping […]

5 Lib Dem MP rebels on Benefits Uprating Bill (so far) – UPDATED

by Stephen Tall on January 8, 2013

Three Lib Dem MPs have so far publicly declared they’ll rebel against the Coalition Government’s Benefits Uprating Bill. This is the Bill being debated in the Commons this afternoon which pegs increases in welfare payments at a below-inflation 1%, the (…)

Read the rest of this entry »

Whatever the Leveson Report recommends, it’s worth remembering the value of the Leveson Inquiry

by Stephen Tall on November 28, 2012

I’m as clueless as anyone else at the moment about what Lord Justice Leveson will recommend in his report, to be published tomorrow, on press standards in the wake of the phone-hacking scandal. I’ve said already I oppose any form of state regulation which would allow the government of the day, whether explicitly or (far […]

Nick Clegg’s leadership: 3 thoughts from me

by Stephen Tall on September 2, 2012

Today’s papers are full of speculation about Nick Clegg’s leadership prompted by a handful of party members — inevitably all of them labelled ‘senior’ — calling on Nick to go, including Torbay MP Adrian Sanders and a peer, Lord Smith of Clifton. Here are the three thoughts on the issue which strike me (before I […]

Hunt out to dry? Clegg refuses to back Tory culture secretary as Lib Dem MPs push inquiry

by Stephen Tall on June 2, 2012

Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg is piling the pressure on Jeremy Hunt, whose closeness to the Murdoch empire has been embarrassingly laid bare by the Leveson Inquiry in the past few weeks, by refusing to endorse David Cameron’s decision not to refer his culture secretary to the official adviser on the ministerial code, Sir Alex […]

What Lib Dems are saying (or not) about Andy Coulson

by Stephen Tall on September 6, 2010

The official Lib Dem line on Andy Coulson, David Cameron’s director of communications, could not have been clearer prior to the election: this Voice headline from July 2009 gives the flavour – Huhne on Coulson: “either complicit or incompetent”. Yet the party leadership has been noticeably more reticent to comment on the most recent allegations, […]

Lib Dems help force Labour data sharing U-turn

by Stephen Tall on March 18, 2009

A big well done to Lib Dem MP Adrian Sanders for what his blog calls his “little victory” in helping to force the Government to drop proposals which would have allowed people’s details to be shared between organisations. The BBC (…)

Read the rest of this entry »