Posts Tagged “nick clegg”
It’s “Immigration Hysteria Day”. Again. Here’s how Lib Dems need to respond
by Stephen Tall on November 27, 2013
Another day, another bout of “the UK’s about to be invaded by 29 million Bulgarians and Romanians” hysteria. But today it’s not Nigel Farage splattering mis-shapen statistics into the debate: it’s the Prime Minister, David Cameron – increasingly resembling Mr Farage’s mini-me – who’s showing leadership by following the tabloid press. Here’s how the BBC […]
Free school meals for infants – the controversy over Nick Clegg’s pledge rumbles on
by Stephen Tall on November 24, 2013
I wrote yesterday about Sir Nick Harvey’s forecast that the next election is Labour’s to lose. But there was another issue he focused on in his Huffngton Post interview – Nick Clegg’s conference pledge that all 5-7 year-olds should have free school meals, regardless of their family’s income status. “It was absolutely astonishing. It came […]
Can Nick Clegg hold the line on not offering any red lines?
by Stephen Tall on October 30, 2013
For years Lib Dem leaders have been plagued by the question, ‘Who will you support in the event of a hung parliament?’ In 2010, Nick Clegg straight-batted it pretty effectively, saying the Lib Dems would talk first to the party with the most seats and most votes. In 2015 he’ll stick to that trusty formula, […]
CentreForum Liberal Heroes of the Week #52: Mr Burton and Musharaf Asghar from Channel 4?s Educating Yorkshire
by Stephen Tall on October 25, 2013
Liberal Hero of the Week (and occasional Villains) is chosen by Stephen Tall, Co-Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice, and Research Associate at CentreForum. Mr Burton and Musharaf Asghar Stars of last night’s Educating Yorkshire Reason: Mr Burton for teaching and Musharaf for discovering the power of education to give you a voice that can be […]
Nick (finally) makes his education speech and launches the Coalition’s own ‘Champions League’
by Stephen Tall on October 24, 2013
Five days after it was pre-briefed, Nick Clegg finally made his speech on A Liberal Vision for Education at Morpeth School in Tower Hamlets. (Morpeth is, by the way, a fantastic school. I visited it for my day-job 18 months ago, and was shown around by two of its pupils, Vanessa and Mahir: the transformational […]
Two questions journalists aren’t asking about Nick Clegg’s free schools speech
by Stephen Tall on October 22, 2013
Nick Clegg’s speech on free schools – setting out the policy approved by the Lib Dem conference last March – has ruffled feathers. Apparently he and David Cameron even had lunch yesterday to discuss this ‘bombshell’ announcement (which in fact won’t be made until a speech this Thursday). My view (as I set out here […]
Clegg on free schools and National Curriculum: no more, no less than party policy. And that’s for better and worse.
by Stephen Tall on October 20, 2013
No-one should be that surprised by Nick Clegg’s decision to distance the Lib Dems from Michael Gove’s schools policies — specifically that every teacher should be qualified and that every school should teach the national curriculum. After all, what Nick is due to set out in a speech this week is the policy that was […]
New Ipsos-MORI poll: Nick Clegg’s leader ratings in 5 graphs
by Stephen Tall on October 17, 2013
Much excitement among Tories today at the arrival of a new Ipsos-MORI poll showing them drawing level with Labour – 36% apiece – among those who say they’re certain to vote. The explanation’s not too hard to hazard a guess at: the return of economic growth is gradually feeding through into a feel-good factor. (For […]
The 17th Tory policy Lib Dems have blocked: Clegg rejects Theresa May’s plans to impose new immigration regulations on private landlords
by Stephen Tall on October 11, 2013
Perhaps the silliest proposal in a generally thread-bare Queen’s Speech in May was the Conservatives’ plan to ‘look busy’ on immigration. Yes, the party that claims to want to cut back red-tape for small businesses decided to try and tie-up private landlords in it by imposing a legal duty on them check the immigration status […]
Clegg on the Daily Mail: “Overflowing with bile about modern Britain”
by Stephen Tall on October 3, 2013
I noted earlier this week that the Daily Mail’s attacks on Ed Miliband’s father have echoes of the smears the paper has peddled about Nick Clegg and his family over the years. And on his ‘Call Clegg’ radio phone-in today the Lib Dem leader didn’t shy away from mounting a full-frontal assault on the Mail […]
