The Ashdown Prize – how there can be more than one winner
Yesterday, the winner of the Ashdown Prize was announced. This competition was run by Your Liberal Britain with this aim: In the face of such daunting forces, we must find radical new solutions to...
View ArticleConference preview: The training programme
Some people go to Liberal Democrat Conference and never get anywhere near the debating hall, because the fringe, exhibition and training programme provide such a cornucopia of interesting and enriching...
View ArticleSarah Ludford MEP writes…Conference must debate Miranda detention
I was not initially planning to get particularly involved on the David Miranda Schedule 7 issue except as a concerned, nay horrified, spectator. After all, I’m an MEP not an MP nor (at present) able to...
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Opinion: Conference – elitist drinking club or democratic decision-making?
I find myself reflecting on Chief Whip Alistair Charmichael’s quip suggesting that the real business of Conference is done, carousing late into the night, in the bars and hotels of Glasgow. In the mean...
View ArticleWhat could you do with £32?
In these straitened times, we are sure that you have better things to do with £32 than pay it needlessly to the party’s Conference registration Department. You could of course still give it to the...
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Call for amendments!
Is there a motion on the LibDem Conference Agenda you are just dying to amend? Something that’s too Orange Book, too Soggy Democrat or just plain too Lembit for you to support? I’d like to know about...
View ArticleSo, what’s been going on at Conference?
It’s not always easy to blog from Conference. Wifi can be temperamental and distractions are plentiful. However, your team will have lots to tell you over the next few days. Here’s a quick snapshot of...
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Five reasons why Liberal Democrats leave York in good spirits.
Liberal Democrats left York with spirits as bright as the sunshine which brought 17 degree warmth to the historic city. Seriously. I was quite surprised about how genuinely upbeat people were. It’s...
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Nick Clegg wins out on EU referendum – but what will the party think?
Today’s Guardian reports that Nick Clegg has won the backing of MPs over whether to support a change in the party’s policy on an EU referendum: The deputy prime minister, who has faced direct calls...
View ArticleThe Independent View: Looking at ways to help student entrepreneurs
The slogan ‘Stronger Economy, Fairer Society’ is only as strong as the policies that support it. We, at the National Association of College and University Entrepreneurs (NACUE), are pleased that the...
View ArticleAndrew Wiseman writes…Introducing the Policy Pitch
We are trying a new session at this year’s conference. The idea behind the session is to encourage policy discussion in a different way to a formal motion or FPC policy paper. Members will put forward...
View ArticleWillie Rennie MSP writes… Trident: We must consider effect of disarmament on...
Our party has always had a sceptical view of nuclear weapons. Whether we personally adhere to a multi-lateral or unilateral route to disarm, few members feel comfortable with the concept or reality of...
View ArticleLet’s all make conference more financially diverse.
Tackling inequality is one of my greatest passions, it quite literally gets me out of bed in the morning. It’s also quite well established now that the more representative decisions making bodies are,...
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Open letter – please reinstate the creche
Dear Tim Yesterday you were campaigning in Faraday, my old ward in inner city Southwark. Way back in the 90s I was councillor for Faraday for eight years. Councillors’ expenses were meagre at that...
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Want to go to Spring conference and can’t afford it? Apply to Conference...
Our Spring Conference in York between 11-13 March is the first to be held under the new One Member One Vote rules. That means that every single party member could have a say as we make our policies. I...
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Bring a friend – they might even enjoy it
Conference has a buzz and many local parties have suggested that it could be a good way of encouraging someone who is supportive to drink in the magic conference potion and become a full member – or...
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Last day to get early bird discount for Spring Conference
Given the excellent results we’ve had in the past few months, most recently Sarah Olney’s fantastic victory in Richmond last week, the Spring Conference in York is going to be pretty good. As well as...
View ArticleWhy the Conference Access Fund is a good thing
I would like to tell you about the Conference Access Fund which Liberal Democrat members have provided. It helps members on low incomes or those who have a disability by providing financial assistance...
View ArticleYour Conference venues for next year are…..
I am delighted to announce the venues for Federal Conference in 2019. For the Spring, we will be returning to the York Barbican. It is a venue that enjoys consistently positive member feedback,...
View Article2018 Brighton Conference – Reporting by Journalist
John Crace of the Guardian made a snide comment on Monday – in his piece about Gina Miller’s speech he said we took a “two-and-a-half-hour lunch break. Presumably, because there wasn’t much more...
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