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Newsletter Nov 07 Newsletter of the Liberal Democrat Humanist & Secularist Group Edited by: Roger O’Brien November 2007 December One Day Conference: “Setting the Agenda for 2008” Liberal Democrats will have a new leader in 2008. Will we have some new policies too? Come along with your ideas about what the priorities should be for humanists and secularists within the party and how we can make them happen. Morning - Dignity in Dying In the morning Lord Dick Taverne QC (see biography on page 4) will speak on speak Dignity in Dying, followed by a debate. Afternoon - Priorities for the Group The afternoon session will consist of a series of workshops to discuss future priorities for the Humanist & Secular Liberal Democrats. The topics for the afternoon workshops will be proposed and chosen by those present. So if you have an issue which you think the Group should be ! Guest Speaker: Dick Taverne pursuing - book now! Published & promoted by The Liberal Democrat Humanist & Secularist Group The cost for members will be £15 (including refreshments). Date: Saturday, 8th December 2007 Place: Conway Hall, Red Lion Square London (Five minutes walk from Holborn.) Guest Speaker: Lord Dick Taverne QC www.hsld.org.uk “Setting the Agenda for 2008” Conference Programme 10:30 Registration, coffee/tea and biscuits. (Please hand in your ideas for discussion in the afternoon at registration.) 11:00 Welcome and introductions by Group Chair Arnie Gibbons, followed by Dick Taverne QC on assisted dying, followed by Discussion and questions 12:30 Lunch 1:15 Reconvene for 3-minute (maximum) presentations from participants on “What matters most to humanists and secularists in the party?” Your chance to promote an issue that really matters to you. For example, should HSLDs be fighting to get assisted dying legalised? Should we prioritise reform of the House of Lords? Should we be vigorously upholding liberty of thought and discussion? 1:35 Group discussions on some of the above issues: How should Lib Dems respond? How do we get the issues that matter to us onto the party agenda? 2:20 Feedback: reporting back to the conference, followed by Tea break 3:00 Plenary: “Spreading the word” – how do humanists and secularists make themselves heard within the party? Discussion led by Group Chair Arnie Gibbons. 3:45 End of conference Refreshments available until 4.00 pm. * Timings are approximate, but the conference will definitely start at the scheduled time and finish formally by 3.45 pm. Booking Form I wish to register for the Humanist & Secular Lib Dem Conference on 8th December 2007. Name: ____________________ Address: _____________________________________________________________________ Phone No: ___________________________ Email: ___________________________ I enclose a cheque (payable to Lib Dem Humanist & Secularist Group) for: " £15 Group members " £20 non-members " £25 Day Conference and Group Membership " £10 Students " I have special dietary requirements (please give details): Email: Vice Chair, Cllr... Vera Head at [email protected], phone 01494 727254 or post to: 10 Cherry Orchard, Amersham, HP6 6LE. Leadership Brighton Conference Election The Party’s annual trip to the of issues. Someone, had fun seaside took us to Brighton this planning the stall layout, as we Like most groups within the party year. Despite the press getting found ourselves next to the Lib the Lib Dem Humanist and themselves worked up about Dem Christian Forum. That Secular Group is taking no Ming’s leadership it was a fairly provoked even more debate, but position on the leadership sedate affair. Major debates took underlined that our disagreements election. Many things will influence place on global warming, tackling over faith are modest in how party members vote, and poverty and better governance. comparison with our shared attitude towards religion is just The last of these calls for a wholly Liberalism that unites us. one of many factors that may elected Second Chamber, which Our fringe meeting was another determine who you vote for. What effectively re-affirms the party’s lively and packed event. Our we would do is encourage position in favour of removing speaker Keith Porteous Wood, a members to attend hustings bishops from the House of Lords. tireless campaigner from the meetings, and ask some For The Humanist & Secular Group National Secular Society, gave a challenging questions. our stall received plenty of visitors, robust speech about the difficulties AGM report keen to talk about a wide variety faced by non-believers. Like most Annual General including 14 years as a councillor, Arnie said: “ it is encouraging that Meetings the Group’s AGM was a membership of Federal we have continuity with so many fairly quiet affair. That is probably a Conference Committee, a spell as members of last year’s committee good sign as AGMs tend to get regional chair and being both a willing to continue their efforts. lively when all is not well. Out General and European election The one person who has stepped going officers reported on a agent. He will be ably supported by back is outgoing Chair Roger successful year of activity, and Vice-Chair Vera Head. John White O’Brien. Roger did a tremendous pledged to continue efforts to get remains secretary, and Peter amount for the group as Chair last a faith schools motion on the Dunphy continues as Treasurer. year and as Treasurer for two years conference agenda. Membership secretary Richard before that. Roger’s skills will not The meeting saw the election of a Church, along with committee be lost to us, and we are grateful new Chair, existing committee members Balan Sisupalan, Marilyn that he has agreed to continue member Arnie Gibbons. Arnie has Mason and Mike Pictor all retain editing our Newsletters.” wide experience in the party their positions. Welsh Faith Schools Motion ‘Kicked Into Long Grass’ Lib Dem Humanists & Secularists arrangements. It also called for no for the right to debate the motion, in Wales were disappointed that a further faith schools to be created the request to refer back was motion to Welsh Conference in in Wales. accepted. October was referred back to The motion was proposed by After the debate in Aberystwyth, Welsh Policy Committee after a Cardiff North Assembly candidate, Cllr. Ed Bridges said: “We were narrow vote. Ed Bridges, who argued that obviously terribly disappointed The motion, signed by 20 education involves questioning the that our colleagues chose to kick conference representatives, called world around us, and denying this topic into the long grass and for the Welsh Party to change its children the opportunity to do this deny us the chance for an open policy on faith schools to ensure in publicly-funded schools was debate. Just as children in Wales’ that schools did not discriminate misguided. faith schools are often denied the on grounds of faith in either However, a request for the motion chance to explore issues which admissions or employment to be referred back was made by might be uncomfortable for the Kirsty Williams AM, who claimed, authorities, so too the Lib Dems in amongst other things, that the Wales seem to have denied motion was ‘illiberal’. Despite delegates the chance for an open impassioned speeches by Cllr. John debate on this important issue.” Dixon and Cllr. Mark Cole calling About Lord Dick Taverne QC Lord Taverne – Dick Taverne QC – between 1981 and 1987. During was born in 1928, and educated those years, he contested at Charterhouse School, then Southwark & Peckham for the SDP Balliol College, Oxford, where he in 1982, and Dulwich in 1983. gained a First in Greats. He took When the Liberal Democrats part in the Oxford Union debating emerged, he was on the Federal tour of the USA in 1951, and was Policy Committee for a year called to the Bar in 1954, between 1989 and 1990. becoming a QC in 1965. Outside politics, Dick Taverne’s In 1962, Dick contested and won wide-ranging interests have led him Fund in 1994, and Chairman of the Lincoln seat for Labour, to become a Director of AXA Alcohol & Drug Prevention remaining a Labour MP for 10 Equity and Law Life Assurance Treatment Ltd. in 1996. That same years. During that time, he was a Society plc, and of the BOC Group year, he became Chairman of AXA Minister in the Home Office for plc. He was the first Director, Equity & Law, mentioned above. In two years, a Minister of State in then later Chairman, of the 2002 he founded Sense About the Treasury, rising to Financial Institute for Fiscal Studies, where Science, a charity to promote the Secretary there from 1969 to he stayed until 1982. During that evidence-based approach to 1970 and Chairman of the Public time, in 1979, he took on scientific issues. His main interest Expenditure (General) Sub- Membership of the International is now science and society and in Committee from 1971 to 1972. Review Body, examining the 2005 he published The March of Unreason – Science, Democracy That year, heresigned as a Labour workings of the European and the New Fundamentalism MP, and stood as a Democratic Commission. Chairmanship of the (OUP). Labour candidate for the same Public Policy Centre came next seat, which he again won, and until 1987, when he became a Dick Taverne married Janice represented Lincoln as MP from founding Director of PRIMA Hennessey in 1955, and they have March 1973 to September 1974. Europe, rising to Chairman in 199l two daughters. One of them – He also published during that time and President in 1993 until 1998. Suzanna – went on to become (1973) The Future of the Left – In that period, from 1989 for 10 Managing Director of the British Lincoln and After. Political years, Dick was also Chairman of Museum.
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