PETER HENNESSEY CONTENTS EVENTS Chair’S Letter 3 September 7Th – 21St Liberal Democrats Autumn the Thin Wisps of Tomorrow’ Peter Hennessey 4 Conference,Birmingham
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2011 no.2 £3.00 (free to members) PETER HENNESSEY CONTENTS EVENTS Chair’s Letter 3 September 7th – 21st Liberal Democrats Autumn The Thin Wisps of Tomorrow’ Peter Hennessey 4 Conference,Birmingham. Sunday 18th Where do we go from here? /Social Liberal Turkey after the 2011 Election – a snapshot 8 Forum with Will Hutton, Jackie Ashley and Julian Huppert 20.00-21.15 Hall 5 ICC Statement by the Taoiseach, Enda Kenny, on the Dáil Motion on Sunday 18th “The Israeli Peace Initiative: Can it succeed?” the report of the Commission of Investigation into the Catholic Liberal Democrat Friends of Israel. Diocese of Cloyne, in Dáil Éireann, 20th July 2011 10 20.00-21.15 pm, Jurys Inn Hotel, Room 101. Monday 19th "Who benefits from the arms trade ?" Liberal Alea iacta est 11 Democrats for Peace and Security. Nick Harvey (Minister for the Armed Forces) & Oliver Napier 12 Anne Feltham (Campaign Against the Arms Trade). 20.00 to 21.15 Jury's Inn Room 103. Cuba – a Gross miscarriage of Justice 14 Monday 19th Palestine: in the shadow of the Arab Uprising – Tory MEP backs independent Somaliland what role should Britain play?MAP, the New Statesman and Liberal Democrat Friends of David Brandon Griffiths. 15 Palestine. Mehdi Hasan (New Statesman), Steve James (MAP), Sir Menzies Campbell, Simon Alliance gains in Assembly and Council elections 16 Hughes, John McHugo (LDFP). 18.15 – 19.30 pm Novotel Hotel, Burne-Jones room. Personal Memories of Elizabeth Sidney 17 Tuesday 20th The Arab Awakening - how best should the The Community of Democracies international community should respond to it? LIBG/LDEG. Edward McMillan-Scott, (Vice- What’s in an image? 18 President of the European Parliament) Robert Woodthorpe Browne, Professor Paul Reynolds China Forum 19 20.00 to 21.15pm, Jury’s Inn Rooms 113, 115 & Scottish AGM 117. REVIEW The Liberal Vision by Stein Ringen Wednesday21st Debate on the Arab Awakening9.30 to 10.15 am. Mover Martin Horwood, Summation Ethical Charter 20 William Wallace The Israeli Peace Initiative: Can it succeed? Q & A on International Issues 10.35 to REVIEW When the Stars Fall to Earth, by Rebecca Tinsley 11.20am. Panellists - Paddy Ashdown, Jeremy Browne, Kishwer Falkner, Nick Harvey and Egyptian liberals to join forces to combat growing Islamist trends 21 Martin Horwood Ivorian Government promotes Ethical Charter Singapore presidential elections disappointing 1st October Liberal Party Assembly, Wolverhampton REVIEW Birdbrain, by Johanna Sinisalo 14th October Liberal International Executive NLC Van Baalen joins call for HR inquiry on surveillance trade 22 15th October Responsibility to Protect (R2P) conference. ELDR – Palmero Congress Chatham House, 10, St. James’s Square, REVIEW Founding Gardeners: how the revolutionary generation London, SW1P 4LE created an American Eden, by Andrea Wulf. REVIEW Romantic Revolutionary, Simon Bolívar and the struggle 24th-25th ELDR Congress, Palermo for Independence in Latin America, by Richard Harvey November International Abstracts For bookings & other information please contact the Treasurer below. NLC= National Liberal Club, Whitehall Place, London SW1A 2HE Modernise Duma through fair elections 23 Underground: Embankment LI Executive & Responsibility to Protect Conference Liberal International (British Group) REVIEW Vivienne and The Giant’s Boot, by Patrick FitzSymons, Treasurer: Wendy Kyrle-Pope, 1 Brook Gardens, Barnes, London SW13 0LY email [email protected] illustrated by William Simpson. InterLiB is published by the Liberal International (British Group). Views expressed therein are those of the authors and are not necessarily the REVIEW Richard Wainwright, the Liberals and Liberal 24 views of LI(BG), LI or any of its constituent parties. Democrats. Unfinished Business, by Matt Cole. Comments and articles can be sent to Lockhart & Hastings, Creative Media Centre, 17 & 45 Robertson Street, Poland looks to the Future Hastings TN34 1HL, email [email protected] FNF research on Ukraine rebuts EU membership claims 2 Interlib 09 2011 Chair’s Letter Dear Friends, tional affairs, and reach out beyond our own members. In particular, I look forward to It is with great sadness that I have to inform working with Sarah Harding of Liberal you of the untimely death of David Youth to organise an event in the North Griffiths, just as we were going to press. West in the autumn. David was a stalwart of the Liberals and later Liberal Democrats, proud Welshman Events and committed internationalist David played Since the 2010 AGM we have held a garden a huge part in LIBG, recruiting and encour- party in London thanks to the generous aging many to become involved, including hospitality of Robert and Barbara your present Chairman. He served as Woodthorpe Browne and our traditional Treasurer of both LI and ELDR, although Diplomats’ Reception, impeccably organized ill-health sadly forced him to stand down as always by Wendy Kyrle-Pope. Speaker early from the latter post. Liberals in the meetings were held on Darfur at which UK, Europe and beyond owe David a great Becky Tinsley spoke, on the Arab Spring at debt. Sharon Bowles has kindly provided which Robert Woodthorpe Browne gave a few words (see p15 ). We will have the fascinating overview of the situation in a chance to commemorate David’s life in suit- large number of Middle Eastern and North able fashion in due course; details will be African states, and on China as already men- made available as soon as possible. tioned. Lord (Peter) Hennessy gave the Since this edition of InterLIB comes after fourth Tim Garden Annual Lecture at the AGM and just before Federal Chatham House, a full transcript of which is Conference, we are reproducing a slightly reproduced here on p4. revised version of my 2011 Annual Report, LIBG’s relations with the Lib Dems which reflects on the past and looks to the Lib Dem Party Conference LIBG has been an Associated Organisation future, which I hope people find useful. The stall in Liverpool was manned by my (AO) of the Liberal Democrats, which gives With best wishes, Julie mother, who kindly spent all day, every day of certain benefits, including the ability to Conference meeting and greeting those who book rooms and stalls at Federal Conference LIBG Chairman’s Annual Report 2011 were interested in LIBG, with regular support at ‘party’ rates.As part of a regular review of IBG has had a good year.We have from Allan Witherick and Dirk Hazell.We such organisations, a motion from the begun to cooperate with other groups recruited several new members and held a Federal Executive will be going to Federal Lwithin the party and plan to continue fringe meeting on the role of party founda- Conference recommending that LIBG be such cooperation in the coming year. To tions in international politics, at which we renewed as an AO subject to a minor con- date, we have held a joint meeting with the were addressed by two of our Vice-Presidents: stitutional amendment. Since we were only Chinese Lib Dems at which Martin Jacques Lord Alderdice and Gordon Lishman. made aware of that requirement after the gave us the benefit of his insights into the deadline for motions to this year’s AGM the rise of China and its likely impact on the Scotland Executive will bring forward a proposed rest of the world.We are planning a joint John Melling has stepped down as a Vice- amendment at next year’s AGM. fringe on the Arab Awakening with the Lib President after many years of service and has Dem European Group at Autumn Federal been replaced by John Barrett. Finally, I would like to thank all the mem- Conference, and will share our conference bers of the Executive for their support dur- stall with a new Lib Dem Friends of Brazil Liberal International ing the last year. Particular thanks go to group. Last, but by no means least, our We are delighted that LIBG Vice-President those who chose not to re-stand. I wish AGM and a meeting to discuss the 2011 Robert Woodthorpe Browne was elected them all well and hope they will continue Polish EU presidency, kindly hosted by Her co-Treasurer of Liberal International at the to join us at LIBG events in future. Excellency the Ambassador of Poland to the Manila Congress in June. Looking to the Court of St. James, arose in part from links future, LIBG will be hosting the next Liberal with the Lib Dem Friends of Poland. I International Executive meeting in London very much hope that we can continue with on 14th October 2011 at the National such collaboration in future as it enables us Liberal Club.This will be followed by a both to pool costs and resources with like- workshop on the Responsibility to Protect Julie Smith, Cambridge minded liberals with an interest in interna- at Chatham House on 15th October. 7th September 2011 Interlib 09 2011 3 ‘The Thin Wisps of Tomorrow’ Peter Hennessey t is a great honour to be asked to speak in memory of Sir often incorporate a particular human anxiety or aspiration and are Timothy Garden. I first met Tim and Sue at the table of the then driven by a desire for certainty. Some reflect the desire to institu- ICaptain President of the Royal Naval College Greenwich, Nick tionalise social justice (the Department of Work and Pensions); altru- Wilkinson.Though some time before, RAF friends had told me ism (the National Health Service), national protection (the Ministry how special he was.That evening by the Thames we got on instantly of Defence) or public safety (Home Office and Ministry of Justice). and, before the first course had been consumed, we touched on my The last century, in fact, has seen a succession of government-led theme this evening – the predictive power and performance of the attempts to reduce uncertainty – the intelligence and security serv- UK’s intelligence machinery and ices are a classic example – by wider horizon-scanning appara- trying to anticipate events, good tus.At the time I was busy read- and bad, and to increase the ing the early cold war product chances of the good happening of the Joint Intelligence and to reduce the prospects of Committee in files on recently the harmful.