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Jo Swinson: the New Liberal Democrat Leader
Jo Swinson: the new Liberal Democrat Leader 22 July 2019 Who is Jo Swinson? Jo Swinson was born in 1980, growing up and going to school in East Dunbartonshire, which she now represents in Parliament. Her mother was a primary school teacher while her father worked in economic development. She cites her earliest political experience as signing petitions against animal testing in the Body Shop. A Liberal Democrat supporter since she was at school, Jo joined the Liberal Democrats aged 17, while studying Management at the LSE. During her time at university, she worked as a Research Assistant for the Employers’ Forum on Disability. After graduating, Swinson moved to Hull, working as Viking FM’s Marketing & PR Manager. Aged 21, she stood against John Prescott at the 2001 general election in Hull East. Relocating back to Scotland, she worked as Marketing Manager for SpaceandPeople Plc and then as Communications Officer for the UK Public Health Association prior to her election as an MP. In 2011, she married Duncan Hames, who was the Liberal Democrat MP for Chippenham from 2010 to 2015, and is now an anti-corruption campaigner. The couple have two sons. What is Jo Swinson’s political background? Swinson was successfully elected to Parliament in 2005, winning East Dunbartonshire from Labour. In the Commons, she became a Lib Dem whip and spokesperson for culture, media and sport, before being promoted to Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland in 2006. Swinson gained additional responsibility in 2007 becoming Shadow Women and Equality Minister. She returned to the backbenches later that year, before becoming Shadow Minister for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs in 2008, retaining this role until the 2010 election. -
Sir Vince Cable Q&A – Life After Lib Dem Leadership
Sir Vince Cable Q&A – Life after Lib Dem leadership By Beverley Nielsen, Associate Professor at Birmingham City University’s IDEA Institute and Senior Fellow at BCU’s Centre for Brexit Studies, Liberal Democrat Councillor on Malvern Hills District Council and responsible for the Economic Development & Tourism Portfolio How are you feeling at the end of your term as Leader? I am not sure what the next stage of my career really is. I’m in California over the summer with my son and I’m looking forward to coming back feeling refreshed. I will of course still be MP for Twickenham. I’m writing another book looking at the links between politicians and economics and taking a closer view of the figures who have made a big difference through these links including Alexander Hamilton (1) and Deng Xiaoping (2). [(1) Alexander Hamilton (1755 – 1804), was renowned as one of the founding fathers of the United States of America, leading the way in interpreting and promoting the US Constitution, founding the nation’s financial system, the Federalist Party and the New York Post. As First Secretary of the Treasury, he was promoted the economic policies for George Washington‘s administration, setting up a national bank, enabling funding for state debt, establishing a system of tariffs and trading relations with Great Britain. (2) Deng, credited through economic policy reform with lifting more human beings out of poverty than any other human being, drew on a model of ‘state capitalism’ set within the framework of Communist party rule. Deng himself was pragmatic: a gradualist who believed in ‘crossing the river by feeling for the stones’, being interested in results rather than dogma or doctrine.] What are your proudest achievements? Most of the achievements I’m proudest of were achieved during the five years I spent serving as a Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills in the Coalition government. -
The IR35 MP Hit List the 100 Politicians Most Likely to Lose Their Seats
The UK's leading contractor site. 200,000 monthly unique visitors. GUIDES IR35 CALCULATORS BUSINESS INSURANCE BANKING ACCOUNTANTS INSURANCE MORTGAGES PENSIONS RESOURCES FREE IR35 TEST The IR35 MP hit list The 100 politicians most likely to lose their seats Last December research conducted by ContractorCalculator identified the MPs for whom it will prove most costly to lose the selfemployed vote, and published the top 20 from each party. The results were based on data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and contractor sentiment indicated by a previous ContractorCalculator survey. The full results of this research are now published, with the top 100 MPs, ordered by risk of losing their seat, due to the Offpayroll (IR35) reforms that Treasury, HMRC and the Chancellor are attempting to push through Parliament. In total, 85 MPs hold a majority in Parliament that would feasibly be overturned if the expected turnout of IR35opposing selfemployed voters from their constituency were to vote against them, and we list the next 15, making 100 in total, that are potentially under threat if the self employed voter turnout is higher than expected. "This single piece of damaging policy could prove catastrophic for all parties involved, not least the Tories, who make up 43% of the atrisk seats,” comments ContractorCalculator CEO, Dave Chaplin. “There is also potentially a lot to gain for some, but those in precarious positions will have to act swiftly and earnestly to win over contractors’ trust.” How we identified the atrisk MPs The research leveraged the data and compared the MPs majority at the last election with the likely number of selfemployed voters in their area who would turn out and vote against them. -
Conference Daily, Saturday Contents Liberal Democrats
Spring Conference 9–11 March 2018, Southport Conference Daily, Saturday Updates to the Agenda & Directory, information from the Conference Committee, amendments, emergency motions and questions to reports. Please read in conjunction with the Agenda & Directory. Conference Daily and other conference publications, in PDF and plain text Contents formats, are available online Conference information update 5 www.libdems.org.uk/conference_papers Exhibition update 6 Training update 7 Fringe update 8 Saturday 10 March timetable 9 Daily announcements for Saturday 10 March 10 or ask at the Information Desk in the STCC. Advance notice for Sunday 11 March 19 Emergency motions ballot 20 Please keep hold of your copy of this Conference Daily throughout conference, and make sure you pick up a copy of Sunday’s Conference Daily when you enter the STCC on Sunday – it will be vital to your understanding of the day’s business. Liberal Democrats 30 years fighting for a fair, free and open society Published by the Policy Unit, Liberal Democrats, 8–10 George Street, London, SW1P 3AE. Design and layout by Mike Cooper, [email protected]. 1 The Federal Board Baroness Sal Neil Fawcett, Vince Cable MP, Liz Leffman, Sheila Ritchie, Carole O’Toole, Alistair Lord Brinton, Chair, Vice Chair Party Leader Chair of the Scottish Party Chair of the Carmichael MP, Strasburger, Party President English Party Convenor Welsh NEC MP Rep Peer Rep Catherine Chris White, Simon McGrath, David Green, Cadan ap Andrew Jeremy Robert Bearder MEP, Principal Local English Party Scottish -
ANDREW MARR SHOW 2ND JUNE 2019 JO SWINSON AM: Since The
JO SWINSON ANDREW MARR SHOW 2ND JUNE 2019 JO SWINSON AM: Since the fall of the coalition the Liberal Democrats have had an utterly miserable time, but the divisions inside the two biggest parties over Brexit have given them a sudden new lease of life. And in admittedly one poll this week they were found to be Britain’s most popular party. Sir Vince Cable’s standing down so they now need to choose a new leader, and his current deputy Jo Swinson has declared that she wants the job, and she’s with me now. Jo Swinson, how big are your ambitions for this party now? JS: There’s no limit on my ambitions for the Liberal Democrats. I think we’re at a pivotal moment in our politics, where the two- party structure is fracturing and there is a real appetite for a liberal movement, for people who believe in our values, who say immigration’s a good thing, that we need to reshape our economy so that it works for people, and plan it. And these people are joining us in their thousands. And I want to lead the Liberal Democrats to build that liberal movement. AM: You’d be a different kind of leader. You’re much younger, you’ve got two small children and so on. How would you be a different leader? What would it feel like? JS: Well, you know, I’m putting myself forward for this job, I’ve got twelve years of experience as an MP, three years as a Minister. -
0 Well, That Didn't Go to Plan. General Election
0 Well, that didn’t go to plan. General election reflections: Simon Hughes, Nick Harvey, Liz Barker, Tony Greaves and more 0 All the presidents’ answers - Mark Pack 0 How we did Unite to Remain - Peter Dunphy Issue 399 - February 2020 £ 4 Issue 399 February 2020 SUBSCRIBE! CONTENTS Liberator magazine is published six/seven times per year. Subscribe for only £25 (£30 overseas) per year. Commentary.............................................................................................3 You can subscribe or renew online using PayPal at Radical Bulletin .........................................................................................4..7 our website: www.liberator.org.uk THE HORROR SHOW SEEN FROM OUTSIDE ..................................8..9 Professional roles meant Simon Hughes had to spend the general election campaign on Or send a cheque (UK banks only), payable to the sidelines for the first time in decades. What he saw of the Lib Dems alarmed him “Liberator Publications”, together with your name and full postal address, to: EIGHT ERRORS AND COUNTING ....................................................10..11 The Liberal Democrats got a lot wrong in the 2019 general election, many of them repeated mistakes never learnt from, says Nick Harvey Liberator Publications Flat 1, 24 Alexandra Grove LED BY DONKEYS ................................................................................12..13 London N4 2LF The general election saw the Liberal Democrats fail to find messages that resonated England with voters, and the campaign -
Where Next for the Liberal Democrats?
Where next for the Liberal Democrats? Tim Bale Aron Cheung Alan Wager It has, to put it mildly, been a difficult twelve months for the Liberal Democrats. A year ago this week, polling conducted by YouGov and Ipsos Mori showed their support at 20% – a level the party had not enjoyed since they’d entered their ill-fated coalition with the Conservatives in the spring of 2010. Nine long years later, they were daring to dream once again: could it be that, under Jo Swinson, we would soon see the UK’s electoral map coloured with the same amount of Lib Dem yellow that Charles Kennedy and, latterly, Nick Clegg had once achieved? The answer, of course, was no. The general election that followed was a not just an electoral disappointment but a disaster – so much so that Swinson herself lost her seat. Not only that, but the party’s main policy aim – to reverse the Brexit decision – lay in tatters. Yet, despite these setbacks, the new electoral geography of the post-Brexit era brings with it challenges but also opportunities for the Liberal Democrats – existential questions but also, if they can exploit their new electoral coalition, some potential answers. This short paper hopes to set all this out just as ballots open for the party’s new leader. Putting the 2019 result in historical context The eleven seats the Liberal Democrats won in December 2019 may have represented a slight decline on the dozen the party achieved in 2017 under Tim Farron; but they also represented a near-halving of the 21 which, following multiple defections, the party went into the general election defending. -
Political Report
POLITICAL REPORT POLITICAL REPORT A MONTHLY POLL COMPILATION Volume 15, Issue 11 • December 2019 IN THIS ISSUE: Brits on Their Upcoming Election (pp. 1–3) | US Ideological Shifts and Their Political Implications (pp. 4–7) | The Federal Reserve (p. 8) | Ordinary Life: Work and Travel (p. 9) ThePOLITICAL 2019 British General Election REPORT Americans are focusing intently on their own 2020 election contest, but a consequential election will take place in Great Britain in a few days. Recent polls give the Conservatives a solid lead. Most think the election will be about Brexit, and 70 percent have Brexit fatigue. Q: If there were a general election held tomorrow, which party would you vote for? National (GB) ------------------------------------------- By 2017 Vote ------------------------------------------- Nov. 28–29 Conservative Labour Liberal Democrats Would vote POLITICAL REPORT Conservative 43% 86% 8% 15% Labour 34 4 73 16 Liberal Democrats 13 5 10 67 SNP 4 0 2 0 Plaid Cymru 0 0 1 0 Brexit Party 2 3 2 0 Note: Online survey of adults in Great Britain. The results shown here are what YouGov calls the “headline voting intention.” The results are weighted by likelihood to vote, and they exclude those who would not vote, don’t know, or refused to answer. Source: YouGov UK/The Sunday Times, latest that of November 28–29, 2019. Q: Do you think this election will end up being . ? Election will be mostly about Brexit 84% Mostly about other issues 5 Note: Online survey of adults in Great Britain. Source: YouGov UK/The Sunday Times, October 31–November 1, 2019. -
Lib Dem Party Briefing
H F T F . O R G . U K THE LIBERAL DEMOCRAT PARTY BACKGROUND WHAT IS THE LIB DEMS T he Liberal Democrats were formed in STANCE ON 1989 as a merger of the Social Democratic Party & Liberal Party. From 2010-2015, the CLIMATE Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition POLICY? governed the UK. The Liberal Democrats are a centrist party, generally falling between the two main parties. Jo Swinson Background became party leader in July 2019. The Net Zero Liberal Democrats won 12 seats at the Policies most recent 2017 General Election, but by the end of the Parliament they had 21 MPs, due to defections from other parties. Continued... WHAT IS THEIR STANCE ON NET-ZERO, AND HOW The cornerstone of Liberal Democrats’ DO THEY AIM TO climate policy is a new ‘duty of care’ for UK ACHIEVE IT? businesses. This duty of care would make companies legally liable At the recent Autumn party conference, the Liberal for environmental harms Democrats passed their Tackling the Climate caused anywhere along Emergency motion. This motion puts forward a their supply chains. This blueprint for their climate & environmental policy, policy underlines the endorsing the aim of reaching net-zero by 2045 at Liberal Democrats’ the latest. The emphasis of this motion was not business-focus to only to achieve net-zero “as fast as possible” but tackling net-zero. This also states that setting a target “by itself is not pledge builds on enough.” The aim of the motion is to illustrate a previous comprehensive list of actions to achieve full announcements by the decarbonisation. -
The Future of Scottish Agriculture Post Brexit
House of Commons Scottish Affairs Committee The future of Scottish agriculture post–Brexit Ninth Report of Session 2017–19 Report, together with formal minutes relating to the report Ordered by the House of Commons to be printed 23 July 2019 HC 1637 Published on 31 July 2019 by authority of the House of Commons The Scottish Affairs Committee The Scottish Affairs Committee is appointed by the House of Commons to examine the expenditure, administration, and policy of the Scotland Office (including (i) relations with the Scottish Parliament and (ii) administration and expenditure of the offices of the Advocate General for Scotland (but excluding individual cases and advice given within government by the Advocate General)). Current membership Pete Wishart MP (Scottish National Party, Perth and North Perthshire) (Chair) Deidre Brock MP (Scottish National Party, Edinburgh North and Leith) David Duguid MP (Conservative, Banff and Buchan) Hugh Gaffney MP (Labour, Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill) Christine Jardine MP (Liberal Democrat, Edinburgh West) Ged Killen MP (Labour (Co-op), Rutherglen and Hamilton West) John Lamont MP (Conservative, Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk) Paul Masterton MP (Conservative, East Renfrewshire) Danielle Rowley MP (Labour, Midlothian) Tommy Sheppard MP (Scottish National Party, Edinburgh East) Ross Thomson MP (Conservative, Aberdeen South) Former members Kirstene Hair MP (Conservative, Angus) was also a Member of the Committee during this inquiry. Powers The Committee is one of the departmental select committees, the powers of which are set out in House of Commons Standing Orders, principally in SO No. 152. These are available on the internet via www.parliament.uk. Publication © Parliamentary Copyright House of Commons 2019. -
Liberal Democrat Manifesto
Manifesto 2019 “The Liberal Democrats exist to build and safeguard a fair, free and open society, in which we seek to balance the fundamental values of liberty, equality and community, and in which no one shall be enslaved by poverty, ignorance or conformity. We champion the freedom, dignity and well-being of individuals, we acknowledge and respect their right to freedom of conscience and their right to develop their talents to the full. We aim to disperse power, to foster diversity and to nurture creativity. We believe that the role of the state is to enable all citizens to attain these ideals, to contribute fully to their communities and to take part in the decisions which affect their lives.” Opening of the Preamble to the Liberal Democrat Constitution Foreword For more than three and a half years, our country’s future has been on pause as the Brexit debate has raged on. This election gives us the opportunity to transform our country and create a brighter future. The Liberal Democrats have an ambitious vision for who we can be – a society where every child and young person is nurtured to become whoever they want to be, where if you play your part in society, you can live a happy and fulfilling life, and where we do everything in our power to save our planet for future generations. And the opportunity for the Liberal Democrats at this election is huge. There are no limits to my ambition for our party as we take our positive vision for a brighter future to the country. -
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The other leadership race that really matters Blog post by Practice Lead Tom King, 13 June 2019 There is only one cast-iron certainty in British politics. That is that whoever replaces Theresa May in Downing Street this summer will be faced with the same set of problems. Of course, the identity of the prime minister matters. But it is not likely to change the questions facing MPs of all parties come the autumn. Largely unnoticed, there is another leadership contest underway that might have a much more important effect. The Liberal Democrats had an exceptional spring, roaring back into the public eye with a strong local election performance before comfortably pushing Labour into third place at the European Parliament elections. Ironically, the Lib Dems probably have a smaller party to thank for this turnaround. The party’s ‘Libby’ bird logo had been thought more of a dead duck, its brand too toxic after the coalition years to be restored. Under the directionless leadership of Vince Cable – who seemed to behave more like an analyst than a politician – there seemed little hope. And it was because of this that Change UK was born. The hodgepodge of frustrated Conservative and Labour Remainers, informally led by Chuka Umunna, Heidi Allen and Anna Soubry, chose to plough their own furrow rather than join the largest Remain-supporting UK party. It made sense: they simply looked over at the Lib Dems and thought, ‘we can do better than that’. The now divided Change UK’s biggest legacy may turn out to be to have forced the Lib Dems into action.