Following on from the cigarette packaging imbroglio, in which it was alleged that Lynton Crosby might just have lobbied the Prime Minster about the way that tobacco was sold and enacted a shift in government policy, another Crosby-related scandal has hit the headlines. This one centres on whether or not the Conservative campaign strategist tried to […]
AS SEEN ON TOTAL POLITICS: A LOBBYING REGISTER AND RECALL WON’T SOLVE ANYTHING
In the wake of the Patrick Mercer scandal, and the parallel incidents in the House of Lords, Francis Maude and Nick Clegg’s announcements on both a lobbying register and MP recall will be welcomed in some quarters. I happen to think that if you really want to end corruption in parliament, bigger changes are required. […]
AS SEEN ON THE NEW STATESMAN – SYRIA AND THE MIDDLE EAST: SHOULD WE REALLY TAKE MILITARY ACTION OFF THE TABLE?
The Syrian conflict, now over two years old, has reached new levels of horrific farce over the past few weeks. On 11 May, 46 people were killed in a border town in Turkey in an attack linked to Assad’s regime, leading to Turkey shutting its border and inching closer to direct conflict with its war-ridden […]
AS SEEN ON TOTAL POLITICS: WHY ECONOMICS IS UKIP’S ACHILLES’ HEEL
I’ll admit off the bat that the article that follows is an odd one: I’m about to offer a political party advice that I hope to God they ignore. Nigel Farage and UKIP have been in the headlines a great deal of late, from the Guardian discussing Nigel Farage’s saloon bar insurgency to the Telegraph publishing Farage’s declaration that UKIP could have […]
LDV OPINON POST: THE LIBERAL RECONFIGURATION. THOUGHTS INSPIRED BY THE ONE NATION LABOUR CONFERENCE
Last week, my job took me to the One Nation Labour conference at Queen Mary, University of London. There I saw a series of lectures followed by Q&A’s on what the future direction of the Labour party should and should not be. It was a fascinating day – the Lib Dem baiting they have gotten used to […]
LDV INDEPENDENT VIEW POST: NEW REPORT FROM THE ERS: REVIVING THE HEALTH OF OUR DEMOCRACY
After months of independent research, the Electoral Reform Society has now published a report on Reviving the Health of Our Democracy. On the plus side, we discovered that most people are as politically charged as ever, albeit mostly through individualistic modes of participation such as single issue campaigns. The downside, of course, is that they […]
LDV OPINION POST: WORST PAST THE POST? DEBATING ELECTORAL REFORM FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Last year in May, Scottish voters were given the chance to vote using the Single Transferable Vote to select their local councillors for the second time since the introduction of the Local Governance (Scotland) Act of 2004. The Bill owes its life to the Liberal Democrats; it was a key demand for us entering into […]
AFTER EASTLEIGH, DO TORIES REGRET OPPOSING AV?
Originally seen on Conservative Home UKIP are not just taking votes off the Tories – there is a large former Labour contingent now voting for Nigel Farage’s party: Canvassing on the estates of Eastleigh, I was amazed to see so many UKIP posters in the windows. Surprised as well to hear on the doorstep so […]
OBAMA AND THE DEFICIT: HOW THE REPUBLICANS TURNED THEIR GREATEST STRENGTH INTO A WEAKNESS
Trawling through the immense amount of polling data that has emerged from last week’s US presidential election, the figures that jumped out at me were around those for whom managing the growing American debt problem was a priority. In exit polls, those who were asked what they thought was the most important issue at stake […]
CLEGG TOURETTES – THE THREE PARTY CONFERENCES
My occupation took me to all three major conferences this year and I’d like to share my impressions with you. First up, our lot. As usual, the press marched on us, expecting a revolt. Wanting to be there as Vince made his big move. As usual, nothing much really happened on that front. A few […]