After a hiatus in meetings over the summer, the Federal Policy Committee met for the first time on 6th September 2016. This was a very lengthy meeting. It commenced at 14:30 and went on well into the evening. There were only two items on the agenda.
Yesterday I announced a plan to keep Britain at the heart of Europe. First and foremost, I believe the British people should be given the right to vote on the government's negotiated Brexit deal. Voting for a departure is not the same as voting for a destination. This is not an attempt to re-run the first referendum; we must respect the result. But the British people should be allowed to choose what comes next, to ensure it is right for them, their families, their jobs and our country. Our relationship with Europe affects our economy, our security, climate change, our influence in the world and so much more.
Targeting Plus: that's the name for a new strategy for rebuilding the party set out in a pamphlet published today. It is based on the four pillars of building a larger core vote for the party, increasing the party's capacity to campaign, creating a new model for local party development and fostering innovation.
In this exclusive extract from his new book, the former deputy prime minister talks about how difficult it is to get things done in Whitehall. Especially when you're up against an ideologue education secretary with a team of 'unhinged' advisers Part one: 'No wonder there was a Nick Clegg looking sad website' Making change is not easy: it is an art, not a science. As junior partners in a coalition and having been out of power for decades, the Liberal Democrats had to learn quickly how to get things done in a system that can resist change at every turn. The coalition government was, of course, a unique experiment in British politics with some unusual features, not least the need to secure agreement across the leadership of two parties. Unsurprisingly much of the significant change that came about during the coalition involved trade-offs and compromises.
For five years, he was the brakes on a 'cynical' Conservative party, argues the former deputy prime minister. Was the cost, personal and political, worth it? I'm standing on the edge of a one-horse town in the middle of nowhere, blinded by the mid-morning sun. Nothing to the left of me, nothing to the right. Just heat and dust. Ennio Morricone's theme tune to The Good, The Bad And The Ugly plays on a loop in my head. Eventually, a man hollers and strides over. He is wearing shorts and shades, and has a salt-and-pepper beard. He could be a reclusive former pop star, who walked away from fame and gave up on the niceties of life.
Lymington & Pennington TC, Pennington - 1st September 2016 LD Jack Davies 402 [41.15%]
For too long, years of neglect and mismanagement by the previous Conservative Government have pushed our prison system into a deep crisis.
The Liberal Democrats have long championed proportional representation, advocating for a voting system where every vote truly counts. We believe that reforming our electoral system is crucial for a fairer democracy and better governance.
We believe everyone deserves high-quality healthcare, accessible when and where it’s needed and free at the point of use.
