We are delighted to have got this motion onto the agenda of this autumn’s Liberal Democrat conference in Liverpool. It will be debated during the morning session on Tuesday 21 September.
F34 Ensuring Fairness in a Time of Austerity
34 conference representatives
Mover: James Graham
Summation: David Hall-Matthews
Conference notes:
i) The fragile state of the global economy.
ii) That the [...]
Author Archives: James Graham
Conference Motion: Ensuring Fairness in a Time of Austerity
How should Simon Hughes amend the budget?
Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrats Simon Hughes has announced an intention to amend the budget to promote fairness. He told the Guardian today that:
When it comes to the Budget next week, we will vote for the budget. But if there are measures in the Finance Bill where we could improve fairness and make [...]
Did the budget meet my tests?
A brief note, reflecting on the criteria by which I proposed we should judge the budget, now it has sunk in:
What is the timescale? 5 years, so this is a clear Conservative victory. I am deeply concerned about this, possibly more than anything else, because I think it will damage growth over the next [...]
How should we evaluate the budget?
Regardless of what Liberal Democrats might like the budget to be tomorrow, we always knew it was going to be a compromise between the Lib Dems and Conservatives in government. The Parliamentary arithmetic always meant that the Lib Dems’ game plan in coalition was restraining the Tories rather than getting them to abandon their [...]
Intergenerational equity and the perils of groupthink
Crossposted from Quaequam Blog!
As the implications of what it appears that the coalition is about to do in the upcoming budget sinks in, I have to admit to growing increasingly concerned. No-one – outside of the Labour leadership contest anyway – denies that the structural deficit needs to be tackled or that we don’t [...]
Autumn Conference motions 2 – feedback from comments so far
Wordles aren’t always as useful as they could be, but this summary of comments over the last few days about what topics the Social Liberal Forum should propose motions on at autumn conference seems quite clear:
Schools is a clear priority, although local, government, housing and tax also score quite highly. Prateek Buch advises against [...]
What motions should we table to autumn conference?
Crossposted from the Social Liberal Forum social network.
The deadline for autumn conference motions is looming (30 June to be precise), so we don’t have much time. But what should the Social Liberal Forum be championing to get onto the agenda? Here are some ideas:
Secondary education – academies and free schools in [...]
Hughes, Bruce and Oakeshott express concerns over Capital Gains Tax plans
Following on from the Social Liberal Forum’s open letter to Nick Clegg and Danny Alexander about the emergency budget, three prominent Liberal Democrat parliamentarians have echoed our concern on Capital Gains Tax.
The FT reports that Lord Oakeshott, Malcolm Bruce and new Lib Dem Deputy Leader Simon Hughes also advising Nick Clegg not to capitulate.
Simon Hughes [...]
Open Letter to Nick Clegg and Danny Alexander
Following our mini-consultation a few days ago, we have written the following letter to Nick Clegg and Danny Alexander outlining our concerns about the upcoming Emergency Budget. Thanks to everyone who submitted their ideas, both on our website and privately by email.
To: Nick Clegg, Danny Alexander
cc. Simon Hughes
Dear Nick and Danny,
Next week, the coalition [...]
Nominations open for Social Liberal Forum Council Elections
Nominations are now open for the Social Liberal Forum Council Elections, which will be held over the next couple of months. Full details can be found on the elections page of this website.
Anyone who is a member of the Social Liberal Forum is eligible to stand and membership of the SLF is free to [...]
