Comments for Social Liberal Forum

Comment on SLF welcomes cancellation of ‘Coalition 2.0′ by Miranda Cook

Miranda Cook — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 18:09:40 +0000

Brilliant. I thought that the coalition had wiped out any Social Liberal beliefs, but then you posted this. I am very happy that Social Liberal ideas are being argued for, instead of being mixed in with the Tories’ ideas and lost completely. Thank you.

Comment on Letter to Nick Clegg on the Welfare Reform Bill by Valerie T

Valerie T — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 08:52:35 +0000

Grammar Police, you’re not entitled to income-related ESA if your partner earns over £7,500 a year. That’s a pretty low threshold.

I don’t think it matters if the two-year time limit isn’t our policy. It’s a decent compromise, and is more in the spirit of our policy than is the government’s proposal.

Bernard – as I understand it, there’s more scope to influence DLA reform as the secondary legislation on the PIP passes through (the government made concessions on this in the Lords). But we need to stay vigilant.

Comment on Letter to Nick Clegg on the Welfare Reform Bill by Grammar Police

Grammar Police — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 16:30:57 +0000

Why is there no mention of the means test here? I appreciate this change may not be a good thing, but you make it sound like all disabled people who can’t return to work would be penalised, they would not, even though substantial numbers would.

You spend most time talking about contributory ESA, and yet the Lords amendment on that is very definitely not our policy, even if it’s better than the alternative.

Comment on Letter to Nick Clegg on the Welfare Reform Bill by Bernard Woolley

Bernard Woolley — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 15:12:11 +0000

This is very admirable; however, I notice one glaring omission – there is no mention of the plans to scrap DLA! Are these Liberal Democrats ‘okay’ with making some of the most vulnerable people in our society pay for the economic mess caused by millionaire bankers?

For the uninformed, Disability Living Allowance (DLA) is not an out-of-work benefit; but a benefit to assist those with disabilities with very day life – in fact many disabled people in receipt of DLA use it to assist them with staying in employment.

The Welfare Reform Bill will see this scrapped and replaced with a new benefit called Personal Independence Payment (PIP). Here’s where it gets nasty – PIP’s main purpose is to reduce the money spent on people with disabilities; PIP will have a reduced budget (20%) compared to DLA, and will be harder to qualify for meaning many of those currency on DLA will not qualify for PIP.

Most worryingly, no major Lib Dem has condemned the cut; choosing instead to speak up against the benefit cap – this includes Liberal Democrat legend Paddy Ashdown! This leaves me wondering whether I am the only one to have read and agreed with the preamble to the constitution.

Comment on Nick Clegg rightly calls for the tax system to be made fairer by LDVideo: Clegg – “the Coalition is calling time on our unfair and out-of-whack tax system”

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 07:45:38 +0000

[...] Nick Clegg rightly calls for the tax system to be made fairer by Social Liberal Forum; [...]

Comment on Liberal Democrats should continue to debate whether to support the Health and Social Care Bill by Andy Maltby

Andy Maltby — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 00:54:35 +0000

Greg Smyth is absolutely correct.

Total withdrawl of the bill is the only option. Otherwise any grudging amendments will be reversed by the Government if the bill is allowed to become law.

Never forget that this bill was born out of deception and lies and that Lansley will continue to hoodwink anyone he can in order to get it through.

Comment on Liberal Democrats should continue to debate whether to support the Health and Social Care Bill by Greg Smyth

Greg Smyth — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 21:17:30 +0000

My own view is that this bill needs to be killed ASAP, before any more aspects are steamrollered through at ground level on the assumption the bill passes.

The Parliamentary Party is helping push through a bill with no democratic mandate (Lib Dem, Coalition or even Tory), no grassroots Party support and against the wishes of the majority of medical professionals and public opinion.

The only sensible debate within the wider party should be when, not if, the Party should kill this bill. If Nick and the Parliamentary Party really believe in this bill, they should take it through the Party’s processes for the next Manifesto.

I hope the Social Liberal Forum will do all it can to scupper this Westminster Village stitch-up

Comment on Lib Dems stand strong against damaging NHS changes by Liberal Democrats should continue to debate whether to support the Health and Social Care Bill | Social Liberal Forum

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 12:02:28 +0000

[...] As the House of Lords prepares for report stage, it is right and proper for the party, from grassroots to leadership, to debate whether the damaging elements of the Bill have been sufficiently tamed, and whether further amendments can be sought in the Lords, to bring the reforms back in line with the Coalition Agreement and party policy as determined at spring conference last year. [...]

Comment on Lord Smith of Clifton writes: trends and tendencies in contemporary UK politics and the future of the Lib Dems by Miranda Cook

Miranda Cook — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 19:48:36 +0000

I think it will be hard to recover from the coalition, but whatever happens, giving up on our beliefs is not an option. I think people expected the Liberal Democrats to be able to simply refuse the tuition fees, but unfortunately in a coalition, especially if the other party leads it, it is much harder to stand by your promises. I completely agree with the fact that women should be equal to men – even gender stereotyping is an issue which really irritates me – as a young teenage girl, I am expected to only be interested in my mobile phone and boys, and my interest in politics is often seen as “weird”. I personally believe that race, gender, religion and nationality should have nothing to do with your opportunities.
I do believe that the Liberal Democrats would be much better without the Tories in a coalition government – but in order to win the next general election (which unfortunately, despite the fact I already know which party I would vote for, I will still be too young to vote in unless 16 and 17 year olds are allowed to vote too), we, as Liberal Democrats and supporters, must keep fighting for what we believe, and showing people that social liberalism is the best thing our country.

Comment on What We Stand For by Social Liberal Forum (Scotland) plans busy year

Social Liberal Forum (Scotland) plans busy year — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 17:57:47 +0000

[...] main issue that the meeting grappled with was how best to translate Social Liberal values into action in the Scottish context. Ultimately, those present agreed with Robert Brown, who felt [...]