Tag Archives: labour party

News Roundup

Climate change science has been dealt another blow by the revelation that University of East Anglia professor Phil Jones knowingly used flawed evidence in one of his studies.  How many more revelations like this will we have before the scientific community learn the lesson that transparency is the only way to ensure public trust?

Meanwhile, a man not especially reknowned for his valuing of science, Pope Benedict, has been condemning UK equality laws.  Some people are more equal than others in the eye of God, it would seem.

Talking of equality, Gordon Brown appears to have finally come off the fence when it comes to electoral reform.  The Alternative Vote system isn’t proportional but it would mean all MPs would have to command a majority and it would mean fewer wasted votes.  The Lib Dem response, as Stephen Tall points out, has been a “stinging welcome“.  It would appear that the government will be announcing support for a whole host of amendments to the Constitutional Reform and Governance Bill today, including ones regarding Lords reform and excluding non-doms from Parliament.

The latest ComRes/Independent poll confirms that the gap in support between the main parties has narrowed in recent weeks, with the public deeply confused about what passes for David Cameron’s economic policy.  Interestingly, Tory support amongst men is currently much higher than Tory support amongst women.

News roundup

Labour is reported to be putting cooperative principles at the heart of its 2010 manifesto.  Anyone remember the third way?

Nick Clegg is spelling out today how the Liberal Democrats propose to pay for its flagship ‘pupil premium‘ policy for education.

David Cameron is continuing to confuse over both the economy and human rights.  Despite the Tory policy of making immediate cuts, we are now to understand they won’t be ‘swingeing’.  Meanwhile, he has asserted that burglars lose their human rights as soon as they set foot in someone else’s property, suggesting he is not so much in support of ‘have a go heroes’ as ‘have a gimp heroes’.

Head of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Rajendra Pachauri’s position is looking increasingly untenable with the revelation that he sat on the discovery that one of the IPCC’s claims about melting glaciers was without foundation before the Copenhagen summit. Other claims are being disputed as well.  With the scientific community still reeling from the University of East Anglia email hacking scandal, it is clear that a concerted effort needs to be made to ensure that climate science is seen to be robust and open to scrutiny.

No turning back? A response to Compass

At the launch of the Social Liberal Forum in Harrogate, there was considerable enthusiasm among those attending for talking to people outside the Liberal Democrats where there is scope for developing policy ideas together. One organisation specifically suggested was Compass.

Coincidentally, an article appeared in the New Statesman just a few days ago which suggests just how much common ground there is for such discussions with Compass. In ‘No Turning Back’, the Compass Chair, Neal Lawson, and journalist John Harris, put forward perspectives which I think many Liberal Democrats share, and which I believe we should engage with constructively. Continue reading

Shirley Williams: How Liberal is Labour? (Fabian Society)

Baroness Shirley Williams will be speaking at a special Fabian Society event on 10 March to answer the question “How liberal is Labour?” in conversation with Newsnight’s Michael Crick.

Tickets are free for Fabian Society members and £10 for non-members. In addition, you can buy a six-month introductory membership for £9.95 which includes a free ticket to the event (do you see what they did there?).