Vince’s next speech
Vince’s conference speech had a lot of good policies and ideas, but the party is still failing to communicate a compelling vision. We are not giving enough people a good reason to vote Lib Dem at the...
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Opinion: Does the School Food Plan really ban packed lunches?
If you’re an independent person involved in writing a report for Government, I offer some advice. Take a holiday for the week after the report’s published. Somewhere remote. Ideally without internet....
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Opinion: Cameron’s porn ban – what does it mean?
David Cameron is out to make the world a safer place by tackling what he sees as the problems caused by pornography. We don’t really know the details of the policy yet, but with Cameron doing the...
View ArticleOpinion: Foodbanks: Are there more hungry people than a decade ago?
There are far more foodbanks, and foodbank users, than a decade ago. Many people have assumed that if more people are using foodbanks it must mean there are more hungry people in need – more having to...
View ArticleOpinion: We need to stop helping the other parties and change our message
The Liberal Democrats have achieved many good things in Government and stopped the Tories doing many bad things. As with every government, there have been mistakes and much that could have been done...
View ArticleOpinion: Why I signed up for Devo Manc and a mayor for Greater Manchester
On Monday morning I was very pleased to be able to sign up to Devo Manc. I was deputising for Stockport’s Lib Dem leader Sue Derbyshire, joined in Manchester Town Hall by the leaders of the other nine...
View ArticleOpinion: Make your city a global success in six easy steps – part 1
View image | gettyimages.com In 1900 just one in ten people lived in cities. Today over half do and nearly all population growth in the next few decades is expected to be in larger conurbations....
View ArticleOpinion: Make your City a Global success in six easy steps – part 2
View image | gettyimages.com The UK has a problem: outside London our cities underperform. They fail to generate as much wealth as they should and many are net drains on the public purse. That’s not...
View ArticleOpinion: The case for a mayor for Greater Manchester
In this article I’m going to make the case for a Mayor for Greater Manchester. I realise this isn’t going to be a popular position, particularly in Lib Dem circles. Our mayors – Dorothy in Watford and...
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Opinion: Labour’s Tuition Fees policy is a tax cut for the rich, paid for by...
Ed Miliband is announcing that a Labour government would cut university tuition fees from £9,000 to £6,000. It’s more of a re-announcement as the policy’s been knocking around for a while – and you can...
View ArticleOpinion: Mixed news on suicide tells us where to target our efforts
The UK suicide rate rose again in 2013, a worrying statistic that we should pay close attention to. True, the rate is still lower than at any time between 1981 and 2001 but, even so, the rise since...
View ArticleOpinion: Demonisation of the rich is killing progressive politics
“Demonisation is the ideological backbone of an unequal society.” wrote left-wing commentator Owen Jones in his 2011 book “Chavs: the demonisation of the working class”. He was right but, at the same...
View ArticleOpinion: We won’t get a fair society unless progressive politicians challenge...
For nearly four decades progressive politicians have been losing the war of words – and of votes – over the economy. Those on the right have successfully persuaded voters time and again that a less...
View ArticleGovernment’s apprentice plan to take money from NHS and councils
David Cameron has unveiled a plan to “boost apprenticeships and transform training”. No doubt it will have positive aspects, but – as so often – the cheery message hides some issues that should concern...
View ArticleIt isn’t always good for the Lib Dems when Labour and the Tories agree
There are no shortage of lessons for the Lib Dems to learn from our time in Coalition, but one of the most important is to understand the ability of the two main parties to work together to stitch us...
View ArticleWhere next for Syria?
On the night of the Syria debate I missed out on hearing Hilary Benn’s speech and instead paid a visit to my local mosque. Evening prayers had just finished and I sat in a room at the back with Dr...
View ArticleWhat next for moderate Labour?
Corbyn has won. It’s clear that he will come out victorious in any leadership contest and the Chilcot report has put the final nail in the coffin of a serious challenge. And more importantly the left...
View ArticleHow computer-driven cars are likely to transform planning in your town
Embed from Getty Images It’s 2026 and you’re heading to your local town with the family. Not owning a car, you tap your phone and within a few minutes a self-driving taxi pulls up. You relax in...
View ArticleThe Liberal Democrats: on your side and fighting for you
The Liberal Democrat vote fell in June because too few voters believed we were the party on their side and fighting for them on the issues they cared about. That wasn’t the only reason of course, but...
View ArticleThe two most important questions to ask Lib Dem leadership candidates
My wife keeps up with the news, but she can’t recall the last time she saw a national story about the Lib Dems. As Labour and the Tories struggle to hold themselves together, the Lib Dems fight simply...
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