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Four lessons from the party from the Chris Rennard events
To recap, four ancillary lessons I think the Liberal Democrats need to learn from are: Don’t judge Presidential candidates by their TV appeal: “voting in the current circumstances for a new President...
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Daisy Cooper: After the scandals, Lib Dems need processes that are fit for...
Liberal Democrat complaints procedure, as at January 2013. Continuing my series of guests posts from candidates for Liberal Democrat President, today it’s Daisy Cooper talking about one of her...
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The Liberal Democrat approach to campaigning: the history and debunking some...
The Journal of Liberal History‘s special edition marking the 25th anniversary of the Liberal Democrats includes a piece from myself on the party’s campaigning history. My motivation for writing it –...
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Chance Encounters: Tim Razzall doesn’t quite reveal where the Lib Dem...
#1319015 / gettyimages.com The cover of Liberal Democrat peer Tim Razzall’s memoirs features a quote from Nick Robinson, saying “After a quarter of a century as a Lib Dem power broker, Tim Razzall...
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What role would Rennard have under a new Lib Dem leader?
View image | gettyimages.com I’ve asked Tim Farron and Norman Lamb a set of five questions, most of which I’ll be covering over the weekend as the final votes are cast in the leadership contest. But...
View ArticleLib Dem peers elect Chris Rennard to Federal Executive
The Liberal Democrat group in the House of Lords has, to widespread surprise, elected former Chief Executive Chris Rennard to represent it on the party’s Federal Executive. In a contested election, he...
View ArticleGetting the reaction to Chris Rennard’s FE election wrong
The immediate reaction of some Liberal Democrat activists angered at the decision by Lib Dem peers to elect Chris Rennard as their representative on the Federal Executive has been to say ‘we should...
View ArticleLib Dem President: “I was disappointed that Chris [Rennard] put himself...
Caron Lindsay has blogged the message Lib Dem President Sal Brinton has sent to members of the Federal Executive (FE) following the decision by Liberal Democrat peers to elect Chris Rennard as their...
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Lib Dem special conference called in showdown over Chris Rennard – but will...
As I wrote earlier in the week regarding the controversy over former Chief Executive Chris Rennard’s election to the party’s Federal Executive (FE): An attempt to call a special conference is already...
View ArticleUPDATED: Chris Rennard stands down from FE
Here’s Tim Farron’s statement on the election of Chris Rennard to the Lib Dem Federal Executive (FE) by the party’s peers: As you know, Chris Rennard’s election to the Federal Executive has prompted...
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Germaine Greer explains why the Rennard affair hasn’t put her off voting Lib Dem
From an interview on LBC with Iain Dale: Germaine Greer: I vote Liberal Democrat. I’m not a member. Iain Dale: Does this sort of incident make you less likely to [support them]? Germaine Greer: Not...
View ArticleChris Rennard issues an apology
Channel 4 has the scoop about Liberal Democrat peer Chris Rennard issuing an apology: Read the Lord Rennard Letter in full by Channel4News
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Lessons from Rennard #1: don’t judge Presidential candidates by their TV appeal
If there’s one thing pretty much everyone in the party can agree on about the Chris Rennard story, it is that it shows how vitally important it is to have effective rules, properly administered....
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Lessons from Rennard #2: the party needs to recognise three levels of...
The question of what level of proof is required for party disciplinary action has understandably attracted a lot of attention during the Chris Rennard saga. However, the focus on that risks obscuring...
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Lessons from Rennard #3: the English Party needs reform
I don’t normally like simply saying ‘here’s a problem’ or ‘something must be done’ without also giving an answer. So apologies for departure from normal service, as I’m much surer that something needs...
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Lessons from Rennard #4: who gets the party whip is a matter for the whole party
In their pre-democratic origins, British political proto-parties were collections of Parliamentarians. They had as their members whoever they wished, and if people outside Parliament didn’t like who...
View ArticleCross-party cooperation: lessons from Paddy Ashdown’s tenure as Lib Dem leader
I’ve written before about lessons in cross-party cooperation in 6 ways to make cross-party political deals work and The Cook-Maclennan talks: lessons in cross-party cooperation. It was also the subject...
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A new path for the Liberal Democrats: LDN #104
Liberal Democrat Newswire #104 came out just over a week ago, with a new pamphlet about the future of the party and Iain Dale’s always controversial annual list of the 50 most influential Lib Dems. You...
View ArticleVince Cable: I have no intention of bringing Chris Rennard back into a party...
Echoing Tim Farron’s comments when he was running to be Liberal Democrat leader, current Lib Dem leader Vince Cable has said of former Chief Executive Chris Rennard: He has no role whatever advising me...
View ArticleJo Swinson: Sexual harassment – a chance for change
Lib Dem Deputy Leader Jo Swinson’s piece over the weekend has already attracted much attention. She’s kindly given me permission to reproduce it in full below. For my own views on the Chris Rennard...
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Good news for the Lib Dems in November: LDN #107
Liberal Democrat Newswire #107 came out last week, including gift suggestions but also, ready for your new year resolutions, tips on ways to get involved (further) with the Liberal Democrats, why Nick...
View ArticleForgotten Liberal heroes: Pratap Chitnis – campaign mastermind
Listen to Liberal Democrats make speeches and there are frequent references to historical figures, but drawn from a small cast. Just the quartet of John Stuart Mill, William Gladstone, David Lloyd...
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Sunday: decision time on Liberal Democrat strategy (LDN #110)
Liberal Democrat Newswire #110 came out a couple of days ago and as a good chunk of it was about Lib Dem conference this weekend, here it is up earlier than usual on the web too. If you’d like the...
View ArticleWhat should the Liberal Democrats do in event of a hung Parliament?
For a long time, the thought of a hung Parliament was a promised land to Liberal Democrats. In as much as the party had a long-term strategy after the demise of Paddy Ashdown’s flirtations with Tony...
View ArticleCross-party group demand measures to prevent Covid-19 causing rise in modern...
A press release from the Liberal Democrats brings the news… A cross-party group led by the Liberal Democrats has set out a package of demands to protect workers from exploitation during the coronavirus...
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