Bolsover Liberal Democrats

Nick Clegg Speaking at Spring Conference 2013 (Photo taken by Gary Fuller) "Welcome to our website. The Liberal Democrats are now the only party that can deliver social justice. We are only choice for anyone who wants a fairer Britain.

"We will put money back in the pockets of ordinary families. We will build a stable, green economy for each and every one of us. We will change politics so that every person counts.

"You can find out more, including how to keep in touch or join the Liberal Democrats, on this site."

Recent updates

Norman Lamb: home-help for elderly is scandal waiting to happen

Article: Jun 14, 2013

By Tim Ross, Political Correspondent in The Telegraph

The elderly care system "incentivises neglect" and could lead to a new abuse scandal, the health minister Norman Lamb warns as a review is launched into home-help services.

Frail pensioners suffer from care that is organised "by the clock", with some visits lasting no more than 10 minutes while rushed workers are paid the minimum wage or less, according to Norman Lamb.
PRISM highlights need for robust EU-US dialogue

Article: Jun 14, 2013

By Sarah Ludford MEP in British Influence - Euro Watch

There have been increasing intrusions on the right to privacy on both sides of the Atlantic in the last decade under the cover of the 'war on terror'. With individuals sharing more and more information about their lives not only in emails and phonecalls but with hundreds of 'friends' and 'followers' on social networking sites, the appetite of the law enforcement and security services for snooping on us has inevitably grown.
A Million Jobs

Article: Jun 14, 2013

The first phase of the campaign is a major apprenticeships drive. The party's ambition is to double the number of companies offering apprenticeships from 100,000 to 200,000.

Campaigning 'Action Days' will take place across the country tomorrow [Saturday], with MPs and local parties highlighting the work they and the party nationally are doing to help create jobs and apprenticeships in their local areas.

Commenting, Liberal Democrat Leader and Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg said:
June Report from Bill Newton Dunn MEP

Article: Jun 13, 2013

By Bill Newton Dunn MEP

The Irish six-month presidency of the other chamber, the Council of Ministers, finishes at the end of June. They have been enthusiastic, positive and very active.

From July, for six months, the Lithuanians take over.

Croatia the 28^th member of the EU from 1^st July.

There will be a Transition period while they adapt to the full set of EU laws. (We had a five year Transition period after we joined in 1973).

They get a new Commissioner : his name is Mr Mimica and his responsibility will be Consumer Affairs. . He underwent a hearing by a parliamentary committee and received endorsement this week from the parliament.

Organised Crime

Bill has his say at http://www.europarltv.europa.eu/en/player.aspx?pid=c058df72-825c-4fa8-9b84-a1b8011f36ed#.UZC67Je4WTA.twitter

The committee produced an Interim report which was debated this week. There is a link to a summary (which I find very inadequate) http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/pressroom/content/20130607IPR11353/html/Stepping-up-the-fight-against-mafia-style-crime-in-the-EU

The final report will follow in October.

The parliament's summary omits that hundreds of billions of pounds worth of taxes are lost every year across Europe due to organised crime, as well as millions of legitimate jobs which have been taken out of the grasp of hard-working citizens. Fraud, counterfeiting, smuggling and cyber-crime are all having a drastic impact on the economy and are undermining efforts to promote jobs and growth. Britain is particularly affected, with half of EuroPol's investigations into organised crime having links to the UK.

Organised criminals conduct complex operations across borders and make use of the internet to commit crimes which individual law enforcement bodies find it very hard to detect. Shockingly, a maximum of 5% of all containers entering Europe by road, rail, sea or air are ever checked at the borders. This makes it remarkably easy for criminals to smuggle in whatever they choose. The result is that jobs and taxes are lost while organised criminals are lining their pockets at a time of economic crisis.

We need sharing of sovereignty and law enforcement resources between by the 27 national governments to tackle this problem together and successfully. The fight against organised crime is an area where European cooperation is not just useful, but is indispensable.

Remarkably though, Conservative MEPs voted against many parts of the report and chose to side instead with UKIP in opposing European cooperation against organised crime. The Tories were once known as the party of law and order, but they are now allowing their euroscepticism and fear of UKIP to get in the way of effective policing.

Negotiations between MEPs and the Council about the future financing of Europe.

Finally, the other chamber, the Council of Ministers, is showing some flexibility over negotiations to change the late-night deal made in February between the 27 national leaders. But the Council are only agreeing to redeploying of funds within the deal made by the 27 leaders. Council is still unwilling to pay for the commitments which it has made previously, not least to assist Croatia when it joins the EU in two weeks. There was another long negotiation on Tuesday evening between a team from the parliament's Budget committee and a Council team led by the Irish.

The Irish insist they have shown flexibility on behalf of the 27 governments and that they recognise that the parliament shares an equal responsibility for EU finances. But the struggle between the two chambers for a sensible realistic EU budget continues.

Turkey - watch developments

The rioting in Istanbul is significant for us. Turkey is Europe's neighbour and is the bridge between East and West. It is a candidate to join the EU. Superficially, the rioting in Istanbul is about plans for redevelopment of a public park. But the protests by the young Turkish generation goes much deeper. It is about the choice between freedom or authority in Turkey. (According to Reporters without Borders, it is ranked 154 in the world - just three places above the last dictatorship in Europe - Belarus).

Turkey has two main political parties : one is pro-western and the other is pro-Islam. The prime minister Erdogan has been in power for ten years. He has been keeping the balance between western-style freedom and Islamic religious authoritarianism. But, doing so, there are now more journalists in prison in Turkey than there are in prison in China.

Turkish youth is fed up because they feel progress to freedom is receding.

What happens in Turkey is deeply significant for us. Britain is changing fast too : the average age of Conservative party members is now 74 and their past authoritarian attitude of "we know best, trust us" is out-of-date. Right-wing Conservative MPs protest against the new freedoms provided by membership of the EU : they want a return to walls around Britain so they can be in control. The typical supporter of UKIP, according to opinion pollsters, is a middle-aged frustrated male who longs for a return to the past.

But we all know that the world is changing fast and internet technology with it. In China, in Arab countries, in Turkey, and in Britain we can not escape the changes. Our choice is to accept change and enjoy it and take advantage of it, or try to resist it and be left behind. That is why I am glad to be a pro-European Liberal. I am against traditional authoritarianism, both religious and Conservative and UKIP.

Fishing rules changed

Europe's common fisheries policy is set for radical reform after negotiators for EU governments and the European Parliament reached agreement last week.

It paves the way for rebuilding Europe's depleted fish stocks and curbing the discard of millions of tonnes of fish each year. An obligation to land all pelagic fish, such as mackerel, will commence from 1 January 2015. Other reforms, which must yet be formally approved by ministers and by MEPs, will be phased in over subsequent years. Long term management plans are to be prepared for every fishery with the aim of increasing fish numbers above the maximum sustainable yield. Fishermen will have a new role in determining practices appropriate to local conditions as micro-management from Brussels is reduced.

Road-safety testing proposals

The Transport committee has recommended to exempt motor-cycles across europe but to include Caravans. The full parliament may vote on the proposals next month. See the link http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/pressroom/content/20130527IPR10575/html/Transport-Committee-rules-motorbikes-out-of-roadworthiness-test-package

Many other things are discussed - see this link to all the parliament's summaries of recent debates : http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/pressroom/press-release/

And outside the formal debates - such as

A vote by the public to find Europe's finest tree - the winner was a plane tree in Eger in Hungary, second was a Plane tree in Poland, and third was a King Oak in Southern Ireland. The UK was not invited to take part, so I have put the organisers in touch with the magnificent website AncientTreeHunt - which shows that we have more ancient trees in the UK than anywhere else in Europe, probably because Napoleon's armies did not cut down our forests for fuel.

The spreading of wolves was discussed by the Animal welfare group. After a huge campaign of eradication in the last century, wolves are returning - in national parks in Finland, Sweden, Poland and in the south in the Alps, the Balkans, Italy and north-western Spain. But wolves cross frontiers. The questi0on is to find agreement on how to manage the spread and "how much wolf-human conflict do we want to tolerate ?"
Processes and culture within the Liberal Democrats and recommendations for change

Article: Jun 13, 2013

By Dinti Batstone, Tam Langley and Miranda Whitehead, - Acting Co Chairs Liberal Democrat Women ( LDW)

Liberal Democrat Women statement on Helena Morrissey's independent inquiry into 'Processes and culture within the Liberal Democrats and recommendations for change', 13 June 2013

We welcome yesterday's report by Helena Morrissey, following her independent inquiry into the processes and culture of our party, and support in full the recommendations she makes for change.

The inquiry was prompted by the sexual harassment allegations against Lord Rennard, although it does not consider the truth or otherwise of the allegations, but rather how they were handled. Morrissey observes that, 'Overall it is clear that formal processes existed but were not followed, largely due to the sensitive nature of the allegations and the position of the person to whom they were directed' (page 36). This is very disappointing to learn, and the report shows some of those involved have since apologised for their failings.

We fully agree with the conclusion that, 'the addressing of complaints needs to be a higher priority for the Party'. Whilst there is no suggestion of a deliberate cover-up in the report, the picture painted is one of gaping holes in party processes and codes of conduct, and a lack of understanding at most levels of the party of how to respond to complaints. Her practical recommendations for improving the experience of future complainants, such as a dedicated Pastoral Care Officer and manned phone line are welcome, and must be swiftly acted upon.

Morrissey also remarks on the lack of progress made in improving the gender balance of our MPs, observing that, "There is now both an opportunity and an imperative to improve the experience of women in the Party." (p53) We welcome her recommendation that the Party raise the priority of diversity training and makes this available to both men and women. Liberal Democrat Women will take this on board as we plan our training schedule for conference, as we entirely agree that cultural change cannot only be legislated for, it must also be 'owned' by all who are involved. We will follow implementation of her recommendations to see that they are acted upon, just as we are committed to working with the men and women of our party to improve party culture so that it better reflects our values of fairness and equality.

Dinti Batstone, Tam Langley and Miranda Whitehead,

Acting Co Chairs Liberal Democrat Women ( LDW)
Morrissey Inquiry into Party processes and culture

Article: Jun 13, 2013

By Tim Gordon Chief Executive, Liberal Democrats in Liberal Democrat Voice

Yesterday Helena Morrissey published the report of her independent inquiry into allegations made in February that the Party had failed to respond adequately to complaints and warnings of alleged sexual harassment.

You can find Helena's full report here.

The report concluded - and the Party has accepted - that, despite recent improvements, and despite the fact that the report is clear that those with whom issues were raised acted in good faith, it failed to deliver the procedures needed in a modern organisation to respond adequately to all those involved.

Helena has made some clear practical recommendations which as Chief Executive I will work with the Leader and President to implement in full.

These include changes to the guidelines throughout the Party for handling bullying and harassment, the appointment of a dedicated member of staff for complaints processes, and raising performance and standards through regular surveys.

Helena recommends raising the priority given to complaint resolution, encouraging formal submission and improvements to processes for handling them.

She also has suggestions for ensuring that women and minorities are valued, tackling under-representation and measuring progress.

Helena recognises in her report that as a Party we are in many regards like a family. We do not want to lose this.

However, we are also an organisation operating in the 21st Century, and it is imperative that we have the processes in place to reflect the responsibilities and standards that you rightly should expect - not to mention the values and ideals that brought us together in the first place.

We must now work together to achieve that outcome.

Tim Gordon Chief Executive, Liberal Democrats
Statement from Nick Clegg on the Morrissey Report

Article: Jun 13, 2013

In Liberal Democrat Voice

Liberal Democrat Leader Nick Clegg has made this statement following the release of Helena Morrissey's independent report into processes and culture within the Liberal Democrats and her recommendations for change:

"I'm very grateful to Helena Morrissey for her very thorough report.

"It makes sobering reading. It shows that stretching over a 20 year period a series of mistakes were made which left a number of women feeling seriously let down and for that there is absolutely no excuse whatsoever.

"The report also shows that the individuals who dealt with their complaints had the right motives, but there weren't the right processes in place to support the women who'd come forward. And as Leader of the Liberal Democrats I take responsibility for that. That's why we've made a number of big changes in the party in recent years and why we must and will do more.

"Let me be clear: the Liberal Democrats must be a party where even a hint of sexism is taken seriously; where every allegation of harassment is dealt with properly; and where there can be no fear that power or position can be abused

"Helena Morrissey herself confirmed that we have made significant steps in fixing these problems and she confirmed that there's no cover up of any error or wrongdoing.

"But she's right to say that there's more we should do and that's why we must now speed up the process of change within the party. It's why I can confirm that we will implement all her recommendations - in full and without any delay. It's why I've asked Tim Farron, the President of the Liberal Democrats, to tell me how and when these changes will occur, and Helena Morrissey herself will come back in a year to check on the progress that we've made."

Read more by The Voice or more about helena morrissey, nick clegg or tim farron. This entry was posted in Party policy and internal matters.
New bill of rights to help businesses and consumers

Article: Jun 12, 2013

Measures to enhance consumer rights and make them easier to understand, which will boost the economy by £4 billion over the next decade, have been unveiled today by Consumer Minister Jo Swinson.

The proposals, outlined in the draft Consumer Rights Bill, streamline overlapping and complicated areas from eight pieces of legislation into one consumer Bill. They also introduce new rights for consumers and businesses. Currently consumers spend more than 59 million hours a year dealing with goods and services problems. This deregulatory measure will reduce the effort consumers and businesses have to make to resolve problems.

Under the draft Bill consumers will have the right to:
Nick Clegg to announce new Local Growth Committee

Article: Jun 12, 2013

The Local Growth Committee will bring together the Secretaries of State from all the key economic departments, bringing together the ministerial groups previously chaired by the DPM on the Regional Growth Fund (RGF) and City Deals. It will provide oversight across the local growth agenda to drive jobs and growth across England.

Potential agenda items include the implementation of the 1st wave of City Deals, signing off the 2nd wave of City Deals and allocation of RGF money. It is also likely to discuss the design and implementation of the Single Local Growth Fund and look at cases where infrastructure policy could impact upon particular localities.

The DPM will chair the committee with Chancellor George Osborne as deputy chair. Other members will include Vince Cable, Michael Gove, Eric Pickles, Ed Davey, Patrick McLoughlin and Danny Alexander. The Committee will meet on ad-hoc basis but intends to meet for the first time before the summer recess.

Nick Clegg will make the announcement at a dinner in Sheffield this evening marking the 100th anniversary of the discovery of stainless steel.
Point of View: Leaving the EU will not only fail to secure what Eurosceptics desire but would likely make the UK's position worse

Article: Jun 12, 2013

By Seamus Nevin in British Influence

A leader who once warned his party to stop "banging on about Europe", last January UK Prime Minister David Cameron made a speech in which he committed to an in/out referendum on the UK's membership of the EU. Five months on, Cameron's attempt to seize the initiative on Europe in response to a restive backbench and growing support for UKIP has neither failed to quell Tory MPs' discontent or halted the rise of UKIP. Not just that, the Conservatives and UKIP are no longer the only ones pushing for a referendum.