Digital Bill of Rights

Tim Berners-Lee has called for a digital bill of rights.

Last Sunday, the Liberal Democrats passed the following motion (amendment indicated by change of typeface) at their spring conference in York, in  spite of some resistance by Martin Horwood over the lines relating to the collection of bulk data. (Martin Horwood is the MP for Cheltenham and therefore for GCHQ, and both his parents worked for the security services.) :

F19 A Digital Bill of Rights
Mover: Tim Farron MP
Summation: Dr Julian Huppert MP (Co-Chair, Parliamentary Party Committee on
Home Affairs, Justice and Equalities)

Conference believes:

i) Monitoring or surveilling people without suspicion is alien to our
traditional British values.

ii) That systematic surveillance of people's communications and online
activities undermines a number of fundamental human rights, including
the right to respect of private life and correspondence, freedom of
expression, of association, of conscience and of religion; that these
rights are essential in safeguarding the democratic principles of our
society; and that any interference with these rights must be necessary
and proportionate.

iii) That our online communication and behaviour should be treated with
the same respect and legal due process that we expect for our offline
communication and behaviour.

iv) That the internet has the power to liberate, to educate, to bring people
closer together, and to boost our economy; and that such potential will be
undermined by government control, surveillance and censorship.

v) That the indiscriminate harvesting and storage of the communications
and metadata of people without suspicion is incompatible with our
liberal and democratic principles, and has the potential to cast a chilling
effect on free speech and free association.

vi) Whilst there are legitimate concerns surrounding national security, such
concerns must not be invoked simply as a pretext to undertake blanket
surveillance, stifle investigative journalism, or discourage public debate.

vii) That the work of the intelligence and security services is essential to the
underpinning of a free, fair and open society, and that clear public
agreement as to their remit and the extent of their powers would be to
their benefit as well the country more broadly.

Conference endorses:

A. The International Principles on the Application of Human Rights to
Communications Surveillance, which emphasise that any surveillance of
citizens by the state must be necessary and proportionate.
B. The United Nations General Assembly resolution on the Right to Privacy
in the Digital Age (A/C.3/68/L.45), emphasising that the same rights that
citizens have offline must also be protected online.
C. The Reform Government Surveillance Principles signed by Apple,
Google, Microsoft, Facebook, Yahoo, LinkedIn, Twitter and AOL, which
call for overhaul of the oversight, accountability and laws governing
government surveillance programmes in order to restore the balance
between security and liberty and to restore public trust in the internet.
D. Existing Liberal Democrat policy that data belongs by default to the
individual to whom it refers; this ownership of data means that the
individual citizen has a right to access all their own data and, where
reasonable, can decide who else has access.
E. The Deputy Prime Minister's decision to veto the unworkable and
disproportionate Communications Data Bill.

Conference therefore calls for:

1. The annual release of Government Transparency Reports which publish,
as a minimum, the annual number of user data requests made by law
enforcement, the intelligence agencies, and other authorities, broken
down by requesting authority, success rates, types of data requested
and category of crime or event being investigated.

2. The establishment of a commission of experts to review state
surveillance and all recent allegations from the Edward Snowden leaks,
with specific scope to:
a) Scrutinise relevant legislation including the Regulation of
Investigatory Powers Act 2000, the Intelligence Services Act 1994
and section 94 of the Telecommunications Act 1984.
b) Assess the implications for privacy and internet freedoms of Project
Tempora and other programmes revealed by the Snowden leaks,
and consider alternatives to the bulk collection of data.
c) Review powers, scope, appointment and resources of oversight
committees, commissioners and tribunals.
d) Consider the use of judicial involvement and approval for
surveillance and for access to communications data and metadata
likely to reveal sensitive personal data.
e) Publish its findings and recommendations.

3. The Government to define and enshrine the digital rights of the citizen to
protect from overreach by the state, through:
a) Ensuring that powers of surveillance, accessing data, and
accessing new technologies are not extended without
Parliamentary approval.
b) Ensuring that government does not undertake the bulk collection of
data and only accesses the metadata or content of
communications of an individual if there is suspicion of involvement
in unlawful activity.
c) Ensuring that oversight of government surveillance is independent,
informed, transparent and adequate.
d) Supporting a prompt, lawful and transparent framework for data
requests across jurisdictions and between governments.

4. The Government to accelerate and expand the midata project, to grant
citizens access to all their data in an open digital format, regardless of
which business holds that data, by using powers under the Enterprise
and Regulatory Reform Act 2013.

Day Two report

The day was dominated by Europe, both in debate and in the Leader's Speech. In between, the party expressed its concerns about the authorities' surveillance of electronic communications.

The day opened with a discussion without a vote on the topical issue of Ukraine. The debate was opened by Robert Woodthorpe Brown, chair of the party's international relations committee, with a response by Martin Horwood on behalf of the parliamentary party and with a summation from Dr Julie Smith, vice-chair of the party's federal policy committee. In between there were passionate and informed contributions, some from members with first-hand or family connections with Ukraine or eastern Europe.

There followed F18, "In Europe, In Work", a motion highlighting key Liberal Democrat policies for the European election campaign, based on existing policy as set out in last year's policy paper, "Sustainable and Secure". (Text of resolution follows at end of posting.)

F19, a motion developing policy on legislation that would enshrine the digital rights of the citizen and make sure the intelligence and surveillance services are properly accountable to the people they serve. It builds on existing policy on privacy and surveillance set out in conference motion "Human Rights" of 2012. Apart from an expression of vested interest by Martin Horwood, MP for Cheltenham, the motion was enthusiastically received. At least one platform speaker regretted the opportunities passed over by the Westminster parliament to redress the balance in this area. (Full text of resolution is included here.)

The Leader's Speech is available at http://www.libdems.org.uk/watch_nick_clegg_s_speech_to_spring_conference_2014 (video and transcript).

Text of motion F18: In Europe, In Work

Federal Policy Committee
Mover: Martin Horwood MP (Chair, European Manifesto Working Group)
Summation: Baroness Ludford

Conference believes that:

I. Liberal Democrats want Britain to stay in the EU because we are
fighting for a stronger economy - millions of British jobs are linked to
our trade with the EU, and being in Europe gives us more strength
when negotiating trade deals with global players like the US, China,
India and Brazil.

II. Liberal Democrats are working to defend millions of British jobs, create
millions more and put thousands of pounds back in people's pockets
by making it easier for British companies to export and slashing red
tape for small businesses.

III. Liberal Democrats are fighting for safer communities by ensuring our
police forces have access to key EU crime-fighting tools.

IV. Liberal Democrats are fighting for a greener future by working with other
EU countries to combat climate change, create green jobs and reduce
pollution.

V. The Tories and UKIP are putting millions of British jobs and billions of
pounds of investment at risk by undermining our membership of the EU
while Labour can't be trusted with the economy at home or abroad -
their reckless spending and failure to regulate the banks crippled
Britain's economy while their MEPs support measures that would
impose huge burdens on British businesses.

VI. Liberal Democrats are the party of 'in' - In Europe, In Work.

Conference welcomes the record of Liberal Democrats in the European
Parliament and Westminster in delivering:

A. Jobs - for example through the conclusion of successful trade deals,
EU funding that has created over 200,000 new jobs, securing €60
billion EU funding for research and technology over the next 7 years,
and the creation of a single EU Patent system.

B. Safer Communities - for example through fighting off Tory and UKIP
attempts to withdraw the UK from the EU Arrest warrant, new EU laws
to help British victims of crime in other EU Countries, and stronger EU
co-operation to fight human trafficking.

C. A Greener Future - for example through an agreement for the EU low
carbon roadmap that paves the way towards a low carbon economy, a
radical overhaul of the Common Fisheries Policy to ban most discards
(throwing dead fish back into the sea), EU energy efficiency laws that
will unlock investment in energy saving technologies, and major reforms
to the Common Agricultural Policy that will help cut emissions and
protect our countryside.

Conference resolves that the Liberal Democrat Manifesto for the 2014
European Elections should set out a strong future policy agenda based on
these priorities and the policies adopted in policy paper 113, Prosperous,
Sustianable and Secure (September 2013), including:

1. Creating more jobs by further opening up the EU's internal market,
supporting new EU trade agreements with other trading countries,
cutting red tape and 'thinking small', by reducing unnecessary EU
regulatory costs which particularly hit smaller businesses, promoting
innovation in science and manufacturing and getting British ideas to
market faster, and supporting the European Investment Bank (EIB)
initiative to develop European project bonds in order to speed up vital
infrastructure development.

2. Fighting cross-border crime and defending rights by pressing for a
European Union missing child alert system to be implemented quickly,
setting up a European Union database of unidentified bodies help
families searching for missing loved ones, supporting the work of the
new European Cybercrime Centre (EC3), and working to secure speedy
implementation of the European Commission's new proposal on
fighting money laundering, pushing for a European Union-wide
proportionality test in the use of the European Arrest Warrant, and supporting
the full implementation of 'Eurobail' to allow British citizens to serve their
bail back in the UK.

3. Protecting the environment and creating green growth by committing to
reduce the EU's greenhouse gas emissions by at least 50% by 2030,
urgently strengthening the EU Emissions Trading System mechanism,
pushing for more international grid connections between European
countries to ensure we can meet our climate change goals faster and at
a lower cost, promoting better European energy labelling, and
encouraging sustainable consumption in European Union member
states, including by arguing for the European Union to support the
target of halting net deforestation worldwide by 2020.

4. Building a safer, stronger financial system by ensuring better quality of
regulation in order to protect the economy, businesses and jobs,
fighting for fairer rules that will clamp down on manipulation of energy
and financial markets as exposed by the LIBOR scandal and Brent Oil
fixing investigation, ensuring fairer mortgage repayments and fuel prices
for consumers, supporting alternatives to bank financing for small and
medium sized companies, and pressing for new rules that will force
large companies to disclose the countries where they pay their taxes,

5. Getting a better, fairer deal for consumers by campaigning to abolish
mobile phone roaming charges once and for all, supporting higher
standards of food inspections across the European Union with better
country of origin food labelling, supporting greater protection of
holidaymakers' rights to compensation if their holiday company goes
bust, and making it easier for consumers to gain adequate
compensation when people suffer losses due to malpractice, through
new rules that will make it easier for consumers to take cases together,
reduce the number of court cases and cut costs for the claimants.

6. Building a more sustainable future for rural communities and businesses
by supporting continued reform of the Common Agricultural Policy with
more devolution in agricultural policy, ensuring continued support for
rural communities, particularly upland and less favoured areas, and a
mid-term review in 2017, and promoting a more sustainable fishing
industry in the UK, with the expansion of European Marine Sites, a
100% ban on the discard of edible and other usable fish and want
tougher enforcement of European Union fishing rules by all member
states

7. Helping to build a safer and more democratic world through a more
effective European Union foreign policy, building more security and
democracy in the European neighbourhood, deeper defence co-
operation in Europe, with the European Defence Agency, in co-operation
with NATO, playing a central role in helping states to pool and share
military capabilities, and better co-ordination of development assistance
provided by European member states and by the European Union itself.

8. Promoting fairness and opportunity by encouraging government and
universities to fully publicise the opportunities available for young people
in the UK to take advantage of EU schemes for studying and working
abroad, and supporting fair rules to underpin free movement of workers,
such as the Coalition proposals to support an EU framework whereby
EU  migrants do not claim benefits before spending six months in the UK.

9. Reforming the European Union by campaigning to end the waste of
having two meeting places for the European Parliament, supporting an
audit of existing European Union agencies and institutions to find ways
to rationalise and find savings, and calling for a guarantee in the next
European Union treaty that both Euro area and non-Euro area member
states have a full voice in the regulation and application of the single
market.

Conference further resolves that Liberal Democrats are committed to giving
the British people their say in a full in/out referendum in the event of
proposals for any further significant transfer of powers from the UK to the
EU, and that Liberal Democrats will campaign for an 'in' vote because it is
overwhelmingly in Britain's national interest to stay in and pursue the
policies on jobs, crime and the environment outlined in this motion.

LibDem and UKIP MEP voting records compared

http://blogs.channel4.com/michael-crick-on-politics/eu-voting-records-ukip-lib-dems-compare/3867

Michael Crick concludes:

The former Ukip MEP Godfrey Bloom, who no longer gets the Ukip whip, has a very poor record, having voted in just 26.47 per cent of votes. If one included Bloom (and he is still a Ukip party member) the average Ukip figure would be dragged down to 62.2 per cent.

The Liberal Democrat voting record is very different.

Their 12 MEPs have voted in 87.95 per cent of votes – more than seven votes out of every eight. Even the Lib Dem MEPs’ worst voter, Edward McMillan-Scott, took part in 70.62 per cent of plenary votes.

It makes sense for even opponents of our membership of the European Union to make sure that they get some value for the money that is spent on MEPs' salaries and expenses, and to vote for candidates who will actually turn up to vote on matters they are concerned about.

Minimum Nurses Bill goes forward

Yesterday, the National Assembly voted to accept Kirsty Williams's Minimum Nursing Staff Levels Bill for further discussion.

Kirsty writes:

Over the next 18 months or so my idea will be turned into a concrete proposal, consulted on and scrutinised. It’s a long road from where we are today to the finishing line.

One thing is certain though. The more people who add their support at www.MoreNurses.org.uk, the stronger my case will be in the Assembly as my Bill gets debated over the coming months.

I was able to tell Assembly Members today about the thousands of people from across Wales who’d already added their support to the campaign, and I know it made a difference.

As my proposal goes forward to be scrutinised, it’s even more important to have as many people supporting it as possible.

If you haven’t added your support at www.MoreNurses.org.uk already, please do.

And if you have, please spread the word, so we can really build a campaign to improve our NHS here in Wales.

Efrog

We are sure that it's a sheer coincidence that Liberal Democrats are meeting for their spring conference in the old Viking city of York at the same time as Scandimania comes to London.

Business-like European Parliament

Frank Little writes:

There is a useful insight into the working of the EP by a young person on a work placement with Chris Davies MEP. You can read her account of one working week here on Liberal Democrat Voice.

Two items stood out for me:
 One of the highlights of my time in Parliament was the meeting that followed between Business Secretary Vince Cable and Liberal Democrat MEPs.  It really emphasised the importance of Britain’s membership of the European Union to our businesses.
and
Wednesday: Today members of ENVI met – well not all of them! Just a couple of rows in front of me was an empty seat assigned to ‘Paul Nuttall’, a UKIP MEP notorious for his absenteeism in the Parliament. That empty seat really struck me, as the other MEPs present dealt with current problems facing European citizens.

Liberal Democrat growth resumed

Mark Pack reveals the following figures from committee reports to the forthcoming Liberal Democrat spring conference:

• Overall Lib Dem party membership rose by 950 in the 2013 calendar year, ending the year on 43,451.
• The federal party budget was for a £2,000 surplus in 2013; it has come out at £480,000.
• 38% of Westminster Parliamentary candidates selected in strategic (i.e. target) seats, excluding held seats, are female, compared to 27% of approved candidates overall being female. (Plus the situation in held seats where MPs are retiring is rather promising.)

This gives the lie to Labour jibes that our membership is falling, and contrasts with the parlous financial state in which the Labour party finds itself.

Vince Cable writes to party members about higher education

Today, Nick Clegg has laid out our record on higher education.

It’s a record that demonstrates that we are committed to helping everyone to get on in life, whether that’s through university, apprenticeships, or work. And it’s a record that shows that the difficult decisions we made back in 2010 are having a positive effect on those students we most need to encourage into university.

I know that tuition fees have been hard to discuss on the doorstep. We have expressed regret that it was not possible to deliver in office a commitment made in opposition. But we have, in government, created a fairer system in which no one pays upfront fees, and payments operates like a form of graduate tax, payable in a progressive way linked to income. So let’s make clear what our record is:

This year, we have had the highest application rates to university ever and the highest number of applicants from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Over half a million students will be entitled to receive grants for living costs that they will never have to pay back.

Up to a quarter of the lowest paid graduates will end up paying back less than they would have under the previous system.

Nearly 200,000 students studying their first degree part time won’t have any up-front fees to pay, as they did under Labour.

Most importantly, today our most disadvantaged teenagers are 70% more likely to go to university than they were 10 years ago.

This doesn’t wipe the slate clean. But voters need to know the facts. Their children and grandchildren, no matter who they are, are more likely to attend university because of Liberal Democrats in government.

And the savings we have made have enabled us to protect adult education, and to plough more resources into apprenticeships for many of the 60% who do not go to universities.

That’s a record on higher education that I’m proud to share.

Yours,
Vince Cable
Secretary of State for Business, Innovation & Skills

Another UKIPper asleep on the job

FactCheckEU, which provides factual information about the European Union even if it occasionally hurts the case for membership, investigated the case of retiring UKIP MEP Trevor Coleman. He had stated that the European Parliament “has no power, it can't make or change legislation”. After refuting this assertion, FactCheckEU's report concludes:

According to Votewatch, Mr Colman has only taken part in half of all votes during his five years in office (ranked 751st out of 766) and has admitted that one of the reasons he attends the sessions in Strasbourg and Brussels is to secure the allowances. He has only tabled two parliamentary questions and made 17 speeches in plenary since 2009. His limited involvement in the EP might explain why he knows so little about how legislation is made in the European Union. A well-deserved "Insane whopper"!

(There is a photo of UKIP MEPs earning their allowances on the Huffington Post.)

Uncertainty following Swiss immigration referendum

Last weekend, the Swiss voted in a referendum to impose strict migration levels. The campaign was rough. The Swiss government, a clear majority of the parliament and the business community campaigned against this initiative, given the negative impact it may have on the attractiveness of Switzerland as a business location. Only one major party, the nationalist Swiss People’s Party was officially in favour of the quotas. They exploited concerns among the people such as housing shortage, low-wage dumping or congestion of the infrastructure.

The initiative was approved by just 50.3% of the votes and was passed by a majority of cantons, though there was a clear gap between cities and the countryside. In metropolitan areas where a lot of immigrants live and work, the initiative was defeated. But in rural areas, there is a significantly smaller number of foreigners, the acceptance of the initiative was much higher. There was also a gap between the often more open minded French speaking part and the rest of Switzerland.

Those who voted 'yes' in the referendum may not have understood the potential consequences of voting as they did, as they aren't direct beneficiaries of free trade and free movement of people, but they may not like what happens next much.

First, there is legal uncertainty. Nobody knows how the relations with the European Union will evolve and when companies will be able to engage in long term business planning. Even if all persons without a Swiss passport who currently live and work in Switzerland are not directly affected until their visas expire, Switzerland will face problems attracting talent from all over Europe and the world. It is also not clear how Switzerland will be able to participate in the single market. The image of the country as an open community with a successful economy will suffer for a long time.

Second, the adoption of this initiative creates a new bureaucratic burden for companies: while the principle of free movement of people stipulates that everybody within the European Union is entitled to work in any EU country without discrimination (including Switzerland as a non-EU Member State), the referendum initiative demands a prioritization for domestic persons. These two principles cannot be combined and will lead to difficult negotiations with the EU without any prospect of solution. In the not so distant future Swiss companies will be obliged to prove that there is no Swiss employee with similar qualifications for the job before hiring a non-Swiss worker.

Third, the "Bilateral-one-package" negotiated between Switzerland and the EU (dating from 1999 and coming into force in 2002) is at stake. There are further negotiations over, among other things, energy, the financial market, agriculture, food and participation in EU programmes on research, education & culture. The EU has already suspended the negotiations of a framework agreement to resolve the “institutional questions” between Switzerland and the EU (implementation of EU legislation, interpretation, supervision, dispute settlement) and those of the electricity agreement.

What the Commission and the Council of Ministers do next will be keenly watched by UKIP and Eurosceptic Conservatives alike. The latter see the future of the UK as outside the European Union, but with bilateral agreements, like those of Norway and Switzerland, but with immigration controls such as those which Switzerland has just voted in favour of.

Acknowledgments:
Jonathan Fryer
Mark Valladeres

Royal College of Nursing backs law for minimum nursing

Welsh Liberal Democrat leader Kirsty Williams has called for minimum nursing staff levels to be enforced by law.

The Western Mail reports that "while Wales has 10.5 patients per nurse, Scotland has 8.8, England 8.5 and Northern Ireland 7.2. Wales’ proportion of nurses as a percentage of staff also trails behind, with 56% compared to England’s 59%, Scotland’s 60% and Northern Ireland’s 66%. The proposed legislation would require the government to set a minimum staffing level for nurses, similar to laws introduced in California and in two Australian states - which Ms Williams said had reduced mortality levels.

"The levels would be set by an independent body and would take into account the circumstances of each Health Board or hospital area. Ms Williams said: 'I believe we are capable of meeting the levels. We do have enough nurses in the workforce but many are leaving the [National Health] Service because of issues of pressure, professional challenge and cannot deliver the care they need to and patients require.'

"Peter Meredith-Smith, acting director of RCN Wales said: 'The Royal College of Nursing in Wales is delighted that Kirsty Williams’ proposal for legislation on minimum nurse staffing levels in Welsh hospitals has been selected for debate at the National Assembly for Wales. The RCN has long called for the Welsh Government to set mandatory nurse staffing levels in order to ensure that patients receive the highest possible standards of care in the Welsh Health Service.'”

Deputy Prime Minister Clegg declares war on drugs 'unwinnable'

UK Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg, leader of the Liberal Democrats, has declared the war against drugs “unwinnable”, after talks with President Juan Manuel Santos in Colombia.

Mr Clegg has long argued that the UK’s existing approach to illicit drugs is not working. As part of a record breaking trade visit to Latin America, the Liberal Democrat leader said “If you are anti-drugs, you should be pro-reform”, adding that, despite attempts by his Conservative coalition partners to block further investigation into an improved policy, the UK’s liberals would publish a report on an alternative strategy this year. The review will be completed by Liberal Democrat Home Office Minister, Norman Baker MP.

The result of Nick Clegg’s visit reinforces many of the points raised during Liberal International’s 191st Executive Committee meeting in Antigua, Guatemala, the theme of which was ‘Fighting Organised Crime’ and featured the panel discussion - ‘New Initiatives in the War on Drugs’. The Deputy Prime Minister added that his party would use its time in government to halt the ”conspiracy of silence” surrounding failed drug policies.

The liberal leader is the most senior British government minister to visit Colombia since 1992 and his visit coincides with the Santos government’s lifting of visa restrictions, meaning citizens living in the Schengen area countries of the EU will be able to travel to Colombia without registering for a visa. In a further signal of strengthened business relations between the UK and Colombia, after five years of talks, a deal has been struck that will see the first direct flights between the UK and Colombia for a decade.

[Thanks to Liberal International for this]

Market abuse rules for EU finally agreed

Sharon Bowles, Liberal Democrat MEP for South East England and Chair of the European Parliament's Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee, reports agreement between the Council and the European Parliament on the EU's Market Abuse Directive. This legislation, which will impose criminal sanctions on insider dealing and market manipulation, was approved by an overwhelming majority of MEPs in Strasbourg today.

Ms Bowles has consistently called for the revision of market abuse legislation to have a wider scope, encompassing transparency, clarity and harmonisation in order to act as a strong deterrent.

She commented from Strasbourg: "The 2008 financial crisis, the rigging of LIBOR and EURIBOR, and recent insider trading scandals have proven the necessity for tighter rules on market abuse.

"Evidence and experience suggest that a culture change may not come directly from within the financial sector any time soon and we hope that this legislation proves to be a significant step in achieving such change.

"The new market abuse legislation agreed today means that Member States must now ensure that not only insider dealing - unlawful disclosure of inside information and market manipulation - but also recommending or inducing another person to engage in such an act, are punishable as criminal offences.

"Although much has been achieved today there is always room for improvement. Council should strive, in a future review of this legislation, to further strengthen the minimum standards for criminal sanctions; enable Member States to apply higher administrative fines; and make the full publication of these sanctions an obligation, areas Parliament was more than ready to address during these negotiations.

"Furthermore, this legislation should be adapted on an on-going basis to account for new trading behaviours and to broaden the concept of abuse to include gross asymmetry of knowledge."

LibDem leader keeps up attack on Labour's education record

Kirsty Williams used the recent depressing Estyn report to probe the First Minister in the week's first question time in the Assembly.

The Welsh Liberal Democrat leader that after four years of "disappointing Estyn reports" pupils in Wales had still not seen the improvements that Welsh ministers "continually promise but don't deliver".

She said ministers had argued that getting local education authorities to work together as regional consortia was key to driving up standards. "Yet, if you read the Estyn report today, they say that in more than half of local authorities that have been inspected that regional consortia are failing to deliver an improvement in standards."

Assembly must not be steamrollered into accepting council mergers

First Minister Carwyn Jones has called on his Labour Party to reach a conclusion on the Williams Commission proposals by the end of this March and has urged other parties to fall into line.

Liberal Democrat local government spokesman, South Wales West AM Peter Black indicated the party would be unwilling to support it without concessions to his party, particularly around the voting system. “For me the biggest surprise was...how very quickly the First Minister and other members of the Labour frontbench were moving to try and get a cross-party consensus on this,” he said. “What we have in front of us is, in my view, a Labour government Commission, a Labour government report and one which is owned exclusively by Labour Ministers.

“I think if he needs to talk to other parties there needs to be some concessions to our views as to how this should be taken forward. I very much regret the implication, I think, that this report needs to be accepted wholesale and has to be swallowed by us as it is written.”

Lobbying Bill improved by Liberal Democrat peers

Frank Little writes: The Lobbying Bill easily passed on its return to the House of Lords yesterday, bar one small amendment which was accepted by the narrowest possible margin. Changes to the Bill that were previously made after pressure by the Lords, Liberal Democrat peers being prominent, mean that there will be no serious effect on campaigning groups and charities before the next General Election. There will then be a review so that if there are problems they can be sorted out for the future. The major drawback of the Bill, that it does not expose more than a small segment of commercial lobbying activity, has not been touched, but at least charities and campaign groups can breathe more easily now.

Kirsty: Wales needs tax and borrowing powers now

Welsh Liberal Democrat leader Kirsty Williams has urged Secretary of State for Wales David Jones to bring forward a Bill in the Westminster parliament as soon as possible in order to give the people of Wales a chance to raise additional finance.

She told the Western Mail: “Liberal Democrats in Government worked tirelessly to ensure that the Silk Commission was established and that their key recommendations were to be implemented. That momentum must continue. 

“There is only a year and half until the end of the parliament; we need to make sure the Wales Bill becomes law before then. I believe the Bill must be brought forward in the current legislative programme, preferably before the next Queen’s Speech.

“Otherwise there is a concern that the Bill could be forgotten about. The Welsh Liberal Democrats have long argued that the Welsh Government should be given tax-varying and borrowing powers.

“Wales must have a proper functioning parliament with additional fiscal responsibilities to create a stronger economy and a fairer society.”

Welsh LibDems call for more nurses by law

Welsh Liberal Democrat leader Kirsty Williams has been successful in the National Assembly’s ballot to introduce backbench legislation. She will be calling on AMs to support her calls for a change in the law to require minimum staffing levels for nurses in Wales.

Kirsty said: "This change in the law could transform the quality of care provided in the Welsh NHS. It is staggering to see the vast difference in the ratio of nurses to patients in Wales when compared to the rest of the UK. Once again Welsh Labour's poverty of ambition has led to our NHS having to do more, but with less.”

Little Black Book

 

So David Cameron’s keeping a little black book of the things Lib Dems have stopped him doing in Government – things he wants to put in the next Tory manifesto.
A copy has been found, and it’s scary reading: http://www.libdemvoice.org/found-david-camerons-little-black-book-37474.html

Peter Black voted AM of the year

In the prestigious annual Welsh Political Awards hosted by ITV in Cardiff City Hall yesterday, South Wales West Assembly Member, Liberal Democrat Peter Black was announced as AM of the year. The judges highlighted his achievement in being the first backbencher to pilot an Act of the Assembly into law. Peter's Mobile Homes (Wales) Act  introduces a licensing requirement for site owners and a requirement for all site owners to pass a ‘fit and proper persons’ test through the licensing procedure.

Nelson Mandela

These are the words of Lindiwe Mazibuko, parliamentary leader of the Democratic Alliance, our sister party in South Africa, on the occasion of Nelson Mandela's 95th birthday. They have all the more resonance today:

As a younger man Nelson Mandela gave up his career in order to take up the fight against apartheid and racial injustice.

In so doing, he sacrificed his own freedom.

At the dawn of our young democracy, President Mandela became the custodian of our new constitution. He demonstrated the political will, courage and humanity which set the tone for reconciliation and forged a spirit of shared nationhood that is still with us today.

As South Africans, we are blessed to have him as the example of an elder whose life is an inspiration and a guide to us all.

Kirsty Williams welcomes coalition announcement

"More accountability and responsibility"

Walesonline reports: "The UK coalition leaders have today announced a series of new measures to enable the Welsh Government to invest in transport infrastructure, such as an upgrade of the M4, and the devolution of stamp duty. The announcement follows the news last night that the Celtic Manor, which hosted the Ryder Cup in 2010, will be the venue for a major Nato summit next year."

Kirsty Williams, leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, comments: “I am very pleased that we will be able to make advances on the Silk Commission’s recommendations. It is no secret that the opposition and delay to this announcement has come from the Conservative side of the coalition. It has been an uphill struggle to get them to agree to implement these key recommendations. Liberal Democrats have consistently supported greater financial powers for the National Assembly.

“It is a credit to my Liberal Democrat colleagues in government that this announcement has been made after over a decade of Labour inaction and months of Conservative inertia. While constitutionalists and academics will pour over the detail and debate today’s announcement, I want the people of Wales to understand how this will affect their lives.

“For the very first time, the amount of money a Welsh Government spends could be directly linked to success in promoting economic development. That should sharpen minds in Cardiff Bay and would also bring the same level of accountability to Wales that exists in almost all national parliaments.

“Stamp duty devolved to Wales could help lower the cost of buying a house and promote growth in the construction sector. The Confederation of British Industry and the business community believe that, if used effectively, devolving and reforming stamp duty could be a tool for growth and stimulating house building in Wales. This would create the much needed jobs we need in Wales to help our economic recovery. Wales’ devolution package is missing a critical element.

“Unlike most families and businesses, the Welsh government has the luxury of spending money handed out by others. Uniquely, Wales has no power to borrow or raise money. This lack of accountability for how money is raised breeds irresponsibility about how money is spent. Wales must have a proper functioning parliament with additional fiscal responsibilities to create a stronger economy and a fairer society.

“I know that the Liberal Democrat side of the coalition is working hard to ensure that we achieve this aim. At every stage we have been pressing, and we will continue to press, to bring more accountability and responsibility to the Welsh Government.  We want Wales to have further powers to drive forward Wales’ economic development, creating jobs and prosperity for our people.”

LIB DEM NOTES FROM BRUSSELS

Aung San Suu Kyi was presented with the Sakharov human rights prize in the European Parliament last week. She told MEPs that in 1988, when she founded the Movement for Democratic Reform in Burma, many of the democratic countries now represented in the European Union were still communist dictatorships.

It was a timely reminder that we too often take for granted the European Union's enormous achievement in promoting peace, democracy and the extension of human rights. UKIP people dismiss this and claim that the collapse of the 'iron curtain' was due to NATO. They ignore the values that inspire and underpin EU partnership, and the decision-making procedures that tie governments and politicians together. Lots of jaw-jaw, as Churchill might have said.

CHRIS DAVIES MEP

LibDems in Europe fighting waste

Earlier this year, Nick Clegg said that when we are having to tighten our belts at home it would be wrong for the EU to press ahead with big spending increases. He was right then and he is right now. This is why Liberal Democrats in Brussels backed moves to cut the EU budget by 8bn Euros.

Despite this fact, this week our friends at the Daily Mail reported that Lib Dem MEPs voted for an increase in the EU budget. The truth is that not a single Liberal Democrat voted for more spending from Brussels.

Liberal Democrats are committed to building a more streamlined and efficient EU, by cutting back on administrative costs and wasteful spending. That is why we have fought for billions of euros of cuts including on staff salaries, MEP allowances and trips abroad.

[Hat-tip to Liberal Democrat Voice and George Lyon MEP]

European Liberals prevent restrictions on E-cigarettes

Mary Reid writes in Liberal Democrat Voice:

In the European Parliament earlier today, MEPs backed a Liberal Democrat amendment which will ensure that electronic cigarettes are available for sale on the same basis as tobacco.

The original proposal from the Commission was that e-cigs should be treated as medicines, which would have restricted sales. But the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe  (the Group to which our Liberal Democrat team belongs) argued that they had a major role to play in reducing tobacco-related deaths. The amendment did require e-cigs to meet safety standards and for advertising to be restricted.

We have received comments from two of our MEPs who have been actively involved in this issue.

Chris Davies says:

E-cigs can be a game changer in the fight against smoking.  Hundreds of former smokers have written to tell me that they have helped them give up cigarettes when nothing else worked.

They are successful because they are not medicines but products that smokers enjoy using as an alternative to cigarettes.

Every year 700,000 people in Europe die of smoking-related disease. We should not do anything that makes e-cigs harder to obtain than tobacco cigarettes.

Rebecca Taylor says:

Many smokers have already quit tobacco by switching to electronic cigarettes; today’s vote will help more of them to do so.

Tweet from LibDem electoral guru

Mark Pack @markpack

Good news: latest quarterly stats show Lib Dem membership up. 1st time that's happened outside a general election in a decade

3:28 PM - 4 Oct 2013

Vince Cable's directors' pay reforms come into effect today

Under legislation piloted by Liberal Democrat minister for Business, Innovation and Skills, Vince Cable, companies will for the first time be subject to a legally binding vote on pay policies. From today, shareholders will finally have the power to link pay of directors to their performance, instead of merely registering protests through advisory votes on remuneration reports.

More on the application of the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act here.

Peter Black's Park Homes Act

Liberal Democrat Assembly Member Peter Black saw his Private Members Bill to protect mobile home residents passed into law in Cardiff yesterday.

The new law will not apply to holiday sites - only to sites where people have permanent homes.

"Under the current law there is little protection for residents from unscrupulous park homes site owners, a minority of whom may exploit their position for personal gain," Mr Black said, "Many of Wales's 96 park homes sites are run well but there is little legal help when disputes arise.

"Problems can include poor site management and vetoing or deterring legitimate sales.

"My bill will stop this unfairness. Wales will have a new system that will protect people by bringing in fair, easy-to-use processes and clear rights for both residents and site owners."

'Fit and proper'

Mr Black said there would be a "fit and proper" persons test for site owners, and a licensing system to give home owners confidence that the site they live on is effectively managed.

There is more in BBC News.

Labour on VAT

Under-occupancy penalties

This afternoon, Federal Conference in Glasgow passed the following:

Conference accepts there is under-occupancy of social housing, and all tenants, including pensioners, should be encouraged to live in homes that meet their housing needs.

Conference is concerned that the Government’s extension of Labour’s policy of reducing housing benefit entitlements for private rented sector tenants considered to have spare bedrooms to the social housing sector is discriminating against the most vulnerable in society.

Conference also believes that:
I. The majority of rural and urban areas outside large cities such as London have insufficiently large, diverse and dynamic social housing markets to make moving into a smaller property locally a viable option
II. There is lack of appreciation of the housing requirements of children and adults with disabilities and care needs
III. Insufficient funds are allocated to Discretionary Housing Payment Funds of Local Authorities to meet demand and there is insufficient support for tenants to apply and to challenge decisions
IV. In many areas it is more important to free up family homes with three or more bedrooms than two bedroom homes.
V. The implementation of policy paper 104, Decent Homes for All (2012), should be a priority for
Government.

Conference welcomes:
i) Scottish Liberal Democrats passing a motion against the policy.
ii) Actions taken by councils to mitigate the harmful effects of this policy on the most vulnerable, including reducing the dangers of eviction caused by arrears.
iii) The work of many, including voluntary organisations, in supporting those applying for discretionary payments and highlighting the injustices caused by this policy.
iv) The changes successfully demanded by Liberal Democrats in Government to protect some of the
most vulnerable, including exempting foster carers and families of members of the Armed Forces.
v) The increase in the Discretionary Housing Payment fund from £60m in 2012/13 to £155m in 2013/14
vi) The success of the Liberal Democrats in Government in securing an additional £35m fund to help claimants affected by the removal of the spare room subsidy who need extra support - this funding consists of £5m for rural areas with very isolated communities, £10m for all local authorities and £20m as a bidding fund for local authorities who can demonstrate that they have or are developing a robust policy to distribute discretionary housing payments and who have an additional need for funding achieved by Liberal Democrats in Government.

Conference calls for further action by Government, including:
1. An immediate evaluation of the impact of the policy, establishing the extent to which larger homes are freed up, money saved, costs of implementation, the impact on vulnerable tenants, and the impact on the private rented sector.
2. A redrafting of clear housing needs guidelines in association with those representing vulnerable groups including the disabled, elderly and children that are responsive to local circumstances.
3. Acceptance that some Councils and Housing Associations have calculated rent by reference to bed spaces (not bedrooms) as some rooms can and should only house one person: this should be reflected in the DWP calculation of housing benefit.
4. A review of the amount allocated to Local Authorities for the Discretionary Housing Payment Fund and guidelines on the use of these funds and appeal processes.
5. The development of practical strategies to encourage pensioners to downsize where a single person or couple lives in a three or more bedroom home.
6. In the context of new guidelines an assessment of the current and future demand for social housing and the use of this at local level to facilitate planning to get the right homes in the right place.
7. Until any new guidelines are in place:
a) No withdrawal of housing benefit to those who are on the waiting list for social housing which fits the current guidelines within their local area.
b) No reduction in housing benefit from their projected housing need for those who, for a period of less than six months, temporarily have a smaller housing need due to a change in their circumstances, but whose need will predictably return to a higher level (e.g. whose children will pass the age limits for separate rooms within that period).


[as amended]

Autumn Conference

Federal Conference begins in Glasgow tomorrow. There will be coverage on BBC-Parliament, and on Liberal Democrat Voice which will provide background information and comment.

Peter Black AM will represent Swansea and the South Wales West region at conference.

Spare Room Subsidy

Mike German clears some of the myths on Liberal Democrat Voice:

Like many people reading the front page of the Guardian this morning, I was worried by the headline on the pronouncements by the UN special rapporteur on the removal of the spare room subsidy. But it is important to look behind the headline to see that these comments were based on a very brief visit from this adviser, who did not have the time for a detailed discussion with the Department for Work and Pensions to understand the policy. 

If she had done she would have been able to understand that this policy brings the rules for the social housing sector into line with those which Labour already introduced for private rented accommodation. Perhaps then she may have recognised that the policy is designed to tackle long council waiting lists and help those families stuck in overcrowded one bedroom flats – to find somewhere decent to live.

Most importantly, the rapporteur ignored the achievements of the Lib Dems in the coalition in arguing for extra Discretionary Housing Payments to ensure vulnerable people do not have to face extra costs. Because everyone’s situation is so different it is right that we have given local councils control over how this funding is best spent. We have also successfully argued for exemptions for groups such as foster carers. Finally, we have ensured that local authorities in particular need, can bid for extra funding over the course of this year. I will also be making sure that the Coalition sticks to its promise of monitoring the impact of this policy carefully over the coming months.

Sarah Teather MP to stand down at next general election

This is the text released to her constituents by the Brent (Greater London) constituency office:

In just over a week's time, I shall reach the tenth anniversary of my election to Parliament in the Brent East by-election. I took some time off this summer and found myself reflecting a great deal on the last ten years.

It has been an enormous privilege to serve as an MP in Brent. Indeed, for me personally, so much of the last decade has been both rich and surprising. I am not sure that I would ever have expected to be elected so young, and I certainly never expected that I would have had the opportunity to serve in Government.

The greatest privilege of my work both as a constituency MP and as a Minister has been the gift of being able to share in the private joys and struggles of so many people's lives - many different from one another and very different from my own. I shall always be inspired by the profound courage and dignity I have witnessed in people I have worked with, often in the face of the most extraordinary difficulties.

Of all my parliamentary work, the campaign I remain most proud of is the campaign to get my constituent released from Guantanamo Bay. I shall always count the moment my constituent walked back in through his own front door and picked up his five year-old daughter for the first time in her life as one of the most precious of my life.

In Government, the moment I count as my proudest is the one where I listened to Nick Clegg announce our intention to end the routine detention of children in the immigration system - something I worked hard to deliver, in what, at times, felt an almost insurmountable battle with the Home Office. I feel humbled too to have been able to play my part in delivering the pupil premium to schools and to extend free early education to two year olds, and perhaps the work dearest to my heart, that of reforming the system of support for children with special educational needs.

There have been so many rewards to this work -- too many to list here. But having taken the summer to reflect on the future, I feel now that at the General Election, the right time will be right for me to step aside. I wanted to explain why I have decided not to seek re-election in 2015.

I first joined the party almost exactly twenty years ago, during fresher's week at university. It was then -- and still is now - absolutely inconceivable that I could ever join any other political party. As with most party members, there have always been a few issues where I have disagreed with party policy. But over the last three years, what has been difficult is that policy has moved in some of the issues that ground my own personal sense of political vocation - that of working with and serving the most vulnerable members of society. I have disagreed with both Government and official party lines on a whole range of welfare and immigration policies, and those differences have been getting larger rather than smaller. Disagreements with the party on other areas of policy I have always felt could be managed, but these things are just core to my own sense of calling to politics. I have tried hard to balance my own desire to truthfully fight for what I believe on these issues with the very real loyalty and friendship I feel to party colleagues, but that has created intense pressure, and at times left me very tired. I don't think it is sustainable for me personally to continue to try and do that in the long term.

I want to reassure people in Brent that I shall continue to work very hard to represent them over the next 18 months until the next General Election. My constituency office will remain open five days a week, just as it has always been. I shall be out campaigning for the local elections with my local LibDem team over the forthcoming months and will campaign to get my Liberal Democrat successor elected to Parliament in the General Election. In Parliament I shall continue with my work as Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Refugees and will carry on making the case for a fair and humane immigration system as Parliament considers a new immigration bill in the coming months.

I hope that I have been able to support and represent the people of Brent well as their MP, but I feel rich beyond measure to have been able to do this work here. I shall always count myself indebted to those who gave me this opportunity to serve - to the thousands of constituents who voted for me and to the many Liberal Democrat supporters and members who campaigned and walked the streets for me over three elections. I hope that, over the last 10 years, I have at least gone some way in repaying the faith that so many have shown in me.

LibDem Eastleigh promotes green growth

Keith House, leader of Liberal-Democrat-controlled Eastleigh Borough Council, writes of his council's commitment to green policies: "The evidence is that the market alone will not deliver change. It could need a nudge but, more likely, it requires a strong prod with financial inducement.

"Take energy. Eastleigh’s approach is to use policy to promote change. Hence the unusual practice of not charging planning application fees for renewable energy schemes."

Now there's an idea for councils in the Swansea Bay area.

Newly appointed peer will work for elected upper chamber

Former North Wales assembly member Christine Humphreys became the latest Welsh Lib Dem to be admitted last week. She told Vaughan Roderick on Sunday Supplement on BBC Radio Wales that she was delighted but still looked forward to the day when there would be a reformed House of Lords, which she didn't want to be named the House of Lords.

France strikes a small blow against global warming

Chris Davies, Liberal Democrat MEP, writes:

Readers of these NOTES may know of my long running battle to get Daimler, manufacturers of £70,000 Mercedes cars, to apply the EU law that I helped shape requiring car companies to start using air conditioning refrigerants in their new models with a global warming potential (gwp) less than 150 more than CO2.  At present most cars have refrigerants with a horrendous gwp 1.430 greater than CO2.

I hope the torrent of parliamentary questions (PQs) I have tabled, and exchanges I have had with European Commission officials, have encouraged them to enforce the law as firmly as they can, but I also know that the legal process is painfully slow - especially when a member state (Germany) is claiming that there are 'scientific' reasons for their objections.

But now the French have cut the Gordian knot.  While our UK (Tory) minister has decided to leave it all up to Brussels, the French have stepped in and simply banned the registration of new Mercedes vehicles.  So in France you can buy one of the non-compliant vehicles but you can't drive it on French roads.

Daimler sell 29,000 of the relevant cars in France each year so they have gone ballistic!  I thought the French government or the European Commission might bow to arm twisting by Germany, but last week the Commission came out with a declaration that in effect said that France was within its rights.

Vive la France!

Changes at Unlock Democracy

In a farewell email. Peter Facey has announced that he is moving to Australia. His current deputy, Alexandra Runswick will be taking over.

US trade deal

Chris Davies MEP writes:

The hard bit is yet to come

Last week agreement was reached to open negotiations with the aim of securing an EU - USA trade deal. Commanding one third of the world's entire trade it could bring important job-creating benefits to both sides of the pond. But the difficulty will be in agreeing common standards. For example:

Having introduced tough vehicle emissions standards for every car sold in the EU, will we now have to relax these to allow the import of US-made cars that don't meet them?

Will we have to accept the import of meat containing growth hormones - a standard practice in the USA but banned in the EU?

And what about the safety of the tens of thousands of chemicals used in every aspect of production? The EU has a regime that requires every manufacturer to demonstrate that their product will cause no harm when properly used. Are we to relax these standards and put human health and the environment at risk?

I imagine there are going to be some stormy debates ahead. Of course, it could be that the USA will simply sign up to our generally higher standards. And, then again, pigs could fly.

Council tax benefit mess

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-22608298

Liberal Democrat committee member Eluned Parrott accused Welsh Labour ministers of being "far more interested in a having a spat with the UK government than it was in actually helping the people of Wales".  

She added: "Rather than getting on with the job in hand, the then local government minister chose to enter into a game of tit for tat and point scoring with Westminster.  "He continually blamed the UK government for not producing figures he said he needed, but on closer examination we found that not only was this problem not encountered in Scotland and England, but the minister himself admitted that what happens in England was of 'little significance' to him."

Liberal Democrat achievements in government

Pre-conference events

Welsh Liberal Democrats hold their Spring Conference this weekend 20th & 21st April. On Friday, Cardiff Liberal Democrats will hold a pre-conference fund-raiser curry night at the Haveli restaurant on City Road at 8 pm.

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg will be opening Conference, with speeches later on in the weekend also come from the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Danny Alexander and Welsh Liberal Democrat party Leader Kirsty Williams.

Fewer obstacles for disabled candidates

Last year, Lynne Featherstone MP* launched the Access to Elected Office Strategy to provide additional support for disabled people seeking elected office. The Strategy is designed to level the playing field for potential disabled candidates and tackle the currently low levels of disabled people in political life. The Liberal Democrat HQ diversity team forms part of the stakeholder group for this initiative.  As part of this strategy, the Government has:

• Set up a new fund to help disabled people who plan to stand for elections with the extra disability-related costs. The fund will be open for applications until March 2014. It will help disabled candidates meet the additional costs they may face compared to a non-disabled person in standing for election, such as extra transport costs or sign language interpreters. Go to www.access-to-elected-office-fund.org.uk for more details.

• Provided new training and development opportunities for people who are interesed in a political career; including launching an introductory online training course and paid internships on the Speaker's Parliamentary Placement scheme. Go on www.access-to-elected-office-training.org.uk for more details on the online training.      
  Go to www.socialmobility.org.uk/speakers-parliamentary-placements-scheme for more details on the Parliamentary Placement Scheme, which is open for applications until 30 July 2012.

• Produced new online guidance on reasonable adjustments to help political parties meet their legal obligations under the Equality Act 2010.
  Go to http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/equalities/public-political-equality/disabled-access-guidance/ to access the guidance  

Please visit www.homeoffice.gov.uk/access-elected-office for more information about the strategy.

* Lynne is the Liberal Democrat MP for Hornsey and Wood Green. She was Minister for Equalities at the Home Office until her translation to Overseas Development last September.

When will Labour give up the millionaire bandwagon?

Keep up-to-date with 2013 Spring Conference

On Lib Dem Voice: Reportage | Live Twitter Stream | Contribute
On the official party website: Conference home

There is no live coverage on BBC-Parliament.

Neath Port Talbot among unhealthiest boroughs in England and Wales

Analysis of the 2011 census figures has revealed that of the ten local authority areas with the lowest levels of good health, five are in Wales and that Neath Port Talbot is one of these five.

Local Liberal Democrats say that this is a scandal. One sadly has to accept that where a person is born often dictates how healthy that person’s life will be, but more than 13 years of Labour rule in London and Wales has resulted in a more unequal society with a widening gap between the rich and poor. The disproportionate appearance of Welsh local authority figures in this dismal table points to failure by the people in Cardiff responsible for the nation's health since devolution.

Welsh Liberal Democrat leader Kirsty Williams has affirmed: “The Welsh Liberal Democrats believe that reducing health inequalities is a matter of fairness and social justice. We will continue to hold this failing Welsh Labour Government to account; for too long the people in South Wales have been allowed to be left behind.”

Peter Black AM's advice surgeries

Assembly Member for South Wales West Peter Black will hold advice surgeries in Port Talbot and Maesteg on Friday 1st February. Between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. he will be in Maesteg Library, and from 3.30 until 4.30 p.m. in Port Talbot library.

No appointment is necessary.