Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe

MEP: 'Radical' electoral reform 'badly needed' for 2014

Euractive (Free subscription) | 11 hours ago

A radical overhaul of European Parliament elections was proposed last week by the MEP Andrew Duff, the Parliament's rapporteur on electoral reform.

Lib Dem Fibbery: Chris Davis Premature Ejaculation

Chris Paul: Labour of Love (Free subscription) | 09/10/2008

This is an odd one. Rochdale online's headline is "Rochdale MEP wins €10billion vote to fight climate change" . Leaving aside the geographical gaffe - Chris Davis MEP is a regional MEP along with eight others - we then find that: Now Chris Davies MEP starts a hectic month of meetings with ministers across Europe to try and win a majority in favour of the plan. So the Saddleworth Clown has not won...

MEP backs Toni

Chris & Glynis Abbott (Free subscription) | 30/09/2008

18 years old Toni Meir has been selected for South Bank Ward in the By Election to be held on 16th October. Tina is pictured between North East Lib Dem MEP Fiona Hall and Redcar's Prospective Parliamentary Candidate Ian Swales Redcar and Cleveland Council is currently Labour controlled by one vote with two by-elections pending in Labour held Wards. Kirkleatham Ward polls on 2nd October and South Bank...

European Parliament: Turkish-Armenian border should be open

Panarmenian (Free subscription) | 19/09/2008

Turkey's relations with the European Union were on track, despite periodical ups and downs, Graham Watson said.

The Thursday Cyril: Service Will Be Resumed Soon

Chris Paul: Labour of Love (Free subscription) | 18/09/2008

Hold your breaths you people. More along anon. Meanwhilst here is one of the Stockport Lib Dems equivalents of Dangerous Dave Drunkalot. Working this time not for the closed book of Cyril-hero-worship Paul Rowen MP but for the maverick Chris Davies MEP. Someone who, as you may recall, apparently organised a rule change and an early eligibility-to-vote guillotine. Preventing his dear colleague Sajj...

‘Influential’ list continues

Liberal Democrat Voice (Free subscription) | 17/09/2008

Iain Dale’s list continues in the Telegraph, and the Voice team, variously drunk, hungover and sleep deprived have reacted most waspishly to nos 11-20: “Former Lib Dem MP? Don’t they mean ‘Lib Dem Peer’?” “Norman Baker is more influential than Ed Davey?!” “Graham Watson is no longer the Leader of the Lib Dem MEPs - he’s leader [...]

Liberal Democrats discuss Environmental policy

Colin Ross News Stories (Free subscription) | 15/09/2008

This afternoon the Liberal Democrats had a panel debate on the Environment featuring Chris Davies MEP (Environment Spokesperson, European Parliament), Dorothy Thornhill (Mayor of Watford) and Jonathon Porritt CBE (Chair, UK Sustainable Development Commission).

Sunday conference photos

Jonathan Wallace (Free subscription) | 14/09/2008

A few photos from today at conference including Jeff Reid, Leader of Northumberland, being interviewed for TTTV, Fiona Hall MEP speaking to conference, and a couple of randomly selected photos from the hundreds I took at the photo ops for campaigners.

Lib/Dems come out for Cameron

Chris Whiteside's Blog (Free subscription) | 14/09/2008

I have had an email from Sajjad Karim MEP with details of a letter he and several other former Lib/Dems who now support the Conservatives have sent to the Guardian this week. You can read their letter on the Guardian website here. In Copeland, where the 17,000 jobs depend on the nuclear industry and therefore an anti-nuclear party like the Lib/Dems have no chance of coming better than a porr third...

• Letter: Lib Dems come out for Cameron - The Guardian

Diana Wallis MEP writes… Time for the Liberal Democrats to let the people in!

Liberal Democrat Voice (Free subscription) | 09/09/2008

Lib Dem Conference: On Lib Dem Voice: Reportage | LDV Events | Contribute On the official party website: Conference home | Vote-by-vote coverage It may sound like a strange assertion but our British model of democracy is in danger of becoming, if it is not already, less democratic and accessible than the much-criticised European Union; indeed this [...]

Elementary, My Dear Watson

Jonathan Fryer (Free subscription) | 06/09/2008

Osama bin Laden has probably done more for European Union than anyone since Jacques Delors, according to the Leader of the Liberal (ALDE) Group in the European Parliament, Graham Watson. Speaking only slightly tongue-in-cheek at the Kensington and Chelsea Liberal Democrats’ ‘Food for Thought’ this evening, Graham said that post-9/11, European politicians had realised the [...]

Lib Dems show real initiative on VAT fraud

Tax Research UK (Free subscription) | 05/09/2008

I have considerable sympathy for a Lib Dem initiative that has made progress in the EU Parliament that appears to have attracted remarkably little attention in the UK press. As they note: The European Parliament has backed a report by Sharon Bowles MEP (UK, Lib Dem) that aims to break the prolonged EU deadlock over fighting [...] ShareThis

ALDE chief: Only the EU can be a peace broker in Georgia

Euractive (Free subscription) | 01/09/2008

The EU is in a unique position and now needs to follow up on its six-point ceasefire plan in the Georgia conflict, perhaps by setting up a task force, according to Graham Watson, the leader of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE), speaking to EurActiv in an interview.

CFB Week 1 : Hoakies Are ’08’s First Upset Victims

Can't Stop the Bleeding (Free subscription) | 30/08/2008

“It was ironic that Virginia Tech, a team that is known for its special teams that had made several key special teams plays during the game, would lose on a blocked kick” writes ESPN’s Graham Watson of East Carolina’s 27-20 stunner over VT earlier today. And while T.J. Lee’s spectacular block of a Brent Bowden [...]

Irish youths reserve your strength until an hour of glorious duty

Daniel Hannan (Free subscription) | 28/08/2008

As if the Irish didn't already have cause enough to reject the European Constitution Lisbon Treaty, here's a new argument. It comes courtesy of Andrew Duff , leader of the Lib Dem MEPs: "Faced with Europe's dramatic security crisis, the Irish position looks increasingly preposterous. Viewed from the perspective of Gori or Tskhinvali, Irish misgivings about neutrality rather pa...