Today is the centenary of the rejection by the House of Lords of Lloyd George's People's Budget. But a vote for the Lib Dems today would be as pointless an expression of any Nonconformist social conscience as it would be of any identification with the 1930s peace-mongering of Sir Herbert Samuel (see the Lib Dems' record on Afghanistan, and before that on Yugoslavia), or with Emlyn Hooson's vote against...
“It is disgraceful that the Government had to be dragged by the courts,” said the Liberal Democrat Shadow Defence Secretary, Nick Harvey. Commenting after the Government announced details of an inquiry into alleged war crimes by UK soldiers in Iraq, Nick Harvey said: “Nobody doubts that the vast majority of our troops serve their country with the [...]
“This is yet another example of the Government making empty promises to our Armed Forces,” said Nick Harvey, the Liberal Democrat Shadow Defence Secretary. The first Annual Report on the Governments’ Command Paper on services provided to the Forces, their families and veterans, published today, reports that: The Royal British Legion considers that ‘little effective progress...
Last Saturday was the Devon & Cornwall Lib Dems' regional conference, held at the Marsh Mills Novotel. It was a real pleasure to chair a Question & Answer session at the conference on defence issues. The person being quizzed by party members was Nick Harvey MP. As well as being the Lib Dem MP for North Devon, Nick is also the party's shadow secretary of state for defence. It was so useful to...
“Our brave service men and women have suffered enough as a result of this Government’s disastrous record on military procurement,” said the Liberal Democrat Shadow Defence Secretary. Commenting on evidence given to an inquest which suggests servicemen were killed in Afghanistan when their patrol did not have enough metal detectors, Nick Harvey said: “Mine detection equipment...
Very many congratulations to North Devon MP Nick Harvey and his golden retriever Crumpet who has just won third place in the Westminster Dog of the Year 2009 competition. Mr Harvey told the North Devon Gazette that "Crumpet and I are very pleased to be on the podium but used to coming third in Westminster! He'll always get my vote though." With all the vilification of MPs recently, it's wonderful...
I am genuinely grateful to Nick Harvey MP for answering my blog post about the Marine and Coastal Access Bill below in the following way: Tim I have not at any stage said that I don't support the Bill, and as you know it went through last week unopposed. Had there been a vote I would have supported it. As originally drafted, the Bill put limitless liabilities onto coastal landowners. It would have...
Great to see that Drift Europe has covered North Devon MP Nick Harvey's surprising response to the Marine and Coastal Access Bill in which he said: "I have been lobbying the Government on behalf of North Devon Holiday park owners and holidaymakers who are rightly concerned about the impact of the access proposals under the...Bill. This has all sorts of implications for security, safety and public...
• Nick Harvey (North Devon) (LD): ' . . WHERE will Nimrod feature in the new review? Can we please be assured that all the lessons of this appalling story will be learned for the future?'
How much does a glorified bus shelter cost? Mr. Hoban: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission how much the smoking shelter constructed between Norman Shaw North and Portcullis House is expected to cost. Nick Harvey: The smoking shelter is forecast to cost £49,000. Good grief . A company here is knocking out its 'premier smoking shelter' at £3,160.75...
Commenting on Gordon Brown’s U-turn over funding for the Territorial Army, Liberal Democrat Shadow Defence Secretary, Nick Harvey, said: “The state of the TA is much too important to be used as a political football in this way. “It was a shocking error of judgement for the Government to have contemplated this cut in the first place. “It is a sad fact that Gordon Brown’s...
Comedian Jimmy Carr has incited the rage of many including MPs over a joke about wounded soldiers. Audible gasps could be heard [at the Manchester Apollo on Friday night] when Carr quipped: “Say what you like about the servicemen amputees from Iraq and Afghanistan, we are going to have a f**king good Paralympics team in 2012.” Lib-Dem Nick Harvey exclaimed: “Most people will think...
I see my favourite comedian Jimmy Carr is in the firing line from politicians after telling a joke about the Armed Forces. Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth along with Liam Fox and Nick Harvey are "outraged" about his joke. Oddly, the reporting says there were "audible gasps" when Carr said, "Say what you like about the servicemen amputees from Iraq and Afghanistan, we are going...
The celebrity website eleven reports: He’s never been known for his politically correct sense of humour, but comedian Jimmy Carr has incited the rage of MPs over a joke about wounded soldiers. … Audible gasps could be heard [at the Manchester Apollo on Friday night] when Carr quipped: “Say what you like about the servicemen amputees [...]
At the risk of being coarse, I nominate this for 'The Inaugural WTF O' The Day' Award: From, who else, Andrew Rosindell : Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his NATO counterparts on the involvement of young people in the UK in NATO activities. What is a young person these days? Anyone under 18? If so, I believe...