Less surprising than the news from The Observer and The Guardian this week, but a welcome nonetheless leader today: Only the Liberal Democrats have consistently put the case for Europe, doing so even when seeking to hold seats in parts of the country, such as the south-west of England, that are more euro-sceptic than others. Like

The Liberal Democrats should be applauded for focusing on business in their new policy paper, Enterprise in a fair society. In the context of the current economic crisis, the document reminds us that businesses produce the wealth that not only raises living standards, but also funds health, education and so on – a lesson arguably

Over at The Independent, Andrew Grice asks whether the "invisible" party leader — Nick Clegg — is in reality the Liberal Democrats' "secret weapon" who is simply not recognised widely enough to be perceived as such. At least I think that is the point being made... Clegg certainly hasn't been particularly visible, apart from at Prime Minister's Questions on many (though not all) occasions durin...

The Liberal Democrat Federal Executive (FE) decided this week that the federal party will not be providing any financial backing to Liberal Democrats wishing to stand for election as Police Commissioners. The expectation is that instead the party will end up backing independent candidates, although it has been made clear that local areas can decide

One of the lasting legacies of the Liberal Democrats in power will be the efforts to push through what has been named the ‘Freedom (Great Repeal) Bill’. A somewhat younger looking Nick Clegg made this the subject of his party conference speech back in 2006 when he was shadow home secretary. Returning to conference as

Lord Carlile of Berriew is much maligned by some Liberal Democrats for his role as the independent reviewer of anti-terrorist laws, however this article in the Independent demonstrates that he remains a liberal to the core. Alex Carlile has condemned government plans to create a giant "Big Brother" database holding information about every phone call, email and internet visit made in the UK. He sai...

In the Guardian last week, Timothy Garton-Ash argued that the Liberal Democrats’ distinctive identity is being lost both by coalition with the Conservatives and by other parties’ appropriation of the “liberal” label: The Liberal Democrats should change their name to the Liberals. Here’s why. First of all, Liberal Democrats is a pretty meaningless name. That’s

Shirley Williams, writing today in the Independent, says that the Liberal Democrats can be proud of their influence on NHS reforms: Liberal Democrats, from our party’s grassroots to its leadership, can be proud of the influence we have exerted to change the Government’s NHS plans. It is clear now that the proposals that will be

It seems that the Liberal Democrats want to get in on the action in giving the insensate Labour Party a good old electoral kicking. Nick Clegg has yesterday signalled a change in resources, directing them at 50 constituencies in the UK where the Liberal Democrats are lying second to the Labour in Westminster elections. Obviously, as current

You can rely on a big story during the Liberal Democrats conference - although not often from the Liberal Democrats themselves. From Black Wednesday to 9/11 to this week'ss simultaneous meltdowns in the economy and Brown Government, the Salads (Social and Liberal Democrats) have often found media focus on their week at the seaside swept away by a tidal wave from elsewhere. So the fact that th...