Video: Nick Clegg's statement on Dropping Lords reform

Nick Clegg's press release on the end of Lords reform, the Coalition and the Liberal Democrat party.

Nick Clegg stands up for common sense for Chatham

Yes that's right.

Nick Clegg is fighting for common sense in Chatham and many places like it by standing against Boundary reforms.

How can Chatham railway station not be in Chatham & Aylesford constituency?

How can Luton & Wayfield, in the heartland of Chatham be part of Gillingham & Rainham?

These arbitrary moves have been carried out without many people being consulted based on current population size.

On the up side, it cuts some 60 odd MPs from Parliament and mean each MP is equal meaning in net terms each voter is now equal.

But the price is splitting up communities just to make up the numbers, it is like creative accountancy that by estimates will leave David Cameron's Conservatives twenty seats better off. How is that fair?

Nick Clegg and the Liberal Democrats have seen this arbitrary carve up and its effect on Communities and ---

Sorry as much as I want to continue in this vein I cannot. Although the arbitrary splitting of communities is an excellent argument against reform the main reason for Libdem opposition is in retaliation for the Tory rebellion against Lords reform.

OK, Lords reform doesn't seem like an essential reform but neither is boundary reform. Both are in the name of change, change that is supposed to make Britain fairer. Lords reform has and will be exceptionally important to us, it's something the Conservatives (and World War One) stopped us last time and now a handful of Tory rebels have blocked one of our key policies, one of the key agreements in the Coalition negotiations.

So maybe Clegg and the party are arguably being childish but they're also standing up for places like Chatham and surely that is worth at least a "thanks"?

Lords reform; divides, threats and consequences

Clegg's Vision for Lords reform must go through

Over the next two days the House of Lords reform proposals, developed by the Cabinet Office and championed by Nick Clegg will be put before the Commons and already there are serious problems.

Not only are there due to be 70 odd Conservative MPs rebelling against the Government line of support but there is also 20 LIBDEM lords who are against the moves as well.

This could ultimately scupper the bill in the Commons and even beyond should the Peers gain more support for the campaign.

If that was not enough there is also the threat hanging over the Coalition of the Libdems not backing Boundary reform. Around 70 Conservative MPs have written an open letter to party Colleagues calling on them not to vote for bill. They argue over the semantics that the Coalition Agreement only says it will look into the Lords Reform and that they have looked - it says nothing about enacting them. According to the BBC at the time of writing, the rebels only need 40 MPs to scupper the whole thing. It is looking bleak for Clegg.

It has also been suggested, and I don't take much stock in this as it was only a summation by a BBC journalist, the Conservative Whips are making a big show of doing something but may actually not doing anything to get MPs to back the Bill.

There has been a mention of retaliation by the Libdems for failure for of the Conservatives to keep their end of the bargain. Richard Reeves, Nick Clegg's former special adviser said in an exclusive with Friday's I that;


It is a a very serious moment for the Government, the vote is hugely significant. It is the critical moment for Lords reform, a once-in-a-generation chance to secure it.

There would be broader consequences for the Government's programme, particularly around political and parliamentary reform. The idea that failure to deliver a government program on Lords reform would be consequence free is for the birds.


He went on to suggest that should they would either not back Boundary reform or should the reform be delayed so that it won't come into effect in 2015 then they will also move that Boundary reforms will not be applicable in 2015.

So?

Well, on rough figures, and I'm sure many opposition Politicos will disagree, the Conservatives would gain 20 extra MPs with the modification of the electoral boundaries. Locally it would mean that Mark Reckless (Rochester & Strood) was a lot safer, Tracey Crouch (Chatham & Aylesford) would be a lot safer having lost the Labour marginal ward of Luton & Wayfield and gaining Conservative Hempstead & Wigmore but Rehman Chishti (Gillingham & Rainham) would be on dicier ground having gained Luton & Wayfield.

Why is Lord's reform so important to the Libdems? Well as Lando Calrissian said in Return of the Jedi;
We won't get another shot at this Admiral.

It has been a Liberal aim for other a century and the party want to make the Lords more accountable to the people and electable - thus accountable. It was one of the key points of the Coalition Agreement that we got this chance but it looks dead before its got off the ground for innumerate reasons including whether it is more accountable, its messing with tradition, its the wrong time, they didn't back Jeremy Hunt...

However should it die I would suggest one of two options.

1. End the Coalition. Yep, that's what I said. Not in a selfish We're not getting our way style but if it is going to break up into tit for tat repercussions then the Clegg/Cameron Marriage has turned into one of those bitter divorces where you stay together for the kids (deficit) and no one will benefit from it so you might as well call it a day now.

2. Notch it up to experience, say We tried and blame the Conservatives come election time and hope that the next century flies by...


The angry Libdem within me is really tempted by 1: but I know the serious one thinks 2: is the only option. After all, paying off the deficit is as Nick once said;
What we have to do, before we can do what we want to do.


This is an issue I don't believe should be kicked into the long grass and should not definitely not become the target of tit-for-tat revenge style politics. More Democracy and greater Freedoms is what its all about isn't it?

I would urge (almost beg) any Conservative MPs to please - look at the merits, think of the good and democracy that is being proposed and vote with the Government. If you don't agree with it that's OK too, just please vote No for the right reasons and not for a dislike of Clegg, us, or to cause trouble only vote No because you disagree with it.


I don't want to sound all dramatic but I think the future of the Coalition and indeed the nature that it conducts its business is in the balance and will be decided by 10pm tomorrow and I really think we could be entering a new era.

Libdems are "Insignificant" says Nadine Dorries

It appears that Nadine Dorries has won more friends in the Liberal Democrats with her latest statement.

As the Boundary commission looks at redrawing the map of British constituencies and politics some MPs are fighting losing wards and gaining others who tend to vote the other way and other MPs, like Nadine Dorries are fighting to keep their constituencies alive and themselves employed.

As this battle rages MPs are turning to those on the ground, local Councillors, who represent the individual wards that are being moved and urging them to help, to convince voters that it is in their best interests to stay in their current boundaries, to argue with their County party colleagues and local party to make representation to the Commission.
This is indeed what Nadine Dorries has done, sending off emails to local Councillors saying that she fears that Mid Bedfordshire will be split between North Bedfordshire, South West Bedfordshire, Bedford and Hitchin and Harpenden.

One such recipient was local Libdem Councillor Tim Hill. He was surprised that for the first time in his five years as a Councillor his local MP was finally communicating with him after his many attempts to try and contact her. Then again she needed help so it made some semblance of sense.
I think she's clutching at straws and is desperate to keep her job. She doesn't want the hassle of applying for a different seat.

He also says;
It seems ironic that after five years she chooses to contact me for the first time when we could have done so much together to improve the lives of people in my ward.

He politely replied saying he did not support the cause.

Now if the story ended there it would be all fine and dandy.... However Ms Dorries would not let it lie;

I make a point of not contacting the Liberal Democrat, Tim Hill. As the Lib Dems generally have no position, principles or beliefs and tend to make it up as they go, I have never felt the need to consult him, and I'm afraid I have to disabuse him of the notion that contacting him was a deliberate act.
I'm afraid his name just popped up in a mail shot of councillors. As I regard him as an irrelevance, I would have removed it had I spotted it.
(my emphasis)

Really?

What ever your political beliefs or agenda you have to respect that the people of the ward, in this case Wootton, Stewartby and Kempston Hardwick ward, voted for their representative. Mr Hill represents, and has done for five years with 39% of the votes in 2011, these people and knows what is going on in the ward and could assist.

It seems exceptionally arrogant to dismiss him for the capital crime of being a Libdem and an irrelevance...

Did the Rebellion refuse the help of the Ewoks because they were an irrelevant indigenous species that couldn't possibly defeat the Empire?

Did Britain and it's Empire refuse the help of Brazil during World War Two because they were irrelevant to the struggle?

Nope...

As for the party having no beliefs and "making it up as they go" those are obviously misinformed generalisations. Liberal Democrats as a whole are flexible and deal with issues, especially on a local level, as they arise and individually. Being held in a rigid party doctrine means that you are unable to react as well to situations. In fact the only doctrines we follow - Liberalism and Democracy mean that we do what is in the interest of people which can change regularly.

Maybe someone should send a copy of Mills On Liberty to Ms Dorries and then she will understand and see the Party's true guiding principle (a copy of which is passed down to each party President on the inauguration.) and I hate to point this out to her but... Liberals have began running Parliament with Lord Palmerston in 1855 and have successfully brought in many reforms including Old age pensions, helped form the NHS and the fact that we're still about and having an effect on British politics and still exist we are clearly not Insignificant.

The whole thing reeks of snobbery and personal dislike. The fact that she refused to call for help from Mr Hill just because he was a Libdem. Maybe I'm making a big deal out of this because I'm an irrelevance also... but then again these are my beliefs, as they are for quite a few other people and I've suddenly been labelled pointless. That and I cannot understand the arrogance behind it and the fact that an MP would disregard an entire ward that is in her care, full of voters who would may have voted in support of her in 2010 because they are in the wrong party. A councillor will help any one from their ward no matter what party they voted for yet Ms Dorries appears to not take an interest in a whole ward because a 6% majority voted for the wrong party, for at least five years!

Forget your party allegiance for a moment... If your Councillor was trying to raise your issue with the MP and they could get no answer on your behalf would you be annoyed?

Would you want your MP to take an interest in things happening in your ward and work with your elected representitive?

Lets be honest?

Cllr Hill says that he has made many strenuous and consistent efforts in trying to contact her office, each without success and receiving no feed back.

If this was my MP, I'd want something better and I'd want someone who would engage in grown up and engaging politics.

Conservative criticism of Medway Boundary reforms.

I was recently reading Cllr Tristan Osborne's blog post on Boundary reform and frankly I was vexed he beat me to the punch!

Indeed, I also find the Conservative line put forward by Rehman Chishti to be confusing and contradictory to local Party politics.

Locally Medway Conservatives (and Labour) are pushing for the Medway Towns to become the glorious City of Medway, they plug this as the next logical step and the best thing to happen to the towns in decades.

At the same time, at the Boundary Commission's hearings they are arguing that changing the titles of the constituencies to drop the Rochester & Strood, Chatham and Aylesford and Gillingham & Rainham to things like "Medway East."

This will mean the end to the historical and proud names and the heritage of these Towns - They cry.

But if by some act of evil Medway City actually comes into being then surely the title "Medway East" or "Aylesford and Medway South" would be more fitting?
Also, as has been said on occasions, the area has been known by the shorthand of Medway for God knows how long anyway, does it matter?

Now I agree with my Lib Dem colleagues that breaking up current constituencies and communities with seemingly arbitrary lines is a bad thing however I am also swayed by Cllr Osborne's argument on constituencies. He's right, what have the people of Aylesford and Chatham got in common? (Apart from Tracey Crouch) or even the people in Helen Grant's constituency? I grew up in Marden and my concerns in a rural village were completely different to the people of Maidstone. A good constituent MP, such as Miss Crouch, can balance such demands and be flexible and make themselves seen and available to all of their constituents and represent them as best they can. This is the process of modern politics I'm afraid.

The people of Luton and Wayfield will have similar concerns to those in Gillingham South so will not have to worry, in fact I'm sure the people of Wigmore and Hempstead will have similar concerns to those in Horsted and Bluebell Hill have, especially if the City is proclaimed. After all we do all use the same services; Medway Maritime hospital, ASDA, Tesco, Southeastern Railways, we're all under Medway Council... Will it make that much of a difference to their daily lives?

I will say, however, it is better than being merged with Lenham, which had been an original proposal before Medway Lib Dems tried to re juggle the constituencies for a counter suggestion back in the summer.

Indeed Every party is ultimately losing out in some places and winning in others. The Commission is carrying out a pledge from both the Lib Dems and Conservative Parties to make politics fairer and more even - after all some MPs are representing less people than others but getting an equal say in parliament. Is this fair?
This rebalance will save on 50 MPs at £60k a year each... A substantial cut in governmental expenditure. The Commission is a neutral body whose findings are arbitrary and they have done some Sterling work, juggling council wards to try and make its as even as possible.

I suppose the question would be; What are they afraid of?

Is it the loss of Conservative voters and being replaced with Labour voters?

Is it a genuine concern of the voters in those council wards? After all do they feel that Tracey Crouch is not as good an MP as Rehman Chishti? - Something I would severely contest as erroneous and I think the people of Wigmore have got a good deal here!

In the end I find myself agreeing with Cllr Osborne but with a twist. If this is a genuine concern of the voters and residents it should be raised by a Councillor (Not Mr Chishti , who is a councillor but is also an MP also has a vested interest in maintaining his majority for 2015).

However, I think that in reality there aren't that many people who are really that concerned by boundary reform.

Then again a Wise man said to me last week;

In a boundary review, every word that's spoken (by every party, including yours) has big political undertones...

and quite right too, don't take my word alone for it.

Boundary reform - For Good or bad.

Survivor; Tracey Crouch MP

After months of hard work the Boundary commission has released its findings to the public for a three week consultation period before going before Parliament. However the preliminary results have brought mixed reactions.

In Medway there is good news for the hard working MP for Chatham and Aylesford Tracey Crouch (con). The Commission is not axing her constituency thus leaving her jobless in 2015 - infact they are adding to it for the next election. There were rumours back in August that the constituency she represents would be broken up and absorbed by surrounding constituencies including moving Chatham town into Rochester. The commission was also talking about cutting Rainham away and adding it to Lenham near Maidstone which would have cut a chunk out of the Medway community and bond it with an area that is not homogeneous with each other.

Currently the new Rochester (previously Rochester and Strood) is gaining Rochester East, Chatham Central (including the railway station) and keep the Hoo peninsula (which was rumoured to be going to Gravesend and Gravesham.)

Chatham and Aylesford is set to gain the East Malling and West Malling & Leybourne as well as Hempstead & Wigmore (from Gillingham and Rainham) and Rochester South and Horsted (from Rochester and Strood.) The latter makes sense as Horsted is just up from the Medway Valley and on the main road to Chatham.

Gillingham and Rainham, Rehman Chisthi's (and my own) constituency has absorbed Luton and Wayfield from Chatham and Aylesford. This is currently a Labour ward and so will slim his majority. It is a bit of an oddity for a part of Chatham to be taken up but no great culture shock of two communities.

As many of you know, I'm useless with figures but in his excellent article ( http://musingsfrommedway.blogspot.com/2011/09/boundary-changes.html) Councillor Tristan Osborne states that based on previous figures a snap election would see Tracey Crouch increasing her majority by 10 - 12,000. Rehman Chisthi of Gillingham would see his cut to 7500- 9000 and Mark Reckless of Rochester would see his majority fall to 8- 10,000.

All three are marginal seats any way and saw a massive swing to blue in the last election and I'm sure they will be targets for Labour at the next election and all three MPs will have to work hard to maintain their posts anyway. However I'm sure this will be well received news for Miss Crouch who has made a real impact since being elected in May and continues to impress. It would have been a real shame for her to lose her seat on a technicality, I hope that she continues to serve Chatham and Aylesford (and the new wards post 2015) in the same way.

The Medway Libdems played a small role in this by putting forward revisions to the county party and commission as to cutting away communities and revising figures, including moving Horsted and Rochester South in an attempt to keep Rainham attached to Medway. Its probably not much, or may not have even helped at all but every little helps.

Nationally however the future looks grim for the party in any change. According to the Guardian the Conservatives look set to lose 6 seats, Labour 14, Lib Dems 10 and the Greens 1. We as a party cannot afford to lose 10 seats. One of our big loses might be Dr Vince Cable. His Twickenham seat will be dissected to create a Richmond and Twickenham seat that spans the Thames and puts him in direct conflict with Zac Goldsmith Mp for Richmond park and North Kingston.

In order to get the right size of constituency, no account has been taken not just of borough boundaries, but any sense of identity that will cause a lot of concern.

A similar case has broken out in the West Country where a new Bideford and Bude constituency now has Bude (in Devon) in a mostly Cornwall Constituency! The fiercely independent Cornish men don't want to be associated with the Devonians and claim that they are two different communities and have different needs and wants and one MP could not represent them both.

Other Big Guns who face losing seats include George Osborne, Ken Clarke, Ed Balls, Chris Huhne and even our popular president Tim Farron!

The big dilemma facing us Libdems is that fewer MPs and equalling out the number of constituents to an average number is indeed a good thing. It brings more fairness so is a good plus.
The bad news is that the lines have been drawn along ward lines, which can be misleading. For example in Gillinham my ward boundary goes right down the centre of the road I live on. I'm in Gillingham south but if I go to Tesco or the Chinese takeaway I'm in Watling. This boundary could be used to cut a Constituency boundary and my neighbour could be represented by someone else. It is reminiscent of the Allied powers carving up the Middle East post World War I, arbitrary lines on maps that separate communities and cause possible complications. Something that could affect democracy and Individual rights.

I would strongly advise people to look at their Boundary review, yeah it sounds boring but its your country and you get a say in how it is run. This is the most important review of how your MPs represent you in a long time so make the most of it. Take ten minutes to look at the map and think if it will affect you, then either contact the Commission ( http://consultation.boundarycommissionforengland.independent.gov.uk/contact-us/) or your MP. As of today (14th September) you have 83 days to lodge your comments before they go away and reach a compromise.

Boundary Changes and its affect on Medway.

Rehman Chishti, Tracey Crouch, Mark Reckless MPs for Medway

One of the many progressive policies we as a party have brought in is to trim Parliament to a more efficient 600 MPs representing 72,000 to 77,000 voters.

At the moment there are people working diligently pouring over maps and drawing lines and marking up new or re sized constituencies. In Kent we are set to lose one MP.

But... This arbitrary cut and slice may be a touch too arbitrary.

For example one proposal for Medway was to cut the Hoo peninsula and Isle of Grain away and put them into Gravesend and Gravesham, combine Rochester and Chatham town with Cuxton and Halling passing to Maidstone. Gillingham would swallow up the river ward and Brompton but Rainham would be joined with Lenham ward in Maidstone!!!

With our current MP's (pictured above) it would look like Chatham and Aylesford MP Tracey Crouch would lose her seat to a more Labour leaning Chatham but then again the loss of Conservative rural areas may be replaced with the Cathedral city of Rochester's conservative voters. OR she could lose out altogether as Mark Reckless is already holding the seat of Rochester for the Conservatives and thus she may face redundancy.

As for Gillingham, Rehman Chishti will lose support from Conservative stronghold Rainham but instead gain those down in Brompton but it would negatively affect his majority.
There is also the consideration that the heart of Gillingham remains Liberal Democrat/ Independent group consisting of ex- Liberal Democrats.

This could severely eat into his majority and could tip the scales in favour of Labour or he could get in again on the split left vote.

Another suggestion could be, if there is a swing against the Conservatives and Austerity cuts that could lead to Vince Maple or Tristan Osborne as MP for Chatham and Rochester and Me (yeah right!!!) or an esteemed Libdem colleague, or Andy Stamp or even the very talented Jacqui Berry for the TUSC party in Gillingham.

In short, I doubt it!

A plan has been put forward by the Medway Liberal Democrats- which I am not allowed to discuss unfortunately. However we I can say that it readdresses the harmony of Medway and keeps Rainham and Gillingham together. I can tell you that Kent Lib Dems have accepted the proposal. It would be a ridiculous decision to separate a chunk of the community from Medway especially when Rainham councillors would still sit on Medway council.


On the 8th of August the Medway KM ran a story on the commission and their academic sources suggested that again Hoo will go to Gravesend, Cuxton, Halling and Aylesford will go to a new constituency MidKent and Gillingham and Rainham swallow up the river wards. According to their projections Labour will take Rochester and the Conservatives will hold Gillingham.

Stuart Wilks-Heeg, director of the Boundary commission said that they wouldn't be deliberately partisan and that the lines would be drawn in as balanced a way as possible.

Also; "As far as we know this is the most detailed attempt to map out how it could look."
(Of course this is up for review every five years.)

Despite all the conjecture and suggestions, yes even my ill informed predictions, it will not be visiting until November to get residents views on the matter. Hopefully they will size up the communities and see that lines on a map do affect people and their representation. Hopefully they will also listen to the local parties suggestions, not in a partisan way - which is difficult- but to their constructive arguments and criticism.

As for Tracey Crouch...

 "I will be disappointed if Chatham and Aylesford is the seat that is abolished.
 
"We won't know the outcome of the Commission's review until early September, but we do know one seat in Kent will go."

I know I'm on on dodgy ground by saying this but... I like Tracey as an MP, she was on the streets of the Chatham the day after the riots and she was there all day. She gets involved in local issues. More importantly as a Lib dem I admire the fact that she voted against Tuition fees, something that half our party cannot say, she also stood up to the Home Secretary to combat the Government closure of Social Networking at a time of civil disorder whilst Nick had looked on earlier as David Cameron had spoken the same words. I know that elections see a lot of good MPs lose their seats due to the knee jerk reactions of the electorate who don't think of good constituent MPs but who will be PM, but I can honestly say that it will be a massive shame for her to go out like that.

Back to the point though. The commission will of course make its suggestions to parliament and it will be debated. I agree that the constituencies do need to be made uniform and that parliament's constituent parts need to be examined for the first time in a long time. However I hope that they do talk to the residents and listen to the concerns and thoughts on the shift. I really hope that Rainham isn't separated from Medway, it is a part of these towns and an MP from Maidstone may not represent their needs as much as someone who represents that town and Gillingham solely.