Not a Liberal, and not really paid much attention to Mr Davey, but What a Brilliant interview, Such a lovely Guy, Listening to his life story, especially his childhood, caring for his mother at 12, losing both his parents while still a child, you would have understood him to end up bitter and angry, but instead he has remained compassionate, caring and decent. His parents would be so proud of him.
Generally people in Ed's situation take one of two paths - they get bitter and anry at the world or they use it as inspiration to try and make things better for everyone (lots of the latter in politics, especially in the Lib Dems).
It's actually a suprisingly common theme within the Lib Dems - most have suffered a lot during their childhood amd uaed it as inspiration to make the world better for others. It happens in across politics but especially in the Liberals
I'm a libdem since decades (mainly because of their support for PR) but have never heard Ed at length and was surprised and impressed how substantial he is. I hope they do tremendously well at the next election and can force Starmer's hand towards fairer voting. It will only ever come by force. Though a majority of labour members want reform, Starmer is as ever cautious, and as Ed says, what does he really think?
Not only because of PR, but there was a time when they promised to decriminalise cannabis, which was a pretty contentious policy at the time. They failed, countless citizens obtained criminal records, dealers prospered and the government lost out on a HUGE tax income. Well done Westminster.
I think Starmer will be like another previous Labour leader. In principle, ok with electoral reform. (even if it’s covertly in the ultra cautious Starmer) right until the moment they win a stonking majority with 40-something% of the vote and then they will suddenly forget all about it. The best thing that could happen for the U.K. would be a decent Tory defeat with a Labour minority government and a large contingent of Lib Dem’s they have to go into coalition with. I think looking at the current polls and recent by elections they’ll likely win a majority though.
I have had a fascination with British politics ever since listening to Question Time on the BBC from my short wave radio (from Texas) in the 80s and early 90s. I absolutely love this political podcast! Greetings from Texas!
I'm not a Lib Dem voter but I have a lot time for Ed Davey. Went through some really hard things and still became a sensitive and very accomplished man.
Another excellent interview, Ed is my local MP but i have never had the opportunity to hear him talk at length before. He is genuinely a great guy and very active in the community.
This is what politics should be. Room to explain one's position, the others listening, asking questions to clarify and then returning the favor by explaining their position without getting adversarial or bluntly confrontational. I wonder what happened to that bit of democracy and I'm so glad that this podcast shows that it can be done in good humor. Isn't that what societies have to be built upon to keep them together and make them function as a unity within an enormous abundance of diversity?
I'm an absolute avid listener of both your regular pod and Leading. I can't tell you how grateful I am to see this video. Please more more more. Huge admiration to Ed, Rory and Alistair
Well done Ed Davey. A lifetime in politics ( to say nothing of all those personal challenges ) still not cynical and remain optimistic and hopeful. Agree with your position re The State ( & need to exert sufficient checks & restraint ) and the need for careful regulation - and that tightrope between.
Cause he is way to Liberal, It might not matter to some, but to certain women it does, cause as ppl say in the world of woke "all rights matter" Shame money comes before all them ppls rights nowadays.
@@uniquevideosUk - could you explain how "being too liberal" hurts women. I'm guessing you're speaking about trans rights versus women's rights. The position taken that trans-people can self identify etc. etc. is NOT a liberal position - it's an extreme left (and extremely niche) position. The "all rights matter" position that you quote is the epitome of what it means to be a true liberal. This means, of course, compromise and negotiation to ensure we do not trample upon the rights of others when asserting our rights. What self identifying and allowing trans women in female sports does is take a group of undeniably marginalised people (trans) and say because you are marginalised/victimised you are a victim and therefore always correct and cannot be questioned or denied whatever you wish for.
Wow ... Ed had to go through so much so young ....great respect to him ... he seems so calm and measured he will have empathy and understanding of many situations.
wow. commenting at 5 minutes in. I'm a Lib Dem so very happy to hear Ed get some coverage (I met him once, briefly, in 2019) - but I also have cancer in my bones (recently discovered, pain is under control), so this is difficult to process.
Wasn't a fan of Ed Davey, thought he was a bit of a wet wipe but....this interview and others I have seen have really endeared him to me. I see a man who really cares and is doing things for the right reason
Ed Davey is a good parliamentarian, excellent communicator and far more radical than Labour. Starmer has ditched all the policies he said he passionately believed in.
@@meenakshiminnis9460 i have to say Starmer is not a politican of conviction. He's not very honorable ither. Nonetheless, we may well have him as the next prime minister. What's interesting is he may wipe out the Tory majority of 90 seats, but may become a minority government or have to deal with the Liberal Democrats, which is why Ed Davey is suddenly important.
Ed Davey is one of the biggest inspirations on this planet. To go through what he did as a child, and to then have the anxiety of what his child will do once he goes as well as his wife being ill and to still have a smile on his face shows the true man he is. A beacon of hope for all those suffering today🙌🏽
@@clivet3252 he went into the coaliton government to hold back the Tories from the worst of their policies (see the s***show since 2016) and to put Liberal policies like equal marriage, doubling the income tax threshold, the Green investment bank and many others.
@@clivet3252 he went into the coaliton to fight the Tories and prevent (or at least delay) the s***show we have seen since 2016 as well as getting things like equal marriage, the doubling of the income tax threshold, keeping a cap on tuition fees and the Green investment bank.
I emigrated from the UK almost ten years ago now, and it's been difficult - both in a despairing and more practical sense - to follow the thread of what's been unfolding back home in that time, just as it's been near-impossible to feel part of the increasingly polarized (and still quite alien) political landscape of my adopted country (take a wild guess). It's refreshing, and reminds me of so much I miss and enjoy about British culture, to see a platform where a deliberate reconciliation of differences is attempted and the time and understanding required for nuance is actually afforded to those of differing political views. As to Ed, he seems like a genuinely lovely man and I think he represents a lot of what I've always respected so much about the Liberal Democrats: their (necessary) focus on constituency politics and that sense of place that the Andys (Burnham and Street) mentioned in their discussion, their (oft-criticized) ability to find compromise across ideology to achieve their ultimate goals, and their role in our political system - at least it seems like - of introducing nuance and a tempering force to what could otherwise be a diametrically opposed shouting match between Labour and the Conservatives. In many ways he reminds me of my State governor, Jared Polis, who I've worked with in various degrees over the years around renewables and clean transportation. Like Ed, I imagine, he receives his fair share of criticism for not adhering to standards of ideological purity, but where it matters I feel like he knows how to get things done - even if it's not the exact ideologically-driven method some voters/commentators might prefer. Particularly in respect to housing, which I think is probably the single greatest political issue of our time alongside the environment, it can be very difficult to forge a path between outright NIMBYism and the "build, build, build" mantra, but (in my opinion) he's clearly a force for good here. The UK's development landscape and decisions are absolutely dominated by an oligopoly of homebuilders with a laser focus on their bottom lines. And, as desperate as we are for housing, if we allow them to lead and dictate the development agenda it will almost certainly be an exercise in myopia and unwanted consequences. I see that all too often here: tens of thousands of single family homes constructed on any greenfield land developers can get their hands on, miles and miles away from schools, services, and jobs, absolutely devoid of community or infrastructure, and wreaking absolute devastation on land that simply will never have substantial ecological value again. The long-term public cost for this compared to the amount the developers save and make in profit (vs. infill, more considerate development, long-term neighborhood planning) is incredible. It's understandable because those costs are commuted, but I don't think the public realize quite how heavy the burden of that myopia can be: billions to expand and adapt highways, hundreds of millions to construct new schools, hundreds of millions in costs associated with declining air quality, the untold costs of social isolation, the foregone economic driver of siting people near existing economic centers like our struggling high streets. That was a long, coffee-fueled comment, but all that to say thank you for the platform and I can only hope we see real reform in the coming years after so long in the wilderness of Conservative infighting and chaos.
The overly kind comments about Ed Davey haven't aged well considering his utter complacency and apathy that considerably contributed to the destruction of hundreds of Postmasters lives and reputations, and the lives of four of them who committed suicide. The fact that Alan Bates wrote to Ed Davey five times only to be ignored, AND the fact that Ed Davey was paid consultancy fees by the same pit-bull lawyers who defended the Post Office against the postmasters is absolutely disgusting. This man is absolutely disgusting and the first of many things that should happen to him is the forfeiting of his totally undeserved knighthood.
I have been a LibDem supporter (and member) for some years. So it was good to see, and to listen to, Ed Davey. He is likeable, comes across well, and seems a good man. But a major problem is that this Podcast is the first time that I, a LibDem supporter, have heard Ed talk at any length about anything, let alone LibDem values and policy. Beyond Ed in this Podcast, sadly, I have scarcely seen, let alone been given the opportunity to listen to, any other LibDem potential minister talking much about anything beyond self backslapping after a local election win. A few months ago I got so fed up with not knowjng about LibDem policy, nor having any idea about how they would deal with the various problems of the day, that I sent an email with a (quite long) list of topics on which I was hoping to get, in reply, a feel for those topics which mattered most to the LibDem leaders, and what their views were about what should be done about them. I sent this to the Party, and Welsh Party, leaders. I got zilch acknowledgement, far less reply!
Despite Ed’s assertion in this Podcast that “We have lots of policy” I still struggle to identify what that is and, as Alastair Campbell pointed out, to distinguish it with any real clarity from what I understand to be Labour policy. In fact I would go further and say that I am far from convinced that, with Rishi Sunak and Jeremy Hunt in charge at the moment, there is very much difference between any of the three main UK parties, and that the Tories will lose the next general election, barring an as yet unforeseen Labour catastophe, because they are the more internally divisive and because they have been in power for too long. In the past, of course, the differences were far more stark. The Tories represented the bosses; Labour represented the workers. The Tories were better at raising money and encouraging others to do so; Labour were better at spending it and helping the poor; Tories reduced long winded laws and burdensome regulations; Labour increased them but often left loopholes. In all cases, the LibDems were somewhere in the middle and, not ever being solely in power, an unknown quantity! Now, it seems to me, what does matter is the competence of those in charge. And for that we need to know who the individuals are likely to be, what they have in mind doing, and how and over what period do they think it will take to achieve what they plan to do. I would prefer it if each party in the election were to be required to include, each time, in its Manifesto: (a) Its major objectives. and which of those it expected to achieve within (i) their first period in power; and (ii) ten years; NB 10 years rather than 15 years because 2 successive 5 year periods of government historically is the most that one party in power can reasonably anticipate. (b) An assumption of how much money annually there will be to spend (the first year amount to have been supplied by the outgoing Treasury and to be used by all parties) over the 5 years of government, and an indication of how, and how much in each category, this is to expected to be funded. We will not get it, of course. It is my belief that the most successful and effective government, since the Tories returned to power in 2010, was the first one with the LibDems. Disastrous for the LibDems, yes, but for the country, no, because of the checks and balances that the LibDems brought to many of the more controversial Tory policies. Plus, of course, if the coalition had extended into a second term, the Brexit referendum would never have happened or, at the very least, not in the disastrous way that it did, with the country changing course to its detriment, thanks to the uninformed views of only 37.4% of the electorate, a significant section of which were too old to suffer its longer term effects. One further lesson to be learnt, perhaps, is that the most effective governments in the UK over the last 50 years (and certainly those which have lasted longest) have been led by two people, largely complementing one another, ideally but not necessarily liking one another, but anyway also respecting each other and working in tandem together: viz Margaret Thatcher and Willie Whitelaw, Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, and David Cameron and Nick Clegg. None of the current Government (or Assembly) leaders or those who aspire to be leaders are part of such a duo. And there does not seem to be one in sight. So the chances of a second term in government for whoever wins are not good. I will probably vote LibDem again, even though it will be a punt and, quite possibly, because I know so little about the individuals that would form the Government, a disastrous punt. Because one change, that would surely come about, would be a move to proportional representation, a system which in my view is fairer, much more representative of the whole of the electorate, and by encouraging coalitions rather than hiding them within just two parties, is likely to more, rather than less, effort to co-operate than exists currently and more checks and balances than would be likely to occur otherwise. In addition, hopefully, it should give access to a wider pool of talent.
The Lib Dems have been let off the hook for what happened in 2010. It was one of the greatest ever political scandals. They campaigned to keep the Tories out then turned around and put the Tories in and collected knighthoods for it. That's corruption plain and simple.
I try to be a regular listener, this interview was exceptional. Very best wishes and happiness for 2024 to everyone (especially victory and peace to 🇺🇦) This remarkable interview demands a huge respect towards Ed Davey. I wish him well - personally and politically (I commit to help here 😊)
The answer to the question posed by Malcolm Tucker about how are the liberals and labour different is that Labour want to continue to perpetuate the two party system, they want power in order to be able to do the same kind of shady deals the Tories have done, but with their mates rather than Rishis mates. I was incredibly impressed by Sir Ed, a real policitian who isn't in it just for himself. I thought the most telling bit was Sir Ed saying 'I don't know what Starmer stands for', join the party no-ones does not even him
I so agree 👍 the Liberal Democrats after (after the Greens) are the most radical on the environment. They have interesting ideas on social care. Davey is a very good man and a solid parliamentarian. He also has genuine principles and beliefs. He won't ditch them because of opposition or negative media coverage. I want a politician to stand up for the politics they say they believe in
This is proof that we do have smart, reasonable and intelligent politicians they are just drowned out by the lunatics, Mr Davy is the best leader of a political party in the UK as far as I am concerned.
I'm glad the Lib Dems did well, I'm also very happy with the Green seats, and anti-genocide Independents. Labour needs a left-wing opposition that's actually willing to move this country forward. We're out of the mud, but the fascists are knocking at every door in the West.
Interesting hearing Ed talk about accountability. The first ever general election I voted in I voted Lib Dem almost solely on their promise not to raise university tuition fees. Once in coalition it seemed the Lib Dems completely backed down on this stance and I felt like I'd been subject to false advertising. That was my first delve into anything political and clearly I'm still bitter towards the Lib Dems over it. But since, it's clear to me that they are not unique in what they did. Ed talking about accountability being key really speaks to me strongly, but I'm very conflicted on trust, particularly with the likelihood of it being another coalition.
All 3 parties broke promises on student finance and worsened it. LibDems increased the income threshold before it was paid and nearly 50% will be written off as a result
@@pastyman001 yep indeed. It was still a bad first experience of politics which really isn't motivating for future involvement. Not a great attitude to have tbh I know but when credibility and recourse is lacking so much compared to any other walk of life it's quite telling of the system we have. I hope Westminster find a way to encourage more public involvement, probably via devolution and citizens assemblies, but I'm not confident that will happen in my lifetime.
With regards to tuition fees, it’s important to remember that Blair and his New Labour government was the one who introduced them in the first place despite promising in the April of ‘97 that he would not do so. So with that fact, there’s not many parties you could really vote for with regards to tuition fees
38 min. A reason to vote Brexit was the total absence of passionate positive arguments to remain. I had a game at work in which I argued for each position on alternate days and managed to persuade colleagues of that day's position. None of the big name televised discussions contained substance - which rendered us a laughing stock to the world
I voted remain mainly because I felt it would cause too many administrative problems, but that shouldn't be a factor for the general public. They should be a factor for the government not to offer a referendum in the first place.
For me the main issue with the 2019 election was that there was no coverage at all for the lib dems. Genuinely I didn't even know who the leader was. Even now to try and find out what the Lib Dems stand for or what their plans are I can't seem to find anything.
Ed Davey is the best of a bad bunch . Labour must do deals with Lib Dem’s for who is best to kick out the Toris , I want Lib Dem’s to be the opposition because they are more left than Labour, so it want be good to have two Tory Parties
Ed Davey is being a little bit humble when he doesn't need to be. He might have won his Surbiton constituency by only 56 votes and he may, genuinely, not expect to win, but we, those who voted for him, did. He was vibrant, energetic, accessible and was going after Richard Tracey with a contagious energy. I'm not a Lib/Dem fan particularly but I was a fan of Ed Davey. I remember talking to a Tory Party activist some years later who said, that trying to win the seat back from Ed Davey was virtually impossible. He was such a great constituency MP it made her job almost a waste of time.
More respect for him now that I know about.... The fact that he can find a vein makes him one of d' Mandem. Sir David you free in the hood. Come see us in west London
How much suffering does one person have to go through and still remain cheerful and balanced. As well as a player in public. Might just have converted me.
It’s cute listening to Lib Dem’s talking policy. They put forward a wish list, but with no tangible plan to achieve it. Great to have on the opposition benches, but absolutely no use in power..
Its interesting to contrast this interview with Cleggs - and how obvious it is that being a current politician in contention for votes changes the narrative Davey has on the coalition.
I have never watched a politics show in 58 years, nor even a 10 minute YT clip. But I was fascinated and totally drawn by this coming together. It reinforced my view that Rory is the strategist & premier we should have had; it softened my view on that quite ghastly Alistair C; and it made me wonder - why on earth is this the first time I’ve heard policy, a driving motivation and simply unreal openness from a mega-weight politician whose career deserved better cards?
😂😂😂😂 We need a change, not the same ppl that have all failed constantly & EU is over, if ppl moved on we'd maybe get somewhere, I have a LibDems council & their clueless. I wouldn't want anyone who calls out women as a percentage, as a leader.
22:04 This is the problem with the whole system.... Winning power and winning seats! Winning has nothing to do with improving lives overall. Winning is a selfish endeavour within itself that doesn't benefit anyone but those at the top. Until we as a people start working together is when we will see improvement and growth. Local level is where it's at. A more local approach and equalising each area is where you get results.
Ed went very quickly from talking about limiting the state's power to demonstrating the success of not allowing developers to lead the charge on new housing stock.
Because limiting the state power in a democracy can increase the power of a democracy. Limiting business interest can do the same too. Freedom is the power to question who controls you.
But why? What's he said? Just his personal life and irrelevant matters in the first 15 minutes.... nevermind his record in the coalition..... weak stuff this
His younger years have formed him. His caring nature is essential now more than ever. Empathy for others and their struggles is what drives fair policy.
The incoming government needs to focus on health and getting people away the cars and onto other forms of transport especially by cycling for local journeys. Local and national cycle ways across the whole of the country would contribute immensely!
Fear of Jeremy Corbyn, possibly, but they did vote LD in May 2019, and the LDs won 16 out of the 73 seats, more than Labour and the Tories put together. But it's true, that one was sort-of-PR.
You do know nobody votes anymore from the red wall or these wouldn't stand a chance, it only takes someone with commonsense to get a good campaign on the go, than them ppl will be out voting again, I see the tide turning more by the day.
Message A public meeting on the environment in Wirral yesterday evening . There was not one single candidate from Labour or Conservative present. Clearly neither of these parties are bothered about sewage in rivers or harm to the environment in general.
In 2019, the LibDems basically made it seem like they were equally likely to partake in a coalition with either of the two major parties. This made it fairly unclear what a vote for them would materialize in!
I think the issue of unpaid carers is really important. Carers allowance is a pittance and needs to be at least equalised with the rate of job seekers allowance, it needs to be tax free, the income threshold before it is removed needs to be raised to at least 16 hours at the Real Living Wage and pensioners need to be entitled to carers allowance because it’s so unfair that they are not currently.
His analysis of 2019 seems all the strong now we've had the 2024 election. With people not scared of the Labour leader the Lib Dems romped to their best ever result. People could vote for them because they were not terrified of what Starmer would do as PM.
They'll be scared of him soon. He's a very dangerous authoritarian. Fortunately he doesn't know what he's doing and will probably be out before the end of 2027. If not sooner.
The forum provided here with gentle challenges which are serious and fun, but not personal, gives us an opportunity to see past sound bites and slogans. I do wish that LibDems could have a bigger impact as their moderate view is so much better for the running of a nation that the radical right or left. Tribal politics means that the impact of the few is exaggerated. When most seats change on a swing of 2-5%, the few can determine everything for the majority. Without a balanced challenge from media and protection of the judiciary, this becomes dangerous.
Interestingly, this comes over as more ‘tribal’ than any other of your excellent podcasts. I wonder if this reflects that Lib dems are not viewed kindly by either of the two main parties. At local political level, dislike of Lib Dem’s is often something that unites both cons and Labour. Why is this? Because they are often excellent local activists and campaigners who can split the vote. I think this almost innate dislike is pervading this podcast. A shame.
Labour wilderness years and Conservative Party in government for so long... so much due to Blair-Brown betraying Ashdown, not reforming electoral system, not reworking all those tiny Scottish constituencies for which they did very little. B-B blew it despite some good but, ultimately, superficial work that was vulnerable to Tory FPTP win (eg, SureStart, NHS working well)
The LibDem economic policy doc has just come out and there is hardly a fag paper between it and Starmer's Labour.ON tax and Business Rates reform, Green energy and getting back into the Single market, LibDems are more radical.
If we have a LibDem-labor coalition next election it's our best chance for getting an PR-based system which means more of a balanced swing between labor and Tories taking power with more parties I can actually want to vote for making a difference being the greens in my case. So kind of joined the labor party this year just to increase the chances of me having a say in PR and trying to contribute in a more proactive way to make it happen. Like if you historically track elections not only do Tories mostly benefit from First past the post and win the majority of elections because of this despite the fact that many of the ones where they do they get only the minority share of the vote. Meaning we get a party that primarily attracts members who are self-interested in their own profit with a few good apples who legitimately are ideologically aligned with right-wing principles that I disagree with but hey at least they believe they are doing good and are not there to line their own profits. So having a politics that actually reflects the people and can have more diverse views on both sides should be better for everyone overall even if compromise becomes more of the norm. But it would help people who feel that a certain party or heck even both mainstream parties are corrupt like they have a way to actively feel like it would matter if they vote against the big two parties meaning those who go into politics only for the interest in their own power have to tread way more softly when it comes to screwing the people over to line their own pockets. So corruption will be still a thing, but at least via the vote we have an increased chance to reduce its effects on policy. I would prefer a lottery-based system but I know that's unlikely where people are picked at random to serve as a politician for a certain area. Which would nearly erase that corruption and have it be like a public service that's salaried similar to that of how court duty is aligned. But I know that is less likely to happen any time soon so this is the next best thing.
Great fan of TRIP. But will Alastair ever get the EU thing? The EU is changing a la macron and Germany and there are other joiners queuing for the reformed structures of the EU to come. Our 'old EU' has gone. There is nothing to rejoin. If there was, the EU wouldn't think of negotiating. It is a matter of sectoral partnerships. Good for both parties.
The LibDems should have entered a coalition ONLY on the condition a new election law with proportional party vote is imolemented first. And they should have offered thst to the Tories and Labour to make it happen. They ended up with a promise of a referendum which was too weak to even consider it.
At 30:40 and 33:33, Rory calls Jeremy Corbyn a Lunatic and dissmess him quite classlessly. In Politics on the edge, there's no solid reason to why he dislikes Corbyn so much. And One can be sure it's not the anti-semite allegations. At some point, Rory (Not Alistair - we know all why) needs to declare what the basis of his ire for him is, because he is clearly not in the liar or unhinged bracket like say, Boris. This is someone whose political agenda crux is - “Do not hurt people” So what is the issue?
For the return to the European Union, we would need to show to the rest of the EU member countries that the people of the British Isles (i.e. Wales, Scotland and England) have rejected Brexit, the causes of brexit and the political climate that caused this extremist situation is no more. The whole constitution in the UK would need to be reformed into an open democratic and federal type of system. The centralised government must be opened up to input from the regions. and the cause the Tories would need to buried and new political parties created for our modern age. The may take too long for our combined economy to hold up as it would need virtually a new identity for the nations of the UK. It may be better for the UK to break up into its independent nations just as the other centralised regimes in East Europe did in the 1990s. For Wales and Scotland to become independent nations, Northern Ireland to be re-united into the Irish Republic, and for England to become a Federal Republic. A Republic of Wales and Scotland could both apply to join the EU as newly independent European nations just as the Baltic states did. Ireland will remain as a EU member. Then England will eventually join the EU after it gets over this Tory extremism crap. Each 3 new members will have their own represetatives in the Council of Europe. Problem solved.
Seems like a top notch bloke. But I’m still super hazy on lib dem branding. I got: build the green economy Have more care If the policy difference between Labour and Tories is thin, then for the Lib Dem’s it’s non-existent.
Nick Clegg had good intentions but he went into bed with the Tories who screwed the Liberal Democrats over. He proped up Cameron and got very little in return! It make come to pass that the Liberal Democrats may need to rescue the Labour Party form being a minority government
@@al_l6418 i don't agree if you don't mind me saying so. Starmer is to the extreme right of the Labour Party. He's jettisoned all his pledges after becoming party leader. The Liberal Democrats are excellent on environmental policies and principles to get to net zero. They have strong and interesting ideas on social care. Davey is a man of purpose and integrity. He's also to the left of Labour (it wouldn't be hard) on many policy areas. The Liberal Democrats have learnt a savage lesson getting "into bed" with the Conservatives. At least they diluted the Tory agenda in 2010. Today, Starmer is not a man of the left. He's not even a social democrat in the true sense. Given this, a parliamentary Labour Party as a minority government wouldn't achieve much. But in alliance with the Liberal Democrats, I'm convinced they would be forced to be far more radical agenda to find solutions to this country's myriad problems.
@@al_l6418 I agree it was a big mistake "getting into bed" with the Conservatives. But Nick Clegg prevented the Tories from doing their very worst. In 2010 the country was on the precipice of collapse due to the financial collapse caused by casino banking in the City. We could have been declared bankrupt and required resuscitation by the IMF. The Coalition was not a government I agreed with. Nonetheless, even if we take the austerity into account it was way better than what came after! Brexit, clown prime ministers, liars, massive and brazen corruption by ministers, right wing zealots (Truss) and a complete disregard to those struggling to get by at the bottom. Government since 2015 has been chaotic and dreadful. Ed Davey has learnt the lessons of Conservative Coalition and is a man of vision and integrity. He is far to the left of Labour on the environment and social care. He also believes in social justice and that government has a responsibility to engender a more equal society
Not a Liberal, and not really paid much attention to Mr Davey, but What a Brilliant interview, Such a lovely Guy, Listening to his life story, especially his childhood, caring for his mother at 12, losing both his parents while still a child, you would have understood him to end up bitter and angry, but instead he has remained compassionate, caring and decent. His parents would be so proud of him.
Generally people in Ed's situation take one of two paths - they get bitter and anry at the world or they use it as inspiration to try and make things better for everyone (lots of the latter in politics, especially in the Lib Dems).
It's actually a suprisingly common theme within the Lib Dems - most have suffered a lot during their childhood amd uaed it as inspiration to make the world better for others.
It happens in across politics but especially in the Liberals
I'm a libdem since decades (mainly because of their support for PR) but have never heard Ed at length and was surprised and impressed how substantial he is. I hope they do tremendously well at the next election and can force Starmer's hand towards fairer voting. It will only ever come by force. Though a majority of labour members want reform, Starmer is as ever cautious, and as Ed says, what does he really think?
He thinks biology doesn't matter! But to many women it does.
I never could be for that reason
Not only because of PR, but there was a time when they promised to decriminalise cannabis, which was a pretty contentious policy at the time. They failed, countless citizens obtained criminal records, dealers prospered and the government lost out on a HUGE tax income. Well done Westminster.
I think Starmer will be like another previous Labour leader. In principle, ok with electoral reform. (even if it’s covertly in the ultra cautious Starmer) right until the moment they win a stonking majority with 40-something% of the vote and then they will suddenly forget all about it. The best thing that could happen for the U.K. would be a decent Tory defeat with a Labour minority government and a large contingent of Lib Dem’s they have to go into coalition with. I think looking at the current polls and recent by elections they’ll likely win a majority though.
Glad you have started uploading on this channel again
I have had a fascination with British politics ever since listening to Question Time on the BBC from my short wave radio (from Texas) in the 80s and early 90s.
I absolutely love this political podcast! Greetings from Texas!
I'm not a Lib Dem voter but I have a lot time for Ed Davey. Went through some really hard things and still became a sensitive and very accomplished man.
There are an awful lot of Liberals with similar histories.
What an extraordinary man.. 👏
You can say that again 😂 biology definitely isn't hos strong point.
Another excellent interview, Ed is my local MP but i have never had the opportunity to hear him talk at length before. He is genuinely a great guy and very active in the community.
Have you ever asked him why he took a knighthood in exchange for putting the Tories in power?
Im a labour guy but Davey seems like a top bloke.
hes got labour views thats why, he is anti-liberal
Just shows how people can be civilised and nice to each other and not shouting at each other Alistair and Rory keep up the good work
This is what politics should be. Room to explain one's position, the others listening, asking questions to clarify and then returning the favor by explaining their position without getting adversarial or bluntly confrontational. I wonder what happened to that bit of democracy and I'm so glad that this podcast shows that it can be done in good humor. Isn't that what societies have to be built upon to keep them together and make them function as a unity within an enormous abundance of diversity?
I'm an absolute avid listener of both your regular pod and Leading. I can't tell you how grateful I am to see this video. Please more more more. Huge admiration to Ed, Rory and Alistair
A pleasure to listen to you, Ed Davey
Well done Ed Davey. A lifetime in politics ( to say nothing of all those personal challenges ) still not cynical and remain optimistic and hopeful. Agree with your position re The State ( & need to exert sufficient checks & restraint ) and the need for careful regulation - and that tightrope between.
All three combine decency, intelligence, .and human warmth. A welcome break from our current political "leadership"
With a touch of misogyny, absolutely great isn't he.
Three of the most vile creeps in politics.
Compare this man with Boris Johnson. Unbelievable that in the UK, Ed Davey does not get more votes.
Has he got any policies
Cause he is way to Liberal, It might not matter to some, but to certain women it does, cause as ppl say in the world of woke "all rights matter" Shame money comes before all them ppls rights nowadays.
@@timcomley5948, yes. Policies are made at conference. The leader doesn't make them randomly, thankfully. So u turns are not necessary.
@@uniquevideosUk - could you explain how "being too liberal" hurts women. I'm guessing you're speaking about trans rights versus women's rights.
The position taken that trans-people can self identify etc. etc. is NOT a liberal position - it's an extreme left (and extremely niche) position.
The "all rights matter" position that you quote is the epitome of what it means to be a true liberal. This means, of course, compromise and negotiation to ensure we do not trample upon the rights of others when asserting our rights.
What self identifying and allowing trans women in female sports does is take a group of undeniably marginalised people (trans) and say because you are marginalised/victimised you are a victim and therefore always correct and cannot be questioned or denied whatever you wish for.
Boris is worth a million of that slimeball.
Wow ... Ed had to go through so much so young ....great respect to him ... he seems so calm and measured he will have empathy and understanding of many situations.
Very impressive fellow. We need more of this in politics.
wow. commenting at 5 minutes in. I'm a Lib Dem so very happy to hear Ed get some coverage (I met him once, briefly, in 2019) - but I also have cancer in my bones (recently discovered, pain is under control), so this is difficult to process.
Fantastic interview! Thanks for this :)
Wasn't a fan of Ed Davey, thought he was a bit of a wet wipe but....this interview and others I have seen have really endeared him to me. I see a man who really cares and is doing things for the right reason
Thank you Ed and team rest is politics :)
Great interview. I think he came across as a thoroughly decent bloke.
Ed Davey is a good parliamentarian, excellent communicator and far more radical than Labour. Starmer has ditched all the policies he said he passionately believed in.
Starmer isn't passionate. He flip flops weekly.
@@meenakshiminnis9460 i have to say Starmer is not a politican of conviction. He's not very honorable ither. Nonetheless, we may well have him as the next prime minister. What's interesting is he may wipe out the Tory majority of 90 seats, but may become a minority government or have to deal with the Liberal Democrats, which is why Ed Davey is suddenly important.
@@rolandrothwell4840agree
Ed Davey is one of the biggest inspirations on this planet. To go through what he did as a child, and to then have the anxiety of what his child will do once he goes as well as his wife being ill and to still have a smile on his face shows the true man he is. A beacon of hope for all those suffering today🙌🏽
Are you inspired by the way he sold out to the Tories in exchange for a knighthood?
@@clivet3252 he went into the coaliton government to hold back the Tories from the worst of their policies (see the s***show since 2016) and to put Liberal policies like equal marriage, doubling the income tax threshold, the Green investment bank and many others.
@@clivet3252 he went into the coaliton to fight the Tories and prevent (or at least delay) the s***show we have seen since 2016 as well as getting things like equal marriage, the doubling of the income tax threshold, keeping a cap on tuition fees and the Green investment bank.
.... and, boy, there were lots and lots of Liberal Campaign Stunts during the election to come!! 🤣
Thanks for posting.
I emigrated from the UK almost ten years ago now, and it's been difficult - both in a despairing and more practical sense - to follow the thread of what's been unfolding back home in that time, just as it's been near-impossible to feel part of the increasingly polarized (and still quite alien) political landscape of my adopted country (take a wild guess). It's refreshing, and reminds me of so much I miss and enjoy about British culture, to see a platform where a deliberate reconciliation of differences is attempted and the time and understanding required for nuance is actually afforded to those of differing political views.
As to Ed, he seems like a genuinely lovely man and I think he represents a lot of what I've always respected so much about the Liberal Democrats: their (necessary) focus on constituency politics and that sense of place that the Andys (Burnham and Street) mentioned in their discussion, their (oft-criticized) ability to find compromise across ideology to achieve their ultimate goals, and their role in our political system - at least it seems like - of introducing nuance and a tempering force to what could otherwise be a diametrically opposed shouting match between Labour and the Conservatives.
In many ways he reminds me of my State governor, Jared Polis, who I've worked with in various degrees over the years around renewables and clean transportation. Like Ed, I imagine, he receives his fair share of criticism for not adhering to standards of ideological purity, but where it matters I feel like he knows how to get things done - even if it's not the exact ideologically-driven method some voters/commentators might prefer. Particularly in respect to housing, which I think is probably the single greatest political issue of our time alongside the environment, it can be very difficult to forge a path between outright NIMBYism and the "build, build, build" mantra, but (in my opinion) he's clearly a force for good here. The UK's development landscape and decisions are absolutely dominated by an oligopoly of homebuilders with a laser focus on their bottom lines. And, as desperate as we are for housing, if we allow them to lead and dictate the development agenda it will almost certainly be an exercise in myopia and unwanted consequences.
I see that all too often here: tens of thousands of single family homes constructed on any greenfield land developers can get their hands on, miles and miles away from schools, services, and jobs, absolutely devoid of community or infrastructure, and wreaking absolute devastation on land that simply will never have substantial ecological value again. The long-term public cost for this compared to the amount the developers save and make in profit (vs. infill, more considerate development, long-term neighborhood planning) is incredible. It's understandable because those costs are commuted, but I don't think the public realize quite how heavy the burden of that myopia can be: billions to expand and adapt highways, hundreds of millions to construct new schools, hundreds of millions in costs associated with declining air quality, the untold costs of social isolation, the foregone economic driver of siting people near existing economic centers like our struggling high streets.
That was a long, coffee-fueled comment, but all that to say thank you for the platform and I can only hope we see real reform in the coming years after so long in the wilderness of Conservative infighting and chaos.
The overly kind comments about Ed Davey haven't aged well considering his utter complacency and apathy that considerably contributed to the destruction of hundreds of Postmasters lives and reputations, and the lives of four of them who committed suicide. The fact that Alan Bates wrote to Ed Davey five times only to be ignored, AND the fact that Ed Davey was paid consultancy fees by the same pit-bull lawyers who defended the Post Office against the postmasters is absolutely disgusting. This man is absolutely disgusting and the first of many things that should happen to him is the forfeiting of his totally undeserved knighthood.
Great to see the full pod. So much more engaging that just the audio
I have been a LibDem supporter (and member) for some years. So it was good to see, and to listen to, Ed Davey. He is likeable, comes across well, and seems a good man.
But a major problem is that this Podcast is the first time that I, a LibDem supporter, have heard Ed talk at any length about anything, let alone LibDem values and policy. Beyond Ed in this Podcast, sadly, I have scarcely seen, let alone been given the opportunity to listen to, any other LibDem potential minister talking much about anything beyond self backslapping after a local election win.
A few months ago I got so fed up with not knowjng about LibDem policy, nor having any idea about how they would deal with the various problems of the day, that I sent an email with a (quite long) list of topics on which I was hoping to get, in reply, a feel for those topics which mattered most to the LibDem leaders, and what their views were about what should be done about them. I sent this to the Party, and Welsh Party, leaders. I got zilch acknowledgement, far less reply!
Despite Ed’s assertion in this Podcast that “We have lots of policy” I still struggle to identify what that is and, as Alastair Campbell pointed out, to distinguish it with any real clarity from what I understand to be Labour policy. In fact I would go further and say that I am far from convinced that, with Rishi Sunak and Jeremy Hunt in charge at the moment, there is very much difference between any of the three main UK parties, and that the Tories will lose the next general election, barring an as yet unforeseen Labour catastophe, because they are the more internally divisive and because they have been in power for too long.
In the past, of course, the differences were far more stark. The Tories represented the bosses; Labour represented the workers. The Tories were better at raising money and encouraging others to do so; Labour were better at spending it and helping the poor; Tories reduced long winded laws and burdensome regulations; Labour increased them but often left loopholes. In all cases, the LibDems were somewhere in the middle and, not ever being solely in power, an unknown quantity!
Now, it seems to me, what does matter is the competence of those in charge. And for that we need to know who the individuals are likely to be, what they have in mind doing, and how and over what period do they think it will take to achieve what they plan to do.
I would prefer it if each party in the election were to be required to include, each time, in its Manifesto:
(a) Its major objectives. and which of those it expected to achieve within (i) their first period in power; and (ii) ten years;
NB 10 years rather than 15 years because 2 successive 5 year periods of government historically is the most that one party in power can reasonably anticipate.
(b) An assumption of how much money annually there will be to spend (the first year amount to have been supplied by the outgoing Treasury and to be used by all parties) over the 5 years of government, and an indication of how, and how much in each category, this is to expected to be funded.
We will not get it, of course.
It is my belief that the most successful and effective government, since the Tories returned to power in 2010, was the first one with the LibDems. Disastrous for the LibDems, yes, but for the country, no, because of the checks and balances that the LibDems brought to many of the more controversial Tory policies. Plus, of course, if the coalition had extended into a second term, the Brexit referendum would never have happened or, at the very least, not in the disastrous way that it did, with the country changing course to its detriment, thanks to the uninformed views of only 37.4% of the electorate, a significant section of which were too old to suffer its longer term effects.
One further lesson to be learnt, perhaps, is that the most effective governments in the UK over the last 50 years (and certainly those which have lasted longest) have been led by two people, largely complementing one another, ideally but not necessarily liking one another, but anyway also respecting each other and working in tandem together: viz Margaret Thatcher and Willie Whitelaw, Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, and David Cameron and Nick Clegg.
None of the current Government (or Assembly) leaders or those who aspire to be leaders are part of such a duo. And there does not seem to be one in sight. So the chances of a second term in government for whoever wins are not good.
I will probably vote LibDem again, even though it will be a punt and, quite possibly, because I know so little about the individuals that would form the Government, a disastrous punt. Because one change, that would surely come about, would be a move to proportional representation, a system which in my view is fairer, much more representative of the whole of the electorate, and by encouraging coalitions rather than hiding them within just two parties, is likely to more, rather than less, effort to co-operate than exists currently and more checks and balances than would be likely to occur otherwise. In addition, hopefully, it should give access to a wider pool of talent.
The Lib Dems have been let off the hook for what happened in 2010. It was one of the greatest ever political scandals. They campaigned to keep the Tories out then turned around and put the Tories in and collected knighthoods for it. That's corruption plain and simple.
I try to be a regular listener, this interview was exceptional. Very best wishes and happiness for 2024 to everyone (especially victory and peace to 🇺🇦)
This remarkable interview demands a huge respect towards Ed Davey. I wish him well - personally and politically (I commit to help here 😊)
The answer to the question posed by Malcolm Tucker about how are the liberals and labour different is that Labour want to continue to perpetuate the two party system, they want power in order to be able to do the same kind of shady deals the Tories have done, but with their mates rather than Rishis mates. I was incredibly impressed by Sir Ed, a real policitian who isn't in it just for himself.
I thought the most telling bit was Sir Ed saying 'I don't know what Starmer stands for', join the party no-ones does not even him
The shady deals the Tories have done were made possible by the shadiest deal of all - the Lib Dems putting them in power in exchange for knighthoods.
Àll sympathy to Ed for losing both parents at such a young age
Don't forget that whether you like us or not understand us or not we all citizens and your duty is to help us ALL! Don't be like a tory
Ed Davey truly is the politician of all time.
Ed Davey truly is the ponce of all time.
Is that a backhanded compliment because like most he's about as usful as a chocolate fireguard
@@aalexjohnayou’re a ponce?
@@aalexjohna💯💯💯💯 Spot on 🙏
@@biscuit4259 No Ed is, with his ludicrous statements as a leader on simple biology or sorry should I say misogyny.
Good discussion thank you very much!
Would love a Labour minority government with a supply and confidence agreement with The Lib Dem’s!
I so agree 👍 the Liberal Democrats after (after the Greens) are the most radical on the environment. They have interesting ideas on social care. Davey is a very good man and a solid parliamentarian. He also has genuine principles and beliefs. He won't ditch them because of opposition or negative media coverage. I want a politician to stand up for the politics they say they believe in
This is proof that we do have smart, reasonable and intelligent politicians they are just drowned out by the lunatics, Mr Davy is the best leader of a political party in the UK as far as I am concerned.
Ed Davey and Keir Starmer are the real deal.
😂😂😂 Plz 🙈
But what's the deal?
Starmer!? 😂😂😂. They are all dreadful.
@@chrisdickens4268 I dunno but it's dodgy
I'm glad the Lib Dems did well, I'm also very happy with the Green seats, and anti-genocide Independents. Labour needs a left-wing opposition that's actually willing to move this country forward. We're out of the mud, but the fascists are knocking at every door in the West.
I was hoping for a lib dem opposition to force labour into action, I feel that the Tories will be happy in opposition
Interesting hearing Ed talk about accountability.
The first ever general election I voted in I voted Lib Dem almost solely on their promise not to raise university tuition fees. Once in coalition it seemed the Lib Dems completely backed down on this stance and I felt like I'd been subject to false advertising.
That was my first delve into anything political and clearly I'm still bitter towards the Lib Dems over it. But since, it's clear to me that they are not unique in what they did.
Ed talking about accountability being key really speaks to me strongly, but I'm very conflicted on trust, particularly with the likelihood of it being another coalition.
All 3 parties broke promises on student finance and worsened it. LibDems increased the income threshold before it was paid and nearly 50% will be written off as a result
@@pastyman001 yep indeed. It was still a bad first experience of politics which really isn't motivating for future involvement. Not a great attitude to have tbh I know but when credibility and recourse is lacking so much compared to any other walk of life it's quite telling of the system we have.
I hope Westminster find a way to encourage more public involvement, probably via devolution and citizens assemblies, but I'm not confident that will happen in my lifetime.
You're not making any sense. Ed hasn't taken any accountability for the coalition - but he has taken a knighthood.
@@clivet3252 I never said he did.
With regards to tuition fees, it’s important to remember that Blair and his New Labour government was the one who introduced them in the first place despite promising in the April of ‘97 that he would not do so. So with that fact, there’s not many parties you could really vote for with regards to tuition fees
38 min. A reason to vote Brexit was the total absence of passionate positive arguments to remain. I had a game at work in which I argued for each position on alternate days and managed to persuade colleagues of that day's position. None of the big name televised discussions contained substance - which rendered us a laughing stock to the world
I voted remain mainly because I felt it would cause too many administrative problems, but that shouldn't be a factor for the general public. They should be a factor for the government not to offer a referendum in the first place.
For me the main issue with the 2019 election was that there was no coverage at all for the lib dems. Genuinely I didn't even know who the leader was. Even now to try and find out what the Lib Dems stand for or what their plans are I can't seem to find anything.
Ed Davey is the best of a bad bunch . Labour must do deals with Lib Dem’s for who is best to kick out the Toris , I want Lib Dem’s to be the opposition because they are more left than Labour, so it want be good to have two Tory Parties
Ed Davey is being a little bit humble when he doesn't need to be. He might have won his Surbiton constituency by only 56 votes and he may, genuinely, not expect to win, but we, those who voted for him, did. He was vibrant, energetic, accessible and was going after Richard Tracey with a contagious energy. I'm not a Lib/Dem fan particularly but I was a fan of Ed Davey.
I remember talking to a Tory Party activist some years later who said, that trying to win the seat back from Ed Davey was virtually impossible. He was such a great constituency MP it made her job almost a waste of time.
who will rid us of these turbulent tories?
Notice how when lumping Corbyn and Johnson into the same bucket, Stewart is very specific on Johnson’s sins but very vague on Corbyn’s. I wonder why…
they both committed the same sin of being too left wing and upsetting the centrists like Little Rory
More respect for him now that I know about.... The fact that he can find a vein makes him one of d' Mandem. Sir David you free in the hood. Come see us in west London
Oh Rory, check our fptp voting system, most voters voted moderate, the voting system nastily skews and hands power to minority.
I know, the voting outcome was grim, yet Ed thinks he's onto something 🙈 ppl are fed up of Liberals & all this nonsense we've seen recently.
What makes you think PR doesn't do the same? Have you seen Australian politics?
As someone who was working in the HOP during some of this time, the most notable thing was how few MP’s we saw actually in the HOP.
More video versions please!
How much suffering does one person have to go through and still remain cheerful and balanced. As well as a player in public. Might just have converted me.
It’s cute listening to Lib Dem’s talking policy. They put forward a wish list, but with no tangible plan to achieve it. Great to have on the opposition benches, but absolutely no use in power..
Ed's out here in these streets fighting against the opps
Its interesting to contrast this interview with Cleggs - and how obvious it is that being a current politician in contention for votes changes the narrative Davey has on the coalition.
Can we ask him why he accepted a knighthood for inflicting austerity and the fixed term parliament act on the country?
This is what I want to know. No one ever talks about the knighthoods. It's the biggest corruption scandal of all time and no one ever talks about it.
I have never watched a politics show in 58 years, nor even a 10 minute YT clip. But I was fascinated and totally drawn by this coming together. It reinforced my view that Rory is the strategist & premier we should have had; it softened my view on that quite ghastly Alistair C; and it made me wonder - why on earth is this the first time I’ve heard policy, a driving motivation and simply unreal openness from a mega-weight politician whose career deserved better cards?
@@BM-rr1ir - please elaborate.
We need the Lib dems in coalition to push through STV/PR and more ambitiously to rejoin the single market.
😂😂😂😂 We need a change, not the same ppl that have all failed constantly & EU is over, if ppl moved on we'd maybe get somewhere, I have a LibDems council & their clueless.
I wouldn't want anyone who calls out women as a percentage, as a leader.
@@uniquevideosUk "their clueless" average reform voter
Davey trousered £275,000 working for the firm that had innocent post office workers sent to prison. He MUST RESIGN from public office NOW.
Ed Davey complaining that he doesn't know what Keir Starmer stands for is pretty funny tbh 😂.
22:04 This is the problem with the whole system.... Winning power and winning seats! Winning has nothing to do with improving lives overall. Winning is a selfish endeavour within itself that doesn't benefit anyone but those at the top. Until we as a people start working together is when we will see improvement and growth. Local level is where it's at. A more local approach and equalising each area is where you get results.
Interesting you bring this up. Should look into Big Society.
Ed went very quickly from talking about limiting the state's power to demonstrating the success of not allowing developers to lead the charge on new housing stock.
Because limiting the state power in a democracy can increase the power of a democracy. Limiting business interest can do the same too.
Freedom is the power to question who controls you.
I’m only 15 minutes in, but I have to say I’m pleasantly surprised. What a remarkable life story.. I might actually consider voting Lib Dem now.
But why? What's he said? Just his personal life and irrelevant matters in the first 15 minutes.... nevermind his record in the coalition..... weak stuff this
His younger years have formed him. His caring nature is essential now more than ever. Empathy for others and their struggles is what drives fair policy.
@@garethatkins450 literally in their cabinet lol
@@meenakshiminnis9460 what caring nature? He got a knighthood in exchange for putting Cameron in power. He's as selfish and corrupt as it gets.
The incoming government needs to focus on health and getting people away the cars and onto other forms of transport especially by cycling for local journeys. Local and national cycle ways across the whole of the country would contribute immensely!
45:51 Straight question about being back in EU.... 45:57 question avoided.... Then drones on with no clear message. This is Politics!!!!
The way in which he tried to dodge the question and answer a slightly different question at 45:56 really grated on me.
Like biology than 🙈 sorry I should say misogyny! how any woman can speak highly on this man is beyond me.
@@uniquevideosUk, I am a cis straight woman and manage to not be transphobic, so it's quite easy for me.
@@meenakshiminnis9460 why are you describing yourself as cis?
Fear of Jeremy Corbyn, possibly, but they did vote LD in May 2019, and the LDs won 16 out of the 73 seats, more than Labour and the Tories put together. But it's true, that one was sort-of-PR.
You do know nobody votes anymore from the red wall or these wouldn't stand a chance, it only takes someone with commonsense to get a good campaign on the go, than them ppl will be out voting again, I see the tide turning more by the day.
Message A public meeting on the environment in Wirral yesterday evening . There was not one single candidate from Labour or Conservative present. Clearly neither of these parties are bothered about sewage in rivers or harm to the environment in general.
In 2019, the LibDems basically made it seem like they were equally likely to partake in a coalition with either of the two major parties. This made it fairly unclear what a vote for them would materialize in!
Not true. The LibDems have said "Never" to working with the Tories again and would not have in 2019 after their experiences with Tories up to 2015
I think the issue of unpaid carers is really important. Carers allowance is a pittance and needs to be at least equalised with the rate of job seekers allowance, it needs to be tax free, the income threshold before it is removed needs to be raised to at least 16 hours at the Real Living Wage and pensioners need to be entitled to carers allowance because it’s so unfair that they are not currently.
His analysis of 2019 seems all the strong now we've had the 2024 election. With people not scared of the Labour leader the Lib Dems romped to their best ever result. People could vote for them because they were not terrified of what Starmer would do as PM.
They'll be scared of him soon. He's a very dangerous authoritarian. Fortunately he doesn't know what he's doing and will probably be out before the end of 2027. If not sooner.
The forum provided here with gentle challenges which are serious and fun, but not personal, gives us an opportunity to see past sound bites and slogans. I do wish that LibDems could have a bigger impact as their moderate view is so much better for the running of a nation that the radical right or left. Tribal politics means that the impact of the few is exaggerated. When most seats change on a swing of 2-5%, the few can determine everything for the majority. Without a balanced challenge from media and protection of the judiciary, this becomes dangerous.
Fgjhing hell fire, Ty Ed Davey 26 min in timestamp,
We want cost of living, NHS,
Interestingly, this comes over as more ‘tribal’ than any other of your excellent podcasts. I wonder if this reflects that Lib dems are not viewed kindly by either of the two main parties. At local political level, dislike of Lib Dem’s is often something that unites both cons and Labour. Why is this? Because they are often excellent local activists and campaigners who can split the vote. I think this almost innate dislike is pervading this podcast. A shame.
Just because politicians get a ridiculously long summer break doesn't mean that podcasters should!
Pod casters are self employed & take holiday when they choose .
They are self employed, they choose.
@@pollytickle8346 I like he takes long holidays! Cause if he entertains the likes of Ed the 🤡 it's less nonsense for ppl like me to see 😉
Labour wilderness years and Conservative Party in government for so long... so much due to Blair-Brown betraying Ashdown, not reforming electoral system, not reworking all those tiny Scottish constituencies for which they did very little. B-B blew it despite some good but, ultimately, superficial work that was vulnerable to Tory FPTP win (eg, SureStart, NHS working well)
They will disappear at GE time like melting snow in the sunshine. Irrelevant.
The busiest office was the expenses office
The LibDem economic policy doc has just come out and there is hardly a fag paper between it and Starmer's Labour.ON tax and Business Rates reform, Green energy and getting back into the Single market, LibDems are more radical.
If we have a LibDem-labor coalition next election it's our best chance for getting an PR-based system which means more of a balanced swing between labor and Tories taking power with more parties I can actually want to vote for making a difference being the greens in my case. So kind of joined the labor party this year just to increase the chances of me having a say in PR and trying to contribute in a more proactive way to make it happen.
Like if you historically track elections not only do Tories mostly benefit from First past the post and win the majority of elections because of this despite the fact that many of the ones where they do they get only the minority share of the vote. Meaning we get a party that primarily attracts members who are self-interested in their own profit with a few good apples who legitimately are ideologically aligned with right-wing principles that I disagree with but hey at least they believe they are doing good and are not there to line their own profits.
So having a politics that actually reflects the people and can have more diverse views on both sides should be better for everyone overall even if compromise becomes more of the norm. But it would help people who feel that a certain party or heck even both mainstream parties are corrupt like they have a way to actively feel like it would matter if they vote against the big two parties meaning those who go into politics only for the interest in their own power have to tread way more softly when it comes to screwing the people over to line their own pockets.
So corruption will be still a thing, but at least via the vote we have an increased chance to reduce its effects on policy.
I would prefer a lottery-based system but I know that's unlikely where people are picked at random to serve as a politician for a certain area. Which would nearly erase that corruption and have it be like a public service that's salaried similar to that of how court duty is aligned. But I know that is less likely to happen any time soon so this is the next best thing.
Labour have moved to the right and so will benefit from first past the post, so won't change it.
What grade did Rory get at Oxford?
Have the good grace to allow a previous public servant his privacy.
@@cahillgreg don't be so obsequious to the ruling elite, this isn't France
Oh for goodness sake dont join with labour you cant trust starmer or the labour party with their past record,
But you can the liberal "austerity" Democrats... I assume you're too young to have voted in 2010
Starmer! lower than a snakes arse, he stitched up Jeremy Corbyn. He couldn't wait to grab the top job.
Great fan of TRIP. But will Alastair ever get the EU thing? The EU is changing a la macron and Germany and there are other joiners queuing for the reformed structures of the EU to come. Our 'old EU' has gone. There is nothing to rejoin. If there was, the EU wouldn't think of negotiating. It is a matter of sectoral partnerships. Good for both parties.
Seriously hoping might not be. Still Labour.
The LibDems should have entered a coalition ONLY on the condition a new election law with proportional party vote is imolemented first. And they should have offered thst to the Tories and Labour to make it happen.
They ended up with a promise of a referendum which was too weak to even consider it.
I don't understand all this Jeremy Corbyn fear nonsense. What were people so afraid of?
Flippin eck, I think Ed Davey could have done with some more personal loss and pressure really.
At 30:40 and 33:33, Rory calls Jeremy Corbyn a Lunatic and dissmess him quite classlessly.
In Politics on the edge, there's no solid reason to why he dislikes Corbyn so much. And One can be sure it's not the anti-semite allegations.
At some point, Rory (Not Alistair - we know all why) needs to declare what the basis of his ire for him is, because he is clearly not in the liar or unhinged bracket like say, Boris.
This is someone whose political agenda crux is - “Do not hurt people”
So what is the issue?
For the return to the European Union, we would need to show to the rest of the EU member countries that the people of the British Isles (i.e. Wales, Scotland and England) have rejected Brexit, the causes of brexit and the political climate that caused this extremist situation is no more.
The whole constitution in the UK would need to be reformed into an open democratic and federal type of system. The centralised government must be opened up to input from the regions. and the cause the Tories would need to buried and new political parties created for our modern age.
The may take too long for our combined economy to hold up as it would need virtually a new identity for the nations of the UK.
It may be better for the UK to break up into its independent nations just as the other centralised regimes in East Europe did in the 1990s.
For Wales and Scotland to become independent nations, Northern Ireland to be re-united into the Irish Republic, and for England to become a Federal Republic.
A Republic of Wales and Scotland could both apply to join the EU as newly independent European nations just as the Baltic states did. Ireland will remain as a EU member. Then England will eventually join the EU after it gets over this Tory extremism crap.
Each 3 new members will have their own represetatives in the Council of Europe.
Problem solved.
The engineers know how to achieve net zero but folk like Mr Putin have a different view
Seems like a top notch bloke. But I’m still super hazy on lib dem branding.
I got:
build the green economy
Have more care
If the policy difference between Labour and Tories is thin, then for the Lib Dem’s it’s non-existent.
31:09 let's face it, they got outnumbered and bullied
Damn right the coalition harmed you, the damage done by enabling the Tories and then not holding them in check, will never vote LD again
🎉
YES yo all points Sd Davey says!!!!!!!!!!!❤
The coalition was going pretty well until Cameron called sn election and shafted the Lib Dems.
Did PPE, does that mean your useless at everything else?
42:05
lol and it gets worse Campbell the man behind Blair and his war that cost millions of lives ,someone ask Campbell what really happened to Dr Kelly ?
Poor mans Nick Clegg. Got the flexible morality but not the charisma.
Nick Clegg - good or bad?
Nick Clegg had good intentions but he went into bed with the Tories who screwed the Liberal Democrats over. He proped up Cameron and got very little in return! It make come to pass that the Liberal Democrats may need to rescue the Labour Party form being a minority government
very bad
@@al_l6418 i don't agree if you don't mind me saying so. Starmer is to the extreme right of the Labour Party. He's jettisoned all his pledges after becoming party leader. The Liberal Democrats are excellent on environmental policies and principles to get to net zero. They have strong and interesting ideas on social care. Davey is a man of purpose and integrity. He's also to the left of Labour (it wouldn't be hard) on many policy areas. The Liberal Democrats have learnt a savage lesson getting "into bed" with the Conservatives. At least they diluted the Tory agenda in 2010. Today, Starmer is not a man of the left. He's not even a social democrat in the true sense. Given this, a parliamentary Labour Party as a minority government wouldn't achieve much. But in alliance with the Liberal Democrats, I'm convinced they would be forced to be far more radical agenda to find solutions to this country's myriad problems.
@@rolandrothwell4840 I like Davey but Nick Clegg got us Cameron
@@al_l6418 I agree it was a big mistake "getting into bed" with the Conservatives. But Nick Clegg prevented the Tories from doing their very worst. In 2010 the country was on the precipice of collapse due to the financial collapse caused by casino banking in the City. We could have been declared bankrupt and required resuscitation by the IMF. The Coalition was not a government I agreed with. Nonetheless, even if we take the austerity into account it was way better than what came after! Brexit, clown prime ministers, liars, massive and brazen corruption by ministers, right wing zealots (Truss) and a complete disregard to those struggling to get by at the bottom. Government since 2015 has been chaotic and dreadful. Ed Davey has learnt the lessons of Conservative Coalition and is a man of vision and integrity. He is far to the left of Labour on the environment and social care. He also believes in social justice and that government has a responsibility to engender a more equal society