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Recent events

We have had a huge selection of social and campaigning events here in Hackney as you can see below;

Pizza and Politics event: “Where next for Multiculturalism?”

Wednesday 18th January, 8pm - 10pm.

*** NOW AVAILABLE ON A LIVE VIDEO STREAM at the above date at around 8.30pm ***

Meeting at; Flat 2, 8-13 New Inn Street, LONDON, EC2A 3PY. See map. Nearest train/tube stations are Old Street and Liverpool Street. Buses 21, 26, 35, 43, 47, 48, 55, 67, 76, 78, 133, 135, 141, 149, 205, 214, 242, 243, 271.

The previous Labour government introduced the "Prevent" counter-terrorism strategy directed in particular to the Islamic community after tensions were raised during 911 and the war in Iraq. However because of funding controversies this policy has become a political football and the question that is being asked today is that is this doing more harm than good? We are delighted to have a distinguished set of speakers; Andrew Stunnell MP, the Lib Dem minister responsible for implementing the policy under the current government, Jamie Bartlett, Head of the Violence and Extremism Programme at the think tank Demos, Dawood Akhoon, Lib Dem councillor in Hackney, and Akeela Ahmed who runs the Muslim Youth Helpline (www.myh.org.uk) and it's sister project www.muslimyouth.net. Entry is £10, or £5 for those on low incomes. This pays for a pizza meal with vegetarian options. Book online now - £10 or £5 low income £10 click here; £5 click here;

Pasta and Politics event: "What chance for a Quality of Life in economic hard times?".

Wednesday 2nd November, 8pm - 10pm.

Meeting at; 239 Church Street, Stoke Newington, LONDON, N16 9HP. See map. Nearest train station is Stoke Newington (via Liverpool Street). Buses 393, 141, 341, 73, 476.

Money isn't everything, there are many ways to enjoy life without being rich. Even so, at a time when rising inflation is reducing our living standards, and many people are concerned they might lose their job - or have done already - money seems more important than ever. So what if anything can be done to improve our quality of life? Our guest speaker is Jeremy Hargreaves who was chairing the Lib Dem Quality of Life working group that proposed the motion on the Quality of Life at our last conference. Entry is £10, or £5 for those on low incomes. This pays for a pizza meal with vegetarian options. Book online now - £10 or £5 low income £10 click here; £5 click here;

Autumn Garden Party event: "Media wars".

Sunday 4th September, 2pm - 5pm.

Meeting at; 74 Amhurst Road, LONDON, E8 1JH. See map. The nearest train stations are Hackney Central (via Stratford or Highbury and Islington) or Haackney Downs (via Liverpool St). Busses to Hackney include 30, 38, 48, 55, 56, 106, 236, 253, 242, 254, 276, 277, 394, D6 and W15. See the bus map here.

Dave Raval will be hosting our next garden party for the first time. Over many years the Liberal Democrats have been at the receiving end of the Murdoch press, and now more recently we have seen just how ruthless they have been. Clearly there needs to be better regulation of the press, it is hard to imagine the abuses stop with the New of the World. But where does that leave the liberal committment to freedom of speach? We are delighted that local member Andy May, until recently the national organiser of the Take Back Parliament campaign, will be our guest speaker for this event. Entry is £10 on the door. This pays for finger food with vegetarian options. OR - Book online now - £8 or £5 low income £8 click here; £5 click here;

Hustings for the Lib Dem Nomination for the mayor of London

Wednesday 3rd August 8pm - 10pm

Meeting at; 24 Lidfield Road, London N16 9LX. See map. Busses run to Newington Green include 21, 73, 141, 236, 341, 476. See the bus map here.

London Lib Dem candidates, from left; Brian Haley, Lembit Opik, Brian Paddick, Mike Tuffrey

Simon De Deny will be hosting for the first time a Hackney Lib Dem event. Do the Liberal Democrats have the right candidate to take on Boris Johnson and Ken Livingstone in the London Mayoral elections next year? What should be done about the congestion charge? Are we ready for the Olympics? What should be done about policing in London? Are we doing enough to reduce pollution and protect the environment? What should be done about the cost and quality of housing in London? Come along to our hustings and find out the answers. There are currently 4 candidates seeking the Liberal Democrat nomination; Brian Haley, Brian Paddick, Lembit Opik and Mike Tuffrey. We are delighted that all of the candidates have agreed to come along and speak at our hustings. Entry is £10 on the door or £5 for low income. *** Special Offer for first time attendee; entry £5 ***

Summer Garden Party event: "Equality, Diversity and the Liberal Democrats".

Sunday 5th June, 3pm - 6pm.

Meeting at; 53b Newick Road, Clapton, LONDON, E9 5NY. See map. The nearest train station is Clapton. Busses to Clapton include 38, 48, 55, 56, 106, 253, 254, 393, 425 and 488. See the bus map here.

William will be hosting our next garden party for the first time. At the last general election the Campaign for Gender Balance (CGB) did a great job in getting women candidates in winnable seats for the Liberal Democrats, only to find that one of them won, whilst three were lost. How did this happen? And what do we do now to put things right? Lee Chalmers is a trainer for the CPB and she gave up a successful career in business to become a life coach. She has coached senior members of companies such as HBSC, KPMG, BP, Arts Council and Cap Gemini. You can read her blog here. She believes that business is 20 years ahead of politics on tackling this. According to Lee "I can see where we need to go and the very real challenges that are in our way." Joe Jordan is a local party member who has been putting together a motion on this topic to be submitted at the autumn Lib Dem conference. Joe has a blog here. Entry is £10 on the door. This pays for finger food with vegetarian options. OR - Book online now - £8 or £5 low income £8 click here; £5 click here;

Summer Garden Party event: "Reasserting the Liberal Democrats".

Sunday 5th June, 3pm - 6pm.

Meeting at; Flat B, 17 Windsor Wharf, LONDON, E9 5NY. See map

Ben will be hosting our next garden party for the first time, at a great location near the canal. The coalition is making some difficult decisions and the Liberal Democrats are taking the blame. How do we stop becoming the heat shield for the Tory party? How do we reassert the identity of the Liberal Democrats and show our supporters they were right to back us at the last general election? Dr Evan Harris was the MP for Oxford West until the last general election and has since led the campaign by the Social Liberal Forum to oppose the marketisation of the NHS. Entry is £10 on the door. This pays for finger food with vegetarian options. OR - Book online now - £8 or £5 low income £8 click here; £5 click here;

Spring Garden Party event: "What is happening to our NHS?".

Sunday 8th May, 2pm - 5pm.

Meeting at; 225 Evering Road, Clapton, LONDON, E5 8AL. See map

Victoria will be our host at her lovely house. Because we have an aging population, the cost of the NHS goes up every year. In the Coalition agreement NHS spending was ring fenced from spending cuts which was generous compared to other departments, but still a very tight settlement given the increasing demands. So the pressure is on to acheive more with less. But how realistic is that, and is the government going the right way about it? We are delighted to have 2 excellent speakers for this event to dicuss very important and emotive issue. Dr Prateek Buch PHD is a research scientist, and an executive member of the Social Liberal Forum. He helped instigate the "Amendment 1" at the recent Spring Liberal Democrat conference which generated the momentum behind the current rethink of the NHS reforms. Paul Burstow MP is the Lib Dem Minister of State for the Department of Health and is right at the sharp end in the negotiations between the Coalition partners on this issue. Entry is £10 on the door. This pays for finger food - invariably excellent when prepared here - with vegetarian options. OR - Book online now - £8 or £5 low income £8 click here; £5 click here;

Pizza and Politics event: "Should the British government be selling arms to the Middle East?".

Thursday 14th April, 8pm - 10pm.

Meeting at; 239 Church Street, Stoke Newington, LONDON, N16 9HP. See map

The Middle East has long been a major source of business for the British arms trade. Nearly every government in the Middle East has an appalling human rights record and not only are they using these weapons against their own people, but in the case of Lybia using them against us our own troops as well. So what should be done about it? Jeremy Browne and Nick Harvey have argued in favour of greater international cooperation to stop this from happening. For a more independent assessment we have invited Anne-Marie O'Reilly from the Campaign Against the Arms Trade to be our guest speaker. Entry is £10, or £5 for those on low incomes. This pays for a pizza meal with vegetarian options. Book online now - £10 or £5 low income £10 click here; £5 click here;

Pizza and Politics event: "Will the Banks get away with it?".

Special guest speaker Lord Oakeshott

Thursday 31st March, 8pm - 10pm.

Meeting at; 8-13 New Inn Street, Flat 2, LONDON, EC2A 3PY.

Entry IF YOU PAY ON THE DOOR is £12 Entry IF YOU BOOK IN ADVANCE is £10, or £5 for those on low incomes. This pays for a pizza meal which will have vegetarian choices. Send your cheque to "Hackney Lib Dems" to Henry McLoughlin Flat 9, Majestic Court, Portland Rise, LONDON, N4 2UT OR Book online now - £10 or £5 low income £10 click here; £5 click here;

It is banker's bonuses that are currently getting the headlines, but there is also a fundamental concern that unless the banks are radically restructured that it would only be a matter of time when the banking fiasco of 2007 - 2009 will be repeated all over again. The Liberal Democrats are clear about what needs to be done to stop this, but the banking lobby is powerful within the Conservative party and they want to block reform. So what is going to happen? One person who has a good idea what is happening behind the scenes is our speaker for this event; Lord Oakeshott. An economist by training (University and Nuffield College, Oxford), Lord Oakeshott's first job was in the Kenya Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning as an Overseas Development Institute/Nuffield Fellow. He then worked as Special Adviser to Roy Jenkins from 1972 to 1976, both in opposition and in Government. He was at Limehouse with Roy Jenkins for the formation of the SDP and served on its National Steering Committee and Economic Policy Committee. He joined the Lords in May 2000. Lord Oakeshott started his own business in 1986 which invests in commercial property, mainly shops and industrial property, all over the United Kingdom for pension funds, charities and investment trusts. Until recently he was the Lib Dem Treasury Spokesman in the House of Lords. He resigned over the issue of bankers pay, but he is still optimistic that meaningful and radical reform of the banks can still take place.

Pizza and Politics event: "Community Politics - how does the Big Society measure up?".

Thursday 24th February, 8pm - 10pm.

Meeting at; 74 Amhurst Road, Hackney, LONDON, E8 1JH.

Gordon Lishman will be our guest speaker and he is the author of "The Theory and Practice of Community Politics" - a must read book for every Lib Dem community activist. Gordon Lishman joined Age Concern England in 1974, becoming Director General of the charity in 2000. He left in 2009, having led the charity through to its merger with Help the Aged, to form a new charity, Age UK. He was awarded an OBE in 1993[4] and the CBE in the New Year Honours 2006 for services to older people. You can buy books on community politics here including the "Theory and Practice" book. Plus you can view a free copy on the book online here. Entry is £10, or £5 for those on low incomes. This pays for a pizza meal. Book online now - £10 or £5 low income £10 click here; £5 click here;

Public meeting; "How to rebuild the Liberal Democrats' identity"

Wednesday 24th November, 8.30pm - 10pm. Entry £5, or free if you are a member of Hackney Liberal Democrats

Guest Speaker: Neil Stockley. Venue: The Gallery, Edwards Lane, near Stoke Newington Library, Stoke Newington Church Street, N16 0JS

This meeting follows the AGM of Hackney Liberal Democrats, to which Hackney Lib Dem members are admitted free of charge.

Neil Stockley will be our guest speaker for this event. Neil is a former Director of Policy for the Liberal Democrats. He was a member of the party’s Federal Policy Committee and in 2007 chaired the working group that developed a new climate change policy for the Liberal Democrats. Currently he is a member of the Facing the Future Policy Working Group, which charged with setting the party's priorities in policy development for this parliament. Neil also has a popular blog

Some people are excited to see the Lib Dems in government and implementing many of their policies. Others are concerned about the difficult and unpopular decisions that are being made in order to reduce the national debt. And some wonder if the Liberal Democrats are not putting their case in the best way that they can. Whichever way you look at it, the identity of the Liberal Democrats is changing.

So this is a debate we need to have. And a great chance for you to take part.

This event will be held at the Gallery, which is near the Stoke Newington Library on Stoke Newington Church Street. See the map of the location here. Local buses that get you there are the 73 and 476 from Angel, and the 393 from Finsbury Park or Clapton.

Entry is £5 for which you can pay here (or on the door);

Pizza and Politics event: How Liberals win; past, present and future.

Thursday 7th October, 8pm - 10pm.

Meeting at; 239 Stoke Newington Church Street, N16 9HP.
Mark Pack is someone that everyone would want in their local party. He is the leading innovator in using IT to connect the Liberal Democrats to the electorate. He has also analysed previous election strategies and has plenty of ideas of what we should do in future elections. So what does he say we should do now? Come along and find out!

Book online now - £8 or £5 low income

£8 click here;
£5 click here;

Sunday 12th September, 2.00pm
Hackney Liberal Democrats Autumn Garden party. Afghanistan - what is the current conflict really all about ?

Our autumn garden party for 2010 will be at; 
2 Albion Road,
just north of Newington Green, Stoke Newington,
N16 9PJ,
You are very welcome to come along and bring friends along with you.

Our guest speaker will be looking at a problem our politicians cannot seem to solve, the never ending war in Afghanistan.

Paul Reynolds is involved in Liberal Democrat policymaking - Policy Working Groups on Globalisation, and on International Development. He is also regularly a UK delegate to ELDR (European Liberal Democrats) and Liberal International. In 2009 Paul successfully launched a campaign to change Lib Dem policy on Afghanistan.

In his professional life Paul works as a political and economic adviser to government leaders and political parties in poor and middle-income counties, having worked in more than 60 countries worldwide to reduce poverty. He also engages in charitable work. Despite his anti-war stance Paul was appointed Political Adviser to Coalition forces (SAO) in Iraq in 2003, appointing the first post-war regional government there. In 2008 Paul worked as adviser in Afghanistan with UK forces, the British Ambassador and DfID. Paul has worked in other conflict zones including Haiti, Sri Lanka, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, East Timor. Paul works with sister parties of the Lib Dems in overseas countries.

To help us organise this event we are offering a cheap advance booking rate of £5

Or you can turn up on the day and pay £10

Sunday 1st August, 3.00pm
Hackney Liberal Democrats Summer Garden party. This Parliament does not represent us. Time for the Alternative Vote?

Our summer garden party for 2010 is at a new venue for us at; 
60 Lordship Park,
Stoke Newington,
N16 5UA,
just north of Clissold Park. You are very welcome to come along and bring friends along with you.

Our guest speakers will be focussing on a very important referendum taking place next May on the Alternative Vote.

Anthony Barnet is for many years a leading campaigner for liberty and democracy. He was the founding director of Charter 88, now Unlock Democracy and co-director of the Convention on Modern Liberty. Currently he is co-director of the Take Back Parliament campaign which supports changing the voting system to proportional representation. Currently they are part of the "Yes" campaign for the referendum on the Alternative Vote (AV), which takes place next May. He is a founder of the excellent Open Democracy website, and often writes articles in the OurKingdom section

Bridget Fox was the Lib Dem candidate for Islington South at the last 2 general elections, and turned a safe Labour seat into a marginal in the process. Bridget is a passionate campaigner and a popular speaker at these kind of events.

Pizza and Politics event: The Conservative - Liberal Democrat coalition: will it work?

Wednesday 16th June, 7.30pm for an 8pm start

Our special guest will be Matthew Hanney, who has been at the heart of Nick Clegg's office since Nick was a rookie MP and the party's humble Europe spokesperson. Please come and hear him tell the story of how the coalition came to be and how it will actually work in practice.

Location: Central Hackney, send an email to events@hackneylibdems.org.uk to find out where the venue is.

Book online now - £8 or £5 low income

£8 click here;
£5 click here;

We look forward to seeing you!

Leaders debate part 1 - in the pub! Thursday 15th April, 8pm

Come and watch the leader's debate with Hackney Liberal Democrats at "The Albion", 94 Goldsmith's Row, London E2 8QY. See map here; http://tinyurl.com/yz9y74f. This event is FREE and open to the general public. Better than watching it at home, as expert punditory is provided from local Lib Dems!

Leaders debate part 2 - in the pub! Thursday 22nd April, 8pm

Come and watch the leader's debate with Hackney Liberal Democrats at "The Duke Of Wellington" pub, 119 Balls Pond Road London N1 4BL. See map here; http://tinyurl.com/y2rn5ba. This event is FREE and open to the general public.

Hackney Lib Dems Campaign Launch; "Reflecting Hackney".

To celebrate the large number of Lib Dem candidates from a variety of ethnic groups standing in the forthcoming Parliamentary and Local elections.

You are welcome to come and meet them at;

The Vortex Jazz club, Dalston, Monday 22nd March, 7.30pm.

Speakers; Turhan Ozen (Liiberal Democrats Friends of Turkey) and Lester Holloway (Operation Black Vote).

Liberals believe that a diverse society is something to celebrate. We are pleased therefore that many of our candidates in the forthcoming elections this year come from different ethnic backgrounds. You are welcome to come along and find out who they are. Also we have 2 excellent speakers; Lester Holloway who is a member of the Lib Dems and an activist in Operation Black Vote (OBV) and Turhan Ozen, founder member of the Lib Dem Friends of Turkey.

The event is at the Vortex Jazz Club in 11 Gillett Square, London N16 8AZ and starts at 7.30pm. Nearest train station is Dalston Kingsland, which you can get to via Highbury and Islington or Stratford. Also there are lots of buses; including 149 from Liverpool Street and 76/243 from Old Street.

The cost of advance tickets is £10, or £5 for those on low incomes. Or you can pay on the door for £12. Included in the price is a finger food buffet with good vegetarian options.

Upcoming events

Below, you'll find a list of some of our upcoming events. Stay tuned as we expect to see some more big names here in Hackney before the end of the year.

Carshalton and Wallington Regional Action Day (Saturday, February 25th, 2012)

Campaigning session on Saturday, February 25th, 2012 at 10.00 am. A day of free food, socialising, and invigorating campaigning.It follows the highly successful day in Colchester, in January, where we did a residents survey of almost 12,000 houses.On Saturday, February 25th, with your help, we want to do even better.To help us provide the best possible experience for people coming, we're asking people to register, so we know menu choices for food, and can make sure there is the right amount of campaigning materials.If you're unsure if you can come, you can still provisionally register, then tell us later if you can't make it.http://sutton-libdems.org.uk/carshalton-and-wallington-regional-action-day

Federal Conference, Gateshead/Newcastle (Friday, March 9th, 2012-Sunday, March 11, 2012)

Conference on Friday, March 9th, 2012-Sunday, March 11, 2012.

Federal Conference, Brighton (Saturday, September 22nd, 2012-Wednesday, September 26, 2012)

Conference on Saturday, September 22nd, 2012-Wednesday, September 26, 2012 at 10.00 am.