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 The BBC's Robin Oakley reports"The Lib Dems are looking for a unique selling point to sharpen their identity"  real 28k  |
Kennedy calls for internet voting
Charles Kennedy in talks with deputy leader Alan Beith
Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy has called on the government to consider introducing internet voting.
He told the party's spring conference he would be raising the matter with government ministers at the Joint Cabinet Committee.
Mr Kennedy said he would also be asking if voting could be extended over a weekend - like many continental countries do - rather than confined to the traditional Thursday.
Both initiatives are designed to reduce apathy and improve turn-out at general elections, by-elections and local authority polls.
Internet voting is still in its infancy. Earlier this month the first online poll took place in Arizona.
More than 35,000 voters - a third of the expected electorate - used the internet to choose their candidate in the state's Democrat Party primary.
Mr Kennedy also told the party's spring conference in Plymouth, Devon, he was not "fixated" with their special relationship with Labour.
He said he planned to continue with the Joint Cabinet Committee, which was set up under Mr Kennedy's predecessor, Paddy Ashdown, as part of his drive for closer links with Labour.
'Not be all and end all'
Mr Kennedy told the 1,500 delegates he and Prime Minister Tony Blair had agreed earlier this week the committee should continue to meet.
But he said it had only met once in the six months of his leadership and was not the "be all and end all" of influencing government.
He told the party's spring conference he would be raising the matter with government ministers at the Joint Cabinet Committee.
Mr Kennedy said he would also be asking if voting could be extended over a weekend - like many continental countries do - rather than confined to the traditional Thursday.
Both initiatives are designed to reduce apathy and improve turn-out at general elections, by-elections and local authority polls.
Internet voting is still in its infancy. Earlier this month the first online poll took place in Arizona.
 Polling stations could be a thing of the past
|
Mr Kennedy also told the party's spring conference in Plymouth, Devon, he was not "fixated" with their special relationship with Labour.
He said he planned to continue with the Joint Cabinet Committee, which was set up under Mr Kennedy's predecessor, Paddy Ashdown, as part of his drive for closer links with Labour.
'Not be all and end all'
Mr Kennedy told the 1,500 delegates he and Prime Minister Tony Blair had agreed earlier this week the committee should continue to meet.
But he said it had only met once in the six months of his leadership and was not the "be all and end all" of influencing government.
There's further useful work we feel can be done about the modernisation of politics  |
Charles Kennedy
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Mr Kennedy said: "It's met once since the change of leadership - before Christmas we had quite useful discussions about freedom of information, further reform of the House of Lords in particular and Europe.
"I had a discussion at the beginning of this week with Tony Blair about the further work of the JCC. We are going to keep it going.
"There's further useful work we feel can be done about the modernisation of politics."
Mr Kennedy said: "My genuine impression is that an awful lot has been made of the JCC. It's important and useful but it's by no means the be all and end all of influencing the government.
Police shake-up
"It meets once in a while when there's something to be done but I'm not fixated by it."
Earlier the party's home affairs spokesman, Simon Hughes, called for a radical shake-up in the running of police forces in England and Wales.
He said there needed to be a shift in the way crimes were dealt with.
Mr Hughes said local police forces should concentrate on local problems and regional and national forces should concentrate on major crimes.
His proposal would mean the abolition of traditional county police forces, he said.
"I had a discussion at the beginning of this week with Tony Blair about the further work of the JCC. We are going to keep it going.
"There's further useful work we feel can be done about the modernisation of politics."
Mr Kennedy said: "My genuine impression is that an awful lot has been made of the JCC. It's important and useful but it's by no means the be all and end all of influencing the government.
Police shake-up
"It meets once in a while when there's something to be done but I'm not fixated by it."
Earlier the party's home affairs spokesman, Simon Hughes, called for a radical shake-up in the running of police forces in England and Wales.
 Simon Hughes called for a police shake-up
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Mr Hughes said local police forces should concentrate on local problems and regional and national forces should concentrate on major crimes.
His proposal would mean the abolition of traditional county police forces, he said.
With Labour there will be thousands fewer police. With the Liberal Democrats there will be thousands more |
Simon Hughes
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Mr Hughes attacked the policing record of both the Tories and the current Labour government because of falling police numbers.
"The trend that started under the Tories has accelerated under Labour," he said.
"With Labour there will be thousands fewer police. With the Liberal Democrats there will be thousands more," he told the conference.
"The trend that started under the Tories has accelerated under Labour," he said.
"With Labour there will be thousands fewer police. With the Liberal Democrats there will be thousands more," he told the conference.
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