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MEDIA COVERAGE

08/03/2010

Shane Frith, director of Progressive Vision, appeared on BBC Radio Wales to discuss the public sector strike. He claimed all three main parties were being cowardly over refusing to tell the public exactly how big the spending cuts would have to be.

08/03/2010

Shane Frith, director of Progressive Vision, appeared on BBC Radio 5; The Victoria Derbyshire Show . He debated the public sector strike and the need to reduce government expenditure. He pointed out that the government is essentially bankrupt and cuts must be made

26/02/2010

Shane Frith, director of Progressive Vision, had an article on Conservative Home discussing anti-capitalist green groups and how businesses and governments in the developed world need to stop pandering to them.

25/02/2010

Shane Frith, director of Progressive Vision, is quoted in Personnel Today's coverage of the decision by British Airways cabin crew to strike. Progressive Vision has called for the ban on hiring replacement agency workers during a strike to be lifted to allow companies to continue operating during industrial action.

25/02/2010

Shane Frith, director of Progressive Vision, appears on the BBC Radio Worcester Breakfast Show discussing the report into the failings of Stafford Hospital. He argued that the families of the patients of Stafford knew that their hospital was failing, but were unable to go elsewhere because of the lack of choice in a centralised, bureaucratic system.

23/02/2010

Shane Frith, director of Progressive Vision, is quoted in a story in Recruiter Magazine discussing the decision by British Airways staff to strike. He argued that the strike action is proof of the need for radical amendments to labour laws, particularly to allow the hiring of replacement agency workers during a strike.

21/02/2010

Shane Frith, director of Progressive Vision, appeared on the BBC1 The Big Questions discussing whether the press are out of control. During the discussion he reminded the audience that while we have a choice of whether to purchase a newspaper who print articles we find offensive, with the BBC we have no choice, since if we do not pay the licence fee "Sir Ian Blair's former colleagues will come around and arrest you".

09/12/2009

Shane Frith, director of Progressive Vision, has an article on Conservative Home. In it he supports Tesco and other supermarkets and calls for the Conservative Party to reject the attempts to impose regulations on supermarkets.

28/10/2009

Mark Littlewood, communications director for Progressive Vision, had an article printed in the Daily Telegraph. In it he claims that the minimum wage is a triumph of wolly-headedness over reality, and that the Conservatives need to rethink their policy on it

26/10/2009

Mark Littlewood, co-founder of Progressive Vision has been appointed as director-general of the Institute of Economic Affairs.

15/10/2009

Mark Littlewood, communications director of Progressive Vision, appeared on BBC World's The Record Europe. He was debating the Copenhagen climate change talks with Charlotte Lucas MEP and Jo Leinen MEP. Mark accused environmental groups of hiding the true costs of carbon reduction policies and pointed out that if the move to a low-carbon economy were so economically beneficial, the market would have already found a mechanism.

01/10/2009

Shane Frith, director of Progressive Vision, argued that it is time to expose the real cost of environmental movement policies on the developing world in an article on Conservative Home. He pointed out the vast number of deaths that had come about from environmentalist opposition to DDT as an anti-malarial agent.

21/9/2009

Mark Littlewood, communications director of Progressive Vision, is mentioned in an article in Spectator Magazine about whether the Liberal Democrat Party is the party of 'classical liberalism'.

20/9/2009

Mark Littlewood, communications director of Progressive Vision, was interviewed on Radio 4's Westminster Hour at the Liberal Democrat Conference. He discussed the future of the Liberal Democrat Party.

20/9/2009

Mark Littlewood, communications director of Progressive Vision, was interviewed as part of a panel discussion on the London regional section of BBC1's Politics Show. He appeared with Simon Hughes MP and Brian Paddick.

20/9/2009

Mark Littlewood, communications director of Progressive Vision, appeared on BBC Radio 4’s The World This Weekend, discussing Liberal Democrat electoral strategy.

19/9/2009

Mark Littlewood, communications director of Progressive Vision, was interviewed on BBC News channel. He discussed the Liberal Democrat Conference and his outlook for the party going forward.

19/9/2009

Mark Littlewood, communications director of Progressive Vision, appeared on BBC Radio 5’s Breakfast Programme to discuss the Liberal Democrats’ message in the run-up to the election next year.

19/9/2009

Mark Littlewood, communications director appeared on the BBC Wales Breakfast Programme discussing the challenges for Nick Clegg and the LibDems at the Bournemouth conference.

19/9/2009

Mark Littlewood, communications director of Progressive Vision, is referred to in a Daily Telegraph list of the fifty most influential Liberal Democrats.

17/9/2009

Mark Littlewood, communications director of Progressive Vision, has an article in the Daily Telegraph discussing Liberal Democrat strategy. He argued that the Liberal Democrats should focus their efforts on holding seats in Southern England, rather than chasing Labour seats in the North

17/9/2009

17/9/2009

Mark Littlewood, communications director of Progressive Vision, appeared as a panellist on  BBC Radio 5 Live; The Richard Bacon Show arguing that capitalism was the best economic system on Earth and that the world needs more of it.

9/9/2009

Angela Harbutt's criticism of the British Medical Association on the Liberal Vision website for calling for a ban on alcohol advertising is mentioned in the Spectator Magazine.

30/8/2009

Shane Frith, director of Progressive Vision, argued that the NHS is not the envy of the world on Conservative Home.  He said: "On objective measures of outcomes, the NHS is one of the worst systems in the developed world and far from the best.  A truly progressive politician would seek to provide Britain with the best health system in the world."

9 /8/2009

Mark Littlewood, communications director of Progressive Vision, appeared on BBC, Radio 4's Westminster Hour.  He argued that the Liberal Democrats should advocate less public spending and a smaller state out of principle, not out of expediency. He said that liberals should be enthusiastic about reducing the political and economic influence of the central state, not bemoan that cuts were necessary merely because times were tough.

5/8/2009

Progressive Vision is mentioned on Conservative Home with a poll showing that 58 per cent of Conservative Party members support a relaxation of the smoking ban.

2/8/2009
Shane Frith, director of Progressive Vision, appeared on BBC1’s The Big Questions arguing that the alcohol regulation and taxes should not be increased. He argued that tax increases and minimum priced would lead to an increase in black market activity and the use of illegal drugs.  He argued that free healthcare exacerbated the so-called binge drinking culture and that people requiring medical treatment from alcohol abuse should be charged for the cost of the treatment.

1/7/2009

Shane Frith, director of Progressive Vision, argued for a relaxation of the smoking ban on Conservative Home.  He said: "This Labour government has infantilised the people of Britain with an enormous growth of the nanny state. The smoking ban, affecting private property, is one of the more egregious examples of this attitude. I, as a non-smoker, have never been forced to walk into a smoke-filled bar, yet Labour’s nanny state believes I am a victim and need to be protected. If given a choice, I will prefer to stay in non-smoking sections of pubs or visit non-smoking pubs, but as an adult I deserve that choice."

12/6/2009

Mark Littlewood, communications director of Progressive Vision, appeared on BBC 2’s Newsnight to discuss Hazel Blears.

5/6/2009

Mark Littlewood, communications director of Progressive Vision, appeared on BBC 1’s coverage of the local election results with Kevin Maguire of The Daily Mirror and Alice Miles of The Times

4/6/2009

Mark Littlewood, communications director of Progressive Vision, appeared on BBC 2’s Newsnight as part of the programmes’ new jury of experts in the countdown to the next election.

30/5/2009

Mark Littlewood, communications director of Progressive Vision, appear on Press TV's, Africa Today to discuss the role of multinationals in the developing world.

29/5/2009

Mark Littlewood appears on BBC Radio 4’s The World Tonight discussing Nick Clegg’s handling of the expenses scandal.

21/5/2009

Mark Littlewood was a panellist on BBC Question Time Extra discussing that night’s edition of Question Time, which was dominated by the expenses scandal.

20/5/2009

Mark Littlewood was interviewed on BBC2, Newsnight about the allegations against Lord Rennard.

13/5/2009

Mark Littlewood appeared on BBC, Radio 5 Live discussing how the Liberal Democrats have fared during the expenses revelations.

12/5/2009

Mark Littlewood is quoted in a politics.co.uk article on the Liberal Democrats benefitting from the expenses scandal.

23/4/2009
Shane Frith participated in an online debate with the Economist Intelligence Unit on preventative medicine.  He argued that government advocacy of health issues, soon evolved into illiberal laws.  He also argued that the NHS was a deeply flawed system for encouraging people to take responsibility for their own health.

20/4/2009
Mark Littlewood appeared on the BBC 1, Six O’clock News arguing that the Lib Dems needed to stop refining their tax policy and start communicating a clear low-tax message to the electorate.

14/4/2009
Mark Littlewood appeared on BBC, Radio 5's Richard Bacon show arguing that  James Purnells’, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, new proposals on tackling alcoholism were a gimmick that would end up costing the taxpayer more.

26/3/2009
Mark Littlewood appeared on BBC Radio Wales arguing that local government surveillance powers had gone too far and were in danger of creating petty tyrannies.

7/3/2009
Mark Littlewood, communications director, appeared on BBC One, Breakfast  to debate the proposed new alcohol laws in Scotland.

2/3/2009
Mark Littlewood, communications director, appeared on Channel 4 News with the Scottish Justice Minister to debate the proposed new alcohol laws in Scotland.

2/3/2009
Mark Littlewood, communications director, has an article on the Daily Telegraph blog criticising the Scottish National Party's proposal for minimum prices for alcohol in Scotland.

25/2/2009
Mark Littlewood, communications director, was a panellist on the BBC Radio Wales lunchtime phone-in debating the proposals in this month’s Prospect magazine to bring back national service. He opposed the idea as illiberal, inefficient and unenforceable.

22/2/2009
Mark Littlewood, director of communications, appeared on BBC1’s The Big Questions arguing that the welfare state was failing, that most people could be expected to provide for themselves and that hard work and aspiration were often disincentivised.
 

6/2/2009
Mark Littlewood, communications director of Progressive Vision, appeared on BBC Radio Wales to discuss the "surveillance state".  He argued that the government was extending surveillance by stealth.
 

5/2/2009
Shane Frith, director of Progressive Vision, has an article about the BBC and controversial presenters in the Daily Telegraph blog.  He argues for the abolition of the licence fee to allow viewers to vote with their feet.

12/1/2009
Shane Frith, director of Progressive Vision, debated proposals to place an R18 classification on films which "glamorise" smoking with a representative of Smokefree Liverpool on BBC, Radio 5.  Shane argued that such an idea was futile and impinged on the freedoms of filmmakers and the public.

6/1/2009
Shane Frith, director of Progressive Vision, appeared on Press TV to discuss capitalism.  He described it at the best way to deliver happiness and prosperity to society.

18/12/2008
Mark Littlewood, Progressive Vision's communications director, is mentioned in an article about the Liberal Democrat leader, Nick Clegg, in the Guardian.  Discussing proposed changes to the Party's education policy, he is quoted: "The thing about this year's tax debate was that they were taking on the large but niche sandal-wearing contingency. The thing about this spring's fight will be that they will be taking on all the members who are students or teachers – a huge proportion."

18/12/2008
Mark Littlewood, Progressive Vision's communications director, is mentioned in an article about the Liberal Democrat leader, Nick Clegg, in the Independent.  "Mark Littlewood, the former head of media for the party, warned that Mr Clegg risked getting a reputation for gaffes, but added: 'He now has a party that is at ease with itself. It is a united party and he has earned that.'

16/12/2008
Mark Littlewood, communications director of Progressive Vision has an article in the Western Daily Press arguing against increased restrictions on tobacco.

9/12/2008
In the News reported on Progressive Vision's response to the tobacco restrictions announced in the Queen's Speech.  It reported: "Classic liberal thinktank Progressive Vision said the move represented 'petulant bullying' by the health secretary.

Its director Shane Frith said: 'He is going to cause inconvenience and financial harm to the retail trade in the midst of an economic recession.

'The country's 14 million adult smokers have a right to buy and consume tobacco without hectoring politicians trying to make them feel like criminals.'"

5/11/2008
Coverage of Progressive Vision's US Election Night Party, the largest such event on London.

5/11/2008
Coverage of Progressive Vision's US Election Night Party, the largest such event on London.

5/11/2008
Coverage of Progressive Vision's US Election Night Party, the largest such event on London.

5/11/2008
Coverage of Progressive Vision's US Election Night Party, the largest such event on London.

3/11/2008
Mark Littlewood, communications director of Progressive Vision, debated class with RMT general secretary Bob Crowe on BBC, Radio 5.  Mark argued that class is an outdated concept – effort and skill is what determines people’s income.

3/11/2008
Coverage of Progressive Vision's US Election Night Party, the largest such event on London.

3/11/2008
Mark Littlewood, communications director of Progressive Vision, has an article in Parliamentary Monitor discussing Nick Clegg.  He concludes: "Caution is not a sensible strategy. Nick and the LibDems need to take more risks and court more controversy. A bold, imaginative and quintessentially liberal platform could be just what is needed to avoid the threat of a third party squeeze."

1/11/2008
Coverage of Progressive Vision's US Election Night Party, the largest such event on London.

21/10/2008
Shane Frith, director of Progressive Vision, has an article about gender pay equity in the Telegraph blog.  He discusses a recent report which argues that gender pay differences are not based on discrimination.

10/10/2008
Shane Frith, director of Progressive Vision, has an article about the financial crisis in the Telegraph blog.  He argues that the current crisis is the result of decades of government regulation and intervention.

2/10/2008
Mark Littlewood, Progressive Vision's Communications Director, is a guest theatre reviewer for the Guardian.  He reviews the political play Now or Later.

26/9/2008
Guido Fawkes reports on Progressive Vision's criticism of Nick Clegg's call for a minimum price on alcohol.  He refers to Progressive Vision as "properly liberal".

15/9/2008
The Today Programme featured a debate between Mark Littlewood, Chairman of Liberal Vision, and Evan Harris MP about whether the Liberal Democrats should offer tax cuts.  Mark stated that taking power and money from the hands of politicians and bureaucrats, an giving it to individuals is inherently liberal.

1/8/2008
politics.co.uk reported on Progressive Vision's call for a windfall tax on energy companies to be ruled out.

It reported: "Shane Frith, director of Progressive Vision, comments on the idea of using a tax windfall on energy companies to support vulnerable members of the public:

'Speculation about windfall taxes harm's Britain's economic reputation, even if they are never imposed.

'Political leaders need to put the interests of the nation ahead of political point scoring and end the debate about windfall taxes today.

'Windfall taxes are arbitrary and retrospective actions, creating great uncertainty. The fact that these taxes are even being contemplated at a high level does the nation great harm.

'Investors, who pay taxes and create jobs, will be discouraged from investing in Britain if they believe that a windfall tax is possible in the future.'"

25/7/2008
Shane Frith, director of Progressive Vision,  writes in the The Western Daily Press about the advantages of the Swedish system of school choice.

24/7/2008
Shane Frith, director of Progressive Vision, has an article on the Telegraph blog arguing that centralised assessment in the NHS fails to address the underlying problems with Britain's health system.

23/7/2008
Communications Director, Mark Littlewood appeared on BBC Radio Ulster to discuss the proposed regulations for the alcohol industry.  He argued against such regulations and for British citizens to be treated like adults.

22/7/2008
Shane Frith, director of Progressive Vision, has an article on the Telegraph blog describing his involvement with a work for the dole scheme in New Zealand in the 1990's.

21/7/2008
Shane Frith, director of Progressive Vision, has an article on the Telegraph blog arguing that the Conservatives shouldn't go into the 2009/10 election campaign following strategies appropriate for 2005.

18/7/2008
myfinances.co.uk reports on Progressive Vision's response to the Office of Fair Trading's report on bank charges.  It reports: "But thinktank Progressive Vision reckons we are getting a good deal, for the £185 the banks make.

'£150 is not a lot of money considering the services such as phone banking, free cash withdrawals, chip and pin payments," says Shane Frith at Progressive Vision, which is campaigning for less regulations.

Indeed, on the continent paying for banking services we have now taken for granted, such as current accounts and cash withdrawals, is commonplace.

'The individual must take responsibility for their actions,' Mr Frith says, 'and not blame banks.'

He explains a walk along the high street shows how clear competition is."

18/7/2008
Mark Littlewood, Progressive Vision's communications director, has an article on the Telegraph blog commenting on free speech and the word "chav".

17/7/2008
Shane Frith, director of Progressive Vision, has an article on the Telegraph blog comparing the tax cut pledge from Nick Clegg to the tax increase warning of David Cameron.

17/7/2008
Communications Director, Mark Littlewood appeared on BBC 1, News at Ten.  He praised Nick Clegg’s move to cut the overall tax burden as bold an imaginative and a powerful electoral weapon to be used against the Conservatives, and outlining the challenge Clegg faces in persuading his own party of his new policy.

17/7/2008
Communications Director, Mark Littlewood appeared on BBC 2, Newsnight.  He praised Nick Clegg’s move to cut the overall tax burden as bold an imaginative and a powerful electoral weapon to be used against the Conservatives, and outlining the challenge Clegg faces in persuading his own party of his new policy.

16/8/2008
Credit Today reported on Progressive Vision's response to the Office of Fair Trading's attack on banks.  It reported: "Mark Littlewood, communications director of think-tank Progressive Vision, said the OFT should be supporting the banks. He said the benefits of having a current account in Britain are substantial. 'The Office of Fair Trading should be applauding the banking sector, not threatening it.

'Banking is already over-regulated. The last thing customers need is an increase in red tape. If banks had fewer and less complex regulations to comply with, they would be able to charge their customers considerably less.'"

14/7/2008
Mark Littlewood, Progressive Vision's communications director, has an article on the Telegraph blog commenting on David Davis' re-election and calls upon him to take up the cause of privacy rights in the digital age.

9/7/2008
Mark Littlewood, Progressive Vision's communications director, appeared on BBC London TV News.  He argued that the government's proposed ID card scheme and database posed a serious threat to liberty and privacy.

9/7/2008
Mark Littlewood, Progressive Vision's communications director, has an article on the Telegraph blog commenting on David Cameron's speech on individual responsibility and "moral neutrality".

9/7/2008
Pharma Times reports on Progressive Vision's response to the British Medical Association's claim that the NHS was being run like a "shoddy supermarket war".   It reported: "Dr Meldrum’s comments to the conference on Monday that the NHS in England is being run 'like a shoddy supermarket war' have been described as 'ridiculous' by liberal think tank Progressive Vision. 'The NHS should be subjected to more supermarket-style competition not less. It would help to ensure that health care became more responsive to the needs and desires of patients and less driven by the interests of doctors and doctors’ unions,' said the group’s director, Shane Frith."

8/7/2008
Heath Radio.net reports on Progressive Vision's response to the British Medical Association's claim that the NHS was being run like a "shoddy supermarket war".   It reported: "Responding to comments by the BMA Chairman Dr Hamish Meldrum that the National Health Service is being run like a 'shoddy supermarket war', Progressive Vision, the classical liberal think tank, has said that the NHS should be run more like supermarkets, not less. Shane Frith, director of Progressive Vision, said; 'Dr Meldrum's remarks are ridiculous...'"

8/7/2008
Medical News Today reports on Progressive Vision's response to the British Medical Association's claim that the NHS was being run like a "shoddy supermarket war".  It reported: "Responding to comments by the BMA Chairman Dr Hamish Meldrum that the National Health Service is being run like a 'shoddy supermarket war', Progressive Vision, the classical liberal think tank, has said that the NHS should be run more like supermarkets, not less.

Shane Frith, director of Progressive Vision, said;

'Dr Meldrum's remarks are ridiculous. Supermarket competition is neither shoddy nor warlike. Supermarket customers can buy a wide and diverse range of products, at very reasonable prices and can expect minimal queues or waiting times to get what they want.

'If only NHS patients were so lucky. They often have to wait weeks or months for the treatment they need, have very little choice in the service they get and end up receiving health care that rates amongst the worst in the advanced world.

'The NHS should be subjected to more supermarket-style competition not less. It would help to ensure that health care became more responsive to the needs and desires of patients and less driven by the interests of doctors and doctors' unions.'"

8/7/2008
Management in Practice reports on Progressive Vision's response to the British Medical Association's claim that the NHS was being run like a "shoddy supermarket war".  It reported: "A liberal think tank has condemned comments by the BMA's chairman that private firms being allowed to run aspects of the NHS means the service is being run like a 'shoddy supermarket war'.

"The director of Progressive Vision, Shane Frith, said the NHS should be run more like supermarkets, not less. He branded Dr Hamish Meldrum's (pictured) remarks to the BMA's annual conference in Edinburgh as 'ridiculous', adding that supermarket competition was 'neither shoddy nor warlike'.

"'Supermarket customers can buy a wide and diverse range of products, at very reasonable prices and can expect minimal queues or waiting times to get what they want,' he said. 'If only NHS patients were so lucky. They often have to wait weeks or months for the treatment they need, have very little choice in the service they get and end up receiving health care that rates amongst the worst in the advanced world.'"

7/7/2008
Mark Littlewood, Progressive Vision's communications director, has an article on the Telegraph blog criticising British Medical Association's attack on smoking in movies.

7/7/2008
Shane Frith,  director of Progressive Vision, appeared on BBC Radio 5 Live's Drive programme.  He argued that the NHS was a bureaucratic monster and that it should be replaced with Singapore style health savings accounts.

3/7/2008
Mark Littlewood, Progressive Vision's communications director, has an article on the Telegraph blog analysing that the Liberal Democrats should support liberalism and oppose the nanny state.

1/7/2008
24dash.com reports on Progressive Vision's response to a survey by the Local Government Association that criticised liberalised drinking laws.  It reported: "Progressive Vision, the liberal think tank, believes irresponsible drinkers – not the taxpayer - should pick up any bills associated with their behaviour.

Shane Frith, director of Progressive Vision, said: 'Many predicted that anarchy and chaos would be the result of longer licensing hours. This has simply not been the case.

'But where costs have increased, these should be borne by irresponsible drinkers, not by taxpayers in general.

'If you drink so much that you fall over and are admitted to hospital, you should not expect the expense to be borne by the public purse.

Adults should be entitled to drink whatever they want, whenever they want, but if they over-indulge, they should face the full costs of doing so.'”

27/6/2008
Mark Littlewood, Progressive Vision's communications director, has an article in the Telegraph analysing the Liberal Democrat's poor performance in the Henley by-election.  He writes: "Greatly to his credit, Nick Clegg has dropped some hints that the LibDems could become the party of low taxation at the next election. But he has yet to adopt the policies to make such a claim truly plausible. Supporting changes in current tax rates without committing to reduce the overall tax burden is too complicated a message – and not one that is obviously attractive to soft Conservative voters. But if Clegg was willing to take the next logical step – and support a lower total tax package than the Tories in the party’s manifesto – this could make a considerable difference to the party’s prospects in the electoral battlegrounds of southern England."

politics.co.uk reported on Progressive Vision's criticism of Harriet Harman’s proposed equalities laws on recruitment.

It reported: "But proposals on workplace equality have been widely derided. Even Progressive Vision, a classic liberal thinktank, called the plans 'ludicrous' and 'a recipe for disaster'.

Mark Littlewood, Progressive Vision's communications director, said: 'To allow gender or race to act as a tie-breaker in a close contest is offensive and immoral.

'If being a white man can be the determining factor in failing to get a job, where will this logically end?

'These proposals will lead to resentment, arbitrary decision-taking and risk making discrimination in Britain worse not better.'"

26/6/2008
Inthenews.co.uk reported on Progressive Vision's criticism of Harriet Harman’s proposed equalities laws on recruitment.

It reports: "But proposals on workplace equality have been widely derided. Even Progressive Vision, a classic liberal thinktank, called the plans 'ludicrous' and 'a recipe for disaster.

Mark Littlewood, Progressive Vision's communications director, said: 'To allow gender or race to act as a tie-breaker in a close contest is offensive and immoral.

'If being a white man can be the determining factor in failing to get a job, where will this logically end?

'These proposals will lead to resentment, arbitrary decision-taking and risk making discrimination in Britain worse not better.'"

26/6/2008
HR Zone reported on Progressive Vision's criticism of Harriet Harman’s proposed equalities laws on recruitment. "Mark Littlewood, communications director of think tank Progressive Vision, said that the plans for positive discrimination are a 'recipe for disaster' and would lead to job recruitment being based on political correctness rather than merit.

'To allow gender or race to act as a tie-breaker in a close contest is offensive and immoral. Many recruitment processes can be close – but dead heats are rare. Rational employers should seek a further round of interviews or take up additional references,' he said.

'These proposals will lead to resentment, arbitrary decision-taking and risk, making discrimination in Britain worse not better.'"

23/6/2008
Mark Littlewood, communications director of Progressive Vision, appeared on BBC Radio 5 Live to discuss the government's social mobility "crusade".  Mark argued that such schemes simply made a life on welfare more attractive. 

11/6/2008
Shane Frith, director of Progressive Vision, writes in the Yorkshire Post on education reform.  He calls for an end to centralising directives  from Whitehall and for parents and teachers to be empowered through a system of school choice as seen in Sweden.

28/5/2008
Mark Littlewood, communications director of Progressive Vision,  writes in the Free Society website calling for an end to nanny state intervention into peoples' lives over alcohol.  Mark argues that enforcement of existing drink age laws and making people pay for drinking related illness and accidents would more effectively address any adverse effects from excessive alcohol consumption

21/5/2008
Mark Littlewood, communications director of Progressive Vision,  writes in the The Western Daily Press calling for an end to nanny state intervention into peoples' lives over alcohol.  Mark argues that enforcement of existing drink age laws and making people pay for drinking related illness and accidents would more effectively address any adverse effects from excessive alcohol consumption.

9/5/2008
24dash.com reported on Progressive Vision's response to Gordon Ramsay's call to for legislation to ban restaurants from selling fruit and vegetables which are out of season. It reported: "Responding Ramsay’s suggestion, Mark Littlewood, communications director of liberal think-tank Progressive Vision, said: 'The idea that law enforcement officers should ensure that the right type of strawberries are sold at the appropriate time of year is utterly ludicrous.

'Chefs should be entitled to serve whatever produce they want, whenever they want. It’s up to individuals – not Gordon Ramsay and Gordon Brown – to decide which restaurants are worthy of their custom.

'Gordon Ramsay’s apparent concern for the environment smacks of hypocrisy. This is a man who enjoys driving Aston Martins, Ferraris, Bentleys, BMWs and Range Rovers.

'If he is so determined to cut carbon emissions, he should start by getting rid of his luxury cars rather than by lecturing the rest of us about when and where we can eat asparagus.'”

7/5/2008
Wiltshire Business reported on Progressive Vision's call for Royal Mail to be privatised.  It said: "Responding to the initial findings of the independent review of the postal sector, Progressive Vision, the classical liberal think tank, has said that Royal Mail should be sold off in order to fully realize the benefits of market liberalization.

Mark Littlewood, communications director of Progressive Vision, said: 'It's not enough for Royal Mail to be subject to competition from other companies. It needs to be sold off completely.

'It is an antiquated, slothenly, unimaginative and creaking institution. Without the full rigors of market discipline, Royal Mail will fail to adapt to the realities of modern communications.

'It is also high time that the principle of universal service was challenged. Email and the internet have spread like wildfire.

'It surely cannot be necessary to guarantee postal deliveries six days a week to every property in the country - however isolated and remote.

'The universal service obligation is typical of an industry in which old rules go unquestioned and new technologies are often ignored.'

Progressive Vision is a classical liberal think tank, arguing for less government intervention in economic and social affairs."

23/4/2008
Progressive Vision's comment on the teachers' strike was the lead item on Educate Online.  It reported: "Shane Frith, director of Progressive Vision said: 'It is utterly ridiculous for pay deals affecting hundreds of thousands of teachers to be negotiated by union bosses and government ministers in Westminster. How on Earth can a handful of senior trade unionists and politicians credibly decide how much each and every teacher should be paid? With such an antiquated, centralised system, it is a miracle that our children’s education isn’t disrupted on a more regular basis.'"

28/3/2008
The Daily Mail reported on Progressive Vision's Freedom of Information Act request to discover how much the BBC spent securing the rights to broadcast Formula One. It reported: There have been claims that the BBC has been spending excessive amounts on its sports coverage. Last week it was revealed that the corporation had paid around £200million for the rights to screen Formula One - £50million more than ITV paid for its current deal - despite having no rival bidders.

The corporation won back the right to broadcast the event after 12 years. It announced a five-year deal starting next year.

But BBC bosses were criticised for splashing out massive amounts of cash on sports broadcasting rights when they were not even faced with a competitive bidding process.

The Formula One costs emerged after Liberal think-tank Progressive Vision submitted a Freedom of Information request demanding the BBC make the costs public.

25/3/2008
Mark Littlewood, Progressive Vision's communications director, appeared on Channel 5 News, raising concerns about the spread of CCTV cameras.

25/3/2008
Metro reports on Progressive Vision's response to calls to ban the display of cigarettes and vending machines. "Mark Littlewood of the think tank Progressive Vision condemned the proposals as 'petty, pointless and patronising'. He added: 'It won't prevent a single young person from taking up smoking, and would put retailers and adult smokers to considerable inconvenience.'

25/3/2008
The Daily Telegraph reports on Progressive Vision's response to calls to ban the display of cigarettes and vending machines. "Mark Littlewood, the communications director of the think tank Progressive Vision, said: 'Banning the display of cigarettes and vending machines would be petty, pointless and patronising.'

'These sorts of ideas are typical of a government who seem hell bent on intervening in every single aspect of our lives, however trivial.'"

25/3/2008
The Birmingham Post reports: "Mark Littlewood, communications director of liberal think tank Progressive Vision, said: 'Cigarettes are a product for adults and steps need to be taken to prevent youngsters buying them. But banning the display of cigarettes would be petty, pointless and patronising.'"

25/3/2008
The Daily Star reports on Progressive Vision's response to calls to ban the display of cigarettes and vending machines. "Mark Littlewood, communications director of classical liberal think tank Progressive Vision, said: 'Banning the display of cigarettes and vending machines would be petty, pointless and patronising. It won’t stop a single young person from taking up smoking. It’s typical of a Government which seems hell-bent on intervening in every single aspect of our lives.'"

25/3/2008
The Yorkshire Post reports on Progressive Vision's response to calls to ban the display of cigarettes and vending machines: "Mark Littlewood, communications director of think tank Progressive Vision, said: 'Cigarettes are a product for adults and sensible steps need to be taken to prevent youngsters buying them but banning the display of cigarettes and vending machines would be petty, pointless and patronising.'

He added: 'These sorts of ideas are typical of a government who seem hell bent on intervening in every single aspect of our lives, however trivial.'

24/3/2008
The Telegraph published a letter from Shane Frith: "Francis Maude's interview (March 22) should strike fear into anyone seeking a more prosperous and fairer Britain. His only concern appears to be the election of a Conservative government, with little care as to what it might do when there.

His concern about taxes is driven by electability, not whether the economy would benefit from fewer resources being transferred from the productive sector into the hands of bureaucrats.

He sees policies such as health and education as pawns with which the public can be assuaged by platitudes about safety, yet we see no concern for the many thousands suffering due to inadequate care at the hands of the NHS. Nor does the privately educated Mr Maude seem to aspire to any real improvement in the state school system.

Since his removal as party chairman, its fortunes have recovered, following promises to cut inheritance tax. And George Osborne repeatedly professes his desire for tax cuts when possible, along with a desire to share the 'proceeds of growth'. Ambitious positions on education also bode well - although this is sadly lacking in health.

To win the next election, the Tories must demonstrate clear differences between it and Labour, which is something Mr Maude seems incapable of.

21/3/2008
The Daily Mail reported on Progressive Vision's Freedom of Information Act request to discover how much the BBC spent securing the rights to broadcast Formula One.  It reported: "In a separate move, the liberal think-tank Progressive Vision submitted a Freedom of Information request demanding the BBC makes public the costs of the rights."

11/3/2008                                                        
The Birmingham Post reports Progressive Vision's slamming of the recent schools admissions statistics as a "scandal". Shane Frith, director of Progressive Vision is quoted as saying that children who missed out should receive the equivalent value of their education to spend at a school of their choosing.

4/3/2008
Mark Littlewood appeared on Newsnight to discuss the Liberal Democrats' position on a European referendum. He said the Liberal Democrat leadership should not abstain on the issue of whether there should be a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty.

21/2/2008
Jonathan Isaby's blog reports on Progressive Vision's response to calls by Tesco for the Government to regulate the price of alcohol. He says: "The call this morning by Sir Terry Leahy of Tesco for the Government to ban the sale of cut-price alcohol has prompted a bumper reaction here at telegraph.co.uk.

But perhaps the most robustly hostile response to his comments that I have heard so far comes from the recently-established classical liberal think tank, Progressive Vision.

'This is yet another example of treating British citizens as children rather than as responsible adults," blasts Mark Littlewood, the think tank's Communications Director. "Taxes on alcohol are already too high and everyone knows that drinking to excess can cause serious health problems.

'People should be left alone to drink as much as they wish as cheaply as they can – but must bear personal responsibility for the consequences and costs of their behaviour. The idea that the authorities would start to police happy hours and promotional offers is offensive, patronising and completely unworkable.'”

14/2/2008
In the Yorkshire Post, James Reed cites Progressive Vision's position on the government's proposal to have students engage in five hours of culture per week.  he says: "And even if there is a crisis among the young when it comes to accessing the arts, is the Government dictating what culture is and how it should be enjoyed the way to generate new interest?

Certainly not, according to Mark Littlewood from the Progressive Vision think tank. 'Just about the last way to get children interested in high-quality culture is to have two government Ministers promising them five hours a week of the stuff.

'Young people appreciate theatre and art when introduced to it through their families, friends and peer group. This wrong-headed proposal is more likely to alienate pupils than to enthuse them.'"

10/2/2008
Mark Littlewood, appeared on the Politics Show, giving his ideas on how Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg should modernise his party. Mark argued that the Liberal Democrats should support a reduction in the overall level of taxation and overhaul their own antiquated policy-making process. Presenter Jon Sopel began his live interview with Nick Clegg by pressing him on Mark’s case for lowering the tax burden.

5/2/2008
The Mail reported on Progressive Vision's criticism of Sir Mark Moody-Stuart's, chairman of Anglo-American plc, call to ban large and performance cars: "The free-market think tank Progressive Vision attacked his comments as 'rank hypocrisy' and 'puerile' and asked how many executive jets he used in the course of a year.

Director Shane Frith said: 'If Sir Mark is so concerned about climate change, he should start by insisting that his staff and clients only fly economy class.'

Anglo-American admitted later that Sir Mark had flown to Canada after his BBC appearance and that he was chauffeur driven 'like the rest of the board' when visiting offices in Africa and Australia. But it said he travelled to work in London on the Tube."

5/2/2008
The Times reports: "Shane Frith, director of Progressive Vision, the liberal think-tank, said: 'If Sir Mark Moody-Stuart is so concerned about climate change he should start by insisting that his own staff and clients never use executive jets and only fly economy class.

'Seeking to ban a tiny number of luxury cars is a puerile gesture. The immense effort needed to police such a policy would have to include thousands of spot checks of car imports at every EU border.'"

1/2/2008
The FT reports on the growth in the treatment of obesity drugs.  It quotes Shane Frith: "The enormous rise in the costs to the National Health Service of obesity drugs is an unacceptable burden on those who choose a healthy diet. People should be entitled to make their own lifestyle choices but they cannot expect the rest of us to pay for it.”

31/1/2008
Shane Frith commented on the news that more than 1 million prescriptions were made for obesity drugs last year.  He said that obese people should be paying for these drugs themselves or finding other ways to lose weight.  Obesity is a product of too much of the wrong kind of food or a lack of exercise. He said that the obesity debate is allowing bureaucrats in London to tell people how they should live and it was time people took personal responsibility for their lifestyle choices.

23/1/2008
The Yorkshire Post reported on Progressive Vision's opposition to the Government's directive to provide all student's with cooking lessons: "However, for everyone who supports the plans, there are others who've questioned the sense of ploughing millions into cookery in the hope it will somehow reducing the nation's waistline, when in some areas standards of maths and English have fallen through the floor.

'A centralised diktat forcing kids to cook for a few hours a year will do nothing to stop them munching on burgers and fries the rest of the time,' says Mark Littlewood, communications director of liberal think tank Progressive Vision."

17/1/2008
Mark Littlewood is quoted criticising the government's proposed crackdown on internet extremism. He said: “The idea that terrorism can be thwarted by seeking to shut down extremist websites is absurd and dangerous. 'It is easy to host such sites outside of British jurisdiction or to relaunch a website that is closed down, literally within minutes.’’

17/1/2008
Mark Littlewood is quoted criticising the government's proposed crackdown on internet extremism. He called the proposals "an incoherent recipe for disaster".

17/1/2008
Mark Littlewood is quoted: "The idea that terrorism can be thwarted by seeking to shut down extremist websites is absurd and dangerous."

18/12/2007
Communications Director, Mark Littlewood commented on the new leadership of the Liberal Democrats.  He called for the new leader to pursue true liberal policies such as lower taxes an more personal freedom.

11/12/2007
Communications Director, Mark Littlewood, is quoted in the Daily Express calling for the Olympics to be abandoned: "Mark Littlewood, of the think-tank Progressive Vision, said: “This obscenely expensive project should be abandoned immediately.

“The overall expenditure could now be over £10 billion. That is 12 times the money wasted on the Millennium Dome. The cost is the equivalent of £150 for every man, woman and child in the country. Incredibly, the bill for the Olympics could now exceed that of the Iraq war. The Government should save itself any further embarrassment – and the taxpayer any further expense – by cancelling the Games forthwith.”

The growing criticism is a far cry from the wild celebrations of 2005 when London won its bid.

The original estimate for the event when the bid was launched in 2003 was just £2.37 billion.
See also: politics.co.uk
                 Evening Standard, p.34

7/12/2007
Shane Frith, Director of Progressive Vision, is quoted on the front page of Metro responding to the attack in Parliament by John Grogan MP on Tesco over binge drinking.  He was quoted:  as saying that Tesco "deserved thanks" for selling cheap alcohol in the run-up to Christmas. He added: "Responsible adults should raise three cheers for Tesco and two fingers to the nanny state."

7/12/2007
Shane Frith, Director of Progressive Vision, is quoted the Yorkshire Post,  responding to the attack in Parliament by John Grogan MP on Tesco over binge drinking.  He was quoted:  "It beggars belief that Labour MPs seem to want supermarkets to raise their prices. How much you drink and what you are willing to pay for it is a matter for individuals – not for politicians. This is typical of the miserly, nitpicking, interfering, attitude of the Government."

7/12/2007
Shane Frith, Director of Progressive Vision, was debated John Grogan on BBC Radio Scotland.  He argued that Mr Grogan's attack was snobbery and his suggestions would only affect poor people

25/11/2007
Communications Director, Mark Littlewood appeared on GMTV to discuss Progressive Vision and the Liberal Democrat Leadership race.  He argued that liberals in the Conservative and Liberal Democrat parties have more in common than is often admitted.

18/11/2007
Communications Director, Mark Littlewood presented a lengthy segment on the BBC Politics Show discussing the policies the next Liberal Democrat leader should follow. Watched by the two leadership candidates, Mark urged them to follow truly liberal policies including, lower taxes, repeal of the smoking ban, lower gambling laws, and "three cheers to extended drinking hours".

12/11/2007
Communications Director, Mark Littlewood has a letter in the Independent on farming subsidies: "The European Commission's plans to place a limit on Common Agricultural Policy payments to the uber-rich should be welcomed. But it represents only the most modest of steps towards the desired arrival point – scrapping the CAP entirely. Pledging to reduce the handout to the British monarch – from a bit over half a million pounds to bit less than a third of million – does not constitute radical reform. That's loose change to Her Majesty the Queen. The people we really need to focus on are food producers in the developing world who cannot trade freely or fairly because of the European Union's extreme protectionism in this area."

12/11/2007
The launch of Progressive Vision is welcomed on Daniel Hannan's blog: "I wish them every success. British politics is impoverished by the absence of a properly liberal movement. Continental Liberal Parties have an uneasy relationship with the British Lib-Dems, believing them to be Social Democrats rather than Liberals..."

15/11/2007
Communications Director, Mark Littlewood commented on the Politics Show website on the leadership race for the Liberal Democrats.

30/10/2007
Communications Director, Mark Littlewood has a letter in the Guardian on the BBC: "The successful global expansion of BBC Worldwide, the corporation's commercial arm highlights the increasing absurdity of a compulsory licence fee in a multichannel televisual market. The BBC's high-quality programme output does not deserve to be protected from the full impact of market forces, but neither does it need to be. The revenues generated by the corporation's flagship productions, such as Doctor Who and the Teletubbies, should persuade even the most ardent supporter of the Beeb that an enforced annual subscription of £135 is an anachronism. A wider concern must be the apparently limitless proliferation of BBC channels. This doesn't provide the public with the sort of programming that isn't available elsewhere, but makes it harder for independent channels to compete. The BBC has the reputation, the personnel and the expertise to stand on its own feet. It needs to be broken up into sensible constituent parts and encouraged to do so."

27/10/2007
In an article on the housing crisis, the Daily Telegraph quotes Shane Frith, director of Progressive Vision: "The growing crisis in the housing market is caused by too much red tape and too much regulation."

26/10/2007
In an article on house building, Southern Housing quotes Shane Frith, director of Progressive Vision: “No one should be surprised that a government-led drive on housing will fail to meet public needs. The last thing that is required is for the public purse to start paying subsides to local councils. The growing crisis in the housing market is caused by too much red tape and too much regulation. If the property market was liberalised, the profit motive would provide a far, far better incentive for tackling the housing shortage than any number of expensive, ineffective government programmes.”

18/10/2007
The Daily Telegraph Spy column welcomes the launch of Progressive Vision: "A refreshing addition to the world of think-tanks this week: Progressive Vision, which aims to bring together freedom-loving liberals from the Conservative and Liberal traditions. It has been founded by Mark Littlewood, the former Liberal Democrat spin doctor, and Shane Frith, former chairman of the International Young Democrat Union, which has strong links to the Conservative Party."

17/10/2007
Mark Littlewood, Progressive Vision's Communications Director, appeared on the Doughty Street News Hour, hosted by Iain Dale. Liberal MPs Paul Rowen and Nick Harvey both backed Progressive Vision's calls for the Liberal Democrats to support a reduction in the overall tax burden.

16/10/2007
Communications Director, Mark Littlewood appeared on Newsnight to discuss the future leadership of the Liberal Democrats and said  that the party should advocate a lower tax burden than the Labour and Conservative parties.

21/9/2007
Communications Director, Mark Littlewood appeared on Newsnight to discuss the government's response to the Northern Rock crisis.

16/9/2007
Communications Director, Mark Littlewood appeared on the Politics Show to discuss the leadership of the Liberal Democrats.

19/9/2007
Communications Director, Mark Littlewood appeared on the World at One to discuss the implications of a hung parliament.

6/9/2007
Director, Shane Frith had a letter published in the Times: "Conservative proposals to give taxpayers’ money to assist people to purchase their rented accommodation is counterproductive and ignores the real problem – a shortage in the supply of housing. More state spending only serves in keep taxes and interest rates high, disadvantaging more than could be hoped to be helped by this policy.

A better solution would be to address impediments to increasing supply with reformed planning laws and the abolition of nonsense designations as “key workers” and “affordable housing”. The inference that only underpaid state employees can be key workers is an insult to those in the productive sector. No property developer would ever build unaffordable housing, but prescriptive requirements to meet government social engineering goals only serves to impede the construction of new housing.

Lower state spending and increased supply will do far more to help those seeking to get on the property ladder than any number of these schemes that politicians propose. The only problem is that when a person purchases a house without state assistance, they won’t be grateful to a politician."

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