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Welcome: Hello to all our visitors! We hope you enjoy this site. ___________________________________________________ News:
___________________________________________ Welcome to the Liberal Democrat eNews 01/02/2010
Dear Richard, Today at a speech to Barnado's I announced one of our four key policies for the General Election campaign ahead - Education has long been a cornerstone policy for our party. We have been proved right in our consistent support for increased investment, particularly in early years education. That is why we are placing our pledge to improve childrens' education at the heart of our electoral contract with the country. A Liberal Democrat government would cut class sizes by delivering a multi-billion pound pupil premium. This would mean that children from less privileged backgrounds would be funded up to the level of private school funding. The money will be targeted at schools taking on children who need more help, but will benefit every child in every school. Right now, children from the poorest backgrounds start school already struggling and fall further behind as they grow older. We've got to change this. You can learn more about our policy and read the speech I made today, here. Giving every child a fair start will bring about the social mobility that our country so desperately needs. Please help us spread the word about this important campaign. Forward this email to friends who care about our childrens' future. If you have a blog, use facebook or Twitter then help us spread the word online. Thank you. All best wishes, *************************************************************************************************** Dear Richard, Do you know a young man or woman who has recently left college or university and finds they can't get job? The recession is cheating a whole generation of young people. The number of young people unemployed for more than six months has doubled in the past two years. We have to act now to make sure they don't get left behind in any economic recovery. Yesterday, Nick Clegg announced our plans to help young people through the recession. The Liberal Democrats will cut the time it takes to provide training and education to young people on Jobseekers' Allowance. Currently, young people on Jobseekers' Allowance have to wait 12 months before they are guaranteed a job or training post. We will reduce that to 90 days. We will also invest nearly £900 million to increase the number of further education places, and we'd give young people undertaking an internship a training allowance of £55 a week. Nick also took part in an Online Public Meeting answering questions posed by young people through Twitter and the UK Youth Parliament's online forum. You can see the questions and answers here. If you know a young person who has been affected by the the increase in unemployment, then forward this email on to them. You can also keep in touch with the latest news from Nick through NickClegg.com, and also on Facebook, Lib Dem Act and Twitter. Many thanks for your support, The Lib Dems Online Team *************************************************************************************************** Liberal Democrats launch manifesto housing pledge The Liberal Democrats today set out plans to bring a quarter of a million empty homes back into use, making homes available for people who need them and creating 65,000 jobs. There are over 760,000 empty properties across England which are no longer used as homes but can be brought back into use with some investment. People who own these homes will get a grant or a cheap loan to renovate them so they can be used: grants if the home is for social housing, loans for private use. A full breakdown of the number of empty homes in each English local authority is attached The plans form part of the economic stimulus package outlined as a core principle of the Liberal Democrat election manifesto. In the first year of the new Parliament, the party would redirect over £3.6bn of spending to create jobs and build up Britain’s infrastructure. In the following years this money will be redirected to other Lib Dem spending priorities and reducing the structural deficit. Liberal Democrat Leader Nick Clegg today launched the plans with Liberal Democrat Shadow Chancellor, Vince Cable and Liberal Democrat Shadow Housing Minister, Sarah Teather. Visiting the College of North West London, they met students on construction and engineering courses who would benefit from these new plans. Commenting, Nick Clegg said: “Allowing thousands of houses to sit empty when millions of families have been waiting years for a home is nothing short of a scandal. “The cost of bringing these homes back into use is just a fraction of the cost of build yet the Government is sitting idly by while they fall into disrepair. “This is one element of our economic stimulus package that will generate jobs and help Britain on its way to building a fair, sustainable economy.” Notes: 1. Creating more family
homes 2. Creating more jobs
We will allocate £1bn to grants to bring 100,000 homes into use as social housing. £400m will fund subsidised loans to bring 150,000 homes into use as private sector housing. 3. The Policy in detail
Grants will only be given to private owners if the home becomes social housing for at least 10 years. This would be attractive: they will get guaranteed rent, and £10,000 of government-funded improvements on a property which was otherwise empty. Rents will be set according to the local reference rent and the managing agent will take a fee. There will be an opt-out so that local authorities and individuals have the option of paying back the grant, with interest, and withdrawing from the scheme. Right to Buy would apply as it currently does to council homes but tenants would not have a Right to Buy privately-owned homes being used as social housing under this scheme. 150,000 more private homes: Local authorities will bid for a portion of the £400m Private Housing Fund to use as low cost loans of up to £10,000 for bringing empty homes back into use in the private sector. They will be responsible for allocating this money to individuals. Interest will only be charged on the loan at the rate of inflation, so there is no real-terms cost to the borrower. The presumption will be in favour of repayment over 10 years. Jobs created: The 50,000 directly created jobs would include: Plumbers, plasterers, electricians, floor layers and housing staff in local authorities. The 15,000 indirectly created jobs would include: removal staff, furniture shop staff, managing agent staff and water authority staff. To calculate these figures we worked from an average of figures obtained from Housing Co-operatives on recent renovation work. Funding: The economic stimulus package to create a fair and balanced economy with sustainable growth is funded by redirecting government spending. This includes removing Tax Credits from higher earners (£700m), scrapping the intercept modernisation program (£150m), restricting growth in the Train to Gain budget (£375m), scrapping the Child Trust Fund (£370m), cutting the Highways Agency Major Improvements Budget (£1,080m) and the introduction of a 10% banking levy (£1bn). In the first year of the new Parliament, the party would redirect this £3.6bn of spending to create jobs and build up Britain’s infrastructure. In the following years this money will be redirected to other Lib Dem spending priorities and reducing the structural deficit. Timing: The homes would have to be brought back into use within a year of receiving the loan and the money would be available in the first two years of a Parliament.
*************************************************************************************************** Over 100,000 innocent people added to DNA database since European Court ruling – Willott More than 100,000 innocent people have been added to the National DNA Database since the European Court of Human Rights ruled in December 2008 that the practice was illegal, research by the Liberal Democrats has revealed. The figures, contained in Parliamentary answers, show:
A breakdown by police force is available. Commenting,
Liberal Democrat Shadow Cabinet Office
Minister, Jenny Willott said:
“By the time an innocent person manages to get their DNA removed from the database over 250 others will have been added. “Despite the Government’s promises to abide by the European Court’s ruling, they are still doing everything they can to avoid it. “Labour’s cynical proposals will create a half-guilty class of people with their most intimate personal information held by the police for six years - even though they have done nothing wrong. “This is a gross distortion of one of the fundamental principles of this country – that you are innocent until proven guilty.” Notes: A spreadsheet is attached giving full details, including a regional breakdown. The spreadsheet also contains links to the relevant Parliamentary Answers. The number of people successfully removed from the DNA database since December 2008 came in a Parliamentary Answer:
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200809/cmhansrd/cm090506/text/90506w0025.htm#09050718002611
The European Court of Rights
Ruling on the S and Marper case in December 2008 can be found here:
According to a recent Parliamentary answer to Jenny Willott, 79% of those stored on the DNA database had a criminal record on the Police National Computer (PNC), while 21% did not. This means 101,367 DNA profiles have been added and stored on the database from people who have not been convicted of a crime: ****************************************************************************************************
Dear Friend,
Today I launched the values and principles that will guide our manifesto. Everything our party will stand for at the next election will be based on our principles. I believe it is possible to both balance the books and transform British society - but only if you are guided by strong values in taking the tough choices which now must be made. People will support us because we are realistic about the difficulties ahead, but guided by optimism and clear convictions about the way forward. That is what makes us fundamentally different from the other parties. Last week's phoney election campaign was a depressing experience. The petulant playground politics of both Labour and the Tories did nothing to explain how they would solve the economic, political and environmental challenges facing Britain. They only demonstrated that neither of them is fit to run our country. We are putting our cards on the table now. The heart of our manifesto will be
short, direct and to the point. I recorded this video about it earlier: Our manifesto is based on a single insight: that the dreadful crises we have faced give us the chance to reshape our country. And it is built on one simple and very British value: fairness. We will offer the British people the chance to vote for the four steps that are essential for a fairer Britain. Only four. But they are four big changes - more significant than anything Labour or the Conservatives will offer at this election - that together will reshape the country we live in. We are committed to spending more on education to give every child a fair start, and we have a plan to invest in sustainable jobs and homes - making sure that we leave this recession behind and build for the future. We will couple this with a radical tax switch programme, which will see the wealthiest and polluters pay their fair share and allow us to raise the income tax threshold to £10,000 - meaning four million of the lowest earners will pay no income tax at all and average earners will get a £700 tax cut. And we remain the only party committed to meaningful political reform. We will transform the electoral system to make it fair, give voters the chance to sack corrupt MPs, take big money out of politics, and take power away from Whitehall and put it in the hands of local people. And we know how we will make the sums add up. Vince Cable and I have gone further than any other politicians in spelling out some of the steps which must now be taken to address the deficit and redirect money to our own priorities: a 10% levy on banks' profits as long as they are underwritten by the taxpayer; no to the like-for-like replacement of Trident; an end to tax credits to above average income families; cancelling the Child Trust Fund; and a £400 cap on all public sector pay increases. These are, in our view, unavoidable if we're going to tackle Gordon Brown's astronomical deficit and find the money for our social and political priorities. Real change cannot be achieved if we merely tinker at the edges. Talk is cheap, but real change is harder. That is why today I've laid out the big, permanent change that, with your help, I'm confident our party can deliver - and if we do, we can build a better, fairer Britain. All best wishes,
PS You can read my full speech here, and you can donate to help our campaigning efforts to bring this about here. *************************************************************************************************** Up to 1.7m pensioners will miss out on Cold Weather Payments – Webb Up to 1.7m pensioners will miss out on Cold Weather Payments triggered by the recent weather, according to analysis of Government figures by the Liberal Democrats. Cold Weather Payments of £25 a week are paid to people on low incomes who receive a qualifying benefit, such as Pension Credit, which goes unclaimed by as many as 1.7m pensioners. Commenting,
Liberal Democrat Shadow Work and Pensions
Secretary, Steve Webb said:
“Labour has failed pensioners by creating a complicated system that makes it difficult for them to get the help they desperately need. “The Government should be making every effort to identify pensioners who are missing out and get them this extra cash.” ENDS Notes to Editors:
2. Pension Credit is a qualifying benefit yet Department for Work and Pensions figures for 2007-08 (the most recent available) show that between 1.1m and 1.7m pensioners who are poor enough to qualify for Pension Credit do not claim, meaning they won’t receive Cold Weather Payments to help with fuel bills during the recent cold snap http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/income_analysis/jun_2009/0708_PensionCredit.pdf *************************************************************************************************** Dear Richard, I'm writing to let you know some good news about the Liberal Democrat manifesto - good news for students and for everyone who wants a fairer Britain. This week the Party's federal policy committee agreed a way to deliver one of our most important policies, the scrapping of unfair tuition fees. We've developed a plan to phase out tuition fees over the course of the next six years, to ensure this vital policy is affordable even at this time of economic crisis. Labour and the Conservatives refuse to address the issue of fees and there is a real danger that both of them would lift the cap on fees which could mean even more debt for students when they leave university. We think that is wrong and our policy will prevent it happening. It's simply wrong to penalise people who want to make the best of themselves by saddling them with enormous mortgage-style debts from the day they graduate - especially when we know the root of the current economic crisis was too much debt. And it's clear that people from disadvantaged backgrounds are far more likely to be put off going to university if it costs them tens of thousands of pounds. In a fair society, university admissions should be based on your grades and intelligence, not the wealth of your parents. You should decide whether going to university makes sense for you - and you shouldn't have to make the decision based on your bank balance. We were right to oppose tuition fees from day one, and have been right to continue to oppose any lifting of the cap on the limit of fees. The government has been obsessed with artificial targets for how many people should go to university, while putting barriers in their way in the shape of fees. My priority is making degrees affordable, and that means scrapping these unfair fees, including for those who study part-time. This is vital, because it tends to be older or poorer students who can't afford a full-time degree, but under current rules they have to pay up-front, while everyone else is allowed to defer their payments. Of course, at a time of economic crisis, when the government has got the public finances into a mess, it is extremely important to be responsible about making a big financial commitment like this. Students want to be treated like grown ups; they know money doesn't grow on trees and that big spending committments like this are only affordable over time. That's why we have agreed together to lay out a financially responsible timetable to scrap fees, step by step, over the six years after the General Election. Final year tuition fees will be the first to go. Too many people drop out, often put off by the huge costs. We'll make it easier to stay on, because no student will pay any fees to complete their degree. In 2011, we'll get help to part-time students, regulating the fees they pay (a vital step towards abolishing them). In 2012, part-time students will be able to access the same loans as full-time students. In 2013, we'll extend free tuition to second year students. In 2014, we'll extend that same free tuition to part time students. And in 2015, as the public finances are recovering, we will be able to afford to abolish all remaining fees. Labour's recession has made it more difficult to find the money to fund our priorities. That's why we are right to adapt our plans for big spending commitments and why it is right that our General Election manifesto will focus this time on a smaller number of key commitments. But our message to students is clear: we remain the only party that believes fees are unfair, and the only party with a plan to get rid of them for good. All best wishes, PS. A student campaign pack will be published in the New Year so we can take the fight to Labour and Tories on this key policy. *************************************************************************************************** Dear Richard, Today, bankers will be breathing a sigh of relief. They are faced with a one-off tax that they can easily avoid - while many other people will be facing a permanent tax increase. In his Pre-Budget Report, Alistair Darling had the chance to clamp down on bankers and set out how he intends to guide the country out of the recession. Instead, all he set out was a weak party manifesto full of gimmicks and empty gestures. I recorded a video message about the Pre-Budget Report and the economy earlier this evening:
Never before has the British Government run up a deficit like this. We need a sensible and coherent plan for dealing with it, yet the Chancellor ducked the hard choices on spending and cuts. Instead of making the tax system fairer, people on middle incomes will be paying more tax while those at the top enjoy their loopholes. The hidden costs of this budget will be borne by low paid workers who face a cut in real wages because of the 1% pay rise - which is lower than inflation. In a time of tough demands on government spending it is important we protect frontline public services and the people who work in them. This means there will have to be discipline over pay. That is why I have suggested that there should be a maximum pay rise of £400 a year throughout the public sector. That would mean that workers at the lower end of the payscale would see a real increase but not those at the top. The Tories would freeze the salaries of millions of teachers, police officers, nurses and firemen while cutting taxes for millionaires. But our proposals would ensure pay rises for key frontline services that are fair and economically realistic. Many public sector workers will also benefit from our £700 income tax cut for people on low and middle incomes. Our proposals would limit the growth of the public sector pay bill while ensuring fairness for teachers, nurses, police officers and other public sector workers. They will save taxpayers about £4bn a year while reducing pressure on front line services and protecting jobs. We remain the only party that is placing fairness at the heart of all its proposals to repair the economy. Best wishes and many thanks for your support, Vince Cable MP PS.You can learn more about our plans for the economy on www.libdems.org.uk: **************************************************************************************************** Dear Richard, Saturday saw 50,000 people come together across the country to march in The Wave, the biggest ever climate change march in the UK. The Wave and called for the Government to take urgent and effective action against climate change ahead of global talks in Copenhagen this week. The Liberal Democrats were out in force throughout the UK. In London, speeches from Nick Clegg, Simon Hughes and Susan Kramer roused the crowds before we set off on the march which wound it's way from Grosvenor Square to Parliament Square. In Glasgow, a strong Scottish Lib Dem delegation from Bellahouston Park to Kelvingrove Park with George Lyon MEP, Alison McInnes MSP and Robert Brown MSP at the front of the march.
*************************************************************************************************** Dear Richard, Governments have just a couple more days to agree real action on the environment. This is our last chance to act to cut carbon emissions and prevent catastrophic climate change. That's why I'm going to the demonstration in London - the Copenhagen Wave - tomorrow, and I hope you'll join me there. Simon Hughes is going, hundreds of Liberal Democrats are signed up and Liberal Youth and the Green Liberal Democrats have done fantastic work organising support. Liberal Democrats have an unmatched record on the environment. In Parliament and in councils up and down the country, we've taken the lead on green energy, plans to insulate homes, schools and hospitals, and action to make polluters pay. At Copenhagen, we need a deal to make sure that greenhouse gas emissions peak no later than 2015. So we need everyone who can to come and make their voices heard - putting pressure on governments round the world to step up to the mark. If you can come, please do. The details are here. I'll look forward to seeing you there. All best wishes,
Nick Clegg MP PS. You can watch a video from Simon Hughes about why this demonstration is so important here. *************************************************************************************************** Transforming Britain's unfair tax system Dear Richard, If you want to know how committed a Government is to fairness, then you need look no further than its tax system. Labour has created a tax regime where the poorest pay a bigger slice of their income than the richest. Polluters are allowed to get away with harming our environment without paying for the clean-up. And we lose as much as £40 billion a year to tax dodgers. This has to change. The Conservatives tell us that we are all in this together whilst promising tax cuts for millionaires and then say that there might be tax rises for everyone else. So much for their kind of change. Today, we have pledged to put a transformation of Britain's unfair tax system at the heart of the Liberal Democrat campaign for a fairer Britain. Our plans will see tax cuts for millions of people, paid for by closing tax loopholes, making polluters pay and introducing a 'mansion tax' on homes worth over £2m. For more details of our policy proposals, see here. And for a video from the launch, see here. What we are proposing is a radical rebalancing of the tax system with fairness at its centre. This is a real and genuine change that would make a huge difference to the lives of people up and down the country. Please help spread the message among your friends, family and colleagues. There's an easy way to forward this email, here. Best wishes, Nick Clegg MP *************************************************************************************************** Dear Richard, Today's Queen's Speech was nothing more than a fantasy speech from a government that has run out of road in a Parliament that has lost people's trust. This Queen's Speech won't give people the help and jobs they need in this recession. It won't solve our economic problems and it won't fix our rotten politics. Instead of pointless pageantry and empty promises of Bills that will never make it onto the statute book, the Liberal Democrats would have implemented an emergency programme of political reform. A programme which would change our politics for good by bringing in the power of recall to give people the right to sack errant MPs, reforming of the House of Lords and party funding, and introducing fixed-term parliaments and fair votes. Today was a missed opportunity, proving beyond any doubt that this tired Labour Government just isn't prepared to clean up our politics. It is clearer than ever that ours is the only party that is prepared to do that, and to bring real change to Britain. Best wishes, Nick Clegg MP *************************************************************************************************** Dear Richard, Today I explained that I want to be Prime Minister because I want to change Britain for good. I want to live in a country where prejudice, insularity and fear are conquered by the great British traditions of tolerance, pluralism and justice. That is the real change our country needs. And it is the real change that only our party can deliver. These are difficult times, but the blue-red, red-blue politics that got us in to this mess cannot get us out. Today I made a direct appeal in my keynote Conference speech to those who have not supported us in the past, asking them to join us in bringing a fresh start for Britain. If you didn't see my speech, then you can read it here. I have made it clear that I will not duck the difficult decisions now facing our country, but in these decisions I will always be led by our values as a party. That is how we will build a new, sustainable, economy, a fair society and clean up our politics. With your continued help and support I know we can offer people a different, better, future. Thank you. Best wishes,
Nick Clegg *************************************************************************************************** Dear Richard, We cannot afford to let millions of young people get trapped on the dole. That's why today I've launched a new plan to tackle youth unemployment. Did you know that nearly a fifth of 18 to 24-year-olds are currently unemployed? Without action now, more than 1.2 million young people could be unemployed by the end of 2011. The Conservatives failed a whole generation in the wake of the last recession. A whole generation became trapped in a culture of dependency. Labour look set to repeat the same mistakes now. We can't let that happen. Today I'm launching new policy that would take almost 900,000 unemployed young people off the streets. Under our plans more than 800,000 young people will be given a leg-up into industry via paid internships. An extra 60,000 places will be funding in universities and colleges, opening up further and higher education. We will slash the time Labour forces young people to wait for support, fully fund apprenticeships to put British industry back on track and give more youngsters places on essential back-to-work schemes. Our proposals would cost £1.1 billion and would be paid for by scrapping the VAT cut immediately. For more details see my website: NickClegg.com/LostGeneration Only the Liberal Democrats will nurture the talent of young people and ensure no one is left behind. Best regards,
Nick Clegg, Leader of the Liberal Democrats *************************************************************************************************** Today I am launching new a Liberal Democrat pledge to put service personnel and their welfare at the heart of our defence policy.
Many soldiers fighting on the front line are on salaries lower than those of trainee police and fire fighters. 13,000 members of the armed forces take home less than £17,000 each year. Under Labour, our lions are being paid peanuts. Our servicemen are being sent to fight in treacherous conditions in Afghanistan while living close to the poverty line. It is time to stop short-changing our troops. That is why if elected, the Liberal Democrats would ensure that no service personnel receive less basic pay than someone starting out in the Police or fire brigade. If you believe our troops should receive better pay, then help us spread the word. Please make sure all your friends know about our new policy, especially those with family members serving in the Armed Forces. To back the campaign and help spread the word, see my website: NickClegg.com/ArmedForcesPay Nobody can put a price on the sacrifices our troops make on our behalf - but we can start rewarding them properly. Best regards,
Nick Clegg *************************************************************************************************** Dear Richard, I wanted to alert you to an important campaign I'm launching this week. You can find the details www.NickClegg.com/InTheKnow As Liberal Democrats, we're firmly committed to new public spending in important areas - such as delivering our green new deal on jobs and housing, lowering infant class sizes and cutting student debt. These are all central to our vision of a better, more liberal Britain. But if we want to get the most we possibly can from our public services and direct money where it is needed most, we must do more. Our national budget is going to be tight for years, if not decades. So we need to cut out all wasteful spending in order to protect vital frontline services. Hardworking nurses and teachers tell me how frustrated they are by the money which is still wasted on needless paperwork, administration and computer systems that don't work. David Cameron and Gordon Brown are having a sterile debate about the size of the total Whitehall budget. But they're asking the wrong question: we first need to find out if money is being spent on the right things. Instead of politicians in Westminster lecturing about how this can be done, I want to ask the people who know most about how public services are run: public servants. The people who are best placed to tell us where money isn't well spent are the teachers, nurses, social workers and other public servants who work so hard, day and night, to serve people. We are 'Asking the People in the Know.' So if you work in the public sector - or have family, friends or colleagues who do - then please visit, and encourage them to visit, our new website to give us your ideas - so we can make sure that every penny of our money is well spent. Best wishes,
Nick Clegg, Leader of the Liberal Democrats *************************************************************************************************** Dear Richard, Every week I travel around the country, meeting people in local town halls and listening to their views. Anyone can ask me (just about) anything, I also get a pretty good picture of how people across the UK feel about politics. Next week I’m doing another public Q&A meeting, but this time, it’s going to be live and online. There will be no script, no special invitations - just get in touch and ask a question on the subjects that concern you. To give you an idea, I've recorded 2 questions of my own for you to answer. Visit: http://www.tinyurl.com/asknickclegg for full details of the event. I want as many people to take part in this as possible – this has never been done before. There are three ways you can help spread this:
All Best Wishes, *********************************************************************************************************** Stronger Together, Poorer Apart: The Liberal Democrat Manifesto for Europe - http://libdemeuro.com/news/146.html
*************************************************************************************************** Tonight we will be screening a brand new Party Election Broadcast recorded this week in which Nick deals with these issues - you can watch it online now. He will be making the case to:
But Nick can't do it all on his own. He needs our help. We need to demonstrate that at long last there is a groundswell for real reform of our broken system. If you want to see British politics changed in this way then you can visit our new campaign site www.TakeBackPower.org and sign Nick's petition. But don't stop there. I'm sure we all know friends and family who have been appalled by the recent expenses scandal. Why not show them we are different? Email the www.TakeBackPower.org web address on to five other people and help Nick change politics for good. Best wishes, Danny Alexander MP *************************************************************************************************** Clegg: No summer holiday before the overhaul ************************************************************************************************* Earlier this week the Federal Executive met. A discussion on expenses was at the top of our agenda. Nick Clegg and I proposed a series of hard hitting points on expenses that were fully discussed and agreed by the committee. Given the importance of this issue I felt it was important that all ... are made aware of the action we are taking. In summary we agreed that:
This is in addition to the very rigorous internal disciplinary procedures that already exist within our parliamentary parties, overseen by the Chief Whips. It is very clear that on this issue, as on that of the Speaker and the Gurkhas, our party is the one taking the lead on calling for the radical overhaul our political system needs. Best wishes, Ros Scott P.S. You can read the full statement from the Federal Executive on the party website here. *************************************************************************************************** Europe 2009: Stronger Together Poorer Apart *************************************************************************************************** Clegg: Iraq disaster will cast long shadow over Afghan mission **************************************************************************************************** Nick Clegg: Budget proposals. Vince Cable and I are currently briefing the press about what we want to see in Wednesday's Budget. I thought you would like to know what we are saying. It is clear that this recession demands a radical overhaul of the British tax system. It remains scandalous that the richest in our country pay a lower share of their wealth in tax than the poorest. We are demanding that both sides of this distorted equation be changed. We are renewing our call to close the loopholes exploit by big business and the powerful and wealthy. And today, after working with our colleagues in Parliament and across the Party, we are announcing that the Liberal Democrats will fight the next general election with a pledge to cut income tax bills by £700 for people on low and middle incomes. We will promise to raise the income tax personal allowance to £10,000 by closing tax loopholes exploited by big businesses and the wealthy. This will mean 4 million of the lowest paid people not paying tax at all, including many earning just the minimum wage. It is a radical and progressive package that will form a key part of the pre-manifesto document that will come to our party conference in Autumn. This policy marks us out as the only party in British politics dedicated to changing our tax system to make it fairer. Best Wishes, ************************************************************************************************** Liberal Democrats will cut people’s income tax bill by £700 ************************************************************************************************** Lamb: 175,000 tooth extractions under general anaesthetic http://www.libdems.org.uk/news/lamb-175000-tooth-extractions-under-general-anaesthetic-223166985
******************************************************************************* Clegg: G20 summit is no time for playing politics
http://www.libdems.org.uk/news/clegg-g20-summit-is-no-time-for-playing-politics-213427682 Goldsworthy: Anti-terror laws used by councils more than 10,000 times ******************************************************************************* Brake: Government’s Facebook plans show obsession with hoarding personal data Read more at: http://www.libdems.org.uk/news/brake-government’s-facebook-plans-show-obsession-with-hoarding-personal-data-207085153
******************************************************************************* Read more at: ******************************************************************************* Holmes: 100 stabbings a week under Labour demonstrate scale of Britain’s
knife culture
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****************************************************************************** Burt: Post Bank would help to save the Post Office Cable: Barclays tax documents in public interest Laws: Balls must not gain power over exam reading lists Foster: 1,000 under-14’s admitted to hospital with mental and behavioural
disorders due to alcohol Huhne: Over a thousand serving police officers have criminal convictions Over a thousand serving police officers in Great Britain have criminal
convictions, according to new figures revealed by the Liberal Democrats. ******************************************************************************* We have just finished a really successful spring Conference in Harrogate. It was closed by Nick Clegg talking about how Britain can choose a better future: "We are the only party that will put money into people's pockets with fair tax cuts. The only party to offer universal childcare and smaller classes in our primary schools. The only party that will use Gordon Brown's wasted billions to create thousands of jobs today by investing in homes, hospitals, schools and public transport to build the green economy of tomorrow. The only party that will rebuild the jobs, homes and hopes this recession has destroyed. So don't believe the doubters, the nay-sayers, the professional cynics. This time it can be different." You can read his speech on our website. You can also watch a selection of the keynote speeches from conference online, including Howard Dean's address to conference. Best wishes, *************************************************************************************** Laws: Class sizes should be cut to 15 Willott: Government response to tainted blood inquiry welcome
******************************************************************************* Clegg: Brown’s complacency has cost thousands of families their homes *******************************************************************************
******************************************************************************* Cable: No 10 comments on Lloyds nationalization a u-turn waiting to happen Responding to comments made by Number 10 that the total nationalization of
the Lloyds Banking Group is not on the table, Liberal Democrat Shadow
Chancellor, Vince Cable said: "This is a u-turn waiting to happen. With Lloyds
continuing to be dragged down by the weight of HBOS’s losses, it is highly
irresponsible to not even have nationalization as an option." ******************************************************************************* Nick Clegg announces plans to fix ‘class-based education system’ ******************************************************************************* Dear Reader,
That's why, when you chose me to lead our party, I promised to open up the party and open up politics for good. I want us to do politics differently, just like I know we'd run Britain differently. For too long, politics has been cut off, disengaged from real people and their lives. It's been stuck in a bubble in Westminster, a million miles away from what people care about. No wonder people have such a low opinion of politicians, when most politicians aren't even interested in people. That's why I get out of Westminster as much as possible, travelling up and down the country. I visit people in their communities, listening to what the issues are that affect them: post office closures, schools and hospitals, crime, rising bills and worry over jobs. You can watch a film of my latest trip at http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=F6F8Jkc8bwA - where you can also post up your comments. This page also has options to help spread the film to other people via Facebook, Digg and a range of other services. Please do help spread the word. Almost everywhere I go, I hold open public meetings, where everyone's invited and any questions allowed. These meetings are the most important thing I do: opening up myself and the party for people to find out what we're about, why we're different, and why we're the best choice for Britain. As 2009 begins, I will be continuing my tour, visiting as many places as possible, and holding as many public meetings as I can. You can follow my out of Westminster tour on www.nickclegg.com and you can watch the latest film at http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=F6F8Jkc8bwA. I look forward to meeting you on the road - and I hope you can take a moment to help pass on the film to other people you know. Best wishes, ******************************************************************************* Huhne: Police inquiry needed into Lords allegations ******************************************************************************* New Government bailout is blank cheque ******************************************************************************* Cable: Government business loan plan threatens taxpayer with all the risks
and no rewards. ******************************************************************************* Over a million people were summoned to court last year because they failed to
pay their Council Tax in full, research by the Liberals Democrats has found. *******************************************************************************
Responding to Gordon Brown’s statement to Parliament on the withdrawal of
British troops from Iraq, Nick Clegg said: "This was the single worst foreign
policy decision for the last 50 years." *******************************************************************************
Today I am announcing our "Green Road out of the Recession", which outlines how a Liberal Democrat government would inject a green stimulus into the economy, both to provide jobs and investment now and to ensure our economy is sustainable in the future. Our proposals include:
You can read more about our plans and download the full document on the Party website. P.S. I have recorded a new film to mark my first anniversary as Leader. You can watch, rate and comment on it on YouTube. (To watch with subtitles, click the triangle in the bottom right of the video player and then the CC button.)" ******************************************************************************* Responding to the Government’s admission that approximately 100,000 public
service pensions have been overpaid across the UK over 30 years, Liberal
Democrat Shadow Chancellor, Vince Cable said: "These figures highlight decades
of incompetence. Ministers apparently knew about this in March but completely
failed to come clean." Half of children living in poverty are not entitled to free school meals,
research by the Liberal Democrats has revealed. Parliamentary answers have
shown that free meals are available to children whose parents are on a variety
of benefits, but not to those who claim working tax credits. ******************************************************************************* *******************************************************************************
***************************************************************************** Liberal Democrat Leader Nick Clegg congratulated Kirsty Williams upon her election as the new leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats. Read more at:http://www.libdems.org.uk/news/kirsty-williams-will-be-a-strong-liberal-champion-for-wales-87261128 Take a look at our latest film: It's now up on YouTube.
Clegg: Join me this Saturday at the National Climate Change March: 11.30am at Speaker's Corner in Hyde Park. Read more at: http://www.libdems.org.uk/news/clegg-join-me-this-saturday-at-the-national-climate-change-march-79587513 Nick Clegg has just recorded an exclusive interview about what should be in the Queen's Speech. You can watch it at http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=nsTnFV-Ov8E, where you can also post up your comments. ****************************************************************************** Nick Clegg’s response to the Queen’s Speech: http://www.libdems.org.uk/news/nick-clegg’s-response-to-the-queen’s-speech-81003935 ****************************************************************************** When MPs heard about Damian Green's arrest, many of us asked ourselves the same question: "When did it become a crime to hold the Government to account?" Throwing a spotlight on information the Government would rather keep hidden is an essential part of our democracy. And when dealing with an administration legendary for its secrecy, you increasingly have to rely on whistle-blowers to see the full picture. I have written at greater length on this issue in today's Telegraph, as you can read at www.tinyurl.com/damiangreen. This unprecedented arrest is a wake-up call. We must save our broken democracy. Best wishes,
____________________________________________________________________________ Nick Clegg has said in a speech to the Daycare Trust: "Lack of men in childcare
denies young children role models". Too few men are working in childcare because of the stigma attached to men working with young children. Read more at: _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ 7/02/09: In response to Derbyshire County Council's press release giving
details of the County's proposed budget for 2009/10, Leader of the county
Liberal Democrat Group, Councillor Barrie Taylor said: "Labour propose to take £6 million from reserves to keep their Council Tax
increase under 3%. Proper funding for care of the elderly should have been a
first call on the reserves, which fortunately are healthier than expected this
year."
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Last modified: 19-12-2009 |
