Labour using the power of money

It doesn't take long to find the cost of the full-page advert which Neath Port Labour took out in the Evening Post yesterday (Saturday). Northcliffe Media publishes its rates on the Web. It's just over £2,850.

Add to that the cost of two centrally-produced glossy leaflets which individual candidates are putting out, and it is clear that Labour is trying to spend its way to victory, in the American way. Peter Hain's unsuccessful bid for the Labour Party deputy leadership should warn them that throwing large sums of money at an election campaign is no guarantee of success.

Such an advertisement is unprecedented in Neath Port Talbot local elections, and smacks of desperation.

Where is the money coming from? The UK Labour Party is reported to be barely solvent. The returns of candidates' expenses will be very interesting. (N.B. The returns must be submitted within 35 days of the date of the result of an election, and are open to inspection by the public thereafter.)

As to the accusation that election of Liberal Democrat councillors would jeopardise education or refuse-collection in the county borough, that can easily be answered by the priority given to schools by LibDem-led councils in other parts of Wales (at or above the average, judged by the Welsh Assemhly's measure) and by the dominance of the table of best recyclers in the UK by LibDem-run councils.

Where the sidewalk ends

Candidates and LibDem councillors accompany Mike German, the Welsh party leader, as he discusses the problems of Tonmawr Road with prospective constituents.

The road connects over two hundred households - and growing - with the rest of the ward of Pelenna and thence with the town centre. There is no footway on either side for almost a mile, and no alternative footpath. The street lighting is no more than adequate.

At a time when we should be encouraging people to leave their cars at home and take more healthily to their feet, roads without footways or cycle-tracks are a great disincentive, particularly at night.

We understand that Labour has consistently before council elections promised to have this road improved, only to forget about it once in office. The official story from the engineer's department is that, because the road is unclassified, there is no legal requirement to provide footways.

LibDems table 10p rate amendment; Clegg targets Labour MPs

Nick Clegg has written to Labour MPs urging them not to be bribed by the Government’s ‘last minute smoke and mirror promises’ and instead vote for the Liberal Democrat amendment against the plan to double the 10p rate of tax. The unspecified measures announced yesterday by the Government won’t come into effect until November at the earliest, and will not help all of the millions of people affected by the original change. The Lib Dem amendment comes after Labour MP Frank Field withdrew his. [BBC]
“I strongly hope that, for the benefit of many thousands of your constituents, you will join us in a cross-party effort to defeat this punitive tax change. There has still been no commitment to ensure that all people made worse off by this tax rise will be fully compensated. Regardless of whether the Treasury back-dates any future compensation payment, this will still mean low paid workers will be out of pocket for at least the next seven months. Parliament should send a clear message that we do not believe that the poor should be targeted to pay for tax cuts for the better off.” (Extract from Clegg letter to Labour MPs)

Conservative hypocrisy over post offices

Speaking ahead of a debate in the House of Lords on the future of the Post Office network later today, Liberal Democrat Small Business Spokesperson, Lord (Brian) Cotter said,

“The Conservatives’ hypocrisy over the Government’s post office closures is astounding.

“Over 3,500 post offices closed under the Conservatives’ watch.

“They had their chance to save the post office network and they blew it.

“The Conservatives’ can huff and puff all they want about post offices, but until they actually come up with a plan to save the post office network and halt the Government’s closures they might as well just go home.”

The Liberal Democrat plan

Our plan would give a real investment of £2 billion in the post office, would increase the services offered at local post office branches and improve the network so that every community that needs a post office gets one. We are the only party with a fully-funded plan to save the post office, give it a long-term future and not just manage its decline, as Gordon Brown's doctrinaire attitude inevitably does.

Our plan would see:

* £2 billion invested in post office branches;
* New branches opening where needed;
* Government services continuing to be available at the Post Office;
* Separation of the Post Office and Royal Mail businesses;
* The Post Office freed from Royal Mail restrictions to let it develop new business.

Labour’s 10p tax gaffe will hit Wales hardest

Research by the Welsh Liberal Democrats reveals that 195,000 people in Wales, have seen their income tax double – thanks to Gordon Brown’s tax bombshell.

Ahead of their debate this afternoon, research by the Lib Dems has also revealed that Wales will be harder hit than England by the tax hike. While 11.8% of taxpayers in England will be affected, the figure in Wales – where wages are lower overall – will be 13.3%.

Peter Black, AM for South Wales West, and Social Justice spokesperson for the Welsh Liberal Democrats, said: “These figures show clearly that nearly one in seven people in Wales will see their tax bills double under Gordon Brown’s plans. No wonder so many people are angry about it.

“195,000 people in Wales only pay the 10p tax rate. Their income tax rate has doubled. Labour’s tax gaffe is proving to be a major blunder ahead of the local government elections.

“The simple fact is that poorer people are paying more thanks to Gordon Brown’s last budget. That’s not social justice. It’s not fair. And people don’t like it.

“Traditional Labour voters are being hammered by their own party. No wonder so many are disillusioned.“

Figures from HM Revenue and Customs for 2007-8:

Year Total taxpayers Starting rate taxpayers Percentage
Wales 1,470,000 195,000 13.27%
England 26,500,000 3,130,000 11.81%

Brown fudge

Frank Field, MP for Birkenhead, and one of the most conservative of Labour members, has as a result of a concession by the Chancellor, withdrawn his amendment to the Finance Bill 2008. This would have provided compensation for the estimated five million people who are worse off as a result of Gordon Brown's budget. It remains to be seen how effective the promised compensation deal is.

It comes after a week of fudges. Yvette Cooper announced a review into poverty.

Nick Clegg commented: “After weeks of pressure from all sides, all this tired Government has been able to come up with is yet another review.

“The Treasury shouldn’t need to ‘consult stakeholders’ to work out the impact of doubling the rate of income tax for people on low incomes."

Then there is today's Ofgem Fuel Poverty Summit. Liberal Democrat Shadow Environment Secretary, Steve Webb was scathing:

“The level of fuel poverty in this country is a scandal, with over four million households struggling to meet the soaring cost of energy. The last thing they need is another talking shop.

“The Government must put fuel poverty at the top of its agenda and back
that up by boosting investment in fuel efficiency measures."

Yesterday, we also learned that the Government will delay the release of child poverty figures until June, well after the local elections. They are expected to show a further widening of the wealth gap.

Government benefits system penalises low earners

Yesterday, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) called for the UK’s tax credit system to be completely overhauled. Liberal Democrat Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, Danny Alexander commented:

“Gordon Brown’s pledge to support working families is looking more superficial by the minute.

“The Prime Minister must come clean about the real impact of his Tax Credits system; it gives with one hand and takes with the other. Ending the 10p tax rate means the Government is taking even more from low-income families.

“It is grossly unfair that families who want to work harder have so little to show for it thanks to a system of complex, means-tested benefits.

“The benefits system needs to be radically simplified to ensure work really does pay, instead of trapping families on low incomes.”

Social Mobility no better under Labour

Commenting on the report released yesterday [Monday] by the think tank Reform which finds that the UK welfare and public service system reinforces class divisions by alienating the poorest in society, Liberal Democrat Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, Danny Alexander said:

“The Government has had ten years to tackle the appallingly low levels of social mobility in Britain but has barely made an impression. Britain is more unequal now than when Labour came to power. The 10p tax rate doubling is just one example of a policy that makes matters worse, not better.

“It is a disgrace that in Britain a person’s chances in life are more likely to be determined by their background than anywhere else in Europe.

“Labour is more interested in creating giant, centralised systems that take power away from people than in empowering them to make the best of their lives.

“The reality is that the Government’s benefit system gives with one hand and takes with the other. It is creating dependency rather than opportunity.”

Government deluded over mortgages: Öpik

Commenting last week on the Shelter report which reveals that the proportion of household income spent on mortgage repayments has doubled since 1997, Liberal Democrat Shadow Housing Minister, Lembit Öpik said:

“The Government needs to explain how it will support the families who have stretched themselves to buy a home and are now faced with sky-high mortgage repayments and the threat of negative equity.

“Without support, tens of thousands of families face repossession this year. How much more evidence does the Government need before they admit that there’s a problem? They are turning self-delusion into a science.”

The ROOF Affordability Index was released by Shelter last Thursday. It shows that:

a. Mortgage repayments are on average over 21% of working household income. In 1997 they were just under 12% of income

b. The average mortgage repayment in 2007 was £827.87 and in 1997 it was £304.80 in 1997.

Figures revealed by the Liberal Democrats earlier this month have shown that 60,000 families are at high risk of repossession after spending over 75% of their disposable income on mortgage repayments.

Who will be the next mayor?

In the normal scheme of things, this year's outgoing deputy mayor, Cllr Gunter, would already have been nominated as the mayor for the county borough for 2008/9. The council usually resolves the succession in February of each year.

Our councillors have told us that, this year, no decision has been reached. One can only speculate on the reason.

Brown must allow Parliament to debate US missile shield

Gordon Brown’s local difficulties over the doubling of the 10% tax rate have enabled him to avoid questioning over his summit with George Bush.

“The Prime Minister has again met President Bush to discuss security issues, yet his unwillingness to allow proper debate on the siting of US missile defence components in this country smacks of arrogance.

“Brown is clearly more concerned with maintaining the special relationship with the US than he is with the people of this country.

“MPs were promised a debate on missile defence by Tony Blair, but Gordon Brown rushed out plans to site US missile defence installations at Menwith Hill on the last day of Parliament. NATO has discussed it, Brown and Bush have discussed it again, and yet our own Parliament has not been given the opportunity.

“Is this the ‘new politics’ we were promised when the Prime Minister came to power?

“Rather than cosy chats with foreign leaders, Gordon Brown must allow a full debate on Britain’s role in the US missile defence programme.”

The Government is failing to ensure biofuels used in the UK come from sustainable sources

Loopholes in the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation allow subsidised fuel from unsustainable sources to still be certified, says Liberal Democrat Shadow Transport Secretary, Norman Baker. He adds:

“It is a scandal that unsustainable and heavily subsidised fuel is being imported from the US and described as environmentally friendly. Ministers must push the EU to close this loophole immediately.

“Thanks to flaws in the Government’s system, companies selling these fuels will even be allowed to get away with saying that they don’t know whether they’ve been sourced sustainably or not. This makes a mockery of the entire idea of sustainability standards.”

(The Government’s sustainability standards for the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation allows companies to answer ‘unknown’ to the question of what the previous land use was on the 30th November 2005 and still be eligible for a Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation certificate.

The US currently provides a massive $1 per gallon subsidy to all biofuels linked to the country, including the controversial B99 which is 99% produced elsewhere with no sustainability record. A loophole in the UK and EU’s biofuel standards means that this fuel is eligible under the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation as well as receiving the US Government subsidy, squeezing out any UK competition.)

Hain fake emails - who started the smokescreen?

Guido Fawkes gives the background and Peter Black comments.

Banks must not have their losses nationalised

Commenting on yesterday’s announcement that lenders will be able to swap mortgages for government bonds, Liberal Democrat Shadow Chancellor, Vince Cable said:

“It is obviously necessary for urgent action to be taken to unblock the mortgage market and to break the crippling effects of the credit crunch.

“However, we cannot have a situation where the banks are able to privatise their profits and nationalise their losses.

“Since the mortgages from the banks are of inferior quality and higher risk than the Government bonds which they are replacing, the implication must be that taxpayers are shouldering the risks and losses of the banks. This cannot be right.

“We need urgent reassurances from the Government that the exchange is taking place on a discounted basis so that the banks and not taxpayers carry any losses.

“In return for bailing out the banks, the Government must now insist on an orderly programme for identifying the losses in the banking system to ensure the banks themselves cover those losses by stopping dividend payments and raising money from their shareholders.

“The cost of Northern Rock is quite enough without the Government taking on all the other risks and losses of the banking sector.”

LibDem councillor achieves a first in Cardiff

LibDem councillor for Coedffranc North in Neath Port Talbot, Keith Davies, handed in a petition on unadopted roads to AM Peter Black on Wednesday. Although these are a problem in many parts of Wales, this is the first petition on the subject to be presented to the Welsh Assembly Government.

The petition calls for part of the block grant to be earmarked as seed money for schemes to bring these roads up to local highway authority standards.

Peter Black does an assembly double

Our local Assembly Member, Peter Black, has won both the National Assembly's Legislative Competence Order (LCO) ballot and the Private Member's Measure ballot.

He could have a good chance with his Private Members Measure, which would oblige local authorities to meet the demand amongst young people for leisure and education-based facilities.

However, his bid to secure a LCO to enable the Assembly to decide on the best electoral method for voters in Wales is probably doomed. Along the way, however, Peter should be able to generate a useful public debate.

60,000 homes at high risk of repossession

Up to 60,000 families are at a high risk of repossession - double the number who had their homes repossessed last year - Liberal Democrat analysis of official figures has revealed.

The figures show that the families affected are spending over 75% of their disposal income each month on mortgage payments alone.

Commenting, Liberal Democrat Shadow Communities and Local Government Secretary, Julia Goldsworthy said:

“There are 60,000 families teetering on the edge of losing their homes, weighed down by massive debts.

“As living costs rise, and the credit crunch starts to bite, families are forced to cut back on essentials in order to keep a roof over their heads.

“But Ministers are not prepared to deal with the housing crash as the safety nets have been withdrawn. There are almost a million fewer social homes to rent than during the last recession while the number of families waiting for housing has skyrocketed.

“This Government has buried its head in the sand, and it is overstretched families who are paying the price.

“Ministers must act decisively and commit resources to a national network of financial advice centres, with face-to-face services that are free at the point of use.

“The Government should also work with the banks to ensure that as many families as possible can stay in their homes, either through payment holidays or part ownership schemes.”

Campaign Launch

The Neath Port Talbot Liberal Democrat campaign was formally launched on Cimla Common this morning. Pictured are four of our candidates - Cllr John Warman (Cimla), Cllr Keith Davies (Coedffranc North), Annette Sparkes (Pelenna) and Des Sparkes (Cimla) - checking election literature, after the formal pictures were taken. These should appear in the local press soon.

Unadopted Roads: Neath Port Talbot councillor to petition government

Coedffranc North councillor, Keith Davies, is to petition the Welsh Assembly Government to release a percentage of its block grant for the making-up and adoption of these private roads.

He said: “a number of surveys have been carried out over the years in England & Wales. These have shown that there are 40,000 unadopted roads; in Wales, about 3,000; in the county borough of Neath Port Talbot, over 170. In my own ward of Coedffranc North, eight such stretches of road would benefit.”

He added: “These are not the private roads of gated communities or rural mansions, but the only means of access to the householders who live there. The majority of these streets are a legacy of the coal-mining industry and our industrial past. When the housing was built, only the occasional horse-drawn cart was all you could expect to see on these roads, but today it's much different in traffic use.”

Under the old council rates system, the state of a street was reflected in the rateable value of the property. There was no such dispensation with the Poll Tax, or, now, the Council Tax. As a result, many residents feel they have paid many times over for services they have never received.

In addition to the petition to the Assembly, Cllr. Davies will be contacting our local Assembly Members and Paul Murphy, MP, Secretary of State for Wales.

He concluded by saying: “We're not asking to fix the problem overnight, just the Assembly release a tiny proportion of its block grant to be put aside to tackle this problem of unadopted roads.”

Candidates

The Welsh Liberal Democrat candidates for the county borough elections on May 1st will be:

Cadoxton: Frank Little
Cimla: John Warman (sitting councillor) and Des Sparkes
Coedffranc North: Keith Davies (sitting councillor)
Pelenna: Annette Sparkes
Trebanos: Sheila Waye

Nick Cleggs Message on Olympic Torch

Today I have written to the Prime Minister asking him to pull out of this weekend’s ceremony welcoming the Olympic torch to London in advance of the Beijing Games.

When China made its bid to host the Olympics, the Deputy Mayor of Beijing said that this was an indication of China’s wish to “promote” democracy and human rights.

But it has done nothing of the sort.

Recent events in Tibet, broken promises over media freedoms, ongoing human rights abuses and intransigence over the humanitarian catastrophe in Darfur have made a mockery of China’s “commitment” to progressive freedoms.

As the prospective host of the 2012 Games, Britain has a particular responsibility to hold China to account for its broken promises and its poor record on human rights.

Gordon Brown should not attend this weekend’s event or any future events to mark the Beijing Games - including the opening ceremony on 8th August – until China lives up to the expectations placed upon it by the Olympic Charter. The Charter states that “Olympism seeks to create a way of life based on the joy of effort, the educational value of good example and respect for universal fundamental ethical principles”.

China should do that by taking four clear steps.

First, President Hu Jintao should agree to meet the Dalai Lama for face-to-face talks on a mutually acceptable solution to the contested status of Tibet and the treatment of Tibetans.

Second, China should honour its commitment to allow the free access of foreign journalists to all parts of the country and to talk to any individual who gives consent to be interviewed: China should not use the Olympics as an excuse to further restrict the freedom of its domestic media.

Third, as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, China should use its influence in Khartoum to remove obstacles to the United Nations-African Mission in Darfur.

Fourth, China should demonstrate its commitment to civil and political rights by ratifying the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).

I believe firmly in the spirit of the Olympic Games, and in the value of human rights and civil liberties.

We should use the opportunity of the Olympic Games to exert pressure on China to live up to those values; and the British government should express its clear disapproval until it does so.

Best wishes,


Nick Clegg MP
Leader of the Liberal Democrats

P.S. Many Liberal Democrat members and supporters will be joining the demonstrations on Sunday. You can find details on our website

Liberal Democrats condemn uncosted promises

Barely seven days before election nominations opened, two major projects were announced. By convention, councils avoid making contentious decisions during an election period ("purdah").

Derek Vaughan, Neath Port Talbot council leader, promised that Gwyn Hall would be rebuilt and that there would be a major reconstruction of Pontardawe town centre. Neither has a price tag. So far as we know, the council has not even been told of the cost of the artist's impression of the Gwyn Hall rebuild.

We believe that it is wrong to insult voters' intelligence by holding out the possibility of these projects with no guarantee that there will be enough money to pay for them without further rises in council tax.

Crime: Labour tough on paper, not in fact

Labour is pinning its hopes on stemming the ebbing of their support in the May 1st council elections on frightening the electorate with anti-social behaviour.

Some points need to be answered:
"Remove licences or close down shops that persistently sell alcohol to under eighteens"
Will this include the major supermarkets, which Labour nationally has refused to challenge?

"Introduce local crime fighting strategies so that every area is kept safe [...] Work closely with neighbourhood policing teams to deal quickly with local hotspots for crime and anti-social behaviour"
We thought this was just what LibDem-led Swansea was doing?

"The Liberal Democrats opposed our tough action on crime."
How can a party which wants to put more policemen on the street (as opposed to cutting police budgets, which Labour has done) be described as not wanting to be tough on crime?

"[LibDems in Swansea have] wasted £80m on a failed IT project ... "
Initiated by Labour.

" ... failed to be straight with local people about the cost of the new leisure centre"
WLGA Labour group leader Derek Vaughan, who co-presented the launch of the manifesto, is also leader of Neath Port Talbot council. Last week, Cllr Vaughan announced two major construction projects: the rebuilding of the Gwyn Hall and a restructuring of Pontardawe. Both are uncosted.

The story of Liberal Democrats in Cardiff, Swansea and Wrexham is of restoring financial competence to those councils after Labour mismanagement. It is no surprise that Labour is majoring not on value for money, but on their supposed competence on crime.

Meantime, the convicted terrorist Yassin Nassari has been let go under the Government’s early release scheme.

Liberal Democrat Shadow Justice Secretary, Chris Huhne commented:

“There is a huge discrepancy between the Government’s rhetoric on terrorism and its actions.

“Next week ministers will bring before Parliament unnecessary and draconian legislation on pre-charge detention in a desperate attempt to look tough on terrorism.

“People convicted of terrorist offences can be back in society having served less than half their sentence because of our desperately overstretched prison system.

“Measures to tackle prison overcrowding should focus on helping drug-addicts, inmates with mental health problems and non-serious offenders, rather than giving terrorists an easy ride.”

No Jobs for Midwives??

No more than three days have passed since Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council were forced to admit that they could no longer afford the number of teachers currently employed by the Local Authority, we recieve yet another blow from New Labour. The number of nurses and midwives who are unemployed six months after qualifying has increased, nationally, by over 80% in the last three years.

The figures, quoted by Lib Dem News and acquired by the Liberal Democrats Shadow Health Secretary Norman Lamb MP, show that six months after graduating:

• Almost three-quarters more nurses and midwives are now working in jobs outside of their profession than in 2002/3



• Nearly a third more doctors are unemployed than in 2002/3



• Over 1,000 nurses were unemployed in 2005/6, the most recent year that statistics are available

The Liberal Democrat Shadow Health Secretary, Norman Lamb MP said:

"This is a disgraceful waste of human talent and a scandolous use of public money. Its no surprise that so many committed healthcare professionals have lost faith in the way that Labour has run the NHS."

Save Our Post Offices - Campaign Update

Thank You to all those residents of both Aberavon and Neath Constituencies who have supported our Save the Post Offices Campaign over the past several months. Many of you replied to the campaign by adding your signatures to the Focus Leaflets and mailing them back to us.

This petition has now been handed into Downing Street by the Liberal Democrat Party's Post Offices Spokesperson, Sarah Tether MP.

Over 50,000 signatures were presented calling on Gordon Brown to STOP Labours's Post Office closure programme now.

Liberal Democrats Lead Gurkha Protest

"Its quite simply a national disgrace" - Nick Clegg

Liberal Democrat News Report:

At a mass protest outside Parliament on Wednesday, the Liberal Democrat Leader was given a box full of medals by angry Gurkhas who have served in the British Army before 1997 and who are being denied a full pension and the right to British Citizenship.

"When I told people what you get from the Government in return for the years of brave, loyal, uncomplaining service, people simply don't believe it." Nick Clegg told the ex-servicemen. It is quite simply a national disgrace. I am simply saying you should be treated with the respect and honour you deserve as brave soldiers. I will do everything I can to end this unacceptable and immoral discrimination."

Nick Clegg later tackled Gordon Brown over the issue at Prime Ministers Questions. He said: " Two hours ago a retired Gurkha soldier handed over this medal to me in protest at the Governments refusal to grant him a British citizenship. Do you know what it means for a loyal British soldier to give up a medal that he won for his long years of service to this country? And can you explain to the Gurkhas why on earth you believe that Gurkhas who have served in the Army after 1997 are worthy of British citizenship but those who served before that date should be deported?"

Gordon Browns answer - that in 1997 the Gurkhas, who were then based in Hong Kong, moved to Britain - did little to pacify the ex-servicemen. Soldiers who retire after July 1997 recieve a pension on the same terms as the rest of the British Army. But those who retired before that date collect one-sixth of the amount recieved by a British soldier. It is believed that around 3,300 Grukhas who retired before 1997 are still resident in the UK and would be affected by the Legislation.

Gurkhas have fought for Britain since 1815 and served in conflicts including the Falklands and Afghanistan.

Liberal Democrat Defense spokesperson in the Lords, and former Defense Minister, John Lee tabled his Immigration (Discharged Gurkhas) Bill this week. " Liberal Democrats in the House of Lords are tabling a Bill which would allow all Gurkhas indefinate leave to remain on the same basis as Commonwealth soldiers," he said. "Having served our country with distinction, the threat of deportation hanging over thousands of Gurkhas and their families living in Britain is a national disgrace."

For more information and to follow the campaign go to:
Nick Clegg - Treatment of Gurkhas a National Disgrace
Retired Gurkhas Hand Back Medals
Gurkhas hand back medals in pension and citizenship protest

Tory councillor created hundreds of phoney voters

The full story is here.

The good news is that the man was tried and convicted. The bad news is that he nearly got away with it. As the law stands, Electoral Registration Officers have no power to reject an application for registration, provided the form is completed correctly, but must call in the police to investigate if suspicious.

Nor have the media in general given as much prominence to the Slough story as they should.

So far these scandals have been confined to England. There is no reason why voter fraud should not be attempted here, though, and we are sure that our EROs are not complacent.

Forces Focus

Nick Harvey and the Liberal Democrat defence team have launched a new web site. We feel, with Welsh men and women contributing proportionately more than England to the UK defence effort, that this is of particular relevance to Welsh Liberal Democrats.

Nick Harvey writes:

With increasing demands made of our Armed Forces and with continuing operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, our Manifesto pledge has never been more pertinent: we should look after our Armed Forces so they can look after us.

Since this pledge we have repeatedly championed the concerns of the Armed Forces and remain distinct on defence. We opposed the unnecessary and costly war in Iraq, we have campaigned across the country for adequate recognition for personnel and for the rights for Gurkhas and we are the only party to have put forward our priorities for Forces welfare. I want us to continue in this vein and ensure defence remains at the top of the agenda.

It is for this reason that the Defence Team has launched this new website. We believe there should be a forum for us to discuss and debate how our liberal values should shape the defence agenda in light of the changing strategic landscape and international concerns, and highlight the work we, as a party, are doing on the whole gamut of defence issues; including disarmament, procurement, and welfare. It will also offer you the chance to keep up to date with the work of the Team in both Houses.

Please feel free to have a look and leave comments on the site.

Clegg calls for "broken politics" to be fixed

At the University of Sheffield’s Festival of Social Science last week, Liberal Democrat Leader Nick Clegg called for radical change to fix Britain’s ‘broken politics’.

He challenged the two establishment parties to abandon their vested interests to allow reforms of our political system to regain the trust of the British people.

Calling for a Constitutional Convention, led by a ‘citizens’ jury’ of 100 people, to build a new constitution for Britain, Nick Clegg also set out steps that can be taken now including:

· Adopting the Power Commission proposal of allowing every voter to donate £3 to a party of their choice via the ballot paper in a General Election

· Funding to support political parties to come from cutting the cost of politics in other ways, for example reducing the number of MPs by 150 and cutting the Government’s advertising budget

· Banning political donations over £25,000 and limiting political parties to spending less than £10m every year, not just election years

In his speech, Nick Clegg said:

“People care, they just don’t care about politicians. And that should give us hope.

“If we build a new kind of politics, that engages with people in a different way, we can harness the side of people that cares, that is interested, that is engaged with society around them.

“My party, the Liberal Democrats, is in a unique position. We’re on the outside of the system. So we’re the ones who can prise it open and drive the change we need. That’s why I’m in politics.”

EQUALITY COMMISSION MISSES ITS OWN DEADLINE

The Government had to change the law to prevent an anti-discrimination quango missing its own equality targets the Liberal Democrats have discovered.

After realising that the Equality and Human Rights Commission was set to miss the deadline for meeting internal equality regulations, ministers put down a statutory instrument extending the deadline.

Commenting, Liberal Democrat Youth and Equality Spokesperson, Lynne Featherstone said:

“You have to question what authority this body will have in monitoring other public organisations if it cannot comply with its own rules and needs to be bailed out by ministers.

“Labour’s greatest concern has been to hush up this embarrassing delay, abusing parliamentary procedure in the process, rather than questioning why this top equality body is yet to lead by example.

“We need to send a message that equality is something that is taken seriously across the board.”

Cross-bench support for Members' Taxation Status Bill

All members of the House of Lords will be forced to pay full British taxes on all their income or leave under a Bill which received its second reading last Friday.

Speaking ahead of the debate, Liberal Democrat Treasury Spokesperson, Lord (Matthew) Oakeshott, said:

“Lords with millions stashed in tax havens from Liechtenstein to the Cayman Islands must not vote on laws for hard-pressed British families paying their full whack of tax.

“I have joined forces with Labour MP Gordon Prentice to get a Bill through Parliament this session, to make peers who dodge British taxes pay up or pack up.”

Labour MP Gordon Prentice has agreed to sponsor Lord Oakeshott’s Bill should it pass the Lords before his own similar Bill clears the Commons. Lord Oakeshott will return the compliment if the Prentice Bill reaches the Lords first.

Lord Oakeshott’s Bill will require Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs to consider all members of the House of Lords as resident and domiciled in the UK for tax purposes.

Its supporters include Lord Strathclyde, Conservative Leader in the Lords and Baroness Helena Kennedy QC (Labour).

There is one openly non-resident member of the House of Lords, Lord Laidlaw (a Conservative donor), and one openly non-dom, Lord Paul (a donor to Gordon Brown's leadership campaign). Other members who refuse to confirm whether they are fully resident and domiciled in the UK for tax purposes include Lord Ashcroft, Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party.

Trouble ahead?

Peter Black quotes a Guardian report that the Establishment may support the Prentice Bill but not the Oakeshott one, in spite of Gordon Prentice's declared support for the Lords Bill.

It will be interesting to see whether this is purely down to party political spite, or whether the-powers-that-be find that the Prentice Bill affords more loopholes.

Probation, Natonal Offender Management services in trouble

Government claims that it is giving £40m more money to the Probation Service are ‘totally misleading’ the Liberal Democrats said.

A Ministry of Justice press release says that ‘The National Probation Service is to receive £40 million of additional funding to provide more tough and effective community sentences.’

However, just six months ago the Government announced that probation service funding was to be cut by five per cent for each of the next three years. (The details can be found here.

Commenting, Liberal Democrat Shadow Home Secretary, Chris Huhne said:

“The Government is spinning this as additional support for the probation service but in reality it only goes part of the way in restoring funding cuts announced just six months ago.

“Tough community punishments are more effective in cutting reoffending than short term custodial sentences and this is due in part to the sterling work of the probation service.

“Today’s funding commitment will thankfully stave off some redundancies in the probation service but it is totally misleading to describe it as an increase in support for the service when it is the Government taking with one hand and giving with the other.”

Later in the week, the Information Commissioner issued a press release criticising the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) for replying to Freedom of Information requests slowly, Liberal Democrat Shadow Solicitor General, David Howarth said:

“It is not surprising NOMS is failing to respond to such requests when its computer systems are so catastrophic.

“It is unacceptable that requests are taking this long to deal with. NOMS must get its house in order.”

The Information Commissioner's Office is the UK's independent authority set up to promote access to official information and to protect personal information.

Ffynnon Oer community fund: dramatic move

The county borough council is to set up a committee.

This is only two months after Labour AM Gwenda Thomas drew attention to the uneven distribution of the fund.

We commented on the situation in July last year and in June 2006.

County borough councillor Trefor Williams is reported as saying that they had been very proactive in the way they had handled this as a council.

Green light for non-green power generation

The Government has that it intends to approve the new Kingsnorth, Kent, coal fired power station.

Nick Clegg's comment: “At a time when the Government should be working to reduce the UK’s emissions, ministers seem determined to allow a huge new polluting power station. What planet is John Hutton living on?

“Without carbon capture and storage, clean coal is a total myth. This monstrosity will only emit 20% less than previous coal fired stations, and a massive 75% more than a gas powered plant.

“Kingsnorth should not be given the go ahead unless carbon capture and storage is part of it from day one.

“If ministers really want to take the lead on tackling climate change they must concentrate on promoting renewable power, increasing energy efficiency, and dramatically accelerating the development of carbon capture and storage.”

If anyone can point us to a power-station scheme which employers carbon capture and which is actually up and running, we would be grateful.

LibDem Conference resolves to improve banking regulation

At its Liverpool conference last weekend, in the light of the nationalisation of Northern Rock, passed a motion proposing reforms to combine genuine competitiveness in the banking sector with protection for depositors. It is also timely in view of the shakeout in world stock markets this week, triggered by the credit crunch in the United States.

Summing up in support of the motion, Liberal Democrat Shadow Chancellor Vince Cable said the Government needed to decide whether to treat banks like a utility - tightly regulated but protected - or like a private company - which meant banks would need to operate in a genuinely competitive environment where there was the opportunity for new entrants to enter the market and for existing ones to go out of business.

To provide protection for savers in a competitive banking sector, the party is proposing to introduce a new Deposit Protection Scheme paid for by banks - as has proved successful in the United States - to provide 100% cover for personal deposits of up to £50,000. Depositors would have immediate access in the event of a bank failure. Effectively it would operate as a collective insurance scheme paid for by banks.

The full text of the emergency motion is -
Conference notes the nationalisation of Northern Rock on 18 February 2008.

Conference:
a) Recognises that confidence in the British banking system has been severely dented by:
i) Imprudent levels of bank lending in relation to both consumer credit and mortgage finance.
ii) The use of unsustainable business practices by some banks, which have achieved rapid growth in consumer lending based on commercial borrowing rather than deposits.
iii) The imposition of unreasonably high penalty charges for customers.
b) Notes the failure of bank regulation and supervision which led to the first run on a UK retail bank for over a century, and the Government’s use of taxpayer funds to bail out Northern Rock which are yet to be repaid.
c) Believes that the long period of time taken by the Government to nationalise Northern Rock after it became clear that no suitable private bidder was willing to buy Northern Rock and repay taxpayer loans in a timely fashion has caused considerable damage to the UK’s banking reputation.

Conference therefore calls on the Government to:
1. Ensure that all taxpayer loans to Northern Rock are repaid as quickly as is reasonably possible.
2. Introduce a new regulatory regime to address the inadequacies of the current tripartite arrangements on the Treasury, Bank of England and FSA and strengthen the supervision of UK banks with particular regard to liquidity adequacy, systemic risk and robust stress-testing of business models.
3. Confirm the Bank of England’s independence of market supervision, but revise present arrangements concerning their ‘lender of last resort’ responsibilities; in particular ensuring that any bank which receives credit from the Bank of England in its capacity as the lender of last resort does so on condition that if necessary the Bank of England can take management control.
4. Introduce a new Deposit Protection Scheme paid for by banks - as has proved successful in the United States - to provide 100% cover for personal deposits of up to £50,000 and if necessary allow immediate access for depositors in the event of a bank failure and to make the scheme widely known.
5. To ensure that there is greater banking stability, using capital requirements as a tool to reflect the state of the economic cycle and therefore deter prevent large fluctuations in lending particularly in the housing market.

New blow for Briton Ferry

Coming upon yet another street flood, towards which remedial work is only now getting under way, the further delay to the new health centre must come as a virtual kick in the teeth to Briton Ferry Residents.

It was clear at last year's AGM of the Health Board that the Briton Ferry centre was the top priority in the Neath Port Talbot area, and that necessary health service developments in other parts of the country borough were not being considered in any detail. It appeared that the plans were then set in stone, and that preparatory work was imminent.

Gun control

It is pointless having the tightest restrictions on guns without the willingness to enforce them. BBC Wales recently reported that illegal replica guns were still on sale in Wales. See the video here.

Earlier this year, Chris Huhne commented on government figures which showed that the rate of murder by guns and knives had gone up.

“The increase in gun and knife killings is deeply alarming. Violent crime is still far higher than a decade ago and must be tackled much more vigorously.

“Police should devote more time to stop and searches for knives and guns, and there must be a major new effort from the Government to clamp down on gun and knife smuggling.

“Nine times more officials are allocated to tackling cigarette smuggling than gun smuggling, which is a crazy set of priorities."

Harvey launches 'Forces Focus' website

Nick Harvey, MP, has launched Forces Focus, a new website concentrating on the state of our armed forces.

Theme and Variations, by Vince Cable

Vince opened his speech to the Liverpool conference: "I don't want to overdo my Stalin joke. But I did, I think, capture the pathos of Gordon Brown’s sad decline: from ruthless to rudderless: bully to bumbler; from Brezhnev to Blackadder."

The speech in full should shortly be posted here along with the other platform speeches and summary of motions resolved.

However, it's worth quoting Vince's coda: "Liberal Democrats represent the millions of families ignored by this Government. Yes, we believe in enterprise. Yes, we believe in an open economy. But we don’t have to go down on our knees to the rich and powerful.

"We will stand up for fair taxes. We will stand up for green taxes.

"And we will fight for a more equal Britain."

Department of Work and Pensions: poor IT record

Department for Work and Pensions IT projects are running a total of 21 years late and £315m over budget, according to figures revealed by the Liberal Democrats.

One project, the Pensions Transformation Project, which aims to improve customer service and deliver efficiencies is running £169m over budget.

Commenting, Liberal Democrat Shadow Chancellor, Vince Cable said:

“These figures confirm that Government IT projects are an utter shambles.

“Ministers seem completely incapable of delivering workable IT systems on time and on budget.

“Given the Government’s appalling track record on computer projects, it is essential that a full investigation is launched into this and other overruns.

“Gordon Brown is living in a dream world if he thinks larger IT projects like ID cards are going to be any different.”

Lembit says: Home Information Packs failing

The Liberal Democrats have said that the Government’s Home Information Packs (HIPs) are failing, following the publication of the scheme’s pilot studies report today.

The study found that:
- Almost 60% of buyers did not see the HIP early enough in the house buying process
- After their property had been sold, sellers were less likely to agree that their HIP had helped sell their property (fell than 44% to 22% of sellers)

- 58% of buyers did not agree that HIPs speed up the buying process
- Over three quarters of buyers said that the HIP had no effect on their decision to purchase their property

Commenting, Liberal Democrat Housing Spokesperson, Lembit Opik said:
“The Government has gone about this entire process the wrong way round.

“Even the Government’s own research shows that HIPs aren’t working as they should. Why weren’t these facts made public before the national roll-out?

“HIPs are now compulsory for all properties coming on the market but ministers have only now given in to our pressure and released the results of these pilot studies.

“I will be asking the Government whether they have any plans to suspend
HIPs until they can be proved to work.”

(Even the trumpeted energy assessment component appears to be too variable to be useful. A listener to BBC Radio's "Home Planet", who lives in a house heated almost exclusively by waste wood was told that is house is energy inefficient.)

Don't punish domestic violence victims by taking their children away

John Hemming MP, Chairman of Justice for Families and LibDem MP for Birmingham Yardley, has written to the Minister for Children, Kevin Brennan MP and Minister for Justice Bridget Prentice MP calling for the government to stop punishing women who are victims of Domestic Violence by taking their children away from them.

"The Government recently published," he said, "a report which looked at the reasons for care proceedings. If we ignore, for the moment, the fact that some concerns are not well founded when investigated properly, it is quite illuminating to see what the figures are. This report only covered 386 cases, but it does give a rare glimpse behind the secrecy of the Family Courts."

"The report reveals that 51.1% of women who have had their children removed had it done so in part because they were victims of Domestic Violence. The argument the authorities use is that the children are subject to "emotional abuse" because of seeing mother and father fighting. Without disputing the fact that there may be circumstances in which children may need to be in a place of safety because of this, it is wrong to take the children away permanently because mother is a victim of abuse. This creates a situation in which mothers are frightened to report Domestic Violence because if they do so then they will suffer the permanent removal of their children. We should be dealing with the abuser rather than punishing the victim."

"The report reveals some of the other reasons used for permanent removal of children. 58.7% - not doing what the social workers say, 59% inconsistent parenting/emotional abuse, 52.4% chaotic lifestyle (the dirty kitchen issue), 26.4% missing school, 37.2% not doing what the doctors say or missing appointments, 17.4% mum was in care"

"We need a better consideration of when it is appropriate for the state to intervene and remove children permanently from their parents. In essence the current interpretation of S31 a) of the 1989 Act allows intervention in a very large proportion of families and it is therefore the outcomes are pretty random. We should not just remove children, for example, because their mother herself was in care."

"One of the reasons greater openness about Family proceedings is needed is to work out exactly when the state should intervene. The danger in the current system which allows draconian intervention in a large proportion of families is that we end up missing the children at risk of significant physical harm whilst spending time with families who haven't done the washing up when the social worker visits."

Labour resists LibDem MPs clean government initiative

The Government last Friday blocked a Bill which would have forced public bodies
to disclose the money they spend on expenses.

Liberal Democrat MP Norman Baker’s Expenses of Public Servants
(Publications) Bill was blocked by a government whip in the House of
Commons today.

Commenting, Mr Baker said:
“The Government has learned nothing. If they had backed my Bill, ministers
could have shown they were listening to the public, by making sure that
those spending taxpayers’ money were properly accountable.

“The public clearly want more openness and accountability when it comes to
expenses.

“At least MPs are elected. My Bill would hold to account those shadowy
figures who are unelected but are spending large sums of taxpayers’ money
on themselves.

“Some of the expenses, like SEEDA Chairman James Brathwaite’s £50,000 taxi
bills makes MPs look positively frugal.

“Why has the Government blocked this bill, whose side are they on? Are
they on the side of the taxpayer or on the side of bureaucratic quangos
wasting taxpayers’ money?”

The Cabin: "publish the report"

The leader of Neath Port Talbot CBC, Cllr. Derek Vaughan, says that the youth centre in Cwmgwrach only needs a lick of paint to make it fit for use. Mrs Chattington and the community council say that The Cabin is falling down and that total rebuilding would be necessary if youth activities were to resume on the site.

These views are based on the same report by council officials, which few members of the public have seen. Liberal Democrats say: publish the report, and let the public decide.

Post Office closures: Tory & Labour hypocrisy

Conservative (and Swansea emigrant) Nigel Evans has proposed an Early Day Motion (no. 997) which “regrets the proposal to close up to 2,500 post offices”.

As you will see by clicking the link, the EDM has been signed by both Labour and Conservative MPs. This is a bit rich, seeing as how that, under the previous Conservative government, over 3000 branches were closed, and that the closure programme continued unabated under Labour.

At the Blackpool Conference in 1996, which set Labour's course for election victory in the following spring, Gordon Brown made an impassioned 30-minute speech. In the course of this, he promised:

a Labour chancellor will not waste money on consultancy fees for the privatisation of the Post Office. The Post Office will remain as it is, run in the public sector as a public service.

You can judge for yourself whether the salaries and bonuses paid to the Labour-appointed managers of Royal Mail are a greater or lesser waste of money than consultancy fees. What is certain is that Gordon Brown in power has been true to his socialist dogma, and it seems our local MPs are with him on this.

No private money has been allowed to reinvigorate the post office network, as Liberal Democrats propose, and it has truly remained to run - or rather run down - in the public sector.

As a public service, though, it is a shadow of what it was. I have always found sub-postmasters and their staff friendly and helpful. They are better promoters of the post office than expensive TV campaigns. The trouble is that one is decreasingly certain of finding a post office in even large villages on ones travels. Moreover, the government is deliberately removing the post offices' ability to access government facilities.

Frank H Little

Labour drug strategy another paper tiger

Commenting on the Government’s 10-year drug strategy announced today, Liberal Democrat Shadow Home Secretary, Chris Huhne said:

“The Government has already been through one ten-year drugs strategy and a failed drugs tsar, but drug addiction is still the most significant contributor to crimes against property with 35 per cent of those arrested testing positive for opiates such as heroin or cocaine, including crack.

“Cutting benefits for addicts is a gimmick that is more likely to increase crime than reduce it, and the police already have the powers to freeze the assets of anyone who is arrested for serious crime.

“This is a medical and social problem which must be addressed with effective treatment programmes, yet the Government is lamentably failing to fund programmes that can cut reoffending rates by half. The Department of Health and the Home Office do not coordinate their efforts, and the result is a continuing public health and crime crisis.”

The situation is no better in Wales. A member was recently appalled to see illegal drug transactions taking place openly in the centre of Swansea, in a supposedly tightly-policed zone.

The Home Office's own figures show that between a third and a half of all acquisitive crime is estimated to be drug-related, and that 35 per cent of those arrested tested positive for opiates or cocaine.

Winter Fuel payment losing its value

Gordon Brown boasted at Prime Minister's Questions this week of Labour's introduction of the Winter Fuel Payment. What he neglected to mention was how far its original value has been eroded by inflation and recent extreme price rises.

In fact, it now it only just pays for a quarter of a pensioner’s fuel bills.

The amount of the Winter Fuel Payment has been frozen at £200 for
five years.

Commenting, Liberal Democrat Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, Danny
Alexander said:

“As fuel bills rise, thousands of older people won’t be able to afford to
heat their homes this winter.

“While the cost of heating homes has rocketed and the value of the basic
state pension has plummeted, the Government has frozen the Winter Fuel Payment at £200 for five years.

“The Liberal Democrats would restore the earnings link to pensions to ensure older people would be better off.”

Government knew for years of council tax overcharging

Commenting on the reports that ministers and officials might have known for years that tens of thousands of householders were paying too much council tax, Liberal Democrat Shadow Communities Secretary, Julia Goldsworthy said:

“Many people are already struggling to pay for their council tax bills, and this comes as a bitter blow to those people whose homes have been placed in the wrong tax bands.

“If the situation were reversed, you could guarantee these people would have had the taxman breathing down their neck demanding the money to be repaid.

“The Lyons Review made it perfectly clear that the current council tax system was not fit for purpose, yet Gordon Brown has done nothing more than kicked the report into the long grass.

“This makes it clearer than ever that we need to replace the unfair council tax with a local income tax based on people’s ability to pay.”

Prison system heading for meltdown

A series of revelations highlighted the current crisis caused by prison overcrowding:

· The Government has ordered that dangerous criminals on
indeterminate sentences be moved to lower-security prisons

· Figures from a ministerial written statement show that the
Government is asking for an extra £35m to cope with the costs of Operation
Safeguard (Previous parliamentary questions by the Liberal Democrats revealed that
the Government spent £28 million on Operation Safeguard in 2007)

· A report published today last Wednesday by the BMA says that ‘prisoner safety is being put at risk by the Government’s inhumane, expensive and overstretched use of temporary prison accommodation’

Commenting, Liberal Democrat Shadow Justice Secretary, David Heath said:

“This marks a new low in the Government’s mishandling of our penal system. Britain’s mismanaged prisons are in a state of complete disarray and the Government is having to take increasingly desperate measures to prevent a complete meltdown.

“The decision to move dangerous criminals into lower security prisons highlights how the Government introduced indeterminate sentences in a blaze of publicity but with scant regard for how they would work in practice.

“The Prison Service is having to take drastic action now because Government legislation has driven prison numbers to record levels.

“Holding prisoners in police and court cells has left forensic physicians
unable to cope, prisoners at risk, and contributes directly to reoffending. The answer is not to further burden the police or court services but to take people out of prison who should not be there, such as those with mental health problems and drug addictions, and move them to more appropriate accommodation.

“We used to say that the Government was spending more on keeping prisoners in police cells than it would cost to have them stay at the Ritz. But now Jack Straw could have used the £35 million extra he’s been given for Operation Safeguard to buy his own chain of hotels.”

New Labour wants doctors to join the social police

Commenting on Alan Johnson’s speech today in which he set out plans to change Britain’s ‘sick note culture’ into a ‘well note culture’, Liberal Democrat Shadow Health Secretary for England, Norman Lamb said:

“This serious issue deserves a more sophisticated approach, but we should
be wary of moving to a system where doctors find themselves policing the
benefits system rather than treating the sick.

“If Alan Johnson is serious about helping the large number of people on
long term sick leave back to work, he should focus on providing better
access to effective treatment for the huge numbers of people on incapacity
benefit with mental health problems.”

We await Edwina Hart's take on this. While Westminster controls both the benefits system and doctors' contracts in England, the Assembly Government has responsibility for health matters in Wales.

Belated Northern Rock nationalisation the right decision

Responding to the Chancellor’s announcement that Northern Rock bank is to
be temporarily nationalised, Liberal Democrat Shadow Chancellor, Vince
Cable said:

“Belatedly the Government has made the right decision.

“This is the option the Liberal Democrats have argued for from the outset,
unlike the Tories who have no alternative to offer.

“In an issue of such major national interest the focus must now be on the
next steps.

“The first priority must be to work out the seriousness of the problems at
the bank with an independent audit of its loan book. This must be
conducted under the auspices of the Bank of England, not the FSA.

“Secondly, the bank must stop irresponsible lending at more than the value
of property, and aggressive deposit-taking.

“Thirdly, there will be difficult times ahead, especially for the
employees, as the bank is downsized. However, there is now hope for the
long-term future of the bank when it is eventually sold in more
satisfactory conditions.

“There are a lot of unanswered questions, about who for example is paying
the expenses for the long detour exploring the Branson bid, but at least
the Government has now made the first move towards tackling this mountain
of a problem.”

Frank Little adds: “George Osborne's knee-jerk reaction is evidence that the Conservatives are still dominated by Thatcherite thinking. He should realise that Brown & Darling's decision, late though it is, is a pragmatic one on a par with Edward Heath's action to keep Rolls-Royce Engines viable.

“These decisions were taken in the long-term interests of the country, can only be taken by government, and cannot be left to the short-term mechanism of the market. RR's position, having been returned to private ownership, as one of the two top aero-engine manufacturers in the world, vindicates Heath's action. One anticipates that Northern Rock will return as one of the top five mortgage lenders in the UK, in rather less time than the sixteen years it took Rolls-Royce”.

Coroner's remarks sum up treatment of armed forces

Commenting on today’s remarks by Coroner Andrew Walker, accusing the
Ministry of Defence of breaching soldiers' trust by sending them to
Afghanistan without basic equipment, Liberal Democrat Shadow Defence
Secretary, Nick Harvey said:

“These stinging comments sum up the way our armed forces have been
consistently betrayed by the Government.

“For years soldiers have been left overstretched and under-equipped. How
many more tragedies like this must there be before ministers stop
rewarding bravery with incompetence?”

A Real Referendum

In the next few weeks Parliament will be voting on whether to hold a European referendum. The Conservatives are proposing a restrictive referendum on the Lisbon Treaty. My colleagues and I are campaigning hard for the British people to be given a real choice through a referendum on our membership of the European Union as a whole:
http://ourcampaign.org.uk/europe

In British politics, only the Liberal Democrats have argued consistently that Britain's place is at the heart of Europe.

While Labour and the Tories have torn themselves apart over the issue, we have been steadfast for decades in our support for Britain's membership of the European Union.

Why then, you may ask, are the Liberal Democrats now alone among the main parties proposing a referendum on whether to stay in the European Union or get out?

The answer is because the European debate has poisoned British politics for too long. If we as a nation are to stride forward confidently into the 21st century and tackle all the new global issues like climate change and terrorism we need to decide once and for all whether that future lies within the European Union, or outside it.

Like most people, I want to see a reformed, liberal Europe where decisions are taken at the most appropriate level. That is why the Liberal Democrats are in favour of the Lisbon Treaty. It will make the EU more effective, more efficient and more accountable, enabling us to cope better with enlargement. It will help us to tackle issues such as cross-border crime and climate change and it will give the EU a stronger voice on the world stage.

The old, abandoned Constitution would have scrapped and replaced all the previous treaties. The Lisbon Treaty is just an amending treaty. So our proposal is closest to the commitment made by all three parties at the last election for a referendum on a European constitution.

Over the next few weeks we will be stepping up our campaign to demand that the government honours that commitment to the British people:
http://ourcampaign.org.uk/europe

The Conservatives are conspiring to deny the public a real choice over Europe. Over the years their Euroscepticism has hardened into outright hatred of everything to do with the European Union. In Government they denied the British people a referendum on really important Treaties like Maastricht and the Single European Act. In opposition they call for a referendum on even the smallest change.

We must not let the Tories con the British people again. Their call for a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty is a side show to the real debate on Europe which they are afraid to have with the British people.

We want that real debate. We want a referendum on Europe that really matters. In that referendum we will argue long and hard for Britain's vital place in the EU, and, I believe, defeat the Eurosceptics for a generation.

I would relish the chance to lead the Liberal Democrats at the forefront of that campaign.

Please support our campaign for a real referendum by clicking here and signing up to our petition:
http://ourcampaign.org.uk/europe

Best wishes,

Nick Clegg
Leader of the Liberal Democrats

Sending Welsh Children to Prison Fails to Cut Reoffending

Claire Rayner once said that statistics showed that crime rates could be halved by the simple expedient of locking up the male population between the ages of 18 and 25.

It seems from Jenny Willott's latest research that the government has already embarked on this scheme. The next stage is to lock children up for longer. ;-(

The alternative may be more expensive in the short term, but will surely save money and contribute to a better society in the long. As Jenny says: "We should focus our efforts on restorative justice programmes where communities have the powers to establish panels which would require offenders to face up to their crimes and engage in community work as reparation.

"We need to provide more effective non-custodial punishments and preventative work based in the community. Young offenders should be given full access to education and training opportunities so that they have the skills to break out of the cycle of reoffending."

Government only talking tough on Northern Rock

Responding to reports that the Treasury has told the Virgin-led consortium
that it is the frontrunner to take control of Northern Rock but
nationalisation is currently regarded as the better outcome for the
taxpayer, Liberal Democrat Shadow Chancellor, Vince Cable said:

“I would like to believe that the Government has finally seen sense and
recognised that in the current market conditions temporary public
ownership is the best way to safeguard taxpayers' interests.

“I fear however that the Government is determined to make a private sale
to Richard Branson's consortium and may just be talking tough in order to
extract some last minute concessions.

“These will then be used to camouflage a bad deal in which the Virgin
consortium takes the profits and the taxpayer is left with most of the
risks.”

Those of us who signed a petition, headed "No City Bail-Out", to 10 Downing Street last year received a dry and rather sparse reply. However, it did contain the important sentence:

It is not the role of taxpayers to protect directors and shareholders from the consequences of their decisions.

Vince Cable and the parliamentary party will be holding the Chancellor to that.

Non-Doms: Cable derides government proposals

Responding to the Government’s clarification this afternoon of their
policy towards non-domiciled residents, Liberal Democrat Shadow
Chancellor, Vince Cable said:

“The Government has made an unholy mess of this issue and is being made to
look thoroughly foolish, now it has been demonstrated that ministers
haven’t thought through the implications of their own policies.

“However, there has been some outrageous special pleading from the City
with wildly exaggerated accounts of the damage that would be done by
taxing non-domiciled residents.

“British taxpayers do not understand why they should pay 40% top rate tax,
while the super-rich may pay little more than council tax on houses worth
tens of millions.

“The Liberal Democrats have argued that non-domiciled status does provide
some unjustified tax loopholes, but the flat-rate charge proposed by the
Government and the Conservatives is not the way to end this scandal. It
will hammer many useful non-doms of moderate means, whilst super-rich
Russian tax exiles will regard it as no more than a fleabite.

“We believe that the best way forward is to allow non-dom status for seven
years, but after that treat them in the same way as all other British
residents.”

Incapacity: Labour & Tories just as rigid

James Purnell is following in Peter Hain's footsteps as Work and Pensions minister in more ways than one. His approach to incapacity benefit is equally prescriptive, no doubt dictated by the Treasury.

Commenting on last week’s Public Accounts Committee report, "Helping
people from workless households into work", Liberal Democrat Shadow Work
and Pensions Secretary, Danny Alexander said:

“This report highlights problems that have been evident for a long-time:
the Government’s one-size-fits-all programmes are ignoring hard to reach
groups that must be supported back into work.

“A fifth of Incapacity Benefit claimants suffer mental health problems,
yet the Government has done nothing to support this group back into work.
Ministers seem content to leave them stagnating on sick pay for six months
before getting involved.

“Rather than threatening to evict people from workless households, the
Government should start by getting its own house in order.”

The Conservatives also proceed from the assumption that people on benefits are scroungers. But when was the last time a Tory knocked on a door in Croeserw?

Fluoride

Peter Black has long been known as a campaigner against fluoridation of our water supply. (See his entry "The fluoride state" for February 9th on his blog)

He is not alone. One of our own members wrote recently:
Once again, I have read that there is a call from some politicians, and so-called “professors” to introduce fluoride to the water supply, but only in deprived areas. This is a quote taken from this BBC link

Of course this isn't for everyone - it won't be necessary in the wealthier home counties for instance.

I am extremely concerned about this proposal, as I have done extensive research into the affects of fluoride in children. The fluoride that’s added to the water supply is a highly toxic waste product from the fertilizer industry, and its affects on children can be devastating. (But, hey, as long as they die with no cavities, what’s the problem?)

"Faceless Britain" campaign

Are you happy with dealing with Job Centres, Tax Credit or other public service queries over the phone?

Or would you prefer to sort out your problem face to face?

Why not browse the campaigning pages just launched by Julia Goldsworthy and Danny Alexander?

90 years of women's suffrage

Never mind that we were 25 years behind New Zealand, and that the franchise was limited to those women over 30 with a certain standing in the community, we - under Liberal PM, David Lloyd George - gave the vote to women the vote in 1918.

The trouble now is over equal representation. The Liberal Democrats in Wales can take satisfaction from the 50/50 split, right from the start, in the Welsh Assembly. But more needs to be done in Westminster and in local councils. The message needs to go out that this party has always insisted on equal treatment of the sexes in its selection processes, right up to the final short-list.

Women who subscribe to our principles, and want to make a difference to their communities by standing for council (in May this year) or for the UK parliament (whenever Gordon Brown dares to call a general election), will find that they are pushing at an open door with the Liberal Democrats.

Splitting

This blog has drifted into too much of an ego-trip for me. My excuse is that it has been necessary to keep the thing going, and it is so easy to fill the space with personal reflections.

However, things have come to a head with an interchange, on the subject of the future of power generation, with Councillor Ioan Richard. My own views are not entirely on-message. I don't want to embarrass fellow-moderators by arguing them here, nor be constrained. Therefore I have revived an old internet nickname, ffranc sais, for a more personal and wide-ranging blog.
Frank Little

Targetting the vulnerable

Elected representatives (councillors, MPs) have recently noticed an increase in their postbag from parents claiming disability living allowance. It seems that allowances which have been paid without quibble for many years are now being abated or cut completely.

This target-driven government has clearly set target reductions to each of its spending departments across the board, in an attempt to fill the huge hole in its finances. DWP has cut where it is easiest, which unfortunately means hitting those who are least able to fight back.

Sentenced to death for an interest in women's status

The greatest enemies of organised religion are those who feel uniquely qualified to interpret their sacred writings, usually imposing their interpretation with violence. Christianity and Judaism are not blameless, but few will contest that Islam currently carries the heaviest burden.
Frank Little

Paul Murphy is a part-timer, after all

At Prime Minister's Questions today, it was revealed that Paul Murphy has a number of other jobs, including minister for digital inclusion.

Does this mean that he is responsible for the government putting its finger in?

First Minister denies capping policy, ignores 101 problems

In reply to a question from Jenny Randerson (LibDem, Cardiff Central) today, Rhodri Morgan denied that minister Dr Brian Gibbons had done more than request that councils keep their tax increases below 5%.

The Welsh Local Government Association had warned of massive cuts to services as a result of a below-inflation local government settlement for 2008/9.

Jenny Randerson also suggested at First Minister's Questions that by allowing the police precept to rise by about 1%, the 101 general enquiry number, which had proved so successful in pilot programmes, could be rescued. Mr Morgan ignored this point.

A bank run averted

We are grateful to Ken Palmerton, a liberal resident in the Channel Islands, for drawing our attention to a more recent historical parallel to the Northern Rock crisis than the 1866 one usually quoted. In 1914, on the outbreak of war, a Liberal Chancellor of the Exchequer took swift action to prevent what would have been a ruinous run on the banks. For a short period, he effectively nationalised UK banking.

From Thomas Johnston's "The Financiers and the Nation":

WHEN the whistle blew for the start of the Great War in August 1914 the Bank of England possessed only nine millions sterling of a gold reserve, and, as the Bank of England was the Bankers' Bank, this sum constituted the effective reserve of all the other Banking Institutions in Great Britain.

The bank managers at the outbreak of War were seriously afraid that the depositing public, in a panic, would demand the return of their money. And, inasmuch as the deposits and savings left in the hands of the bankers by the depositing public had very largely been sunk by the bankers in enterprises which, at the best, could not repay the borrowed capital quickly, and which in several and large-scale instances were likely to be submerged altogether in the stress of war and in the collapse of great areas of international trade, it followed that if there were a widespread panicky run upon the banks, the banks would be unable to pay and the whole credit system would collapse, to the ruin of millions of people.

Private enterprise banking thus being on the verge of collapse, the Government (Mr. Lloyd George at the time was Chancellor of the Exchequer) hurriedly declared a moratorium, i.e. it authorized the banks not to pay out (which in any event the banks could not do), and it extended the August Bank Holiday for another three days. During these three or four days when the banks and stock exchanges were closed, the bankers held anxious negotiation with the Chancellor of the Exchequer. And one of them has placed upon record the fact that 'he (Mr. George) did everything that we asked him to do.' When the banks reopened, the public discovered that, instead of getting their money back in gold, they were paid in a new legal tender of Treasury notes (the £1 notes in black and the 10s. notes in red colours). This new currency had been issued by the State, was backed by the credit of the State, and was issued to the banks to prevent the banks from utter collapse. The public cheerfully accepted the new notes ; and nobody talked about inflation.

Not since 1697 had the State itself issued paper money.

Gun crime

If it had not been for Peter Hain, and Société Générale, headlines last week would have been dominated by the increase in firearms-related offences. This in spite of the promises made by Tony Blair and Jack Straw in 1997, and the passage of the Firearms (Amendment) (No. 2) Act 1997.

Burns' Night

Apparently, the haggis, which is traditionally consumed tonight, is under threat. But Scottish Liberal Democrats are alert, and have put down an early day motion in the House of Commons, BBC News reports.

I shall restrict myself to the liquid part of the commemoration of the bard, but wish all participants in Burns' Suppers a braw nicht.

Frank Little

Ambition undoes Peter Hain

The news that Peter Hain has quit the Cabinet, after his deputy leader campaign donations are referred to the Met Police, should give pause to those who place personal ambition over concerns about influence-peddling.

It also means that politicians should take more care over the choice of people to run their administrations.

There did seem to have been a trend towards US-style big money campaigns in British politics. Nick Clegg's and Chris Huhne's combined spending of over £160,000 on the recent leadership campaign may be less than US equivalents, but must be well over what was considered seemly for previous Liberal and Liberal Democrat contests. (It should be added that there is no whiff of impropriety over the donations to either the Clegg or Huhne campaigns.)

Two immediate questions come to mind as a result of today's news: who is going to be the new Welsh Secretary?; and will Mr Hain's resignation be the first domino in a sequence of leading Labour figures whose careers have been threatened by allegations of sleaze?

17:30The new Welsh Secretary will be Paul Murphy, MP for Torfaen, who has filled the post before. Although he is said to be not totally enthusiastic about the Government of Wales Act, he was the unsung hero of the talks in Northern Ireland leading to the Good Friday Agreement. His diplomatic skills will be much needed at Gwydr House.

Frank Little

Let's get back to some old politics

I'm fed up with the constant sloganising about "change", and "new politics". It seems to go along with more scraping away of our powers as voters. As Lord Greaves put it in a letter to the Independent last Saturday:

the key must be the revival and re-establishment of local democracy.
The Victorians invented multi-purpose local authorities, elected
democratically and accountable to local people, because that is the best
way to organise services at a local level, provide a strategic vision
for local communities and represent their needs to government. Unless we
achieve a massive renaissance of local democracy, dismantling national
bureaucracies and sweeping away the confusion of quangos, all the rest
is pie in the sky.

We must reverse the trend to treat local councillors as elected employees of the state, submerged in paper.

Frank Little

Barack Obama

Rarely, if ever, do I post an item on American Politics but after listening to this speech I just wanted to share it - for those who are interested.




Posted by Richie Northcote

Sustainable Communities Bill is now law

After more than 5 years of campaigning, there is now a Sustainable Communities Act on the statute book. Although Liberal Democrat MPs, with the party's tradition of community politics, were prominent in pushing the Bill through, it has been a cross-party effort. Here we should acknowledge the support given by Dr Hywel Francis, the MP for Aberavon.

As a result, the government is now committed to make local communities work. By October of this year, it will have to ask every council, like Neath Port Talbot CBC, to submit suggestions of ways that it can help you and your council make your community more sustainable. Neath Port Talbot council must ask your opinion of what these suggestions should be.

This will be done through citizens panels, drawn from all sections of the community.

This is a new bottom-up process. The policies to create sustainable communities will be driven by us, as citizens, not by bureaucrats in Cardiff or Westminster.

More details on how the Act will work will appear on the Unlock Democracy web site.

In the meantime, the Local Works campaign is asking for support for a Private Members Bill which will enable local decision-making in the field of energy conservation. Michael Fallon's Planning and Energy Bill would allow councils, after involving their communities, to set high energy efficiency standards for new developments and to require them to generate energy by local on-site technologies.

The government is not yet backing the Bill. Our MPs should be asked to be present in the House of Commons next Friday, 25th January, when the Bill reaches its next stage, and to support it.

We should also write to the minister for local communities, Rt Hon Yvette Cooper, House of Commons, LONDON SW1A 0AA, demanding that the government back the Bill and not talk it out.

Severn Barrage is going ahead

Amidst all the kerfuffle about Peter Hain's undeclared receipts, it was not noticed that the Welsh Secretary virtually confirmed that the government was committed to building the Severn Barrage. At Welsh Questions in the House of Commons last Wednesday, the following interchange took place:

Gregory Barker (Bexhill and Battle) (Con): What recent discussions he has had with the First Minister on the environment in Wales. [177789]

The Secretary of State for Wales (Mr. Peter Hain): I have regular discussions, for instance on our joint support for the Severn barrage, which will be by far the biggest renewable energy project in Britain.

Note the "will be".

This in spite of significant opposition, summarised here, and before the viability of tidal lagoon schemes, as proposed by Peter Black and supported by Jane Davidson, has been assessed.

Yellow school buses

Congratulations to First Group on keeping the need for specialised school buses before the public. Admittedly, the company will be looking for a commercial return on their investment, but it is open to other bus companies to do the same.

The Evening Post featured the campaign last week.

Richard revived?

The Western Mail reports that Sir Emyr Jones Parry, chairman of the pre-devolution referendum convention, wants the size of a future Senedd to be part of his terms of reference.

The paper's correspondent, Martyn Shipman, recalls that:

The all-party Richard Commission, which reported in 2004, recommended that the National Assembly should get full legislative powers, that the number of AMs should increase to 80, and that all AMs should be selected by Single Transferable Vote (STV).


However, Peter Black foresees conflict over just how powerful the convention is to be.

Capita and Neath Port Talbot

The Capita-supplied payments system has been running in Neath Port Talbot for six months, without a peep from Unison. When a LibDem-run council installs a third-party IT system, we never hear the end of it in the local press.

It would be interesting to know how much the installation cost, now that budgets for next year are being considered.

Frank Little

Technology doesn't control crime, people do

silicon.com reports that an ambitious IT scheme to integrate prison and probation records has been pared down after costs soared from an original estimate of £234m to £512m.

What is the cost of employing a probation officer these days - perhaps £30,000 p.a.? £510m would pay for 1,700 at that rate for ten years.

It is not the lack of technology which is failing the probation service; it is the shortage of dedicated staff. People make sure that probation is being observed, that job placements are fulfilled and that problems are attended to, not IT systems.

It reminds me of the super-duper farm payments system in England which drained the DEFRA accounts while not reimbursing farmers on time, while a simpler system in Wales fulfilled its purpose.

Frank Little

Political Donations

Hard-pressed treasurers of local political parties manage to complete their PPERA returns correctly, while the campaign of a minister of the crown, members of a well-funded national party which brought in the rules in the first place, suffers from cock-ups.

Later Guido Fawkes believes that Peter Hain's campaign was well-run until his first campaign manager was replaced. He also reports that one of the donations came from the sort of loan company that consumer programmes advise potential customers to look at very carefully.

"Guido Fawkes" is an avowed traditional Tory, but he is also a well-informed journalist. One cannot dismiss his allegations out of hand.

Frank Little