Nick Clegg accuses Conservatives of ‘a crude form of blackmail’

In a message to party workers yesterday, Liberal Democrat Leader Nick Clegg accused the Conservatives of ‘a crude form of blackmail’ by encouraging fears of a fall in the stock market.

Nick told us: “The Conservatives are so desperate that they have resorted to a crude form of blackmail.

“David Cameron and George Osborne are stoking up fears in the markets, actively trying to destabilise the pound and reduce the Government’s ability to borrow.

“It’s like a protection racket: vote for us or our friends in the City will lay waste to your economy, your savings and your job.

“There is nothing positive in the Conservatives’ election strategy. It’s built entirely on the hatred of Gordon Brown, stoking up fears of a broken society and now threatening economic meltdown.

“It’s a strategy that is completely negative and without hope, and it’s becoming increasingly obvious that people aren’t going to fall for it.”

Vince Cable sets out the Liberal Democrat plan for the banking sector

Vince Cable, the Liberal Democrats' Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer, confirmed that the Liberal Democrats are not anti bank or anti banker. He states that his day one, hour one objective as Chancellor would be to devise a fresh and consistent mandate for the nationalised and semi nationalised banks. He argues that RBS and Lloyds are key to supporting the British economy and are currently falling well short of their lending agreements. He challenges Alistair Darling to give a full public account of these agreements on their respective anniversaries.

The Liberal Democrats are, however, committed to splitting up the banks, unilaterally if necessary. Vince Cable argues that so long as Northern Rock was re-mutualised in such a way to guarantee that it would continue to repay the Government, there is no reason – at least in principle – why it could not do so as a Building Society.

IMF study backs Liberal Democrat position – Cable

Responding to the IMF study and its assertion that the weakness of growth in the British economy means that tax increases and spending cuts should be delayed until next year but that action to reduce the deficit is inevitable, Liberal Democrat Shadow Chancellor, Vince Cable said:

“This is a clear endorsement of the Liberal Democrat approach to the deficit and the re-privatisation of the state owned banks.

“Decisions of when to cut Government spending must be based on economic principles not political games.

“Both the public and the markets have a right to know how the parties plan to tackle the deficit, but gung-ho spending cuts while the economy is barely recovering is simply reckless.

“While Labour buries its head in the sand and the Tories change position according to the prevailing wind, only the Liberal Democrats have produced a credible and coherent plan for dealing with the deficit.

“The Tories must also realise that the taxpayer will have to have a stake in the state owned banks for a considerable period of time if we are to get good value for money when they are re-privatised.”

Energy firms clobbered customers through the cold snap – Hughes

Commenting on Ofgem figures showing that energy companies are making £105 profit per customer, a 40% increase in the last three months, Liberal Democrat Shadow Energy and Climate Change Secretary, Simon Hughes said: “Energy companies clobbered households even as they struggled through the cold snap.

“Cynical price cuts now won’t disguise bumper profits made on the back of grossly unfair fuel bills.

“Energy firms should be forced to show how much profit they make on every pound they charge at the bottom of every fuel bill.”

Battered bobbies miss 80,000 working days - Huhne

Police officers have missed nearly 80,000 days of work after being assaulted by members of the public in the last five years, according to research by the Liberal Democrats. The key points are:
- 78,276 working days have been missed by police officers due to assaults between 2004/05 and 2008/09.
- 17,055 days were lost last year alone, an 11.2% increase on the previous year. This is the equivalent of reducing the number of police officers in England and Wales by 75.
- Police staff also lost 5,398 working days to assault in the last five years (including 1,118 days last year).

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

“We want more bobbies on the beat, not bobbies being beaten.

“These startling figures show just how difficult a job being a police officer can be.

“Violence is clearly all too common on our streets when thousands of police working days are being lost as officers recover from assaults.

“Every effort must be made to try to get injured officers back to work as quickly as possible, even if that means lighter duties or paperwork.

“The Liberal Democrats are the only party committed to increasing police numbers. We will put 3,000 more bobbies on the beat.”

Nobody wants to run Ieuan Air

Jenny Randerson calls for the loss-making North-South air link to be scrapped, as no suitable bidder has emerged to take over the service.

Liberals victorious in Dutch elections

Liberal International reports:

The Dutch city council elections on Wednesday saw important liberal victories for LI Full Members VVD and D66. The Dutch liberal parties were seen as the victors of the elections, with the VVD being the second biggest party gaining 14.9% of the electoral vote (13.8% in 2006) and D66 increasing its share to 8.1% (2.8% in 2006). D66 also saw a near five-fold increase of their number of council seats from 141 to 525, while VVD increased its number from 1166 to 1385. The populist Freedom Party of Geert Wilders only ran in two cities, and got big popular support. The Freedom Party became the biggest party in the city of Almere, and was voted the second biggest party in The Hague. Liberal International President and VVD leader in the European Parliament Hans van Baalen was satisfied with the good liberal results: “VVD is back, and will play a vital role in the councils and nationally after the upcoming general elections on June 9th. I commend D66 with their excellent result, which creates a strong liberal position in the Netherlands. I recognize that Wilders had success in Almere and The Hague. There should not be a cordon sanitaire. The best way to fight populists is to force them to take responsibility in office. We can defeat them if we are prepared to fight them instead of trying to ignore or stigmatize them”.

Frank Little comments: This contrasts with the alarmist headlines in the London media, such as "Extreme right on the march in tolerant Netherlands" from the Independent.

110,000 women set to lose £10,000 each for being born too early

Around 110,000 women are each set to miss out on up to £10,400 over the next decade because they were born as little as a day too early to benefit from changes to state pension rules, Liberal Democrat research has revealed.

Government reforms mean that from 6 April this year, both men and women will need to make 30 years of National Insurance payments to be eligible for the full state pension.

The changes mean that a woman who has paid National Insurance for 30 years whose 60^th birthday falls on 6 April would be entitled to a full state pension, whereas a woman who was born a day earlier and has worked just as long would only be entitled to three quarters of this – or around £75 a week in 2010-11. This could mean women retiring this year before the 6 April cut off could miss out on as much as £10,400 over the next decade.

Liberal Democrat Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, Steve Webb commented:
“The April 2010 changes to the rules on state pensions are entirely welcome and long overdue. But they create a cliff-edge for those who reach pension age immediately beforehand.

“Many of these women could lose out on up to £10,000 simply for being born a few days too early.

“Big changes like this should be phased in. Even now, the Government could look again at how it is working out pensions for women retiring in 2009/10 and consider giving them some of the benefit of the new rules.”

MoD culture of denial and deception is exasperating – Harvey

Commenting on yesterday’s Defence Committee report, Liberal Democrat Shadow Defence Secretary, Nick Harvey said:

“This report shows the shambolic state of the UK’s defence equipment programme.

“It is exasperating to learn how pervasive the culture of denial and deception among MoD officials is when it comes to acknowledging the £21 billion funding gap in defence procurement.

“The British taxpayer deserves to know the exact amount of debt he or she is expected to carry. No MoD official should be allowed to withhold or distort this knowledge.

“Only by enforcing regular independent reviews as well as routine MoD presentations to the Committee can this attitude be corrected. And I support the Committee’s recommendations towards that end.”

Migration system mismanaged for decades – Huhne

Commenting on the recent Office for National Statistics migration figures, Liberal Democrat Shadow Home Secretary, Chris Huhne said:

“Public confidence and trust in the migration system has been shattered by decades of mismanagement.

“The abolition of exit checks by Conservative and Labour Governments means that we can only guess at the numbers coming in and out.

“People over-staying on short-term visas are probably the biggest source of illegal immigration and we still cannot say whether they are leaving when they are meant to do so.

“Exit checks must be reintroduced immediately.”

Government must get banks lending for firms to invest in recovery

Liberal Democrat Shadow Business Secretary, John Thurso, commented on last week’s figures from the Office for National Statistics, showing that investment by British businesses was 24.1% lower at the end of 2009 than at the start, the worst decline since records began:

“This dramatic slump in business investment bodes ill for economic recovery.

“Banks are failing to meet their lending commitments, starving businesses of capital needed for investment.

“The Government needs to get a grip and make sure the banks’ lending agreements are more concrete and better policed so that recovery doesn’t peter out.”

Colin Firth, Ken Macdonald, Brian Eno on why to vote Liberal Democrat

Actor Colin Firth, former Director of Public Prosecutions Sir Ken Macdonald QC and musician Brian Eno have all contributed to a book entitled ‘Why Vote Liberal Democrat’.

The book, which goes on sale on today, covers topics as varied as fair taxes, gay rights, looking after our armed forces, political reform and the fight against climate change.

Other contributors include Gurkha veteran Madan Kumar Gurung, political reform campaigner Pam Giddy and Duwayne Brooks, Stephen Lawrence’s best friend who was with him on the night he died.

Commenting Liberal Democrat Leader Nick Clegg said:

“There are hundreds of reasons to vote Liberal Democrat, but there is also just one reason: the will to create a better, fairer Britain by doing things differently. This is what unites all the contributors to this book.

“I am delighted such a great group of people from so many different backgrounds have come together to share their reasons for backing the Liberal Democrats.”

Ashcroft: not quite a clean breast

The Liberal Democrats have called on the Revenue and Customs to assess Lord Ashcroft’s back tax payments as his commitment to permanent residence conflicts with non-dom status.

Liberal Democrat Shadow Home Secretary, Chris Huhne has written to the Chief Executive of HM Revenue and Customs to ask for an investigation of Lord Ashcroft’s back taxes for the ten years since he made his undertakings.

Lord Ashcroft is estimated to have a personal fortune of £1.1bn. His annual tax saving is conservatively estimated to be £12.76m and he has been a member of the House of Lords for a decade.

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

“Anyone who wants to pass laws in this country should pay this country’s full taxes and not hide behind the special offshore status of non-doms.

“Non-doms have to tell the taxman that their first allegiance is to another country. No-one should be a British lawmaker whose first allegiance is not to Britain.

“On even the most conservative estimates, Lord Ashcroft has avoided vast amounts of British tax by deploying the non-dom tax dodge. If he challenges our estimate of how much tax he has dodged, then there is a simple solution: publish the figure.”

BBC using 6 Music and the Asian Network as sacrificial lambs

Liberal Democrat Shadow Culture, Media and Sport Secretary, Don Foster, echoed the views of Cerys Matthews on BBC Radio Wales this morning, in his comments on the Corporation's intention to close radio station 6 Music. The BBC's strategy, published today, also includes proposals to scale back its website and close Asian Network.

Don said:

“Today’s report signals the end of the BBC roaming wherever it fancied. The decision to focus on high quality UK content is welcome.

“However, I am not convinced that using 6 Music and the Asian Network as sacrificial lambs to pay for it is the right approach.

“While the BBC has become overgrown in some areas and needs pruning, the Licence Fee payers must have their say about what’s to go.”

Peter Black's Port Talbot advice surgery

Peter Black AM regretfully advises that he has to cancel his advice surgery, due to take place in Port Talbot Central Library on Friday 5^th March from 3pm to 4pm, because of a family bereavement.

He has asked that anybody who was intending to see him either phone his office on 029 2089 8744 or e-mail him direct at peter.black@wales.gov.uk.

Liberal Democrats will vote against decrease in pension payments for almost 9m pensioners

The Liberal Democrats will tomorrow vote in Parliament against the decision to freeze state pension top-up payments this April, which will leave almost nine million pensioners worse off.

Last December Ministers set out plans to freeze payments of the State Earnings Related Pension and the Second State Pension, effectively cutting state pension payments by £515million next year.

Commenting, Liberal Democrat Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, Steve Webb said:

“Labour has betrayed pensioners by promising to increase their pensions when millions are actually set to receive a real-term cut this year.

“Freezing pension top-up payments will leave almost nine million older people worse off at a time when they are already struggling to make ends meet.

“Older people are already facing high fuel bills following this cold winter and rising inflation eroding their savings.

“The Liberal Democrats will vote against this latest example of the Government failing to give a fair deal to pensioners.”

Cameron will not deliver on fairness

Commenting on David Cameron’s speech at Tory spring conference Liberal Democrat Shadow Home Secretary, Chris Huhne said:

“Once again the speech was short on specifics and on the key assurance of fairness that is essential if we are to tackle our economic problems.

“We need fair taxation, new green jobs, a fair start for our children and a fair political `system that gives voters real choice to sack miscreant MPs.”

Revive our high streets

Nick Clegg, Leader of the Liberal Democrats, joined by Ed Fordham, PPC for Hampstead and Kilburn, yesterday set out plans to revitalise Britain's high streets, ensure the future of the Post Office, and help small businesses establish and grow in a fairer marketplace. Read more.

ONS figures underline importance of a credible plan to tackle the deficit – Cable

Commenting on the news that the UK’s public finances deteriorated further in January, Liberal Democrat Shadow Chancellor, Vince Cable said:

“This is worrying news for the state of the public finances.

“The weakness of the economy is having an inevitable impact on tax receipts.

“These figures underline the importance of having a credible plan to tackle the deficit and stimulate growth and jobs to strengthen future tax receipts.

“Simply slashing spending now regardless of the economic circumstances is not only a fruitless labour but a damaging one. If we cut too soon, the economy will be pushed back into recession, lowering tax revenues even further and negating the effect of the cuts.

“Only the Liberal Democrats have a clear and concise plan for dealing with the deficit and for promoting the long-term growth and security of our economy.”

Darling must order full independent valuation of Asset Protection Scheme – Cable

Following the disclosure of correspondence between the Chancellor and Treasury Permanent Secretary Nicholas Macpherson relating to RBS’ toxic loans, Liberal Democrat Shadow Chancellor, Vince Cable has written to Alistair Darling and FSA Chair Adair Turner to ask for a full independent valuation of the Asset Protection Scheme to be carried out.

He commented: “From the outset the Liberal Democrats have consistently raised concerns about the Asset Protection Scheme.

“Not only is this a massive fraud on the taxpayer but it seems that we are now underwriting some potentially illegal assets.

“The Chancellor must now order a full independent valuation of all assets in the Asset Protection Scheme. Having previously raised concerns about corporate governance at RBS and received no substantive reply from the FSA, it is now essential that the FSA review its procedures covering corporate governance."

Ministers playing down effects of underemployment

Commenting on today’s figures from the Office for National Statistics showing a sharp rise in underemployment during the recession, Liberal Democrat Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, Steve Webb said:

“Ministers are guilty of playing down the impact of the recession on working people by ignoring underemployment.

“While labour market flexibility has prevented an explosion in unemployment during this recession, one in 10 people who want more hours can’t find enough work. This can have a devastating financial impact on them and their families.

“We need to invest in a green jobs package which will support the economy now and build our infrastructure for the long-term. Cutting spending while the economy remains fragile would be a big mistake.”

Tories abandon environment as a priority

The Conservative general election machine today published a list of ‘Ten reasons to vote Conservative’ which did not include any reference to the environment or climate change.

This is despite David Cameron’s claim that he has ‘sought to push the environment up to the top of the political agenda’, and his own Shadow Climate Change Secretary Greg Clark’s assertion that Cameron ‘wanted the environment to be a very important part of the proposition we put to the public at the General Election.’

It follows the recent revelation that reducing Britain’s carbon footprint was at the bottom of Tory PPCs’ priorities.

Commenting, Liberal Democrat Shadow Climate Change Secretary, Simon Hughes said:

“ For those of us who really care about the environment and the future of our planet the Tories have demonstrated once again that there is no reason to vote for them.

“Cameron the PR man likes having his picture taken with huskies, but when it comes to governing this country the Tories have never made the climate one of their priorities.”

Tories should join us in the real world – Alexander

Commenting on the Tories’ mistaken claim that 54% of teenagers in deprived areas fall pregnant before their 18^th birthday, Nick Clegg’s Chief of Staff, Danny Alexander said:

“The Tories seem to think that half our teenagers are pregnant, our cities are like The Wire and that people will get married for a few extra quid.

“If they really believe Britain is like this, it’s remarkable that Conservative MPs can pluck up the courage to leave their houses.

“They should lower their drawbridges, spend less time tending their moats and duck houses, and join the rest of us in the real world.”

·

Banks must make good on commitment to increase lending

Data from the Institute of Directors shows that nearly 60% of businesses seeking bank finance in 2009/10 were rejected by their bank, and that 20% are financing their businesses to some extent with credit cards.

Liberal Democrat Shadow Chancellor, Vince Cable said:“There is a huge gap between what the banks tell us and the experience of companies on the ground.

“This evidence confirms that large numbers of small and medium sized businesses are still having difficulty in getting credit on reasonable terms. The nationalised and semi nationalised banks owe their existence to us, the taxpayer and they must make good on their commitments to increase lending at reasonable rates.

“Instead of paying themselves large bonuses, the money should instead be used to strengthen balance sheets and to provide commercial lending to sound and solvent British companies who have a vital role to play in our economic recovery.”

On today's news that Barclays kicked off the results season for UK banks by reporting a forecast-beating £11.64bn annual pre-tax profit, almost double the £6.08bn it reported for 2008, Vince renewed his call for the big banks to be broken up.

£1bn lost through benefits error staggeringly unfair – Webb

A report by the House of Commons Work and Pensions Select Committee, "Decision Making and Appeals in the Benefits System", has found that overpayments due to error had soared from £400 million in 2000 to £800 million by the end of the decade.

Liberal Democrat Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, Steve Webb commented: 

“The Government’s failure to get to grips with the over-complex benefits system is appalling, especially when so much is down to official error.

“It is staggeringly unfair that the taxpayer is forced to stump up almost £1bn just because officials are unable to administer a system of their own creation.  

“These blunders cause hardship and stress for many vulnerable people.  

“The benefits system needs to be much simpler, not least so officials can understand it properly.” 

   

At least Wales does better than Rwanda

Peter Hain believes that compensates for having the worst child poverty in Britain.

Overtime bill shows need for more police

Government figures show that spending on overtime for police officers went up by nearly 50% in just five years. Liberal Democrat Shadow Home Secretary, Chris Huhne said: 
 
“Spurious and unnecessary overtime must end but not at the expense of front-line policing. 

“Three quarters of forces have made it clear that large overtime expenditure is due to a lack of police.

“That is why the Liberal Democrats are the only party committed to putting 3,000 more police on the street.”

FSA has an important role to play

Commenting on the resignation of Hector Sants, Chief Executive of the Financial Services Authority, Liberal Democrat Shadow Chancellor, Vince Cable said: 

“We are still in the middle of a crisis and the FSA has an important part to play in effecting far reaching and lasting change.  

“There were failures in the past but the resignation of Hector Sants will plunge the FSA into a great deal of uncertainty.  

“We don’t know if this decision is a direct result of the Tories’ stance on the FSA’s future but what we can say is that their proposals are creating uncertainty for an organisation that has a vital role to play.” 

LibDems call for democratic scrutiny of BBC accounts

The BBC has disclosed that it paid £229m to performers. Liberal Democrat Shadow Culture, Media and Sport Secretary, Don Foster reacted: 

“These are eye-watering figures. Licence fee payers have a right to know if they represent good value for money. 

“We need a public body to look at the BBC’s full accounts to see if the public interest is being best served. Scrutiny of this kind is a job for the National Audit Office, not commercial accountants. 

“While we all want to know how much stars are being paid, public disclosure is likely to be ruled illegal. It could also lead to a bidding war, pushing salaries and hence BBC costs up, not down.” 

   

Conservatives put neo-con ideology above national interest on defence

Commenting on Liam Fox's call for the UK to fight alone, without allies, Liberal Democrat Shadow Defence Secretary, Nick Harvey said: 

"These are desperately undiplomatic comments on the eve of a major allied operation in Afghanistan. 

"Liam Fox's brand of neo-con, anti-European thinking puts ideology above the national interest. 

"His views on defence look hopelessly unrealistic when he refuses to say where the money will come from. Just like Labour, the Tories' refusal to consider the renewal of Trident in a future defence review makes a mockery of the whole process."

 

Second day speeches from Conference

http://www.freedomcentral.org.uk/2010/02/wldconf-the-movies-part-two.html has speeches from President Ros Scott, Cardiff Central MP Jenny Willott and Montgomery MP-cum-airline-magnate, Lembit Öpik.

All worth watching, writes Frank Little, but Ros Scott's in particular nails what the federal party is about, as we enter general election campaigning. 

A warning from the English NHS

Figures released today by the Liberal Democrats have revealed that the NHS in England is facing a £63bn bill for PFI hospitals which are only worth £11bn. The figures also reveal that:

• The first payments for hospital PFIs began in 1999 and the NHS still owes £58bn on 106 PFI contracts over the next three decades
• The NHS will have to pay back £7.3bn in PFI payments over the next Parliament alone (2010-2015)
• The most expensive PFI contract was for Wythenshawe Hospital where the NHS will pay back 16 times the original capital value

Commenting, Liberal Democrat Shadow Health Secretary, Norman Lamb, said: “These figures reveal the disastrous reality of Labour’s stewardship of the NHS.

“We’re entering into one of the most difficult financial periods in the NHS’s history and this Government’s legacy will be a mountain of debt.

“Despite the enormous amounts of money we owe for these hospitals, many of them will never end up in public ownership. Hospitals all over the country are mortgaged to the hilt and there are serious concerns that these repayments will lead to cuts in vital services.

“We need a new approach to public services in this country. By setting up an infrastructure bank the Liberal Democrats will ensure that key projects get access to the funding they need to revitalise our economy.”

There is a warning for councils and other statutory bodies in Wales which are being pressured into adopting public-private partnerships (PPP) which are merely Labour's version of PFI.

Electoral Reform Bill must give voters real choice – Howarth

The Liberal Democrats have tabled amendments to the Government’s proposals for a referendum on electoral reform that would:

· Offer voters a real choice between first-past-the-post and a truly proportional system (Single Transferable Vote), rather than AV

· Bring forward the date of the referendum to next May

· Close a loophole allowing the next Government to kill the proposals without an Act of Parliament

Commenting, Liberal Democrat Shadow Justice Secretary, David Howarth said: “Voters deserve a real choice – between the discredited status quo and a system where every vote matters and there are no safe seats.

“The Alternative Vote system is a very small step in the right direction, but it is not proportional and it does not give voters enough power over the party and the person elected as MP.

“It is also unacceptable that Labour’s amendments would make it childishly easy for the next Government to kill a referendum without further legislation.

“By acting purely out of naked self-interest, the Conservative Party has long been a roadblock to electoral reform.

“It would be far too easy for them to abandon a referendum if they win an election, which is why the Liberal Democrats have taken steps to Tory-proof the Bill.”

Lack of exit checks is the biggest hole in the student visa system

Commenting on the announcement by Alan Johnson on the student visa system, Liberal Democrat Shadow Home Secretary, Chris Huhne said:

“The biggest hole in the student visa system is caused by the Tory and Labour abolition of exit checks, which means we do not know if someone has left once their visa runs out.

“We need to restore immediate control of our borders.”

Broadcast media bias

Question Time panels are not at all unbalanced, says A.BBC-Spokesman, according to the Love and Liberty blog.

Seriously, if you have a complaint about bias on BBC, fill in the form at www.bbc.co.uk/complaints.

For ITV, the complaints webpage says:
Tel. 0844 88 14150
(Calls cost 5p per minute from a BT landline. Calls from other
networks may be higher, and from mobiles will be considerably
more. The Viewer Services team are available Monday - Friday
8.00am to 7.00pm and Saturdays 10.00am to 7.00pm. They are closed
on Sundays, Bank holidays and Bank Holiday weekends).
You can also email us at: viewerservices@itv.com.
Alternatively, you can write to us at:
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with any aspect of Channel 4, you can use the online 'Contact Us'
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Non-elected state sucking up more tax money under Brown

Commenting on Government figures published on Friday showing that the cost of running quangos has risen by almost £10bn since Gordon Brown became Prime Minister, to £46.5bn, Liberal Democrat Shadow Cabinet Office Minister, Jenny Willott said:

“Gordon Brown has taken Labour’s obsession with unelected and unaccountable quangos to a new extreme.

“This is an obscene amount of money to spend on bodies that lack transparency and effective democratic control.

“The Liberal Democrats are the only party truly committed to bringing in a better politics for less.

“As a start, we would scrap 90 quangos and cap the salaries of senior management. This alone would help save nearly £1.2bn a year in taxpayers’ money at a stroke.”

British Gas price cut no substitute for fair fuel bills all year round – Hughes

Commenting on British Gas’ decision to cut gas bills by an average of 7%, Liberal Democrat Shadow Energy and Climate Change Secretary, Simon Hughes said: 

“A price cut from one supplier in February is no substitute for fair fuel bills all the year round. 

“It is unfair that customers were forced to shiver through the recent cold snap.

“Energy companies have been taking advantage of their customers for too long. What we really need are fair fuel bills that are easy to understand.” 

2010 Spring Conference Vids

On Freedom Central:  http://www.freedomcentral.org.uk/2010/02/wldconf-the-movies.html

Welsh Liberal Democrat spring conference

On the opening day there will be speeches by Peter May, PPC for Swansea West, Roger Williams MP, Welsh Liberal Democrat Leader Kirsty Williams and the Federal Leader, Nick Clegg.

Subjects discussed will include The Future of Social Care, A Fair Deal for All Our Children, Fairer Taxes and Making Private Sector Housing Work.

There is a full programme of fringe events and exhibitions. For more details, see the Conference Guides on LibDem Today.

Expenses of Welsh MPs

Average expense payback of a Welsh Conservative MP - £2095 Average expense payback of a Welsh Labour MP - £2080 Average expense payback of a Plaid MP - £398.20 Expense payback of Wales's Independent MP - £110 Average expense payback of a Welsh Liberal Democrat MP - £38.50

Legg report on MPs' expenses available

Download it as a pdf or browse it from here.

Four main planks to 2010 election campaign

Party President Ros Scott reports the broad outlines of our general election campaign:

* Reform of the tax system to create a fairer base,
* introducing the pupil premium to give all children a fairer start in life,
* creating sustainable housing and jobs and
* political reform to bring in a fairer voting system, and the power for citizens to recall an MP.

It remains to be seen how the middle two subject areas, which are devolved in Wales, figure in Welsh candidates' campaigns.

Labour’s feed-in tariff plans too little too late

Liberal Democrat Shadow Energy and Climate Change Secretary, Simon Hughes said about today's Government announcement of details of its feed-in tariff scheme:

“This will disappoint anyone looking to do their bit to contribute towards our energy supply.

“Another opportunity has been squandered. While dozens of countries already support home energy generation, Labour’s plans are too little too late.

“The Government has given in to the nuclear lobby at the expense of community-led power generation.

“People who supply green energy should get a better deal if we want to cut energy bills, create green jobs and help cut emissions.”

Welsh Liberal Democrats have long supported stronger measures to encourage micro-generation and solar heating.

Government recklessly endangered lives of UK forces

Commenting on Sir Jock Stirrup’s evidence to the Iraq Inquiry, Liberal Democrat Shadow Defence Secretary, Nick Harvey said:

“ This is yet more evidence that the Government’s pursuit of this disastrous war recklessly endangered the lives of our service men and women.

“The invasion of Iraq should never have gone ahead. But having done so, the least the Government could have done was ensure that our troops were properly equipped. Instead, they ignored the warnings of military commanders.

“Sir Jock Stirrup’s comments demonstrate that Labour irresponsibly overstretched our forces and endangered the mission in Afghanistan by trying to fight in Iraq at the same time.”

Liberal Democrats will fight for proportional representation

Commenting on BBC reports that the Government intends to put forward a referendum on the Alternative Vote for the House of Commons, Liberal Democrat Shadow Home Secretary, Chris Huhne said:

“If this is confirmed then it is a deathbed conversion to electoral reform from a party facing an historic defeat, which is why scepticism is warranted.

“The Alternative Vote is a small step in the right direction, but it is not a proportional system and it does not give voters real power over both the party and the person elected as MP.

“Only the Single Transferable Vote in multi-member seats would abolish MPs’ meal tickets for life, and we will fight to amend this proposal to give people a real choice for a more significant change.”

Frank Little, prospective candidate for Neath, added: "Blair went back on a promise to give the British people a choice of a new voting system. He ignored the recommendations in a report by Roy Jenkins, which he had commissioned. Now Brown is proposing a different, non-proportional, system. AV kept the unpopular Howard government in power in Australia for a term longer than it should have had. I note that current Neath Labour MP, Peter Hain, is a long-term fan of AV."

Cameron and Osborne at sixes and sevens over deficit plans – Cable

Commenting on today’s remarks by David Cameron and George Osborne on dealing with the deficit, Liberal Democrat Shadow Chancellor, Vince Cable said:

“George Osborne and David Cameron seem to be at sixes and sevens on the crucial question of how the deficit should be addressed.

“The Liberal Democrats have been arguing for some time that there should be five tests on when and how we start to cut. This must reflect the position of the economy rather than political expediency.

“The public must understand that we take the deficit very seriously. But it has to be addressed in a way that doesn’t put us back into another round of recession, resulting in job losses and an even larger deficit.

“The time to cut the deficit is when the private sector is ready to take the lead in growth and job creation. We are clearly not at that point yet.”

Brown must explain failure to stop Blair going to war in Iraq – Davey

After former Foreign Office minister Clare Short’s remarks that in the build-up to the Iraq War, Gordon Brown was ‘marginalised’ and ‘preoccupied by other things’, Liberal Democrat Shadow Foreign Secretary, Edward Davey said:

“As Chancellor, Gordon Brown had the power and the opportunity to intervene to stop Tony Blair invading Iraq. Instead he signed the cheques for this foreign policy disaster.

“Gordon Brown had an effective veto – he must explain his failure to use it.”

2/3 of key helicopters for Afghanistan unavailable – Rennie

Almost 2/3 of the RAF’s Merlin helicopters, which the Government has hailed as a key part of increasing capacity and ‘ideally suited’ to Afghanistan, are incapable of carrying out their planned missions, according to figures obtained by the Liberal Democrats.

Answers to Parliamentary Questions have shown that of the 19 RAF Merlins in the ‘Forward Fleet’ (those aircraft which frontline commands are meant to be able to use), just seven – or 37% – are classed as ‘available’ (defined as ‘considered capable of carrying out their planned missions on a given date’).

The answers also showed that only half (23 out of 46) of the Army’s Apache attack helicopters which were meant to be available to frontline commands actually were available.

Commenting, Liberal Democrat Defence Spokesperson, Willie Rennie said:

“These alarming figures undermine the Government’s claim to have hugely increased helicopter capacity in Afghanistan.

“Bob Ainsworth has praised the capability and importance of the Merlin helicopters sent to Afghanistan. But now we find that two thirds of those helicopters which are supposed to be available to front line commanders simply are not.

“Labour has short-changed our troops for too long. They should focus on properly supporting our brave men and women on the front line instead of spinning on the number of helicopters available. We need a fair deal for our troops.”

Undignified pensions system traps many in poverty

Commenting on figures from the Office for National Statistics showing an estimated 2m pensioners in the UK are living in poverty with a further million in fuel poverty, Liberal Democrat Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, Steve Webb said:

“Labour’s changes to the pension system have not protected many older people from the indignities of poverty.

“It is still the case that pensioners who are forced to rely on the state pension and Labour’s complex and undignified system of means-tested benefits are more likely to live in fuel poverty.

“The Conservatives presided over the erosion of the state pension in the 80s and it has never recovered.

“The basic state pension is simply too little to live on for the millions of pensioners who have no other income.

“We need a more generous, universal pension based on citizenship that would give pensioners a sense of dignity and a stable income in retirement.”

Government has wasted £1.2bn on failed IT projects – Willott

Following the announcement of the Government’s new ICT Strategy, Liberal Democrat Shadow Cabinet Office Minister, Jenny Willott released figures showing that 33 abandoned and 77 over budget Government ICT projects over the last decade have wasted almost £1.2bn in taxpayers’ money and caused a total of 70 years worth of delays.

Commenting, Cardiff Central MP Jenny Willott said:

“The Government has a track record of eye-wateringly expensive IT cock ups that have cost taxpayers billions.

“Labour’s addiction to grandiose computer projects has poured billions of taxpayers’ money down the drain and causedhuge delays.

“The Government has proved itself staggeringly incompetent at keeping information safe. So many CDs, laptops and data sticks go missing that the idea that Labour can be trusted to store huge amounts of personal information is laughable.

“It’s about time this mess was sorted out, but it remains to be seen whether ministers can deliver this strategy on time and to budget.”

Membership goes up by one

Frank Little writes: we welcome the long-awaited happy news that our chairperson has been delivered of a 8lb 10oz baby boy. Congratulations to Helen and to Jon.

Green generators should have fair recompense

Commenting on today’s YouGov survey for Friends of the Earth and the Renewable Energy Association showing that over 70% of people support a higher feed-in tariff, Liberal Democrat Shadow Energy and Climate Change Secretary, Simon Hughes said:

“It is clear that there is a huge demand for renewable energy and that people all over Britain want to contribute to our energy supply.

“But the Government has been blinded by nuclear lobbyists at the expense of green energy.

“The need for clean, decentralised power generation is more urgent than ever after 12 years where Labour has languished on renewables.

“People who supply green energy should get a better deal if we want to cut energy bills, create green jobs and help cut emissions.”

Nick Clegg calls for whistleblower protection to be restored

The public interest defence for civil service whistleblowers should be restored, Liberal Democrat Leader Nick Clegg told the Institute of Government.

Providing this protection will strengthen the independence of the civil service and would aid officials speaking out on issues in the public interest, as with the dubious legality of the invasion of Iraq.

In his speech Nick Clegg said:

“The Chilcot Inquiry is a powerful reminder of the ambiguity that can surround the role of officials and the ease with which they can be dictated to by politicians.

“Where national security is concerned officials should act with the national interest in mind. But where there is clear need to speak out in the public interest – as with the dubious legality of the war in Iraq – officials must know they can do so free from prosecution.

“The number one responsibility of civil servants must be to the people of Britain, not self serving Ministers. 

“That is why the Liberal Democrats would amend the Official Secrets Act to restore the public interest defence for whistleblowers that was originally removed by the Conservatives.

“If that protection had been in place when the fateful decision was taken to invade Iraq Tony Blair and Gordon Brown might have been more openly challenged by officials who harboured real doubts about the war.

“But without cast iron protection for whistleblowers, it was too easy for this government to bully and cajole the civil service into remaining silent about one of the greatest errors of any government in the post war period.”
 

Council told to play fair on WHQS vote

Liberal Democrat activists are concerned to find that Neath Port Talbot officers are not providing the level playing-field required for a fair choice by council tenants.

Sources within the "No" campaign complain that:

• the council has still not provided the geographically-order list of properties promised six months ago;
• people who display "No" posters have been told that they are illegal and they have to be taken down;
• tenants who have returned "no" forms have been been visited by council officers and asked to change their mind to the extent that some have felt intimidated.

There is an independent tenants advisory. Officers should not be arguing for or against transfer, if they do, they are out of order.

We need more information on Sarah’s Law trials – Huhne

Commenting on the announcement by Home Secretary Alan Johnson that Sarah’s Law could be extended nationally after four trial schemes, Liberal Democrat Shadow Home Secretary Chris Huhne said:

“We need far more information about these trials before they are rolled out across the country.

“The concern is that this will do nothing for the safety of children and could even lead to an increase in sex offenders.”

Osborne lied on Conservative bank break-up policy

As Stephen Tall writes on Liberal Democrat Voice, the Conservatives did not propose radical banking reform last July as they now claim, but: "It’s pretty clear when the Tories decided to champion breaking up the banks: when President Obama made his announcement – in the hope that they can coat-tail on his ‘change we can believe in’ schtick"!

Vince Cable put forward a policy of splitting up our big banks as long ago as November 2008.

Another dubious employment selection by Peter Hain

From today's Independent:

The fresh-faced adviser with a vicious bite

Congratulations to David Taylor on his appointment as special adviser to the Welsh Secretary, Peter Hain. You can see why a cabinet minister might want to keep him on side ahead of a general election.

Mr Taylor may look young, but he was previously used as a Blairite attack dog. When a website dedicated to rubbishing Clare Short for attacking Tony Blair began attracting traffic six years ago, people were astonished to learn that its creator was an 18-year-old student from Wrexham named David Taylor.

His other web creations include a site set up in 2006 to defend Blair against those plotting to get him out of Downing Street. But last year, just before the 20th anniversary of the Hillsborough tragedy, which killed 96 Liverpool supporters, Taylor posted this on his website: "Who do I hate most – Chelsea or Liverpool? Liverpool, obviously. You'll never walk again." That last sentence was a sick chant that was directed at Liverpool supporters after the incident. If Mr Hain is wise, he will keep a close watch over his new employee.

Let's hope that David Taylor turns out to be a more clever selection than Steve Morgan, who ran Mr Hain's failed Labour deputy leadership campaign which committed a breach of electoral law, or Phil Taylor, his controversial special adviser.

Nick Clegg launches youth jobs pledge

Liberal Democrat Leader Nick Clegg will today use a new and social media initiative co-hosted by the UK Youth Parliament to launch the party’s youth jobs manifesto pledge. 

On the day that new statistics show the number of young people unemployed for more than six months has doubled in two years, Nick Clegg will announce the party’s plans using Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

The proposals would ensure young people do not spend more than 90 days on Jobseekers Allowance before they get more training, education, an internship or a place on a work programme. 

Today’s announcement forms the next step in the Liberal Democrats’ economic stimulus and job creation package. The plans will invest almost £900m in increasing the number of further education places, giving students financial support to return to college and creating a paid internship scheme.

Commenting Nick Clegg said:

“Young people feel cheated by this recession. 

“Everyone knows someone who has recently left college or university with hopes of starting a career only to find they cannot even get on the lowest rung of the job ladder. 

“We must help them now or they will be left behind in any recovery. 

“Our promise of more training, education, an internship or a place on a work programme will give hope to the nearly one million young people who currently can’t find a job. 

“Facebook, YouTube and Twitter play just as important a role as TV or newspapers in young people’s lives. Politicians can’t ignore new and social media if they want to connect with the next generation of voters.” 

Brown-shaped hole in Iraq evidence – Davey

Commenting on Geoff Hoon’s evidence to the Iraq Inquiry that the armed forces were starved of cash before the war, having to rely on ‘urgent operational requirements’ for kit, Liberal Democrat Shadow Foreign Secretary, Edward Davey said: 

“Once again we can see Gordon Brown’s fingerprints all over this, but no sign of the man himself. He would have been instrumental in signing – or in some cases not signing – the cheques for military kit.

“The Prime Minister should appear before the Iraq Inquiry before the election to give voters an informed choice. Instead we are being left with a huge Gordon Brown-shaped hole in the evidence.”

Temporary spikes and dips

Yesterday's figures from the Department for National Statistics showed the Consumer Price Index surging to 2.9% in December. Vince Cable commented: 

“These figures are almost certainly a temporary spike. 

“With inflation expected to fall quickly, it seems unlikely that the Bank of England would want to raise interest rates in the near future.

“Any recovery in the economy is still very fragile, it would be all too easy to destroy it by putting the brakes on too soon. 

“However, the MPC still needs to be acutely aware of the longer term inflationary dangers. 

“With the world economy improving at a much quicker rate than the UK, there is a danger that high food and energy prices could hit our economy before it has had chance to recover.” 

Frank Little, prospective candidate for  Neath at the general election, added: "It is almost certain that the fall in unemployment, reported today, is sadly also a one-off. Not only have the already announced redundancies yet to show up in the figures, but retail activity is bound to slow as VAT returns to its 2008 level. Then there are the unannounced, but likely, sackings in the West Midlands resulting from the takeover of Cadbury, and similar cost-saving measures by multi-nationals as they try to restore their profitability.

"The potential employment gains from Toyoda in Gorseinon do not compensate for the 900 losses at Bosch in Cardiff."

Baby Peter case review still not made public

Lynne Featherstone, the local MP, who has been pressing for the publication, sees some progress.

Libel tourism makes a mockery of British justice

In a speech today on the relationship between science and politics to the Royal Society, Liberal Democrat Leader Nick Clegg called for a reform of libel laws. 

“I am deeply concerned about the stifling effect English libel laws are having on scientific debate.

"The freedom to evaluate critically the work of others is the essence of good quality research. 

“Of course people have the right to protect their reputations from damaging and false statements made recklessly, irresponsibly or with malice. But scientists must be allowed to question claims fearlessly, especially those that relate to medical care, environmental damage and public safety, if we are to protect ourselves against dubious research practices, phoney treatments and vested corporate interests.

“English libel law as it stands is obstructing that process and threatens the public good as a result.

“The prospect of a costly, protracted legal battle hangs over journalists, editors and academics seeking to ask basic questions about the evidence for practices they believe may put people at serious risk. 

“Our libel law and practice have turned a country once famed for its traditions of freedom and liberty into a legal farce where people and corporations with money can impose silence on others at will. 

"I believe in raucous freedom of speech, not gagging orders in our courts. Libel tourism is making a mockery of British justice, with foreign plaintiffs able to bring cases against foreign defendants when the publications in question may have sold just a handful of copies in England.” 

Only one DNA profile removed from database a day – Holmes

Just 377 DNA profiles were removed from the DNA database last year despite there being an estimated 1m innocent people’s profiles held, research by the Liberal Democrats has found.

More than 5m profiles are held on the database in total. The European Court of Human Rights ruled in December 2008 that the retaining of innocent people’s DNA is illegal.

Commenting, Liberal Democrat Home Affairs Spokesperson, Paul Holmes said:

“ It is a disgrace that we have got a million innocent people on the database in the first place and it is a disgrace that people are not being taken off.

“A lot of people are absolutely furious about this. The court ruling went their way and yet nothing is happening.

“Police forces have got the discretion to remove profiles, yet some are and some aren’t.”

Sudden cuts could plunge the economy into a prolonged recession- Cable

Responding to George Osborne's admission that the Conservatives would begin to cut spending immediately after the General Election if they won. Liberal Democrat Shadow Chancellor, Vince Cable said:

"Nobody doubts that serious budget discipline will be required in the coming years in order for Britain to maintain its credit worthiness, but it's foolish to set a political timetable with no regard for the state of the economy.

"There's a big risk that if cuts begin suddenly and on a purely political basis that the economy will be plunged back into prolonged recession.

"What is needed is a set of clear economic tests, which include the growth of the economy and employment, as well as conditions in international markets, to judge when contraction of spending should begin or be accelerated."

Earlier, Vince had commented on evidence given to the Treasury Select Committee today by the Chief Executives of RBS and Lloyds:

“Bankers tell us that their bonuses are a reward for their skills and ingenuity.

“At the moment, this seems to involve borrowing taxpayers’ money at half a percent from the Bank of England and then lending it back to us at eight, 10 or even 20 percent.

“It’s hard to find the skill in that and even harder to see how bankers feel that they have a right to collect bonuses for it.

“This is yet more proof that Labour’s badly designed bonus tax is having no effect on bonus payouts.

“The best way to deal with bonuses and achieve a fair deal for the taxpayer, who guarantee these institutions, is to split the banks up. Before this is done an additional 10% levy on their profits should be introduced.

“This is a much more effective solution than a one-off windfall tax and recognises the debt that the banks owe to the taxpayer.”

Nick Clegg letter to Gordon Brown urging Iraq Inquiry appearance before election

Following yesterday’s Prime Minister’s Questions, Liberal Democrat Leader Nick Clegg is writing to Gordon Brown, urging him to indicate to the Chilcot Inquiry that he would prefer to appear before it ahead of the election.

The text of the letter is as follows:

Dear Gordon,

I am writing to urge you to indicate immediately to Sir John Chilcot that it is your strong preference to go before the Iraq Inquiry ahead of the General Election.

Following developments yesterday at Alastair Campbell’s hearing, your personal role in the decisions that led to the war in Iraq has now come under the spotlight. The notion that your hearing should take place after the election in order that the Inquiry remains outside of party politics therefore no longer holds. On the contrary, the sense that you have been granted special treatment because of your position as Prime Minister will only serve to undermine the perceived independence of the Committee.

As I said to you across the floor of the Commons today, people have a right to know the truth about the part you played in this war before they cast their verdict on your Government’s record. I urge you to confirm publicly that should Sir John Chilcot invite you to give evidence to the Inquiry ahead of the election you will agree to do so.

Nick Clegg

Assembly Member to hold advice surgeries in Neath and Glynneath

The Welsh Liberal Democrat Assembly Member for South Wales West, Peter Black, will be holding his first two advice surgeries of the year this week.

Mr. Black will be in Glynneath Library on Friday 15th January from 3pm to 4pm. He will then be available at Neath Central Library from 4.30pm to 5.30pm.

No appointment is necessary.

Clegg intends to treat the voters as adults

In a speech today, Nick Clegg laid down the direction of the Liberal Democrats' election campaign. It is clear that the party will treat the voters as adults, being brutally honest where necessary. He said:

"The Liberal Democrats start this election year with a different assumption [from Labour and the Conservatives]: voters know the game’s up for the old politics. 

"Shopping lists of pledges don’t wash any more. The politics of plenty are over. 

"Voters will have no time for implausible promises. But neither are they interested in relentless prophecies of doom and despair. 

"Faced with these new circumstances, I start from three simple beliefs: 

"First, treat voters like grown ups. People know that the country faces one of the greatest crises in our public finances in generations. They know that difficult decisions must be taken. So they want politicians to spell out their priorities, spell out the choices, rather than live in denial about the dilemmas we face. 

"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 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 Government’s Baby Bond scheme; a £400 cap on all public sector pay increases. 

"These cuts and revenue raising measures are, in our view, unavoidable if we are to persuade people that we are serious about tackling Gordon Brown’s astronomical deficit, let alone generate the resources we need for our social and political priorities. 

"Second, the importance of conviction. I have heard the claim that at a time of crisis in the Government’s finances, values and conviction must take a back seat to the immediate task of balancing the books. 

"I strongly disagree. 

"I do not believe it is possible to balance the books and transform British society, unless you are guided by strong values which guide you through the difficult choices which now must be made. 

"People will support a party that is realistic about the difficult decisions ahead, but guided by optimism and clear convictions about the way forward. 

"The party that will win the argument this year is the party which finds a way of marrying credibility and hope, restraint and generosity, discipline and compassion. 

"And, third, stick to the big ideas. The coming election will be no ordinary election. For once, the hype about the future of Britain being at stake is true. 

"Elections should be an opportunity for us all to ask: where next? - and for voters to choose. 

"The next Government will not only need to deal with the immediate crisis in the public finances. 

"It must reinvent our rotten political system, heal the social divisions which still thwart the hopes of millions, and put our economy on a new, more balanced, more sustainable footing. 

"None of this can be achieved if we merely tinker at the edges. Talk of change is cheap. Delivering big, permanent change is the real challenge. "

Conservative tax proposals incoherent or unfair

Commenting on David Cameron’s admission that he ‘messed up’ over his plans for a marriage tax break, Nick Clegg’s Chief of Staff, Danny Alexander MP, said: 

“David Cameron didn’t just mess up because he blundered in an interview, he messed up because his policy is incoherent and fundamentally unfair. 

“It is unfair because it gives tax breaks to married couples where one person can afford to stay at home, but does nothing for couples who both work.

“It is unfair because a family that loses one parent will have their tragedy compounded by an effective tax rise.

“And it is unfair because ultimately it takes money from the pockets of poorer families and gives it to rich ones.

“When the country is mired in recession and public finances are in a dire state, this is a mess that we cannot afford.

“Labour has failed to deliver fairness and the Tories can’t be trusted to make the country fairer. Only the Liberal Democrats will build a fairer Britain.”

Liberal Democrat MP calls for more gas storage

After the announcement that a second gas balancing alert went out today, the demand by John Hemming for more gas storage capacity to be provided, and, in the mean time, for imports to be increased, has become more urgent.

Mr Hemming has been concerned about UK's gas supply situation for many years.

Liberal Democrats up for real change, not up for sale.

Nick Clegg pledges that there are no backroom deals or under-the-counter “understandings” with either of the other two UK parties. He restates the core values of the Liberal Democrats as fairness in society and real change in politics.