Conservative defence chicanery

Responding to the Conservatives' announcement on defence spending, former Liberal Democrat leader and ex-Royal Marine Paddy Ashdown said:
  
“This Conservative government has slashed funding on defence, cut our Royal Marines and left our troops on the front line without basic equipment.

"Billions has been spent on big ticket items that we may not even have enough troops to use. 

"Of course adequate spending on defence is welcome and necessary, but this is a piece of last-minute chicanery to cover up the Conservative's dismal record. 

"No wonder Britain's top generals have accused the Tories of trying to deceive the public over defence cuts.

"It shows why Britain needs a strong opposition to hold the Conservatives to account."

Farron: We must reinstate post-study work visas for STEM graduates

The Liberal Democrats have made a commitment to reinstate post-study work visas for graduates in STEM subjects who find suitable employment within six months of graduating. The manifesto commitment aims to tackle Britain’s chronic shortage of workers in the fields of science, technology, engineering and maths. The current system has driven away talent with global students choosing to study in America, Australia and Canada who have programmes to retain talent post-study. Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron said: “It is ludicrous that we take in international students, train them, and then as soon as they are skilled and ready to work, the Conservatives boot them out of the country. “British universities are world leaders that attract some of the most talented individuals from around the globe to the benefit of the UK economy. But instead of encouraging them to stay here and contribute to keeping Britain at the forefront of cutting-edge research, this Conservative Brexit Government forces them out. And all in a vain attempt to meet an artificial and unachievable immigration target. “The Liberal Democrats want to build a Britain that is open, tolerant and united. This means bringing in and fostering talent, helping to boost our economy and keep Britain an attractive destination to study. This is your chance to change Britain's future. ”

Brake slams May for Calais border U-turn

Responding to an admission yesterday by Theresa May that she would have to renegotiate the Le Touquet border treaty with newly elected French President Emmanuel Macron, Lib Dem Shadow Foreign Secretary Tom Brake said:  “Theresa May has adopted UKIP’s rhetoric, and now she is adopting their incompetence too. “The Conservatives have repeatedly claimed that Brexit will have no impact on border agreements with France, but now the Prime Minister has admitted that they are up for negotiation. "Changes to Le Touquet will mean an upheaval for people travelling across the Channel, and risk making our country less secure.” Theresa May’s plan to fine ferry companies if they let illegal immigrants slip on board their ships was dismissed by the Liberal Democrats as a “shambles”. Tom Brake said: “Theresa May has already acknowledged that thanks to her version of Brexit Britain’s border could move from Calais back to Dover. Now ministers are reportedly contracting out border controls, demanding that ferry companies will be responsible for screening vast numbers passengers, some of whom may turn out to be illegal immigrants. “The result will be ferry companies hiking prices for consumers or going out of business. This is a shambles. Ferry companies are not border guards. They cannot be expected to control what large numbers of police and immigration officials already struggle to.”

Lib Dems set out plans to close the ethnicity pay gap

Today, Liberal Democrats set out plans to introduce mandatory reporting on the ethnicity pay gap for organisations with 250 employees or more. Employee ethnicity data is currently patchy at best and there is no uniform way to collect it making monitoring and analysis difficult. The Liberal Democrats believe that every person, regardless of their ethnicity, should be allowed to reach their full potential in the workplace. Announcing the policy, Tim Farron said: “Jo Swinson fought an uphill struggle against the Conservatives in Coalition to get gender pay gap reporting into law, but the fight doesn’t stop there. It is shocking that in 21st Century Britain inequality that comes down to race still persists. "Sunlight is always the best disinfectant and by bringing these gaps out into the open we can start to address the issue and speed up progress to create a more equal and fair workplace.” Jo Swinson, Liberal Democrat Campaign Spokesperson and former Business Minister added: “The gender pay gap and the BAME pay gap are a sign that we are failing to make the most of talent in the workplace, which is bad for our economy. "Information is powerful, but while organisations are allowed to get away with keeping patchy records, we'll never know the full extent of the gap. Gender pay gap reporting is already making employers look again at how they attract, retain, promote and pay women and men. "Transparent data on the BAME pay gap will help employers focus on what they need to do to ensure equal opportunities at work for people of all ethnic backgrounds. "The Liberal Democrats believe that in order to grow the economy we can leave no one behind, it is not only morally just but good business-sense to close the gap.”

May's failing immigration target will only harm economy - Paddick

Responding to reports that the Conservatives are sticking to their failed 10,000 immigration target, Shadow Home Secretary Brian Paddick said: “This is yet another Conservative pledge that they will inevitably break.Theresa May seems to have forgotten everything she learnt in the Home Office – you cannot have a successful economy if you restrict immigration that much. It seems like the Conservatives are intent on harming our economy, first with a Hard Brexit that will yank us out of the Single Market and cost jobs, and now this. "The Brexiteers told us that leaving the EU would mean we could be more generous to our Commonwealth partners, it is now clear that this was another Leave lie. "The Liberal Democrats are the only party standing up for an open, tolerant and united Britain where immigration is controlled but welcomed as something that adds value to our economy and our communities."

The Tory and Socialist faces change, but the policies are the same

Kramer responds to Labour tax pledge

Responding to plans to be set out by the Labour Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell, Lib Dem Shadow Chancellor, Susan Kramer said: “Labour’s so-called tax pledges aren’t worth the paper they’re written on, given their inability to form a proper opposition, let alone a government. “McDonnell and his party have voted to rip Britain out of the Single Market, yet has no credible plan for the future of our economy and no guarantee to employers that they won’t be hit with a new jobs tax. Labour has a spending list as long as your arm yet does not explain how to pay for it. “The Liberal Democrats are the only party winning votes off the Conservatives across the country, and fighting for a UK which is open, tolerant and united.”

Lib Dems make manifesto commitment to protect pensions Triple Lock

Pensioners will receive at least an extra £772 per year by 2021 under Liberal Democrat manifesto plans to protect the Triple Lock.  The party are making the commitment to older people unlike the Conservatives who have repeatedly refused to give the guarantee. This guarantee means the state pension is expected to be worth at least £137.15-a-week by 2021, up from £122.30 in 2017. Thanks to the Liberal Democrats’ triple lock guarantee, the basic state pension has risen in each year by whichever is the higher of earnings, prices or 2.5%. The triple lock was a key demand from the Liberal Democrats in Coalition negotiations. Labour increased the State Pension by just 75p in 2000. Help the Aged described the 75p increase as “just unacceptable”. Labour had 13 years to restore the earnings link to pensions which Margaret Thatcher severed in 1980. The Liberal Democrats restored the link to earnings within six weeks of getting into government. The Conservatives have hinted strongly that they will drop the Triple Lock. Theresa May has said she will not be drawn on whether it will be included in the manifesto, and Conservative senior figures have spoken out against it. Commenting on the plan, Sir Vince Cable said: “Liberal Democrats believe that an important test of a civilised society is the way in which it cares for the elderly. We will protect the Triple Lock unlike the Conservatives. “The guiding principle of the pensions system must be to ensure that none are left unable to meet their basic needs for survival and participation in society, and that everyone is treated with the respect and dignity they deserve. “A Lib Dem Pensions Minister introduced the triple lock guarantee to protect the state pension during Coalition. We delivered on our manifesto commitment to increase the Basic State Pension by whatever is highest out of CPI inflation, average earnings or 2.5%.”

Rail Needs Urgent Modernisation - Randerson

Responding to the Campaign for Better Transport's report calling for a reform of rail franchising and improvements in ticketing, Lib Dem Transport Spokesperson, and former Cardiff AM, Baroness Randerson said: "Liberal Democrats are on the side of the customer when it comes to needing more guarantees, and sanctions where necessary for failing franchises. The rail network could desperately do with modernising from top to bottom, including the way in which we pay inconsistent fares with outdated technology.” The party believes that a greater focus on passengers is needed to improve performance and would like to see the Department for Transport extend the right to operate franchises to those at a more local level.

Lib Dems penny on income tax to save NHS

The Liberal Democrats have announced they would plug funding gaps for the English NHS and social care by putting a penny on income tax, in their first major manifesto commitment of the election campaign. This is the party’s flagship spending commitment and its first major policy announcement for the election. At least 70% of Brits would happily pay an extra 1p in every pound if that money was guaranteed to go to the NHS, an ITV poll found last October. There will be a consequential increase in the health component of the Scottish and Welsh budget settlements. However, pressure on the Welsh government will be needed to ensure that all the money is directed towards health, bearing in mind the cuts imposed by the Plaid Cymru/Labour "One Wales" government between 2007 and 2011.

UKIP on foreign aid

The Liberal Democrats have attacked plans by UKIP to slash foreign aid so it would account for only 0.2% of GDP. Tom Brake MP, Liberal Democrat Foreign Affairs spokesperson, said of Patrick O’Flynn’s announcement: “Patrick O’Flynn is widely considered to be Paul Nuttall’s brain. But this, to be charitable, is politics at its least thoughtful. “Ensuring that 0.7% of GDP is spent on foreign aid was a major achievement of Liberal Democrats in the coalition. It allowed us to vaccinate millions of children against ghastly diseases, stop humanitarian disasters and fight the horrific practice of Female Genital Mutilation. "UKIP would cheerfully see a child starve to death if it won them some cheap, snarling clip on the evening news.  “As the Conservatives move ever further to the right, UKIP are trying to sound ever more extreme to seem relevant. The Liberal Democrats are the very opposite of UKIP, campaigning to keep Britain open, tolerant and united.” Local Liberal Democrat Frank Little said: "I agree with everything that Tom Brake says, but believe that parliament should look closely at how that 0.7% has been used since Conservatives took full power in Westminster. It has been suggested that some of that  money which should have gone to people in the Third World who desperately need it has gone instead to financial institutions only nominally interested in humanitarian aid."

Local Liberal Democrats celebrate return to council

Frank Little, secretary of Aberavon and Neath Liberal Democrats, said:

After being deprived of representation there for the last five years, Welsh Liberal Democrats will now have a strong voice on Neath Port Talbot council. Helen Ceri Clarke, who has proved to be an effective champion for her local community for the last nine years on Coedffranc Community Council, has been elected our first woman councillor at county borough level.

Overall, our near doubling of our vote over 2012 did not lead to any other gains, but a consistent increase in membership over that period holds out promise of further progress.

Air quality plan - Govt is passing buck to local authorities

Responding to the government's draft air quality plan and consultation published today, Liberal Democrat former Energy and Climate Change Secretary and candidate for Kingston Ed Davey said:

"This is not a plan, it's a cop out. 

"Instead of bold commitments to improve air quality, the government is hiding behind yet another consultation and passing the buck to local authorities.

"The Conservative government is shamefully failing in its duty to tackle deadly pollution that is claiming thousands of lives a year.

"This shows why Britain needs a strong opposition that will hold the Conservatives to account."

Tim Farron, Saboteur of the Year

Lib Dems hit highest ever membership on eve of local elections

The Liberal Democrats have hit their highest ever number of members, eclipsing the high watermark of 101,768 set in 1994. The landmark comes as Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron heads to Oxford to rally activists for the party’s final push of the local election campaign. More than 14,000 new members have joined the Liberal Democrats in the two weeks since the General Election was called. More than 50,000 members have joined since last year’s European referendum and nearly 70,000 since the 2015 General Election. Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron said: “We are going into these local elections bigger than ever before, with a clear message and a growing sense of momentum. “In many of the counties where these elections are taking place it is the Liberal Democrats who are the main challengers. Liberal Democrat councillors are the strong opposition to the Conservatives and Labour across England and Wales, standing up to them on cuts to schools and elderly care. “You don’t need to agree with us on everything to agree that Britain needs a strong opposition to fight for you and your communities against Tory cuts to our schools, our NHS and our social care services. In county halls just as in Westminster, Liberal Democrats are that strong opposition that Britain needs.”

Ed Davey: Disgrace Govt had to be dragged through courts on air pollution

The Government has announced it won’t challenge the High Court judgement and will publish a draft plan to tackle air pollution next week, after having attempted to delay the plans until after the election. Ed Davey, former Liberal Democrat Energy and Climate Change Secretary commented: “It is a disgrace this Conservative government had to be dragged through the courts before agreeing to publish a plan to tackle air pollution. “How much taxpayers' money has been wasted because of the failure of ministers to do the right thing? “There is an urgent threat to people’s health from air pollution, yet time and again this government has dithered and delayed instead of taking action. “The Liberal Democrats will fight to ensure action is taken to tackle the air pollution crisis that is claiming thousands of lives in UK each year.”

LibDem response to Lords' report on the Middle East

Today, the Lords Select Committee on International Relations has published a report on UK policy in the Middle East which argues that UK should distance itself from Trump; recognise Palestine as a state and support the Iran Nuclear deal. Responding Shadow Foreign Secretary, Tom Brake MP said: "The Conservatives have shown a willingness to pander to Donald Trump, turn their backs on international commitments and give little thought to international security.  "This report is damning of the Tory government's record, but also makes clear recommendations that PM Theresa May must now heed.  "The British people deserve a government that stands up for what is right, while seeking to create a more stable and united international community. Only the Liberal Democrats are fighting for a UK which is open, tolerant and united."

Labour housing U-turn has no credibility - Lib Dems

John Shipley, Liberal Democrat housing spokesperson, said: “Labour has a guilty conscience about housing. It completely failed on house-building during its 13 years in government, selling off 470,000 council houses and adopting Margaret Thatcher’s Right to Buy without replacing the homes they sold off. “Their announcement today is to build an extra 500,000 council homes, which is the same number as the number of council homes they sold off in Government. “You need a strong economy to increase house-building. Labour’s policies are not credible and will not deliver the homes we need. “Labour voted for a hard Brexit, and that will leave an estimated £200bn black hole in the economy over 15 years, so any spending announcement Jeremy Corbyn makes is not worth the paper it is written on. You can’t have a hard Brexit and a decent supply of houses.” Local activist Frank Little added: “Welsh Labour is particularly culpable, in pushing through the selling-off of council housing long after the Westminster government had back-tracked on the policy. Neath Port Talbot used roundly condemned methods to persuade its tenants to agree to the transfer to NPT Homes”

Wages growth stalled according to IFS

Researchers of the respected independent think-tank, the Institute for Fiscal Studies, have shown that the employment rate has flattened and real earnings growth stalled. Commenting, Lib Dem Shadow Chancellor Susan Kramer said: “This stall in average earnings is yet another sign that this Government is failing ordinary workers. Despite a huge increase in the take up of higher education, this has not translated into any gains for take home wages. “This data shows that people are poorer under the Tories and have not seen wages come back to the pre-recession level, while prices and bills seem to spiral upwards.  It is scandalous that it will take 14 years for people to feel as rich as they were in 2007.” After adjusting for inflation, average earnings of employees are still substantially below pre-recession levels, and are currently being squeezed by rising household inflation (linked in large part to falls in sterling). Central forecasts from the OBR imply average earnings will still be lower than their 2007­–08 level in 2021‒22.

May is preparing to raid pensions to pay for a hard Brexit

Responding to Theresa May's refusal today at PMQs to guarantee the triple lock for pensioners, introduced by the Liberal Democrats in coalition, Liberal Democrat Shadow Chancellor Susan Kramer said: "Theresa May is preparing to raid pensions to pay for her hard Brexit. "The Conservatives must clarify their position now to pensioners across the country. "The triple lock was one of the Liberal Democrats' biggest achievements in government, lifting many pensioners out of poverty. Now this progress risks being undone. "This election is a chance to prevent a hard Brexit and secure the strong economy we need to protect pensions and public services."

Liberal Democrat membership grows

Government must publish pollution report – Davey

The Liberal Democrats have demanded the government publish a highly embarrassing report on air pollution before the election. Ed Davey,  Lib Dem former cabinet minister for Energy and Climate Change, has said the government is reportedly blocking release of its report into air pollution because it is worried the “shaming” findings would become a major election issue. Ed Davey said: “Air pollution is one of the biggest health challenges in Britain today. The Conservatives have hidden the truth about their toxic policies. Increasingly air pollution is linked to a rise in asthma, COPD, heart conditions, and even recently to dementia. A vote for the Tories is a vote for more air pollution. “It is a disgrace that the government wants to block a report which is expected to say that pollution is at dangerous levels in many of our cities and towns. “Ministers are hugely embarrassed because it is EU air quality standards the government is flouting. No wonder Theresa May wants a hard Brexit, so she can change the rules to leave polluters free to damage the nation’s health. “You can’t have clean air and a hard Brexit. “The government is refusing to spend the money on measures that would improve air quality, such as investment in public transport, but this is a false economy because it burdens the NHS and destroys lives.”

Labour fails to select candidate in Gower with just weeks until election

Labour has failed to select candidates in Gower, Brecon & Radnorshire or Carmarthen East & Dinefwr with the general election just weeks away. It seems that Labour has “given up”, even in some of its former strongholds. A further twelve out of the forty seats in Wales await a Labour candidate, while there are over 340 constituencies Labour has still not selected for in England.

In contrast the Liberal Democrats have selected 92% of their candidates in England and the Welsh Liberal Democrats virtually all their candidates in this region.

It seems that Labour have simply given up in large areas of South Wales West. They claimed to be prepared for a general election, but many of their approved candidates are simply refusing to run under Jeremy Corbyn's banner - and who can blame them? They see a leader who is ineffective and a party that is too divided and a leadership which is too metropolitan to stand up for local people.

Every government needs to be held to account and the Liberal Democrats are rapidly emerging as the real voice of opposition.

How to join the Lib Dems

You can join the Liberal Democrats quickly, easily and safely online here.

There are lots of reasons to join the Liberal Democrats. Some people joined because they wanted to stand up for our values, of openness, tolerance and unity. Some because they want to help us win elections. Others so they could stand for election and stand up for their community.

Becoming a Liberal Democrat will let you do all that – and much more besides. As a member, you’ll have the power to change things and all our members, from party leader Tim Farron, right down to our newest member you get the same vote.

Thousands of people are joining the party and our membership has doubled since the general election.

Membership starts at £12 a year, but the party hopes that you might consider donating a little more – the recommended amount (as decided by members like you at our conference) is £70. There are concessionary rates too: students can join for £1 for their first year of membership and if you’re under 26 and are entitled to receive state benefits (other than the state pension or child benefit) then membership starts from just £6 a year.

You can join the Liberal Democrats quickly, easily and safely online here.

If you would prefer to join the Liberal Democrats via the posts, here’s a pdf of the Lib Dem membership form which you can print off, fill in and post back.

Or if you prefer to speak to someone local, phone Keith - see sidebar.

Thanks to Mark Pack for most of this posting.

Lib Dems gain 8,000 members in 48 hours

The Liberal Democrats gained 8,000 new members in the two days since Theresa May called a snap election. The increase in members is the fastest rise of new membership in the party’s history. The party now has over 95,000 members, more than double what it was at the time of the last general election and only 5,000 less than the reported size of the Conservative Party. Commenting, President of the Liberal Democrats Sal Brinton said: “People are flocking to the Liberal Democrats as we are the only party who are offering effective opposition to this Conservative Brexit government. “Theresa May: we have the troops for this fight and they are raring to go. “The Liberal Democrats are the only party standing up for an open, tolerant, and united Britain.”

Lib Dems: Atos and Capita don’t deserve £700m DWP contracts

The Liberal Democrats have criticised the Department for Work and Pensions after ministers found themselves having to increase the value of contracts to Atos and Capita to £700m a year for their controversial assessments for disability benefits. This is way over the £512m budget.

Celia Thomas, Liberal Democrat spokesperson for disability, said:

“Before these companies are given more money for benefit assessments, they need to give much better value for money than they do at present.

“In particular, the PIP reassessments from Disability Living Allowance (DLA) are a complete lottery for claimants, with two-thirds of these PIP claimants winning their appeals.

“Poor assessments have resulted in many disabled people losing their Motability cars for which they have later become eligible on appeal. The DWP has its priorities backwards. It should look at the poor quality of many of these assessments before giving Atos and Capita more money.”

Who pays the piper?

Local Liberal Democrats have questioned the cost of "Local Voice", a tabloid newspaper distributed throughout the county borough on behalf of Labour in the Neath Port Talbot local election campaign. We have independently costed such an eight-page tabloid which makes extensive use of colour photographs. We chose a supplier who would be at least competitive with Trinity Mirror in Birmingham who printed the Labour election material, and came up with a figure of £5,400. (Anything less than this would suggest a subsidy by Trinity Mirror, which would have to be declared on election expenses.)

The question is: did every ward party chip in the £100 or so to pay for the newspaper (this would be on top of the cost of glossy colour leaflets they have already sent out)? Or did one or more of the big public service unions donate the upfront cost?

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Liberal Democrats continue to make local council gains

Following yesterday's stunning victory over UKIP in a council by-election in Aylesbury Vale, England, Liberal Democrats extend their lead on the scoreboard of gains in British local government. It now looks like this:

Candidates for local government elections

Postal ballots for the 2017 elections to Neath Port Talbot county borough council (and to the town and community councils in the Neath area) will land on doorsteps in the week ending 22nd April. Voting in person will take place on Thursday 4th May.

Liberal Democrat candidates are:

Aberavon

Cen Phillips

Bryncoch South

Frank Little

Cadoxton

Sheila Kingston-Jones

Cimla

Charley Cross

Coedffranc North

Keith Davies

Coedffranc West

Helen Ceri Clarke

Sandfields West

Tehani (Taz) Taylor



















If there is no web page indicated,please address correspondence for Neath wards to neathlibdems and for Aberavon to aberavonlibdems both at hotmail.co.uk.

Post-Brexit power shifts

VoteWatch Europe reports:

With Brexit process triggered, many observers wonder how the equilibrium of powers in the EU Council would change and who will be most successful in influencing the future EU legislation. We have looked at the voting dynamics over the past 7 years (over 22.000 votes of EU governments) to understand what is likely to happen after the UK leaves. Our analysis is based on the same dataset and methodology that indicated that the UK was increasingly outvoted in the Council in recent years, thus predicting the centrifugal policy orientation of the British government. These are our main new findings: Coalition building dynamics seem to favour the countries that promote more EU integration; France, Italy seem in a better position to build majorities or blocking minorities than Germany; Poland has drifted away from the core of the EU in the past year; The Netherlands, Sweden and Denmark lose the most out of Brexit (they were UK's closest partners); Political affiliations of the governments play a role, hence the results of upcoming elections in France, Germany, Czechia and Italy are crucial for the future direction of the EU First published in July 2016, this report has been updated to take into account the latest political developments.  The full analysis is here,

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Whatever galaxy you come from, the Lib Dems support you

More gains for LibDems in council by-elections

After a first gain from the Conservatives in West Somerset yesterday, the UK-wide picture now looks like this:

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The mood in Westminster

Baroness (Jenny) Randerson writes:

The mood in Westminster is sombre and thoughtful today. The streets are eerily still, with no traffic and none of the usual bustle of pedestrians. The noise of traffic is replaced by the endless whirr of helicopters overhead. The Lords’ Chamber was packed this morning as we held a minute’s silence for the victims of yesterday’s attack and heard tributes from Party Leaders and the Archbishop of Canterbury. The PM’s Statement was repeated. We paid particular respect to PC Keith Palmer who died protecting Parliamentarians and the institution of Parliament itself. But the carnage went well beyond Parliament.

The list of the dead and injured includes Romanians, South Koreans, a German, Irish, Polish, Chinese, Italian, American, Greeks, as well as French schoolchildren and many British. This is the melting pot that is central London – the heart of tourism as well as of our democracy. Terrorism is an international phenomenon and this time it struck in a way that will send reverberations across the world. In his comments Lib Dem Leader in the Lords, Dick Newby, reminded us all how much we depend on close relationships with our European neighbours in order to foil attacks like this.

I have been in Parliament for six years and have been aware that one day something like this was likely to happen. But that doesn’t reduce the shock when it does. I crossed the road into Parliament barely three minutes before the attack started, but once inside the building you are strangely insulated. We were told about it very quickly and rapidly corralled from one area to another in large groups, defended by armed police. We were locked down for over 5 hours. I spent a long while talking to Mark Williams MP for Ceredigion and our new MP Sarah Olney. Then we were moved into Westminster Hall, where I lost track of them but struck up conversations with several new friends.

Conversations were largely seeking news of what was going on outside. Despite the wonders of modern phones, we still lacked a real perspective on events.

As the hours moved on we became weary, hungry and thirsty, and rather cold, but there was never any doubt that we were being efficiently dealt with for our own safety. There were groups of bewildered schoolchildren there, as well as visitors and the staff of the Palace of Westminster. When eventually the area was declared safe, I trecked over to a far flung tube station, as Westminster Tube station was, and remains, shut.

When I got home I realised I was exhausted emotionally and physically – standing up for 5 hours is surprisingly tiring. My mood was reflected in speeches today. Speeches of defiance and determination to stand up for democratic values. In the face of violence and intolerance, there has never been a greater need to face outwards to the world and to refuse to change our values as a society.

Inflation rise hits the poorest

Liberal Democrat Shadow Chancellor Susan Kramer responding to the rise in inflation announced today, said: “You can’t have a hard Brexit and affordable prices.

“This is proof that the British public are paying the price for Theresa May’s decision to take Britain out of the Single Market, which is causing a Brexit squeeze. With the pound falling in value by 18% since the referendum, the price of imports have shot up and broken the official target.

“Worst of all, the dramatic leap in food prices is hitting the poorest the most, with some producers also reducing package sizes, meaning the real inflation figure is now much higher.

“The fragile UK economy has been kept on life support by consumer spending, but with prices rising, that is now threatened.”

Local Liberal Democrats point out that the BBC reports that prices at the factory gate are also rising quickly, suggesting more inflation is on the way to the High Street. At 2.3%, inflation is increasing at the same rate as average earnings, meaning the average pay rise is being totally eaten up by increasing prices. Public sector workers whose pay is capped are already feeling the effects of rising inflation; now the average worker is going to be worse off as inflation overtakes average wage rises.

Huge Election Victory for Dutch Liberals as Populists Fail to Breakthrough

Liberal International reports:

Dutch Liberals VVD and D66 (LI full members) delivered a huge blow to the march of populism across Europe as the VVD, the party of prime minister Mark Rutte, topped the polls this week for a 3rd consecutive election, while D66 finished joint-third with 19 seats.

The election, which saw the highest turnout of Dutch voters in 30 years amid earlier concerns that the far-right party of Geert Wilders would emerge with the most seats, is seen as a bellwether for the French elections later this year.

LI President Dr Juli Minoves tweeted that VVD and D66 had “stopped populism in its tracks” while LI President of Honour, Hans van Baalen MEP, who leads the VVD delegation in the European Parliament said: "The extreme right wing populists of Wilders took a serious hit from the lead party VVD; this will help defeat Le Pen in France and AFD in Germany. Congratulations to D66 for their very good results. Liberals will shape the Netherlands and Europe in the years to come!"

Leader of D66, Alexander Pechtold, labelled his party’s gains as “historic” as the social liberals gained 7 seats, while Mark Rutte described “an evening where the Netherlands, after Brexit and the American elections, has said ‘ho’ to the wrong sort of populism,” adding that “now it’s important to bring our country together and form a stable government.”

The final membership of the House of Representatives will not be known until Tuesday, after any individuals on party lists are promoted/demoted.

Tim Farron responded:

Tim Farron‏Verified account @timfarron

Well done to our liberal allies @VVD and @D66 in Dutch elections. Looks like a victory for liberalism over politics of fear and division

• RETWEETS546
• LIKES1,332
• 

11:31 pm - 15 Mar 2017

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Welsh Liberal Democrat policy

A list of the policy resolutions of the 2017 spring conference held in Swansea last weekend are on a pdf here.

Spring conference on TV

The Welsh Liberal Democrat spring conference in Swansea this weekend will be covered by BBC TV, starting with BBC Parliament at 11 a.m.

Apologies if you have already registered to vote ...

Liberal Democrat initial response to budget

Liberal Democrats have been reacting to Philip Hammond’s budget which seems to do not much more than stoke the balance in favour of massive corporates as opposed to small business and give extra money to Tory hobby-horses like free schools in England.

Exchequer spokesman Susan Kramer highlighted how the Tories had broken their manifesto promise by raising national insurance for the self-employed:

"This is a tax on builders, taxi drivers and window cleaners, some of Britain’s hardest working people. This hits the gig economy where people are already insecure and facing rising prices and job uncertainty. And on International Women’s Day it will hit over one and a half million women.

"Companies will continue to save money by using workers without giving them the security and benefits of staff jobs. Meanwhile, these workers will have to pay more. This is patently as unfair as it is a tax on entrepreneurship and hard work."