Labour’s gift to the next generation was an economic crisis

“Under Labour, social mobility stalled, youth unemployment rose and educational inequality increased. As Liam Byrne said, they left us with no money and a toxic debt to clear.”

Tim Farron MP

Tim Farron

Commenting on today’s speech by Ed Miliband, Liberal Democrat Party President Tim Farron said:

“Ed Miliband is showing utter contempt for the intelligence of the British people. The Labour Party’s gift to the next generation was an economic crisis and massive debt.

“It is depressing that someone who was at the heart of the Labour Government and was a key part of the legacy they left, is now denying any responsibility. His selective amnesia and attempts to blame others for his party’s failings are shameful.

“Under Labour, social mobility stalled, youth unemployment rose and educational inequality increased. As Liam Byrne said, they left us with no money and a toxic debt to clear.

“By cutting the deficit and re-balancing the economy, this Government will put Britain back on its feet.”

A proud day for those who cherish Britain’s freedoms

Tim Farron MP

Tim Farron

Lib Dem Party President Tim Farron has written for Comment is Free following the the announcement of reforms to Britain’s counter-terrorism laws.

“With details of reform of counter-terrorism laws unveiled in the House of Commons, today is a proud day for those who cherish the freedoms that we in Britain have enjoyed for centuries and that our ancestors fought and died for. These civil liberties have been chipped away at over recent years, with the fundamental principle of innocent until proven guilty abandoned and the increasing power of the state to spy on its citizens.

There will always be a fine balance to be struck between freedom and security, but the proposals detailed today mark a decisive move away from the paranoid, authoritarian state presided over by Labour. No longer will people who have had no charge brought against them be locked up for 28 days or placed under de facto house arrest. No longer will police be able to indiscriminately stop and search British citizens on a whim. No longer will councils be able to use anti-terrorism powers to snoop on the contents of your bins. And no longer will trainspotters be treated like terrorists for photographing the 13.32 from York to Darlington.

The ridiculous, heavy handed and easily abused powers brought in by the last Labour regime trampled over centuries of British tradition and liberty. That’s why the Liberal Democrats and other civil liberties campaigners fought to prevent them and railed against them once they were imposed. And that’s why we should all be proud of the steps taken by the coalition government today.

These measures will not weaken our country’s defences against the threat of terrorism, quite the opposite in fact. Time and time again Labour’s measures were proven ineffective and counter-productive, antagonising the very communities we need to support in order to tackle the problems of extremism in the UK.

These are not the first measures the government has taken to restore our civil liberties and they won’t be the last. I was proud when Nick Clegg announced an end to the disgraceful and cruel practice of locking up innocent children during the immigration removal process. Under Labour, more than 7,000 children were detained – hundreds for weeks and months on end. In far too many cases this inflicted serious physical and psychological damage.

Ending this horrendous practice was a key Lib Dem manifesto commitment and one that no other party was prepared to make. And when the government unveils its freedom bill, the brainchild of Chris Huhne when he was Lib Dem home affairs spokesperson, we will see huge swaths of Labour’s unnecessary and intrusive lawmaking repealed.

Labour brought in more than 4,300 new laws during its 13 years in power, creating a new offence for virtually every day it spent in power. This government is often judged solely through the prism of the measures it is taking to deal with the deficit and clear up the financial mess Britain found itself in, but it is doing so much more than that. When the next general election rolls round in 2015, Britain will be a more liberal country. These measures are a crucial part of how we get there.”

Read the original article at Comment is Free
Find out more about proposed changes to counter-terror powers
Read Lib Dem peer Lord MacDonald’s review of counter-terror laws

Sanity and justice restored to British life

“Control orders are gone, 28 days detention without charge is gone, indiscriminate stop and search is gone and the abuse of anti-terror powers by councils to pursue petty offences is over.”

Commenting on the Home Secretary’s statement following the Counter-Terrorism and Security review, Co-Chair of the Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Committee on Home Affairs and Justice, Tom Brake said:

“Sanity and justice have been restored to British life.

“Today is a victory for those who have campaigned to restore the historic freedoms that Labour spent 13 years destroying.

“Control orders are gone, 28 days detention without charge is gone, indiscriminate stop and search is gone and the abuse of anti-terror powers by councils to pursue petty offences is over.

“There will always be a balance to be struck between freedom and security and these proposals protect British citizens while upholding their centuries-old values.”

Balls will merely continue Brown’s disastrous policies

“The decision to appoint Ed Balls as Shadow Chancellor shows that the Labour Party is now determined to carry on with the Gordon Brown economic plan that caused so much trouble for this country.”

Commenting on the appointment of Ed Balls as Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer, Co-Chair of the Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Treasury Committee, Stephen Williams, said:

“I wish Alan Johnson good luck for the future.

“The decision to appoint Ed Balls as Shadow Chancellor shows that the Labour Party is now determined to carry on with the Gordon Brown economic plan that caused so much trouble for this country.

“Ed Balls isn’t just a deficit denier, he’s a deficit enthusiast.”

Brits get new rights to foreign healthcare under EU rules

Chris Davies MEP

Chris Davies MEP

Tameside’s Liberal Democrat Euro-MP has welcomed moves to allow people to travel to other EU countries for operations if the NHS is too slow. New rules approved by the European Parliament will allow people to receive medical treatment in other EU Member States if their home country is unable to provide essential medical care within a reasonable timeframe.

Patients will be able to have the treatment paid for or claim back the money if they pay upfront. The new rules are due to take effect in 2013.

Chris Davies MEP who is the Liberal Democrat spokesperson on the Environment and Public Health Committee of the Parliament said, “This new system will protect our NHS but provide options for people who need  treatment.

“NHS hospitals will get the full costs of treating other EU nationals paid and Tameside people will have the option of travelling if that is what it takes to get treatment.”

UK citizens who fall ill abroad can already get emergency care across the EU with their European Health Insurance Card (EHIC).  The new scheme expands this to ‘elective’ treatment’ when a particular treatment can be provided faster or more expertly abroad.

NHS doctors will have to give prior authorisation for treatments abroad that can be reimbursed, patients will only be entitled to reimbursement for treatment that their home health authority would normally provide, and
travel or hotel costs cannot be claimed back.

Oldham East & Saddleworth: Results

The Oldham East and Saddleborough byelection result:

Labour 14,718 42%
Elwyn Watkins (Liberal Democrat) 11,160 31.9%
Conservatives 4,481 12.8%
Other 7 candidates 4,571

The Liberal Democrat share of the vote increased, in contrast to the vote collapse that Labour and some commentators had predicted. Lib Dem candidate Elwyn Watkins has paid tribute to his campaign team and thanked his many supporters across the constituency.

Speaking to supporters after the count, Elwyn said, “I want to thank you all for a superb campaign. Although it is always disappointing not to win, I am proud that our share of the vote actually increased. Those who sought to write us off have been proved wrong. I am also delighted that the BNP lost their deposit. The town has shown we have no taste for their hateful and divisive approach.”

Commenting on the by-election result , Deputy Prime Minister and Liberal Democrat Leader, Nick Clegg, said: “This was a very hard-fought contest but we were not able to gain this Labour seat on this occasion. I’d like to pay tribute to our superb candidate, Elwyn Watkins, and his team up in Oldham who have run an exceptional campaign.

“I am proud of each and every one of the hundreds of activists and volunteers who have brought the fight to Labour’s front door in a way that will have confounded our critics.

“It was always going to be a big ask to take this seat from Labour, given the circumstances. We are undertaking some enormously difficult decisions because Labour left Britain’s economy in a mess and we are now forced to clean up after them.

“By 2015, I hope that the people of Oldham and Saddleworth will see, like everyone else in the country, that the difficult choices we made were the right ones and that Britain is in better shape than when we entered Government.”

“Ignore the cold”, Tameside MEP tells Governments

Cold weather may make it easy for people to deny that the world is growing warmer, but a Tameside Euro-MP says that governments should pay no notice. Chris Davies has welcomed the outcome of the UN’s climate change conference in Cancun, and wants Britain to press the European Union to set more ambitious targets for reducing CO2 emissions.

Chris, the Liberal Democrat’s environment spokesman in the European Parliament, says that the conference has given a major boost to those campaigning for binding agreements to reduce global warming emissions.

He said: “The outcome far exceeded expectations.  Although the measures agreed are nothing like enough to prevent devastating climate change the process exists to tighten them each year.

“It’s important that people realise that every single government in the world accepts that global warming represents a threat and that measures must be taken to combat it.  This is not some kind of trick or conspiracy, it’s about the future of mankind.”

Davies stressed the need for Britain to become more energy efficient and to develop a low carbon economy. “China is taking great strides forward in this respect and if we don’t do more we will find ourselves left behind,” he warned.

Yes!

The Yes Campaign for the Fairer Votes referendum now has its new website up and running.

To mark the launch of the site, and the start of the six month countdown to polling day, they also organised activities at a range of bonfire night events.

Elwyn Watkins: Time to let the voters decide

Let the voters decide

On Friday, the High Court upheld the decision of the Parliamentary Election Court for Oldham East and Saddleworth and dismissed ex-Labour MP Phil Woolas’ appeal.

Commenting after the decision at the Royal Courts of Justice, Liberal Democrat candidate for Oldham East and Saddleworth, Elwyn Watkins, said:“This judgment makes it clear once again that if you knowingly lie in your election campaign and deceive your constituents you should be kicked out of parliament. This is a victory for the people of Oldham and Saddleworth.
“Once again, I am grateful for the sterling work and support my excellent legal team have provided throughout and for the considered verdict of the High Court Judges.
“Now it is time to move on and for the by-election to take place. The people of Oldham East and Saddleworth have been without an MP for long enough. They need to be able to choose a new Member of Parliament as soon as possible.
“With just 103 votes between Labour and myself at the General Election, it is going to be a very close contest. I hope that local people will back someone who has a track record for standing up for what he believes in.”