RBS must use profits to help struggling businesses

“We cannot simply allow banks to go back to business as usual while viable British firms are suffering,” says MP Stephen Williams.

Commenting on the £1.1bn pre-tax half year profits announced by Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) today, Co-Chair of the Liberal Democrat Treasury Policy Committee, Stephen Williams said:

“RBS is almost entirely owned by the taxpayer, so these huge profits must be used for the national interest and not just to pay massive bonuses to senior staff.

“There is no excuse for RBS not to loan to good British companies that are struggling to get credit. We cannot simply allow banks to go back to business as usual while viable British firms are suffering.”

End to unreasonable stop-and-search

Commenting on the Home Secretary’s announcement that stop and search powers will be subject to stricter conditions, Tom Brake MP, Co-Chair of the Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Committee for Home Affairs, Justice and Equality, said: “This is a very welcome announcement. Section 44 was an unreasonable power, applied in an indiscriminate way.

“This change strengthens our civil liberties, building on a longstanding commitment from Liberal Democrats.

“When the Labour benches attacked the coalition for what they described as an obsession with defending civil liberties, it just highlighted their dangerous obsession with eroding them.”

Court ruling secures freedom from persecution for gay asylum seekers

Commenting on the Supreme Court ruling that it is not acceptable to refuse asylum to an individual on the basis that they can hide their sexuality to avoid persecution, Lib Dem deputy leader  Simon Hughes MP, said, “I am delighted this ruling recognises the rights of gay asylum seekers, ensuring their freedom from persecution around the world.
“This plight is one that my Liberal Democrat colleagues and I have campaigned on for years. It is an issue that the Coalition Government is committed to addressing as we seek to restore Britain’s reputation around the world as a leader in the protection of human rights. I believe that today’s ruling will go some way to restoring that reputation.

“Other countries around the world must now follow the UK’s lead and recognise freedom of expression and freedom of sexuality for all people.”

£15m for green buses

Over 150 new low carbon buses will join fleets throughout England saving around 50,000 tonnes of CO2 thanks to £15m of additional Government funding, Lib Dem Transport Minister Norman Baker MP announced today.

The funding is intended to put low carbon buses within the reach of as many operators and local authorities as possible throughout England.

Bus operators and councils can bid for the money which they can then use towards the additional up front cost of buying low carbon buses.

Transport Minister Norman Baker said, “We want to support new transport technologies to help make our transport system greener and more sustainable.

“This investment will stimulate the market for low carbon buses by reducing some of the initial costs for operators and councils. It will deliver significant benefits, in particular reducing the impact of road transport on climate change and improving air quality.”

Low carbon buses use at least 30 per cent less fuel and emit nearly a third less carbon than a conventional bus, yet they currently make up just 0.2% of buses on the road.

The funding will support investment in more low carbon buses as well as addressing the information gap about their performance by requiring the winning bidders to share information with others in the industry.

Freedom

Nick Clegg MP

Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg MP

This morning Nick Clegg delivered a speech asking the public how they want the Government to redress the balance between the citizen and the state. He said:

 

This morning I want to talk about freedom.

For too long new laws and regulations have taken away people’s freedoms, interfered in everyday life, and made it difficult for businesses to get by. The state has crept further and further into people’s homes, the places they work, their private lives. That intrusion is wrong; it’s illiberal; it’s disempowering and it’s going to change.

This government is putting freedom under the spotlight in a way the previous government never did. We want the British people have their say on where the state should step in, and where it should butt out. We are asking people for ideas on restoring hard won liberties that have been lost… On repealing unnecessary laws that have no place on the statute book… And on stripping away the excessive regulation that stops businesses from innovating. (more…)

Make Brothels legal, says Tameside MEP

Tameside’s Lib Dem Euro-MP is calling for brothels to be made legal to provide greater security for prostitutes who work from them. Chris Davies claims that the killings of Suzanne Blamires, Susan Rushworth, and Shelley Armitage in Bradford highlight the urgent need for a new approach.

He said: “It is appalling that two or more prostitutes cannot work together under the same roof for their mutual protection without fear of criminal prosecution.

“The law does nothing to help keep them safe.” (more…)

New Politics: Nick Clegg’s speech on constitutional reform

Nick Clegg: New Politics

Nick Clegg: New Politics

Today Nick Clegg Leader of the Liberal Democrats gave his first official speech as Deputy Prime Minister on constitutional reform and the ‘New Politics’.

Speaking at his first major speech as Deputy Prime Minister, Liberal Democrat Leader Nick Clegg said: “I have spent my whole political life fighting to open up politics. So let me make one thing very clear: this government is going to be unlike any other.

“This government is going to transform our politics so the state has far less control over you, and you have far more control over the state.
(more…)