20 Most Recent Stories From Liberal Democrats : All News Feed

Tue 29th Jul 2008:

Video: Nick Clegg's summer message.

Nick Clegg has recorded a summer message for Liberal Democrat members and supporters. In it he talks about the problems facing Labour, how the Liberal Democrats would help families with the rising cost of living, and the party's plans for the autumn. You can watch a subtitled version of the video on Overstream. 

Thu 21st Aug 2008:

Clegg: 'Apollo Project' to secure UK's energy.

Visiting an offshore energy farm in the North Sea today, Liberal Democrat leader, Nick Clegg will warn that Britain’s energy security is under severe threat as a result of the Government’s disintegrating energy policy, which will lead to an ever-increasing dependence on vulnerable foreign energy supplies. Setting out Liberal Democrat proposals to secure energy independence for Britain, Nick Clegg will argue that politicians of all parties need to demonstrate the kind of vision, application and political will behind the Apollo Project that succeeded in putting man on the moon, in order to head off the threat to the security of our energy supply.Nick Clegg said:"The Government has been looking at energy from the wrong end of the telescope."The scale of its failure to plan for Britain’s energy security has been brought into sharp relief by the Georgian crisis, which underlines the risks of increasing dependence on foreign energy sources as North Sea oil supplies run down."Rather than use its period in office to reduce Britain’s dependency on vulnerable supplies from unstable regions, Labour has dithered and flip-flopped for over a decade. Instead of an energy policy, we have a potential economic, environmental and national security disaster waiting to happen. "But we have an enormous opportunity to create real energy independence for the UK, freeing ourselves from the shackles of foreign oil, coal and gas."Renewable energy is no longer a pipe-dream. It is realistic and achievable. All it requires is the leadership and vision that has been lacking under years of tired Labour thinking."That’s why today I am setting out Liberal Democrat proposals to become energy independent by 2050. This will require the kind of ambition and political will that succeeded in putting man on the moon. "We need an ‘Apollo Project’ for British energy independence."Just as Britain invested in the North Sea in the 1970s to transform our energy prospects through oil production, we must today make similar investment in renewable technologies to harness Britain’s vast renewable energy resources, combined with major reductions in energy consumption." To read the policy paper click here.

Thu 7th Aug 2008:

Liberal Democrats outline youth crime proposals.

Liberal Democrat Shadow Home Secretary, Chris Huhne, today accused both Labour and the Conservatives of ‘falling over each other to be tough on crime’ as he promoted his party’s new plans for stopping young people from committing crimes.The ideas outlined in the document A Life Away From Crime also highlight how to stop children who have been found guilty of minor offences from committing more serious crimes.The main proposals include: Making young people pay back the damage caused to communities without involving the criminal justice system The formation of a Youth Volunteer Force to engage young people in activities that benefit local people Running nationwide restorative justice programmes, with a particular emphasis on early intervention in schools and care homes Creating a dedicated PCSO youth officer in every area to work with teenagers most at risk of offending Targeting guns and knives through intelligence-led stop and search, hot-spot policing and action in schools Chris Huhne said:"If we want to tackle the problem of youth crime, we need to take action early to stop kids from embarking on a life of crime before it’s too late. "The old parties are falling over each other trying to be tough on crime, but nothing is being done do stop young people getting sucked in to a cycle of crime."Ministers know that programmes to divert kids away from crime work, and are even happy to promote such projects. However, they have failed to fund them properly in favour of punitive policies that grab headlines but achieve little."It is time for a new approach to youth justice which both prevents crime and confronts young people with their actions if they do break the law." To read the paper click here.

Wed 27th Aug 2008:

Lansley's speech exposes Tory confusion - Lamb.

Commenting on today’s speech by Andrew Lansley, No Excuses, No Nannying, Liberal Democrat Shadow Health Secretary, Norman Lamb said:"Everyone has a responsibility to look after their own health, but the prescription the Tories are offering has failed in the past and will fail in the future. "Andrew Lansley’s speech exposes the confusion at the heart of the Conservative’s strategy. "He lectures people about their responsibility. He blames people for being overweight and says they lack self-discipline and self-esteem. Yet when it comes to junk food he’s much more sensitive about the problem of ‘stigmatising’ it."This is the same old nasty party moralising and lecturing whilst remaining silent on the causes of increasing obesity. "Central to tackling obesity must be policies reduce inequality, deprivation and poor education."

Government must help thousands on verge of repossession - Cable.

The plans, which aim to reduce repossessions and increase the stock of social housing, include: Introducing regulated Mortgage Rescue Schemes to allow families struggling with repayments to sell all or part of the equity in their house and rent it back from a housing association or private firm to help keep them in their home Allowing councils and housing associations to borrow money to buy up land and empty new homes for use as social housing  Courts to be given guidelines to only allow homes to be repossessed in extreme circumstances, making the mortgage lenders’ voluntary code binding on all lenders Commenting, Liberal Democrat Shadow Chancellor, Vince Cable said:"The Government seems obsessed with fighting a losing battle to artificially prop up the housing market, rather than finding ways to deal with its worst effects. "Ministers must act to help the thousands of families struggling to keep a roof over their heads. "The Government should allow councils and housing associations to buy up land as well as empty homes to help replenish Britain’s much depleted stock of social housing. "Ministers must also tighten up repossession rules, to ensure that people’s homes are only ever repossessed as a last resort."The Government should introduce regulated Mortgage Rescue Schemes. Under this arrangement, families struggling to pay their mortgage could sell part of the equity in their home and rent it back from a housing association or private firm. "These plans could be funded using money already committed to social housing but currently unspent because of the collapse of new building. They would also save taxpayers the cost of re-housing the homeless without going down the disastrous route of giving open-ended guarantees for new mortgage lending."

Scott will bring energy and enthusiasm to leadership - Clegg.

Commenting on the election of Tavish Scott as the new Leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats, Liberal Democrat Leader, Nick Clegg said:"I am delighted that Tavish Scott has been chosen as the new Leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats."He will bring energy and enthusiasm to the role, taking the fight to the SNP and Labour right across Scotland."The Liberal Democrats are the only party who represent all of Scotland, urban and rural, east and west, Highland, island and lowland."Tavish will address the issues that matter most to the people of Scotland, not the narrow-minded squabbles of the nationalists and Labour."I am hugely looking forward to working with Tavish to further the values and policies of the Liberal Democrats across the whole of Scotland."

Titan prisons are asking for trouble - Lord Thomas.

Commenting on today’s National Council of Independent Monitoring Boards report on the Government’s proposed Titan prisons, Liberal Democrat Justice Spokesperson, Lord (Martin) Thomas said: "Putting nearly three thousand prisoners together is asking for trouble. "The sheer scale of the organisation that will be required will do nothing to rehabilitate prisoners or prepare them for eventual release back into the community."

Tue 26th Aug 2008:

Withholding of cancer drug information shocking - Lamb.

Commenting a poll released today that reveals doctors are not telling cancer patients about new drugs that could extend their lives because they may be difficult to obtain on the NHS, Liberal Democrat Shadow Health Secretary, Norman Lamb said:"It is shocking that vital information is being withheld from patients because doctors are worried about funding issues."Instead of giving patients and doctors greater say over what treatments are provided by the NHS, Labour have built up bureaucratic barriers that can only be challenged in the High Court. "It is time the Government stopped pretending nothing can be done to make the decisions over these drugs more transparent and rational."NICE must be made independent of ministers, and Primary Care Trusts should be made accountable to the people they serve."

Government buried damning NHS report - Lamb.

The Liberal Democrats have today accused the Government of trying to bury a report revealing how high quality NHS cancer services are being undermined by the internal market’s funding system. The report commissioned by the Department of Health was finalised in May 2008 but not published until Friday 8 August, the opening day of the Beijing Olympics. The report finds that system of Payment by Results (PbR), effectively the currency of the NHS, causes hospitals who treat patients requiring complex operations and treatment to lose money as a result. The report finds that: The internal market as it currently operates is undermining high quality cancer services Patients with complex needs are losing specialist hospitals (like the Royal Marsden) vast sums of money The system actively discourages investment in new technology and in new treatments known to improve patient outcomes Commenting, Liberal Democrat Shadow Health Secretary, Norman Lamb said: "This is a devastating criticism of the problems Payment by Results is causing for the parts of the NHS we should be most proud of. "This report reveals the very serious unintended consequences of how treatments are paid for. The Government is effectively penalising hospitals for providing specialist care. "Ministers claim that PbR is rewarding efficiency, but this report shows that it risks distorting clinical decisions about who to treat and whether to invest in new and improved technologies. "The Government must act on this report now. Its own cancer strategy is being fatally undermined by this flawed funding system. "The Health Secretary is probably too busy worrying about the leadership of the Labour party to pay proper attention to the warnings in the report about the damage being wrought in the NHS. What other explanation could there be for sitting on the report for three months and only publishing it on a quiet Friday when most people are on holiday? "I am writing today to the Secretary of State calling for an urgent review of Payment by Results. There is a clear need for reform of this system."

Councils must be able to respond quickly to migration - Goldsworthy.

Commenting on a report by the Institute for Public Policy Research, which says that the Government has underestimated the economic benefits of migration to local communities, Liberal Democrat Shadow Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Julia Goldsworthy said:“The Government still does not have a strong enough understanding of the impact migration can have on local communities.“Councils have to be able to respond quickly and flexibly to the effects of migration so that they can take advantage of the many benefits it brings, as well as being better able to handle some of the extra pressures that can be placed on local services.“Unfortunately the sluggishness of the local government funding system means that by the time local authorities get the help they need it is often too late for them to fully benefit from the many advantages that migration can have.”

Charles Bean's remarks highlight state of the economy - Cable.

Commenting on remarks by Charles Bean, the Bank of England's deputy governor, that the financial slowdown could ‘drag on for some considerable time’, Liberal Democrat Shadow Chancellor, Vince Cable, said: “Charles Bean’s comments highlight the fact that the British economy is to a large extent in freefall and there’s not a great deal the Government or the Bank of England can do about it.“Ministers need to focus their efforts on protecting those at greatest risk from the worsening economic situation. That means greater support for people living under the threat of having their homes repossessed and helping the large number of vulnerable people who will be hit with huge energy bills this winter.”

Credit crunch and soaring bills having massive impact on families - Cable.

Commenting on today’s [Tuesday] U-Switch report which shows that household disposable income has fallen by a sixth in the last year alone, Liberal Democrat Shadow Chancellor, Vince Cable said:"The credit crunch and soaring consumer prices are clearly having a massive impact on British families. "This is extremely worrying news for Gordon Brown, whose claims that all is well with UK PLC are now looking well wide of the mark."The Government cannot possibly continue to play down the severity of the economic crisis the UK faces, when millions of people can barely make ends meet."One in seven adults are now trapped below the poverty line, leaving the Government’s poverty strategy in tatters."Gordon Brown needs to wake up to the reality that we are now teetering on the brink of recession. He must act to help the millions of families struggling against high taxes, rising bills and falling disposable income."

Economy has reached stagnation - Cable.

Commenting on today’s revised ONS figures showing that the UK economy didn’t grow at all in the second quarter of 2008, Liberal Democrat Shadow Chancellor, Vince Cable said:"We now have official confirmation that the British economy has already reached the point of stagnation. Any further slowdown and we’ll be in outright recession. "All the evidence is that the economy is still slowing, dragged down by the falling housing market and sky high food and fuel prices. This high inflation will make it very difficult for the Bank of England to cut rates in the near future. "We’re now seeing the full extent of the self-delusion which led ministers to believe that everything was well with the British economy."

Thu 21st Aug 2008:

Dental contract an abject failure - Lamb.

Commenting on today’s figures showing that over a million fewer people have seen an NHS dentist since the new dental contract was introduced in 2006, Liberal Democrat Shadow Health Secretary, Norman Lamb said: "The Government is in complete denial over the fact that the new dental contract has been an abject failure. "People want to see an NHS dentist, but all the evidence shows they are finding this increasingly difficult. "The crisis in NHS dentistry is Labour’s hidden legacy."

Fall in immigration shows economy is very seriously slowing down - Cable.

Commenting on the fall in Eastern European immigration announced today by the Government, Liberal Democrat Shadow Chancellor, Vince Cable said: "This is another clear indication that the British economy is very seriously slowing down. "We haven’t yet got the figures for the number of Eastern Europeans returning home, but I suspect there will have been a big increase. "If we get into a serious recession, immigration will become negative, as it has before. "I hope that all those people who have been running scare stories about the impact of immigration from Eastern Europe on jobs and housing will now eat a little humble pie. They should acknowledge that immigration flows are very sensitive to the state of the economy."

House building slump shows Government is divorced from reality - Goldsworthy.

Commenting on figures showing that house building in England has slumped by 19% in the last year, Liberal Democrat Shadow Communities and Local Government Secretary, Julia Goldsworthy said: "With house building hitting rock bottom, this Government’s centralised housing targets are beginning to look like nothing more than a pipe-dream. "But unreachable targets will not help the thousands of families in unsuitable housing. "This is yet another example of how divorced this Government is from reality."

Energy companies lining up to clobber customers - Clegg.

On the day that Liberal Democrat Leader, Nick Clegg has called for ambitious action to improve energy efficiency and secure the UK’s energy independence, E.ON has announced its decision to raise gas prices by a quarter and electricity prices by 16%. Commenting, Nick Clegg said: "Millions of people will get a huge shock when they realise how much it will cost to heat their homes this winter. For the most vulnerable people the effect will be devastating. "One by one, the major energy companies are lining up to clobber customers with enormous price rises. "Labour has allowed the energy giants to act as they please. It is unacceptable that on this Government’s watch these companies have benefited from a £9bn windfall, yet they continue to turn the screws on people who are already struggling with high prices. "Energy companies should be compelled to put some of this money back into insulating the homes of their poorest customers."

Energy companies lining up to clobber customers - Clegg .

On the day that Liberal Democrat Leader, Nick Clegg has called for ambitious action to improve energy efficiency and secure the UK’s energy independence, E.ON has announced its decision to raise gas prices by a quarter and electricity prices by 16%. Commenting, Nick Clegg said: "Millions of people will get a huge shock when they realise how much it will cost to heat their homes this winter. For the most vulnerable people the effect will be devastating. "One by one, the major energy companies are lining up to clobber customers with enormous price rises. "Labour has allowed the energy giants to act as they please. It is unacceptable that on this Government’s watch these companies have benefited from a £9bn windfall, yet they continue to turn the screws on people who are already struggling with high prices. "Energy companies should be compelled to put some of this money back into insulating the homes of their poorest customers."

Educational divide must be tackled - Brooke.

Commenting on the publication of GCSE results today, Liberal Democrat Schools Spokesperson, Annette Brooke said: "These young people have clearly worked hard and we should celebrate their success. "The drop in the total number of entries would suggest that many schools are now turning their backs on GCSEs, particularly in maths. The new regulator must ensure GCSEs really are rigorous qualifications that properly stretch the most talented pupils. "It is very concerning that the gap between boys and girls appears to be widening again. This educational divide must be tackled. "Increased funding needs to be directly linked to children from deprived backgrounds so that schools can provide the increased and personalised support they need."

Cancelled operations show NHS under unsustainable pressure - Lamb.

Commenting on new figures released by the Conservatives today [Thursday], which claim over 100,000 NHS operations were cancelled last year for non-clinical reasons, Liberal Democrat Shadow Health Secretary, Norman Lamb said: "There is a real issue with the number of cancelled operations. They are yet another sign of the unsustainable pressure the NHS is under. "Hospitals are being straitjacketed by this Government. Patient care is coming second to the overwhelming pressure to meet targets. "But there is some doubt about the Conservative analysis. If the figures for Kingston Hospital should have been 190 instead of over 10,000 then the projection to 100,000 cases across the country could well be inaccurate."

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