15 Most Recent Stories From British Liberal Democrat News

Fri 19th Mar 2010:

Moore Slams Government Over Rising Borders Unemployment.

Borders MP Michael Moore has criticised the Government after figures published today revealed that unemployment in the Borders and around Scotland rose again last month, despite the UK technically moving out of recession at the end of 2009.

Thu 18th Mar 2010:

Labour’s hypocrisy on ministerial cars and energy revealed.

Meanwhile, Scottish Labour’s energy spokesperson Lewis MacDonald is completely at odds with Labour’s Energy Secretary Ed Miliband over coal power: On Monday 15 March, Lewis MacDonald said: “If Scotland is going to make a significant contribution to cutting carbon emissions, it makes no sense to start by building a coal-fired power station […] If this goes ahead it will set back Scotland’s prospects of meeting our commitment on climate change” This is entirely at odds with Ed Miliband’s claim that “In order to ensure that we maintain a diverse energy mix, we need new coal-fired power stations” Commenting, Liberal Democrat Shadow Scotland Secretary, Alistair Carmichael said: “This shows the gulf between what Labour promise and what they actually do. “It is hard to see how Labour can call for greener ministerial limos while Jim Murphy has doubled the number of cars he uses at the Scotland Office. “Labour are also hopelessly split on energy, criticising coal power in Scotland while in Westminster they back new, dirty power stations. “13 years of failure have shown that whatever Labour say during the election, they cannot be trusted to back it up with real action in Government.”

Election an opportunity to win back privacy says Clegg.

In his speech to Privacy International to mark their 20th Anniversary, Nick Clegg will say: “Labour has spent 13 years trampling over people’s privacy. From allowing children’s fingerprints to be taken at school without their parents’ consent; to making us a world leader in CCTV; to wasting vast sums of taxpayers’ money on giant databases that hoard our personal details. And now we hear that ministers want pensioners to swap their bus passes for ID cards. “The Government’s staggering record on losing private data – leaving it in pub car parks and on commuter trains – just makes matters worse. “And there’s an even bigger issue at stake: Labour’s flagrant disregard for our privacy flies in the face of hard won British liberty. It betrays a deep distrust of the British people, as well as an obsession with controlling every aspect of everyday life from Whitehall. “Those same reflexes underpin this Government’s obsession with law-making. Since 1997 they have flooded the statute books with nearly 4,300 new ways of making us criminals. Some of them are completely bizarre, like ‘disturbing a pack of eggs when directed not to by an authorised officer’, and ‘causing a nuclear explosion’, as if we needed a new law for that. “And where do all these new laws get us? Only one in a hundred crimes ends in a conviction in court. “The Conservatives talk a good game on privacy, but scratch beneath the surface and it’s clear they can’t be trusted to roll back Labour’s surveillance state. Just look at their plans to make it even easier for the police to watch and record people getting on with their daily lives, all in the name of cutting red tape. “Only the Liberal Democrats will bring an end to the endless snooping on innocent people.”

Creamery closure body blow for local community - Lib Dems.

University cuts paving way for tuition fees hike says Williams.

Commenting on the Government’s announcements of cuts to university budgets, Stephen Williams said: “Universities and young people are bearing the brunt of Labour’s economic failure. “There is a real fear that these cuts are preparing the ground for tuition fees to be raised.  It would be totally unfair for young people, the innocent victims of the financial crisis, to be punished in this way.”

Ashcroft and Hague’s cynical cover-up cost taxpayers says Huhne.

Commenting on William Hague’s admission of a “mistake” concerning Lord Ashcroft’s tax status, Chris Huhne said: "William Hague promised the Prime Minister that before Lord Ashcroft received his peerage he would pay “tens of millions” in British tax, but then never even checked whether the promise was kept. He has treated the taxpayer with total contempt. It is utterly unbelievable to say, as William Hague did this morning, that he was not aware of the tax implications of these negotiations that dragged on for four months when he was kept informed by his closest loyalist, the Chief Whip. Mr Hague is guilty of a cynical cover-up for a shabby decision which has cost British taxpayers more than £100 million. William Hague is not fit for any role in Government, let alone that of Foreign Secretary. Lord Ashcroft must now meet his £100 million tax bill.”

Labour’s hypocrisy on ministerial cars and energy revealed.

Labour’s hypocrisy on the environment was today revealed by Liberal Democrat research showing that Jim Murphy has doubled the number of ministerial cars used by the Scotland Office, despite Scottish Labour’s call today for action to reduce the emissions of government cars.[img_assist|nid=8586|title=Alistair Carmichael MP|desc=Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland|link=none|align=right|width=80|height=100]

Urgent Review of Cold Weather Planning Required.

Orkney and Shetland MP Alistair Carmichael is backing calls for an urgent review of cold weather contingency planning after new figures published this week suggested that the cost of the recent snow to small and medium-sized businesses in the UK could amount to £7.3 bn.

Untitled.

Wed 17th Mar 2010:

Government’s rural incompetence cost taxpayers £90m says Farron.

Commenting on the UK’s £15.9m fine for failing to comply with Common Agricultural Policy rules, Tim Farron said: “The British taxpayer is now stumping up for the Government’s incompetence but British farmers have already paid a high price. “The Government’s failure to issue payments promptly in 2005 pushed many farmers to the brink. “The chaotic handling of the Rural Payments Agency has now cost the British taxpayer £90m in fines to the EU.   “It’s absolutely staggering that Defra is throwing money down the drain at a time when all Government departments are being asked to tighten their belts.   “It is time for a simpler, more cost-effective system which helps farmers get their payments efficiently, effectively and on time.”

SNP-Tory ‘Unholy alliance’ stops business rates relief scheme.

Jim Hume, Liberal Democrat MSP for the South of Scotland, has hit out at the unholy alliance between the SNP and Conservatives when both parties’ MSPs voted down a transitional rates relief scheme to help Scottish hotels affected by rates increases.

More grassroots sport needed says Foster.

Commenting on today’s Government announcement that 3000 new after school clubs offering Olympic and Paralympics sport will be provided for young people, Don Foster said: “We have been calling for more after school sport provision for a long time. Giving children a greater choice of sports will increase sporting take up and decrease drop outs.   “Currently fewer than a third of children do the five hours of sport each week this Government promised. This one-off sum won’t be enough to produce the huge boost in sports participation needed.   “Grassroots sport has lost out because of lottery money being diverted to pay for the Olympics. By changing the way the national lottery is taxed, we could produce long term dividends for all good causes, including grassroots sport.”

Lib Dems reveal cost of mandatory knife sentences.

A six month mandatory sentence for carrying a knife would cost the taxpayer almost £21 million, while a two year mandatory sentence would cost nearly £84 million, Liberal Democrats can reveal.

Lib Dems: Government need to sort out priorities.

Commenting on the Minister for Public Health’s photo op to launch National Sport week, Ross Finnie said the Minister should sort out the SNP’s P.E targets instead of attending photo ops

Government not preparing properly for years ahead: Purvis.

The number of people employed in public sector bodies in Scotland has increased since the SNP took power in 2007 commenting Finance spokesman Jeremy Purvis said the focus of Government should not be on creating more civil servants

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