Sharon Ball

Nick Clegg, Leader of the Liberal Democrats yesterday wrote to The Honorable Eric H. Holder, Jr., Attorney General of the United States regarding this case of Gary McKinnon, see the full text of the letter below:

Sunday 29th November 2009

I am writing to urge you to halt the planned extradition to the US of British citizen Gary McKinnon. It is my strongly held view that Mr. McKinnon should be charged for his crimes in Britain, where he committed them.

As I’m sure you are aware, Mr. McKinnon suffers from Asperger’s Syndrome; a condition which makes him shy, obsessive and psychologically vulnerable. There is no dispute over the illegality of his actions, and Mr. McKinnon promptly confessed to his crimes when questioned by police. However, they were not the acts of an international cyber-terrorist. He is an amateur computer hacker without malicious intent and with no previous criminal history. There is now substantial evidence that his health is deteriorating and that the impact of extradition could make it significantly worse.

The British Government has insisted that it cannot intervene to halt extradition proceedings. I have been assured by various legal sources, including the Government’s chief terror adviser, Lord Carlile, that this is not the case. Despite being presented with new evidence about Mr. McKinnon’s risk of suicide, the Home Secretary has this week refused to halt the extradition on medical grounds. It is to the shame of the British administration that it now falls to your Government to act where they have failed.

I can only assume British Ministers have calculated inaction as their wisest course in terms of maintaining strong relations with your Government. The reality, however, is that extradition will only serve to sour the relationship between our two countries. The intended removal of this vulnerable young man has caused dismay among politicians, the popular press and public opinion at large. The case has also reignited controversy over the UK-US Extradition Treaty, which is widely perceived as imbalanced in terms of the standard of evidence required to seek extradition to the US.

I hope you will consider these arguments carefully. Rest assured that should Mr. McKinnon remain in Britain he will be tried to the highest standards of British justice.

I await your swift reply,

Nick Clegg MP
Leader of the Liberal Democrats

Liberal Democrat Leader Nick Clegg today pledged to put fair taxes at the heart of the party’s message to the British people.

The party’s new tax plans will see tax cuts for millions of people, paid for by closing tax loopholes, making polluters pay and introducing a ‘mansion tax’ on homes worth over £2m.

Nick Clegg said:

“If you want to know how committed a government is to fairness then look at its tax system.

“Gordon Brown has created a tax regime that forces some of the lowest earners in society to pay hundreds of pounds in tax they can’t afford, while polluters and rich tax dodgers avoid paying their fair share.

“Meanwhile the Conservatives want tax cuts for millionaires, but say there might be tax rises for everyone else.

“Under our plans people won’t pay a penny on the first ten thousand pounds they earn. That would put £700 back in the pockets of the vast majority of tax payers, and take millions of people on low pay out of paying income tax altogether.

“Our plans represent the most radical, far reaching tax reform in a generation.

“They embody everything the Liberal Democrats stand for: fairness, protecting the environment, rewarding hard work.

“It is right to ask those with the broadest shoulders to bear a little more of the burden so that millions of people on normal earnings get the break they desperately need.”

In the week when the inquiry into the Iraq War has begun, there has been a timely reminder from the results of MP Don Foster’s resident survey, which shows people’s outrage at the Labour government’s decision to invade Iraq.

An overwhelming 84.1% of over 850 respondents to Don’s survey did not support the war. The survey also found that 87.4% wanted the inquiry into the legality of the war to be held fully in public.

 Don Foster MP said:  “While Labour and the Conservatives supported the war in Iraq, the Liberal Democrats stood firm in voting against it.

 “These survey results show that the Liberal Democrats represented the wider public feeling of outrage that we could unjustly invade another country for no good reason.

 “This inquiry must allow the people of Britain to come to terms with how an illegal war was waged in our name.  It must have the teeth to uncover the full facts.”

Bath Councillor Terry Gazzard, Cabinet Member for Development and Major Projects, quoted in the Chronicle on November 13^th 2008:

"A lot of hard work was put into getting the ice rink for this year and it was very disappointing that it could not go ahead.

 "We will start looking into the possible sites and do not want Bath to be sold short again next year." (LINK)

 Councillor Terry Gazzard, Cabinet Member for Development and Major Projects, quoted in the Chronicle on November 12^th 2009:

 “I was very keen to have an ice rink this year, having failed last year.

“I am dismayed that we haven’t managed to do it this year.

 “I will do my damnedest for next year.”

 The ice rink was supposed to go in Parade Gardens, but the planning application was rejected after the Environment Agency said there was a risk of flooding. Unfortunately the planning application was submitted so late in the year that there is not now time for a new application, for a different site, to be tabled.

It’s hard to understand why the Cabinet member left it so late, especially given the complications regarding last year’s attempt to have an ice rink. Oh well, c’est la vie!

The district-wide Liberal Democrat campaign to reduce accidents and make roads safer for cyclists and pedestrians may finally be about to bear fruit.

Councillor Caroline Roberts (Lib Dem, Newbridge) put the Cabinet member for Transport on the spot at Council this week and asked him to agree that ‘Twenty is Plenty’.

Councillor Roberts commented:

“I was delighted when the Cabinet member appeared to accept the Liberal Democrats’ proposal that ‘Twenty is Plenty’ and agreed to a pilot scheme in a residential area to help inform a decision on whether the Council should introduce 20mph speed limits in all residential roads.

“I am sure there will be no shortage of volunteers to take part in the pilot scheme; the evidence from Portsmouth, where Twenty is Plenty was implemented last year, is that the scheme is very popular amongst residents. Indeed I raised this issue some time ago at the relevant Council committee when officers and the Cabinet member agreed with me that the results of the Portsmouth pilot would be vital evidence in deciding whether the scheme would have legs in Bath.

“Residents in Bath and North East Somerset are deeply concerned about traffic and speeding – I know this from my own post bag as well as what I hear from many of my colleagues. We will all be awaiting the results of the pilot with great interest.”

Question from Councillor Caroline Roberts

There are a number of Traffic Regulation Order notices scheduled for November 2009 proposing schemes for 20 mph limits in several areas. Is the Cabinet Member tacitly admitting that ‘Twenty is Plenty’ for speed limits in residential areas? If so, will he agree to implement the Liberal Democrat Group proposals to slash speeds in all residential areas in B&NES?

Answer from Cabinet Member for Customer Services

I am aware that the Department of Transport is considering the more widespread use of 20mph limits in residential areas and has suggested, in its latest road safety consultation document 'A Safer Way', that `highway authorities, over time, introduce 20mph zones or limits into streets which are primarily residential in nature'. I am also aware, however, that introduction of such limits on a widespread basis has some major implications, not least of which is the cost of both initial introduction and ongoing maintenance, and that any such proposal would need the full co-operation, and support, of the police.

I have, therefore, instructed that a pilot 20mph limit in a residential area should be included in the capital programme of highway works. A suitable location has not yet been identified; however a funding item for this work has been included in the draft programme. Conclusions drawn from this pilot project, along with feedback from other similar projects carried out across the UK, will inform the decision on the way forward with 20mph speed limits in residential areas in general.

Bath and North East Somerset Council has spent nearly £150,000 on publicity relating to the Bath Transport Package and BRT scheme, it was been revealed last week.

Councillor Nigel Roberts (Odd Down) quizzed the Cabinet member responsible for transport at Council this week and found that total spending thus far on publicity relating to the BTP including the BRT scheme was £145,136.51.

However, only £30,819 has been spent on publicising the Core Strategy consultation programme so far this year, despite the fact that the Core Strategy is arguably the most important issue facing the Council in its current term.

The rulling conservative group seem only interested in pushing their pet projects?

Reacting to the adoption of a Council motion ensuring that Youth Parliament elections will go ahead in B&NES next year, Councillor Nathan Hartley (Peasedown St John), who is the Liberal Democrat Group spokesperson on young people and a founder member of DAFBY, commented:

“I was approached back in October when DAFBY members contacted me with their concerns that they had been told the elections would not go ahead.

“When DAFBY was founded we hoped that youth democracy would become part of the DNA of life in this authority and that once the UK Youth Parliament elections had begun that they would continue indefinitely.

“I am very passionate about youth democracy – for me it has just as much relevance and importance as ‘adult’ democracy. In my eyes, wanting to cancel the January 2010 Youth Parliament election is just like cancelling the 2011 local elections.”

Councillors on Bath and North East Somerset Council had the opportunity tonight to hear statements from members of the public about the proposed hostel and wet house near Kingsmead Square.

However Liberal Democrat Councillors were disappointed when the ruling Conservative Group refused to hold a 10 minute ‘urgent issue’ debate on the topic. One Conservative Cabinet Member even complained that Councillors were using the right to ask factual questions of public speakers as a chance to raise political points.

Councillor Andy Furse (Kingsmead) commented:

“The fact that the Conservative administration refused to allow a debate in public about the wet house and hostel proposal smacks of the secrecy that has surrounded this issue since the start.

“Nearly all the business owners and residents who came to speak mentioned the lack of consultation and engagement from the Council. One might begin to wonder whether there is more information which will impact businesses and the community which is so far being held back. For example I tabled a question to Council tonight and in the answer the Cabinet member refers to a ‘wet garden’ rather than an indoor facility. This is the first we have heard of a ‘wet garden’ and it seems as though the Cabinet member is once again moving the goalposts.

“I do, however, welcome the Cabinet member’s suggestion about ‘commissioning independent research’ into the wet house scheme and I urge him to make sure any research is shared with the public and businesses in an open and transparent fashion.”

Myles Gallagher of Bath Pubwatch has said:

"Bath Pubwatch is extremely concerned with the proposed wet house and night shelter on James Street West. Over the last number of years Pubwatch has worked with many local agencies such as Avon & Somerset Police, B&NES Anti-social behaviour team and Street Marshals to improve the environment in and around Kingsmead Square. We believe that all the improvements made to date will be put in jeopardy if this scheme goes ahead.

"Pubwatch works tirelessly to tackle alcohol related disorder within the city, to site a Wet House in the middle of an area that has possibly the highest number of off licensed premises in the city along with a large number of pubs and clubs seems frankly ill thought out."

Liberal Democrats on Bath and North East Somerset have welcomed the adoption of a motion calling for the Council to support free swimming for disadvantaged children through a subsidy scheme.

The Liberal Democrat group also tabled an amendment, which was accepted by the rest of Council, aiming to ensure that swimming prices will not rise for children who will not be covered by the subsidy.

“I was very happy to support this motion because it is in line with the Bath and North East Somerset ‘Healthy Schools’ initiative, which encourages all young people to be active and get involved in exercise and sport. The good thing about swimming is that it is totally inclusive which means that all children can learn to swim and enjoy the activity.

“I am delighted that the Council has not only voted to support free swimming for children from disadvantaged families but has also supported the Liberal Democrat amendment, the aim of which was to ensure that children who don’t qualify for the subsidy will be protected from price increases. This is particularly important for families with incomes just above the subsidy line who might find it difficult to afford any increase in prices. We really hope Aquaterra will take this on board .”

I still however feel that swimming should be free for all children under 16 and not means tested.

"One of Labour’s darkest legacies is that it has let down more than a million young people," said the Liberal Democrat Shadow Schools Secretary.

Commenting on today’s DCSF figures, which show that one in 10 young people have been classified as Neets (Not in education, employment or training), David Laws said:

“Despite Gordon Brown’s promises and platitudes, it is clear that one of Labour’s darkest legacies is that it has let down more than a million young people and left them to bear the brunt of the recession.

“Instead of giving them the skills, training and education they need, the Government has failed young people and risks creating a lost generation.

“We need an education system that gives all young people the skills and motivation they need and the opportunity for internships and training when they leave school.”

"This Queen’s Speech is nothing but another broken promise to the world’s poorest people," said the Liberal Democrat Shadow International Development Secretary.

Commenting on the Government’s downgrading of its commitment to enshrine in legislation the target for 0.7% GNI aid spending, to a commitment to bring forward a draft bill in today’s Queen’s Speech, Michael Moore said:
 
“Gordon Brown made a firm commitment to enshrine the 0.7% target for aid spending in statute, but just seven weeks on he has abandoned that promise.
 
“With a General Election only months away, and the Tories’ commitment to development issues far from certain, this Queen’s Speech is nothing but another broken promise to the world’s poorest people.”

An inquiry is being launched into delays and cost overruns of controversial plans that will see emergency fire calls made in Bath handled in Taunton.

The Parliamentary probe into the Government's national project which involves closing existing fire control rooms and replacing them with regional centres, comes amid continuing criticism of the move.

Read the full story on the Bath Chronicle Web site http://www.thisisbath.co.uk/news/Probe-HQ/article-1525680-detail/article.html

Liberal Democrat Shadow Energy and Climate Change Secretary, Simon Hughes hosted a meeting in Parliament with campaigners against tar sands extraction in Western Canada.

He revealed documents showing that the Government has made no attempt to carry out any form of environmental or social audit into its investments in the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS).

Commenting ahead of the meeting, Simon Hughes said:

“The Government’s failure to assess the social and environmental impacts of its investments in RBS demonstrates stunning negligence.

“As a majority shareholder the Government should use its power to ensure destructive environmental investments are not made.

“World leaders must work towards a treaty that will outlaw tar sands extraction, in the same way they came together to ban land mines, blood diamonds and cluster bombs.”

The UK banks owe their very existence to the British taxpayer with the Governor of the Bank of England estimating that they have received the equivalent of £1 trillion in taxpayer support.

But it does not stop there. The banking industry is unique in having the taxpayer acting as a safety net. Until the banks can be successfully broken up, the Liberal Democrats believe that they should pay for the explicit guarantee that they receive.

Liberal Democrat Shadow Chancellor, Vince Cable has today proposed creating a new levy on bank profits at a rate of 10%, with all the revenue raised (estimated next year to be around £2bn) going towards tackling the structural deficit.

Commenting, Vince Cable said:

“One trillion pounds worth of taxpayer support has gone into keeping the British banking industry afloat.

“We must find a way to split the banks so that the British public no longer props up ‘casino’ banking.

“Meanwhile, it is only right for the taxpayer to get a fair deal for the guarantee that they provide to the banking industry.

“A 10% levy on bank profits would be used to pay down the structural deficit that they are partly responsible for creating.

“The Government should use next month’s pre budget report to put forward this proposal so that banks recognise the explicit guarantee that they currently enjoy.”

Facts about A Fair Deal for the Taxpayer:

1. This levy would be supplementary to corporation tax. However, unlike corporation tax it would be payable on all profits made within the tax year, without the deduction of previous years’ losses. Had this levy been in place prior to the financial crisis it would have raised approximately £4bn per year. Profitability has fallen since the crisis and we expect further write downs from some banks, making the current likely yield from this levy around £2bn next year.

2. Unlike windfall taxes, a banking levy of the kind we are proposing is not an arbitrary one as it is a direct recognition that banks have received beneficial and explicit taxpayer support. The revenue raised from this levy would be used to tackle the structural deficit, thus ensuring that the banking sector helps pay for the problems it has in part created.

3. All banks that are incorporated in the United Kingdom would pay the levy. The FSA publishes a list of these banks every month. Under the FSA definition, building societies are not banks and will not pay this levy. We wish to encourage building societies that are already struggling to meet high Financial Services Compensation Scheme payments.

4. We acknowledge that this proposal alone is not enough to tackle bonuses within the banking sector. However, we would expect this levy, as an additional cost to banks, to reduce the size of bonus pools and thus impact their capacity to pay out large bonuses. The Liberal Democrats will be coming forward with further proposals to tackle bonuses such as creating a fully open and transparent system whereby all those earning over £200,000 must have their bonuses published in their company’s annual report.

5. Splitting up the banks remains our ultimate aim, as the Liberal Democrats do not believe that the taxpayer should underwrite high-risk casino banking which provides little social utility. We do however appreciate that separating these banking functions out from narrow high street banking is complex and will take time. Until such a time, the taxpayer will have to continue underwriting the banks and a levy would recognise the contribution that the taxpayer has made and continues to make to the banking industry.

6. When conditions allow for the banks to be adequately split up this levy would be scrapped. One of the key benefits of this proposal is that it creates a direct financial incentive for British banks to work with the Government in finding a viable mechanism for splitting their functions.

Liberal Democrat Leader Nick Clegg has today called for more to be to done to stamp out homophobic bullying in schools.

At the start of National Anti-Bullying Week, Nick Clegg spoke out in a video statement produced by the Liberal Democrats to highlight the particular problems of homophobic bullying.

Liberal Democrat Shadow Home Secretary Chris Huhne and members of the party’s youth organisation Liberal Youth also speak in the short video which calls for every school to address homophobic bullying in their anti-bullying policies.

Although 98% of schools have anti-bullying policies, only 6% have specific policies to tackle homophobic bullying.

Commenting, Nick Clegg said:

“It’s a sad fact that looking or acting ‘gay’ can instantly make someone a target in thousands of schools across the country.

“Until we deal with homophobia in schools, we’re never going to stamp out wider discrimination in society.

“There should be a zero-tolerance approach to homophobic bullying in schools to tackle this harmful and nasty legacy of outdated attitudes.”

Commenting, Chris Huhne said:

“Homophobic bullying is insidious and vile and should not be happening in our schools and colleges.

“It greatly affects the lives of young people, harms their academic activities and may even drive some to take drastic action.

“This needs to stop now. We must champion the values of fairness, equality and diversity to stamp out homophobic bullying once and for all.”

Nick Clegg today issues a call for this week's Queen's Speech to be scrapped and replaced by an emergency programme of reform designed to "clean up politics once and for all".

Writing in The Independent, the Liberal Democrat leader dismisses the pageant as a "waste of everyone's time" as Parliament will only sit for another 70 days before it is dissolved for the general election expected in the spring.

The Queen's Speech this year will set out plans to boost parents' and patients' rights, tackle knife crime, improve social care for the elderly and trim bankers' bonuses.

Wednesday's event, which traces its roots back more than 500 years, will be the 55th occasion that the Queen has presided over the state opening of Parliament. A major security operation has already been mounted in preparation for the monarch making the short journey from Buckingham Palace to Westminster to read out a list of the Government's planned Bills. The Queen's Speech is an important event in the political calendar because it gives the government of the day the chance to spell out its legislative programme.

But Mr Clegg denounces this year's ceremony as "based on a complete fiction" because Gordon Brown is running out of time to enact his proposed legislation. He says: "The Queen's Speech will be dressed up as the way to 'build Britain's future' when it will be little more than a rehearsal of the next Labour Party manifesto, an attempt to road-test policy gimmicks to see whether they might save this Government's skin.

"It is a waste of everyone's time, and should be cancelled in favour of an emergency programme of political reform. That is the only job this rump of a Parliament is fit for."

The Liberal Democrat leader calls for the Commons to agree an action plan to reform Parliament in the few months until MPs leave for the election battle. The first step would be to approve proposals to be set out by the Public Administration Committee to curb the power of the Commons whips and give more influence to backbench MPs. That should be followed, Mr Clegg says, by moves to introduce fixed-term parliaments, agree a code of conduct for election candidates, sack corrupt MPs, make the House of Lords fully-elected and reform the Commons voting system.

"These changes would be a tall order, but with political will they could finally transform our threadbare democratic institutions," writes Mr Clegg.

"Instead of being just a sorry footnote to a shameful year at Westminster, these months would become a moment of great change in British political history."

Mr Clegg's suggestion was greeted with scorn last night by Downing Street sources. They said: "The Queen's Speech this week will set out the Government's priorities for the remainder of the parliamentary session. But we are very clear these priorities are also the people's priorities and the Liberal Democrats and other parties will support them, there will be absolutely no problems getting them through.

"Either way the Government is determined to deliver on these Bills as we know we can never rest from building a better future for Britain."

Prof Phil Cowley, of the School of Politics at Nottingham University, said there was usually a sense of events petering out in pre-election Queen's Speeches. The famous Tory diarist, Sir Henry "Chips" Channon, who died half a century ago, lamented the "odour of dissolution" hanging over the end of a parliament.

Prof Cowley said: "The final session of a parliament before an election tends to be very artificial – everyone knows the end is coming. The Queen's Speech will be partly about the manifesto and partly about trying to establish the battle-lines with the opposition.

"I would abolish the Queen's Speech altogether. It performs one useful function in that it forces parties to think about what they want to introduce. But amid all the pomp of the occasion they tend to go for headline-grabbing measures." John Bercow, the Commons Speaker, will break with tradition at his first Queen's Speech by wearing tails, rather than court dress. He was the first Speaker to ditch the old-fashioned costume of ruffled shirts and tights to chair the House of Commons, instead wearing a suit and tie.

He revealed yesterday that he will wear the Speaker's ornate black and gold state robe at Wednesday's ceremony to mark the beginning of the parliamentary year. But underneath he will wear a more modern black morning coat and a House of Commons tie.

Re-opening the House: Political pageantry

*The Queen's speech is an annual tradition which takes place at the opening of Parliament, following a recess or a General Election. It begins with a search for any hidden explosives in Parliament's cellars, in a nod to the 1605 Gunpowder Plot.

It is given in the presence of Members of both the Commons and the Lords. The Commons is summoned to hear the speech by Black Rod. In a symbol of its independence, the door to the Chamber is slammed in Black Rod's face when he calls them and is not opened until he has knocked on the door with his staff three times.

The speech is written by the Cabinet and it sets out the policies the Government wishes to pursue in the coming year. The Queen reads the whole speech in the same tone of voice so as not to hint at any favour for or displeasure at what she is announcing. Members of all parties are expected to listen in silence, rather than cheer or heckle.

"Had the UK concentrated on building up infrastructure and jobs rather than wasting money on the VAT cut, then we would be in a much stronger position," said the Liberal Democrat Shadow Chancellor.

Commenting on the news that the , economy has emerged from recession after growing between July and September, Vince Cable said:

“This is further evidence of how hard Britain has been hit by the financial crisis.

“There is now a real danger that the heart attack the British economy suffered has made us the sick man of Europe.

“While in the short term the combination of a weak pound and a return to growth in the Eurozone is good for our exporters, consumers will feel the pinch from the increasing cost of imports.

“It is clear that the growth in the Eurozone is due in good part to a successful fiscal stimulus. Had the UK concentrated on building up infrastructure and jobs rather than wasting money on the VAT cut, then we would be in a much stronger position.”

It is already too late to begin building more nuclear power stations.Even if new sites could be identified, the planning laws short-circuited and construction authorised within months,

it will take almost a decade before new power plants could begin producing electricity. By that time Britain will be critically short of energy.Older nuclear plants will have been decommissioned, the gas-fired generators will be dependent on costly imported fuel and the exaggerated hopes for renewable energy generation will be left, likethe few completed wind farms, blowing in the wind.

Nuclear reactors,given the potential for catastrophe, need intensive inspection and testing at every stage of their construction. This is especially true for the new generation of reactors developed by the French, one of which is now being built in Finland. Second, the cost of new reactors remains prohibitive " not because of running costs, but because the decommissioning of expired plants has proved hugely expensive.

It is not the time for Nuclear Power but time to invest in renewable energy.

The world’s leading experts on body image issues have today sent a paper to UK advertising authorities condemning the use of ultra-thin, digitally altered women in adverts, and backing the Liberal Democrats’ campaign to curb harmful airbrushing.

The paper details scientific evidence on how the use of airbrushing to promote body perfect ideals in advertising is causing a host of problems in young women such as eating disorders ,  depression , extreme  exercising  and encouraging cosmetic surgery.

The paper has been signed by 45 leading academics, doctors and clinical psychologists from the UK, USA, Australia, Brazil, Spain and Ireland.

Commenting, Liberal Democrat MP, Jo Swinson said:

“This paper spells out the real damage irresponsible airbrushing is doing to young women’s physical and mental health.

“Airbrushing means that women and young girls are being bombarded with images of people with perfect skin, perfect hair and perfect figures which are impossible to live up to.

“The Advertising Standards Agency received five complaints about airbrushed images last year.  This year thanks to our campaign it has had almost 1,000. It now has all the scientific evidence it needs to act.

“Liberal Democrats believe in the freedom of companies to advertise but we also believe in the freedom of young people to develop their self-esteem and to be comfortable with their bodies.  They shouldn’t constantly feel the need to measure up to unattainable images that no-one can live up to in real life.”

“New plants in the UK have never been built without massive cost to the taxpayer and a lethal legacy of toxic waste," said the Liberal Democrat Shadow Energy and Climate Change Secretary.

Commenting ahead of Government proposals that will fast-track a new generation of nuclear power stations, Simon Hughes said:
 
“A new generation of nuclear power stations will be a colossal mistake regardless of where they are built.
 
“New plants in the UK have never been built without massive cost to the taxpayer and a lethal legacy of toxic waste.
 
“Plans to sweep aside the remnants of local accountability in the planning system expose a Government ready to override all objections as to where new sites will be built.
 
“New nuclear is a reckless strategy for Britain’s energy needs as it won’t be ready for many years and could only make a small contribution to Britain’s demands.
 
“The best way for Britain to reduce emissions and secure its energy supply is through the rapid development of renewable power which is clean, safe, effective and would create huge numbers of jobs.”

The Conservative administration of B&NES Council is to be put on the spot about implementing 20 mph limits in residential areas at the meeting of the Council later this month. This follows a fact finding visit to Portsmouth, a city which has already implemented the scheme, in September.

 Councillor Caroline Roberts (Newbridge) will ask the Cabinet member for Transport to accept that decisions to implement 20 mph limits in particular streets show that there is a need for a general speed limit in residential areas and that the piecemeal approach should be abandoned.

Councillor Roberts said:

 “The Cabinet member should come out and admit that ‘Twenty is Plenty’ and get on with Liberal Democrats proposals to slash speeds in all our residential areas.

 “By proposing a number of small scale 20mph limits recently, the Cabinet member is tacitly admitting that ‘Twenty is Plenty’. Liberal Democrats have been calling for the introduction of blanket 20 mph limits in residential areas for over 2 years, and there is a lot of support from residents for the idea. 20 mph speed limits would make walking and cycling safer and should result in fewer accidents.

 “I recently went back to Portsmouth to hear about the progress in their 20 mph scheme which was implemented in 2007. The conclusions are positive; the limit is popular with residents and has resulted in some reduction in speed.

 “B&NES Cabinet member for Transport also attended the briefing in Portsmouth and it is clear that a 20 mph scheme is of interest to the Council. I am calling on the Cabinet member to make the plans clear.”

  “Twenty is Plenty” campaigns, run by Liberal Democrat Councillors, have shown support for 20 mph limits for residential streets in many areas including here in East Twerton & Oldfield Park where residents responded to a survey earlier this year.

“It is inhumane that provisions to stop violence against women should be dependent on immigration status," said the Liberal Democrat Shadow Home Secretary.

Commenting on the mass lobby of Parliament urging increased protection for all women facing violence in the UK, organised by Amnesty International and other campaigners for women's rights, Chris Huhne said:
 
“All women deserve to be free to live their lives without fear of violence.
 
“It is inhumane that provisions to stop violence against women should be dependent on immigration status.
 
“Plans need to offer permanent solutions and be open to all women.”

“The Government should resist the temptation to use Northern Rock for its own political ends by selling it off before the General Election," said the Liberal Democrat Shadow Chancellor.

Commenting on the European Union’s approval of plans for the nationalised Northern Rock to be split in two, paving the way for a partial sale, Vince Cable said:

“While the EU is right that there should be greater competition in the financial sector, splitting Northern Rock into ‘good’ and ‘bad’ banks risks leaving the taxpayer with the scraps while the private sector gets the prime cuts.

“The Government should resist the temptation to use Northern Rock for its own political ends by selling it off before the General Election.

“It should only be sold when market conditions are right and the taxpayer gets a good return on their investment.”