Liberal Democrats : Better Government News Feed

]> Liberal Democrats : Better Government News Feed http://www.libdems.org.uk/government RSS News provided by Liberal Democrats en-gb Wed, 20 Aug 2008 10:05:39 +0100 Copyright Liberal Democrats Liberal Democrats In house Brown increasing bloated No 10 machine - Baker http://www.libdems.org.uk/government/story.html?id=14806 Commenting on the news that Gordon Brown has increased the number of No 10 advisers from 18 to 24, Liberal Democrat MP, Norman Baker said: "Gordon Brown is further increasing the already bloated No 10 machine. "He seems to be pulling every political string in a desperate attempt to hang onto power. "There are now even more people giving Gordon Brown advice, which may explain why he’s dithering so much." Wed, 23 Jul 2008 00:00:00 +0100 6m ministerial car bill is shameful - Baker http://www.libdems.org.uk/government/story.html?id=14805 Commenting on figures showing that ministerial cars have cost the taxpayer more than £6m in the last year, Liberal Democrat MP Norman Baker said: "It is shameful that ministers are now spending more than £6m of taxpayers’ money a year on being ferried around in the lap of luxury. This is yet more money at public expense to feather ministers’ beds. "While Gordon Brown is at a motor show arguing for greener, more economic vehicles, one third of the cars used by his Ministers are pollutant spewing gas guzzlers. "The fact that it has been released on the last day before recess in one of 30 ministerial statements shows that the Government is trying to bury its bad news." Tue, 22 Jul 2008 00:00:00 +0100 Prime Minister breaks his own ministerial code by burying bad news - Baker http://www.libdems.org.uk/government/story.html?id=14795 Prime Minister Gordon Brown has today broken his own ministerial code by publishing 10 written statements on the last day of business before Parliament breaks for the summer recess. Paragraph 9.3 of the Ministerial Code of Conduct, officially enforceable by the Prime Minister, states that ‘every effort should be made to avoid leaving significant announcements to the last day before a recess’. In total, there are 30 written ministerial statements released today, including announcements of gifts received by ministers and guests entertained at the public expense at Chequers. Commenting, Liberal Democrat MP Norman Baker said: "The Prime Minister has violated his own Ministerial Code of Conduct 10 times in one day. It seems Gordon Brown is as addicted to spin and media manipulation as Tony Blair was. "Today’s order paper shows 30 written statements being shoved out together, in clear violation of the rules. "This is a clear attempt to bury bad news by releasing it all together just as MPs are breaking up for the summer recess. It is the same New Labour and the same old spin." Tue, 22 Jul 2008 00:00:00 +0100 Nick Clegg launches 'Make It Happen' http://www.libdems.org.uk/government/story.html?id=14757 Liberal Democrat Leader Nick Clegg today launched the party’s Make it Happen document, which is a statement of the party’s vision and values. ‘Make it Happen’ sets out in clear language the party’s position on important issues such as the economy, taxation and the health service. Speaking at today’s launch at Bank Westminster, Nick Clegg said: Thanks for coming to the launch of Make it Happen. This is a really important moment for the Liberal Democrats. This document is going to be at the heart of everything we do. It’s a statement of our aims and values. And it’s all about putting people first, putting them in charge of their own lives. To make Britain fairer? And deliver the real change we need. I know how families are struggling. The housing market’s collapsing. The cost of food goes up and up every week. Thousands of jobs are on the line. And there are hospital bugs, exam mistakes, and the terror of knife attacks on our streets. What are we going to do about it? The Government and the Conservatives are so used to being in power every few years they’ve stopped listening to people. Gordon Brown is so desperate to save his own skin he’s given up helping others. The Government is having a collective duvet day. They’ve messed up our economy. Their decade long experiment in trying to change things by pouring money in through a funnel in Number 10 Downing Street has failed. The era of big, wasteful, intrusive government has come to an end. They’ve got no more ideas of what to do. And the Conservatives? They tell us our problems are our own fault and government is powerless to help. They talk us down. They talk down to us. They tell us society is broken, but they don’t know how to fix it. That is miles away from what I know about the British people. We’re not a nation that gives up when the going gets tough. Times are difficult. But society is not broken. You can’t break our country. We wouldn’t be British if we just gave up on each other. Giving up isn’t what made us the country we are, and it won’t make us the country we can be. We all know New Labour is over. We must replace them with a party that offers hope. And that party is the Liberal Democrats. I will offer real answers, and real change. There are no mistakes that governments have made that cannot be set right by the British people if only they are given the chance to do so. That is why the proposals in this document offer people - individuals, families and communities - the power to make a better life for themselves. That’s what I’m in politics for. And it’s what the Liberal Democrats are all about. Let me go through a little of what we’re proposing. Our aim is to create a fair society. Thousands of children in Brown’s Britain are doomed by the circumstances of their birth - social mobility has stagnated, inequality widened. I want a Britain where everyone can make the most of their talents, their hopes, their aspirations. I want everyone to have real opportunities and chances in life. We can make that happen by taking power from government and special interests and giving it to people and communities. I will never make big promises without explaining exactly what would change for families in a Liberal Democrat government. So when I promise to make Britain fairer, I mean it. How can it be fair that the poorest pay the highest portion of their income in tax? Struggling families should be paying less tax - much less. So we’ll replace Council Tax. Cut tax bills for low and middle income families. Every family is tightening their belt at the moment. government must tighten theirs, too. So we’ll get wasteful government spending under control. And look for ways to cut the overall tax burden. Every tax cut we propose will put more money in the pockets of struggling families, not millionaires. This document promises to give people more control in public services. And that means letting people take charge of their local health service. Giving people a care guarantee so that, if they can’t get treated on time, the NHS will pay for them to go private. Funding our schools in a different way so children who need extra help get it. And giving local people a real say in how offenders pay for their crimes, with community justice panels. There are real answers here on the environment too. We have detailed plans to invest in clean energy instead of nuclear? And use the energy companies’ £9bn windfall subsidy to cut bills for families by insulating homes and creating social tariffs that encourage people to use less. And finally, this document promises that we will do politics differently. We need to make politicians listen to people again. That’s why we’ll introduce fair elections so that your vote really counts, and end the influence of big money in politics with a £25,000 cap on donations. And we’ll have tough new rules so that MPs expenses are independently audited and receipts are required for every penny. The government has failed us. Labour can’t deliver. The Conservatives won’t. If you want Britain to be better, fairer, you know who will make it happen: we will. We all will. We can make things change if we act together. It’s no use wishing things were different. We’ve got to make it happen. And I will not give up until we do. Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:00:00 +0100 Police U-turn shows government policy being made on the hoof - Huhne http://www.libdems.org.uk/government/story.html?id=14747 Commenting on reports that the Government is redrafting its police reform green paper to remove targets, Liberal Democrat Shadow Home Secretary, Chris Huhne said: "After the U-turn on shock tactics for young offenders, this is another example of government policy being made on the hoof. What we need is plans that are proven to cut crime, like more police on the beat. "Central targets are often a waste of time because they don’t take account of local needs. "Police forces must be given the freedom to follow the priorities of the communities they serve." Wed, 16 Jul 2008 00:00:00 +0100 Expenses proposals still don't go far enough - Clegg http://www.libdems.org.uk/government/story.html?id=14740 Today’s proposals on MPs’ allowances still do not go far enough, Liberal Democrat Leader Nick Clegg has said, adding that any MP caught breaking the rules should face the option of being ‘fired’ by their constituents and face a by-election. Nick Clegg said: "Instead of playing games on the floor of the House of Commons, Gordon Brown and David Cameron should join us in agreeing that their parties will adhere to the new scrutiny rules that their MPs rejected last week. "The cosmetic changes put forward by Labour and the Conservatives simply do not go far enough in bringing much needed transparency to the system of MPs’ allowances needed to restore public trust. "Elected officials caught with their hands in the till should be accountable to the voters. Any MP sanctioned by the Standards and Privileges Committee for breaking the rules should face a by-election if a sufficient number of their constituents demand it." Wed, 16 Jul 2008 00:00:00 +0100 Government underfunding causes local tensions - Goldsworthy http://www.libdems.org.uk/government/story.html?id=14724 Commenting on today’s Communities and Local Government Select Committee report, which claims that internal migration is putting strains on local services, Liberal Democrat Shadow Communities and Local Government Secretary, Julia Goldsworthy said: "The Government’s underfunding of local services can lead to rising tensions between neighbours. Until the Government recognises that its policies are causing, rather than helping the problem, it will fail. <DIR> <DIR> </DIR></DIR> "Ministers need to recognise that people moving between different parts of the UK can have just as significant an impact on a town as migration from abroad. "Too often this impact is simply ignored by the Government." Wed, 16 Jul 2008 00:00:00 +0100 House of Lords must be democratic and credible - Hughes http://www.libdems.org.uk/government/story.html?id=14715 Commenting on the Government’s white paper which sets out plans for a wholly or mainly elected House of Lords, Shadow Leader of the House of Commons, Simon Hughes said: "The cross-party talks which lead to today’s white paper show that the political will exists for the creation of an elected second chamber. "Liberal Democrats will work enthusiastically to complete by 2011 the work of reform begun in 1911. "There is no case for hereditary or Life Peers to argue that the will of the House of Commons is not clear. To be democratic and credible as well as effective, the second chamber must be politically proportionate. "The big question for MPs to discuss now is not whether a completely anomalous second chamber is replaced, but how soon? "The House of Commons should work together to ensure reform happens at the soonest possible date. Tue, 15 Jul 2008 00:00:00 +0100 Government must let local people make planning decisions - pik http://www.libdems.org.uk/government/story.html?id=14689 Commenting on today’s report by think tank Centre for Cities, which warns that the Government must do more to involve local people in planning new developments, Liberal Democrat Shadow Housing Minister, Lembit Öpik said: "Today’s report simply confirms what we all know - that the Government needs to empower local people to make planning decisions for themselves. <DIR> <DIR> </DIR></DIR> "Ministers are convinced that their misguided eco-towns policy and centralised targets are the solution. They must consider allowing local authorities to work out how best to address local needs." Thu, 10 Jul 2008 00:00:00 +0100 Ministers should put money where mouth is on devolution - Goldsworthy http://www.libdems.org.uk/government/story.html?id=14673 Commenting on the Government’s Communities in Control white paper, Liberal Democrat Shadow Communities and Local Government Secretary, Julia Goldsworthy said: "There is nothing to be excited about here. Many councils are way ahead in implementing many of these measures and the Government is merely playing a poor game of catch up. <DIR> <DIR> </DIR></DIR> "Why is there no duty to devolve placed on the Government? Councils should be given control over their own finances so that they are no longer dependent on Whitehall handouts. "If ministers really believed in devolution, they would put their money where their mouth is. Unfortunately, we’ve seen nothing of the kind." Wed, 9 Jul 2008 00:00:00 +0100 Government has made food waste problem worse - Webb http://www.libdems.org.uk/government/story.html?id=14639 Commenting on Gordon Brown’s call on families to throw away less food, Liberal Democrat Shadow Environment Secretary, Steve Webb said: "The problem of food waste has been made worse by the Government’s failure to get tough with supermarkets. Its cosy relationship with the big chains has stalled effective action. "Supermarkets make it harder for householders to avoid food waste, while throwing away large quantities of edible food through poor stock management. "They refuse to stock small portions, which are essential for the growing number of one-person households, and offer too many buy-one-get-one-free deals on perishable goods." Mon, 7 Jul 2008 00:00:00 +0100 Clegg to implement MEC proposals on MPs expenses http://www.libdems.org.uk/government/story.html?id=14633 Liberal Democrat Leader, Nick Clegg, has today committed to unilaterally introduce the recommendations of the Members Estimates Committee for independent spot checks of MPs expenses. Despite Labour and Conservative MPs defeating the MEC’s recommendations on Thursday, the Liberal Democrats will go ahead with implementing those that are relevant in order to further improve accountability. Nick Clegg said: "The Liberal Democrats will now implement as many of the recommendations as we can to tighten up the rules on MPs expenses - particularly those relating to spot checks of MPs expense claims. "My Shadow Cabinet will shortly be publishing quarterly breakdowns of their expenses and I expect this to be the first of several measures to greatly improve how we account for ourselves. "I hope that Gordon Brown and David Cameron will join me in implementing these measures so that together we can begin to restore public confidence in politicians after what has been a very damaging week." The steps will include: <DIR> <DIR> · Working with the Institute of Chartered Accountants to draw up detailed proposals to implement spot checks of expenses for Liberal Democrat MPs. The Liberal Democrat Chief Whip, Paul Burstow, will be meeting with the Institute of Chartered Accountants shortly to discuss these issues. · Establishing an independently chaired Audit Board for the Party to oversee issues of probity and integrity. · Publishing a detailed breakdown of expenses of all Liberal Democrat Shadow Cabinet members.</DIR></DIR> Fri, 4 Jul 2008 00:00:00 +0100 Bad day for MPs accountability - Hughes http://www.libdems.org.uk/government/story.html?id=14627 Commenting on Thursday’s votes on MPs pay, Liberal Democrat Shadow Leader of the House of Commons, Simon Hughes said: "Today was a bad day for openness and accountability for MPs. The Commons had the chance to vote for proper auditing of all we do but an unholy coalition of Labour and Conservative MPs prevented it. "Liberal Democrats strongly supported the recommendations of the Speaker’s Committee to tighten up on allowances and much regret that we were prevented from doing so." Fri, 4 Jul 2008 00:00:00 +0100 Councils must be set free - Clegg http://www.libdems.org.uk/government/story.html?id=14617 Councils should be set free from depending on Whitehall funding by raising three-quarters of their money locally, Liberal Democrat Leader Nick Clegg will say today in a speech to the Local Government Association Conference in Bournemouth. Explaining the Liberal Democrats’ position as the only party willing to properly devolve power and money away from central government by re-localising business rates and scrapping the council tax, Nick Clegg will accuse the Government and the Tories of only ‘talking the talk’ about empowering communities. Nick Clegg will also label the regional ministerial posts introduced a year ago by Gordon Brown as ‘pointless gimmicks’ and call for them to be scrapped. Nick Clegg will say: "Centralised government simply doesn’t work to deliver the change I want for Britain. It doesn’t improve services fast enough. "And it certainly doesn’t deliver fairer outcomes - where everybody gets opportunities no matter what their background is. "If the New Labour decade has taught us anything - this is surely it. "The great experiment of trying to improve our public services for everyone by pouring money in through a tight funnel in Number 10 Downing Street has failed." Speaking about radically reforming how local government is funded, he will say: "The Liberal Democrats are committed to scrapping Council Tax. It’s Britain’s unfairest tax. Based on property values nearly twenty years ago, instead of what people can afford to pay. "But our commitment to Local Income Tax isn’t just about fairness. It’s about localising power, too. Because with a local income tax in place, we can decentralise our tax system. Transferring tax-raising powers from national to local government. "My ambition is to switch from a regime where councils raise just a quarter of the money they spend, and get the rest in handouts from the centre. To a regime where they get a grant for just a quarter of the money they spend - and get the rest from local taxes, decided by local people." Calling for regional ministers to be scrapped, Nick Clegg will say: "It’s time to scrap regional ministers and spend the money on something useful. "Devolving power isn’t about having a national minister ‘advocating’ national policy in the regions. "It’s about letting the regions - and below them, councils, communities and people - make decisions for themselves. "I’ve looked into this - and by the time of the next general election we taxpayers will have spent well over two million pounds on this futile project. In fact, it’s not clear what these pointless gimmicks spend their time doing. Except costing us a lot of money." <HR> To read the full text of the speech <A href="http://www.libdems.org.uk/parliament/giving-power-to-people-and-communities-nick-clegg-speech-to-the-lga-part-1.14615.html" target=_blank>click here</A> Thu, 3 Jul 2008 00:00:00 +0100 Tory English votes plans a feeble non-solution - Howarth http://www.libdems.org.uk/government/story.html?id=14599 Commenting on the Conservatives’ proposals concerning voting on English legislation, Liberal Democrat Shadow Solicitor General, David Howarth said: "This is a feeble non-solution to a problem best addressed by more fundamental change to our unfair electoral system. "Ken Clarke’s proposals do not provide a solution to the problem and perhaps are not meant to." Tue, 1 Jul 2008 00:00:00 +0100