LIBERAL DEMOCRATS MUST THINK PEOPLE ARE STUPID

The Liberal Democrats must think people are stupid! No one will be fooled by Nick Clegg’s phoney apology on the eve of his Party conference. It is neither genuine nor heartfelt. It is nothing more than a cynical attempt to protect his perilous and weak leadership.

People have made their mind up about him, the weak Liberal Democrats, and their broken promises. This is their Government and they should take responsibility for it.

Responsibility for this Government’s failure

The Lib Dems have not been a brake on this Government. Whatever their claims, they can’t avoid their responsibility for their weakness and this Tory-led Government failures:

• The longest double-dip recession since the Second World War.

• Tax cuts for millionaires while millions pay more.

• A wasteful, top-down reorganisation of the NHS.

None of these would have happened without Liberal Democrat support.

Responsibility for their broken promises

And they are responsible for their broken promises:

• The trebling of tuition fees, that they said they would scrap.

• The rise in VAT they said they would stop.

• The 15,000 cut to police numbers, that they promised would be a 3,000 increase.

The public don’t want apologies; they want politicians that keep their word.

Next week

Once again next week the Party which called for honest politics will be trying to pull the wool over people’s eyes. At their conference, the Lib Dems will try and spin a long list of claims:

• They will say they are holding David Cameron back, but in truth they are propping him up.

• They will say they are different from the Conservatives, but they have backed David Cameron all the way.

• They will say they are progressive, but they are hitting the poorest hardest.

• They will say they are mending the economy, but things are getting worse not better.

Labour will continue to hold the duplicitous Liberal Democrats to account for their failure in government and their broken promises to the British people.

AS THE LIB DEMS MEET FOR THEIR CONFERENCE REMEMBER!

As the Lib Dems meet for their conference remember they voted to cut taxes for millionaires while asking millions to pay more.

As the Lib Dems meet for their conference remember they voted to increase VAT to 20% despite their pre-election opposition to a VAT rise.

As the Lib Dems meet for their conference remember their support for the Tories has pushed the UK economy into a double dip recession.

As the Lib Dems meet for their conference remember they voted for measures that’s led to youth unemployment rising to over a million.

As the Lib Dems meet for their conference remember they’ve presided over 247% increase in youth unemployment in the last year.

As the Lib Dems meet for their conference remember they betrayed young people by voting to treble tuition fees to £9,000.

As the Lib Dems meet for their conference remember they’re supporting the Tories to impose biggest cuts in school budgets since the 1950s.

As the Lib Dems meet for their conference remember they have backed cuts to Sure Start.

As the Lib Dems meet for their conference remember they’re backing cuts to childcare support, with some families losing up to £1,500 a year.

As the Lib Dems meet for their conference remember they’ve cut at least 15k police officers after promising 3k more police on the beat.

As the Lib Dems meet for their conference remember they have joined the Tories in cutting Winter Fuel Payments for elderly people.

As the Lib Dems meet for their conference remember Nick Clegg says he wants to consider cutting free TV license and free bus pass for pensioners.

As the Lib Dems meet for their conference remember they have joined the Tories in slashing tax credits for working families.

As the Lib Dems meet for their conference remember they’re making families with kids pay double what banks are paying to reduce deficit.

As the Lib Dems meet for their conference remember they voted to impose the biggest top-down reorganisation of the NHS in its history.

As the Lib Dems meet for their conference remember they have severely damaged Britain’s renewable energy industry.

As the Lib Dems meet for their conference remember they’ve let the UK fall from 3rd to 7th in G20 for investment in low carbon technology.

As the Lib Dems meet for their conference remember energy bills have soared under two Lib Dem energy and climate change secretaries.

As the Lib Dems meet for their conference remember they’ve broken their manifesto promise to cut train fares by 1% each year in real terms.

As the Lib Dems meet for their conference remember they have allowed train fares to rise by up to 11% each year.

As the Lib Dems meet for their conference remember they’d speed up infrastructure improvements but it’s virtually ground to a halt.

SNARES ARE CRUEL AND SHOULD BE BANNED

I CAME under attack from the usual suspects when I recently called for private gun ownership to be banned.

You can always expect the same reactions when taking a stand against people with guns who like to kill animals.

There are those that desperately cling to any justification and promote their activities as a service to the countryside, and then there are those who just arrogantly and unashamedly defend their “right” to shoot at defenceless animals.

Either way, the reaction usually lingers somewhere between bullying and threatening, but I guess that’s kind of par for the course.

That’s why I had sympathy with the League Against Cruel Sports when it encountered a similarly blinkered backlash after the publication of its film Gunsmoke and Mirrors. You an watch it here: http://vimeo.com/45496168 or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=prbPW-eNGG0

One of the problems it covers is snaring and, in particular, the ongoing issue of gamekeepers and farmers failing to comply with the codes of practice designed to minimise cruelty.

It follows the publication of a DEFRA study that revealed not a single fox snare operator visited was fully compliant with the code of practice developed by the Independent Working Group on Snares.

Just as alarmingly, it is not actually readily possible to buy a snare that is fully compliant with the code of practice recommendations.

Snaring is of course a long-standing issue. It is an inherently cruel practice. Only the most optimistic among us can, at best, hope that a snared animal will not be subject to prolonged suffering.

The reality is far darker. Many captured animals will be left to starve. That is if they don’t die first of panic or from the agony of the tightening noose around their limb as it bites harder and harder the more they struggle for freedom.

Then there are those that will be injured, ultimately leading to a slow and cruel death as they struggle to fend for themselves, while others may become an unnaturally easy target for prey.

And that does not even touch on the fact that a snare is entirely indiscriminate in terms of the animals it captures. The DEFRA study found more than half of operators had captured non-targets in fox snares.

Snaring is inhumane and unacceptable. Attempts to regulate the practice have failed and will always fail because, ultimately, you can’t make right what is fundamentally wrong.

That is why politicians must face up to the bullies and take strong action. Just like cock fighting and hunting animals with dogs before it, the use of snares is cruel and only a total ban will suffice.

Will there be an outcry from the noisy minority? Of course there will. But the day we give in to the bullies is the day when we might as well give up altogether.

CO-OP FARMS OPPOSE TORY-LIB DEM BADGER CULL

As a member of the Co-operative Party, I am delighted with the Co-op’s stance on the Tory-Lib Dem Government’s badger cull.

Co-operative Farms is one of the country’s largest farmers that owns and manages around 50,000 acres using exemplary biodiversity programmes such as habitat heroes http://www.co-operative.coop/farms/habitatheroes/

In a statement it says: “There is no expectation that badger culls will take place on land managed by the Co-operative and nor would they be supported.

“We can also confirm that none of the Co-operative Dairy Group farmers who provide us with a dedicated supply of own-brand milk are located in the proposed cull zones.”

SIR ALAN SUGAR AND THE MISSING BUS PASS The case for universal pensioner benefits

The National Pensioners Convention say the current debate surrounding the provision of universal age-related benefits needs a bit more honesty, and I agree.

Taking the bus pass away from the likes of Sir Alan Sugar; given that he probably doesn’t use one anyway, will do nothing to save money. Instead this smokescreen is being used by ideologically driven Tories to press for the introduction of widespread means-testing. The NPC says this would withdraw support from anyone with an annual income of little more than £7500.

It represents part of a wider attack by this rotten Tory-Lib Dem Government on the welfare state and would ultimately hurt some of our most vulnerable older people.

The revenue collected by the state from older people, either directly through a range of taxes or through costs that older people bear that would otherwise be paid by the state, adds up to a staggering £175.8bn every year. This compares to total expenditure on older people through pensions, welfare payments and health care of £136.2bn. The overall, annual net contribution by older people to the economy is therefore almost £40bn. The NPC say this is estimated to rise to almost £75bn by 2030. Most importantly, this is more than enough to pay for the £8bn worth of age-related benefits that are now being questioned.

The NPC argue that that many of these universal benefits have been introduced over time because successive governments were reluctant to improve the state pension system. The NPC say having one of the least adequate pensions in Europe has almost forced governments to provide additional support to its older population, or witness the inevitable rise in pensioner hardship.

There is also very little substance to the claim that older people have escaped the austerity measures at the expense of younger generations; when the real division in society is between rich and poor. But then the Tories are past masters at using divide and rule tactics.

The NPC’s report can viewed online at http://npcuk.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Sir-Alan-Sugar-and-the-missing-bus-pass.pdf

SIGN OF THE TIMES IN THIS NEO THATCHERITE DICKENSIAN BRITAIN

THOUSANDS more people are getting much-needed advice on money, benefits, employment and relationships at their GP surgery thanks to a successful partnership between Derbyshire GPs and the Citizens Advice Bureau.

Recession-hit times prompted 16,697 people to seek Citizens Advice from their doctor’s surgery at weekly clinics held in 2011 and 2012. This compares to 11,641 in the same period two years ago.

And a total of 5,857 individuals were helped by the service – again significantly more than two years ago, when Citizens Advice Bureau responded to 3,490 new problems.

The number of problems dealt with also shot up in this period – from 18,589 two years ago to 29,673 in the past year.

CHAOS AROUND BENEFIT CHANGES

Working families must not pay the price of this Tory-Lib Dem Government’s ideologically driven incompetent welfare reform programme.

With support for millions of working families relying on Ministers getting the new ‘Universal Credit’ right, the project is too important to mess up, particularly in these difficult times.

That is why, with under 150 days to go, it is extremely worrying that the project is now widely known to be in deep trouble.

It is an open secret that chaos is swirling around the Government department in charge, with ministers having failed to take into account basic details of how the scheme will work.

I’m in favour of Universal Credit – it builds on Labour’s belief that work must always pay more than benefits. That is why I want it to succeed.

The Tory-led Government needs to come clean about the problems and set out a plan to address its flaws before it’s too late, and hard working families end up paying the price.

LONG-TERM UNEMPLOYMENT IN DERBY HAS ROCKETED

THE number of young people in long-term unemployment in Derby has rocketed by more than 220 per cent in the last 12 months.

There were 120 people aged between 18-24 claiming Job Seekers’ Allowance for 12 months or more this time last year, but that figure now stands at a whacking 385 people.

It has been revealed as unemployment in the East Midlands climbed yet again as the Tory-led Government’s failed economic policy continues to bite across the region.

There are around 10,000 fewer people in employment across the region compared to the previous quarter, with 193,000 people now unemployed.

Derby North MP Chris Williamson is among those urging the Government to stop the rot and take immediate action.

These latest statistics clearly demonstrate that young people are being let down. Britain’s jobs crisis is becoming deep set for young people, for women, for our construction industry and for swathes of Britain outside the capital.

East Midlands is one of the worst affected areas in terms of unemployment generally, and Derby is continuing to suffer badly in terms of young people.

Nationally, there has been a slight fall in the headline rate of unemployment, but that is almost entirely attributable to improvements in London while the rest of us suffer.”

While increases in London, largely down to the Olympics, have masked the national figures, the number of long-term unemployed people has also rocketed by 22,000 this quarter and 53,000 across the year to 904,000.

The blunt truth is that Britain needs a change of course fast. We are now in the longest double-dip recession since the Second World War. The Government’s failing economic plan has pushed borrowing up by a quarter so far this year.

BMA WARNS ‘SHORT-SIGHTED’ REGIONAL PAY MOVES WOULD UNDERMINE NHS

Regionally negotiated pay and conditions would undermine the national ethos of the NHS, waste resources, and could make it harder for some areas to recruit high-quality staff, the BMA warns today (Wednesday 12 September 2012).

Twenty NHS trusts in the South West have formed a consortium which is seeking to break away from nationally negotiated contracts. Its proposals include cutting pay, increasing hours, and reducing protected time in which consultants can work on non-clinical activities to improve quality.

In a new briefing paper published today (Wednesday 12 September 2012), the BMA describes the measures as “short-sighted”, warning that they have the potential to undermine the shared national values of the NHS. It argues that a move towards regional variations in pay would make it harder for some parts of the NHS to recruit and retain high-calibre staff.

Dr Mark Porter, Chair of Council at the BMA, said: “If this initiative is allowed to go ahead, other regions are likely to follow suit, taking us further away from a truly national health service. We do not want to see a skills drain away from certain areas of the country, particularly in more remote regions.

“This is a distraction from serious attempts to address the massive financial challenges facing the NHS. Instead of wasting resources on short-term measures for which there is no evidence, and that will only serve to demoralise staff, we should focus on ways to genuinely improve efficiency and quality.”

The briefing paper also warns that:

• A model where different parts of the NHS negotiated separately would create additional costs leading to waste, duplication and inefficiency.

• Demoralised staff could decide to leave the NHS or retire early, compounding local retention problems.

• A move away from national contracts for doctors could increase regional variations in clinical quality.

DAVID ATTENBOROUGH CONDEMNS CULL PLANS

Time is running out for Britain’s badgers, harsh reality from the country’s top broadcasters

Eminent and respected television commentators testify their opposition to the Coalition’s unseemly rush to shoot badgers in two pilot cull areas this autumn as part of the battle against bovine tuberculosis.

Sir David Attenborough and Simon King, President of the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts, have joined the mounting opposition to the Coalition Government’s proposed badger slaughter in England. In company with George Monbiot, investigative journalist and Mark Carwardine, zoologist and broadcaster, the four contributors appear in a keynote video production available on You Tube.

The Badger Trust is releasing two videos on the day of its appeal against the decision in the High Court to allow badger culling to go ahead. The Coalition’s push to kill badgers in England is due to start in two pilot areas in West Somerset and Gloucestershire during the next few weeks and it will continue for the next four years.

One video is a hard-hitting tease and links to another video that outlines an authoritative factual account of the case against killing badgers. The contributors highlight the positive alternatives such as vaccinating both badgers and cattle. Statements from these highly respected broadcasters and journalists clarify arguments made by many scientists against the Government’s stance on the proposed cull. Their informed opinion reveals why the science shows unequivocally that killing more badgers would be counter-productive in that it won't work and could make the situation worse.

The internationally renowned creative team based in Bristol offered their services free to make a factual video that presents the Badger Trust’s position on the Coalition’s approach. The Badger Trust emphasises that the Coalition’s approach ignores legitimate and strongly expressed concerns voiced by many members of the scientific community. In addition, they are evading valid questions from the public and organisations such as itself and the Wildlife Trusts.

David Williams, Chairman, said the Badger Trust had been fighting on the issue for years. “We have stood against governments with legal challenges to culling policies and will continue to do so, even though the validity of the science cannot be tested in court. Already more and more members of the general public are contacting us as they are becoming increasingly worried and frustrated by the possibility of badgers being killed in their counties and throughout England.’’

Badger Trust has already won a judicial review in Wales, where yet more badgers would have been killed. Today’s appeal in England is necessarily based on complex points of law, so the Badger Trust‘s videos are vital in highlighting key facts and making them accessible to the public.

CHAOS OVER DISABILITY BENEFITS

THIS out of touch Tory-Lib Dem Government needs to get a grip. Not only has their failed economic plan locked us all into recession, its shambolic reform of disability benefits is unfairly impacting on people who genuinely need help.

Their 'Work Capability Assessment’ has been poorly managed and the level of appeals and decisions overturned has reached epidemic proportions – costing the tax payer millions. Charities, disability groups and healthcare professionals have all expressed deep concerns about how the WCA is performing, and there is now a broad consensus that the tests must be improved.

Ministers are dragging their feet on improving the test and the result is a system clogged up with delays. This out of touch Government needs to get on with ensuring the system works properly so everyone gets the right level of support and those who can work get the help they need to find a job.

But unless there is change of direction, the austerity programme being pursued by the Tories and Lib Dems will not create the new jobs that are desperately needed. Disabled people deserve better than this. Simply saying those who can work should word is absolutely meaningless unless there is an increase the jobs available.

LIB DEMS’ STUDENT BETRAYAL TAKES EFFECT THIS MONTH

UP and down the land, parents will this month go through the rollercoaster of emotions as they see their children leaving home to begin new chapters in their lives at university.


But along with the normal mixture of pride in their children’s achievements and sorrow because they are leaving home, we can now add anxiety because of the Liberal Democrats’ broken promises.

For this is also the month when the shame of increased tuition fees of up to £9,000 becomes a reality.

And it is perhaps that decision more than any other which demonstrates the betrayal of the voters who placed their trust in the Lib Dems at 2010 General Election.

Let us not be mistaken – it may not be the most far reaching or damaging of their decisions. The Lib Dems have also played their part by supporting policies that are damaging our economy, increasing poverty, worsening the housing crisis and giving huge tax cuts to millionaires.

But the Lib Dems’ support of hiking tuition fees was about more than impact – it was about disloyalty to the people who voted yellow and got blue.

It begs the question why Nick Clegg agreed to go into coalition with David Cameron. What have the Liberal Democrat voters and supporters got out of this deal?

To turn on students, and the hard-working parents who support them, was perhaps the Lib Dems’ ultimate treachery.

Of course, we’ve seen examples of this locally. Those among us who have witnessed the incompetence of Lib Dem politics at local level have been totally unsurprised by their lack of skill, guile and wit on the national stage too.

Here in Derby, we’ve already been through the rigmarole of seeing less than able Liberal Democrats being played for fools by their Tory puppeteers.

We’ve also witnessed coalitions between the two in which the Lib Dems have been bullied into voting through Tory decisions with seemingly no incentive to support their own views.

But this comes back to a fundamental point I’ve made time and again: the reason the Lib Dems are not capable of standing up for their own policies is because, in reality, they don’t really have any.

They say what they need to say to appeal to voters and, until the last couple of years, they have never had to deliver.

It’s a great approach to winning votes but one which is bound to end in failure and betrayal when you finally find a way to take power.

But while the students and parents having to stump up the £9,000 tuition fees are the most visible victims of the Lib Dems’ broken promises, they are not the only ones.

We also have to consider the many young people across the country who won’t be going to university – not because they didn’t make the grades because it is simply unaffordable.

One of Labour’s many achievements in Government was to make sure university entry was not based on financial clout, but in one fell swoop the Tories and Lib Dems have wiped that out.

It is a travesty. The Lib Dems promised to help students then did the opposite, but the people who voted for them aren’t stupid. As local election results around the country have indicated, people are showing the Lib Dems what they think of them in the best way possible: at the ballot box.