Bodelwyddan Development Action Group

Sincere congratulations to the people of Bodelwyddan for taking control of decisions made about their community. The Liberal Democrat party have long advocated that decision making powers be handed back to local communities and I admire their strength and commitment for taking the initiative.

They should be justfiably proud of their well orchestrated campaign that sends a very clear message to Denbighshire County Council. Too often plans are steam rollered through with no regard to the feelings, opinions and needs of the people who are directly affected by them.

We must hope that DCC listen to the people of Bodelwyddan but sadly I doubt very much if they will. Large scale Anwyl developments in Rhyl and Prestatyn have been agreed by DCC against strong ongoing local opposition.

The one glimmer of hope they might have is that DCC has a large Conservative prescence so they may back down in the hope of gaining votes, it is however more likely the development will be delayed until after the general election.

Tories makeover campaign?

David Cameron's heavily computer enhanced poster with slimmed nose, more hair and plumped up pouting lips that's plastered around the Vale is indicative of the Tories 'Wizard of Oz' strategy. At a cost (Nationally) of £500'000 it makes one wonder how much they're planning to pump into their full scale campaign. They obviously have money to burn, I wonder how much it cost them to decide whether Dave should wear a tie a not.

Does Flintshire County Councillor, Matt Wright, plan a similarly beautified picture campaign I wonder alongside Margaret Thatchers old quotes? The phrase 'We can't go on like this' was used repeatedly by her in the 1970's to presage huge cuts and tax increases that hammered working people whilst protecting the over-priviliged few.

The Tories strategy using slick soundbites and focusing on personal appearance rather than addressing peoples real needs and concerns is typical of their arrogant contempt for voters who they think will be fooled by slick and expensive presentation.

Do they really think that by taking their jackets and ties off at every opportunity voters will be fooled into thinking they're 'cool' or representative of working people. If they are prepared to lie about something as shallow as their personal appearance how can their words be trusted.

Vale of Clwyd Liberal Democrat principles

Hostilities have started. The frenzied announcements and counter-announcements from the Conservative and Labour parties over the past few days point towards a long, grinding election campaign.
Much of what we have heard so far is unsurprising: absurd pledges on spending, vitriolic attacks on cuts. But one development is new: both the old parties now claim to be almost identical to the Liberal Democrats. David Cameron and Gordon Brown are ostentatiously flirting with Liberal Democrat voters, clumsily trying to woo us.

The local Conservative and Labour branches have been deperately attempting to recruit my fellow LibDems and I for a number of years now, it seems they are now openly becoming concerned by our increasing popularity with the voting public both locally and on a national scale.

This year’s general election is likely to be the most open and unpredictable in a generation. So you have a right to know where we stand. I can promise voters wondering whether to put an “X” against the Liberal Democrats that there are no backroom deals or under-the-counter “understandings” with either of the other two parties. We have stood firm against many appeals to betray our principles by joining them and will continue to do so, the members of the Vale of Clwyd Liberal Democrats are principled and dedicated to working for the good of our community not seeking personal gain through switching parties. We have all worked hard for the benefit of our community for several years without seeking personal gain or public flattery.

The stance the Liberal Democrats will take matters more than ever because the map of British politics is being dramatically redrawn. Slowly but surely three-party politics has asserted itself. At the last general election, one in four people who voted supported the Liberal Democrats; six million voters, more than for any other Liberal party in Europe.

So no wonder that both Mr Brown and Mr Cameron are trying to appeal to the millions of people who have long tired of the pendulum politics of Westminster. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, so it’s a compliment of sorts that the core values of the Liberal Democrats — fairness in society, real change in politics — are now being mimicked by others. On so many issues in recent years, Liberal Democrat instincts have been in tune with the British public: on Iraq, civil liberties, political reform, the environment, fair taxes, the excesses of the City of London, the rights of Gurkha veterans.

We are, and have shown ourselves to be, very different from the other two parties. The Liberal Democrats are up for real change. We are not up for sale.

Mr Brown and Mr Cameron utter fine words about reform and fairness, but their policies aren’t even close to what’s needed. They both say that tax should be fair, but Mr Brown has created a tax system where the poorest pay a higher proportion of their income in taxes than the rich, while Mr Cameron’s top priority is tax cuts for millionaires.

Britain faces economic, social, political and environmental crises on an extraordinary scale. So we need an extraordinary government, not more of the same, for these extraordinary times. In the event of a hung Parliament, the British people also deserve to know how the Liberal Democrats will respond.

We have two basic principles that we will uphold.
One, we will respect the will of the public. Two, regardless of the post-election arithmetic or whatever power we are granted, there are four objectives that we will unwaveringly pursue.

First: fair taxes. Our plan would mean that the first £10,000 you earn would be free of income tax. This would be paid for by taxing income and capital at the same rate, phasing out special pension subsidies for highest-rate earners, switching tax from income to pollution and introducing a mansion tax on the value of homes above £2 million.

Second: a fair start for all our children. We will cut class sizes and provide more one-to-one tuition to children by introducing a new “pupil premium” in our schools.
Third: a fair and sustainable economy that creates jobs. We will use the money from one year’s cuts in current spending to create tens of thousands of new jobs in public transport, a national programme of home insulation and new social housing. We will be honest about where savings must be made to balance the books and we will break up the banking system.
And finally, fair, clean and local politics. We will introduce a fair voting system, ensure that MPs can be sacked by their constituents if they break the rules and return powers to local communities

While the other parties set out increasingly implausible lists of promises, the Liberal Democrats will remain focused on this short list of big, structural changes that will make Britain fairer. Neither of the other parties seems willing or capable of delivering them. So the Liberal Democrat message to the voters is clear: if you like what we offer, vote for it. The decision is in your hands.

Vince Cables response to Alistair Darlings pre-budget report

Today bankers are breathing a sigh of relief. they are faced with a one-off tax they can easily avoid, while many people are facing a permanent tax increase.

In his pre-budget report, chancellor Alistair Darling, had the chance to clamp down on bankers and set out realistic plans to guide the country out of recession. Instead all he set out was a weak party manifesto full of gimmicks and empty gestures.

Never before has the British government run up a deficit like this. we need a sensible and coherent plan for dealing with what is, in effect, a national crisis. Alistair Darling has ducked the hard choices on spending and cuts, instead of making the tax system fairer people on middle incomes will pay more while those at the top continue to enjoy their tax loopholes. The true cost of this budget will be borne by low paid workers who face a cut in wages because of their meagre 1% increase which is lower than inflation.

In a time of tough demands on government spending it is essential we protect frontline public services and the people who work in them. This means there will have to be discipline over pay, that is why Vince Cable suggests a maximum £400 a year pay increase a year throughout the public sector. That would mean workers at the lower end of the pay scale would see a real increase but not those at the top.

Tories plan to freeze the pay of teachers, police officers, nurses and fireman whilst cutting taxes for millionaires (which includes most of their cabinet). Liberal Democrat proposals would ensure pay rises for key frontline services that are both fair and economically realistic. Many public sector workers would also benefit from our £700 income tax cut for people on low and middle incomes.

Our proposals would limit growth in the public sector pay bill to maintain fairness for those who serve the public. We would save taxpayers around £4bn a year whilst reducing pressures on frontline staff and protecting jobs.

We are the only party that places fairness at the heart of all it's proposals to repair the economy.

Transforming Britain's unfair tax system

If you want to know how committed a Government is to fairness, then you need look no further than its tax system.
Labour has created a tax regime where the poorest pay a bigger slice of their income than the richest. Polluters are allowed to get away with harming our environment without paying for the clean-up. And we lose as much as £40 billion a year to tax dodgers.
This has to change.
The Conservatives tell us that we are all in this together whilst promising tax cuts for millionaires and then say that there might be tax rises for everyone else.
So much for their kind of change.
Today, we have pledged to put a transformation of Britain's unfair tax system at the heart of the Liberal Democrat campaign for a fairer Britain.
Our 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.
What we are proposing is a radical rebalancing of the tax system with fairness at its centre. This is a real and genuine change that would make a huge difference to the lives of people up and down the country.

Nick Clegg condensed response to the Queens speech

Today's Queen's Speech was nothing more than a fantasy speech from a government that has run out of road in a Parliament that has lost people's trust. This Queen's Speech won't give people the help and jobs they need in this recession. It won't solve our economic problems and it won't fix our rotten politics.
Instead of pointless pageantry and empty promises of Bills that will never make it onto the statute book, the Liberal Democrats would have implemented an emergency programme of political reform. A programme which would change our politics for good by bringing in the power of recall to give people the right to sack errant MPs, reforming of the House of Lords and party funding, and introducing fixed-term parliaments and fair votes.
Today was a missed opportunity, proving beyond any doubt that this tired Labour Government just isn't prepared to clean up our politics. It is clearer than ever that ours is the only party that is prepared to do that, and to bring real change to Britain.

Nick Clegg MPLeader of the Liberal Democrats

Unemployment figures in Wales

Another month, another set of figures show that Welsh families are more likely to be facing unemployment and hardship than most other places in the UK.
We are continuing to see high unemployment, high economic inactivity, and high claimant counts.
What is even more concerning is that all the data is beginning to show a trend of harsh and nasty unemployment among young people. We are at increasing risk of losing a generation to unemployment, poor health and resulting social problems.
These are problems which will continue long after the recession comes to an end, and the Government’s cuts to the FE and HE budgets will make this situation worse.

Cable at Conference '09: Lib Dems to cut income tax for low earners

Cable: "We need to debate when, how and where the cuts will come."

Liberal Democrat Shadow Chancellor Vince Cable has today launched proposals for tackling the fiscal crisis, which involves cutting public spending, and urged politcians to be "upfront" with people about where the cuts will fall.

In a pamphlet launched in collaboration with the independent think tank Reform, he argues that no areas of spending should be "ring fenced", and that every penny spent by the government should be justified.

The pamphlet identifies nine specific areas where potential savings could be made, which he argues should be part of a radical system of reform. His proposals include:

• An end to bonuses for the civil service, which would save a £200m a year
• A radical review of public sector pensions, which would lead to higher employee contributions
• Scrapping many of the government's white elephant IT schemes, including ID cards, the NHS IT scheme, Contactpoint, and a proposed 'super database' which altogether equates to £11.45bn of savings over 10 years

Cable's proposed cuts would slash public spending by at least £14bn a year.

Commenting, Vince Cable said, “The time for generalities is over. Instead, we need serious proposals for cutting public spending and tackling the UK’s budget deficit.

“The priority is to move the economy out of recession but there is also a need to restore fiscal credibility and to allow Government to focus its resources where are they are most needed.

“We need to debate when, how and where the cuts will come.

“Undoubtedly more are required to meet the exacting fiscal disciplines but asking the British public for their vote at the next election means being upfront from the outset about what Government should and should not be spending its money on."

An Alternative Vision for Wales and Britain

With a looming British General Election, voters will, once again,need to consider which political party best represents their aspirations and hopes for the future.
The Liberal Democrats have long campaigned for greater transparency and accountability from our elected representatives, have long been committed champions for locally driven solutions and ideas to tackle pressing needs in our local communities and have long espoused the dangers of foreign misadventures and unscrupulous bankers.
The choice for voters in the forthcoming British General Election should not be curtailed to that of the Labour and Conservative parties. Many voters are tired of the old and quite frankly out dated visions of both these parties.
It is my belief that only the Liberal Democrat party can offer voters in North Wales the representation that they deserve, from offering high caliber locally based candidates to a vision of the type of community we all wish to live in, here in North Wales and beyond.

Rhodri Jones,
Chair, Vale of Clwyd Liberal Democrats

Liberal Democrat Education Forum for Denbighshire

Liberal Democrat Education Forum for Denbighshire

A new education forum for Denbighshire by the Welsh Liberal Democrats has been formed to campaign on all matters educational, pertaining to Denbighshire. The group will meet bi-monthly in Denbighshire and all Liberal Democrat members from the Vale of Clwyd, Clwyd South and Clwyd West constituencies are most welcome to attend and share their thoughts about education in Denbighshire today. Petula Field from Rhyl is the group's spokesperson. If you would like to attend the next meeting of the group or get involved in future campaigns, please e-mail the group's Convenor, Penny Maudsley for more information.
penny.mawdsley@btinternet.com

Rhodri Jones,
Chair, Vale of Clwyd Liberal Democrats

Forwm Addysg Y Democratiaid Rhyddfrydol ar gyfer Sir Ddinbych

Y mae forwm addysg newydd ar gyfer Sir Ddinbych wedi ei ffurfio gan y Democratiaid Rhyddfrydol Cymru ar gyfer ymyrchu drost holl materion addysgol yn Sir Ddinbych. Mi fydd y forwm yn cyfarfod bob yn ail mis yn Sir Ddinbych ac y mae croeso mawr i aelodau y blaid o ardaloedd De Clwyd, Gorllewin Clwyd a Dyffryn Clwyd mynychu ac i rannu syniadau am addysg yn Sir Ddinbych. Petula Field fydd llefarydd y grwp newydd. Os hoffwch fynychu y cyfarfod nesaf y forwm ac i ymgyrchu gyda'r grwp, mae'n bosibl ichi e-bostio Cynllunydd y grwp, Penny Maudsley am fwy o wybodaeth.
penny.mawdsley@btinternet.com

Rhodri Jones,
Cadeirydd, Democratiaid Rhyddfrydol Dyffryn Clwyd

Youth Unemployment

We cannot afford to let millions of young people get trapped on the dole. That's why today Nick Clegg has launched a new plan to tackle youth unemployment.
Did you know that nearly a fifth of 18 to 24-year-olds are currently unemployed? Without action now, more than 1.2 million young people could be unemployed by the end of 2011.
The Conservatives failed a whole generation in the wake of the last recession. A whole generation became trapped in a culture of dependency. Labour look set to repeat the same mistakes now. We can't let that happen.
Today Nick's launching new policy that would take almost 900,000 unemployed young people off the streets.
Under our plans more than 800,000 young people will be given a leg-up into industry via paid internships. An extra 60,000 places will be funding in universities and colleges, opening up further and higher education.
We will slash the time Labour forces young people to wait for support, fully fund apprenticeships to put British industry back on track and give more youngsters places on essential back-to-work schemes.
Our proposals would cost £1.1 billion and would be paid for by scrapping the VAT cut immediately.
For more details see Nick Clegg's website: NickClegg.com/LostGeneration

Conservatives feed on parents concerns

Vale of Clwyd Conservative PPC Matt Wright’s sudden concerns about run-down schools in Denbighshire is somewhat hypocritical given that the mess our schools are in stem from the Thatcher and Major governments under which state education had a very low priority. These Tory governments slashed budgets and tried to introduce major structural changes to the education system in England and Wales that was driven solely by ideology and not what was best for schools and our children. I, like many others I’m sure, remember being taught in an under-funded crumbling Rhyl high school that led to the introduction of portacabins as classrooms during Thatcher’s reign.
Her education strategies were fiercely opposed by most educationalists here in Wales as they were too England centric with little regard to what professionals wanted in Wales. We now have little real idea what a future Tory government, either in London or Cardiff would do with education other then resort back to their old, tired rhetoric of the 1990's when they were last in government. Plainly, they have no real positive strategies for education other than introducing school privatisations that would seriously damage the chances of poorer families once more as profits would take priority over children’s education. Yes, schools should have more internal control over their budgets and delivery strategies and yes, schools should not have to respond endlessly to government dictates that frustrate staff but we cannot trust a Tory government to do the right thing.

Matt Wrights, bandwagon politics, feeding on peoples genuine concerns to further his own interests typifies current Conservative rhetoric which, full of sound and fury, signifies nothing.

Fair pay for British service personnel

Nick Clegg today launched a new Liberal Democrat pledge to put service personnel and their welfare at the heart of our defence policy.

Many soldiers fighting on the front line are on salaries lower than those of trainee police and fire fighters, 13'000 members of the armed forces take home less than £17'000 each year. Under labour our lions are being paid peanuts.

Our servicemen are being sent to fight in treacherous conditions in Afghanistan while living close to the poverty line. IT IS TIME TO STOP SHORT CHANGING OUR TROOPS.

That is why, if elected, the Liberal Democrats would ensure that no service personnel receive less basic pay than someone starting out in the Police or fire service.

If you believe our troops should be receive better pay then help us spread the word. To back the campaign see Nick Clegg's website: www.nickclegg.com/armedforcespay/

Nobody can put a price on the sacrifices our troops make on our behalf but we can start rewarding them properly.

David Cameron Bullingdon photo

David Cameron Bullingdon photo "dropped out of circulation"
George Osborne, David Cameron, Boris Johnsonbefore they learnt to hide their true colours.
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