Wycombe Liberal Democrats

Wycombe Liberal Democrats took to the streets in London today to support the fight against climate change.

The next parliament is likely to be the last that can stop dangerous climate change. And there is only one party that is both serious about the environment and in a position to exact real change: the Liberal Democrats.

Copenhagen is a vital staging post in the international fight to reduce carbon but the Government is not up to the task of driving through changes.

Labour has failed to cut emissions in the past and refuses to commit to what science demands in the future. We are still at the bottom of the European league table for levels of renewable energy, only above Malta and Luxembourg.

The Conservatives are a laughing stock on the international scene and their environmental policies consist merely of empty platitudes.

Conservatives in Wycombe have refused to support the 10:10 environmental campaign to reduce carbon emmisions by 10% in 2010

The Liberal Democrats are different. We are the only party in UK politics with the vision, policies, ambition and ability to kill carbon emissions.

We will make Britain carbon neutral by 2050. We will reduce emissions faster and more effectively than any other party. And we will make sure that every home is properly insulated within 10 years of taking power.

There is only a small window of opportunity to stop dangerous climate change. Only the Liberal Democrats will take it.

Watch Nick Clegg speaking at The Wave here.

“I know there are people who agree with a lot of what we’ve got to say. But who still don’t vote Liberal Democrat. You don’t think we’re contenders. I urge you to think again.

If you don’t agree with our policies;if you don’t want big change in Britain. Then don’t vote for us.

But if you like what you hear; if you share our vision for a different kind of future. Then go with your instincts; vote Liberal Democrat.

Elections are decided by your cross on the ballot paper.

Power is not any party’s to be inherited. Power is yours to give to whoever you choose.

So don’t turn away, don’t stay at home, don’t vote Conservative just because you think it is the only option.

This is Britain. We don’t settle for second best because we think it is inevitable; we don’t compromise on our beliefs because people might not agree with us; we stand up for our values with our heads held high.

Make no mistake: the Liberal Democrats will do things differently in Britain.

But if you want real change in Britain, you have to take a stand. If you want what we propose, you have to vote for it.

If you want tax cuts for ordinary people, paid for by closing loopholes for the very rich; if you want the right to sack your MP if they’re proved corrupt; if you want children to start at school in classes of just 15 – then vote for it.

This is a vital moment in the history of our country. And you have the power to shape it.

Labour is lost. They haven’t the ideas, energy or vision to start again.

If you voted for them in the past, you have a choice: You can give away your vote to a fringe party, you can stay at home in despair, or you can join with the Liberal Democrats and make the difference.

If you supported Labour in 1997 because you wanted fairness; you wanted young people to flourish; you wanted political reform; you wanted the environment protected; or you simply believed in a better future – turn to the Liberal Democrats.

The choice at the next election is fake change from the Conservatives, or real change from the Liberal Democrats.

At a time like this, a time of real crisis, Britain cannot afford to be taken in by David Cameron’s illusion of change.

Britain needs leadership from a party with real passion, and it’s the Liberal Democrats.

There is hope for a different future, a different way of doing things in Britain, if we are brave enough to make a fresh start.

So let today be the first day of the future of British politics. It may be only the beginning; but it is the beginning – the beginning of real change in Britain.”

Nick Clegg MP

Leader of the Liberal Democrats

For the complete text of this speech click here

“As Ramadan comes round once more, I’d like to wish all Muslims observing the month my very best wishes.

I have learned from working with Muslim communities across the UK – and indeed from the many Lib Dem councillors and candidates who are practising Muslims – that the fasting and Qur’an reading during Ramadan provide spiritual renewal and enlightenment. As friends and family are brought together every night, we also reflect on all the millions of people around the world who still go without food and clean water every day.

We in the Liberal Democrats have always championed religious tolerance, and we are proud of the diverse traditions in our country.

We recognise the importance of the principle of Zakat to Muslims, especially at this time, and I deeply regret that Islam can be unfairly portrayed in many parts of the media especially when Muslim communities in this country do so much excellent charitable work.

I congratulate Muslims for the volunteering and donations they make during the month of Ramadan and at other times, and, more broadly, to thank British Muslims for the enormous contribution they make to life in this country.

Ramadan Mubarak!”

Nick Clegg,

Leader of the Liberal Democrats

This consultation by Wycombe District Council is set against a background of
significant housing targets imposed on the District from above. The growth in
the town that will result, with all the adverse implications, will be resented and
resisted by many, and risk setting people from one part of the District against
another as people seek to protect precious landscapes from development.
In parallel with these impositions from above has been the relentless stripping
away of real power of self-determination from local authorities. This process
began with the Conservative Governments of Margaret Thatcher and John Major,
and has been consistently continued by the Labour Governments of Tony Blair
and Gordon Brown.
Liberal Democrats believe strongly in giving real power back to communities, so
that they can exercise choices for themselves. Housing need which has been
identified by local communities is much more likely to be accommodated
‘organically’ and by consent. There is no doubt that there are unmet housing
needs in Wycombe District. In particular, many local villages and smaller
communities may welcome small-scale development, with homes earmarked for
local people at affordable costs. Our proposals seek to give priority to such
needs.
The proposed Major developments in the plan have potential to dramatically
alter the Town for good or ill.
Quite rightly local groups and residents are raising major objections to the plans
and solutions proposed.
Wycombe Liberal Democrats cannot support major development in Wycombe
District as proposed until adverse effects on infrastructure have been addressed.
We are concerned that local transport, schools and NHS facilities cannot cope
with current proposals.
Now is the time for some changes to the plan. There is no single policy that can
make this happen. We therefore propose policies and options that will help the
people of High Wycombe and surrounding area minimise the damage that would
be inflicted by the existing plan.

You can download the full response here:

IMAGINE THE FUTURE

(requires Adobe Acrobat Reader)

Liberal Democrats now carry the torch of progress.

28% at the last set of local elections. 5% points clear of Labour and our highest ever share of the vote. In 23 out of the 25 county councils we are now the main opposition to the Conservatives. And in many counties there are no Labour county councillors at all. In both the South East and the South West Labour were pushed to fifth in the European elections. In vast swathes of Southern Britain they’re as irrelevant as the Tories are in many Northern cities.

In the battle of ideas as well as increasingly in the electoral battle the Labour party are worn out and irrelevant. It’s our party that has been ahead of the curve on one major issue after another: from warning about the dangers of an overleveraged banking system, to calling for full rights of residence for retired Gurkha soldiers, to championing fundamental reform of our politics.

And many parts of the traditional Labour voting coalition are realising it. In 1997 they – and many others – believed the Labour Government would make Britain fairer and more free. But those hopes have now been dashed. Under Labour inequality has got worse, not better. Life chances are still determined by the circumstances of a person’s birth. Iraq, mass child incarceration, the erosion of our civil liberties – those aren’t small blemishes on the Government’s record. They’re a fundamental betrayal of Labour’s promise that things would only get better.

I want those voters who once believed that promise to now turn to us – the only party offering real change. For our part, we must help this process by reaching out to them and explaining why only a Liberal Democrat government can deliver the progressive politics our country needs.

That’s what I did a few weeks ago, when I posted a blog on Labour List for Pride weekend. I explained that even on gay rights, an area where the Government regularly trumpets its success – they’ve failed to go far enough and it’s still only the Liberal Democrats who are prepared to take the bold steps to make this country truly equal. On the environment, on civil liberties, on reforming the banks and bankers and on Trident renewal, we are the only party in British politics that is willing to take the radical choices that would change Britain for good.

Last week I was interviewed for a joint event with Tweetminster and the Independent; and a few days earlier I did an online ‘Town Hall’ event with Reuters. I’m determined that we as a party engage with voters by every means possible. Young people, betrayed by this government over Iraq, graduate debt, and now on a recession that is leaving them jobless, need to hear about the help – and hope – that we offer.

So, please, over these summer months take every chance, through every format available to us, to spread our message. Tell anyone who supported Labour in 1997: if you believe in fairness; if you want to support, not demonise, young people; if you care about political reform, if you want the environment protected; the Liberal Democrats share your values and are the only chance for something different. We carry the torch of progress now.