General Election 2010 The Liberal Democrats

SymbolLeader Nick Clegg Born 7 th January 1967 (43) MP for Sheffield Hallam Leader of the Liberal Democrats since 2007.

The Liberal Democrats Also known as the Liberals or Lib Dems. Beliefs:  People in the UK need to work together more.  The Government should not take too much of people’s money in tax BUT richer people should pay more tax the poorer people.  People should be able to rely on the Government to help them with money when they need it – there should be very strict rules about who gets help and it should be limited, but people should be able to live comfortably. People should be allowed to save and pay for themselves where they can.  England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales should stay together as one country, but each country should have its own Parliament with strong powers and parts of England should be allowed to have regional Parliaments.  People should be proud to be British, and people from ethnic minorities should be proud to be British BUT all backgrounds should be celebrated.  Britain should be a part of the European Union and allow a lot of important decisions to be made in Europe. Britain should keep the pound for a short time until it will be better for us to use the Euro.  Britain should have a strong army, navy and air-force but limit the amount of money spent on it.

The Liberal Democrats– Most Important Promises Make £15bn of spending cuts from where they do not affect people greatly to begin to get rid of the money which the UK owes. People will begin to pay tax when they earn £10,000 instead of £6,475. People who live in very large houses worth over £2 million will pay a special tax. Stop the idea of people having to carry identity cards. Make people pay a tax on how much they earn instead of Council Tax, which is based on the value of their property. Write down all the rules of how Britain is ruled in a Constitution (we are one of a very few countries who does not have one) Make the way we vote for Parliament fairer.

The Liberal Democrats – Money If banks fail, they will be taken over by the government. Make £15bn of spending cuts from where they do not affect people greatly to begin to get rid of the money which the UK owes. People will begin to pay tax when they earn £10,000 instead of £6,475. Make it harder for people to cheat and not pay enough tax. People who live in very large houses worth over £2 million will pay a special tax. Pay any young person completing an internship or work experience £55 a week for three months. Make banks separate the money that they use look after for people from the money they spend.

The Liberal Democrats– Race and Immigration Create a National Border Force and keep a closer eye on who enters and leaves the UK. Make sure that different parts of the country are getting enough money to help them help people who come to live in the UK. Make sure that every country in Europe uses the same system to let people from outside Europe come and live here. Make companies pay a tax for non-European workers and use the money to help British workers get more skilled. Make it easier for people who have lived in the UK for 10 years to become citizens. Make sure that everyone (British-born and non-British born) has the same chance of getting a council house. Set up an group who will make decisions on who can settle in the UK quicker and less expensively. When people apply for jobs, a name will not appear so that people are not treated unfairly because of their background.

The Liberal Democrats – Afghanistan and Defence Against the war in Iraq want to change what the British soldiers are doing in Afghanistan. Talk to enemies in Afghanistan and try and end the war. Cut spending on fighter jets and the money spent on the war in Afghanistan. Get rid of ½ of Britain’s nuclear weapons and try and get other countries to get rid of them as well. Raise the basic pay of lower ranks in the army, navy and air-force so they earn the same as policemen. Double the number of forces’ family homes to be improved.

The Liberal Democrats – Crime Increase the number of police by 3,000 in 5 years. Get rid of the idea of identity cards. Elect the people in charge of the police and give them more power. Make police have fitness tests every year. Use computers to stop police have to fill in so many forms. Create a National Crime Reduction Agency so different police forces share good ideas. Improve police officers’ jobs. Make forms that the police fill in easier.

The Liberal Democrats – Health Let people vote for who is runs the hospitals in their area. Have less targets and concentrate on making people better. Write ‘patient contracts’ saying what we should all get when we have to go to hospital. Make it easier to change your doctor. Allow you to have more than one doctor. Make dentist charges less for people. Open more places to help people who are dying. Use the cheapest but best medicines. Give everyone the money that they need to be looked after when they stop working at 65.

The Liberal Democrats – Education Replace Academies with "Sponsor Managed Schools", to be run by educational charities and private companies, but still run by the local Council. Give £2.5 billion for a "Pupil Premium" to go to schools which teach the poorest pupils. Give teachers more freedom to teach what and how they want to teach by getting rid of the National Curriculum. Create a General Diploma made up of GCSEs, A-Levels and GNVQs / NVQs. Set up an Education Standards Authority to check on how well schools are doing. Increase the numbers of apprenticeships and places on university and vocational higher education courses. Get rid of university tuition fees within six years.

The Liberal Democrats – Family Allow fathers as well as mothers to share the time off when a new baby is born. Allow everyone, not just parents and carers, to ask to work hours which are best for them. When people are given help, they will get it for 6 months at a time so that they will not suddenly lose money and be left with less.

The Liberal Democrats – Environment 40% reduction in greenhouse gases emissions by 2020 rising to 100% by 2050; As Britain becomes richer, the tax on fuel will be increased. All homes to have good insulation within 10 years. All new homes to be energy efficient from 2010; Offer to lend money to families to make their homes save energy. Tax the number of aeroplanes not the numbers of passengers. Tax flights between British cities to encourage people to use trains. Make sure every home has a ‘smart meter’ to tell them how they are using energy, within 5 years. Make sure renewable energy is used. Not open any new nuclear power plants. All new coal-fired power plants should be clean.

The Liberal Democrats – Pensions Make sure that pensions rise each year based on how much wages or prices have gone up (whichever is the highest). Taxes on pensions should not be at the basic level. All UK citizens should get the same pension. Stop people having to give up work at a certain age. Allow older people to have part of their private pension whilst working part-time.

The Liberal Democrats – Housing Allow local councils to decide how many and what type of homes are needed in their area. Build tens of thousands of houses to rent at a low cost. Every council houses sold to people who live there should be replaced. Let councils keep and use the money they get when they sell one of their houses. Stop people losing money if house prices fall. Give people loans to help them save energy in their homes.

The Liberal Democrats – Foreign Affairs and Europe Should stay as a part of the European Union. Try and work with other European countries in the laws Britain makes and the way it deals with criminals. Work more closely with Europe in defence. In the future, when the time is right and it is best for Britain, we should get rid of the Pound and use the Euro. Only send our soldiers to other countries if the people there are being treated badly and the United Nations agrees with the idea. Try and get Israel and Palestine to have peace between them. Should not go to war with Iran. Increase the amount Britain gives to help poorer countries.

The Liberal Democrats – Local Government Replace the Council Tax with a Local Income Tax so that the more people earn, the more they pay. Get rid of the list of things local councils have to prove that they are doing. Allow councils to ask for the amount of money that they need from people with no limits. Give local councils the power to say how much businesses in their areas pay to the council. Give local councils more powers. Allow local councils to keep 100% of the money they get from selling council houses.

The Liberal Democrats – Transport Charge lorries to use the roads and use the money to improve the transport system. Stop the third runway at Heathrow. Support Crossrail, but spend less Government money to build it. In the future, charge people to use motorways and major roads. Spend money on a high speed rail network across the UK. Give local councils more control over bus services in their areas. Don’t build any new roads unless they are really needed. All new office blocks and other places of employment to have proper facilities for cycling.

The Liberal Democrats – Countryside and Farming Help people from the countryside to have housing which they can afford. Change the way that the EU gives help to farmers. Help small countryside shops stay open. Build good clinics in the countryside so people who live there have access to doctors, nurses and dentists. Stop Post Offices being closed in the countryside. Make supermarkets pay farmers enough money for produce. Against genetically modified crops being grown.

The Liberal Democrats – Human Rights and Freedoms People should not be allowed to be kept in prison without charge for more than 14 days. The rules of how Britain is ruled would be written down (and people would vote on if they agreed to it or not). This would say what the Government can and cannot do and there should be a Bill of Rights saying what rights we have. Get rid of the idea of Identity Cards and not have a database with people’s details on. The DNA of people who are innocent should not be kept without their permission. Allow police to check up when it is said that people have been tortured. Allow parents to stop their children being fingerprinted at school. Stop CCTV being used as much. People should be allowed to check up on details which are held about them.

The Liberal Democrats – Making Government Better The rules of how Britain is ruled would be written down (and people would vote on if they agreed to it or not). This would say what the Government can and cannot do and there should be a Bill of Rights saying what rights we have. Introduce a fairer voting system. Replace House of Lords with another body voted for by the people. Let the Scottish Parliament collect taxes and the for Welsh Assembly make laws. Cut the number of MPs by 150; Cut the number of ministers. Allow different parts of England have regional assemblies (like the Greater London Assembly) if people vote for them. Not let people give too much money to political parties. Not let political parties spend too much money. Give 16-year-olds the right to vote and stand for election; Make Parliament talk about things which the people want them to talk about. Make it so that there MUST be a General Election every 4 years.