Archive for the ‘National’ Category

Tories failing our children

by jessicasproxtonmiller on 25 April, 2013

In today’s Independent, David Laws, Schools Minister, writes a piece about the take up and uses of the Pupil Premium. We ran a piece on this last year in our local Focus. West Sussex County Council is mentioned in David’s piece, but not in a good way. West Sussex is one of six Conservative-run Councils […]

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Sustainable recycling

by superadmin on 19 June, 2012

A couple of weeks ago, Chris Huhne wrote in the Guardian about the need for ‘green growth’ – finding and supporting ways to grow the economy that prioritise sustainability of resources, not simply because it is a feel good thing to do, but because, increasingly, this will become the currency – there will be no […]

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A good week to be a Liberal Democrat

by superadmin on 14 June, 2012

This week we have seen Nick Clegg’s measured and reasonable performance at the Leveson enquiry, Danny Alexander’s mature and well-received speech to the GMB, and a very positive reception for our plans to allow gay couples to marry, thus ending centuries of inequality. On a local front, your County Councillor, Derek Deedman, is taking up […]

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Benefits and Allowances for older people

by superadmin on 11 June, 2012

The Sun has launched a campaign to ‘ditch benefits for the rich’, saying that items like bus passes and the Winter Fuel Allowance should be taken from millionaire pensioners. There are no plans to remove such benefits. The Coalition Agreement clearly states: “We will protect key benefits for older people such as the winter fuel […]

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On the doorstep this afternoon, I was asked if the Liberal Democrats were actually achieving anything in Government. After all, were we not just subsumed into the Tory machine? I believe that it is to be proud of, and because of Liberal Democrats working hard, that: the coalition will be collecting five times more money […]

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An enlightening & happy encounter

by superadmin on 7 June, 2012

The papers like to vilify Clegg… or ignore him. Individual voters, even Liberal Democrat ones, sometimes try to hold him personally accountable for what they see as bad policy from the Coalition. Last night, I and 80 others, spent an hour with him, asking questions and getting a close up, relaxed view of the man. […]

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Changes to childcare policy

by superadmin on 5 June, 2012

The battle against poverty and ignorance is integral to what it means to be a Liberal Democrat. That is why Liberal Democrats should be proud that one of the Coalition Government’s main priorities is closing the attainment gap between the poorest children and their more well off peers. By getting things right from the off […]

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What interests you?

by superadmin on 4 June, 2012

Generally, one can get by without politics. It is at best an amusing sideshow on the news of an evening, or, at worst, something to blame when you haven’t had a pay rise in years. However, I think this sort of attitude, although both pervasive and understandable, is simply nonsense. Politics is important, and the […]

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Standing up for fair pensions for everyone

by superadmin on 2 June, 2012

There has been a lot of talk of the coalition getting it wrong on pensions, since the budget. This, to me, seems to be because the media, in search of a fantastic headline, refuses to be didactic as opposed to outrageous. There is no ‘granny tax’. All there is is a proposal for a single, […]

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Liberal Democrats have successfully scaled back plans to hold more court hearings in secret. Last month Nick Clegg said the proposals in the Justice and Security Green Paper did not strike the right balance, and in the Bill published this week, all of the conditions he set out have been met. The FT said the […]

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