After thirteen years of Labour government, Wales was left with a third of children living in poverty, a wider gap between rich and poor than under the Conservatives and the lowest social mobility in Western Europe.
Securing the economic recovery and getting people back into jobs is paramount for the Coalition Government. Tackling Labour’s huge deficit is essential to restoring growth in the economy and giving people hope for the future.
The Government has acted swiftly to ensure a referendum on law making powers takes place as early as possible. The Liberal Democrats in Government at Westminster are now delivering on our 100 year old commitment to devolve real power from Westminster to the Welsh people.
A large number of key Liberal Democrats policies are now being implemented in Wales as a result of Liberal Democrat influence in Government. These include everything from fairer taxes and benefits, cleaning up our politics, to prison reforms and fairer pensions.
Examples of Liberal Democrat policies now being pursued by the Government include:
An increase in the income tax threshold will lift 50,000 people in Wales out of income tax altogether and put £200 extra money in the pockets of hard working families.
100,000 people in Wales are eligible for the increase in Child Tax Credits of £150 announced in the budget as part of the drive to tackle child poverty.
Restoring the pensions link with earnings, which was scrapped by the Conservatives and shamefully retained by Labour. The Government’s ‘triple-lock’ guarantees that the state pension will increase in line with earnings or prices or 2.5% – whichever is higher and will benefit 615,000 pensioners in Wales.
Lower paid public sector workers in Wales (earning less than £21,000) have been protected from wage freezes and been given a £250 increase for the next two years, benefiting 89,000 public sector workers in Wales.
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“Securing the economic recovery and getting people back into jobs is paramount…”
Yes, can’t agree more. It is what everyone is saying these days – and it is something I said over and over again when called on by David Dimbleby twice during the BBC’s Question Time special broadcast live from the Newseum in downtown Washington, DC. To some extent Elizabeth Edwards, then wife of disgraced former VP running mate (to Senator Kerry), John Edwards: “JOBS, JOBS, JOBS…” For proof, Glyn Davies MP saw the show and remarked on the comments I made on his blog.
But what ‘makes jobs’ – two things compete: job creation – job destruction. If JC is greater than JD then we have net job creation (NJC). But if NJC is not enough to give net new job seekers a job then unemployment levels either increase or stay roughly static.
For insights into what is ‘coming down the pipe’ it is instructive to see ‘what’s happening Jude’ in the largest economy in the world, the USofA.
How the USA job market goes, so EU/UK/Wales is likely to go.
I know most people in Wales thought President Obama was like a rush of fresh air, that he would breath new life into the USA – when in fact the question that should have been on our lips was: What will the President do for jobs? The short answer: next to zip. He ignored the American small business sector and job creation “went to hell in a bread basket”.
President Obama has created an environment with an enormous amount of uncertainty for job creators and the ‘greatest job creator of them all’ is the small business sector. So unemployment levels remain high – and the Presidents WH team seem to be overwhelmed as to why this is so.
This is instructive for Wales where WAG through its new ERP is ignoring much of the Welsh small business sector – an issue that has been highlighted by Prof. Dylan Jones-Evans.
What America has right now is the equivalent of “WAG” at the White House (WH). A total misunderstanding of what it takes to move the small business sector into job creation mode.
It’s not hard to work out what small businesses need. But it seems WAG and the WH are totally baffled by it all.
Sorry, I’m in a rush … there was an incomplete sentence in the 2nd paragraph, which should have read:
“Yes, can’t agree more. It is what everyone is saying these days – and it is something I said over and over again when called on by David Dimbleby twice during the BBC’s Question Time special broadcast live from the Newseum in downtown Washington, DC. To some extent Elizabeth Edwards, then wife of disgraced former VP running mate (to Senator Kerry), John Edwards disagreed with me, but my mantra was clear: “JOBS, JOBS, JOBS…” For proof, Glyn Davies MP saw the show and remarked on the comments I made on his blog. “