Freedom Central » Coalition

Delivering the Liberal Democrat Agenda

Freedom Central — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 09:00:55 +0000

Over at the Guardian’s Comment is Free pages, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Danny Alexander argues that the coalition government is about more than balancing the books. He says that it is about ensuring the economic recovery is in place to provide a platform for reform.

More significantly he says that the Liberal Democrats are on course to deliver all four of their main priorities from their election manifesto:

With a £2.5bn pupil premium, every child will get the chance for a fair start in life. The referendum on AV will give you a say in making MPs work harder for your vote. Investing in green jobs will not only support our economy, but will develop green technologies too.

And most importantly of all, this government will deliver a fair deal on taxes. Our ambition is that no one should pay any tax on the first £10,000 they earn. This will create a fairer country that helps those on lower incomes to help themselves. We took the first big step to get there last June, increasing the threshold by £1,000, from £6,475 under Labour to £7,475 this year. From next month, almost a million of the lowest paid won’t pay any tax at all.

This change won’t just help those earning less than £10,000. In fact, once you take all the coalition’s personal tax changes into account, everyone earning under £35,000 will be better off.

Vulnerable in Wales received £30 million in cold weather payments

Freedom Central — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 05:36:02 +0000

The UK Government has spent approximately £30 million to help some of the most vulnerable in Wales to cope with the recent cold snap, Kirsty Williams, Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats revealed today.

At the Spending Review in October, the Coalition Government turned the temporary increase in the Cold Weather Payments by the last Labour government into a permanent increase. The payments of £25 per week are triggered when temperatures at local weather stations dip below an average of zero degrees over a week.

Around 300,000 people in Wales have received at least one payment during winter 2010-2011, totalling around £30 million of financial assistance to the elderly.

Kirsty Williams: “The Liberal Democrats in government in the UK are totally committed to helping the most vulnerable in Wales and cold weather payments are just one example of the steps they are taking to make sure people can cope with the weather conditions we saw a few months back. This is money well spent in Wales.

“We are committed to helping those who cannot help themselves during difficult times and that is why I am proud that our commitment during the election last year to restore the link between earnings and pensions is now UK government policy. Pensioners are getting a fair increase in their pension.

“Also from April onwards, thousands of workers across Wales will see more of their hard earned money stay in their take-home salary as Liberal Democrat policy of increasing the personal allowance for income tax to help lower and middle income earners will kick-in. We are changing the tax system to make it fairer by lifting the poorest workers out of Income Tax altogether and cutting taxes for most people.”

Labour casting around for an alternative

Peter Black — Sat, 18 Dec 2010 20:48:04 +0000

Ed Miliband has famously said that he is starting with a blank sheet when it comes to policy so it is hardly surprising that he is struggling to make an impact in the House of Commons and the country as a whole. You can only get so far with negative attacks before people want to know what your alternative is.

Even so I thought that the MP for Swansea West was being remarkably frank in this article in tonight’s South Wales Evening Post when he implied that now that Alistair Darling is out of the picture Labour don’t actually have any policy on public spending they can put up to counter that of the coalition government.

The MP has apparently met with Mr. Miliband to urge him to ‘set out a clear alternative to the coalition cuts’. It is nice to have it confirmed that Labour donare devoid of ideas.

100 Days: The positive impact for Welsh people of the Liberal Democrats in Coalition

Kirsty Williams — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 04:36:25 +0000

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.

Nick takes charge

Freedom Central — Sat, 14 Aug 2010 09:42:15 +0000

This morning’s Independent reports that Nick Clegg will return from his Spanish holiday tomorrow to take charge of Britain for the next fortnight. David Cameron will remain in overall control during his family break in Cornwall, but officials have been told only to bother him on the most pressing issues, leaving the Deputy Prime Minister responsible for the daily business of government for two weeks – the first time a Liberal has run the country since David Lloyd George in 1922:

Mr Clegg will follow the Prime Minister’s lead in holding a series of meet-the-people events in which he sets out the coalition’s agenda. As well as defending its austerity measures, he plans to offer a more positive vision of its ambitions for the next five years.

On Wednesday, his 100th day in office, he will use a major speech to stress his commitment to increase social mobility. The following day during a visit to the North-east, he will turn to another of his key themes, the need to boost economic growth in the English regions.

Both Tory and Liberal Democrat officials are anxious to avoid a repeat of the Blair and Brown years, when deputies attempted to make their mark while the boss was out of the country. But Mr Clegg, who will undertake a series of television interviews, will also be keen to demonstrate to worried party activists that he is helping to dictate the coalition’s priorities.

What is noticeable is the level of trust within this coalition that enables the two party leaders to be relaxed about the other being in charge at the appropriate moment. That is a marked contrast to Cardiff Bay where the Plaid Cymru Leader and Deputy First Minister is not even permitted to take questions on behalf of Carwyn Jones.

Instead, when the First Minister is away the Business Minister steps in to be quizzed on his behalf. Labour and Plaid Cymru may be in Government together but neither appear entirely comfortable with that fact.

Practical questions about reform

Dr. Alistair D. B. Cook — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 05:27:36 +0000

I am not entirely sure that the Tory backbench revolt is aware that there are two sides to every bargain. If they decide to pursue paths to scupper reform and vote against the holding of a referendum on voting reform (AV at least) then it will also hold that backbench Lib Dems are well placed to walk away from the proposal to reduce the number of constituencies by 50 and equalize the number of constituents each holds across the UK (apart from those where the statutory geographic area is at its max; say in the Scottish Highlands). It is not a Liberal aspiration to embed a Tory majority by reducing the number of MPs but keeping the old system of first-past-the-post. I believe that the reduction in the number of MPs could well be justifiable but equal numbers in constituencies may lead to weaker democracy as MPs will have much greater lengths to travel to visit their constituents across their constituency. Essentially taking democracy further away from the people.

Also depending on what side of the fence you sit, if the constituency size is increased in Wales, then it weakens the union. The number of MPs in Wales was introduced at 40 to compensate for the small number of MPs (30) that would be returned if they were the same size of English constituencies, ensuring that the voice of Wales was heard in the union. This is particularly noteworthy given the overwhelming population size of England compared to the other nations in the UK. If they wish to weaken the union in such a way then it is also reasonable that Welsh people be given the opportunity to vote for an Assembly with tax raising as well as primary legislative powers. With a reduction in Welsh MPs to 30, our already marginal voice in Westminster will be further eroded, leaving little room for impact by the people of Wales. In such a case, it would well be worthwhile for the Assembly to have tax raising powers so that we can manage our own internal affairs and ensure that the voice of Welsh people will be heard and well represented. Is the coalition willing to investigate ways for the voice of the people of Wales to be heard in Westminster to safeguard the union – if indeed they are committed to it.

We can’t justify asking the people of Wales to go to the polls three times in four months

Kirsty Williams — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 15:31:49 +0000

Today’s statement by Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg, to move ahead with the referendum on the Alternative Voting system and constitutional reform is very welcome.

The Deputy Prime Minister announced that the vote on AV referendum will be held on the same day as the Assembly election on 5th of May and that there will be a reduction in the number of MPs across the UK. The number of MPs will be reduced from 650 to 600, meaning a saving of £12million a year and holding the AV referendum on the same day as the Assembly election will save an estimated £17 million.

2011 could be a year when we see much needed constitutional change in Wales and the rest of the UK, however, we cannot justify asking the people of Wales to go to the polls three times in four months.

I have previously said that we wouldn’t support holding the Assembly referendum on the same day as the Assembly elections itself and that remains the case. We cannot have prospective Assembly candidates knocking lumps out of each other on one platform and standing together on another on both Welsh-wide issues.

The AV referendum is a UK-wide poll and holding it on the same day as the Assembly election will save money and it will increase voter turn out, something that should be welcomed by all political parties. I see no reason why campaigning for the Assembly elections will conflict with campaigning on the referendum for a change in the electoral system.

Referenda and elections cost a lot of money to run and we simply cannot justify to the people of Wales spending money when we don’t need to. The Assembly elections should take place as planned and it will be the duty of political parties to inform the voters about the choices they face.

I welcome the decision to reduce the number of MPs across the UK and have uniformity in the size of constituencies. This will begin the process of making our electoral system fairer and cut down on the cost of politics. Careful consideration must be taken in rural areas in Wales as we cannot have unwieldy, large and unmanageable constituencies.

I am also calling for an amendment to the Government of Wales Act 2006 to protect Assembly constituencies from the cut in the number of MPs as they are currently linked. The Welsh Liberal Democrats will also be pushing for the powers for the National Assembly to have the right to change the voting system. We want a fully proportional system of electing AMs so that the elected Senedd is a true representation of the country.

The benefits of coalition politics

Freedom Central — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 09:33:09 +0000

This morning’s Observer abandons its usual hostility to the Tory Liberal Democrat government with an editorial that praises coalition politics and which concludes that this sort of partnership is good for democracy:

In particular they point out how ineffectual Labour’s faux moral outrage has been:

Labour campaigned against Conservative economic policy on the grounds that Mr Cameron planned to form an administration run by the “same old Tories”. Lib Dem support for maximum austerity makes that line hard to sustain. But instead of promoting an alternative agenda, acting leader Harriet Harman has devoted disproportionate energy to attacking Nick Clegg’s MPs for a perceived betrayal of their principles.

That approach does more to gratify Labour’s sense of itself as guardian of the “progressive” moral high ground than it does to drive a wedge between the coalition parties, which is presumably the aim. While many Lib Dems might be uneasy about alliance with the Tories, they are unlikely to be shamed into sabotaging their own government by opposition sanctimony.
Labour needs a more sophisticated approach to the coalition and it needs it in time for next year’s referendum on electoral reform. In that contest, the Tories and Lib Dems will be campaigning on opposing sides. Part of the argument against a changed voting system is that it might lead more often to inconclusive results, and power-sharing. By next May’s referendum, Britain will have had a year to taste coalition politics. Whether it is perceived to be a successful model could make a big difference to the result.

The “No” campaign will be quick to point out how manifesto pledges were jettisoned in order to stitch up a deal and will cite this as proof that coalitions are bad for democracy.

The riposte is that no single party won the election, but the Lib-Con coalition represents 59% of voters. There is evidence, not least in the existence of the referendum, that policy is a genuine hybrid of the two party’s pre-election platforms.

Meanwhile, the requirement to compromise and be pragmatic has, in some areas at least, forced ministers in the coalition to consider more imaginative policy agendas than either of their parties might have done alone.

A clear trend in British elections is for no single party to emerge with a claim to speak for a majority of voters. So for the long-term health of British democracy it is vital that coalition politics be made to work as a respectable way for government plausibly to represent different, sometimes conflicting constituencies.

It is not easy. But the Lib Dems and the Conservatives are so far doing a better job of it than many in their own ranks feared; better too than many on the opposition benches blithely hoped.

Summing it up

Freedom Central — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 07:19:01 +0000

In yesterday’s Independent Mary Dejevsky asks what is all the fuss about with regards to Nick Clegg and the Liberal Democrats? What on earth has Nick done wrong?

The fact that a coalition government is a novelty for most British voters may offer a partial explanation for the ferocity of current attacks. As may the bitterness of the left, which believed – and still believes – that if there was going to be a coalition, it should be their coalition. Hell hath no fury like establishment left-wingers scorned.

But there really should be no excuses. What we are watching is not the normal cut and thrust of politics; it is a type of after-the-fact combat that reflects the refusal of the losers to accept their loss and a wilful denial that there might be another way of doing politics.

There is another way, though, and we are looking at it. To accuse the Liberal Democrats of treachery is to misunderstand how coalitions work and what they are for. A coalition presupposes compromise. And the reason this coalition has the complexion it does – to the right of centre – is that this is how the country voted.

Nor was anyone misled. During the campaign, Nick Clegg said he would talk first to whichever party gained most seats; this was always likely to be the Conservatives, and any rational voter knew that. In the event, however, Mr Clegg’s decision was made for him. The numbers did not add up any other way. Some Lib Dems might feel that, to save their honour, their party should have stayed aloof. Some Conservatives might have preferred David Cameron to form a minority government. But anyone who denounces the coalition as undemocratic must recognise that the alternatives were even more so.

In the unlikely event that the Lib Dems’ detractors can accept that coalition means compromise, they have then to address a new question. Were the Lib Dems inept in their coalition negotiations? Could they have extracted from the Conservatives much more than they did? The answer is surely No. To be sure, there are points that need clarification: the timetable for the proposed referendum on a new voting system, for a start. But a pretty comprehensive rollback of illiberal late-Labour legislation is not nothing.

As for the Budget that has been the subject of such venom, critics have to ask what this Budget would have looked like without the contribution of the Liberal Democrats. Would the threshold for the basic rate of income tax have been raised? By so much? Would child benefit and pensioners’ one-off benefits have been retained? Would the capital spending programme have been largely spared? Would there have been such an emphasis on the regions? Would the 50 per cent top rate of income tax have survived?

Nor is a tally of 22 ministers, with at least one in each major government department, to be sneezed at. (It is not the Tories’ fault that one resigned and another’s effectiveness may have been compromised by a newly messy private life.) Would, let’s say, Ken Clarke have become Justice Secretary in a Conservative-only government? And, even if he had been given a Cabinet post, would he have been in a position to suggest not only that the prison population was too large, but that something should be done about it – something that, in the short term at least, might cost money?

Then take foreign policy. It is hard to envisage that William Hague would have given the foreign policy speech he gave yesterday had he represented a Conservative-only government. His promise to send more high-flying diplomats to Brussels can be read two ways, but the cordial reception that he and the Prime Minister have received in European capitals would have been improbable if Nick Clegg, who is fluent in “European”, as well as all his other languages, had not been around to smooth the way. And if those first meetings in Europe had gone badly, might Mr Cameron have found himself looking less like a national leader in his own right at last weekend’s Canada summits and more like President Obama’s very junior partner?

It is early days. But in their first efforts at coalition government, Nick Clegg and his small troupe of Liberal Democrats have nothing to be ashamed of – nor, indeed, does Mr Cameron. Both are being punctilious about looking and sounding collegiate. And the proof that all is not going so badly is the – so far – narrowly predictable provenance of the attacks. A leaderless Labour is talking “fig-leaves”; there are lobbyists whose job is to exaggerate their causes; there are militant trade unionists shouting “fiscal fascism”, and there are hyperbolic chatterers on the left. Helped along, perhaps, by the distractions of the World Cup and Wimbledon, the warm weather and the hope of holidays, the voters are keeping calm. To their credit, they still agree with Nick.

Over 50,000 workers will pay no income tax and thousands to get more of their money back

Freedom Central — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 12:58:39 +0000

Welsh Liberal Democrat Leader, Kirsty Williams, has welcomed the announcement by the Chancellor to raise the income tax threshold to lift thousands of people in Wales out of paying income tax.

An estimated 50,000 workers in Wales will no longer pay income tax and many more will see a £200 reduction in their income tax bill as a result of the Chancellor’s plans to raise the income tax allowance by £1,000.

Raising the income tax allowance was a key commitment of the Liberal Democrats during the General election.

Kirsty Williams said:

“Increasing the tax threshold to help people on low and middle incomes was one of our key policies during the general election and I was very pleased that we were able to see it in the coalition programme of government.

“The announcement by the Chancellor will see over 850,000 workers across the UK lifted out of paying income tax altogether and thousands more workers will see more of their hard earned wages staying in their pocket. For Wales, this means that an estimated 50,000 workers will pay no income tax and many more seeing £200 stay in their pay packet.

“We all know that difficult times are coming given Labour’s recklessness with our economy over the last 13 years and that’s why we want to make sure that those on the lowest incomes are protected during the years ahead.

“Given the state Labour left our economy, there’s no doubt that this will be a tough budget. But it needs to demonstrate it will be both tough and fair. We need to begin making our tax system fairer, with progress towards the Coalitions long term objective of raising the personal allowance to £10,000, ensure the tax and benefits system rewards work and ensure that the burden is spread fairly.”