The Liberal Democrat Manifesto 2010 was released today.
You can view the PDF version in full at Liberal Democrat Manifesto 2010.
Liberal Democrat Manifesto 2010
Liberal Democrat Manifesto 2010 : 4 Steps to a Fairer Britain
Liberal Democrat Manifesto 2010 : Introduction Our Values
Liberal Democrat Manifesto 2010 : Your Money Fair Taxes And Fair Benefits
Liberal Democrat Manifesto 2010 : Your Money Dealing With The Deficit
Liberal Democrat Manifesto 2010 : Your Money Fairness in Pensions, Savings and Benefits
Liberal Democrat Manifesto 2010 : Your Job
Liberal Democrat Manifesto 2010 : Your Life
Liberal Democrat Manifesto 2010 : Your Family
Liberal Democrat Manifesto 2010 : Your World
Liberal Democrat Manifesto 2010 : Your Community
Liberal Democrat Manifesto 2010 : Your Say
Liberal Democrat Manifesto 2010 : Credible And Responsible Finances
Liberal Democrat Manifesto 2010
We’ve had 65 years of Labour and the Conservatives: the same parties taking turns and making the same mistakes, letting you down. It is time for something different. It is time for something better.
Elections that can really make a difference don’t come along very often. But this is one of them.
This May, you have an opportunity to shape the future of our country for the better. We’ve had 65 years of Labour and the Conservatives: the same parties taking turns and making the same mistakes, letting you down. They have taught people to expect little from politics, and get less.
It is time for something different. It is time for something better.
Doesn’t it make you angry that after 65 years of red-blue government, a child’s chances in life are still more determined by their parents’ bank balance than by their own hopes and dreams? Doesn’t it make you angry that the banks have been allowed to ride roughshod over our economy, and are still handing out bonuses by the bucket load? That politics is still the plaything of wealthy donors and corrupt MPs? That despite endless warm words from politicians, our climate is in danger? That the poorest are the ones who pay the biggest chunk of their income in tax?
I was brought up to believe that the way things are is not the way they have to be. I was brought up to believe that you should fight for what you believe in, and fight for change. So my message for you in this election is simple.
Don’t settle for low politics and broken promises: be more demanding. Set your sights on the Britain you want for your children and your grandchildren, and use your vote to make it happen.
Liberal Democrats are different. When it’s come to the big decisions – on the banks, on the environment, on the war in Iraq – we are the only party that has called it right, every time.
Only Liberal Democrats have the big ideas for fundamental, structural changes in the way our country works to make it fair. Only Liberal Democrats will shake up the tax system to put £700 back in the pockets of tens of millions of low and middle-income families, paid for by ensuring the wealthy pay their fair share. Only Liberal Democrats will break up the banks and start Britain building things again, creating a sustainable economy that no longer threatens our planet’s future. Only Liberal Democrats will invest in our schools to give every child, no matter their background, a fair start in life. And only Liberal Democrats will sort out our rotten political system once and for all.
A strong vote for the Liberal Democrats means the end of red-blue, blue-red politics. It means the end of the stitch-up between the two old parties. It means the beginning of real change that works for you.
Nick Clegg : Liberal Democrat Party Leader
Copyright ©, The Liberal Democrats, 4 Cowley Street, London, SW1P 3NB. All rights reserved. Any rights not expressly granted herein are reserved.
16 responses to Liberal Democrat Manifesto 2010 General Election
Dear Sir/Madam
Where is your policy on immigration hidden? I was unable to find it within your manifesto.
liberal Democrat Manifesto Immigration Policy
firm but fair immigration system
Britain has always been an open, welcoming country, and thousands of businesses, schools and hospitals in many parts of the country rely on people who’ve come to live here from overseas. It would be wrong to try and end immigration completely but we have to manage migration so that it benefits Britain and is fair for everyone.
The immigration system is in chaos after decades of incompetent management. The Government has failed to plan properly for new migrants, making it harder for people to integrate. No-one has any idea how many people are here illegally, and there aren’t even exit checks at all ports and airports to ensure that people here on temporary visas go home on time.
We will create a fair system that works and promotes integration.
We will:
• Immediately reintroduce exit checks at all ports and airports.
• Secure Britain’s borders by giving a National Border Force police powers.
• Introduce a regional points-based system to ensure that migrants can work only where they are needed. We need to enforce any immigration system through rigorous checks on businesses and a crackdown on rogue employers who profit from illegal labour.
• Prioritise deportation efforts on criminals, people-traffickers and other high-priority cases. We will let law-abiding families earn citizenship. We will allow people who have been in Britain without the correct papers for ten years, but speak English, have a clean record and want to live here long-term to earn their citizenship. This route to citizenship will not apply to people arriving after 2010.
a safe haven for those fleeing persecution
Britain has a responsibility to welcome refugees fleeing wars and persecution around the world. Liberal Democrats will abide by Britain’s international obligations and restore confidence in the asylum system by making it firm and fair.
We will:
• Take responsibility for asylum away from the Home Office and give it to a wholly independent agency, as has been successful in Canada.
• Push for a co-ordinated EU-wide asylum system to ensure that the responsibility is fairly shared between member states.
• Allow asylum seekers to work, saving taxpayers’ money and allowing them the dignity of earning their living instead of having to depend on handouts.
• End the detention of children in immigration detention centres.
Alternative systems such as electronic tagging, stringent reporting requirements and residence restrictions can be used for adults in families considered high flight risks.
• End deportations of refugees to countries where they face persecution, imprisonment, torture or execution and end the detention of individuals for whom removal is not possible or imminent, except where there is a significant risk of absconding.
This is part of the 2010 manifesto under the section Your Community: http://www.general-election-2010.co.uk/liberal-democrat-party-manifesto-2010-general-election/liberal-democrat-manifesto-2010-your-community
David
Liberal Democrat Manifesto 2010 General Election
In response to the statement about immigration, i agree. Although don’t you think that we have let it get too far? Aren’t we bombarded with asylum seekers as it is? Do you think that we would be within our right to send illegal immigrants back home if their reasons for being in our country is to only take advantage of our benefits?
Can not find policy on immigration too? Publish so that we can make up our minds too.
with regards your inquiry i urge you to read the below link. you may then make up your own mind whether this is a real issue or one pushed by the political parties and mainstream media to satiate your arbitrary notion of nationhood.
epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/cache/ITY…/KS-SF-07-110-EN.PDF -
My name is Matthew Fowler I am a 19 year old student with Albinisam and a visual impairment. Unfortuntaly I expirence alot of bullying torment because of this and I would like to know what the Liberal Democrats could do to imrpove the current situation that me and other poeple with disabiltys face on a regular basis.
I would like to know at what age the Liberal Democrat party will be allowing people to draw their pension.
I had come to terms with 65 for women (to be introduced by Gordon Brown) -- but now David Cameron says he will introduce a new policy whereby women will retire from the age of 66 and will bring the date forward to 2016.
To me this sounds totally unfair. It has gone from women retiring at 60 to 65 to 66.
I cannot find anything in the LD manifesto that relates to the age of people retiring.
JD
JD
Liberal Democrat Manifesto 2010 General Election
Can you clarify what it means by regional point system for immigration.Does this mean it will replace the point based system in Tier 1?
What about prohibition? Is this covered in Liberal Democrat Manifesto 2010 : Your Money Dealing With The Deficit.
I earn a fair amount.. But for the last ten years minimum, i have chosen not to drink all that much alcohol as it doesn’t agree with me.
Instead I spend a minimum of £80 per month on cannabis and have done for the last ten year (until I grew my own)…The pot smokers alone could clear the deficit in Five years… If we all put in £80 a month. There’s not a lot in my local town for me… Its rubbish loads of rubbish pubs, scrapping along on wet incomes. Drunkards breaking pint pots and bottles, causing my little dog injuries on an afternoon stroll.
All the parties seem to be making the same pledges about the old stuff… The first political party who stands up and say’s we’re going to legalise and control drugs. Deal with them from a Health aspect, make all drug dealers extinct!! Then taxes could be lower on fuel or!! Or make bio fuel out of hemp! It’s a modern world that needs a modern approach, draconian measures don’t work… I’m not a bad person for all the weed I smoke… I work hard, want a family, I avoid trouble and have worked all of my life, and I have never claimed the dole. But I mix with the riffraff and this current society and the laws that govern it… Make me a criminal… I’m not… I just like a smoke… and now at the age of 30. My lung capacity is tell me, you need to exercise! Don’t smoke in the morning, leave it to the evening… And guess what?? Common sense prevails.
Create an Industry (or take charge), an industry that will bloom and is completely natural.
Liberal Democrat Manifesto 2010 General Election
I should have read the manifesto from the Green Party first!
Obvious really :)
Vote Green!
Mr. Nick Clegg says that he will grant amnesty to those illegal immigrants who are there in the UK for 10 years, can speak English, clean criminal record. He also says that it will not apply to those who enter the UK illegally after 2010. I want to know that what is the future of those illegal immigrants in the UK who are there for the last nine and a half years (Not 10 years), can speak English, without any criminal record? or who are residing in the UK for the last five years being visa overstayed or failed asylum seekers?
Liberal Democrat Manifesto 2010 General Election
What will the Lib Dems do for students? They talk about giving children a fair start in life, but you only really start paying for your education when you get to university. What will they do about the proposed rise of student fees?
I agree, I’m a student just finishing Alevels… possibly carry on to College/Uni. My Profession is a hard one to climb the ladder in too and is barely paid much until you are well up that ladder.
I don’t need student fees pulling me down.
Perhaps get a job aswell as going to Uni. As you only do a few hours a week in the classroom
We were poorly prepared for the last world war and only survived by the skin of our teeth.
We must not let that happen again. We would lose !!!
If Trident is outdated/too expensive, what is your alternative?
This also applies to some degree to the new Typhoon,
what is the alternative?
Many years ago, the Labour Party lost my vote when they were proposing unilateral disarmament, I know you are not proposing that, but you must state a clear defence policy that leaves us with a capable deterrent.
It is abhorred and expensive, but I believe that Mutually Assured Distruction is what has kept us alive for the last 65 years.
Regards,
Don.
Liberal Democrat Manifesto 2010 General Election
I don’t know if we should scrap Trident and go with an alternative system, but then that isn’t exactly what the Lib Dems are saying.
They are saying they might replace Trident AFTER a defence review (which we are well overdue for).
What I find disingenuous is the Labour and Conservative parties have ruled out replacing Trident before a defence review. I don’t understand why it wouldn’t be part of a defense review when everything else is, it doesn’t mean they WILL scrap Trident, but it should be discussed, maybe there are better alternative for less money.
The Lib Dems are right, a deterrent like Trident was designed in the cold war era when our biggest threat was nuclear annihilation at the hands of Russia. Although there is still a nuclear threat from that part of the world, it is no longer a serious organised threat, the cold war is well and truly over and we no longer see Russia as the enemy.
Now we have to worry about countries like Iran and North Korea and their goal to be nuclear powers. Is Trident an appropriate deterrent for dealing with potential future threats from countries like Iran and North Korea?
Then we have the threat of terrorism using nuclear bombs (most likely dirty bombs). Lets say London was hit with a dirty bomb by a rogue state, would we use nukes on them or like with Iraq and Afghanistan rely on conventional weapons?
I don’t know the answer to these questions, that’s the whole point of a defence review to explore our possible future defence needs and change defence accordingly and that might well mean replacing Trident with an alternative nuclear deterrent (none of the main three parties advocate unilateral nuclear disarmament).
BTW I agree completely with your comment and questions apart from the Labour bit, they’ve moved away from their unworkable (immature) CND type approach.
We were damn lucky in WW2 that we along with the Russians slowed the Nazi advance to a crawl while the US used it’s mighty industrial capacity to build a war machine that we (the allies) used to smash the Nazis and it’s allies out of Africa and Europe etc… and back to Germany using sheer force of numbers.
Had Hitler not made the mistake of switching the Luftwaffe from attacking RAF bases (they needed air superiority before they could cross the channel) to carpet bombing English cities, the war could have gone the other way (they almost crippled the RAF)! Early in the war the German army was better equipped, better trained and had better tactics than we did, had they got over the channel early in the war, we’d have been another stepping stone to Nazi domination of Europe!!! It’s a very scary thought.
David
Liberal Democrat Manifesto 2010 General Election
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