Liberal Democrats Policies Debate

The Liberal Democrats, often shortened to Lib Dems, are a centrist political party in the United Kingdom, formed in 1988 by a merger of the Liberal Party and the Social Democratic Party. The two parties had formed the electoral SDP-Liberal Alliance for seven years before then. The party’s leader is Nick Clegg.

The Lib Dems are the third-largest party in the UK Parliament, behind Labour and the Conservatives. There are 63 Lib Dem Members of Parliament (MPs) – 62 were elected at the 2005 general election, and one in the Dunfermline and West Fife by-election, 2006. The Scottish Liberal Democrats formed a coalition Scottish Executive with Labour in the first two sessions of the Scottish Parliament, and the Welsh party were in a coalition with Labour in the National Assembly for Wales from 2001 to 2003.

According to the Liberal Democrats Party website the Liberal Democrats Party will try to achieve the following if they gain power at the 2010 general election:

Your privacy’s being undermined. There are plans for intrusive ID cards, and the Government snoops into our lives and keeps losing private information. Liberal Democrats will stop identity cards and use the money to pay for more police. We’ll introduce a Freedom Law to protect your privacy.

The way Britain is run means the Government doesn’t have to listen to you – one party can get control over Parliament even if only a quarter of people support them. Liberal Democrats will stop MPs from fiddling expenses – and stop big donations too. We’ll give you a fair voting system so everyone’s opinion counts equally.

According to the Liberal Democrats Party website the Liberal Democrats Party will try to achieve the following if they gain power at the 2010 general election:

Britain’s rich heritage has a major impact on the quality of our communities and provides many of the most fulfilling moments in our lives. We believe that everybody should have the opportunity to participate in and enjoy a diverse range of cultural and sporting experiences. We will increase funding to community sports and help to improve the health of the whole nation. We will secure arts and heritage by restoring the independence of National Lottery funds. We will also ensure that public service broadcasting remains strong, free from interference and securely funded.

According to the Liberal Democrats Party website the Liberal Democrats Party will try to achieve the following if they gain power at the 2010 general election:

The transport system should help individuals to make green choices about the way they live offering modern, affordable, accessible and reliable means of travel. We would invest in a proper public transport system, taxing lorries and domestic flights in order to provide substantial new investment in the rail network to create the 21st century rail network our children and grandchildren need. The failed deregulation of the bus industry must be reversed. We will give local authorities much more control over the pricing and planning of services to create a viable local transport system.

According to the Liberal Democrats Party website the Liberal Democrats Party will try to achieve the following if they gain power at the 2010 general election:

We will put British values into foreign policy – fairness, democracy and the value of human life. We’ll put Britain at the heart of Europe so we’re a stronger force for good in the world.

Our Armed forces have had to put up with sub-standard housing, are sent into conflict without proper equipment, and are stretched to the limit. The men and women of our Armed Forces must be properly valued. We’ll make forces welfare a priority and equip our armed forces properly for the tasks of the future.

According to the Liberal Democrats Party website the Liberal Democrats Party will try to achieve the following if they gain power at the 2010 general election:

We want to cut the red tape that stops businesses from growing. We’ll protect everyone from rip-offs by introducing a new legal duty on business to trade fairly.

Set business free – We will cut red tape to enable business to get on with business. We will cut business rates for small businesses, beef up competition policy and make government contracting more transparent. As part of this process we will abolish BERR, cutting the department’s bureaucratic and wasteful functions such as business subsidies; other functions would be transferred to more appropriate departments. This will save a substantial amount of taxpayers’ money per annum which we will invest in other priorities.

According to the Liberal Democrats Party website the Liberal Democrats Party will try to achieve the following if they gain power at the 2010 general election:

Post offices, parks and neighbourhood shops are disappearing. Families get broken up as people move around more. And many people from around the world are making their home in Britain. We need stronger communities to bring people together again. We will help people come together to run services, fight crime and protect post offices, shops and homes.

Local decisions on local homes, schools, and green space – We will scrap the ‘Whitehall knows best’ rules and targets that mess up and delay decisions about key local issues. Local people will be set free to make the key decisions about their area and about improving local services, with real powers and responsibilities devolved to local communities and their councils.

According to the Liberal Democrats Party website the Liberal Democrats Party will try to achieve the following if they gain power at the 2010 general election:

We’re all proud of the NHS, but with superbugs, long waiting lists, and a postcode lottery for vital drugs – it still lets too many of us down. Liberal Democrats will put doctors, nurses and patients back in control. There’ll be guaranteed care for elderly people. And the NHS will pay for you to go private if they can’t deliver your treatment on time.