Clegg's New Year message.

Thought I'd copy this as its interesting reading. I do believe that sometimes politicians messages do need to reach as wider audience as possible.
“I have a confession to make: 2009 tested my belief in politics to breaking point.I remember once looking round the House of Commons during another Punch and Judy session of Prime Ministers Questions.
In the real world, youth unemployment had just reached its highest level ever, our brave soldiers were facing extraordinary dangers in Afghanistan, the bankers were still gorging themselves on bonuses, and the economy was in the middle of the worst recession in generations. And what were the politicians doing? Yelling and guffawing at each other as if the world outside didn’t exist.So I don’t blame anyone for feeling a sense of despair about our clapped out political system.
You are being taken for granted by the people in charge. Big money is hollowing out politics with some rich donors not even bothering to say whether they pay full British taxes or not. And to top it all the expenses scandals exposed some MPs as spivvy property speculators and tax evaders rather than public servants. This whole set-up has to change.
That’s what 2010 should be all about. Big, permanent change for the better.
People’s faith in politics may be dented, but I still believe in our ability to learn from the mistakes of the past, and set things on a new course. 2010 must be the year we press the political reset button. But that will only happen if we do things differently. More of the same won’t produce anything new.Of course both Labour and the Conservatives have learned to parrot the language of change. But where’s the proof they mean it?
Despite all the hot air about fixing politics they have both voted against giving people the right to sack MPs who’ve seriously broken the rules. Both have refused to clean up the rotten system of party political funding. Both refuse to give you your say by introducing fair votes to the House of Commons. And both refuse to shake up the City of London, so that bankers can never again play Russian roulette with your savings.Some people say, what’s the point of voting when the same old parties always win?
I say: vote for what you believe in. If you like what the Liberal Democrats stand for, vote for it. If you want real change, not phoney change, vote for it. If you think things should be different, vote for it. At the end of the day, politics should be about what you believe. What kind of Britain do you want to live in? What kind of world do we want our children and grandchildren to grow up in? So as the countdown to the next General Election finally begins, I have a simple question for the other party leaders: what do you believe, really believe?
People don’t want leading politicians clinging on to power for its own sake, or just telling people what they want to hear. There’s got to be more to it than that. I have one belief above all others: a belief in fairness.
Under my leadership the Liberal Democrats have been working on new ideas to make Britain the fair country I believe most people want it to be. We want to raise standards in all of our schools by giving specific help to the children most in need, and by making class sizes smaller. Soon we will be publishing new ideas to turn our economy away from its over dependence on the City of London to a new, green economy where hundreds of thousands of new jobs will be created as we rebuild our transport, energy and housing infrastructure.
Above all, we are now the only party with a detailed plan to make taxes fair – removing all income tax on the first £10000 you earn, paid for by asking people at the top to pay a bit more. If we as Leaders want people to turn out to vote at all at the next General Election, we have got to show people our convictions, not just dividing lines, our beliefs, not just soundbites.
I hope in the coming months even more people will get a chance to find out what I believe in, and the beliefs of the Liberal Democrats. If enough people share our convictions, our beliefs, then 2010 really can be the beginning of something new."

Delighted at plan to get rid of unfair tuition fees

Good news for students and for everyone who wants a fairer Britain. This week the Party's federal policy committee agreed a way to deliver one of our most important policies, the scrapping of unfair tuition fees. I must admit I was delighted to hear this.
Developed is a plan to phase out tuition fees over the course of the next six years, to ensure this vital policy is affordable even at this time of economic crisis.
Labour and the Conservatives refuse to address the issue of fees and there is a real danger that both of them would lift the cap on fees which could mean even more debt for students when they leave university. We think that is wrong and our policy will prevent it happening.
It's simply wrong to penalise people who want to make the best of themselves by saddling them with enormous mortgage-style debts from the day they graduate - especially when we know the root of the current economic crisis was too much debt. And it's clear that people from disadvantaged backgrounds are far more likely to be put off going to university if it costs them tens of thousands of pounds. In a fair society, university admissions should be based on your grades and intelligence, not the wealth of your parents. You should decide whether going to university makes sense for you - and you shouldn't have to make the decision based on your bank balance.
We were right to oppose tuition fees from day one, and have been right to continue to oppose any lifting of the cap on the limit of fees. The government has been obsessed with artificial targets for how many people should go to university, while putting barriers in their way in the shape of fees. The priority is making degrees affordable, and that means scrapping these unfair fees, including for those who study part-time. This is vital, because it tends to be older or poorer students who can't afford a full-time degree, but under current rules they have to pay up-front, while everyone else is allowed to defer their payments.
Of course, at a time of economic crisis, when the government has got the public finances into a mess, it is extremely important to be responsible about making a big financial commitment like this. Students want to be treated like grown ups; they know money doesn't grow on trees and that big spending committments like this are only affordable over time. That's why we have agreed together to lay out a financially responsible timetable to scrap fees, step by step, over the six years after the General Election.
Final year tuition fees will be the first to go. Too many people drop out, often put off by the huge costs. We'll make it easier to stay on, because no student will pay any fees to complete their degree. In 2011, we'll get help to part-time students, regulating the fees they pay (a vital step towards abolishing them). In 2012, part-time students will be able to access the same loans as full-time students. In 2013, we'll extend free tuition to second year students. In 2014, we'll extend that same free tuition to part time students. And in 2015, as the public finances are recovering, we will be able to afford to abolish all remaining fees.
Labour's recession has made it more difficult to find the money to fund our priorities BUT we remain the only party that believes fees are unfair, and the only party with a plan to get rid of them for good.

Chris Huhne MP visit to South Suffolk

Last night, the Lib Dem Home Affairs spoksperson, Chris Huhne MP visited Sudbury for the South Suffolk Dinner and to draw the Lib Dem National Christmas Draw which South Suffolk won last year. (Pictured left to right: Parliamentary Candidate Cllr Nigel Bennett, Cllr David Grutchfield and Chris Huhne MP)

Chris Huhne made an impressive speech and took questions from the floor after dinner. The Liberal Democrats are the party of fair taxes. Why should people on the minimum wage lose earnings via income tax? Chris emphasised the point that starting to pay income tax at £10,000 would remove several million from tax and benefit the typical taxpayer by £700. At the same time, it was right that tax loopholes were closed and those with properties over £2million pounds paid a fairer share.
Chris warned people that the Tories promise to repeat their 1980s mistake. He reminded everyone that in the 1980s recession, the Tories raised taxes and cut spending and though economic output began to rise after the collapse of 1980, it took 5-6 years before unemployment started to fall. A whole generation of young people were affected. The Liberal Democrats believe training is essential and money must be spent here.
Finally, Chris talked about protecting civil liberties from the threat of further surveillance and to the Human Rights Act.
Questions were asked on pensioner poverty, does parliament benefit from young MPs or older MPs with more experience and finally on the Copenhagen talks.
Chris emphasised the need to reduce fuel poverty which means people burn cash and carbon, the need to restore the link between earnings and the state pension, the need for a balance between young and older MPs and finally the "Zero Carbon by 2050" policy paper of the Lib Dems which set out the policy framework for achieving this aim, more than any other political party.