Jo Swinson has written for Scotland on Sunday’s Election Essays series. First of all she outlines the Liberal Democrat contributions to the Government:
The last five years have demonstrated beyond doubt that the Liberal Democrats made the right decision and are a force for good in government. We’ve taken tough decisions to get growth up and the deficit down, while also protecting the public services on which we all rely. We have been able to deliver vital Liberal Democrat policies, while preventing the Conservatives from dancing to the right-wing tune of their Eurosceptic backbenchers and the populism of Nigel Farage’s Ukip.
As a result, the economy is recovering strongly: we grew faster than any other G7 country last year, and we’re borrowing half as much as we were in 2010.
You don’t have to choose between governing fairly and balancing the books as Labour and Conservatives would have you believe:
Liberal Democrats will balance the books by 2018, and do so fairly. We won’t drag out the pain for years longer like Labour, or slash public services to the bone like the Conservatives. These parties will try and convince you that you have to choose between eliminating the deficit or protecting public services. You don’t. With the Liberal Democrats’ balanced plan, we can do both.
The SNP would jeopardise that progress:
The SNP agenda is clear: to win as many Westminster seats as possible in order to keep independence on the table. They don’t see it as their role to provide responsible government: their economic plan to borrow an extra £180 billion would wreck the recovery.
The SNP’s fixation on independence has led them to take their eye off the ball when it comes to actually governing Scotland. Just look at our NHS: cancer waiting time targets missed, a hospital beds shortage, A&E departments in crisis. By borrowing even more than Labour, the SNP will put at risk the economic recovery we’ve all worked and sacrificed so hard to secure.
She goes on to look in some detail at Liberal Democrat policies:
We want a healthy society where no-one is held back by illness or stigmatised because of it. That’s why we’ve not only protected the NHS from cuts, but also prioritised mental health care, which has been neglected for far too long.
The NHS faces big challenges over the next few years, and the Liberal Democrats are the only party to have set out fully-costed plans to give the Scottish NHS the extra £800 million it needs to meet them.
Someone suffering from depression or an eating disorder should get the treatment and care they need, just as someone should if they have cancer or a broken leg. We want to raise mental health care up to the same standards as for physical health, by investing in better crisis care in A&Es, better care for pregnant women and new mums, and better mental health services for children.
And her own record in government:
As a Minister for Employment Relations, I have personally fought for changes to the workplace that will help families and boost businesses. We’ve given all employees the right to request flexible working, so they can find the work-life balance that suits them, and – my proudest achievement in government – introduced shared parental leave, so parents can choose how to juggle work and caring for a new baby.
The lazy, out-dated assumption that it’s always mum who does the childcare and dad who does the bread-winning is bad for women, bad for men, bad for children, and bad for businesses too. Most new dads want to spend more time with their babies, and we know that children benefit when they do. Women who want to work shouldn’t be held back, and employers shouldn’t miss out on their talents.
You can read the whole article here.
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10 Comments
Excellent article. I did some phoning for Jo at conference and was lucky enough to run into her. The response from her constituents? Some were undecided about the Lib Dems, but as soon as you mentioned her as an MP they were backing her for all the hard work she does in her constituency.
So when is the nasty Daily Mail about “hard as nails career woman Swinson and soppy new man Duncan” appearing? …….probably not until Tuesday as its a Bank Holiday tomorrow!
Simon: well I hope the leaflets up in Dumbartonshire are reinforcing the “working for local people” and “fighting for our area” messages rather than repeating all the tripe about driving straight on at road junctions whilst anchoring in the centre!
Unfortunately for Jo Swinson this is when the voters start thinking about their MP’s voting record. Her strong support for increasing tuition fees, introducing the bedroom tax and voting against a tax increase on those earning over £150,000 a year won’t go down well in Scotland. The SNP are odds on to take the seat with the LibDems and Labour neck and neck for second and third.
@malc Jo Swinson’s constituents are Scottish. Why should they care about tuition fees for English students?
Philip Thomas
That might be why Jo Swinson ignored her pledge and voted to triple tuition fees. Why should she care about English students when her constituents are Scottish? It doesn’t sound much like a vote winner to me though, even in Scotland.
Malc: What was the top rate of tax for all but the last few months of the 13 year Labour Government? – 40%
What is the top rate of tax now? – 45%.
Now eplain why the last Labour Government opposed those Lib Dems who wanted a 50% tax rate for earnings over £100,000 p.a. when in power?
Steve Comer
When times were good – which they were for most of the 13 yr Labour government – 40% was fine. However, when times are hard and many people are on zero hour contracts, having no pay rises and having their benefits cut or stopped it’s different. Then we all have to muck in together and the higher earners among us have to contribute by paying a bit more tax.
PS. It’s not really about how Labour voted because it’s the SNP who are odds on to take Jo Swinson’s seat.
malc 6th Apr ’15 – 12:49am
“Steve Comer — When times were good – which they were for most of the 13 yr Labour government – ”
Steve will probably answer for himself. But your remark that times were good for 13 years under Labour ignores too much to be allowed to pass.
Sanctioning of folk on benefits was escalated many times during those 13 years.
The prison population reached an all-time high.
Refugees and asylum seekers were locked upon privatised quasi-prisons along with their children.
453 families might argue that Afghanistan – just one of Labour’s six wars in that 13 year period – brought bad times.
it was during those 13 years that Caroline Flint the Labour minister invented the bedroom tax and got half way to imposing it.
I could go on, but you have probably got the picture.
The economic situation prior to 2009 may have been less dire than under the unnecessary austerity of Cameron/Osbourne since 2010 — but it was not all sunshine and fun under Labour.
“Across much of Scotland, Lib Dems are the only party who can beat the SNP”
ComRes poll (31/03/15):-
CON 13%
LAB 37%
SNP 43%
LDEM 2%
I’m not convinced.