Nick Clegg MP sent out this e-mail to party members about the Queen’s Speech this afternoon. He is holding an exclusive web chat for party members only at 1:30 pm tomorrow. Places are limited but there is still space available. If you are a party member and want to take part, please e-mail party Internal Communications Manager and Lib Dem Voice Co-Editor Helen Duffett on [email protected] giving your name, address and party membership number. Here is Nick’s e-mail in full.
Today’s Queen’s Speech has again shown that the Liberal Democrats are punching way above their weight – and we can be proud of that.
It included many of the long-term reforms we’ve campaigned for, such as reform of the banks. These will help build a sustainable future for our country.
In 2010, we took the decision together to enter into a Coalition Government so we could do the right thing for the country at a time of economic crisis. Today we’ve focused on helping families and supporting growth and jobs.
Vince Cable will regulate the banks so they can no longer be in a position to hold the country to ransom when their financial gambles don’t pay off. And Ed Davey will establish the world’s first Green Investment Bank and introduce electricity market reform to protect consumers, support low-carbon energy and invest in renewables.
We’re also helping some of the most vulnerable people in our society. Steve Webb will help pensioners by introducing a flat-rate pension. We’ll propose a way to modernise adult care and support, finally ensuring dignity in old age.
Today also clearly set out our collective determination to reform the House of Lords, an historic commitment of our party.
There’s so much more I could highlight: Sarah Teather’s work on improving support for children with special educational needs, our support for flexible working and shared parental leave and our proposals to strengthen the hand of farmers and other suppliers of supermarkets through an independent adjudicator.
You can read about all of this and more on the Liberal Democrats’ website.
This Queen’s Speech has a firm Liberal Democrat stamp on it, delivering on what we’ve passed at Conference and pounded the pavements and knocked on doors for.
Best wishes,
Nick Clegg MP
Leader of the Liberal Democrats and Deputy Prime Minister
* Caron Lindsay is Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice and blogs at Caron's Musings
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5 Comments
Nick’s letter comes very close to providing an excellent launchpad for the prospective 2015 narrative I’ve suggested but will likely never come to pass.
Wish he would stop hammering about such minor issues and concentrate on the really big social injustice ones that are coming as a result of the so called “reforms” to welfare, social health, social care, education, and legal aid that will be withdrawn as a combination of acts and bills go through. All the other issues feel a tad bit frivolous and sound like he is beating his own drums
Jim is right!
The massive injustices which the LibDems have supported, the cuts in Legal Aid, trying to force the disabled into non existent jobs, vicious benefit cuts which will force many families out of their homes, all these which are a betrayal of Liberalism will condemn the Lib Dems to oblivion.
The minor improvements in the Queen’s Speech are a total irrelevance!
Couldn’t agree more Jim & Fran but seeing as how the leadership agreed with every decision made by the tories, I can’t see him disagreeing now.
Voting in favour of those bills will have lost many LibDem voters – myself included. I was truly shocked that they could turn their backs on their natural instincts because I am certain that if they were in opposition, there is no way they would have voted these reforms through.
I wonder how they will feel when the scandals begin to be reported. We are already seeing a rise in the number of foodbanks & I read a report yesterday of a couple living in a shed in London – the wife is a banker & is looking forward to returning to Hyderabad because their standard of living is so much higher there !
Jim and Fran are so right: these Liberal Democrat pointers in the Queen’s speech are largely irrelevant. There is little of comfort for those in the frontline of cutbacks that will lead to an ever growing number of the poor who will be relying on food aid and emergency housing in the months to come. This government is so cruel. And as to “punching above its weight”, someone should tell our leader that in boxing this is not the cleverest things to do, it invariably leads to being knocked out of the ring.