Tag Archives: Uyghur people

26 September 2020 – conference day 2 press releases

By Mark Valladares | Wed 30th September 2020 - 10:30 pm

Liberal Democrats condemn health inequalities “exposed in technicolour” by Covid crisis
Liberal Democrats demand Raab steps up sanctions against China over treatment of Uyghurs
Liberal Democrats call on Government to tackle ‘Long Covid’

Liberal Democrats condemn health inequalities “exposed in technicolour” by Covid crisis

In her first keynote address as Liberal Democrat Health, Wellbeing and Social Care spokesperson Munira Wilson will condemn the health inequalities “exposed in technicolour” through the COVID-19 crisis, and call for a Minister for Wellbeing to ensure that Government decisions are “fundamentally in keeping with health and wellbeing.” She is expected to say:

The coronavirus has not just laid bare the fundamental problems facing our NHS and care sectors, it has exposed in technicolour the health inequalities facing the UK, and shown us why we need to rethink the way we see healthcare as a whole.

We have seen the impact of poor and overcrowded housing, insecure employment and our broken welfare system on not just our physical health, but also our mental health and wellbeing.

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We have seen those health inequalities play out in real time, most shockingly in the disproportionate impact of COVID on people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic groups, on people with disabilities, and on the poorest.

When we think about the future, it’s clear that going “back to normal” is not an option. It is time to re-boot and re-think the way we live our lives, and the Government’s role in helping us to do so in a more sustainable, healthier way.

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That starts with making someone at the Cabinet table responsible: a Minister for Wellbeing who will scrutinise the Government’s actions and ensure they are fundamentally in keeping with health and wellbeing.

As well as this, in the same way that Equality Impact Assessments pushed equality up the agenda, we need to introduce wellbeing assessments to make sure new laws empower people to live healthier lives.

Posted in News and Press releases | Also tagged china, health inequality, layla moran, long covid and munira wilson | Leave a comment

A liberal lion not alone – in support of Maajid Nawaz

By Lorenzo Cherin | Fri 17th July 2020 - 7:15 pm

Embed from Getty Images

The Liberal Democrats are not a bitter and twisted lot. The, or we, are not a lot at all. There are not as many as two larger groupings, but we avoid groupthink and would think of ourselves as a lot of individuals, together. Or not always together. Liberals, by nature, are good soloists as well as sociable choristers! Perhaps I am preaching to the choir, I think many surely must know what I mean. When a Liberal Democrat steps back a bit, goes his or her own way, this party do not say, as others seem to, ” good riddance to bad rubbish!” We are far too keen on recycling for this approach!

Very recently a Liberal Democrat withdrew from our party. He had not been active as a member since taking up more independent broadcasting, but he had been a Parliamentary candidate, in the worst election for this party, 2015. His reasons for not currently wanting to continue his membership are, it seems, to work cross party, on serious issues that are above party. He appears to be wanting to be more assertive on things he is vociferous about, and to maintain a distance as well as not bring the party into controversy, if he needs to criticise politicians. But whether in or out of the Liberal Democrats, he is one of the strongest proponents of liberalism. His parting comments were, that his departure is not a divorce and that he will always love the Liberal Democrats and send liberals our way.

Maajid Nawaz has been on a quite epic journey. It is one that we should both relate to and be impressed with. He made the journey from Essex to Egypt, from Islamism to liberalism, from liberalism to the Liberal Democrats, from the Liberal Democrats to where he is today.

He is on a hunger strike. He is doing it to demand action on behalf of and for the plight of the Uyghur people in China. He wants citizens of the UK to sign a petition to get a debate in Parliament to consider sanctions against the powerful in China. His is specifically a struggle against a government, for a people, not against the people of China. As one who is a prominent voice within the BAME community of the UK, he is very clear to express it as what it is and what it is not.This is an issue about humanity, as I explain on this site, recently, that is important.

Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged maajid nawaz | 20 Comments