Monday, 23 September 2019

A Liberal Democrat manifesto?


Some commentators claim that we Liberal Democrats  are so well identifed with trying to stop Brexit that, if and when Brexti is sroted out, we shall have nothing left on which to campaign.

Happily, a contribution by a Paul Hindley, on Liberal Democrat Voice, 20th September 2019, gives a good summary of various motinons passed at this years conference which , in my view , form a convincing basis on which to campaign.

Here's an outline:
 
 
 According to Hindley, the Liberal Democrats are now committed to:

  •  investing an extra £5 billion into the welfare system every year;
  • establishing a £50 billion Rebalancing Fund to address the investment disparities between the different nations and regions of the UK.;
  •   abolishing  benefit sanctions;
  •  establishing  a legal right to food;
  • building 100,000 new social homes a year;
  • ending   rough sleeping within five years; 
  • bringing  work capability assessments in-house; 
  • increase the minimum wage by 20% for people on zero hours contracts at times of normal demand;
  • raising the central government grants handed to local government in real terms every year, 
  • ending austerity in local government;
  • initiating  a “secure income guarantee”, the first tentative step on the way to making a universal basic income or a negative income tax.
 Hindley concludes:
At the next general election, we Liberal Democrats must embody three of our core principles; pro-European internationalism, radical political reform and social justice. We must stand to 

 Revoke, Reform and Redistribute

 Let’s revoke Article 50. Let’s reform our broken politics. Let’s redistribute wealth to the poorest and most vulnerable members of our society. Only then will the Brexit crisis be resolved. Only then will the social divisions that led to Brexit and the constitutional crisis which has been caused by Brexit be truly overcome. 

All that seems to me to be a sound basis for our domestic manifesto. and is something that most Labour -leaning voters will be able to support, along with genuine "One Nation" Tories.

I stil believe that the best sequence is to;

  • revoke Article 50 here and now with the present paarliement;
  • if our MPs haven't the courage, then have a People's vote on Brexit;
  • and after that, whatever the result, a General Election.

Whatever eventuates, when the General Election comes I shall be happy to campaign enthusiastically on a manifesto based on  the above.

2 comments:

  1. Our policies besides Brexit should be sold on the net and in our focus leaflets and on the door. These are the ways we will get our policies across cos you can be sure the right wing press will not help.
    The govnt says they have built 450,000 'affordable'!!?? homes since 2010. 9 years to build 50 thou a year. We need to build OVER twice that number PER YEAR. Their comments are pathetic. Put that on all media outlets.

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    1. We also need to put a lot of effort into making the many already built but empty houses suitable for letting or buying. And we need a re-definition of "affordable," not just to buy, but to rent as well.

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