Wednesday 28 April 2010

Families come in all shapes and sizes....

Widows and Widowers have joined the voices of single parents and numerous others to condemn the Tory married couples tax plan.

Like the other groups condemning this unfair proposal they recognise that families come in all shapes and sizes, but they additionally feel that penalising someone when they lose a partner is "morally unjustifiable".

Caroline Doughty, chairman of the Widowed and Young Foundation said: "David Cameron said this policy was important because of the message it sends out. What kind of message does this send to widows? That we are less deserving of support than someone who still has their husband and wife?"

It is the welfare of the children that matters not the size or shape of the family that they live in.

Tuesday 27 April 2010

We've got Harry Potter on our side.

Daniel Radcliffe, the Harry Potter star said he was backing the Liberal Democrats after having “a good chat” with leader Nick Clegg.

Let's hope he can summon up some Harry Potter magic and give us a big win on May 6th!

Sunday 25 April 2010

A Liberal Democrat MP would be the best result for Gosport.

It is looking increasingly likely that we will end up with a hung parliament.

If the result follows the current polls and the Labour party end up finishing third in the share of vote, Nick Clegg has said Gordon Brown would have no right to carry on "squatting" in Downing Street. David Cameron has not ruled out discussions over voting reform and it is well documented that the Liberal Democrats see this as essential to making a deal.

It is difficult to say what will happen until the actual result, we have been quite clear that we will not be second guessing the wishes of the people and no discussion have or will take place until the people have made their wishes known, but if the polls are right and we do end up with a hung parliament who would be best placed to represent the interests of Gosport?

Interestingly enough, whatever the result, with a hung parliament deal or a small majority for one party or the other the answer is the same and that is a Liberal Democrat.

A Liberal Democrat would be able to use the fact that the ruling party needs his vote to get things through parliament to bargain for a better deal for Gosport.

A Liberal Democrat MP would be the best result for Gosport.

Saturday 24 April 2010

Vote for a real change!

There is a distinct feeling around the country that people want a real change in politics. They are fed up with the old guard that has let us down so badly. They want politicians that are more in touch with them, that understand their needs and aspirations and that do not think that they are above the law that we all have to live by.

This is the key issue for most people, politicians have betrayed our trust and let us down. We must not forget this when we go to the polls. We must look deep into our hearts and vote for real change, we must send a message loud and clear to the politicians that we will not accept this anymore.

We want real change.

Thursday 22 April 2010

Graham Giles supporters need to be told not to speed along residential roads.

The car with Graham Giles stickers in the side windows that just came haring down Anns Hill Road at well over the speed limit will not have done his cause any good. There are a lot of old people living in this area and this car was moving at a fair rate of knots, so fast that I could not see who was driving it.

Speeding Traffic in Anns Hill Road is a big concern to the residents of this area and there were a few people who witnessed this totally reckless and irresponsible behaviour and I am sure that although it was moving too fast to see who was driving I am sure that they all, as I did, saw the distinctive red and yellow banners in the side window.

Someone needs to have a serious word with whoever that was, before he causes a serious accident.

Tuesday 20 April 2010

The Liberal Democrats are up for real change. Not up for sale

None of us know the outcome of the next election. It is for the voters to determine the result and we do not intend to second-guess them.

But whatever the result of the election the Liberal Democrats will not compromise on our promise to deliver: -

• fairer taxes, with no-one paying tax on the first £10,000 they earn;
• a fair start for every child, with an extra £2.5 billion invested in reducing class sizes and more one to one tuition,
• radical political reform so you get a fair deal from politicians;
• and a green, sustainable economy, investing to create tens thousands of new jobs that last.


If you want that sort of real change the only way to get it is to vote Liberal Democrat.

You wont get it from any other party.

Thursday 15 April 2010

Bring it on....

Round One. The chancellors debate, as per my previous blog, Vince Cable was voted as the person that most people would like to see as chancellor.

Round Two. The first of the leaders debates and Nick Clegg scores a big win.

Research by YouGov for The Sun ( a Tory paper) clearly shows that Nick Clegg had impressed voters most. He was rated as the most impressive by 51 per cent, a clear lead over Mr Cameron on 29 per cent and The Prime Minister on 19 per cent.

A ComRes poll for ITV News also found that Mr Clegg had emerged victorious. He was rated as the winner by 43 per cent of the 4,032 viewers polled, well ahead of Mr Cameron's score of 26 per cent and miles ahead of Mr Brown's 20 per cent.

We are witnessing an historic moment, elections that can change the course of history don't come around too often. There has not been one in my lifetime, till now.

We have a simple choice, between a vote for more of the same or a vote for real change.

It is becoming blatantly obvious that this country wants real change.

I say bring it on, it's long overdue.

Wednesday 14 April 2010

Manifestos at the ready.......

All three main parties have now issued their manifestos, so now is the time for voters to start looking at the parties and seeing which of these manifestos is closest to their own beliefs.

I am confident that anyone spending the time to look at the party manifestos will find themselves in agreement with the Liberal Democrats. I have spoken to Conservative and Labour supporters both in person and online and a lot are surprised to find that we are getting it right where their own party is getting it wrong.

Some have taken part in the Daily Telegraph voters initiative, where you answer questions based on your political concerns and priorities, and found to their surprise that the Liberal Democrats came out on top of the list of parties that they should be looking at voting for.

This comes as no surprise to me, because the fairness that people are looking for, the freedom that people are looking for, the openness that people are looking for is not something that the Liberal Democrats have just added to their policies, it is something that has always been there.

We face a choice in Britain, in Gosport, a simple choice between more of the same or real change.

Let's hope we get real change.

Tuesday 13 April 2010

Actions speak louder than words.

Caroline Dinenage is to move into subsidised service accommodation in Gosport.

She has stated in her leaflets that she wants to be judged by her actions and I am quite happy for the people of Gosport to judge for themselves what they think about this.

Is this the change that she wants you to vote for?

Is this the change that we want?

There is and there has only ever been one party that offers real change and I hope that the Gosport people sees through the flim flam of the other parties and votes Liberal Democrat on May 6th.

Monday 12 April 2010

Disgraced MP's to get legal aid.

I am absolutely gobsmacked at the audacity of the 3 Labour MP's charged with fraud over the expenses scandal.

Not only have these MP's claimed that they should be protected from prosecution by a 400 year old law, they have now successfully claimed legal aid. Legal aid was introduced so that the poor could get proper legal representation, not to defend MP's against the indefensible.

Maybe we should have taken the advise of a Kenny Everett character from the 80's and..." round 'em up – and put 'em in a field – and bomb the bastards!"

Friday 9 April 2010

The MOD is too top heavy. So are lots of other government departments.

Nick Clegg has visited the south as party of his whirlwind tour of Britain. See the story in The News here

He was, as always, honest and forthright and like his right hand man Vince Cable he has a habit of saying what we all know, but most politicians from other parties tend to completely miss.

The MOD is too top heavy, as a resident of Gosport for many years now I know all too well what he is saying. They have 2 admirals per warship, a ridiculous situation. We need to pare down this bureaucracy in all areas of government, we need better equipped and paid soldiers and less admirals. We need less managers and more nurses.

Another ridiculous situation that we are going to sort out is "the less you spend, the less you get" budget thinking, departments need to be incentivised for saving money, not penalised. The whole "we've got the money in the budget so we've got to spend it" attitude has to be changed.

Liberal Democrats plan to take a measured approach to cuts, making proper savings, savings that will allow us money to ensure that our frontline services are not just maintained but improved.

Accept no substitutes, it is only the Liberal Democrats that will deliver real fairness.

Thursday 8 April 2010

Film backs 'Robin Hood' bank tax

Sir Ben Kingsley is appearing in a film to back the "Robin Hood" bank tax.
See Channel 4 News story here

I fully support the bank tax.

I think it is proper, I think it is fair, I think it is right that the banks pay back the people who have bailed them out.

Now more than ever the better off, especially those who can shoulder some of the responsibility for getting us into this recession, need to help those who are left struggling.

What really amounts to very little to the banks will make a big difference to those affected by the recession that they helped to cause.

Wednesday 7 April 2010

Real Heroes

The word hero is all too often used nowadays, for pop stars, for footballers, but these men are the real heroes, these men their colleagues and the other front line people who risk their lives on a daily basis to keep us safe and well.

We must never let these people down, for they never let us down when we need them.

http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/newshome/Two-firefighters-killed-in-Hampshire.6207820.jp

Monday 5 April 2010

Expansion of the rail network.

Coming from what is reputedly the largest town in the south without it's own railway station I am really pleased to see the Lib Dems announcing their plans for expanding the rail network.

Railways are greener than cars or buses, they can carry both passengers and freight and if we had a station and a goods yard in Gosport we could start to attract employers back into the area. Particularly those industries, such as engineering and hi-tec industries which could really benefit our town.

We could even get some of the lucrative new green industries.

With the prospect of employment the young people of this town would have hope for the future, for it is the lack of any real prospect of getting a job in Gosport that really worries most of the youngsters I talk to.

Once again the Liberal Democrats show that they are the only party with policies that make sense for Britain as a whole and the only party with policies that could really transform the lives of the people of Gosport.