What a privilege it was listening to Barack Obama live on TV from Westminster hall this afternoon. He spoke for 40 minutes with no notes, and held everyone's attention throughout...OK...maybe not Ken Clarke who appeared to be sleeping....but everyone else.
What a great hall for a great orator as well......900 years of history, and the American president did not disappoint.
It is very rarely that we are impressed by a political speech nowadays, but this was definitely one to remember.
Wednesday, 25 May 2011
Simon Hughes MP on our green cerdentials and achievements..........
It's been a great month for Liberal Democrats who are setting the pace on the green agenda!
Two weeks ago, Chris Huhne, as Energy and Climate Change Secretary, led for the government when his Department's Energy Bill received its second reading in the House of Commons. This creates the framework for the Green Deal, a comprehensive programme of energy efficiency improvements for housing and office buildings, cutting both energy bills and emissions. Householders and business will be able to see up to £10,000 invested in insulation, at no up-front cost, paying back the investment through the lower energy bills they will enjoy as a result.
Last week, Chris Huhne announced the government’s ‘carbon budget’ for the mid-2020s, setting a legal requirement for a 50 per cent reduction (from 1990) by 2025. This creates the certainty businesses need to put in place long-term investments in the expanding low-carbon industries – renewable electricity, electric cars, home insulation. This is the most ambitious legally binding carbon budget set by any government anywhere; and by putting the UK at the forefront of the international debate, we will be able to push the EU and the international community towards further emissions cuts world-wide.
And this week, Nick Clegg, the Deputy Prime Minister, and Vince Cable, the Business Secretary, revealed details of the Green Investment Bank, the world’s first green development bank. Up and running from April 2012, this will use an initial £3 billion of public money to lever an additional £15 billion in private investment towards the low-carbon opportunities that are opening up – particularly in offshore wind and energy efficiency.
I was this party’s first environment spokesman over twenty years ago. It makes me proud to see what so many of us campaigned for all those years ago being made a reality now we’re in government. This is a key part of what we Liberal Democrats bring to the coalition, and none of this would have happened without us. As Nick said yesterday, ‘the LibDems have long been the greenest of the main three parties - the difference now is that it is not just a green party but a green party of government’.
Two weeks ago, Chris Huhne, as Energy and Climate Change Secretary, led for the government when his Department's Energy Bill received its second reading in the House of Commons. This creates the framework for the Green Deal, a comprehensive programme of energy efficiency improvements for housing and office buildings, cutting both energy bills and emissions. Householders and business will be able to see up to £10,000 invested in insulation, at no up-front cost, paying back the investment through the lower energy bills they will enjoy as a result.
Last week, Chris Huhne announced the government’s ‘carbon budget’ for the mid-2020s, setting a legal requirement for a 50 per cent reduction (from 1990) by 2025. This creates the certainty businesses need to put in place long-term investments in the expanding low-carbon industries – renewable electricity, electric cars, home insulation. This is the most ambitious legally binding carbon budget set by any government anywhere; and by putting the UK at the forefront of the international debate, we will be able to push the EU and the international community towards further emissions cuts world-wide.
And this week, Nick Clegg, the Deputy Prime Minister, and Vince Cable, the Business Secretary, revealed details of the Green Investment Bank, the world’s first green development bank. Up and running from April 2012, this will use an initial £3 billion of public money to lever an additional £15 billion in private investment towards the low-carbon opportunities that are opening up – particularly in offshore wind and energy efficiency.
I was this party’s first environment spokesman over twenty years ago. It makes me proud to see what so many of us campaigned for all those years ago being made a reality now we’re in government. This is a key part of what we Liberal Democrats bring to the coalition, and none of this would have happened without us. As Nick said yesterday, ‘the LibDems have long been the greenest of the main three parties - the difference now is that it is not just a green party but a green party of government’.
Tuesday, 10 May 2011
Pick yourself up.......
Alison Burns, Lib Dem candidate for Dundee City West has produced this recording to pick us all up a bit. Well done Alison. We have lots of talent in the Lib Dems and will not be wallowing in self-pity.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euhj2Sa7W40
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euhj2Sa7W40
Monday, 9 May 2011
Platform speech
This is what I scribbled down for my platform speech at 5am in the morning- ish.
"I would like to thank all those involved in the election process in Perthshire North- the returning officers, police and all those council staff here this evening.
I would like to thank all my camapign team....Lewis, Peter, Tina, Dorothy, May, Phil and everyone who contributed to our overall team effort. Thank you.
I would like to congratulate John Swinney and his team for their result this evening. Well done to you all. You appear to have a mandate to take forward your manifesto over the next five years.
I would like to thank my other two fellow candidates, Murdo Fraser and Pete Cheema for their efforts throughout.
This has been my first ever parliamentary campaign. It has been a very steep learning curve. I plan to persevere.
This has not been a good result for us, either at a local or a national level. However, Liberal Democrat values will be more important now than ever. We will not put those aside just because things happen to be difficult at the moment. As a local party, we will re-group and re-apply ourselves to working for our local communities across Perth and Kinross.
Thank you."
"I would like to thank all those involved in the election process in Perthshire North- the returning officers, police and all those council staff here this evening.
I would like to thank all my camapign team....Lewis, Peter, Tina, Dorothy, May, Phil and everyone who contributed to our overall team effort. Thank you.
I would like to congratulate John Swinney and his team for their result this evening. Well done to you all. You appear to have a mandate to take forward your manifesto over the next five years.
I would like to thank my other two fellow candidates, Murdo Fraser and Pete Cheema for their efforts throughout.
This has been my first ever parliamentary campaign. It has been a very steep learning curve. I plan to persevere.
This has not been a good result for us, either at a local or a national level. However, Liberal Democrat values will be more important now than ever. We will not put those aside just because things happen to be difficult at the moment. As a local party, we will re-group and re-apply ourselves to working for our local communities across Perth and Kinross.
Thank you."
Poll results for the 2 X local constituencies
Votes
Pete CHEEMA Scottish Labour Party 2,672
Victor CLEMENTS Scottish Liberal Democrats 1,196
Murdo FRASER Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party 7,866
John Ramsay SWINNEY Scottish National Party (SNP) 18,219
Electorate: 53,412
Spoiled / rejected ballot papers: 117
Percent poll:56.3%
Perthshire South and Kinross-shire
Votes
Roseanna CUNNINGHAM Scottish National Party (SNP) 16,073
Tricia DUNCAN Scottish Labour Party 3,980
Willie ROBERTSON Scottish Liberal Democrats 2,256
Elizabeth Jane SMITH Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party 8,907
Electorate: 58,093
Spoiled / rejected ballot papers: 90
Percent poll: 53.9%
Pete CHEEMA Scottish Labour Party 2,672
Victor CLEMENTS Scottish Liberal Democrats 1,196
Murdo FRASER Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party 7,866
John Ramsay SWINNEY Scottish National Party (SNP) 18,219
Electorate: 53,412
Spoiled / rejected ballot papers: 117
Percent poll:56.3%
Perthshire South and Kinross-shire
Votes
Roseanna CUNNINGHAM Scottish National Party (SNP) 16,073
Tricia DUNCAN Scottish Labour Party 3,980
Willie ROBERTSON Scottish Liberal Democrats 2,256
Elizabeth Jane SMITH Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party 8,907
Electorate: 58,093
Spoiled / rejected ballot papers: 90
Percent poll: 53.9%
Thursday, 5 May 2011
Wednesday, 4 May 2011
Sunday, 1 May 2011
Leadership Debate, Perth Concert Hall
Several local party members attended the final BBC Leadership Debate this evening, held in Perth's own Concert Hall.
Despite the BBC's attempts to keep party activist numbers in the audience to equal proportions, a BUSLOAD of SNP supporters quite blatantly drew up outside the Hall. How and why were they allowed to get away with this?? It made a mockery of a supposedly unbiased audience. Is this a true reflection of Scottish voters? I like to think not, but it may be a reflection of SNP and the tactics they're prepared to use...
During the election campaign it's been noticeable that Alex Salmond has been avoiding the independence issue - he's managed to keep it at bay over the last 4 years, and no doubt intends to continue this over the next 5. But, asked directly this evening in front of a partisan audience of stalwart activists, the SNP's true colours shone through.
Alex Salmond is no Braveheart - he's more of a Bonnie Prince Charlie. He's no bonnie, and he's certainly no prince, but he's a proper Charlie if he thinks Scotland will vote for independence. Like Bonnie Prince Charlie he'll discover that, when the crunch comes, the Scottish people don't care for what he has to offer. Think again, Alex.
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