Liberal Democrat Manifesto September 2017
Leader’s Foreword BY RICKCALL12 Dear Reader,
On the 7th of September, you will make a choice. This choice is one of the most important choices you will ever make. On the 7th of September is polling day, the day when you decide who sits in the House of Commons on your behalf. This choice can fundamentally change the direction this country goes in, whether we employ the racist and homophobic views of the NUP, veer towards an insular United Kingdom with the Conservative and UKIP party, or head dangerously back towards the left with the Radical Socialists and the labour party?. But today, I and the very best of the Liberal Democrats will be convincing you, why you should vote Lib Dem on the 7th of September. Because, we at the Liberal Democrats believe in a free, open and tolerant society for the United Kingdom and her residents, we believe in making sure every person has the opportunity to succeed in life and more importantly, bringing fundamental change that benefits the United Kingdom and her residents. We hope to see you on polling day, in the ballot station and putting a cross next to the Liberal Democrat candidate for your constituency and the party itself for the region. Thank you for reading and thank you for your support. Thank you, RickCall12 Leader of the Liberal Democrats
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A Record of Delivery THECHATTYSHOW In the last election, we were quite rightly hit hard because of the lack of activity that occurred the last term. We were reduced to 6 seats, making us the smallest major party in the House of Commons. However, since then, we’ve turned ourselves around. We hit the ground running, producing monumental amounts of legislation, covering a range of areas from the European Union, the NHS and Education. Despite our size, we were one of the leading parties in Legislative output. We have had a proud history of getting things done. We legalised euthanasia, made the UK secular, lowered the age of voting to 16, abolished KS1 SATS and helped to introduce the Land Value Tax and Universal Basic Income. We want to carry on promoting Liberal Values across the UK, and this manifesto contains our vision for a more Liberal Britain. The ideas and policies in this manifesto will help to create a society working for everybody, and we will fight non-stop in the coming term for these policies, just as we have this term. By voting Liberal Democrat, you are encouraging a progressive, liberal Britain.
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Build a working Economy CRAZYOC The economy is a very important part of Britain, getting the economy wrong can have incredible amounts of effects on the nation. Which is why the Liberal Democrats believe in creating a working economy for every person in the United Kingdom, making sure that every person has the opportunity to succeed and making sure that no person is left behind because of “bureaucracy”. We also recognise a lot of need to change our budgeting policy, notably income taxes, they need to be lowered across the board and making sure that everyone, especially the lower class, benefits the most from the tax reduction. The current level of taxes is unfortunately too high to sustain our economy and we must allow the nation to breathe under a new tax policy. However, this tax reduction will likely see various areas getting cut, this is an unfortunate step. But rest assured, vital public services like the NHS, education and the police will not be seeing any cuts while under our administration and we’ll be making sure that the British people are not undermined by the new tax code and cuts.
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Equality, LGBTIQ+ and women RICKCALL12 We at the Liberal Democrats define ourselves as champions of equality, civil liberties and supporting an open and free society. Making sure that every person in the world is treated with the respect that every person deserves is an utmost priority. The Liberal Democrats have had a very positive relationship with the LGBTIQ+ community, with many of our members being apart of the community, including myself. We’ll be absolutely committed to continuing our support of the community and making sure that the LGBTIQ+ community gets the recognition they deserve and that every member is treated equally by society. And of course, as a society, as a nation and as a people, we’ve come along way to bringing sexuality and gender identity forward and making sure that every person in the LGBTIQ+ community is properly represented and treated fairly and with the respect they deserve. But we’ve still got a way to go, especially internationally. We’ve seen efforts across the world, even in many Democratic nations where the LGBTIQ+ community and other minorities are oppressed or abused because they are gay or because they are transgender. This is not an acceptable practice during the 21st century and the Liberal Democrats aim to be at the forefront and fighting this oppression. We’ll be supporting international efforts to combat LGBTIQ+ violence and abuse and making sure that in places where the LGBTIQ+ community are oppressed, that they get special asylum access to the United Kingdom.
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Equality, LGBTIQ+ and women CRAZYOC Abortion is a very controversial policy that brings a lot of strong opinions to the fore front. We at the Liberal Democrats believe it is the mother’s right to choose whether an abortion is right for her. If the mother’s life will be in danger because of the pregnancy, if the mother cannot support the child, if the child was conceived through rape or incest, or if the child is not desired, then an abortion operation should be available on demand for the mother. We do not feel it is right for a mother to be forced to carry, give birth and support a child if they or their family cannot support it, and allowing it to be removed before they develop key features or a sophisticated development, should be an option. But, of course, a lot of situations like the child not being wanted, can ultimately be avoided through the use of birth control and contraceptives. These products should always be available on hand if people wish to have sex but want to avoid a pregnancy and STIs. Making sure birth control and contraceptives are available for free at any hospital or clinic, in any school and public bathroom is a must priority.
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Law and order, justice and the courts RICKCALL12 The Liberal Democrats have long and tirelessly fought for a Justice system that put rehabilitation first, the purpose of the Criminal Court and Prison system should be to turn offenders into functioning members of society. Only where people show a continuing and fundamental danger to society We have a duty to the victims of child abuse and domestic violence, both home and abroad, to do everything we can to prevent and combat these tragic crimes. In the past Parliament, we pushed through the enactment of the Istanbul Convention and will continue to fight for international cooperation on dealing with this internationally. We must look at ways to deal with the issue of paedophilia which balances punishing those who commit offences and giving help and therapy to those with urges in order to prevent them committing, as well as treating those offenders as part of their rehabilitation. We will never accept decriminalising things like drawn child pornography, or child sex toys, as they do nothing but further harm children within society.
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Immigration and asylum RICKCALL12 Immigration and asylum are under attack. Immigration is essential to our economy and a benefit to our society. We depend on immigration to ensure we have the people we need contributing to the UK’s economy and society, including doctors, agricultural workers, entrepreneurs, scientists and so many others. Immigration broadens our horizons and encourages us to be more open, more tolerant. The Liberal Party throughout the 19th Century championed Britain as, what was described by The Times in 1853, the Asylum of Nations, and always supported a totally free and open immigration policy. We have long opposed oppressive and unnecessary restrictions on immigration, and have sought to counter the nativist, isolationist and racist rhetoric on immigration. We have been a haven of open opinions on immigration going back centuries, like for example Winston Churchill defecting to the Liberal Party in part over and his opposition to the Aliens Act 1905, which was the first law restricting immigration in Britain.
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Immigration and asylum RICKCALL12 We believe in Britain as a place where anyone, from any country both In 1948 all 800 million subjects of British Empire (30% of global population at the time) had right of freedom of movement to the UK and we did not see uncontrollable masses, instead, we saw the set up to post War economic boom. Beyond just expansions of the number of refugees, we should have a healthy influx of Foreign Students and Immigrants. “Every civilised people on the face of the Earth must be fully aware that this country is the asylum of nations, and it will defend the asylum to the last ounce of its treasure, and the last drop of its blood. There is no point whatsoever in which we are prouder.� (The Times, 1853)
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Foreign affairs and the European Union RICKCALL12
The Liberal Democrats are internationalists – we understand that by working together, people and countries can achieve so much more than they can alone. We are committed to promoting liberal democracy worldwide, and working with other countries and international organisations to Fight for a Better World. It is a difficult time for people who believe in international cooperation. Liberals have been challenged by the vote to leave the EU, the election of increasingly nationalist and isolationist leaders across the globe, and a Conservative led, isolationist and reactionary right wing government seeking to tear up decades of progress in the international agreements and organisations that have benefited Britain and the world. The Liberal Democrat approach to Britain’s place in the world is internationalist, optimistic and progressive. We will work with our European and other international partners to promote the ideals that bring us together and make us more secure – championing human rights, helping the poorest people in the world and protecting our country and our allies.
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Fight for a better world. RICKCALL12 The Liberal Democrats are firm supporters of the European Union and we will fight to make sure that Britain stays in the European Union. Under a Liberal Democrat government, we will not be seeking a Brexit and will halt any attempt to leave. We continue to believe that Britain’s place in Europe, and will regardless of a Brexit push for our involvement in as many European Institutions as possible, the full details of what we think Britain’s Continued membership should be is in the Protect Britain’s Place in Europe section. We continue to hold the long term goal of keeping Britain in the European Union as a full member, and if we leave taking us back in. We’re for freedom of speech everywhere. We’re for the freedom to worship everywhere. We’re for the freedom to learn for everybody. And because in our time, someone can build a bomb in their country and bring it to our country, what goes on in their country is very much our business. And so we are for freedom from tyranny, everywhere, whether in the guise of political oppression, or economic slavery, or religious fanaticism. That most fundamental idea cannot be met with merely our support. It has to be met with our strength. Diplomatically, economically, materially. And, if Pharaoh still doesn’t free the slaves, then he gets the plagues or the cavalry, whichever gets there first.
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North Atlantic Treaty Organisation RICKCALL12 We are committed to Britain’s membership of NATO and believe that the future of defence is in international cooperation. We are committed unequivocally to the principle of collective defence is enshrined in Article 5 of the Washington Treaty. We must make considerations about the future of our defence with the collective need of NATO, Europe and the overall defence of liberal democracies worldwide in mind. We will continue to commit defence spending to the NATO 2% of GDP, as this is an important goal both so we meet our international obligations, but also so we ensure we keep a strong and modern military that has the investment it needs. We are committed to modernising our military, and ensuring that we have a modern military, with the best Equipment and technology available.
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Defence, armed forces and security services RICKCALL12 Anyone who is willing and able to Serve in the Armed Forces should be able to, regardless of any personal characteristics. We reject any attempts to restrict those who can Serve in the Armed Forces on the basis of their Sex, Sexuality, Race or any other characteristic that does not make them physically unable to serve. One of the many overlooked areas in British Politics is how we treat those who Serve in the Armed Forces. While there is a passionate respect for those who Served in historic wars, we often overlook those who have served in the most recent ones. Those who volunteer to serve in wars, and regardless of view on the justification of those wars, we must never be left
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Defence, armed forces and security services RICKCALL12 Respect for veterans should never be twisted into faux nationalism or patriotism, and instead, should be shown in action. We reject those who would turn Veterans, the military and more widely National symbols into ways to rile up divisions and use them in pawns for their own ideology, veterans deserve respect. We will look into introducing Veteran Treatment Courts, which have been extremely successful in the United States, which are special courts which deal with Veterans for nonviolent crimes, ensuring that issues like PTSD are properly taken into account, and set out specialist rehabilitation programs to get them back into society. We will also invest heavily in specialist programs for dealing with alcoholism and drug addiction amongst veterans.
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Trident and the nuclear weapons arsenal RICKCALL12 We will work to lead international nuclear disarmament efforts, as we have an obligation to reduce the prevalence of nuclear weapons worldwide. We must look critically at things like Trident and national nuclear defence, and decide if it would be in our interests to instead invest in conventional forces, and instead work within NATO to sure up the collective nuclear deterrent. We will be launching a review into the effectiveness of the current Trident program and seeking the question, “is it worth it or is there a better alternative� this question meaning, does the Trident program provide what it is advertised as, or is there a cheaper and/or more effective program that could replace Trident. Or is it better and more cost effective to seek a NATO-wide and EU-wide nuclear deterrent program.
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NHS and healthcare WAKEYRKO The NHS is one of Britain’s most important institutions and services, without many well-known figures like Stephen Hawking would not be alive to without its hard work and dedication to this great nation. Without the NHS, many people would be required to have a bank account and a wallet to access basic levels of health care that everyone should be entitled to. We at the Liberal Democrats understand that what makes the NHS work and function as it does today, are the nurses, doctors, administration and service staff that make up every hospital, clinic and health facility across the country. Without these wonderful people, we would not have the exceptional service we have today. This is why the Liberal Democrats will be promising additional resources to be the NHS to fund training and recruitment of new staff and with the introduction of a new grant for university students studying a health care related course. We’ll also be looking to support local authority connections with hospitals and the NHS, making sure the people have direct access to and communication links with the staff and their hospital and clinics, with a community guided say in how their hospitals and clinics are run.
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Education is an investment. HORIZON2K Education is an investment, not an expense. This is what the Liberal Democrats fundamentally believe about the education system and what it should represent. We need the education to prepare the next generation for the world they’re getting into, making sure they have the skills necessary to equip them for the future. By cutting education funding, we only hurt the next generation. We will remain committed to never, ever cutting any part of the education system that benefits the next generation. Just like the NHS, what makes our education system it’s very best, is the teachers and administration at every school. Without the teachers, we cannot teach the new generation. Which is why we’ll be instituting a new grant system for university students that are studying teaching as a course.
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Education is an investment. HORIZON2K As our economy evolves and the newer generations get smarter and smarter, we now face a time when more needs to be done to get students into University. Making sure a sustainable grants system is available for high-demand jobs like science, healthcare, education, computing and many other courses are available. These grants will make sure to cover every student’s immediate life demands like rent, food and clothing. A comprehensive sex education program is fundamental to equipping the next generation with the necessary knowledge to know what they need to know about sex, contraceptives, STIs, sexuality and gender identity and pregnancy and every other squishy part of sex and life is important. If we cannot provide the next generation with the knowledge they need, we have failed them. We also believe it is vital to reform and introduce a ‘civic education’ which provides our students with the fundamentals of finances, politics and critical thinking.
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Transport MAPSAREGOOD Transport is the blood stream of our nation: without it, we simply couldn’t survive. Our vast network of trains, buses, and roads should be upgraded so that they get all the attention and care they deserve. We also need to ensure that local communities, particularly rural communities, remain connected with local rail and bus services, and that stations serve the needs of their local community. The lack of a comprehensive true high speed rail system is something that shames the UK when put into comparison to other countries. We want to present a better, faster, stronger alternative: Maglevs. Maglevs are sleek, fast and modern. Our plan is to build a network of maglev services crisscrossing the country, in some places cutting journey times by over 75 percent.
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Infrastructure MAPSAREGOOD Alongside our plans for reinventing the transport networks, we also want to focus on revitalising and improving resource, mobile and internet networks that cross our country. The Liberal Democrats will be providing new investments to expand the internet and mobile networks across the country and making sure they can expand into the more rural and remote towns and areas across the country. We’ll also be seeking a reform to make sure that internet service providers can and do provide the quality internet service they advertise, if they drop service in an area or a household/s are unable to access the internet within a given time, and it is the fault of the ISP, then the ISP should be required to refund the household/s for not providing the service they advertised.
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A planet to be proud of MAPSAREGOOD There is now indisputable evidence that global warming and climate change is having a serious effect on our planet, and human contribution to global warming and climate change is causing a serious issue that needs addressing now. We cannot ignore the problems and issues that global warming and climate change are causing, and now is the time to fight these issues. The Liberal Democrats support legislation to make renewable energy cheaper and easy to produce, making sure that many new wind farms and solar farms are created every year. Making sure that renewable energy makes more than 50% of the energy production in the United Kingdom by 2020 by making renewable energy cheaper to produce and run, and working with local authorities to build new wind and solar farms. Alongside the energy production contributions to global warming and climate change, we also need to look at putting additional regulations on transport. Making sure that energy or hybrid cars are available throughout the United Kingdom, as well as putting additional taxes onto the purchase of petrol based cars and banning the sale and production of new diesel based cars. We must fight climate change and global warming now before it is too late. If we ignore the problems created by climate change and global warming, we run the risk of the problems consuming our planet and our way of life. We cannot ignore it any longer.
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A rich culture M1CHA3LM The UK has produced a plethora of icons, sports and media that are household names all over the globe. From Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes to Doctor Who, we have an incredible media output. Sports wise, we are home to many of the major sports, such as Football, Cricket and Rugby. It is crucial that we keep up our status as one of the world leaders, and the Liberal Democrats will ensure that it is the case. We will further fund grassroot sports such as football, rugby and basketball, and ensure that sports that don’t perform as well during the Olympics do not see a cut to their budget. By funding sports, we are creating more jobs, helping to reduce obesity and put Great Britain in the elite team category.
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A rich culture M1CHA3LM We will also look at increasing the funding to the upcoming entertainment industry known as esports, to help turn the UK into one of the hotspots of innovation in the space. This can be done through working with our strong UK-based companies already specialising in esports like Multiplay/GAME, FACEIT, Gfinity and ESL, as well as working with the recently formed British Esports Association to determine how to better develop the grassroots esports in the UK. Drama and Media are crucial to the economy, and products like Doctor Who and Sherlock have reached critical acclaim both here and abroad. Under the Liberal Democrats, we will fight any attempt to privatise the BBC. We will promote Independent Film Festivals across the UK, and create programs designed to provide theatre workshops for youth living in deprived areas.
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The four countries EL_CHAPOTATO & KH1326 When the Liberal Democrats campaigned in June and July for the Holyrood Elections, we consistently argued for devolution. We believe that many Scottish people agreed with our message, allowing us considerable representation with two seats and a place within government. We have stood against attacks on our devolution plans, and remain committed as ever to continuing to grant Scotland the power to make its own decisions on many areas. And devolution is what we’re campaigning for across the United Kingdom and especially for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Making sure that every country within the nation has equal consideration, respect and the rights to govern their country like one another.
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Federalisation RICKCALL12 The Liberal Democrats are the proud supporters of a federalisation strategy for the entirety of the United Kingdom, allowing the country to be split into different regions and areas that are given the rights to autonomous self-governing powers. Allowing every new region to have the rights to declare new laws, budgets and access unique investment opportunities, they’ll be able to provide for their region and areas more efficiently and effectively than ever before. However, we do also understand that the process for federalisation should not be a sudden one and should not be achieved overnight with the signing of a document, nor should we ignore the people if they do not desire federalisation being brought to their area. We’ll make sure, before any attempt of federalisation takes place, we’ll hold a referendum on the issue and ask the people of the United Kingdom a simple question, “Is federalisation the correct move for the United Kingdom?” assuming the referendum passes, we’ll then recruit a committee to look into creating the new regions, asking residents and households across the country how their regions and areas should be split up.
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Closing statement This election we face a key decision, do we continue with the right-wing parties that have brought racism, homophobia to the cabinet, or the left-wing which are in disarray and unorganised? The Liberals Democrat recommended neither and instead vow to bring you a government that is open, tolerant and united. A government that will fight for you and will seek a United Kingdom which is free of social inequality, from discrimination to economic inequality. The Conservative party believe they are heading towards a landslide majority, we cannot let that happen and we must fight to make sure your voice is not squashed under the heel of the Conservatives. Do not let them roll over you and look out for the pockets of the wealthy while they pull us out of the European Union. Today is the day to fight against the tide of Conservatives. With a Liberal Democrat government, you can rest assured that your civil liberties will be protected, your right to representation will be achieved and making sure personal opportunities are offered for every person in the United Kingdom to suceed. Thank you, RickCall12 Leader of the Liberal Democrats
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