Response to Queen’s Speech
Dr. Charles West, Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate for Shrewsbury and Atcham, has expressed disappointment at today's Queen's Speech.
"What a farce it is for the Labour government to be producing plans for so much new legislation at this stage.  Surely setting new targets is pointless when Labour have failed to reach many of the targets they set before, and when they're unlikely to be in government soon anyway."
"It's all very well the government pledging to reduce the budget deficit, but they don't have a mechanism for doing this.  Vince Cable has proposed a levy on bank profits at a rate of 10% to ensure that taxpayers are paid for the guarantees they have and continue to provide."
"I note that any plans to improve health care, which have been floated over the past few days, have been removed from the final speech."
"The announcement to ban cluster bombs is long overdue."
"After the expenses scandal, this Parliament has destroyed its own legitimacy. Confidence in politicians has never been so low.  Current MPs have a duty to clean up for good the mess in British politics - this is what they should be focussing on in the coming months."
Our proposed reforms
- Recall power for MPs suspended for misconduct - so we never again have to wait months and years to get rid of people who have betrayed the people they represent
- Code of conduct for candidates in the next election, including declaration of financial interests - so everyone elected can command full public confidence
- House of Lords reform - so only elected representatives have the power to make our laws
- Party funding reform in time for this election - so big money and the whiff of corruption it brings are removed from politics for good
- Fixed term Parliaments - so the voters can never again be toyed with by a Prime Minister planning an election timetable to save his own skin
- Legislation to establish a 100-person Citizens' Assembly, on the Canadian model, to agree a new voting system for Parliamentary Elections
- Changes to House of Commons procedure to reduce executive power - so never again can a government use the power of the whips to ride roughshod over the views of Parliament.