Nick Clegg hails victory for Gurkhas

The Government suffered a historic defeat when MPs voted by 267 to 246 on a Liberal Democrat motion to give all Gurkha soldiers equal right of residence in Britain.

Commenting after the vote defeating the Government, Liberal Democrat Leader, Nick Clegg said:

"This is a historic victory for the Gurkhas who have served our country so bravely.

"This Government has now lost its moral authority. From the first moment I challenged Gordon Brown on this over a year ago, he didn't understand that there was a simple moral principle at stake.

"People who are willing to die for our country, should be allowed to live in our country.

"The Government must listen to Parliament and scrap these shameful rules immediately and grant justice without conditions to all retired Gurkhas."

Keep the opt out

The Liberal Democrats, are leading the campaign to keep the right for key retained fire-fighters all across UK to opt out of the Working Time Directive - which threatens to limit their total weekly working time to 48 hours, including time spent on call.

The move would impact on life-saving fire and rescue services across the UK - but especially in rural areas where the work of retained fire-fighters allows emergency cover to extend far beyond the level which would otherwise be possible. This includes four services across West Lothian - Livingston, Linlithgow, Bathgate and Broxburn.

Full-time fire-fighters simply could not be employed across our area with anything like the same coverage - the consequences would be slower response times and ultimately the loss of lives.

There is still work to be done on how the UK will implement any changes to the Working Time Directive. The Liberal Democrats will be engaging with Ministers both in the department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (DBERR) and in the Scottish Government to ensure that implementation will allow the continued operation of a fire service with Retained Firefighters at its heart.

George Lyon, Scottish Lib Dems leading Euro candidate has pledged, if elected in June to campaign in the European Parliament so the decision is reviewed as they have clearly failed to understand the impact on retained fire-fighters.

 Please click to sign our petition.

Linlithgow rises to the climate challenge

Congratulations to Linlithgow Climate Challenge on getting grant approval of £93,845 to promote carbon reduction measures in and around Linlithgow.

 In March 08 West Lothian Liberal Democrats held a public meeting in Linlithgow to raise awarenss of the challenges of climate change (see below).  Guest speakers included author Dave Reay, and Hugh O'Donnell MSP.  Convenor Kevin McPhillips called on local community groups and parties to unite to do our bit in meeting national and international targets for carbon reduction by becoming a carbon neutral town.. 

Subsequently, further meetings were held which resulted in the formation of Linlithgow Climate Challenge, from which also arose LADAS - Linlithgow and district allotment society.

LCC aims to involve a broad range of local community groups, individuals & businesses with several projects to find the suitable ecological engagement, from advice on energy saving through insulation, to education and growing or buying local food, offering assistance to guide our community towards effective aand lasting carbon reductions.  

As a not-for-profit organisation, LCC will position voluntary and funded resources to support projects such as renewables research, transport improvement and waste/recycling initiatives.  LCC has already worked successfully with the Energy Saving Scotland advice centres on a number of projects.

Well done, and good luck! We are hoping to arrange an open meeting in Livingston, hopefully leading to similar community involvement in meeting this challenge.

Linlithgow Academy under pressure

 Here is a letter by local Lib Dem activist, Kevin McPhillips, which appeared in the Gazette on 2 January:

Parents of primary school children should in Linlithgow should be be very concerned about the secondary level education that awaits their children.  Your recent lead article highlights some, but not all of the problems.

Linlithgow Academy has recently been extended to accommodate 1,100-1,200 pupils.  It is already struggling for space to such an extent that there are serious circulation hazards between class times, due to the numbers of pupils.  There is minimal social space, and the curriculum is suffering.  Now there are proposals requiring the Academy to take 1,320, from next year, while, at our expense, the council defends court actions from parents in the town whose children have been refused entry simply because they went to the "wrong" primary school.

By the time my children attend the Academy, the situation will be no better.  The capacity problems will continue unless action is taken further upstream from the education department. Granting of planning permission needs to take account of the pressures it may put on education.  Joined up thinking is required - this was missing under the Labour council, and the current nationalist council seem to be more interested in what flags fly outside council buildings.  Pressure needs to start from parents of primary school children, and needs to continue until the decline is reversed.

Without a shift, the council will let the Academy creak under the strain, and dilute the quality of our childrens' education.   

Linlithgow Health Centre

NHS Lothian have announced that they will no longer be seeking to move Linlithgow's health centre into the town's County Buildings.

The Liberal Democrats agree with the chair of the local area committee who has said that, "the people of Linlithgow badly need and richly deserve improved health facilities in the town," but do not believe this is best served by moving that provision into County Buildings. They are calling on NHS Lothian and West Lothian Council to get together to discuss the best alternative plan for improved local general practice facilities.

Local activist Stephen Glenn says:

 Springfield supermarket concerns

This is an extract from a letter in the Linlithgow Gazette from Kevin McPhillips on the proposed supermarket development at Springfield in Linlithgow.  Previous correspondence rightly focused on access for pensioners, disabled people, and those on low incomes.  Kevin added:

"I am concerned that this would have even further impact. If Tesco were to leave the Regent Centre, this could leave a shell of a supermarket in the centre of town, who knows for how long.  Then, would McColls shut and the sub-post office move, or close, too?  This would make access to key services even more difficult for those that need them most."

"Many of our high street shops and services have already been destroyed by decisions which polarise the town.  The proposed supermarket would worsen this, for the benefit of a property developer, and very few others.  Decisions on the supermarket proposal must take into account the long term risks that it presents to the core of the town, and to the most vulnerable members of our community."

New arrival at Blackridge
 

West Lothian Liberal Democrats are delighted  that the Scottish Parliament has approved funding for a station at Blackridge as part of the Bathgate to Airdrie extension.
 
When local councillor Stuart Borrowman first approached West Lothian Liberal Democrats to support this all-party campaign, we were happy to oblige. Having promised while campaigning to get the extension built it was natural that the Lib Dems wanted it to benefit as many West Lothian residents as possible. 

New Scottish Leader

Congratulations to Tavish Scott on his election as leader of the Scottish party.  We all wish him well in building the Scottish Lib Dems as the positive force for social justice in Scotland.

Tavish will be addressing party members at our Autumn conference in Edinburgh on Saturday 11 October.

Several members of the local party attended the leadership election hustings on 9 August.  These meetings were in Glasgow and Edinburgh, to be followed by similar events in Aberdeen and Inverness.  The three candidates,  Ross Finnie, Tavish Scott and Mike Rumbles addressed the meeting, and were then questioned by those attending on a broad spectrum of matters.  What is clear from the meeting is that whoever takes over the leadership will be both vocal and constructive in establishing the Scottish Liberal Democrats as the real alternative in Scotland.

Scottish Lib Dem Leader visits West Lothian

Nicol Stephen praised the work of the group, and outlined Lib Dem policy on the environment, adding:

“Lib Dem policy on the environment has been acknowledged by The Green Standard, an alliance of the UK’s leading environmental groups, as the “greenest” of all of the mainstream parties.Climate change is the biggest challenge facing our generation. Sustainable development must run through everything we do. I am determined that Scotland takes a leading role in tackling this global challenge.”

Kevin McPhillips, convenor of West Lothian Lib Dems, who had earlier in the year called for the people of Linlithgow to get together on a non-partisan basis to make Linlithgow a carbon neutral town added:

“I’m delighted that we are actively involved in LCC’s work, which has great potential for example to other towns. As it grows, it will demonstrate to local and national government that there is a public appetite for action on this matter.In the absence of determination from the government, people are taking the initiative themselves.The governments in Holyrood and Westminster need to become aware of this soon."

Westminster general election

Despite local organisational challenges at last year’s elections, Lib Dem membership and support is growing once again, according to Kevin McPhillips:

“I was also very encouraged by the reception we have been getting recently.We are expanding our membership in Linlithgow, with other parts of West Lothian and Falkirk being targeted next.Given the growth in our vote at the last two general elections, and that the SNP vote has peaked, we will mount a formidable challenge to Labour when Gordon Brown calls the next general election. This will become a target seat.”

“We will be selecting our prospective parliamentary candidates after the summer, so they will have a good run up to the election, and beyond

Growth

Nicol Stephen was equally positive about the party’s growth in West Lothian, adding:

“We were in a similar position in Aberdeen some years back, but through the dedication and commitment of local activists, we have 3 MPs and MSPs, and are the largest group on the city council.Edinburgh is another example of our success – with a combination of hard work and good candidates, support will grow in West Lothian.”

Open Meeting in Linlithgow