Adrian receives hundreds of letters each month asking his views on a number of national and international issues. Below are some of Adrian's views on these topics.
ID Cards
I believe Government's identity card scheme will be expensive and ineffective. The Liberal Democrats would scrap it and use the savings to put 10,000 more police on the streets, and equip them to combat crime more effectively. Every adult in the UK would save at least £30 as they would no longer be forced to buy an identity card. More police will be better for tackling crime and terrorism than a piece of plastic.
The proposal to make it compulsory to go onto the identity register and receive an ID card when you apply for a new passport, means that ID cards would be compulsory for anyone wanting to travel abroad. I consider this a breach of Labour's manifesto commitment that: "We will introduce ID cards... rolling out initially on a voluntary basis as people renew their passports."
Racial and Religious Hatred Act 2005
The government was forced to drop measures targeting ‘incitement to religious hatred’ from its Serious Organised Crime Bill, but these have now reappeared in the form of the Racial and Religious Hatred Act. This aims to extend the current offence of incitement to racial hatred to include stirring up hatred based on people’s religious belief, bringing all religions under the same level of protection.
Although I and my colleagues support the government’s intent, their current proposal is badly flawed and so do we not support the Act. It outlaws not just the promotion of hatred against a group of people because of their religion, but also legitimate criticism of religions. This incursion against freedom of speech has the potential for a divisive side-effect: the creation of a climate of calls for prosecutions between different religious groups or branches of religious groups. As such the Act disadvantages the main group which it seeks to protect.
Instead of heightening tensions and placing additional pressure on religious communities, I backed an amendment to existing law tabled in the last Parliament by spokesman David Heath. This would clarify existing law so that it covers the use of insulting religious words when these are a pretext for inciting racial hatred.
Iraq
I, and my colleagues in the Liberal Democrats, vigorously opposed the invasion of Iraq in 2003. It was an illegal war, in defiance of the United Nations; a war not of necessity but political choice, on a flawed prospectus and a fabricated threat. It should never have been fought.
It has led to the deaths of some 40,000 civilians and over 2,700 coalition soldiers, and has caused untold harm to the Iraqi people, who face increasing violence and economic hardship. It has increased the threat of terrorism in the UK, caused widespread resentment against western states, particularly from within the Muslim and Arab world, and has undermined the international authority both of the United Nations and of Britain and its allies.
By invading Iraq, the Government created a moral obligation and strategic imperative to work towards the reconstruction and stabilisation of Iraq. Lib Dems have supported this process, which has been conducted with courage and commitment by British and other forces, as well as foreign office, international development and non-governmental personnel. However we must recognise that this commitment cannot be open-ended, and that despite progress in some areas, the current strategy is not succeeding.
The Lib Dems believe that the foundation of a new strategy should be a peace process led by the United Nations to achieve, as a first priority, national reconciliation and the internationalisation of support for Iraq. It would seek to build on the policies set out by Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and would work towards the agreement of an international ‘compact’ setting out the commitments of all sides and a comprehensive security and reconstruction strategy. It would aim to enhance the legitimacy and effectiveness of the Iraqi government, improve the delivery of essential services and strengthen the rule of law and human rights. The process would prioritise:
1. A regional contact group, to strengthen the engagement of Iraq’s neighbours;
2. Enhanced measures to train, equip, professionalise and regularise Iraqi security forces;
3. A comprehensive, national disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration strategy;
4. An end to systematic indefinite detentions by US and Iraqi forces, with safeguards against abuses;
5. An enhanced national programme to promote human rights and the rule of law;
6. Action to expedite the reconstruction process, eliminate corruption and increase the involvement of the United Nations and World Bank; and
7. A programme for phased security transfer and withdrawal of coalition troops.
The strategy is not intended to be definitive; it combines new initiatives with proposals for the enhancement or expansion of existing policies. It would require the UK to use our influence in Washington, DC, to press for US support, and must be developed and implemented with the approval of, and in partnership with the sovereign government of Iraq.
Top-Up Fees and Higher Education
The average student debt is now £12,000 (up 10% on the previous year's according to Barclays Bank). Barclays estimates that average student debt on graduation will triple by 2010, to over £30,000. Whilst the Government encourages young people to start building a pension and get their foot on the property ladder, they will instead be trapped into repaying massive debts.
My recent survey on education in the Bay showed that a large proportion of students from poorer backgrounds, who often have to take out bigger loans and build up higher debt because their families are less able to help them out with their living costs, are already deciding not to go to university because of the prospect of debt. If this policy does not change, universities will again be the preserve of the wealthy.
I strongly believe that everyone in our society benefits from well-qualified, highly educated people living and working in the UK. We see the benefits through economic prosperity and through the UK being at the cutting edge of scientific and technological developments. We also see the benefits through having highly skilled public servants, such as doctors, nurses and teachers.
Liberal Democrats agree with the Government that our universities need more money. However we continue to believe that top-up fees are not the answer.
We would:
1. Abolish all tuition fees - We would get rid of both the present fees and the top-up fees due to be imposed from 2006.
2. Re-introduce maintenance grants of up to £2000 towards living costs for students from low-income homes. Under Labour's plan, many poorer students will be expected to count their grant towards tuition costs. Under the Liberal Democrats, every penny will be available for living costs.
3.Put more resources into the university sector to help recruit and retain good staff and improve the quality of the buildings, libraries, etc.
4. Develop a 21st century higher education system which would bring together universities, further education and e-learning, open up routes to technical and vocational as well as academic qualifications and make it easier for those who wish to study part-time.
The government says that it is right that graduates should pay for their tuition because on average graduates earn more than the rest of the population. Teachers and nurses are graduates, but whilst they tend to earn more than the government's repayment threshold, they certainly do not earn enough to find repaying five figure debts easy. I believe that if the Government is indeed serious about providing a fully inclusive higher education system, it needs to remove the obstructive fees and loans that act as a barrier to those less well off.
Council Tax
Council Tax is the most unpopular tax in Britain today.
Why?
Because it's the most unfair tax.
The Council Tax was dreamt up by the Conservatives, who continue to believe that the system is "as fair a tax as you will find". However Labour has made it even worse, with bills rocketing. I believe that it is simply unfair to force people on incomes as low as £12,000 a year to hand over thousands of pounds in Council Tax. Under this unfair tax, people on low incomes can pay more than many top earners. Indeed, nationally, the poorest 10% pay over 4 times more of their income in council tax than the richest 10%. This is simply unacceptable.
The council tax undermines local accountability because councils only raise about 25% of the money they spend in Council Tax. The rest comes in the form of a grant from central government. Therefore central government has the power to tell councils what to do, overriding the wishes of local people.
Labour and the Conservatives would maintain this status quo. The Lib Dems will scrap the tax and replace it with a system related to a persons ability to pay - a local income tax.
We believe local income tax is the best alternative for 5 reasons:
1. Fairness - local income tax has fairness "built in", as it is related to ability to pay
2. Efficiency - it is cheaper to administer, needing no special bureaucracy or benefit system
3. Decentralisation - it allows national income tax to be cut, with tax power pushed down
4. Greater accountability - by raising tax closer to people, it strengthens local democracy
5. Tried and tested - international experience is successful, from the USA to Sweden
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