PROTECTING OUR GREEN FUTURE IN PORTLAND/ SUPPORTING COMMUNITY EDUCATION IN SWANAGE

12.25.00pm GMT Wed 13th Jan 2010

BREAKING NEWS ....Ros has been campaigning hard with community groups in Portland to prevent a biofuel plant and Swanage to push through plans to build a new secondary school. Read her speeches to the County and Borough Councils by clicking on the Recent Speeches link to the left.

Read "PROTECTING OUR GREEN FUTURE IN PORTLAND/ SUPPORTING COMMUNITY EDUCATION IN SWANAGE".

Nick Clegg puts fairness at the heart of the Liberal Democrat manifesto

6.00.00pm GMT Mon 11th Jan 2010

Today, Nick Clegg set out the priorities that will be at the heart of the Party's election manifesto. The value that connects everything the party wants to achieve is fairness. There are four priorities for how the Liberal Democrats will make Britain a fairer place: fair taxes; a fair start for every child; fair, clean and local politics; and a fair, green economy with jobs that last.

The first priority is to introduce fair taxes, with radical proposals for the biggest tax reform in generations. The Liberal Democrats will close loopholes for the richest and introduce a tax on mansions to fund tax cuts of £700 for everyone else. No-one will pay income tax on the first £10,000 they earn, meaning millions of low earners and pensioners will stop paying taxes altogether, while millions more will get hundreds of pounds back in their pockets. Only the Liberal Democrats will make taxes permanently fair.

The next priority is to give every child the fair start they deserve through a huge transformation of our education system that will build the foundations of fair society. That means cutting class sizes so children get the individual attention they need to thrive. The Liberal Democrats will be putting an extra £2.5 billion into schools to pay for more teachers, better discipline and catch-up classes so children get the individual attention they all need. This means an average of £2,500 extra per pupil for the schools teaching the million most deprived children in the country, funded by taking above-average earners out of the tax credit system and cutting wasteful programmes at the Department for Education. The Liberal Democrats will also phase out tuition fees over the course of six years, so that, after school, everyone who gets the grades has the opportunity to go to university without fear of debt, no matter what their background.

Thirdly, the Liberal Democrats are the only party committed to real change of our political system. This means getting big money and corrupt donors out of politics altogether, reducing the number of MPs by 150, giving power over the police and NHS to local communities, changing the voting system to abolish safe seats and giving you the right to sack corrupt MPs. These are changes that would upend our political establishment. Neither Labour or the Conservatives will ever offer change on this scale - they will defend the status quo to the last. Only the Liberal Democrats offer the chance for a different politics. Another whitewash is unacceptable, we need permanent change to make politics clean, fair and local.

FOUR STEPS TO A FAIRER BRITAIN

The Liberal Democrats will shift the economy away from the traditional over-reliance on the City of London and on financial services. Our plans will usher in a new era where growth is enabled in every part of Britain in a way that promotes green technology and creates lasting jobs. We will put an end to the casino banking that caused the financial crisis by breaking up the banks and encouraging regional and local ways to bring competition back to the financial sector and make sure businesses can find the money they need to grow. Under our plans, councils will regain control of business rates, reconnecting local enterprise with local politics; Local Enterprise Funds will help people invest in growing businesses in their area and Regional Stock Exchanges will give companies a way to move into public equity without the huge risks and costs of a London listing. The Liberal Democrats will also create a new National Infrastructure Bank to bring in private money to build the transport links, energy grid and public buildings we need for a sustainable, low carbon economy in every part of Britain.

Read "Nick Clegg puts fairness at the heart of the Liberal Democrat manifesto".

Read Latest Updates on Afghanistan, Green Policy & Education

12.00.00am GMT Sat 7th Nov 2009

Nick Clegg & David Laws on the latest issues under Speeches link

Read "Read Latest Updates on Afghanistan, Green Policy & Education".

Read Latest Updates to Ros' Blog: Schools & Foreign Affairs

6.00.00pm GMT Fri 6th Nov 2009

Follow the links to Ros' Blog for the following:

PROOF OF THE PUDDING IN PORTLAND & SWANAGE

I have always been against academy schools, & indeed must declare myself an opponent of oversized secondaries as a whole - young people are alienated enough ........Government after government has tampered with a succession of schools turning our children ( & teachers !) into experiments in ideology & social engineering

and IS TORY FOREIGN POLICY INSANE ?

For the clearest & most worrying sign of Cameron's inadequacy in foreign affairs however, we need to turn back to last year's conflict in Georgia, where he gave his fervent backing to the Tbilisi government , unilaterally declaring, in a literally 'flying' visit, that Georgia should be admitted to Nato forthwith. A suggestion which, if taken seriously, might have precipitated full scale international war !.......

Read "Read Latest Updates to Ros' Blog: Schools & Foreign Affairs".

WHAT WE STAND FOR - JOIN US !

12.02.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Fri 4th Sep 2009

Ros Kayes, South Dorset's Lib Dem Prospective MP

"Liberal Democrats aim to build a fair, free & open society & to promote liberty, equality & community so that no-one shall be enslaved by poverty, ignorance or conformity."

Britain & other democracies in the western world are Liberal Democracies - based on the ideals promoted by our party & its precursors over hundreds of years.

Historically, in the UK, Liberalism has produced all that is distinctive & 'great' about the British political system:

• The extension of the right to vote; - driving through legislation to allow working class & younger people to vote & supporting

reform of the voting system so that EVERYONE'S vote counts;

• The Welfare state (Liberal Prime Minister David Lloyd George introduced national Insurance & pensions);

• Advancing & protecting human rights, opposing discrimination, promoting individual freedom;

• Support for fair trade & ethical foreign policy was built upon the foundations laid in the 19th century by Liberal Prime Ministers like Gladstone.

We are THE ONLY CREDIBLE GREEN PARTY with seats in Parliament:

In the 1970s Liberalism was revolutionised by the growing evidence of climate change. We developed strong strategies for green living & ethical trading which underpin our policies today.

WE WANT TO GIVE POWER BACK TO THE PEOPLE

Being in opposition has taught us to listen to & fight for communities - all Liberal Democrats see themselves as local champions - supporting their communities against big government. As a result the party campaigns for a system fair voting, so that everyone's views can be fairly represented, & devolution of power to local communities - so that ordinary people can have more control of their lives.

LABOUR HAS COLLAPSED

The old Liberal party split in the 1930s & was overtaken by the Labour party's socialist campaigning for working people. But changes in the last 30 years has seen the decline of the old 'working class' & the support base for Labour. What we are seeing in British politics today are the death throes of the Labour movement.

REAL CHANGE

The British people have shown that they want government that listens to them. Government that is open, ethical, fair & promotes community & democracy for all - not just the rich or those that happen to exercise power in the cabinet.

That is why increasing numbers of people are turning to the Liberal Democrats in 2009. Please join them.

If you would like more information about the party & local activities, please contact us via this website.

Read "WHAT WE STAND FOR - JOIN US !".

Save Weymouth Women's Refuge

8.10.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Thu 20th Aug 2009

Demonstrating against the closure of the steps of County Hall

See our petition to save the refuge in Weymouth, due to be closed next March because it does not take men & supposedly to help fund outreach for victims of domestic violence all over Dorset. Closure of the refuge, which costs only £83,000 per year, will not provide sufficient funds for outreach.

Prospective MP Ros Kayes says " The recent decision by the Conservative cabinet to shut the refuge is a nightmare vision of cuts to public services to come. It's not sufficient to just have outreach programmes to deal with domestic violence. Women need a place where they can go when they are in immediate danger. Closing one refuge in Dorset affects capacity in the whole of Dorset. I fear that if this refuge is closed in the name of outreach, then more will follow. We need outreach services of course - but not at the expense of the safety offered to women by refuges. Please sign our online petition. "

Read "Save Weymouth Women's Refuge".

ELECTION SUCCESS

1.09.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Sat 4th Jul 2009

South Dorset Lib Dems Overturn Regional Trend

Liberal Democrats in South Dorset outpolled the Conservatives in Weymouth & Portland winning one seat from Labour in Westham & two from the Conservatives in Egdon Heath (Wool) & Weymouth Town overturning trends in Somerset & Devon that saw them losing control of the County Councils there.

Parliamentary Candidate Ros Kayes says "The electorate in South Dorset, having been rightly disgusted by what is happening on the national scene, has out its trust once again in the lib Dems at a local level. People are angry with Labour, but do not trust the Conservatives. I am particularly pleased to see local activist Alex Brenton elected in Egdon Heath, to complement our team of excellent & hard-working councillors in Wool; Simon Goldsack & Graham Holmes."

"People are right to see us as the party of reform & a complete change in how parliament is run will be something we will be campaigning hard on in South Dorset in the run up to the general election. Labour is a spent force now - & the Liberal Democrats have to be taken seriously now in Dorset as the left of centre alternative."

Read "ELECTION SUCCESS".

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