The Northern no.

57
February
Democrat
The newsletter for Liberal Democrats in the North of England
2011

Fairer Votes referendum special edition

Fiona backs campaign

Referendum to be
for fairer votes held on 5th May
North East Lib Dem
Euro MP Fiona Hall has
joined campaigners
from across the political
spectrum calling for a
switch to fairer votes.
A referendum on
changing to a fairer voting
system will be held in
May. A cross-party ‘Yes to
AV’ campaign is already
active throughout the
North East.
Fiona helped volunteers
at street stalls as they
spoke to passing
shoppers and handed out
items to remind people of
the MPs’ expenses
scandal.
Fiona said, “The
referendum on fairer votes
is hugely important. It is a zFiona Hall MEP teams up with students in Durham to back the
once in a generation campaign for fairer votes. A referendum will be held on 5th May in
opportunity to make
which people will vote on whether or not to change the voting
politics fairer and to
ensure every vote counts.
system.
“A Yes vote in the referendum will mean all MPs will have to gain the support of at least half of local
voters. Safe seats will be a thing of the past.
“The people I spoke to today are looking forward to finally getting fairer votes. They recognise that the
current system is outdated and ineffective. The only people who have anything to fear from the new system
are the MPs who owe their position to the status quo.
“It is clear from the polls - which show the Yes vote leading the way - that people are ready for a change. I
am sure that lead will continue to grow as more people learn more about the referendum. Hopefully, events
like today’s street stall can help that process of raising awareness.”
Produced, printed and promoted by Jonathan Wallace, 7 Laburnum Grove, Sunniside, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE16 5LY
 Northern Democrat February 2011
Contents
Page 2 Call to Arms - the Fairer Votes Referendum
Page 3 Chris challenges “Robo-Cop”
Page 3 MEP hosts exhibition
Pages 4-5 I make no apology: Ron Beadle Editorial: please send material for
inclusion to the editor, Jonathan
Page 8 Winning Teams Wallace, phone 0191 4883190 or email
Page 9 National News jonathanwallace@compuserve.com
Page 10 Local News

Call to arms for fairer

votes - May deadline
On 5th May Britain will go to the polls - to vote on how we vote! A referendum will be held on
voting for MP should be changed to a fairer system.
Liberal Democrats have campaigned for years for a
change to the voting system to make MPs work harder,
be more accountable to constituents and election
results more representative of the way people vote.
A referendum on changing the voting system was a
key demand of the Liberal Democrats during the
negotiations to form the Coalition.
“I strongly urge all Liberal Democrats to encourage
their family, friends and neighbours to vote ‘Yes’ on 6th
May,” said Frank Hindle, Chairman of the North East
Region Liberal Democrats “Remind people that the
voting system in Britain is broken. It gave us the
expenses scandal and a situation in which too many
people feel their votes do not count.
“Changing to the ‘Alternative Vote’ will mean MPs
will need to work harder to get elected. They will be far
more accountable to residents and no vote needs to be
wasted.”
Gateshead Liberal Democrats will keep you informed of news about the campaign. In the
meantime, visit www.YesToFairerVotes.org.uk to keep in touch with what is happening to win a
‘Yes’ vote across the country.

Why vote “Yes”?

z Fairer votes will make all MPs work harder to get elected as they will have to win at
least half the votes cast.
z People will have a stronger voice in Parliament as MPs will have to keep in touch to
make sure they get re-elected.
z Fairer votes will end “jobs for life” for MPs.
 Northern Democrat February 2011
Chris challenges “Robo-Cop”
Middlesbrough & East Cleveland Liberal Democrats have
selected Chris Foote-Wood as their candidate for Mayor of
Middlesbrough in this year’s election on May 5.
“Chris is committed to Liberal Democratic values, highly
experienced in local government and passionate about
Middlesbrough and the North East. He offers the electorate the
opportunity for real change and a better future for Middlesbrough,”
said local party chairman Ian Jones.
Chris fought Middlesbrough in last year’s general election,
consolidating second place and reducing Labour’s majority by nearly
4,000 with the third best result in the North East for swing from
Labour to LibDems.
Middlesbrough is one of three councils in the North East to have
an elected Mayor, and one of four mayoral elections being contested
in England this year. The present mayor of Middlesbrough is Ray
Mallon, first elected in 2002 and better known as “Robo-Cop” for his zChris Foote-Wood
zero-tolerance policy when he was a Cleveland police officer.

MEP hosts Haiti earthquake exhibition

North East MEP Fiona Hall
will today launch an
exhibition to mark the first
anniversary of the
devastating earthquake in
Haiti.
Fiona oversaw the 2007
elections in Haiti on behalf of
the European Parliament and
the photo exhibition she is
hosting aims to highlight the
continuing plight of Haitians,
particularly how those with
disabilities are coping.
Fiona Hall said, “Having
spent time in Haiti before the
earthquake, I know what a
poor state the country was in zFiona Hall MEP launches the
even then. It is difficult to Haiti photo exhibition in the
comprehend the scale of the European Parliament
challenge facing the country
now as it looks to rebuild.
“To see buildings we used during the elections razed to the ground in a matter of minutes brought home to
me the indiscriminate ferocity of the earthquake.
“The quake killed 230,000 people and left a million people homeless. The record level of charitable
donations in the wake of the disaster shows just how keenly people felt the shock of that day how determined
they were to help put it right.
“It is important that the international community continues its work to help rebuild Haiti and to rehouse the
homeless. There is still much to be done and I hope this event can help, particularly in raising awareness of
the special needs of those in the country with disabilities.”
 Northern Democrat February 2011

I make no apology
By Ron Beadle
Anyone looking for an zRon Beadle joins Nick Clegg on a
apology from a Liberal visit to Newcastle Aviation Academy
Democrat? Look away now.
Instead, here are some
answers to our critics.

Why did you

jump into bed
with David
Cameron?
Alongside the vast majority of
Lib Dems in the North East I
would have preferred a
coalition with Labour. But
there were three problems –
we did not have enough MPs between us to form a government, many Labour MPs opposed a coalition and
the Tories were willing to negotiate more seriously than Labour.

The Coalition are going to dismantle public services

Simply untrue. Governments across the world are picking up the pieces of the financial crisis. Alasdair
Darling understood this. So does Ed Miliband. For some, such as Ireland, the consequences of that crisis
are all too obvious and devastating.
Britain’s borrowing was unsustainable. Reducing our spending and increasing taxes is tough. But at the end
of five years borrowing will be under control and the government will still be spending as large a proportion of
national income as we did when Gordon Brown came to power as when Gordon Brown came to power. The
state will employ as many people. Only less of our money will be spent servicing our debt and our children
won’t have to pick up the pieces. And you will have a bigger say in how public services are run.

You have betrayed your promises.

We have broken one pledge. We have been honest about it. If it makes you feel better you can support the
party that introduced tuition fees in the first place. And if you earn less than £21,000 you will never have to
pay back a penny on student loan. And if you are a part-time student you will no longer have to pay up- front
fees.
We fought the election on four major pledges:
1. take people earning less than £10,000 out of income tax because it is simply wrong for people on
low incomes to be paying tax. We have made a start and this will be achieved by 2015.
2. rebalance the economy towards a green future. The Government’s Green Deal for insulating
homes, the Green Investment Bank and commission into the future of the Banking sector is making
good that pledge.
3. create a pupil premium so that more money goes to schools in poorer areas. Achieved.
4. reform our political system to empower people. This government will hold a referendum in May in
which you will decide whether you want to change the voting system. The House of Lords will be
elected. You will be able to recall MPs who have broken rules. There will be fewer MPs.
 Northern Democrat February 2011
I make no apology - continued
You said you would make things fairer
We are!
z taking poorer workers out of tax and delivering the pupil premium the pension is now being tied to rises
in earning so that pensioners will receive a 2.5% increase in April.
z moving the basic state pension to £140 a week.
z guaranteeing respite leave for carer’s for the first time.
z stopping the wealthy from putting £250,000 a year tax free into their pensions as they could under
Labour.
z raising Capital Gains Tax so that high earners can’t reduce their income tax by switching earnings to
capital.
z freezing Council Tax this year.
z building 150,000 social houses a year, a massive increase on Labour’s record.
z the first government to meet its obligations under the United Nations for spending on Development in
the Third World.
z taking tough decisions, such as on Child Benefit but we do so in a way that ensures the burden falls
more heavily on those who can afford them most.

You said you would make Britain more free

We have.
z ID Cards have been scrapped.
z We will reduce the number of CCTV cameras.
z We have reduced the number of days that people can be imprisoned without being charged.
z We are stopping the scandal of children being locked up in Yarl’s Wood.

So what else?
z This government will not replace Trident.
z We will bring our troops home from Afghanistan.
z We will reduce net immigration.
z We have stopped the Post Office closure programme.
z We will increase spending on the NHS.
Cllr Ron Beadle was the Liberal Democrat Candidate for Newcastle North in 2010

10 things Labour wants you to forget

1. Labour left Britain with the worst national debt since the Second World War - it now stands at £1 trillion.
2. In their last year in power, Labour borrowed a quarter of the money they spent - a staggering total of £160
billion.
3. Labour doubled the starting rate of income tax, hitting hardest those on lower incomes.
4. The wealth gap between the richest and poorest got wider under Labour.
5. Labour claimed to have abolished “boom and bust” but gave us the worst recession in 70 years.
6. Labour’s new Leader, Ed Miliband, was rejected by Labour members and MPs. He was foisted on the
Labour Party by the Trade Unions.
7. Labour took us into an illegal war in Iraq.
8. Labour closed 5,000 Post Offices.
9. Labour planned to raise VAT to 19% had they won the election so it is hypocritical of them to complain of the
recent raise.
10. Labour failed to raise the state pension in line with earnings despite 13 years of promises in Government to
do so.
 Northern Democrat February 2011
From policy wonk to tv presenter
Northern Democrat
editor and former Lib
Dem policy officer
Jonathan Wallace
has been recruited
as a presenter of a
new gardening and
cookery programme.
The Horticultural
Channel launches on
Sky on 6th March and
runs until October.
Jonathan left
Cowley St in June
2009 after seven years
as a policy officer and
then communications
officer for the Liberal
Democrats.
He gave up his job
to pursue other
interests including
zAs bold as brassicas: Jonathan Wallace has been recruited as a presenter
aiming to become self-
for a new gardening programme, the Horticultural Channel.
sufficient. He set up a
blog to show people how he was growing his own food and made videos about his activities which he put onto
video-sharing site YouTube.
The videos were discovered by London production company Interfusion Films. Producer Sean Cameron was
looking to recruit enthusiasts to present the programme. On the stength of his videos, Jonathan was recruited
to present the cookery section of the programme.
The Horticultural Channel aims to fill a gap in the market for tv programmes. Sean felt that mainstream
gardening programmes catered too much for people with stately homes and large gardens. There was not
enough about ordinary people with small gardens and allotments.
“I’m really pleased to have been asked to be a presenter on the Horticultural Channel,” said Jonathan.
“The programmes we will be making will aim to show that growing your own food at home, in the garden or
on an allotment, or picking it wild, is rewarding, healthy, greener and saves you money.”
And he joked, “I never thought in my wildest dreams I would end up as a celebrity chef!”
zThe Horticultural Channel can be seen on Sky Channel 166 starting at 9am on Sunday 6th March.
zMore information about the Horticultural Channel can be found at: http://www.thehorticulturalchannel.tv/.
zIt is also on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/thehorticulturalchanneltv.
zYou can follow Jonathan as he aims to become self-sufficient at
www.self-sufficientinsuburbia.blogspot.com.

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 Northern Democrat February 2011
North West Euro-MP tackles electrical
waste mountain
New measures to promote the recycling of
millions of tonnes of electrical and
electronic waste (WEEE) have been
approved by Euro MPs.
Although many items, such as mobile
phones, contain valuable rare metals that are
in short supply, only one third of Europe’s
electronic waste mountain currently reaches
professional recyclers.
As part of the legislation North West Lib
Dem MEP Chris Davies persuaded the
European Parliament to end a loophole that
has led to waste electrical equipment being
dismantled by children and the poor working in
extremely hazardous conditions.
With criminals often claiming that the electrical equipment is being sent for use abroad, he has secured
support from the European Parliament for measures to require every item to be individually certified as in
working order.
Without the change rogue traders could dump old computers, televisions and household goods on
developing countries as a way of getting round strict EU recycling laws.
Often the toxic waste generated would be dumped in landfill and deadly chemicals could enter the water
and food supplies.
“Green-minded consumers deserve to know that when they pass their old gadgets in for recycling and
disposal the components will be reused and dangerous chemicals will be disposed of properly,” said Chris.
“When properly recycled our old electrical equipment needs not be considered as rubbish but as a
valuable raw material.
“If people can export used electronics for reuse elsewhere then more power to them but if they are using it
as an excuse to make our laptops into someone else’s toxic sludge then they need to be stopped. Our waste
must not become another person’s poison.”

MEP calls for support for North East heritage sites

More can be done at a European level to protect World Heritage sites such as Hadrian’s Wall and
Durham Cathedral, says Lib Dem Euro MP Fiona Hall.
Fiona has signed a Declaration in the European Parliament which highlights the huge benefits that such
sites bring and which calls for more support.
Fiona said, “The North East is blessed with stunning tourist attractions and they all benefit from the fact
we have two World Heritage sites in our midst. Durham Cathedral and Hadrian’s Wall are known around
the world and help bring people into the region, who then go on to discover the other gems this area has to
offer.
“It is this halo effect that makes World Heritage sites so valuable. My office in Durham is just a stone’s
throw from the Cathedral so I know very well the the tourism and the economic opportunities that arise
from having such a prestigious site in the area.
“That is why I am calling on the European Commission to recognise the special value of these sites and
to encourage support at a European level for conserving and protecting them.
“For World Heritage Sites, and indeed all our cultural assets in the North East, the value isn’t just
historical, it is a key part of the economic well-being and pride of the region. Recent warnings that local
jobs will be at risk if visitor numbers decline are further proof of the importance of boosting tourism.”
 Northern Democrat February 2011
Diana meets local business people in Leeds
Yorkshire and Humberside Euro MP
Diana Wallis has met members of
the regional branch of the
Federation of Small Businesses
(FSB) in Leeds to discuss proposed
changes to contract law.
Diana is writing the report on the
Commission’s Green Paper on
European Contract Law. The main
objective of the Green Paper is to
improve the level of cross border trade,
especially for consumers and small and
medium sized businesses.
One of the suggestions is to give
businesses the option to offer a single
sales contract which would be
zDiana Wallis MEP meets members of the Federation of
recognised across the EU.
Small Businesses in Leeds.
Diana said, “Britain’s small
businesses are not always the first in line to welcome new initiatives from Europe, but in this case the FSB is
very supportive, a message confirmed by my meeting in Leeds on Friday.
“The meeting encourages me to think that small businesses will take advantage of the optional scheme of
a European Contract Law if it is constructed in a simple and user friendly manner.”

To bee or not to bee?

North East Lib Dem MEP Fiona Hall is calling for
more EU support for the beekeeping industry
which is threatened by increased death rates and
fewer beekeepers.
With many plant species dependent on pollination
by bees, any threat to this important insect is not just
about honey but about food production more generally.
MEPs have now called on the European
Commission and on EU Member States to step up the
fight for Europe’s bees.
Commenting after a vote on the beekeeping
situation, Fiona said, “The continued decline of the
beekeeping sector is hugely worrying given the
importance of bees as pollinators.
“Our agriculture and biodiversity depends on these
little insects and the Commission must now come
forward with a strategy on how to tackle the problem.
We need co-ordinated action across Europe in the field
of research, information sharing, veterinary treatment,
and the recruitment and training of young beekeepers.”
MEPs also called for clearer labels for honey
products, taking into account that 40% of the European honey market is dependent on imports.
Fiona added: “Enhancing labelling rules is essential for keeping our high quality European honey
products competitive. “