Edinburgh Liberal Democrats

News from the Lib Dems across Edinburgh's Constituencies

The Liberal Democrats are working across the constituencies of Edinburgh. Below is some of the news from those local campaigns.

• Jun 28, 2011:
  • Clegg pushes free bank shares scheme
    Nick Clegg Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg says it's time the public benefited from the bailout of the banks. The Lib Dem Leader is backing a scheme that will give shares in the nationally owned RBS and Lloyds banks to every adult in the UK. These shares could become worth over £1000. Nick Clegg said, "Taxpayers' money bailed out the banks. It's only right that the taxpayers should be given a stake in those banks and a chance to benefit from their future success." Mr Clegg has written to the Chancellor of the Exchequer to ask him to look at the shares plan. The plan has been backed by several other senior politicians. The blueprint to hand over shares to over 45million adults in the UK has been drawn up by a top city firm and was first launched by Lib Dem MP Stephen Williams in March. The plans will ensure that the Treasury will get its money back from the banking bailout, but any profits will go directly to the 45million shareholders. If the shares return to previous values of just a few years ago, each person could gain over £1000. Mr Clegg added, "The British people rightly feel let down by the past behaviour of the banks. With this plan they would own a piece of the banks, have a voice in how they were run and benefit from their future success." Published and promoted by Stuart Bridges on behalf of South Edinburgh Liberal Democrats both of 4 Grange Road, Edinburgh EH9 1UH Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY
• Mar 4, 2011:
  • Standing up for the environment - Why I voted for a ban on snares
    This week, the Scottish Parliament voted through important legislation to restrict the use of snares and poisons that cause unacceptable suffering and endanger the biodiversity of Scotland. I was disappointed that despite hearing evidence from the Humane Society that made clear the undue pain snaring can cause to Scottish wildlife, my parliamentary colleagues didn't support as I did an amendment that would have banned snares in Scotland outright. While I accept that farmers and gamekeepers need to protect their land, there can be no justification for snares that can inflict dreadful injuries on an animal, trapping it and keeping it alive for hours, if not days before its suffering is ended. Campaign groups will no doubt keep up the pressure on this issue, and I will continue to support them. However, the bill does offer significant new protections for wildlife, particularly rare birds of prey that have in the past fallen victim to indiscriminate use of poisons. By imposing tough new penalties not only on those who poison birds, but also those who allow cruelty to birds to take place, this new law sends out the signal that humane stewardship of Scottish wildlife is our collective responsibility. Published and promoted by Stuart Bridges on behalf of South Edinburgh Liberal Democrats both of 4 Grange Road, Edinburgh EH9 1UH Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY
• Mar 1, 2011:
  • Standing up for Local Education - Pupils Praised but Overcrowding Highlighted in Sciennes Primary Visit
    Mike Pringle MSP was joined by Secretary of State for Scotland Michael Moore MP last week to tour Sciennes Primary School. They were treated to musical and poetic performances from school pupils, visited classrooms to meet pupils and teachers before sitting down to discuss the challenges facing Scottish education. Sciennes Primary is the largest school in Edinburgh in terms of pupil numbers and one of its highest achieving in terms of pupil attainment. Recently it has suffered from over crowding due to its popularity. Michael Moore MP said "The pupils at Sciennes are a credit to themselves, their parents and teachers. "The poem recital showed extraordinary creativity and awareness about the culture and history of Scotland. The Cluster Project showed the care and understanding that these pupils are developing towards their community and those who need help and the Holocaust presentations showed young people tackling the biggest of issues in a thoughtful way. "I was immensely impressed by the standards I saw at Sciennes, and the happy and positive atmosphere there." Mike Pringle MSP added "Obviously Sciennes has been overcrowded for some time. "It is incredibly successful school in terms of pupil attainment which is testament to all the hard work of pupils teachers and parents. However that brings its own challenges; as the school has become more and more successful it's also become more popular, putting a lot of pressure on the available space and the teaching staff who might struggle to find the time to offer all the specific help they would like to give individual pupils who are struggling or have a difficult home life. "The new pupil premium is set to make a massive difference down in England, finally thousands of pupils are getting the extra support they need. I want to see Scottish children reaping the same benefits. The extra money can be used to employ more teachers, provide catch up classes, cut class sizes or offer one to one tuition to those who are struggling. It would be targeted to help pupils from more deprived backgrounds first, but all school pupils would benefit. "I want to restore Scotland's reputation for excellence, from nursery to tertiary education." Published and promoted by Stuart Bridges on behalf of South Edinburgh Liberal Democrats both of 4 Grange Road, Edinburgh EH9 1UH Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY
• Nov 1, 2010:
  • Mike Pringle Calls for Action as 80% of Businesses Appeal Their Rates Bill
    Mike Pringle MSP has called for the introduction of a transitional rates relief scheme after the Scottish Liberal Democrats revealed that 80% of Scottish businesses that are paying rates are appealing their bills. Commenting Mike said "Some businesses are paying up to 200% more in their rates tax bills under the SNP. So there's little surprise then that the number of businesses appealing their rates tax bills has shot up. We were the first to raise concerns about the lack of any transitional support. The revelation that 80% of properties that pay rates are appealing completely justifies our campaign." "In my constituency the Prestonfield House Hotel has seen his hotel rates rise by 99 per cent this year. Its rateable value rose from £200,000 in 2005 to £399,000 in 2010 which equates to a shift from £8,333 per room to £16,625 per room. This is, I believe, the highest rate in Scotland. "Ministers must listen to Scottish businesses who are being hit by the SNP tax on Scottish jobs. The SNP is taking in £150 million more in additional business rates revenue this year. I'm incredibly disappointed that the SNP and the Tories did not stand up for Scottish businesses and voted against the introduction of a transitional relief scheme. "But we in conjunction with the Scottish Chamber of Commerce and their networks across Scotland, will continue to fight on behalf of hard pressed businesses, urging the Scottish Government to introduce a transitional relief scheme for businesses." Published and promoted by Stuart Bridges on behalf of South Edinburgh Liberal Democrats both of 4 Grange Road, Edinburgh EH9 1UH Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY