Islington Welcomes Liberal Democrat Vision for Britain

9.49.00am BST (GMT +0100) Mon 21st Jul 2008

Liberal Democrats in Islington have welcomed the launch of the Liberal Democrats' vision for Britain by Party Leader Nick Clegg MP. Called 'Make it Happen', the paper will be debated at the party's conference in Bournemouth in September.

Liberal Democrat PPC Bridget Fox with Nick Clegg.

In their vision for the country the Liberal Democrats say:

• They will cut taxes for ordinary families;

• If your local hospital can't see you on time, they will pay for treatment elsewhere;

• They will switch taxes from people to pollution - so it pays to go green;

• To improve standards in education, they will fund extra help for those who need it most;

• They will put Britain at the heart of Europe to make us a force for good in the world;

• They will stop ID cards so we can keep control of our privacy;

• They will change the voting system so everyone's voice counts;

• They will bring communities together with local people in charge;

• They will give communities a say in how offenders pay for their crimes;

Liberal Democrat candidate for Islington South & Finsbury Bridget Fox says "These are exciting policies for Islington and for Britain. Local people tell me they are fed up with rising prices, unfair taxes, the waste of money on the ID card scheme and a Labour government that just doesn't seem to care.

"Islington South & Finsbury is one of the most marginal seats in the country, with just a handful of votes between Labour and Liberal Democrats. Every vote for the Lib Dems here is a vote for the fairer policies set out by Nick Clegg."

Liberal Democrat leader of Islington Council James Kempton commented, "I'm backing Nick Clegg's manifesto. It sets out how the Liberal Democrats will run Britain and how Nick will put those principles we've been successfully using in Islington into practice right across the country- lower taxes, encouraging people to go green, and giving people a bigger say on the issues that matter.

"No-one in Islington has escaped the rising cost of food and fuel. The credit crunch is biting hard and local people are feeling the pinch.

"Here in Islington we've been cutting red tape, waste and bureaucracy year after year. That's why we able to cut council tax from one of the highest in London under Labour to one of the lowest in London today. Now our party leader Nick Clegg has set out how the Lib Dems want to help ordinary people by cutting taxes on those on low and middle incomes. Thousands of people in Islington would benefit from this too."

'Make it Happen' is available online at: http://www.libdems.org.uk/