Liberal Democrat Party
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- See Scottish Liberal Democrats for additional information about the Liberal Democrat Party in Scotland.
- See Welsh Liberal Democrats for additional information about the Liberal Democrat Party in Wales.
The Liberal Democrats, often shortened to Lib Dems or just Liberals, are a centre-left political party in the United Kingdom, formed in 1988 by a merger of the Liberal Party and the Social Democratic Party; the two parties had been in alliance for seven years, from shortly after the formation of the SDP. The party's leader is Nick Clegg.
Contents |
Election Manifesto 2010
The election manifesto is available at: http://www.libdems.org.uk/our_manifesto.aspx
Summary from The Guardian: http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/apr/14/liberal-democrat-manifesto-at-a-glance
Comment on the science content: http://timesonline.typepad.com/science/2010/04/manifesto-watch-the-liberal-democrats-on-science.html
Analysis from Channel 4's FactCheck: http://blogs.channel4.com/factcheck/2010/04/14/lib-dem-manifesto-2010-planes-poverty-footballs/
Science Policy
July 2012 science policy paper: http://www.libdems.org.uk/siteFiles/resources/docs/policy/SciencePolicy.pdf (debated at Autumn 2012 conference?).
See also: http://sciencecampaign.org.uk/?p=10553
Stance on Sceptical Issues
Libel Law Reform
Representatives from the campaign group Sense About Science spoke at a fringe meeting for libel reform at the party conference on 20th September 2009. Following this the party voted overwhelmingly in favour of libel law reform[1]. This took the form of a call for "The protection of freedom of expression, by reforming the libel laws in England and Wales to ensure that a better balance is provided between free speech, responsible journalism, scientific discourse and the public interest on the one hand and powerful corporations, wealthy individuals and vested interests on the other."[2].
The Liberal Democrat Policy Briefing on Civil Liberties of October 2009 stated that "One of the first acts of a Liberal Democrat government will be to table a Freedom Bill to scrap the most intrusive and illiberal laws introduced by Labour. We will: [multiple points skipped] Protecting freedom of expression by reforming libel laws."[3]
By March 2010, all Liberal Democrat MPs had signed Early Day Motion 423 in favour of libel law reform[4] (excepting Nick Clegg since by parliamentary convention, party leaders do not sign non-legislative EDMs).
Alternative Medicine
The party issued a statement on 11th March 2010:
- A recent report by the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee examined the provision of homeopathy through the NHS and called for funding by the NHS to be stopped. The Committee did recognise that many users derive benefit from its use and did not argue that such treatments should be banned.
- The Liberal Democrats believe that, as a basic principle, individuals should have maximum freedom about how they choose to get treated, so long as the therapy is safe. When it comes to NHS provision, we support a review by NICE into the cost effectiveness of Complementary and Alternative (CAMs) therapies, including homeopathy; as well as expanding the work of NICE to look at the cost-effectiveness of existing conventional treatments.
- We know that many complementary therapies are popular with the public. The NHS budget is limited and we want to make sure that NHS funding is focused on treatments which are efficacious and cost-effective. NICE reviews of all existing treatments would give us the best possible basis for future decisions over funding.[5]
Current MPs
(See also: Category:Liberal Democrat MPs)
References
- ↑ http://www.senseaboutscience.org.uk/index.php/site/project/403
- ↑ http://www.libdems.org.uk/constitutional_reform_detail.aspx?title=Policy_Motion%3a_Standing_Up_for_Civil_Liberties_-_carried&pPK=8cca2cac-052e-4b11-93b5-6540295b9da3
- ↑ http://www.libdems.org.uk/siteFiles/resources/Word%20Docs/Policy%20Briefing%20-%20Civil%20Liberties%20Oct%2009.doc
- ↑ http://www.parliament.uk/edm/2009-10/423
- ↑ http://www.libdemvoice.org/whats-the-liberal-democrat-position-on-homeopathy-18300.html
