Our spring conference fringe meeting is setting up our activists for being able to deal with the myths they will no doubt get thrown at them on the doorsteps. It is in the interests of all who care about these issues, from all parties and none, that we debunk these myths.Fringe 14 March 2015 flier
speech just given in the manifesto debate.
We all know that so many people do not know or understand about the situation of asylum seekers in both the world and the UK. Amazing what many reading this posting don't know either.
In the dying hours of this Parliament the Home Office tried to sneak in one last blow to asylum-seeking families. Legislation was introduced to increase Section 95 support payments to single people over 18 by the tiny amount of 33p per week, but reduce payments for under-16s by a whopping £16 per child per week. There was an outcry from many infuriated organisations supporting asylum seekers. Angry LD4SOS (Liberal Democrats for Seekers of Sanctuary) contacted Liberal Democrat parliamentarians and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg. Thanks to Nick's intervention with the Home Office, the reductions in payments for under-18s were immediately revoked by fresh legislation. http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2015/944/contents/made
We had an active presence at conference and made quite an impact.
Whilst it is a disgraceful state of affairs that such polices have to be campaigned for, it is excellent that the Liberal Democrat Manifesto, published today, has good priorities for putting forward existing policies, ready for action, in any new Government.