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Liberal Democrats held a meeting mainly for women on Thursday morning at Queens Road Neighbourhood Centre, Halifax.  Women who attended were reassured by Elisabeth Wilson, parliamentary candidate for Halifax, that Liberal Democrats are committed to keeping Sure Start and Child Tax Credits.  They also welcomed the news that under the Liberal Democrats the first £10,000 of earnings would be free of income tax, which adds up to £700 a year extra.  Feeling safe in society was another topic.  The meeting welcomed the proposed Liberal Democrat increase in West Yorkshire Police of 109, compared with the recent drop of 54 under Labour.

Fairness in education was raised by Shazad Fazal, when he explained that extra funding would be available to schools under the Liberal Democrats, £90,000 for the average primary school. The audience welcomed the idea of smaller classes, one-to-one tuition, and catch-up classes for those who need them. The need for Halifax High School to have a sixth form was also discussed. Shazad pointed out that only the Liberal Democrats are committed to the abolition of student fees.

Shazad stressed the need to develop a fair and tolerant society where there is equal opportunity and deprivation is tackled.  And Elisabeth told the women about plans to give all unemployed young people the opportunity of a job, training, education, and internship, or an apprenticeship.

Women who attended thanked the Liberal Democrats, as no other party has done this.  They were also interested to hear about Liberal Democrat’s special initiatives to help candidates from Asian and other minority ethnic bakcgounds.

The meeting was also addressed by Cllr Mohammed Ilyas, and Pauline Nash, candidate for Skircoat ward.

Elisabeth Wilson and Shazad Fazal at Beech Hill School

Speakers and others at the meeting

Lord William Wallace was the main speaker at a packed meeting at Raven Street Youth Centre, Halifax organized by the Liberal Democrats on Sunday night 18 April, in support of Elisabeth Wilson, candidate for Halifax, and Shazad Fazal, candidate for Park ward.  Lord Wallace is the principal spokesperson on Foreign and Commonwealth affairs for Liberal Democrats in the House of Lords.  He reminded the audience that Liberal Democrats had opposed the Iraq war, and are calling for an agreed date of withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Brought up as a protestant Christian, Lord Wallace welcomed the fact that in Britain today all faiths talk to each other.  He warned about the rise of fundamentalist Christians in the U.S. who want a confrontation with Islam.  Lord Wallace also spoke about areas of concern, such as South Asia, and in particular Kashmir. Last, he welcomed the development of Islamic study centres in UK universities.

Shazad Fazal, candidate for Park ward, talked about the needs of the area. He praised Liberal Democrat plans to invest £12m in Calderdale schools, as a move towards  equality and fairness.  Shazad also talked about the need for affordable housing, more play areas, and a new youth centre to replace Raven Street.

Elisabeth Wilson, Liberal Democrat candidate for Halifax, said she was angry about the £167bn deficit, pointing out it was £13,000 for everyone sitting in the meeting.  Liberal Democrats have a plan to reduce it, including getting rid of ID cards, to which Liberal Democrats are opposed.  She spoke in favour of bank reform, especially as HBoS, a major employer in Halifax, has been taken over by the Lloyds group. She insisted that banks should be smaller and more regionally based, splitting up the ordinary banking from the high risk.

Elisabeth also spoke about the 3000 unemployed people in Halifax, including 900 under 25, and Lib Dem plans to help them back to work.

She told the audience that the Liberal Democrats have a special programme to encourage members from black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds to become candidates. Forty three candidates (7%) from BME backgrounds are standing in the general election.

Janet Battye, leader of the Liberal Democrats on Calderdale council, attacked the Conservative administration for its secretiveness, waste of money and poor performance, particular in relation to vulnerable children.

The main speakers were supported by Cllr Mohammed Ilyas and other speakers from the local community.

The Liberal Democrats, in both Houses of Parliament, are committed to changing the current immigration rules and criteria that are unfairly prejudiced against Gurkhas who retired from the British Army before 1997. We feel very strongly about addressing the inequality of the current Gurkha immigration policy, which is why we used one of our debating slots to highlight the issue of Gurkha settlement on 29^th April.

The Liberal Democrats believe that Gurkhas who were prepared to fight and die for this country should have the right to live here. They should be treated in the same way as their foreign and Commonwealth counterparts, who have a right to indefinite leave to remain after four years of service in the armed forces.

Under the Government’s new provisions, announced in April in response to Mr Justice Blake’s judgement that present policy was unlawful, Gurkhas who retired before 1997 and want to live here have to serve for five times as long as Commonwealth soldiers or Gurkhas who retired from service after 1997. This 20 year service rule effectively excludes most private soldiers, who normally serve for 15 years. This inequality is, in our view, unjust and intolerable.

The Government suggested that approximately 4,000 Gurkha soldiers would benefit from their new policy, leaving 10,000 in total once dependents are included. Lawyers working with the campaign believe that a much smaller number would be able to benefit, possibly even as few as 100. The Government has said that if all Gurkhas, including those who were discharged before 1997, wanted to come to the UK the total would reach 100,000 including their dependents.

This is fanciful. It is like estimating the potential migration from the rest of the European Union as the entire population, because every EU citizen can work anywhere in the EU. It takes no account of the high living standards enjoyed by most discharged Gurkhas in Nepal and hence the attractiveness of staying in their country. In fact, just 1350 Gurkha soldiers who retired before 1997 have lodged appeals to be allowed to stay in the UK. The figures released by the Government on the number of Gurkhas they expect to settle in the UK and the potential cost are highly dubious. Channel 4 News fact check gave the Government’s estimates a rating of 4, one below the rating for ‘the claim has no basis in fact.’

But the numbers are surely secondary. The Gurkhas have made an unconditional commitment to our nation, and we cannot repay that extraordinary service, bravery and dedication with a penny-pinching attitude. This is an issue about our own values as a people, as much as it is about the Gurkhas.

Wonderfully, we managed to defeat the Government by a vote of 267 to 246, the first success for any opposition motion for more than thirty years and only the third Government defeat in the Commons since 1997. It was a moment of great pride and elation, as it seems the Gurkhas will finally receive the respect they deserve.