Government Focusing on Fear

4.32.00pm UTC (GMT +0000) Tue 23rd Nov 2004

"The Government is focusing on fear, whereas the Liberal Democrats offer hope. was Bath's MP, Don Foster's view of the Queen's Speech, but some long awaited measures were welcomed.

Continuing, Don said:

"Measures to deal with the hated Council Tax; to end the burden of student tuition fees; to offer help for pensioners and to put more police on our streets were glaringly absent from this years Queen's Speech."

"Instead of stirring up fear, crime and terror would be better addressed with 10,000 more police and the National Border Force, rather than wasting £3 billion on ID cards that didn't protect people in the US or Spain and which would curtail British rights and liberties.

But some measures were welcomed by Don, such as the Road Safety Bill, for which he has long campaigned.

"With ten people dying on our roads every day, it's about time the Government woke up to our long running calls for action." Don said,

"I welcome increased penalties for dangerous driving, speeding, using mobile phones and using vehicles in a dangerous condition which will be a major part of the bill.

"But there should be measures to introduce a road accident investigation branch in the same way as there are one for the railways, sea and air. I'll be pressing for this to be introduced during the course of this Parliament, as I was during the last."

Don will also back a ground breaking amendment to be introduced by the Liberal Democrats to clarify the role of the Prime Minister and Parliament in "matters of war and peace," following the remarkable series of events since the last Queen's Speech, including the Hutton and Butler reports, and controversy over events leading up to the Iraq war.

The text of the Amendment reads:

'…but regrets that the Gracious Speech contains no commitment to introduce legislation to clarify the responsibility of the Prime Minister to Parliament, particularly in relation to the prerogative powers and the role of Parliament in matters of war and peace, and calls for a special Select Committee of the House to consider these matters.'