UK Parties: The Liberal Democrats

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The party leader, Nick Clegg, mentions the environment again in his foreword, by which time complacency might be setting in. But what, no environment chapter? No, the message is that the environment is not just something added on to improve the party's image, or included as a section that most people can skip over it. Instead, it explains: "Protecting the environment is one of the greatest challenges this generation faces. We must hand on to our children a planet worth living on. That requires action across government."

It's a strong philosophy, and is matched by policies. These are all policies already committed to by the Liberal Democrats, but they are nonetheless refreshingly different from the more traditional offerings of the last two days from Labour and the Conservatives.

On climate and clean energy their targets go further than either main rival; on achieving them they adopt some of the same ideas like the green investment bank, some updated versions like bigger loans for home energy improvements, and some controversially different ones such as national road pricing – which they stress would be offset by axing vehicle excise duty.

There are so many ideas it's hard to summarise them all, though they are helpfully flagged by green tags throughout the manifesto.

Continues: http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/apr/14/general-election-2010-liberaldemocrats

Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg is to outline a £3 billion plan to create a new economy based on green jobs.

Mr Clegg will spend the day campaigning in South Wales as he seeks to build on the surge in opinion poll ratings his party has enjoyed since his performance in last week's leaders' debate.

The Lib Dem leader said his party's plans will make the economy "financially and socially sustainable". Later this week he will turn his attention to the City, with plans to restructure the financial system.

The Lib Dems' plans for a green economy include investing in wind turbines, improving energy efficiency in public buildings and homes and bringing empty properties back into use.

Mr Clegg said: "This week I will be focusing on the most important issue of all in this election: how we can build a new economy from the rubble of the old. Under Governments from the old parties, economic policy was made entirely subservient to the needs of just one square mile - the City of London.

Continues: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/feedarticle/9037187

Liberal Democrats have long opposed any new nuclear construction. Conservatives, by contrast, are committed to allowing the replacement of existing nuclear power stations provided they are subject to the normal planning process for major projects (under a new national planning statement) and provided also that they receive no public subsidy.
We have agreed a process that will allow Liberal Democrats to maintain their opposition to nuclear power while permitting the government to bring forward the national planning statement for ratification by Parliament so that new nuclear construction becomes possible.

This process will involve:
the government completing the drafting of a national planning statement and putting it before Parliament;

pecific agreement that a Liberal Democrat spokesman will speak against the planning statement, but that Liberal Democrat MPs will abstain; and

clarity that this will not be regarded as an issue of confidence.