Make it Happen
It has been a great Lib Dem Conference with Nick Clegg launching our new campaign to ‘Make it Happen’, with tax cuts for those who really need it, and an increase for the wealthiest who are currently paying the least.
For us in North Somerset we managed to get our joint motion with North Wilts and Westminster Lib Dems on the extension of the remit of the International Criminal Court (ICC) approved by conference. This means that it is now our party policy. One of the special things about the Liberal Democrats is that we can as members write policy motions and get them passed into policy at Conference, which neither members of the Labour or Conservative Parties can, as a party we are thus much more democratic.
The new policy commits us as a party to endeavour to make the promotion of the ICC a fundamental part of UK foreign policy. We want to see all nations sign up to the ICC including the US, Russia and China. We want to be able to see the ICC empowered to take currently serving heads of state to task if they persecute their own populations and break the International Convention of Human Rights. In a World where we are all increasingly linked by the global economy and the environment it is surely time that the UN has these powers to hold all governments to account if they indulge in crimes against humanity.
I also managed to speak on the International Security debate, to stress the need for a change in our approach in Afghanistan to purchase the opium and process it into medical diamorphine locally. This would have a number of advantages, and would undermine the Taliban by:
1) Taking away finance from the Taliban, who make huge amounts of money from the illegal trade,
2) Winning the hearts and minds of Afghan farmers instead of turning them into enemies,
3) Providing local employment in the processing,
4) Provide a much needed medical drug to the world market, for which there is currently a shortage.
Most importantly it would allow for a political solution to develop in Afghanistan, which could lead to the end of the fighting and to allow our brave troops to come home.
Posted by Brian at 12:47 PM | Link | 0 comments
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