Archive for June 17th, 2009
June 17th, 2009 | 
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LIBERAL Democrats in Burnley – already well-placed to take over from Labour MP Kitty Ussher at the next General Election – have called for her to resign immediately from Parliament so that voters can have their say on who they want to represent them.
Burnley Council leader and Parliamentary candidate Gordon Birtwistle said that if Liberal Democrat reforms of Parliament were made law, Kitty Ussher would be sacked by voters who would then choose her replacement.
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Coun Birtwistle said, “I am bitterly disappointed that there won’t now be a public fight. Burnley people have been fed up of her antics for some time and the writing was already on the wall.
“Liberal Democrats took five of Labour’s six seats on the County Council here two weeks ago, we topped the poll here in the European elections and we took majority control of the local Council last year.
“With Vince Cable proved right on the economy, our entire party proved right on Iraq, and only the Liberal Democrats fighting hard over the downgrading of our local hospital, it is quite clear who the political competition is in Burnley.
“But the main thing is the people of Burnley now have to put up with inadequate representation until the Prime Minister sees fit to call a General Election. That is no way to run a modern democracy. People want to see her sacked now, and our reforms would allow them to sack her themselves.”
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 Gordon Birtwistle |
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Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg is pushing for reforms that would enable voters to “recall” an MP who they felt had let them down badly, and for the date of each General Election to be fixed in advance.
Kitty Ussher took her position as a minister just seven days ago, the second time she had worked as a junior Treasury minister, but says that she is stepping down due to the pressures of running a young family.
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Posted in 
| Burnley’s Liberal Democrats are demanding that councillors and police get tough on shopkeepers caught selling alcohol to under-age children.
The call comes after a Boundary Street shop owner had his licence suspended for two weeks after being caught out profiting from illegal alcohol sales. Lib Dem Coun Charlie Briggs, Burnley Council’s executive member for community safety, called the suspension “inadequate” and insisted that licensing powers were not being used in proportion to the damage caused. Coun Briggs, who was recently elected as the Lib Dem group’s leader at County Hall, said, “Drunk children on the street are a very serious problem and I’m determined to stamp it out. On the one hand, most kids and parents behave responsibly. At the other extreme, some kids will get hold of alcohol no matter what, and sometimes it is supplied by their own parents. “But in the middle are some kids we can get back on the straight and narrow. Every child saved is worth it in my mind. “We have to take every chance we can to cut down the supply of alcohol. Inadequate penalties like this just don’t take account of the consequences for the kids themselves and for members of the public. Penalties should be proportionate to the offence, and right now, they’re not.” Lib Dem Coun Bill Brindle, who sits on the Town Hall committee that sentences offending off-licences, agreed. |
 Cllr Charlie Briggs  Cllr Darren Reynolds  Cllr Bill Brindle |
| Coun Brindle said, “I’ve seen families ripped to pieces by this problem. When people get involved in drinking large amounts of alcohol at such an early age, it can ruin their life chances.
“As a committee, we have to give out fair penalties that reflect the harm done. I don’t think we’ve been doing that recently and we will have to get tougher. “I want the Police to change their policy of waiting for three failed tests before bringing cases to the committee. If someone breaks the law once, that should be enough. But communities who are fed up of this problem don’t have to wait for the police to take action. Any member of the public can ask us to review a licence, and I’m asking community groups to bring problem off-licences to our attention.” The Happy Shopper off-licence on Briercliffe Rd was due to have its licence reviewed this Thursday [18th June], and both the Melville Street Spar shop and the Focus Off Licence on Briercliffe Road were to be reviewed on Tuesday, 23rd June 2009. Queensgate ward councillor Darren Reynolds, whose area has seen disturbances caused by alcohol abuse in recent months, defended suggestions the Lib Dems were acting illiberally and against party policy. Coun Reynolds said, “Four off-licences in or adjacent to my ward have been caught out in two months. Children are being abused by these retailers and the children’s lives are slowly going down the pan. “Liberalism means letting people carry on their business free from official interference so long as they’re not doing any harm. The harm caused to these children, their families and their communities outweighs any right to trade freely. What Charlie and Bill are seeking to do is entirely consistent with Liberal principles. If these off-licences can’t trade legally, they must be closed down.” |
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- State opening of parliament http://t.co/aRvafa20
- Good luck to lib dem candidates in Burnley & across the country. Well done for all your efforts & big thanks to all who helped campaign!
- Off to radio 4 now. It's been a long day
- I'm on 5 live doing election coverage now.
- RT @robinmeltzer: Londoners: a vote today for @LondonLibDems on the ORANGE BALLOT paper is a vote to stop racist #stopandsearch
Now they are closing the Childrens ward at Burnley General
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