Liberal View - newsletter commenting on national and local news, January 2009, by Tim Starkey prospective parliamentary candidate for Chesham and Amersham.

Written by Tim Starkey prospective parliamentary candidate for Chesham and Amersham on Sat 10th Jan 2009

I want to start this January's e-bulletin by inviting you to a:

PUBLIC MEETING ON ID CARDS

CHESHAM HIGH SCHOOL

WHITE HILL, CHESHAM

6.30 pm 25th Feb 2009 (Free entry)

Organised by Chiltern Lib Dems and NO2ID

Fighting ID cards has not always been a popular cause: back in 2004 polls showed 80% in favour of their introduction with just 11% against. Today the gap has narrowed to just 48% for and 46% against. The more people learn about the costs and dangers, the stronger opposition to the scheme grows.

I am heartened by this, because I believe that politics should not be about going along with what seems popular. I am in politics to give my opinion and try and change other people's. This is why we are holding this meeting: to make our case directly to the public as to why the ID card scheme must be stopped. To hear the full debate please come along, but by way of sneak preview consider the following:

• Government estimates the cost of setting up the scheme at £5.8 bn, an LSE study predicted costs could run as high as £19 bn. Instead, tens of thousands of extra police could be put on the beat. Is the scheme a cost effective way of fighting crime?

• In Spain there is a compulsory ID card scheme, it did not stop the Madrid bombings. The 7/7 bombers used no fake ID at all. Do you believe ID cards would be an effective weapon against terrorists?

• Each card will hold over 50 different pieces of information about the holder. If security was breached the consequences for the victim would be devastating. Do you trust the government to keep our data safe?

Questions Bucks County Council Must Answer

The news that Bucks County Council are planning to axe nearly 500 jobs could not have come at a worse time. Of course, we are all anxious to cut down on public expenditure, but was it necessary to lay off so many people at precisely the moment that government most needs to be tackling unemployment? The decision raises the following questions, that tax payers deserve answers to:

1) Which services will be hit by these massive cuts?

2) If services won't be hit, what were these jobs created for in the first place?

3) Was the decision affected by the loss of £5million in Icelandic banks?

4) 300 employees of the County Council are on salaries of between £50K and £130K a year. Had other solutions, such as pay freezes, been considered?

Listening to local businesses

Local Lib Dems have launched a survey of businesses throughout the Chiltern District to assess the impact of the recession. The results will form part of a nationwide survey being carried out by Vince Cable and the Lib Dem Business and Enterprise team. We want to hear first hand from business owners what needs to be done to help them survive and flourish.

Early results show that, as predicted in my December e-bulletin, the cut in VAT has made little difference. We will also be looking at difficulties in getting credit and considering the impact of the latest bank bail out. I will give a full break down of the results, plus a summary of the many useful ideas put forward, in the February edition.

You couldn't make it up!

Despite Gordon's lectures on "prudence" his government continues to waste OUR MONEY at a shocking rate:

• £13 bn on an NHS computer system that is a complete failure.

• £81 million on a Department of Transport economy drive, aimed at saving £57 million.

• £200 million in the last 5 years, on IT projects that were never finished.

• £20 000 asking just 15 Devonians about water pollution.

With public debt spiralling out of control, our party must go on a crusade to expose and cut government waste.

Chesham Youth Council: a voice for young people

I want to end on a positive note, by mentioning the wonderful work of Chesham Youth Council. In December I was invited along to a presentation given to Chesham scouts by their chair, Tom Pirouet. The 15 strong group is a bridge between young people in Chesham and the Town Council - finding out what young people want.

One example, is the extensive survey they did recently of play areas in the town, approaching kids and asking them what new equipment they would like to see. Another recent project was a hard hitting leaflet on alcohol abuse. Written by kids for kids, I believe it will have much more impact than repeated warnings from those "in authority".

Finally. the Youth Council have produced a comprehensive guide to all the activities available for youngsters in Chesham, from Tae Kwon Do to dancing to Sea Cadets, 8000 will be delivered - one for every young person in Chesham. Keep up the good work!