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Rt. Hon. Sir Alan Beith MPLiberal Democrat Member of Parliament for Berwick Upon TweedWorking for you and the Berwick upon Tweed Constituency all year roundin Northumberland and in Westminster |
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Beith welcomes Queen's Speech based on "principles of freedom, fairness and responsibility"
May 26, 2010 12:00 AM
Berwick's Liberal Democrat MP Sir Alan Beith has welcomed the Queen's Speech "that not only asserts but seeks to put into practice principles of freedom, fairness and responsibility."
Speaking in the House of Commons yesterday, Sir Alan said
"This country faces an horrific debt crisis-left to it by the previous Government. The coalition will have to take difficult, unwelcome and unpopular decisions, and it will need to test its decisions against those principles. Liberal Democrat Ministers in the coalition have a particular responsibility to see that it does so, and we Liberal Democrats below the Gangway will hold them to it, along with the whole Government.
"We said that politics would be different after the election. It is."
Sir Alan raised issues affecting the Berwick constituency in the House of commons during his speech, including the need to improve the A1 and also upgrade the east Coast mainline to increase rail capacity.
He also spoke about education and the Duchess's Community High School in Alnwick, saying
"I very much welcome the pupil premium, which should particularly help disadvantaged children in a number of areas, such as Northumberland, that up to now have had more than £1,000 less per pupil than some other areas of the country. Much has been said about Building Schools for the Future, but that programme failed to provide for schools such as the Duchess's Community High school in Alnwick. The buildings there are a disgrace, and the previous Schools Minister, the hon. Member for Gedling (Vernon Coaker), admitted as much, but its excellent results precluded it from being considered for rebuilding under that programme. We need measures that will enable decisions to be taken that do not go against schools that do a good job."
Sir Alan has already written to the new Schools Minister about the state of the buildings and the urgent need for a new school.
Sir Alan added
" One of the things that I like most in this Queen's Speech is the first line: "My Government's legislative programme will be based upon the principles of freedom, fairness and responsibility." That is a statement of belief, with freedom as its first principle. The lack of any clear framework of belief or ideology was the blight of the Blair years. Without a clear set of underlying principles, there is nothing to guide Governments when making decisions on issues that have not been anticipated or predicted.
"A Government who believed in international law would not have launched in Iraq an illegal war that has cost so many lives. A Government who had a fundamental commitment to civil liberties would not have introduced identity cards or tried to introduce 90-day detention without charge or trial."
On the issue of coalition working, Sir Alan added
"The Government are made up of two parties with very different histories, different policy commitments and different basic philosophies. We are in contest with each other for the support of the voters, and we will continue to be-in by-elections, local elections, elections to the Scottish and Welsh Parliaments and European elections. But, we are working together in government because the voters gave no party a majority, and the country needs a strong, broadly supported and stable Government. We have been able to reach a wide-ranging agreement that combines policies from both our manifestos, and it is a considerable achievement to have done so. It is even more of an achievement to have done so in a way that sets out and puts into practice clear principles, some of them shared by both parties, some brought to the table by one party and some by the other."
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