âAs we prepare for the first full session of this parliament, our Liberal Democrat Shadow Cabinet has been meeting this weekend to prepare to take this government on as never before.
I am determined that we will demonstrate to the public the weaknesses of Labour's record.
After eight years of Labour, I want to see change.
I want to see real social justice in this country.
I want to see sensible economic policies which deliver for all.
I want to see a Britain which is admired abroad, not tarnished by our misguided involvement in Iraq.
I want a fairer Britain.
Labour was elected with 36% of the vote in May. This government has the right to serve but that is no moral mandate.
The public has begrudgingly given Labour a third chance â and I believe it should be the last.
We have had eight years now of Labour.
Eight years in which to judge this administration.
Eight years which constitute a record;
And itâs increasingly a record of failing programmes, wasted money and unfairness.
What angers me about Britain today â which is a good country, the fourth richest economy in the world â is what is missing.
So much has been spent, but where is the improvement?
Where is the benefit for the many and not just the few?
All too often just a broken promise.
The truth is that under Labour, the gap between rich and poor is getting wider instead of narrowing.
Infant mortality rates for the underprivileged compared with the rest of
the population have got worse since Labour has been in power.
The same is true for life expectancy.
Under Labour, Britain is getting richer - the rich are getting much richer - but again, the poor arenât getting their fair share. The gap is widening.
The top 10% now own more than half our nationâs wealth.
Yet the poor actually pay more of their income in tax.
But itâs not only money we are talking about â unfairness under Labour goes much deeper.
Social mobility has stalled in Labour Britain.
If your family is underprivileged, your chances of leaving poverty behind have actually got worse.
Tony Blair said his mantra was âeducation, education, educationâ.
Yet children from poorer backgrounds are still far less likely to get five good GCSE passes than those from richer families. And that gap is wider than it was under the Tories.
8 years on Labour doesnât know what to do about the council tax â despite its obvious unfairness â and has cynically postponed the overdue revaluation process.
8 years on pensioners have seen a 76% rise in council tax while their pensions have risen only 31% and longer term pensions policy is a complete shambles.
8 years on the Child Support Agency gets no better - unable to collect or enforce billions of pounds of payments.
8 years on Britainâs greenhouse gas emissions are rising not falling.
8 years on, our civil liberties are under threat and our constitution remains fundamentally unchanged.
And this isnât just Tony Blairâs problem. Gordon Brown is creating his own damaging legacy.
Government debt - rising.
Growth slowing.
Tax credits - a shambles. Millions of our poorest families are being driven further into debt as they have to pay the government back for its own incompetence.
Burgeoning red tape - an average of 15 new regulations heaped on our business community everyday.
And who is bearing the burden â consumers â who are propping up the economy with record personal debt?
Meanwhile the Conservatives as a national party are in their weakest position for generations â that is why we Liberal Democrats are taking up the challenge.
We are the growing force in politics â and we are ready for it.
We got used to being the real opposition in the last Parliament â over Iraq, of course, but on other important issues from student fees to pensions, Council Tax to civil liberties.
Already we are demonstrating our strengths.
Who has been asking the difficult questions over Iraq? Ming Campbell.
Who has been harrying the government over tax credits? David Laws.
Who has been effectively holding the government to account over the proposed anti-terror legislation? Mark Oaten.
Over the coming months, our task as Liberal Democrats is to hold this Government to account over its failures and to offer a positive alternative for our countryâs future.â
ENDS
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