Fylde Liberal Democrats

It doesn't make big headlines like mindless anti EU sloganising does. It's just very important for the UK economy. On 11th December last year we wrote about the EU brokered European Unitary Patent [UPP]. This single patent package guarantees a one-stop-shop for companies registering new business ideas in the EU. At the moment British inventors that are looking for protection in EU countries need individual patents that must then be validated in the respective countries causing costs for translation and administration. With this new single patent, businesses will make savings of up to £20,000 per patent in translation costs alone and save hours of form filling. It is necessary to police & enforce UPP patents [just like anything else] and in February 2013 Business Secretary Vince Cable signed, in Brussels, the deal for a new Patent Court to be based in London. Together this creates a one-stop shop for companies wanting to protect their business ideas in Europe and will bring at least £200 million to the UK economy each year. British pharmaceutical and life sciences companies looking to defend or enforce their patents across Europe will only need to go to one court once, instead of fighting their case in each European country. The new court will be up and running from 2015. Vince said: "The decision that London should host this new court shows not only the confidence in our legal sector but also the strength of the UK's intellectual property regime. The agreement will help our inventors who can in future spend more time on research and development, producing new ideas and less time filling in forms and defending their patents in court".

On 13th April 2012 the Daily Mail published an article [extracted from Britain For Sale: British Companies In Foreign Hands by Alex Brummer, published by Random House Business Books ]. It pointed out that we've lost our taste for ownership of our own economy and public services - from once-great manufacturers such as ICI to most of the companies that deliver our electricity, water and gas. The Government is even happy to consider letting a Russian firm, the one behind the Chernobyl accident, run some of Britain's next generation of nuclear power stations. In fact, to date, we've sold off more than half our assets to foreign owners. Boots, Cadbury, our steel industry and much much more. In the face of political indifference, foreign companies acquired £30billion worth of British enterprises in 2009. In 2010, that rose to a value of £54.5 bn. Less than half of our Premier & Championship football clubs are British owned. 52% of all office properties in London's main financial district and 60% of all new homes in central London are owned by foreigners. There have been disastrous consequences for UK employment & skill base. No other country is quite so stupid. India has bought UK enterprises such as Jaguar Rover but it won't allow British firms to take full control of Indian companies. Most other countries, including the USA have restrictions on who may own key assests. YET ALL UKIP & THE TORY RIGHT CAN DO IS BANG ON ABOUT THE EU. Do we still have any brain cells?

UKIP's NW MEP, Paul Nuttall, with the economy of the truth and gross exaggeration for which his party is rightly famous, wants the EU Bathing Water Directive that sets standards for good bathing water quality to be scrapped, and warnings to bathers removed, after news that some UK beaches may not make the highest grade. Nuttall has claimed that swimming will be banned from 2015 and that 'the EU is not interested in compromise'. Contaminated sea water is a major cause of vomiting and diarrhoea. Nuttall clearly believes that giving visitors large doses of the galloping gut rot will be good for tourism. His warnings that the EU will ban bathing have been described as "bullshit" by rival North West Liberal Democrat MEP Chris Davies. Chris [pictured] said, "The EU law is about giving information on water quality. It would be up to British authorities to decide whether swimming is dangerous. To claim that the EU has the power to take such measures is simply a UKIP lie." People should have a right to know about water quality. EU Bathing Water legislation has driven up standards and led to huge improvements in water quality across Europe.

Speaking on the Sunday Politics (NW) show after the Lancashire County elections in which no party won enough seats to set up an administration, LibDem group leader CCllr. Bill Winlow said "I have contacted both the Labour and Conservative Party leaders to say that we are willing to enter
discussions about the establishment of the new administration to runLancashire. No meetings have yet taken place" Bill noted that the Councils job, and thus the job of ALL councillors, is to provide those services for which the council is responsible to the people who need them, particularly the vulnerable elderly and young, and those with disabilities, rather than chase narrow political advantage. This means that we will need to make radical changes in how the county is to be run. [Please go to Bill's blog via the link at the left of this page for the full details of the proposal.]

What justifies the extravagant hype all over the media about UKIP causing a 'Sea change' in British politics and all the rest of the exposure of Nigel Farage on TV and Conservative panic? So UKIP have a bigger share of the popular vote but under our crazy electoral system that is nothing new. It is 'seats' that matter. Plenty of Tory & Labour Governments have been elected on a minority popular vote. So let's look at some facts:

Twenty Two Liberal Democrat councillors were elected on 2nd May - 16 to Cumbria and 6 to Lancashire county councils, a net loss of just one seat - this despite the fact that we have now to bear the burden of Government rather than enjoy the ease of Opposition that we had when these elections were last fought in 2009. Despite all the hype, no UKIP candidates were elected in this region. UKIP does not have a single councillor on a principal authority anywhere in the North West. UKIP's deputy leader, MEP Paul Nuttall, continues to exist in splendid isolation. Makes it really easy for UKIP to stoke up grievances since they can never be called to account. In more detail in Cumbria the results in South Lakeland were splendid, with two gains (High Furness and beating the last Tory in Sedbergh and Kirkby Lonsdale) on top of the bunch we already held. We held a seat in Carlisle, gained Eden Lakes in Eden and came close to winning others in Penrith too. Results in Keswick and Cockermouth demonstrated potential for the future. In Lancashire LibDems gained two seats in Pendle, held two in Burnley (and missed a third by 7 votes), held one in Preston and took one in South Ribble.

So Lancashire County Council elections are over for another four years. Lib Dem Prof Bill Winlow was re-elected for Preston West with an increased majority. Very well done Bill. [Many people don't realise that half of Preston West County Division is in Fylde Parliamentary Consituency]. Our commiserations go to LbDem stalwarts, Howard & Karen Henshaw, who saw their vote collapse to about 40% of their 2009 result. In St Annes North, St Annes South & Lytham, Conservatives won despite losing some 400 - 500 votes in each Division. UKIP didn't do so well either losing votes in St Annes North & a small gain in St Annes South. Independents shot themselves in the foot in Fylde South by fielding two candidates whose combined vote would have been enough for victory. Across Lancashire Labour failed to gain control of what was a 'must win' council for them. Conservatives lost control. LibDems have 6 Cllrs - a net loss of three. There are three Independents & one Green. The BNP have been eliminated & UKIP failed to get any councillors.

The Observer reports a letter obtained under Freedom of Information from Conservative Environment Secretary, Owen Paterson, to pesticide manufacturer Sygenta in which he says he is "extremely disappointed" by the propsed EU ban on bee killing chemicals. He said the UK has been very active in opposing the ban and that "our efforts will continue and intensify in the coming days". Maybe David Cameron should have a word in his ear. Cameron has said " If we don't look after our bee populations very serious consequences will follow." Paterson is the man who is responsible for making sure that fracking is environmentally safe. Fylde voters be warned.

Back on 24th February we posted about the unfair and irresponsible nature of the Conservative controlled Lancashire County Council budget. If you believe the Tories will ever play fair with our hard earned money you must read a book by ex-tax inspector Richard Brooks 'The great Tax Robbery' [272 pages Oneworld].It is subtitled: ' How Britain became a tax haven for fat cats and big business'. Just a few gems. Osborne has allowed chunks of his corporate tax policy to be written by companies with the help of the same accountants who design avoidance schemes. Labour are no better. During their years in government penalties levied by HMRC on very large companies for transgressions had fallen to 0.01% of their 'error' - around 200times less than the fines imposed on small companies. Also, since a Private Finance Deal in 2001, HMRC's offices have been owned by a company in Bermuda. HMRC cannot therefore scrutinise the finances of its 'landlord'. Lots more. Read the book. For more on the Lancs CC budget and other local issues please visit Bill Winlow's; Howard & Karen Henshaws; and Carol Gilligans - indeed all the blogs via the links to the left of this page.

Green Energy accounted for 11.3% of UK Electricity last year after huge growth in Offshore Wind. And the IMF called for the removal of the world's $1.9trillion susidies for fossil fuels. George Osborne, of course, wants to give tax breaks to shale gas. One associates blinkers with Blackpool beach donkeys.