Aqila’s General Election 2010 Manifesto
Five Steps to a Fairer Britain
1. Fairer taxes that put money back in your pocket.
Nobody should have to pay Income Tax on the first £10,000 of their earnings or pensions. This would take 3.6 million people out of Income Tax and give millions of others £700 extra per year.
This will help working students, young people, part time workers and pensioners most.
2. A fair chance for every child.
Our priorities are smaller class sizes, especially in primary schools, more money for schools through a pupil premium and greater freedom for schools to decide how to spend their budgets.
Lib Dems are committed to abolish university tuition fees which we would phase out over 6 years.
3. A fairer and greener economy.
Create new jobs by investing in public transport, renewable energy and energy efficient homes.
We will tax polluters such as aviation fuel to raise funds for job creation. Insulating every home, school and hospital to save public money and tackle fuel poverty, whilst creating jobs and reducing carbon dioxide emissions.
4. A fair deal for community safety.
Lib Dems want to scrap ID cards and use the money to pay for 3,000 extra police in the community to ensure that vulnerable people are better protected and more criminals are caught.
Better support for victims of crime and anti social behaviour is needed along with measures to cut re-offending.
5. A fairer political system.
We will campaign to make politicians fully accountable in both House of Commons and House of Lords. Both chambers need to be elected by the public by voting systems which fairly reflect the votes cast for each party.
Lib Dems want to give voters the right to sack corrupt MPs at any time.
Action on taxation and the economy
The Liberal Democrats Vince Cable has been proved right on the economy and has the ideas for our recovery. Vince was the clear winner of the recent TV debate between the three prospective chancellors.
Local champion Aqila Choudhry sees creating jobs as a top priority for Leeds, achieved in part by putting money in people’s pockets.
We will ensure that nobody pays Income Tax on the first £10,000 of income so that 3.6 million people are taken out of tax and most other taxpayers will gain £700.
Tax cuts will be funded by new taxes on pollution such as aviation fuel and cargo flights which will help combat climate change and promote green growth.
We will also scrap the very expensive and unnecessary replacement of the Trident nuclear missile system.
Action on crime and community safety
Aqila Choudhry wants action to cut crime with 3,000 more police on the beat nationally, funded by scrapping ID cards. More police will help to protect vulnerable people from crime and anti social behaviour.
Lib Dems have slammed Labour’s £18 million under-funding of West Yorkshire Police which will mean fewer police stations and reduced opening hours.
We will give victims of crime a say in punishing offenders and make prisoners pay into a compensation fund.
We will continue to stand up for civil liberties against attacks by Labour or Conservative and oppose any attempt to increase detention without charge.
Lib Dems support a points based immigration policy with regional variations to address labour shortages, helping small businesses in areas such as agriculture and tourism.
We also want a border police force to better control immigration and ensure accurate entry and exit counts which the Conservatives abolished and Labour has failed to restore.
Action on care for older and disabled people
Aqila is campaigning for better care provision for older and disabled people.
Liberal Democrats aim to reduce the burden of social care costs by introducing guaranteed state funding to share the cost of care with those who require it.
Pensioners will benefit from restoring the earnings link to pensions and all disabled people under 65 will get a £200 winter fuel payment under the Lib Dems.Lib Dems have pledged to protect frontline health services, scrap targets and guarantee patient rights to treatment.
Action on education
Aqila wants all children to get the best start in life so wants to see free nursery provision for all over 18 months old, giving parents a chance to return to work sooner.
Lib Dems will provide £2.5 billion extra for schools to cut class sizes and boost one-to-one tuition, and stop political interference in how schools are run, giving schools the right to consult with parents and governors on how best to use the money.
For university students we aim to phase out tuition fees over 6 years.
Action on Climate Change
To ensure a sustainable future for all our children, Aqila wants urgent action to counter climate change and supports Leeds City Council’s target of a 40% reduction in carbon emissions by 2020, unlike the Leeds NE Conservative candidate.
Lib Dems want to see far more renewable energy from a variety of sources such as wind, tidal, solar, hydro and geothermal. This must be complemented by reduction in demand for energy through greater energy efficiency.
Lib Dems oppose any attempt to expand nuclear power and remain committed to phasing it out.
Action on International Issues
Lib Dems continue to be at the forefront of efforts to bring peace to areas of conflict, particularly Afghanistan, the Middle East and Kashmir.
In Afghanistan there needs to be a clear exit strategy which allows for the transfer of security to Afghan Government forces. We need to ensure the welfare of British troops and their families during and after their service with appropriate health care, housing and compensation in place.
Aqila has called for a Palestinian state to be established along side Israel and for both to be recognised by the International community.
Lib Dems have supported the rights of Ghurkhas to settle in Britain after their service in the army and will support the rights of all veterans of the British Armed Forces.
