Top Lib Dem Speaks on Law and Order

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Thu 14th Apr 2005

Lord Navnit Dholakia, the Liberal Democrat's Home Affairs Spokesperson in the House of Lords and former Party President, came to Milton Keynes on Wednesday 13 April to support Jane Carr and Neil Stuart, the Liberal Democrat candidates for the two parliamentary seats of Milton Keynes.

In an interesting and at times amusing address, Lord Dholakia brought out the main points of Liberal Democrat thinking and policies.

On the Lib Dems steadfast opposition to the war in Iraq: "We should not have gone to war without UN sanction, proper preparation or the truth of the situation being put before Parliament and the people. I feel very strongly about this. Remember, Conservatives were as keen as Blair, if not more so, on bombing Iraq."

On immigration: "Every country has the right to decide who shall and who shall not be admitted. Some immigration will be needed to sustain our economy and public services as long as the birth rate remains at 1.2 instead of the 2.3 required to maintain the population. Decisions should be based on an independent assessment of the skills required in the interests of this country, not on arbitrary targets."

On human rights: "Human rights are in danger of being too far eroded. Nobody should be detained without supporting evidence and being told why."

On taxation: "We believe in being honest about our plans - a higher 50% rate on taxable income above £100,000; the replacement of Council Tax by a fair Local Income Tax; abolition of university tuition and top-up fees; payment for the long-term care of the infirm elderly; fairer pensions (not just a one-off bribe for the election)."

On crime: "Our prison population is now one of the highest and the other two main parties seem set on increasing it, rather than addressing the causes. Those who are a danger to the public need to be confined but some could be dealt with in less costly ways and some of the huge costs of the prison system diverted to prevention or rehabilitation. We also want to scrap ID cards and spend the money on 10,000 more police."

Jane Carr, Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate for North East Milton Keynes, said: "I am delighted with Lord Dholakia's visit to Milton Keynes. Voters in Milton Keynes are very concerned about crime, the number of criminals who re-offend after prison, the £6 billion Labour wants to waste on ID cards and the scaremongering the two main parties seem intent to pursue on terrorism and immigration. As a key member of the LibDem Home Affairs Policy Team, Lord Dholakia has contributed significantly to the development of our tough policies which will help reduce re-offending levels through punishment and rehabilitation, which will put 10,000 more police on the streets by scrapping the plans for ID cards, and which will reform the chaotic immigration processes and terrorism legislation to stop the climate of fear between communities and positively boost a diverse, productive multi-cultural society."

Neil Stuart, Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate for Milton Keynes South West, added, "As Patron of the MK Hindu Association, Lord Dholakia has a long-established link with Milton Keynes and I am delighted that he has made time available to visit the city. "