Sam Al-Hamdani – Page 111 – Saddleworth Liberal Democrats

25Jan 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Why all festivals could be cancelled in 2021

All festivals could be cancelled this year after the government revealed it had no intention to underwrite live music events. In a letter to Lib Dem MPs Caroline Dinenage, Minister of State for Digital and Culture, confirmed that the government was not considering insurance intervention. She said that ministers were not convinced it was the "right vehicle of support for the event sector nor that this is the right time to consider it". Glastonbury was cancelled for a second year running on Thursday after encountering a range of problems, including the inability to get insured because of the coronavirus pandemic. Many festivals will face a similar problem and without help from the government may be forced to cancel. Mr Stone pleaded with the Government to underwrite contingency insurance for live…

25Jan 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Government could have done more for frontline workers

Parliamentary news

Responding to the news that some front-line occupations are at a higher risk of death, including nurses and care workers, Liberal Democrat Health & Social Care Spokesperson Munira Wilson MP said: “We are in debt to all the front-line workers who have put their own health at risk to fight this virus and keep us safe. Everyone must continue to do their bit and make every effort to stay at home, protect the NHS and save lives. “This new data shows the sacrifice that front-line workers have made to protect us all from this terrible disease. It is clear that the Government could have done far more to protect our key workers by providing proper PPE and an effective test, trace and isolate system. "Even now many cases are not…

25Jan 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Government must stop gambling with the lives of British public

Parliamentary news

Responding to the Prime Minister's COVID-19 press conference, Liberal Democrat Health Spokesperson Munira Wilson MP said: “This new scientific evidence is sobering and shows why everyone needs to continue in their efforts to stay at home, protect the NHS and save lives. We can never say ‘thank you’ often enough to the amazing front line staff who are doing so much to tackle this virus. “This new evidence means it is now so important that we learn the lessons of the pandemic as quickly as possible to ensure that the Government gets the best solution to our problems and as often as possible, gets them right first time. That is why the public inquiry the Government promised needs to start now. The science says getting things wrong will now be…

21Jan 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Liberal Democrat Leader questions GM Mayor over Crime Support Line

Borough news

Questions over the operation of the new Crime Support Line, established by the Greater Manchester Labour Mayor after the damning revelation that 80,000 crimes reported by the public had gone unrecorded by Police in a year, have led to the Leader of Oldham’s Liberal Democrats, Councillor Howard Sykes MBE, to write to Andy Burnham seeking answers. In his letter, Councillor Sykes refers to the ‘calumny’ of the 80,000 unrecorded crimes, and explores the support offered to victims who ring the helpline, and clarification about how the information will be used by Greater Manchester Police to improve their future performance, and, most importantly, secure justice for the victim. Councillor Sykes said: “I welcome the establishment of this telephone service as a small step in the right direction to address the terrible…

21Jan 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Government has chosen to turn a blind eye to genocide

Parliamentary news

Responding to Conservative MPs voting down changes to the Trade Bill which would have put human rights at the heart of UK trade policy, Liberal Democrats Foreign Affairs spokesperson Layla Moran MP said: “Today the Government turned down a crucial opportunity to say ‘never again’ and put ending genocide and protecting human rights at the heart of the UK’s trade policy, despite clear cross-party support. “On the same day that the US recognised what is happening in Xinjiang as genocide, the Government has chosen to turn a blind eye and to not put human rights first. But this isn't over - we will support a new amendment when the Bill goes back to the Lords. "The Liberal Democrats will always fight to protect human rights around the world, and we'll…

21Jan 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Conservatives are letting down British farmers

Parliamentary news

Liberal Democrat MPs have supported amendments to the Trade Bill, aiming to ensure that future trade agreements meet the UK’s high standards of animal welfare. The Conservatives voted to reject these amendments. Furthermore, the government rejected amendments to strengthen the new Trade and Agriculture Commission (TAC), including one requiring the TAC to consider human health, as well as environmental and animal welfare when assessing new trade deals. By consistently failing to support these measures, the Conservatives risk future trade deals permitting the import of food that fails to meet the UK’s high standards. This puts significant pressure on British farmers. Tim Farron MP, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Farming said: “Farmers across the country are worried about their future - they’re worried that the UK will be flooded with poor quality…

21Jan 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Conservative Government under greater pressure to make £20 Universal Credit rise permanent

Borough news, Parliamentary news

The Oldham Liberal Democrats have welcomed the vote in Parliament earlier this week as a sign that there is cross-party support for the £20 weekly uplift in Universal Credit, introduced at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, to be made permanent. At the end of an Opposition Day debate in the House of Commons, 278 Members of Parliament voted for the rise, putting pressure on the Conservative Government to extend it beyond the 31 March cut-off date. Amongst those MPs supporting the extension were all eleven Liberal Democrat Members of Parliament. There were no votes against, but, unfortunately, the vote is only advisory and not legally binding. Oldham Liberal Democrat Council Group Leader Councillor Howard Sykes MBE wrote to the Chancellor Rishi Sunak MP last October asking him to ‘make…

20Jan 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Musicians left high and dry by Brexit deal

Parliamentary news

Liam Gallagher, Sir Elton John and Bob Geldof have called on the Government to make it easier for musicians to tour around Europe. In an exclusive to The Times more than 170 musicians have urged Ministers to organise paperwork-free travel in Europe for artists on tour. The Brexit deal makes it extremely difficult for touring artists because they now need a costly work permit and face a mountain of paperwork for their equipment. The extra costs will make many tours unviable, especially for young emerging musicians. Liberal Democrat Peer Lord Peter Strasburger, said: “Predictably the government is trying to blame the EU, but the fact remains that when the going got tough during the talks on the trade deal, Tory ministers just ducked for cover and hoped the problem would…

19Jan 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Potholes, can we fix them? With Pothole Pro, we can

Borough news

Tests conducted by the company JCB with partners, Stoke-on-Trent City Council, have shown that potholes can be fixed four times quicker and at half the cost with a new and revolutionary machine – the Pothole Pro. Liberal Democrat Leader, Councillor Howard Sykes MBE, has just written to the Chief Operating Officer of Unity, the organisation responsible for fixing the borough’s roads, requesting Pothole Pro be brought to Oldham. Councillor Sykes said: “Potholes represent a real bugbear for drivers and for cyclists; not only do they make journeys uncomfortable; they also endanger lives and damage vehicles. In a survey conducted last week for National Pothole Day, some of our residents reported road surfaces across Oldham that were badly in need of repair. “Fixing potholes is a high priority for many of…

19Jan 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Holocaust Memorial Day remembered

Borough news

Holocaust Memorial Day is on Wednesday 27 January, but like the rest of the world, it will have be done in a different way. “In normal times, we would have held our service at Crompton War Memorial with members from the community, but due to the national lockdown and previous tier restrictions, this year we will have to remember at home,” said Liberal Democrat Shaw and Crompton District Lead, Councillor Diane Williamson. This year’s theme is ‘Be the light in the darkness’ and it encourages everyone to reflect on the depths humanity can sink to, but also the ways individuals and communities resisted that darkness to ‘be the light’ before, during and after genocide. It is also an affirmation and a call to action for everyone marking H.M.D. This theme…

Author: Sam Al-Hamdani