East Riding
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mp john pugh

John Pugh MP writes.. Diversity now: Words into deeds

8 Lib Dem MPs were elected in 2015 - all male, all white and myself the oldest. This was despite the party having put a lot of effort and energy behind some absolutely superb female candidates in seats where sitting MPs had stood down. So monochrome were we until the Richmond by election that when we were caricatured as pale, male and stale I felt almost apologetic at being elected. However it wasn't really our fault; it wasn't the party's fault. It was all down to an electorate spooked by the possibility of a Miliband/SNP government ….oh and a little bit of mishandling coalition.

28 Apr 2017
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Norman lamb speech

Raising tax for health and social care: National insurance or income tax?

Last month, the independent panel of health experts set up by Norman Lamb published its interim report on "a new deal for Britain's Health and Social Care Services". The panel were "unanimously of the opinion that it is necessary to raise additional revenue for health and care through taxation" and Spring Conference seemed to agree. Similar views may partly explain why the Conservatives have so far (sensibly) refused to rule out any headline tax rises in the next Parliament. The interim report, which may influence the Lib Dem manifesto, concludes with three options: 1) raise Income Tax (e.g. raising all rates by 1p); 2) raise National Insurance (NI); or 3) introduce a dedicated health and care tax. All have their pros and cons, and in the grand scheme of things Income Tax and NI rate increases raise similar revenue and are both very progressive. But in this post I want to highlight a few reasons why the current NI system might not be the fairest vehicle for boosting health and social care - points that are al

AC
28 Apr 2017
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