<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<rss version="2.0"
	xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/"
	xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/"
	xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/"
	xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"
	xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/"
	xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/"
	>

<channel>
	<title>LibDems.com</title>
	<atom:link href="http://libdems.com/feed" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
	<link>http://libdems.com</link>
	<description>Lib Dems - Liberal Democrats - Blog</description>
	<lastBuildDate>Sun, 05 Dec 2010 01:48:15 +0000</lastBuildDate>
	<language>en</language>
	<sy:updatePeriod>hourly</sy:updatePeriod>
	<sy:updateFrequency>1</sy:updateFrequency>
	<generator>http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0</generator>
		<item>
		<title>Lib Dems Lied over Tuition Fees and have failed a generation.</title>
		<link>http://libdems.com/lib-dems-lied-over-tuition-fees-and-have-failed-a-generation</link>
		<comments>http://libdems.com/lib-dems-lied-over-tuition-fees-and-have-failed-a-generation#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 05 Dec 2010 01:44:52 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Scandal]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[clegg]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[featured]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[lies]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[students]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[tuition fees]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://libdems.com/?p=42</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The Lib Dems have shown how weak they are by failing to live up to cast iron promises they made before the election. Students Nationwide are clearly furious that the promises the Lib Dems made before the election about raising Tuition fees are to be cast aside as if they matter not. The Lib Dems [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The Lib Dems have shown how weak they are by failing to live up to cast iron promises they made before the election.</p>
<p>Students Nationwide are clearly furious that the promises the Lib Dems made before the election about raising Tuition fees are to be cast aside as if they matter not.</p>
<p>The Lib Dems are even trying to put spin on their lie . Julian Astle, director of the Lib Dem think tank CentreForum, said the  root of the problem lay &#8220;not in breaking the promise to vote against a  rise tuition fees, but in making the promise in the first place&#8221;.</p>
<p>Our view at LibDems.com is that young people are the future. Our future. They have their whole lives ahead of them and the greatest thing they can arm themselves with is a good education. God knows they need every chance they can get after successive governements have destroyed our homegrown industries.</p>
<p>Education must be free. The fact that Libdems want to side with Conservatives to TREBLE tuition fees is scandalous. The number of young people going into further education from working class and middle class homes will plummet.</p>
<p><a href="http://libdems.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/doubleact.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-43" title="doubleact" src="http://libdems.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/doubleact.jpg" alt="" width="470" height="343" /></a></p>
<p>The Lib Dems have shown their true colours here I am afraid, this should be aggressively fought against by every member of the Liberal Democrats.</p>
<p>Even if The Lib Dems were selfish and engaged their brains they would know at the election, 48% of students voted Lib Dem. I wonder what that figure would be now and in the future? Single digits?</p>
<p>Clegg is a big fan of the tuition fee rise which beggars belief. Let&#8217;s see if the former arsonist has lit a fire he can&#8217;t control, again.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://libdems.com/lib-dems-lied-over-tuition-fees-and-have-failed-a-generation/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Chris Huhne, Cabinet Liar and Love Cheat</title>
		<link>http://libdems.com/cabinet-liar-and-love-cheat</link>
		<comments>http://libdems.com/cabinet-liar-and-love-cheat#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 27 Jun 2010 09:27:49 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Scandal]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[affair]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cabinet]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[carina]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[chris huhne]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[lib dems]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[love cheat]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[trimingham]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://libdems.com/?p=14</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The Lib Dems and it&#8217;s supporters have been let down once again. We&#8217;re only a few weeks into this new &#8216;coalition government&#8217; and Chris Huhne has been caught cheating on his wife of 26 years with a bisexual social climber. He has been having an affair with &#8216;media adviser&#8217; Carina Trimingham for over a year. [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The Lib Dems and it&#8217;s supporters have been let down once again. We&#8217;re only a few weeks into this new &#8216;coalition government&#8217; and Chris Huhne has been caught cheating on his wife of 26 years with a bisexual social climber.</p>
<p><span id="more-14"></span></p>
<p>He has been having an affair with &#8216;media adviser&#8217; Carina Trimingham for over a year. He admits to this now after having to give in and admit the affair after relentless media pressure.</p>
<p>His wife, senior civil servant Vicky Pryce, 57, knew nothing of the affair.</p>
<p>Mr Huhne is understood to have been conducting the affair with divorcee Ms Trimingham, campaigns director of the Electoral Reform Society, at his constituency home in Eastleigh, Hampshire, for more than a year.</p>
<p>Amazingly Coalition sources said there is no question of him being asked to  resign as Energy and Climate Change Secretary. Funny how they consider a cheat and a liar should keep his position in the Cabinet.</p>
<p>Senior Lib Dems have known about the affair for some time. Friends of Ms Trimingham say she had hoped to get a job as a spin doctor with the  Coalition, but believe she was blocked by officials.</p>
<p>There are fears for Huhne himself as Trimingham may just be a social climber. She seems to run from one campaign or relationship to another. There is also the little known fact that Huhne is a multi millionaire who owns 7 properties.</p>
<p>Bear all this in mind when you next hear Huhne preaching to you about morals and values.</p>
<p>Huhne&#8217;s wife, Vicky Pryce, 57, is an extremely successful lady in her own right, and a top civil servant. You have got to feel extremely sorry for her and their children.</p>
<div id="attachment_22" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 310px"><a href="http://libdems.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/huhne-and-pryce.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-22" title="huhne and pryce" src="http://libdems.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/huhne-and-pryce-300x243.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="243" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Chris Huhne and his current wife, Vicky pryce, in happier times</p></div>
<p>Bottom line, a politician cannot be trusted if he has lied and cheated like this on the people he is meant to love the most. His wife and children.</p>
<p>Also we have to completely question his judgement. Trimingham, his mistress, has been married to a man before, since divorced,  she has also been in a civil partnership with a woman! Now that&#8217;s over too. Reliable sources say, one minute she is a heterosexual , then engaging in lesbian activities. So if we are to take she is a bisexual, how will that affect Mr.Huhne? After all, she will now be escorting him as a cabinet minister as his &#8216;partner&#8217;.</p>
<div id="attachment_23" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 478px"><a href="http://libdems.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/trimingham.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-23" title="trimingham" src="http://libdems.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/trimingham.jpg" alt="" width="468" height="350" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Trimingham is pictured second from right, next to Brian Paddick at his &#39;civil&#39; partnership celebration.</p></div>
<p>Love rat Huhne&#8217;s mistress, then promoted gay former policeman Brian Paddick as the unsuccessful Liberal  Democrat candidate in his bid to become Mayor of London in 2008  -  she  was also a guest at his civil partnership in 2009. See photo above.</p>
<div></div>
<div><a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1287946/Minister-Chris-Huhne-splits-wife-affair-colleauge.html#ixzz0s925g1F7"></a></div>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://libdems.com/cabinet-liar-and-love-cheat/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>David Laws in expenses scandal with gay lover</title>
		<link>http://libdems.com/david-laws-in-expenses-scandal-with-gay-lover</link>
		<comments>http://libdems.com/david-laws-in-expenses-scandal-with-gay-lover#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 27 Jun 2010 09:26:02 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Scandal]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[chief secretary]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[david laws]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[expenses scandal]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[gay lover]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[james lundie]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[treasury]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://libdems.com/?p=11</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[On 28 May 2010, the Daily Telegraph newspaper claimed that David Laws had claimed over £40,000 on his expenses in the form of second home costs, from 2004 to late 2009,during which time he had been renting rooms at properties owned by what the paper claimed to be his &#8220;secret lover&#8221; and &#8220;long-term partner&#8221;, James [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>On 28 May 2010, the Daily Telegraph newspaper claimed that David Laws had claimed over £40,000 on his expenses in the form of second home costs, from 2004 to late 2009,during which time he had been renting rooms at properties owned by what the paper claimed to be his &#8220;secret lover&#8221; and &#8220;long-term partner&#8221;, James Lundie.</p>
<p>David Laws was at the time, Chief Secretary to the Treasury. To be involved in an expenses fraud in this position in office cannot be made up. It is an extrmely serious situation, however no charges were brought as politicians close rank and brush everything under the carpet.</p>
<p>It seems the Liberal Democrats are coming apart at the seams, now they are open to scrutiny. I for one feel i completely wasted my vote in choosing Lib Dems.</p>
<p>They were not in a civil partnership. But they were in a long term relationship. &#8216;Laws&#8217; (no punn intended) is bending all the rules to say because he is a gay lover , he doesn&#8217;t constitute a &#8216;partner&#8217;. The Daily Telegraph also said that it had not intended to reveal his sexuality, but that Laws had himself done so, in a public statement shortly before the newspaper&#8217;s publication of the story.  Lundie is a former Liberal Democrat Press officer and now works for the Political Affairs team of public relations and lobbying firm, Edelman.</p>
<div id="attachment_28" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 460px"><a href="http://libdems.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/david-laws.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-28" title="david-laws" src="http://libdems.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/david-laws.jpg" alt="" width="450" height="261" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Behind Bars</p></div>
<p>According to the Telegraph, Laws claimed between £700 and £950 a month rent between 2004 and 2007, plus typically £100 to £200 a month for maintenance, to sub-let a room in a flat owned and lived in by his partner in Kennington, South London. After the flat was sold for a profit of £193,000 in 2007, Laws&#8217;s partner bought a nearby house for £510,000. Laws then began claiming rent for the “second bedroom” in this property, at a cost of £920 a month, until September 2009. Laws, whose main home is in Chard in his Yeovil constituency, and has a holiday home in Provence, France; then began renting another flat. This flat was not owned by his partner, who remained at the Kennington house. Since 2006, parliamentary rules have banned MPs from “leasing accommodation from&#8230;a partner.”</p>
<p>A spokesman for Prime Minister David Cameron said: &#8220;The Prime Minister has been made aware of this situation and he agrees with David Laws&#8217;s decision to refer himself to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards.&#8221;</p>
<p>Laws resigned as Chief Secretary to the Treasury on 29 May 2010, stating that he could not carry on working on the spending review while dealing with the private and public implications of the revelations. He also stated that his reason for the way he had claimed expenses had been to keep private details of his sexuality and that he had not benefitted financially from this misdirection.</p>
<p>No, but his lover did. Laws was already a multi millionaire from his banking days. His claims that James Lundie was not his recognised partner as they didn&#8217;t have a civil partnership are false in our opinion.</p>
<p>In any other industry or career, Laws could expect criminal charges. He has walked free. You need to decide what sort of government and people you want in charge in this country. Do you feel this is acceptable? Make your voice heard.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://libdems.com/david-laws-in-expenses-scandal-with-gay-lover/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Danny Alexander in expenses abuse probe</title>
		<link>http://libdems.com/danny-alexander-in-expenses-abuse-probe</link>
		<comments>http://libdems.com/danny-alexander-in-expenses-abuse-probe#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 27 Jun 2010 09:24:14 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Scandal]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cgt]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[danny alexander]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[expenses furore]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[government]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[second home]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://libdems.com/?p=8</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Danny Alexander, the Liberal Democrat who has replaced the outgoing disgraced David Laws as Chief Secretary to the Treasury, has caused embarrassment to the coalition because of his mp expenses bill. First off, Alexander avoided paying capital gains tax when he sold his taxpayer-funded second home at a profit. He designated the property as his [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Danny Alexander, the Liberal Democrat who has replaced the outgoing disgraced David Laws as Chief Secretary to the Treasury, has caused embarrassment to the coalition because of his mp expenses bill.</p>
<p><span id="more-8"></span></p>
<p>First off, Alexander avoided paying capital gains tax when he sold his taxpayer-funded second home at a profit.</p>
<p>He designated the property as his second home for the purpose of claiming parliamentary expenses  but described it to HM Revenue and Customs as his main home.</p>
<p>He admitted that he took advantage of a loophole to    legally avoid paying  <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/capital-gains-tax/"><strong> </strong></a>Capital Gains Tax on the sale of the south London property for £300,000 in June 2007.</p>
<p>After being elected as an MP in 2005, Mr Alexander declared the flat in  south    London as his second home to the parliamentary authorities. He claimed  more    than £37,000 in expenses for the flat, and carried out some work to  the    property at the taxpayers’ expense shortly before selling in June  2007.</p>
<div id="attachment_31" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 425px"><a href="http://libdems.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/dannyalexander.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-31" title="dannyalexander" src="http://libdems.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/dannyalexander.jpg" alt="" width="415" height="447" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Chinless Wonder</p></div>
<p>Mr Alexander took advantage of a tax loophole that allows people to  continue    to tell the tax authorities for three years that a property is their  main    home even if they have bought another house – in Mr Alexander’s case  in    Scotland – which has become their “principal residence”.</p>
<p>However, this did not stop him telling the authorities at the House of  Commons    that the London property was his second home.</p>
<p>During the next two years, he claimed almost £37,000    in second home allowances for the London property.</p>
<p>At the time, MPs could claim about £22,000 a year towards the cost of  living    in the capital or in their constituency. Mr Alexander’s claims  included up    to £550 a month to pay the interest on the property’s mortgage, and  hundreds    more in monthly utility and maintenance bills. He also claimed £2,113  for a    new boiler, £2,094 for a sofa and two chairs, and £332 for a new  washing    machine at the flat.</p>
<p>Claims were also made to fix the roof of the property before the MP sold  the    flat in August 2007. At the time, capital gains tax was levied at 40  per    cent on the profits of a second home.</p>
<p>The claims appear to undermine repeated claims by Mr Clegg, the Deputy  Prime    Minister, that no Lib Dem MP profited from the expenses system.</p>
<p>In the first televised leaders’ debate, Mr Clegg said: “There are MPs  who    flipped one property to the next, buying property, paid by you, the    taxpayer, and then they would do the properties up, paid for by you,  and    pocket the difference in personal profit.’’</p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://libdems.com/danny-alexander-in-expenses-abuse-probe/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Danny Alexander and Wife, Rebecca Hoar, milking the system</title>
		<link>http://libdems.com/danny-alexander-and-wife-milk-the-system</link>
		<comments>http://libdems.com/danny-alexander-and-wife-milk-the-system#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 27 Jun 2010 09:21:38 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Scandal]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[milk system]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mps]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[rebecca hoar]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[scandal]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[travel expenses]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://libdems.com/?p=4</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Danny Alexander and his wife &#8216;Rebecca Hoar&#8217; are under the spotlight again for expenses. Amazingly it is being suggested that no illegality has taken place. Pundits are saying though that Alexander is making full use of all the legal loopholes and is milking the mp expenses system for all he can get. Alexander has charged [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Danny Alexander and his wife &#8216;Rebecca Hoar&#8217; are under the spotlight again for expenses. Amazingly it is being suggested that no illegality has taken place. Pundits are saying though that Alexander is making full use of all the legal loopholes and is milking the mp expenses system for all he can get.</p>
<p><span id="more-4"></span></p>
<p>Alexander has charged taxpayers more than £13,000 for his wife to make 62 journeys  between London and Scotland.</p>
<p>Rebecca Hoar, used public money to travel between Westminster and  their family home in the North-East Highlands.</p>
<p>The average  cost of the trips – by rail and by air – between London and Inverness  was £209.</p>
<p>He was quick to denounce the &#8216;outrageous abuses&#8217; of other MPs and to  call for &#8216;openness and accountability&#8217; when the expenses scandal first  emerged. Funny that.</p>
<p>Rules under the expenses system in the last parliament allowed MPs to  claim for up to 30 journeys made by their partner between London and  their constituency.</p>
<p>A list of the sums claimed was first  published in 2007-08, when Mr Alexander clawed back £3,669 for 21 trips  by his wife.</p>
<div id="attachment_34" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 478px"><a href="http://libdems.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/alexander-and-hoar.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-34" title="alexander and hoar" src="http://libdems.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/alexander-and-hoar.jpg" alt="" width="468" height="448" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Alexander, and his wife, Hoar</p></div>
<p>That soared to £7,316 in 2008-09 for 29 oneway journeys – <strong>the highest bill of any mp</strong>. A total of £2,364 was also claimed in just the first  quarter of 2009-10, for 12 trips.</p>
<p>Mr Alexander also claimed  £1,530 under the &#8216;family travel&#8217; allowance over the same period, which  allowed children to travel to and from London.</p>
<p>A spokesman for The TaxPayers&#8217; Alliance said: &#8216;It does appear that  money could have been saved.</p>
<p>&#8216;MPs need to understand the  value of every pound of taxpayers&#8217; money that they spend, so now he is  Chief Secretary, he and his wife should make every effort to keep their  expenses as low as possible.</p>
<p>&#8216;Families have had to tighten  their belts during the recession, so should ministers.&#8217;</p>
<p>The  details raise questions about Mr Alexander&#8217;s expenses because they  highlight the way he has chosen to designate his London house as his  second home.</p>
<p>His wife of five years <strong>works in London</strong> and their  first child, two-year-old daughter Isobel, is understood to <strong>attends nursery in London</strong>. So why is she claiming travel expenses to and from Scotland to London. This needs independent investigation. The public are sick of bankrolling politicians and bankers lifestyles. This crap has to stop here. We are calling for a full and thorough investigation, along with reform. I&#8217;m amazed at the cheek of Alexander to even stand for this position. His job is to make savings for the country on a mass scale and he&#8217;s behaving like this?</p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://libdems.com/danny-alexander-and-wife-milk-the-system/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
	</channel>
</rss>

