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Rossenglish (talk | contribs) I'd disagree, merging is more succinct and, I believe, makes more sense. |
Rossenglish (talk | contribs) →Spending and taxation: nhs topups |
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As part of increasing spending on public services, Lib Dems support universal free education, and propose to abolish university [[top-up fees]] and set up a system of Government grants for university students.<ref name="notuitionfees">{{cite web|year = 2005|url =http://www.libdems.org.uk/media/documents/policies/04HigherandFurtherEducation.pdf|title =The key to life-long learning|publisher =Liberal Democrats|accessdate =2008-03-16}}</ref> For schools, they want the government to guarantee equal access, basic standards and entitlements, but then to allow for independent variation and innovation;<ref name="schools1">{{cite web|year = 2008|url =http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/7456457.stm|title = Lib Dems would replace some tests|publisher =[[BBC]]|accessdate =2008-06-16}}</ref> they want to spend £2.5 billion to raise funding for the poorest 10% of pupils to the level of [[private school]]s, cut class sizes in primary schools, and to ensure all secondary schools are automatically funded at the level granted to specialist schools.<ref name="schools2">{{cite web|year = 2008|url =http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/jun/05/nickclegg.schoolfunding|title =We must invest in schools|publisher =Liberal Democrats|accessdate =2008-06-05}}</ref> They would abolish exams for seven and fourteen year-olds, ban ministers from sending "directives and diktats" to schools and have a "radically slimmed down" curriculum to allow for innovation and testing of different forms of teaching.<ref name="schools1" />
In 2002 the party published a package called "Quality, Innovation, Choice", which stated their policy to use all [[National Insurance]] contributions to fund a [[decentralised]] [[National Health Service]], and fund schools and local services from a 'local income tax', which would replace [[Council Tax]].<ref name="NIC/LIT">{{cite web|year = 2002|url =http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/2261422.stm|title =Lib Dems press for NHS tax|publisher =[[BBC]]|accessdate =2008-03-25}}</ref> In 2008 Clegg said that he would allow people the right to 'top up' their NHS healthcare to buy non taxpayer-funded drugs, on the condition that the drugs were clinically approved, that there are no hidden costs to the NHS, and that the NHS couldn't use top-ups as an excuse to cut services.<ref name="NHStopup">{{cite web|year = 2008|url =http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2008/sep/09/liberaldemocrats.health|title =Patients should be allowed top-up healthcare, says Lib Dem leader|publisher =[[The Guardian]]|accessdate =2008-09-09}}</ref> The party also released a set of targets to cut poverty in the UK by 2020: to remove five million people from poverty, bring two million into employment, and build one million more [[affordable housing|affordable homes]].<ref name="poverty">{{cite web|year = 2007|url =http://www.libdems.org.uk/media/documents/policies/80-FreedomFromPoverty.pdf|title =Freedom From Poverty, Opportunity For All|publisher =Liberal Democrats|accessdate =2008-04-15}}</ref> The strategies that they propose to achieve these include a £1.5 billion 'Pupil Premium' to improve education for the poorest 1.5 million children, raising [[child benefit]] by up to £5 per week for each family, expanding [[sex education]] to cut [[teenage pregnancy]] and [[STDs]], and to reform [[tax credits]] to save £3 billion per year by reducing overpayments and concentrating payments on low-income families.<ref name="poverty" />
Lib Dems are campaigning against the closure of 2500 [[post office]]s on top of the 4000 closed in the [[Blair Ministry|Labour government]] and 3500 closed in the [[Major Ministry|last Conservative government]].<ref name="postoffices">{{cite web|year = 2008|url =http://www.libdems.org.uk/commerce/issues/|title =Save our Post Offices|publisher =Liberal Democrats|accessdate =2008-05-09}}</ref> Their plan to keep post offices open includes allowing other mail delivery companies to run stores, and selling a 49% stake in [[Royal Mail]] to other companies to raise £2 billion to fund a wider range of services in each store.<ref name="postoffices" /> Unlike Labour and the Conservatives, the party supported and predicted [[nationalisation]] of the [[Northern Rock]] bank from the start of its [[Northern Rock#2007 Credit Crisis|financial difficulty]].<ref name="nationalisation">{{cite web|year = 2007|url =http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2007/dec/11/economy.uk|title =Nationalise Northern Rock, say Lib Dems|publisher =[[The Guardian]]|accessdate =2008-03-16}}</ref> In 2007 the party protested against [[Gordon Brown]]'s budget, which was condemned when introduced in 2008 as it funded a 2% cut in the 22% income tax rate by abolishing the 10% rate.<ref name="10%taxabolition">{{cite web|year = 2007|url =http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6475445.stm|title =Lib Dems slam Budget tax changes|publisher =[[BBC]]|accessdate =2008-05-09}}</ref> Former leader [[Ming Campbell]] said the Brown had "asked the poor to subsidise the rich", and that "the prime minister made the case, the chancellor signed the cheque and the Conservatives voted it through."<ref name="10%taxabolition" />
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