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The event, organised by popular Silverton Councillor Jenny Roach, heard Sir Henry in a keynote speech launch a swingeing attack on the Tory/Lib Dem government for failing to take any action to halt the steep slide of the national economy. “With the worst unemployment figures for 17 years, this appalling, blinkered government is doing nothing at all to stimulate growth. Instead of allowing the Bank of England to print another £75 billion to give to the discredited commercial banks, we should take fully in to public ownership RBS and Lloyds TSB, channel the £75 billion through them, and force them to use the money to support small and medium sized enterprises, thereby kick-starting the economy, creating jobs and bringing back some real hope to peoples’ lives.” “Some of this money could be used to reinstate the enormously valuable SureStart scheme and to create a national child crèche scheme. By getting the private sector to deliver the crèche scheme, we could create many more jobs whilst providing valuable opportunities for parents with small children – especially women – to return to the labour market.” “We need to do more for older people too. With the real value of pensions shrinking, we should immediately increase the state retirement pension by two-thirds – to be paid for with the £1.4 billion pounds annually from the Defence budget that would be freed-up following a controlled withdrawal of our excellent armed forces, by April 2012, from the lost-cause adventure in Afghanistan.” “It’s imperative to take action to help young people find work. The Chancellor – a very rich man with no conception of living on a limited income – should offer any organisation that creates a new first job for any 18 – 25 year-old a 100% salary subsidy for two years. And if we encouraged a ‘buddy’ scheme for these young people to work alongside colleagues nearing retirement age, we could ensure that the skills and knowledge acquired over many years could start to be passed-on to a new generation.” “I’m calling on disillusioned Liberal Democrats, compassionate Conservatives and liberal-leaning Labour supporters to come and join the Liberal Party. Together, we can work to provide desperately needed radical, Liberal alternatives to the Government’s noxious policies, which are seeing the country die a wholly unnecessary economic death-of-a-thousand-cuts.”
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Guest speaker at the recent Tiverton & Honiton Liberal Party Lunch was the Party’s National Executive Secretary, Sir Henry Boyle.