Author: Web Secretary

Dear Sir,

In the week after the publication of the Sunday Times Rich List, what are the political parties going to say and do about extreme inequalities of unearned inherited wealth in the next generation of our so-called Opportunity Society. Do they think it is right that some will inherit billions free of tax thanks to exemptions and reliefs for land and businesses while others inherit no capital at all?

All parties should determine to introduce and gradually increase over the years a UK Citizen’s Universal Inheritance for all 25 year old UK citizens with a UK citizen parent, at a politically appropriate level, financed and clawed back from the more fortunate by a progressive tax on cumulative lifetime receipt of capital gifts and inheritance. This would encourage the wider spread of giving, on which the rate of the so-called ‘Inheritance Tax’, retained for cross-referral, could be dropped from 40% to 10% for giving to UK tax payers, without the current absurdly unlimited exemptions and reliefs for land and businesses.

This is the policy of the continuing UK Liberal Party, whose traditional constitution calls for liberty, property and security for all.

Yours sincerely
Dane Clouston
Member, Liberal Party National Executive Committee
Director, Campaign for Universal Inheritance

The Liberal Party notes the recent comments of the European Council President Donald Tusk on the future status of EU citizens in the UK in relation to the commencement of talks on BREXIT.

The party fully supports the rights of EU citizens to continue living and working in this country and believes making such an undertaking does not prejudice future negotiations with the EU if made in good faith.

The party believes in a fair settlement with the European Union as part of our disengagement from Europe but remains’ concerned that any excessively large demand for financial compensation as part of the final settlement.

The EU should respect that the UK proportionally pays more for the defence of the Europe through NATO than the EU countries do themselves and this disparity should be off set in any negotiations.

There remains a real possibility that a punitive sum will push the UK towards an unfavourable exit which is not in the long-term interests of either the UK or mainland Europe.

The Liberal Party deplores the rapid escalation of violence in Syria depicted by further use of chemical warfare agents in Northern Syria and the subsequent punitive military action on Syria by U.S. government forces.

The country’s civil war has now dragged on for 6 years, interspersed with civilian atrocities and widespread destruction on the ground, displacing an estimated 3.8 million civilians and leading to approximately 100,000 deaths.

The increased direct involvement of the Russian government, and attempts by Western powers to back a disparate array of opposition groups has led to a chaotic situation where civilians are seemingly targeted at will. It has also added to regional instability and allowed Islamic militant groups to exploit the breakdown in order to further their own extremist agendas.

The Liberal Party urgently calls for:

• the warring factions to resume direct talks immediately, under the auspices of the United Nations, to end the un-necessary suffering of the regions people who simply wish to live their lives free from violence and suffering.
• the creation of safe zones so that innocent civilians can move away from the danger of the armed conflict which has on occasions led to genocide against the largely Sunni opposition population.