Christmas and New Year Message from Chris Coleman

4.56.30pm GMT Sun 19th Dec 2004

Speaking to Forest of Dean Radio, Prospective MP Chris Coleman has delivered his Christmas and New Year message.

"2004 has been another momentous year. A number of events have happened that will shape the world for decades to come.

Of course the continued focus of the international community has been the ongoing catastrophe of the War on Iraq. At around this time last year, the Government were celebrating the capture of Saddam Hussein. He was clearly one of the most brutal and wicked dictators that the world has ever seen and there was every reason to be thankful that he had been captured.

However, this year it has become clear that Tony Blair and George Bush did not have a plan for the future of Iraq. Iraqi people continue to suffer and the future of their country looks bleak.

I have always opposed the war. I protested against it at a time when it was hard to do so. I am very proud of the British Armed Forces and all that they have achieved. But I firmly believe that Saddam Hussein could have been dealt with by the United Nations.

This year, we have continued to see that the public do not trust politicians. However, it is also clear that people care deeply about what is happening in their communities, counties, country and abroad.

The protests against Council Tax proved this. Many people, including the local Citizens Say organisation, have ensured that the issue of Council Tax remains right at the top of the political agenda.

Council Tax is a grossly unfair tax. It hits pensioners and the less well off particularly hard. The Liberal Democrats' Axe the Tax campaign has been really well supported - and we are making life uncomfortable for Labour and the Conservatives who both continue to support Council Tax.

This year has been a very successful year for the Liberal Democrats. At the European elections we won seats in every part of the Country. In the local elections held in June, we came second in terms of vote share across the country - beating Labour in to third.

We were also successful in three vital by-elections. In July, we won the seat of Leicester South from Labour and came second in Birmingham Hodge Hill. In both of these vital elections, the Conservative candidates came third.

In September we just missed winning the Hartlepool by-election. This time the Conservative candidate came fourth, behind the UKIP representative.

I say these things in my review of the year because I believe that 2004 has seen a tremendous change in British politics. For many years, people have been told that only Labour or the Conservatives can win elections.

This year, real votes in real elections have shown that the Liberal Democrats can beat both Labour and the Conservatives in any part of the country. That is why I will be working so hard as the Liberal Democrat Prospective Member of Parliament for this constituency.

At the last County election in the Forest of Dean, 29% of people voted Liberal Democrat. That is nearly a third of all votes cast. In a three horse race, that means we came very close to winning. With the next General Election expected in May next year, there is all to play for.

Another highlight of the year for me was the setting up of my new website - www.chriscoleman.org.uk. I hope to meet as many people as possible in the run up to the next Election, but I also wanted to make sure that people were able to keep in touch with what we in the Liberal Democrats are doing.

September saw the Liberal Democrat conference where we launched our Pre-Manifesto. This document will form the basis of everything that we will campaign on in the run up to the next General Election.

We confirmed that we would protect the National Health Service and put patients first. In addition, we would provide free personal care for the elderly to ensure that no-one has to sell their home to pay for nursing care.

We stated that we would scrap tuition fees and top up fees. Did you know that the University of Gloucestershire have announced that they will be charging £3000 per year for many students? I find that completely unacceptable.

Because the fear of crime is so high, we used the pre-manifesto to guarantee that we would put 10,000 more police on the streets, and importantly ensure that this area gets its fair share of those additional police.

2004 has seen a crisis in pensions. We have promised that we will protect pensioners by increasing pensions by £25 per week and axing Council Tax.

We have spent a great deal of time this year planning a fair system of taxation, based on people's ability to pay, to ensure that we can deliver on all of our promises. We believe that our plans provide a real chance for a real change in public services.

This year we have also confirmed that environmental protection is at the heart of all that we believe, and we have reaffirmed our support for finding international solutions to international problems.

2004 has seen its share of disasters and catastrophes. We can all think of terrible incidents that have happened throughout the year. I think in particular of the bombings in Spain and the Beslan school massacre. And of course the terrible murders of Kenneth Bigley, Margaret Hassan and others in Iraq. I am sure that have all shared a place in our thoughts and prayers throughout the year.

This year has also seen its share of good news. The record success of Children in Need, in which many local people participated, was great. As was the success of our teams out at the Olympics and Paralympics and the more recent record sales of the Band Aid 20 song, which has raised millions for the third world.

I have been asked to play a record to sum up the year or to sum up what I hope for the future. I haven't chosen Band Aid, but instead a song from one of my favourite bands, an Irish group called the Saw Doctors. It ends rather simply "at the end of the day, what more can I say, a small bit of love goes a long long way." I hope that you will enjoy it.

I wish you all a very happy time over Christmas and a prosperous and peaceful New Year."

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