Kennedy rallies Lib Dems for election campaign

11.25.58pm GMT Fri 25th Mar 2005

Liberal Democrat Leader, Charles Kennedy MP, has rallied his Party ahead of the expected May 5th General Election.

He said:

"Unlike 1997, Tony Blair now has a record in Government to defend. He has to face the loss of public trust, especially after Iraq - and after eight years of a Labour Government, he can't keep blaming the Conservatives for all the problems in Britain.

"The Conservatives are picking on opportunistic issues designed to shore up their core vote. Immigration, asylum, gypsies. Their new campaign chief refers to these as 'dog-whistle' issues. I call them the politics of fear.

"All the indications suggest that this squabbling is turning voters off. And it demeans our politics. If we want to be successful in this campaign we must engage the public. So Liberal Democrats will continue to address with real solutions the problems that people face every day.

"Today I set out this challenge to the Labour and Conservative Parties. Give some realistic answers to the questions people really ask."

Mr Kennedy then highlighted spiralling student debt, the unfairness of the Council Tax and discrimination against women in our pensions system.

Mr Kennedy continued:

"It is important to stress that our proposals are credible, costed and affordable. Unlike the other parties, we have put a price tag on our polices and said how we would fund them. We say no hidden tax rises."

Mr Kennedy concluded:

"In this parliament we have been the real opposition to the Labour Government over Iraq, over top-up fees, ID cards and the Council Tax. The Conservatives have either lined up with Labour or flip-flopped about. And we have stood up against Labour's authoritarian instincts in defence of Britain's civil liberties. At this election we will offer a real alternative.

"There are no limits to our ambition. There are no no-go-areas for the Liberal Democrats. We are aiming to take seats from both Labour and the Conservatives in every region of the country.