In last week's Salisbury Journal, letter writer Mr McKean wrote off the Lib Dems as being “wishy and woke”. I would ask him if the following policies comply with that description?

Finance – Tax capital gains the same as earned income, not at 10 per cent. One-off oil and gas company windfall profit. Reform business rates so web-based suppliers are not privileged competitors to the high street.

Health and Social Care – Invest in prevention through public health initiatives. Train and employ 8,000 more GPs. Restore the public health grants to 2015 levels. Improve financial, training and general well-being of professional and voluntary carers.  Suggesting £5bn set aside for this.

Education and children – Increase school and college funding above inflation. Free school meals for all primary pupils. Reinstate maintenance grants for low-income university students. Return to the Erasmus programme. Lifetime £10,000 personal education funding.

Environment – Sewage and water supply – Deal with water companies’ emphasis on the return of capital to owners rather than responsibility to the environment. Electricity generation 80 per cent renewables by 2030. Net zero greenhouse warming by 2045.

Pensions and benefits  – Triple lock guarantee for pensions. Reverse £20 cut to universal credit. Reduce the number of working families living in poverty.

Police and crime – Restore Bobby on the beat by increasing the number of police, to be partially paid for by scrapping Police and Crime Commissioners and their associated bureaucracy. Scrap the 2023 Public Order Act that criminalises legitimate public protest.

Housing – End “right to buy”, and build 150,000 affordable houses, most for social renting. Licence private landlords.

Woke - Is it woke to ban junk food advertising to children? Is it woke to have a sugar tax to discourage tooth decay in children? Is it woke to encourage people to get more exercise to remain healthy into longer old age?

Ted Last,

Falcons Way,

Salisbury

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