Plymouth Liberal Democrats

About 250 people attended Luke's 9^th Brexit debate in the Guildhall, which was open to everyone. The MP for Plymouth Sutton & Devonport gave his views, informed us of the current situation, heard a range of opinions and ideas and took questions on all aspects of our changing relationship with Europe.

Tickets are now on sale for our 2018 Christmas raffle draw. You could win one of 30 tremendous prizes, including a £2,000 holiday voucher. Tickets cost just £1.00 each and are also open to family and friends.

The Plymouth Lib Dems is a volunteer run organisation, so the Lib Dem draw is a great way to support us.

Here is a brief summary of the recent party Conference in Brighton, from our local party Chair.

'I spent two days at Conference moving swiftly between the two venues to attend various speeches and learning events. For me the highlights have to be the speeches from three Liberal Democrat MP's.

Tom Brake exposed the chaos surrounding Brexit and encouraged MPs of all persuasions to call for a People's Vote if they saw that their constituents would be harmed by the outcome of negotiations.

Our website has been a little quiet lately, but that is not to say that the Plymouth Lib Dems haven't been busy.

Following an increase in votes at the Stoke by-election in July, we have been putting our plan together for the 2019 local elections (not to mention the ever looming possibility of an early general election). Also, August saw the local party joining up with colleagues from Devon and Cornwall to take part in Plymouth Pride, joining the march and running a stall.

The Plymouth Lib Dems have been out and about in Stoke over the last fews weeks, delivering letters, leaflets and canvassing. Connor has also been addressing local issues from his Facebook page, with a series of videos and other content.

You can find out more by following the link to his Facebook page here here.

Connor Clarke, an ex-pupil of Stoke Damerel Primary School, has been selected as the Liberal Democrat candidate for the Stoke by-election. Connor, who recently completed his second year at Plymouth University, has lived in Plymouth since he was a boy.

Connor said, "It is humbling to have been selected to fight the by-election on July 26^th for the Liberal Democrats. I lived for over ten years adjacent to Blockhouse Park, in the heart of Stoke, and after Primary School I was fortunate to be a student at Stoke Damerel Community College. I am well aware of the important role our schools have in their communities and how they must receive proper support locally and nationally to continue inspiring our younger generations. It is thanks to my early education and the support I received, that I was able to go to Plymouth University."

On Saturday 30th June some members crossed the River Tamar to meet Wera Hobhouse MP, the LibDem spokesperson on Housing, Communities & Local Government. The event was hosted by SE Cornwall Liberal Democrats and provided an opportunity to exchange ideas with our neighbours and meet the new MP for Bath.

You may have seen on our social media channels that a number of Plymouth Lib Dem members travelled up to London for the People's Vote March on Sat 23rd June.

We joined up with Lib Dem members from across the country to show our support for a vote on the final Brexit deal. Over 100,000 people took part in the march. This included individuals from different political parties and campaigning groups, along with members of the public. A number of speakers addressed crowds at Parliament Square over the course of the afternoon, including Lib Dem leader Vince Cable.

The Lib Dems put on a solid performance in the 2018 local elections, both in Plymouth and across the UK.

We were the only party to make a net gain in the number of councils under our control, gaining Richmond, South Cambridgeshire, Three Rivers, and Kingston upon Thames.

We also successfully held Eastleigh, South Lakes, Sutton, Cheltenham, and Watford.

Our local election campaign has been progressing well over the last few weeks, as the 3rd May approaches. For the first time in several years we have candidates standing in all 19 city wards. We are offering a unique choice for city residents who feel let down by a succession of Tory and Labour controlled councils.

LIBERAL DEMOCRAT CANDIDATES - 2018 PCC ELECTIONS

GEORGE MAUNDER - PEVERELL

My name is George Maunder and I am a son of this great city. I went to school at Montpelier Primary and Devonport High School for boys. I have roamed its streets, climbed its trees, swum in its pools and played in its parks. I have lived in most of the UK's major cities and yet my heart has always drawn me back to Plymouth. I have grown up here during a period of change matched only by its resurgence after WW2.

On Saturday 14th April, Fleur Ball, the Lib Dem candidate for Devonport, met other campaigners at an event in the city centre to help launch the People's Vote. There was a day of action across the UK and a cross-party event held in London with MPs coming together with other campaigners and public figures to launch the campaign for the public to have a 'People's Vote' on Brexit.

Plymouth Liberal Democrats are fielding a full slate of candidates in the Plymouth City Council elections for the first time in many years. This reflects the overall growth in the party and the level of enthusiasm from its members.

There has been a consistent increase in the turnout of Lib Dem candidates since the all-time low of the 2014 local elections when only four stood. This increased to 13 in 2005, 17 in 2016 and now there are candidates in every ward.

Plymouth Liberal Democrats are urging the city's "almost 5,000" EU residents to back the party in the elections to the city council in May. The election, on Thursday 3rd May, is the last scheduled set of elections before the planned date for Brexit, in March next year.

Almost 5,000 nationals of other EU member states are registered to vote for the city's local councillors, according to figures obtained under the Freedom of Information Act. Over 1,000 live in the St Peter & the Waterfront ward, with more than 500 in both Devonport ward and Sutton & Mount Gould ward. Drake and Stoke wards each have over 300.

Sima Davarian and Hugh Janes were among a number of Plymouth Liberal Democrats who supported the South Hams local party's annual dinner to hear Sir Ed Davey MP, former Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change. Sir Ed was upbeat about the current position for green energy and had signed a number of contracts before leaving office that meant the good work of the LibDems in Coalition could continue. Offshore windfarms have exceeded expectations in the energy they provide and it's low cost. At current rates, electricity from wind is about half the price of that predicted from Hinckley C Nuclear Power Station. As the life of wind turbines has increased dramatically this great source of energy is going to be supplying us with power for some time. Gratitude for Sir Ed's far-sightedness as a Minister was widely expressed.

Stuart Bonar, a former Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate in the city, was in Downing Street earlier this month to hand in a petition signed by over 36,000 people. The petition calls on the Prime Minister to negotiate the right for British people to keep their EU citizenship after Brexit, if they want to.

LibDem Chair Hugh Janes joined other Greenpeace volunteers on Sunday helping clean up the Hoe foreshore. Over 20 bags of litter, including many plastic and glass bottles that could have been recycled, were collected as well as sundry other discarded items. Greenpeace currently has a major campaign to stop the proliferation of plastics in the oceans.

Plymouth extended a very warm welcome to our new leader on his first visit to members and supporters outside London on Friday 21st July. Members had travelled from as far afield as St Ives and North Devon to question Vince on his views, policies and outlook for the future of the party.

Brexit was a major issue - engendering much discussion.

Brexit means Brexit.

Or so we are led to believe. I have heard this so many times in the past year that I would be forgiven for believing it was true. But was the Brexit we voted for the same as the Brexit we are now facing?

Categorically not!

I was fortunate enough to get the chance to vent my frustrations on a Plymouth edition of BBC One's Question Time recently. The electorate on the other hand, vented at the polling stations. Theresa May's approach was overwhelmingly rejected, leaving her with no mandate whatsoever for her hard Brexit.