Royal County of Berkshire Show 2013

Last weekend was the Royal County of Berkshire Show at the Chieveley Showground.

A crowd of more than 10,000 attended each day for the highlight of the Berkshire agricultural year, but it is much more than a trade display - it is truly a celebration of county life.

Together with Judith Bunting, LibDem PPC for Newbury, we spent a fun afternoon getting blisters as we traipsed across the massive site eating classic ice cream in the sun and meeting local residents.

The range of stalls and events was remarkable, encompassing entertainment and education, through to commercial and charity exhibitors.

If you've not been before we recommend it, there's something for everybody!

Check out our photo album below:

 

Find out more at:

• Web: newburyshowground.co.uk
•  Twitter: @Berkshire_show
• Facebook: Newbury Showground

LibDem Annual Conference Report: Leader's Speech

At the LibDem annual conference in Glasgow this week, party leader Nick Clegg MP set out his ambitious strategy for the lead-up to the next general election in 2015.

Nick Clegg speaking at Conference in Glasgow

He argued that LibDems are a positive force in British politics and are now a party of government.

LibDems have successfully achieved significant reforms, fulfilling many of the LibDem manifesto pledges.

Clegg said the party has acted in the national interest as a responsible moderating influence on current coalition partners, and would act in the same manner in the event of another hung parliament after 2015 - whether with Conservatives or Labour parties.

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In a letter to activists he wrote:

"Over the last few days, we’ve showcased what we’ve achieved in Coalition and we’ve demonstrated that we can make the tough decisions required in Government. But crucially, that we do so in a way that is fairer than the Conservatives would if they were governing by themselves.

And whether you were voting in the main hall or catching updates at home, there has been a fundamental shift in how our party is perceived.

We’re finally starting to get recognition for the decision we, as a party, took by going into Government. Especially at a time when the economy had suffered the biggest crash in 80 years and Labour had left us with no money to clean up the mess.

The last three years haven’t been easy, with the vitriol of our opponents and the difficult headlines.

But all those insults were worth it.

Because we’re starting to turn things around. We are seeing the first signs of economic recovery, a recovery that wouldn’t be happening without us.

There’s still a long way to go and over the next two years Liberal Democrats will focus unrelentingly on creating jobs and sustainable growth.

As I said in my speech this afternoon, we can’t trust either of the other parties to get it right by themselves. I have spent my entire life watching the other two mess it up. We cannot stand idly by and let them do it all over again.

Only the Liberal Democrats can finish the job of restoring the economy, and finish it fairly."


Read his full speech to conference here.

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The full list of 16 issues which LibDems have blocked:

Aldermaston & Wasing Show - Saturday 7th September

Come to the 71st Aldermaston & Wasing Show and celebrate your local spirit at the Old Mill, Aldermaston, from 2pm!

Attractions include 104 competitions, vintage car, craft, ferret and falconry displays, among many others... while volunteers to help out are always welcomed (see contact details above).

You can be sure of a good time, so why not come along - and maybe you'll bump into an old friend!

Doggone Bins

Imagine the scene: a picturesque pathway along by the Kennet & Avon canal at the height of a steamy summer's day.

A toddler eats an ice-cream, but doesn't want to drop any litter or spoil the countryside. He goes over to the rubbish bin to deposit the paper wrapper - only to put his hand into this:

A litter bin filled with dog litter! 

This was exactly the story told by one anxious parent to your Focus Team.

It is with remarkable regularity that dog walkers complain about insufficient bins to clear up after their pets, while tourists complain about the lack of collection points for rubbish as villagers complain about the smell.

Local LibDems recently secured a commitment to constantly monitor whether the bins are being emptied on schedule and investigate whether more are needed.

Parish Councillor Andrew Grover said,

"Local residents, businesses and visitors all need to keep our countryside and streets clean and free of litter. Fellow dog walkers need to collect and dispose of dog litter properly. The problem of those not doing so has been obvious and unpleasant for us all during the recent heatwave."

Aldermaston Ward LibDems: Statement on the Future of Nuclear Defence

This week the coalition government published the long-awaited 'Trident Alternatives Review'.

CND march in 1958

It is a publication of huge significance to voters and campaigners alike. The issue of nucelar weapons has long caused divisions in Berkshire, while large numbers of local residents in this area live and work in the shadow of the major AWE installations nearby.

Liberal Democrats have now taken the first step to heal those long-standing and deep divisions.

The ground-breaking paper provides the most thorough review of nuclear systems and postures the UK has ever made public and examines a full range of alternatives available - a move only made possible through the insistence of LibDems in government.

The Trident Alternatives Review makes clear that Britain's national security will not be compromised by gradual reduction of the UK's Nuclear capacity as part of the reshaping of our Armed Forces to take account of the current security environment.

AWE's Orion laser

Britain no longer needs a 24 hours a day, 365 days a year continuous-at-sea patrolling service designed to meet a threat in the Soviet Union that no longer exists. Instead we should support our international allies and contribute meaningfully to the new multilateral drive to marry arms reduction to threat reduction. This will also save billions of pounds to concentrate on more pressing domestic demands.

Announcing the review, LibDem Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Danny Alexander MP, said,

"It is the right and sensible thing to do. And it could allow long-term savings to be made against current plans for like-for-like replacement.We can, at last, have an open and much more informed debate about what our nuclear weapons are for and how they should be deployed."

Liberal Democrats are leading this debate.

AWE Aldermaston Falcon Gate

• Read Danny Alexander's complete speech to the Royal United Services Institute.
• Read the LibDems Trident factsheet.
• Visit the Action AWE campaigning website.
• More on AWE Aldermaston.