Kennedy Rallies the Troops for Final Big Push

5.12.56pm GMT Tue 8th Jun 2004

Kennedy: "We owe a great debt to those who paid the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom, and for the liberation Europe from the scourge of fascism."

Charles Kennedy will today set out his own experiences of the election campaign trail to a rally of LibDem campaigners ahead of 10 June.

"Everywhere I have visited, the message has been the same", Mr Kennedy will say, "People are tired of Labour. They are angry with Tony Blair over Iraq. They are fed up with the unfairness of the Council Tax. They no longer trust Labour to run their local councils, especially in our cities and among our minority communities.

"All across the country, it is the Liberal Democrats who are offering the effective alternative to a discredited and distrusted Government."

Having travelled to nearly every corner of Britain in the last month, Mr Kennedy will speak from personal experience. He will also highlight the importance of the European Union, having just returned from attending the D-Day commemorations in Normandy this weekend.

Charles Kennedy will say:

"At the weekend I was in Normandy, representing the Party at the D-Day commemorations. I had the opportunity to speak with many of the veterans there, and of course representatives of many different countries.

"There were two clear messages that I took away from those commemorations. First, that we owe a great debt to those who paid the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom, and for the liberation Europe from the scourge of fascism.

"And second, that the living monument to the sacrifice that so many made that day is the alliance of European nations, that today we call the European Union. War between the nations of Europe has become inconceivable.

"These historical considerations should give us pause for thought on June 10th . I hope that the some of the images of the D-Day commemorations prompt a proper and sensible debate on Europe in this country.

"The peoples of Europe are our partners and allies, and through the institutions in Brussels we tackle shared problems, uphold shared values, and settle disputes by applying the rule of law not by the use of military force.

"Britain is irrevocably linked to Europe. Our prosperity depends upon it, our environment depends upon it, and our security depends upon it. Isolation from Europe is simply not a viable option if you have the best interests of Britain at heart.

"It is precisely because we are pro-European that we British Liberal Democrats can make a real difference in Brussels. We work the system to get the best out of Brussels for Britain. We don't just carp from the sidelines, we turn up, we vote and we are listened to precisely because we have the best interests of both Britain and Europe at heart.

"And that has been the strong and bold message that we Liberal Democrats had put forward in this campaign for the European elections. And the true interests of Britain in Europe have been damaged by the war in Iraq. In the run up to war, by abandoning the United Nations, the Prime Minister turned his back on the international community, on our European allies.

"The Prime Minister's unquestioning backing of Mr. Bush has put a major strain on our relations with Europe. Britain commands less respect in Europe because of Iraq. Up and down the country, I have heard at first hand the dismay that people feel over Iraq.

"So the European elections are the most appropriate forum in which to cast judgement on the actions of the Government in Iraq and hold Mr. Blair to account for his part in the pre-emptive war in Iraq.

"In this campaign, for the European election, for local councils and in London, every where I have visited, the message has been the same. People are tired of Labour. They are angry with Tony Blair over Iraq. They are fed up with the unfairness of the Council Tax. They no longer trust Labour to run their local councils, especially in our cities and among our minority communities.

"In Sheffield, in Newcastle, and of course in Liverpool, people are turning to the Liberal Democrats. Look what happened in Liverpool when the Liberal Democrats took over - we have transformed the city. Liverpool is now winning awards for being the most improved council in the country and it has been selected as the European Capital of Culture in 2008.

"This is a far cry from the old Labour Liverpool that had the highest council tax in the land and services among the worst in the country.

"We can make this same transformation in other cities too. London is one of the great capitals of the world with our history, arts, music, sport and wonderful diversity of culture and language. And as a centre for business - from family shops to international banks - it is an economic powerhouse.

"But London needs a mayor who is not in hock to business, not in hock to the Unions, and not in hock to the Government. Simon Hughes is the only alternative to Blair's mayor, Ken Livingstone. Simon Hughes is the man to unite London.

"One of the reasons people vote for Simon on his home patch in Southwark and Bermondsey, and for the Liberal Democrats up and down the land, is because Liberal Democrat councillors, MPs and MEPs work hard for local people.

"They understand local issues and come up with fair and practical solutions. All across the country, it is the Liberal Democrats that are offering the effective alternative.

"Take the Council Tax. Council Tax is the most unpopular tax in the country - largely because it is probably the most unfair tax we have. Surely what people earn is the best way of measuring how much they can afford to pay in tax? But, at the moment, we have a property tax which means poor pensioners can owe as much as high-earning professionals.

"Ordinary families and pensioners - especially those on fixed incomes - have found that the latest increases have been, quite simply, unaffordable. And it is the poorest people who get hit the hardest because the proportion of their income that is being soaked up is so much higher than for wealthier people."

"Nationally, the poorest 10% - the majority of whom are pensioners - pay over 4 times more of their income in council tax than the richest. How can anyone justify that? But what have Labour and the Conservatives done to sort it out? Nothing. Only the Liberal Democrats have come up with a fair and efficient alternative - and that's a local income tax.

"Under our proposals, if you are on a low income, you would pay less - and in some cases a lot less - than your council tax. We calculate that our plans mean that 70% of people would either have a lower tax bill or would be largely unaffected. Of course, that also means that some would pay more. But that's what fairness is all about. Paying what you can afford based on how much you earn.

"That's the real alternative, that's the fair alternative. Every vote for the Liberal Democrats is a vote to start building the fairer Britain we all want."