Tories Share Responsibility for Financial Crisis

8.52.45am UTC (GMT +0000) Mon 6th Oct 2008

Baroness Ros Scott addresses Central Devon AGM

Liberal Democrat Baroness Ros Scott of Needham Market in Suffolk was the guest of Central Devon Liberal Democrats when they met at Tedburn St Mary Village Hall on Saturday, 4 th October.

The occasion began with a minute's silence for the late Brian Berman, a member of the controlling Liberal Democrat Executive at County Hall, who died suddenly a few days earlier when giving evidence at the Public Inquiry into the closure of the nearby gap on the A30. Cllr Berman had represented the area for many years.

Baroness Scott told the gathering how the Liberal Democrats' commitment to local communities led her to join them in 1990, before election to her local District then County Councils and elevation to the House of Lords in 2002. A highlight of her local government career. she said, was persuading her District Council to become the first in the country to rebate Business Rates to village shops when they were only outlet in the community.

Clearly critical of the continuing hereditary characteristic of the House of Lord, Baroness Scott nonetheless spoke enthusiastically about the ability of members from all parties to work together to improve legislation, utilising the experience and skills gained in industry, commerce, local government and elsewhere.

Referring to the credit crunch and the current financial crisis, Baroness Scott reminded listeners that it was the Conservatives who created the present banking system, with Tory Chancellor Nigel Lawson's 'Big Bang', demutualising the building societies etc. She said "Be in no doubt, if it had been left to the Tories, we'd be in exactly the same position as we are now. Only the Lib Dems, guided by Vince Cable, have been warning that the situation was out of control and action to correct it was long overdue." She added "Labour are no better, continually eroding personal freedom but refusing to introduce legislation to keep financial instiutions in check."

Replying to Baroness Scott, Cllr Sally Morgan, the Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate for Central Devon said how the story of a Liberal Democrat championing rural communities chimed with the great work the late Brian Berman concluded just before his death. Cllr Berman put together a package involving financial support from the County Council to save a number of village post offices in Central Devon destined for closure under the Government's latest policies for the Post Office. Sally Morgan said "What a great shame it is that Brian did not live to see the results of his hard work for our village Post Offices." She thanked Baroness Scott for a stimulating and informative speech.