Welsh Liberal blogs

  We mustn’t let George Floyd’s memory fade. We must hold onto the outrage we felt at his murder, and continue to channel it into action for positive change. Today marks one year since George Floyd, an unarmed Black man, was brutally murdered by a police officer on the streets of Minneapolis.   George’s murder — and the wave of protests it sparked — forced us all to confront the racial injustice that Black people face every day.   George’s murder — and the wave of protests it sparked — forced us all to confront the racial injustice that Black people face every day.   The past twelve months have brought watershed moments.   The Black Lives Matter movement rose to prominence around the world.   It inspired many of us to have difficult but important conversations about race — myself included.   And in April, Derek Chauvin was found guilty of George’s murder.   Although Chauvin’s guilty verdict is a step in the right direction, we are still a long way...

  Jane Dodds MS Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats has welcomed the concerns raised by NFU Leaders in Wales over the proposed trade deal with Australia and called on the Conservatives not to break the promises they made with local farmers regarding food standards and animal welfare. The call comes amid rumours that the government is preparing to sign a zero-tariffs trade agreement to Australia with no exceptions for agriculture. The position, said to be supported by International Trade secretary Liz Truss, has been met by a stern warning from the NFU that Welsh farming will struggle to compete if zero-tariff trade on lamb and beef goes ahead with a post-Brexit trade deal with Australia. Commenting on the developments leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats Jane Dodds MS said: “I am disappointed to hear that in a rush to conclude a trade deal with Australia, full tariff liberalisation is on the table. This would be a disaster for Welsh family-owned farms. The Conservatives ha...

  The theme of this year’s International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT) is resisting, supporting and healing together. Pre-pandemic there were reports that hate crimes were on the rise. As we start to emerge from the coronavirus pandemic, it perfectly encapsulates many of the needs of LGBT+ people in 2021. It’s now a cliche to say that our “return to normal” can’t be a return to the way that things were before, but it’s true. Pre-pandemic there were reports that hate crimes were on the rise, homophobic hate crimes up 19% year-on-year and transgender hate crimes up 16%. As we start to head back out again, we need to be mindful that  things need to change . Resisting homophobia, biphobia and transphobia is essential both at home and abroad. Domestically, trans people face a  barrage of obstacles and harassment  in our media, and have been routinely  let down  by our government. In ILGA-Europe’s latest ranking of LGBT+ rights in th...

  Reacting to the news that the UK Government plans to legislate to introduce a requirement for voters to show photo ID to vote, Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats Jane Dodds MS said: “Voting is a right that we all enjoy and the government is seeking to undermine that by introducing new obstacles which will inevitably drive turn out down. “This will not strengthen democracy, it will simply disenfranchise more people at a time when we should be encouraging turnout. “Requiring voters to show ID was trailed in 2018 across ten English counties and over 2,000 people were refused a vote with around 750 of them not returning to vote later on. “There are many ways the UK Government can and should be strengthening democracy such as voting reform and lowering the voting age to 16. “This is illiberal, unnecessary, unjust and will drive down turnout. “The Welsh Government must not follow the UK Government on this issue.”

  Boris Johnson's plan set out in the Queen's Speech utterly fails to deliver an ambitious programme to respond to the real challenges people are facing after this terribly difficult year. We must rebuild as a fairer, greener and more caring country in the aftermath of Covid. Boris Johnson has utterly failed to deliver an ambitious programme So it is crushingly disappointing that  the Government’s plans will fail on every account  – still failing small businesses and the self-employed, still not rising properly to the climate challenge and still ignoring millions of people caring for loved ones at home. Their planning reforms will rip powers away from local people and communities in favour of wealthy property developers,  threatening our environment  and treasured green spaces. Their  cruel asylum plans  will stop people fleeing violence and persecution, from seeking sanctuary in the UK. And long delayed reforms to social care have been pushed back int...

  Welsh Liberal Democrat Leader Jane Dodds has been elected as Member of the Senedd for Mid and West Wales. The Welsh Liberal Democrat leader thanked voters for putting their trust in her and her party while pledging to stand up for everyone regardless of how they voted. Speaking after her declaration Jane Dodds MS said: "The challenges facing Wales as we emerge from the pandemic must be met by a Senedd that focuses on the needs of communities across Wales.  "My commitment to everyone, whether you voted for the Welsh Liberal Democrats or not, is that we will work constructively and do everything we can to put recovery first.  "Wales needs a recovery for our communities with a plan to support jobs, small businesses and high streets.  "We need a recovery that has a plan to tackle the climate emergency and a recovery that prioritises mental health and wellbeing.  "The next Welsh Government can, and must act on these issues.  "Now more than e...