A very interesting op-ed in the Guardian today by Leader Nick Clegg on the current Israel-Gaza conflict.

If you haven’t seen it already you can access it at the following site:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/jan/07/nick-clegg-israel-gaza-war

It is good to hear a senior politician standup and make such a statement. As the death toll rises and the violence continues on both sides it is certain that the current situation needs addressing urgently by members of the international community. 

Yesterday Nick Clegg and I marched on Downing Street alongside 13 Ghurkhas in protest at the appalling way that they have been treated by the British Government.

The day began with Nick Clegg MP asking the Prime Minister whether or not he would relent on his previous refusals and accept the medals won by ex-service Ghurkhas in the service of this country.

Addressing Gordon Brown in PMQ’s Nick asked whether, with Veterans Day this Friday, he would:

“Do the right thing…..have the grace to receive them today, or will he (the Prime Minister) turn them away yet again” Read more »

Commenting on today’s Defence Committee Report on Defence Equipment, Liberal Democrat Shadow Defence Secretary, Nick Harvey said:

“This highlights the critical state of our defence budget and the continuing burden of expensive, unwieldy and inefficient procurements.

“With three key procurements already forecast to cost almost £3 billion more than the original cost, seven of the largest equipment programmes experiencing slippage in 2007-08 of over six and a half years, and Key Targets unlikely to be met, the DE&S needs to get its act together quickly to avoid even greater slippage and costs, which could irrevocably damaging our future capabilities. Read more »

Liberal Democrat Shadow Defence Secretary, Nick Harvey has welcomed the news that the Canadian wife of a British soldier has been allowed to remain in Britain.

Samantha Crozier had been told she would have to leave the UK where she lives with her husband and two children to reapply for residency as a spouse when her temporary visa runs out next month.

Commenting, Nick Harvey, who has been campaigning on the issue, said:

“I am obviously delighted by the news that Samantha can stay in Britain. However, despite this welcome decision, this problem is by no means over, there are numerous cases like Samantha’s that still need to be resolved. Read more »

Last week, I and my colleagues in the Lib Dem defence team joined hundreds of Gurkhas in a protest outside the Houses of Parliament. Currently, Gurkhas who served in the British Army before 1997 do not have the right to British citizenship, and receive only a fraction of the pension afforded to British service personnel. The former Nepalese soldiers gathered outside St Stephen’s Gate this morning were quite rightly demanding an end to this flagrantly unjust treatment. Read more »

Today Nick Clegg led a protest outside Parliament calling for the fair rights and better treatment for Gurkhas, below he writes about how the Government is failing these men and women. 

When I tell people what the government is doing to retired Gurkha soldiers – they don’t believe me. When I say that the government is trying to deport people who served our country for their whole working life – they can’t believe it’s true. But it is true, and it’s a national disgrace. Read more »