Liberal Democrat policies are built on freedom, fairness and trust. We believe that people have the right to get on with their lives with the minimum of interference. We do not support the erosion of our civil liberties in the name of the "war against terrorism".

We oppose ID cards because they are intrusive, expensive and ultimately ineffectual. We opposed the Iraq War and having fought the war we need to rebuild trust by making all levels of government more accountable.

We propose a higher tax for the wealthy an increase in the marginal rate for people earning over £100,000, but abolishing the Council Tax and replacing it with a local income tax will help the less well off, particularly pensioners.

We believe that we should trust healthcare professionals in the NHS local health care trusts must be made accountable to the local community. We believe we should trust teachers in the classroom. We would replace outside targets because they distract attention from real problems.