Ming Campbell has written an article for the Liberal Democrat Voice website on the issue of climate change:

The role of our Party on this issue has always been to lead the way and we will continue to do so. Not only that, we’ll continue to press for Britain to take global leadership on fighting climate change.

Read the full piece here.

Writing in The Guardian newspaper today, Liberal Democrat Leader Ming Campbell argues the case for a written constitution for the United Kingdom.

Ming is calling for a constitutional convention at least 50% of which would be made up of members of the public drawn by lot, part of new proposals for British politics to be debated at the Liberal Democrats’ conference this month.

Ming writes:

If British democracy is not to slip into terminal decline, the public must be alerted to the dangers and motivated to participate in its radical reform. Revival of our representative democracy is too serious to be left to politicians.

At our conference this month, the Liberal Democrats will provide a blueprint for Gordon Brown to follow if he is serious about reforming the obsolete political process. We have developed a 21st-century vision of Britain where people would be trusted, not patronised; involved, not just “consulted”.

The proposals include:

• The introduction of citizens’ juries, similar to those in criminal trials, to assess new public policy
• Strengthening the Human Rights and Freedom of Information Acts
• Stopping new governments from taking power after an election until Parliament has endorsed its legislative programme
• Introducing more scrutiny of government appointments and decisions

Ming’s full article is on the Guardian website.

Writing in today’s Guardian, Polly Toynbee, who discussed the issue of Iraq with Ming Campbell yesterday, declares the Liberal Democrats “right, right and right again about the Iraq war”.

The Liberal Democrat leader, Menzies Campbell, wrote to Gordon Brown yesterday: “The current level of British casualties is unacceptable. What is being achieved by the continuing British presence? Our troops are severely restricted in what they can do and they are subject to unreasonable risks. There is now a clear recognition that the objectives of their mission cannot be achieved … Is it the case that our continuing presence in Iraq is now only to show solidarity with the United States? Were it so, could it be justified against the level of our casualties? It is time to set a framework for the complete withdrawal of all our forces.”

Yet again, the Lib Dems are right on every point. When I talked to Campbell yesterday, he said he had spoken to top-ranking officers who want out of Iraq while there is still just a chance of saving the situation in Afghanistan. So, he asks Brown, are young men dying only to spare President Bush embarrassment? Soldiers have done everything humanly possible to keep the peace in Basra, but are now driven back into two small and dangerous strongholds from which they can do little: 90% of attacks in the city are now directed against them. Brave men are well-trained to take risks and to see their friends die around them. But Campbell says pleasing the White House is no legitimate war objective. Few disagree, on any side of the house.

Read the full article.

Ming Campbell has written an article for The Guardian’s Comment is Free site about China’s human rights record in the run-up to the Beijing Olympics.

China would win no medals for human rights. But things are still fluid, and there are hopeful signs in a mixed picture. China has promised to be more open and to put in place greater safeguards over its use of the death penalty. It has promised to reform its use of “re-education through labour” camps, a process of administrative detention used on a massive scale.

You can read the full article here.

Party leader Ming Campbell and former leader Paddy Ashdown were in Ealing High Street yesterday to give their support to Liberal Democrat candidate Nigel Bakhai in the upcoming Ealing Southall by-election.

Voters go to the polls this Thursday in one of the closest contested by elections of recent times.

The Liberal Democrats are campaigning hard in the last few days. If you would like to get involved, you can find details of how to reach the campaign headquarters at www.ealinglibdems.org.uk. If you are in the north of England or Scotland and are willing to help Greg Stone become the next MP for Sedgefield, there are directions to the HQ on the Sedgefield Liberal Democrats website.