Haltemprice and Howden

The weekend beginning March 23rd should have seen Haltemprice & Howden's new President Edward McMillan-Scott addressing party members at Kristoffs restaurant in Cottingham, but the weather was causing chaos in the North. With the deepest of apologies Edward had to cancel his engagements for that weekend and that included the H & H Annual Fund Raiser.

Not to be daunted by the unflattering headlines about Lord Rennard and Chris Huhne, Nick Clegg tackled the issues without hesitation. Declaring that sexism has no place in the Liberal Democrats he made it quite clear that women in the Liberal Democrats were to be treated with the highest regard. Holding up Baroness Shirley Williams, Jo Swinson and Lynne Featherstone as models NIck appealed for more women to put themselves forward as candidates on every level of government from the local council to Parliament itself.

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has closed the Liberal Democrat Spring Conference in Brighton by calling on members to spread the message of the Party's commitment in Government to deliver a stronger economy and a fairer society.

In his keynote Leader's speech, Nick paid tribute to the work of the Party in winning the Eastleigh by-election, beating the Conservatives into third place and squeezing Labour while campaigning on the Lib Dem record of delivering in Government.

Edward McMillan-Scott has agreed to be the guest speaker at the Haltemprice & Howden Liberal Democrats Annual Dinner which will be held on Friday 22nd of March at 7.30 pm for 8.00 pm at Kristoff's of 140 Hallgate in Cottingham.

With the rise of UKIP and the future of the UK in the EU now in the balance since David Cameron's speech, Edward's comments promise to be arresting.

The last twelve months have been lit up by moments that will stay with us forever. When Mo Farah approached the final stretch of the 10,000m final, who wasn't up on their feet, screaming at the TV?

When Nicola Adams beamed at the crowd after winning the first ever women's Olympic boxing, who didn't smile back? I was lucky enough to be there, and that's one I'll never forget.

Haltemprice & Howden Liberal Democrats is greatly honoured by Edward McMillan-Scott MEP and a Vice President of the European Union accepting the position of President of the Local Party.

A relative newcomer to the Liberal Democrats Edward has been an MEP since 1984 when he was a Conservative member for York. He was first elected as a Vice President in 2004 and has been continually re-elected since then. His responsibilities as Vice President are Human Rights, relations with national parliaments and chairing the European Parliament's Audit Panel. Since 2012 he is also responsible for the Sakharov Prize Network and transatlantic relations.

Cllr Simone Butterworth and her team campaigned hard to challenge Labour front runner John Prescott in his own backyard in Humberside. With low poll ratings for the Liberal Democrats and with them being on the receiving end of media criticism as part of the Government Coalition, Simone had a massive mountain to climb.

"Everyone of our members matters," declared Party President Tim Farron, as he urged conference delegates to recruit more members to the Liberal Democrats. "And they deserve to be told, often. Every job, from stuffing envelopes to canvassing on the doorstep, is important in our efforts to get our message across."

Edward McMillan-Scott MEP is now sharing David Ward's Office in Bradford. The new arangement adds greatly to the Lib Dem voice in the region. Over 50 supporters turned up to see the office officially opened and to listen to David Ward and Edward McMillan-Scott outline their visions for the future.

Edward said, "Its great to have this one-stop shop with David and the Councillors. With the regional phonebank operation alongside, we have great facilities on our doorstep to help our campaigning and research - this is a great facility for the region."

About 150 Yorkshire Liberal Democrats went to the Leeds Armouries to hear Lord McNally deliver the annual Richard Wainwright Lecture in July.

Party leader and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg MP had been scheduled to give the lecture but had to be in Parliament for an important vote.

A special event had been organised to take place earlier by local Liberal Youth and chaired by Lance Idiabor-Moses. Guests Rebecca Taylor MEP and David Ward MP fielded questions from the floor.