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30 Most Recent Speeches
Cluster Munitions Bill - House of Commons debate
Speech by Jo Swinson delivered to House of Commons on Wed 17th Mar 2010
Jo Swinson (East Dunbartonshire) (LD): I begin by saying that my party, as it was in the other place, is very supportive of the Bill and will support its Second Reading today. I pay tribute to all those who have campaigned for the convention on cluster munitions and for the Bill to ratify it, in particular, as has been mentioned, the Cluster Munition Coalition and Landmine Action. I also pay tribute to the work that my noble Friend Lord Garden, who sadly is no longer with us, did on this issue. If he were here today, he would be very pleased to see the progress that the Bill is making.
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British Indian Ocean Territory - Westminster Hall Debate
Speech by Speech by Jo swinson delivered to Westminster Hall on Wed 10th Mar 2010
Jo Swinson (East Dunbartonshire, Liberal Democrat): I congratulate Jeremy Corbyn on securing this debate. As other Members of the House know, he has been a passionate campaigner on this issue for many years, and today he set out the case using his great knowledge of the subject in a powerful speech. I struggled to find anything in it with which I disagreed.
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House of Commons Reform - House of Commons Debate
Speech by Jo swinson delivered to House of Commons on Thu 25th Feb 2010
Jo Swinson (East Dunbartonshire, Liberal Democrat): I, too, wish to begin by congratulating Dr. Wright and all the members of his Committee, who put so much work into these proposals. However, I share the disappointment expressed by many Members about the way in which this process has been dealt with since the publication of the Committee's report.
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Pensioner Poverty - Westminster Hall Debate
Speech by Jo swinson delivered to Westminster Hall on Tue 23rd Feb 2010
Jo Swinson (East Dunbartonshire, Liberal Democrat): I am pleased to have secured this debate on pensioner poverty, although it is depressing that such a debate should be necessary. It is surely a scandal that, in one of the world's most developed and prosperous nations, one in five elderly people still live below the breadline. That is a total of more than 2 million individuals.
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Conflict Prevention - Westminster Hall Debate
Speech by Jo Swinson delivered to Westminster Hall on Tue 9th Feb 2010
I congratulate my hon. Friend Simon Hughes on securing this debate. The time spent by the House debating conflict prevention pales in comparison with the time that we spend discussing conflicts that have not been prevented. Perhaps that balance needs to be adjusted. I wholeheartedly support the idea put forward by my hon. Friend that there should be an annual debate on the subject rather than relying on the random nature of the ballot to secure debates in Westminster Hall.
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Returning Officers - Wesminster Hall Debate
Speech by Jo Swinson delivered to Westminster Hall on Wed 3rd Feb 2010
Jo Swinson (East Dunbartonshire) (LD): Thank you, Mr. Wilshire. I congratulate the hon. Member for Inverclyde (David Cairns) on securing this debate and on his thorough and well-argued introduction. We have benefited from his experience of being a Minister in charge of electoral administration and of proximity to the difficulties in the Scottish elections in 2007, as has been mentioned.
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Colombia (Human Rights) - Wesminster Hall Debate
Speech by Jo Swinson delivered to Westminster Hall on Wed 27th Jan 2010
Jo Swinson (East Dunbartonshire) (LD): I congratulate the hon. Member for Paisley and Renfrewshire, North (Jim Sheridan) on securing this debate on an issue of undoubted importance.
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China - Westminster Hall Debate
Speech by Jo Swinson delivered to Westminster Hall on Wed 13th Jan 2010
Jo Swinson (East Dunbartonshire) (LD): I congratulate the hon. Member for Banbury (Tony Baldry) on securing the debate. Three months ago, we had a debate in this Chamber on the implications of UK policy on relations between China and the west, which was called by the hon. Member for Cities of London and Westminster (Mr. Field). During the debate, we touched on economic and trade issues, security, human rights and Tibet. Rather than going back over those issues, I will try to focus on developments since then. As China is a rising superpower, it is important that we return to the subject of China with some regularity because much has happened over the past three months.
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Media Images (Women and Girls) - Adjournment Debate
Speech by Jo Swinson on Mon 11th Jan 2010
Jo Swinson (East Dunbartonshire) (LD): I am delighted to have secured a debate on the effect of media images on the body image of women and girls-a topic that has sparked a great deal of discussion in the past year, both in the media and among the public.
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Christmas Adjournment Debate
Speech by Jo Swinson delivered to House of Commons on Wed 16th Dec 2009
Jo Swinson (East Dunbartonshire) (LD): It is a great pleasure to follow the hon. Member for Wyre Forest (Dr. Taylor), and I want to focus my remarks on issues that have been at the forefront of my constituents' concerns over the past year.
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Burma - Westminster Hall Debate
Speech by Jo Swinson delivered to Westminster Hall on Wed 9th Dec 2009
Jo Swinson (East Dunbartonshire) (LD): Mr. Hancock, it is a pleasure to speak in this debate under your chairmanship. I congratulate the hon. Member for Ribble Valley (Mr. Evans) on securing this debate, which is timely, as he said. It has been an interesting debate, as debates often are in Westminster Hall. In particular, real value has been added by those hon. Members who have brought to bear their personal experience of talking face to face to the individuals who have been living with the consequences of this horrible regime. I am delighted to follow my hon. Friend the Member for Southport (Dr. Pugh).
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Cyprus - Westminster Hall Debate
Speech by Jo Swinson delivered to Westminster Hall on Tue 10th Nov 2009
It is a great pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr. Olner. I congratulate Mr. Dismore on giving such a comprehensive introduction to this debate. He outlined areas in which progress has been made, and managed to cover a whole range of issues in this complex case. It has been very helpful to hear the experiences of hon. Members, many of whom have visited Cyprus. Some have spoken with constituents who have a link with that country and others have heard first hand from individuals-relatives of the missing and others-about the difficulties that they face. I always think that mention of such experiences brings something to the debates that we have in this Chamber.
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Death Penalty (Global Abolition) - Westminster Hall Debate
Speech by Jo Swinson delivered to Westminster Hall on Wed 28th Oct 2009
Jo Swinson (East Dunbartonshire) (LD): It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr. Benton. I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Orkney and Shetland (Mr. Carmichael) on getting the debate on to the agenda and on the way in which he opened it. He is hugely knowledgeable on the subject and has a strong record of campaigning on the issue around the world. I know that partly because he is my colleague and we have discussed these issues, and partly because, like him, I am a member of Amnesty International. When Amnesty's magazine comes through the letter box every few months, although I often find it difficult to read because of the horrors within, from time to time, there is a piece about his work on these important issues.
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China and the West - Westminster Hall Debate
Speech by Jo Swinson delivered to Wesminster Hall on Tue 13th Oct 2009
Jo Swinson (East Dunbartonshire) (LD): I congratulate the hon. Member for Cities of London and Westminster (Mr. Field) on securing the debate and opening it with such eloquence, setting out the economic challenges that the UK and other countries will face in the context of China's growth and emergence as an economic powerhouse. It is an important subject and, as is often the way with 90-minute debates in Westminster Hall, we could spend much more time discussing it, because it has so many aspects. We have heard about the economic side and the hon. Member for North Wiltshire (Mr. Gray) has focused on Tibet.
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Israeli Settlements - Westminster Hall Debate
Speech by Jo Swinson delivered to Westminster Hall on Tue 21st Jul 2009
Jo Swinson (East Dunbartonshire) (LD): I congratulate the hon. Member for Wolverhampton, South-West (Rob Marris) on securing this interesting debate. It is always pleasing when there is a good turnout of hon. Members because we get a wide range of contributions, even if that means that those contributions are fairly brief. No doubt we could have debated this issue for many hours and still found interesting points of discussion.
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Global Security (Iran) - Westminster Hall Debate
Speech by Jo Swinson delivered to Westminster Hall on Thu 9th Jul 2009
Jo Swinson (East Dunbartonshire, Liberal Democrat): It is a pleasure to follow Mr. Wallace, who has great expertise on this issue. I am sure that all hon. Members enjoyed his remarks. I congratulate the Select Committee Chairman on his introduction to the debate and on the work of his Committee in producing this well-researched and thorough report. It has led to an important and lively debate this afternoon. Unfortunately, it is almost 18 months since the report's publication. Although it might have been helpful to debate it earlier, sadly, many of the conclusions still apply.
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Human Rights (Iran) - Westminster Hall Debate
Speech by Jo Swinson delivered to Westminster Hall on Wed 8th Jul 2009
Jo Swinson (East Dunbartonshire, Liberal Democrat): I too congratulate my hon. Friend Lembit Öpik on securing this debate. He has a strong record of fighting for justice in Iran, particularly for the Baha'i, which was the focus of much of his remarks. Indeed, he chairs the all-party group Friends of the Baha'i. None the less, the debate was wide-ranging and dealt with various aspects of human rights in Iran.
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Middle East - Westminster Hall Debate
Speech by Jo Swinson delivered to Wesminster Hall on Wed 24th Jun 2009
Jo Swinson (East Dunbartonshire, Liberal Democrat): I congratulate Mr. Spring on securing this debate and on the way in which he introduced it. He clearly has great expertise, and the way in which he outlined the historical context and more recent developments set the tone for an interesting and productive debate. I welcome the Minister to his position. I am sure that this will be the first of many interesting and enjoyable debates on a wide variety of foreign policy issues.
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Geneva Conventions and United Nations Personnel - House of Commons Debate
Speech by Jo Swinson delivered to the House of Commons on Wed 10th Jun 2009
Jo Swinson (East Dunbartonshire, Liberal Democrat): This has been a fascinating and informative debate, not least because we have found out the birthday and occupation of the Minister's relations. It is always interesting to have some new information and some anecdotes to lighten the debate.
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India - Westminster Hall Debate
Speech by Jo Swinson delivered to Westminster Hall on Tue 12th May 2009
Jo Swinson (East Dunbartonshire, Liberal Democrat): It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr. Sheridan, particularly as it is your debut outing in the role. I am sure that it will be the first of many. I congratulate Mr. Amess on not only leading the delegation, but securing the debate and introducing it so comprehensively. However, one and a half hours is a short time to discuss something as huge as India-the world's largest democracy-and I am sure that we could easily have filled three hours, if not more.
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Members' Allowances - House of Commons Debate
Speech by Jo Swinson to the House of Commons on Thu 30th Apr 2009
Jo Swinson: Some Members will know that I am a bit of a fan of new technology. I like using podcasts, Twitter and Facebook to engage with my constituents. In particular, I have campaigned in the House-for example, through early-day motion 1319-to allow clips of Parliament to be shown on YouTube. Perhaps, amid all the criticism, we should commend the Prime Minister for at least trying to embrace new technology-although, sadly, he has not quite got the hang of it. He said in his YouTube video that he wanted to hear the public's views on MPs' expenses, but then did the online equivalent of putting his hands over his ears by disabling the comment function. That does not make sense.
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Overseas Territories - Westminster Hall Debate
Speech by Jo Swinson delivered to Westminster Hall on Thu 23rd Apr 2009
Jo Swinson: I congratulate the Committee on producing such a well researched and well thought through report. It is clearly the product of a significant number of hours in evidence sessions both in Westminster and in far-flung locations in the middle of oceans around the world. I also congratulate the hon. Member for Ilford, South (Mike Gapes) on introducing the debate.
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Latin America - Westminster Hall debate
Speech by Jo Swinson delivered to Westminster Hall on Tue 3rd Mar 2009
One and a half hours seems a short time in which to cover thoroughly the many issues affecting a huge continent, but it is good that in this short debate we have been able to raise many aspects of the things that affect the continent and the UK's relations with it.
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Modernisation of the House of Commons - House of Commons Debate
Speech by Jo Swinson delivered to House of Commons on Wed 12th Nov 2008
Jo Swinson (East Dunbartonshire, Liberal Democrat): I feel passionately about our democracy. I believe that it is good thing for people to participate in democracy, and that it is essential that they do so if we are to have a successful democracy. We have a problem if lots of groups of people feel alienated when they turn on the television and see what goes on in this place, and realise that it does not represent society or them. That is the case whether we are talking about women, people from black and minority ethnic backgrounds, people who are disabled, people who are gay, or people from different faith groups. I just mention to the shadow Deputy Leader of the House that at least one other major party has had a Roman Catholic leader; my right hon. Friend Mr. Kennedy certainly falls into that category.
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Promoting Democracy and Human Rights - House of Commons Debate
Speech by Jo Swinson delivered to House of Commons on Mon 13th Oct 2008
Jo Swinson (East Dunbartonshire, Liberal Democrat): I too welcome the Minister to her new position. I look forward to our exchanges both here and in Westminster Hall, although I hope not to spend quite so much time with her as I did with her predecessor now that the European Union (Amendment) Act 2008 is on the statute book.
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Belarus - Westminster Hall Debate
Speech by Jo Swinson delivered to Westminster Hall on Tue 15th Jul 2008
Jo Swinson (East Dunbartonshire, Liberal Democrat): I congratulate Mark Pritchard on securing and introducing the debate. I know that he has raised the matter in business questions, but it is important for us to discuss it before the recess in the light of recent and forthcoming events in Belarus. The hon. Gentleman takes a keen interest in political affairs in eastern Europe and Russia, and I commend him on his work as chairman of the all-party group on Russia; he introduced me to the Russian ambassador last month, which was a very interesting meeting.
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Prevention and Suppression of Terrorism - House of Commons Debate
Speech by Jo Swinson delivered to House of Commons on Mon 14th Jul 2008
On the same day that this order to proscribe the military wing of Hezbollah was published, the Prime Minister told the House that it was solely on the grounds of new evidence of its involvement in terrorism in Iraq and the occupied Palestinian territories. Of course, we all utterly condemn the violent and terrorist activities that are conducted by Hezbollah. I say to the Minister at the outset that Liberal Democrat Members are in broad agreement with the Government's decision to introduce the order. However, I would like to pose a few questions to probe their motivation in doing this and get a little more information so that the House can come to a clear decision.
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Middle East - Westminster Hall Debate
Speech by Jo Swinson delivered to Westminster Hall on Tue 24th Jun 2008
Jo Swinson (East Dunbartonshire, Liberal Democrat): I congratulate Mr. Spring on securing this debate and on the way in which he introduced it. He clearly has great expertise, and the way in which he outlined the historical context and more recent developments set the tone for an interesting and productive debate. I welcome the Minister to his position. I am sure that this will be the first of many interesting and enjoyable debates on a wide variety of foreign policy issues.
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