News story
29th September 2004
Visiting MP Makes Plea for Action on Global
Injustice
Mr John Larkins, Lucy Horton, Jenny
Tonge MP and Steve Webb MP at Chipping Sodbury
Town Hall
Speaking to a public meeting in Chipping Sodbury last night (29th
September), visiting Liberal Democrat MP Dr. Jenny Tonge issued a plea
for action on global poverty, world trade rules and environmental
destruction in order to make the world a safer place. Dr. Tonge, MP for
Richmond-on-Thames, was giving the fourth annual Heather Larkins
memorial lecture to an audience of local Lib Dem members and supporters,
which was chaired by local MP Steve Webb.
Jenny Tonge talked about her travels throughout Africa
and the Middle East and highlighted the way that global injustice
provides a breeding ground for terrorists. She was particularly critical
of the American-led military action against Iraq which she said had
failed to make Iraq a safer place but had generated increased support
for anti-Western groups around the world.
The annual lecture series was set up to celebrate the life of Heather
Larkins who was a former Avon County Councillor and who was the Liberal
Democrat candidate in Northavon at the 1992 General Election. The
Heather Larkins memorial fund enables young people to learn more about
the political process by providing a bursary to allow one or two local
young people each year to attend the Liberal Democrat party conference.
The lecture was attended by 19 year-old Lucy Horton from Severn Beach
who had just taken advantage of the bursary scheme to attend this year's
Lib Dem conference, and by Mr John Larkins who established the fund in
memory of his late wife.
Speaking after the event, Steve Webb said:
"Jenny Tonge spoke very powerfully about the need to tackle the roots of
the growing tide of violence and terrorism that we are seeing around the
world. Not only is it a matter of justice to tackle issues such as
global poverty, but it is also in our own long-term interests to make
the world a fairer place. We are very grateful to Jenny Tonge for her
powerful and insightful speech".
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