The Tories and certain sections of the media have been trying to undermine Labour’s record on unemployment and welfare. I remember them doing the same thing in the run up to the 1979 general election with their infamous ‘Labour isn’t working’ billboard poster. The reality when Margaret Thatcher got in was very different with the Tories launching a wholesale assault on working class communities leading to mass unemployment not seen since the 1930s.
The Tories are once again asserting that Labour is the party of unemployment. But there are over 2.5 million more people in work today than in 1997 and unemployment is below the EU and US average. Unlike the Tories, Labour actually cares about the fate of unemployed people. This Labour government is investing £5 billion to get people back to work, a move that was actually opposed by David Cameron’s Tories.
The Conservatives’ approach to the impact of the recession on working class communities was perfectly illustrated when John Major said: “If it isn’t hurting, it isn’t working”. Using that yardstick, John Major’s policy prescription worked a treat, because millions of families across the UK were certainly wounded by the Conservatives economic policies.
Young people, steel workers, miners, low paid public sector workers were just some of the group’s who fell victim to Thatcher’s obsession with Milton Friedman’s now discredited monetarist economic theory.
Even in the face of the worst worldwide recession for 70 years, there are still more 18-24s in work now than in 1997. Long-term youth unemployment is far lower than in previous recessions. In fact there were still seven times as many young unemployed workers when Labour came to power in 1997 than there are today. In stark contrast to the Tories, who wrote off generations of young people, Labour is taking steps to prevent long-term youth unemployment becoming an issue. Policy initiatives like the ‘Backing Young Britain’, ‘Future Jobs Fund’ and the ‘September Guarantee’ offer a positive future for Britain’s young people.
In the previous recession under the Tories there was a considerable increase in the number of people claiming invalidity benefits. This had the effect of massaging the unemployment statistics, yet the official unemployment total still topped 3 million. By comparison, this recession has not led to large numbers of people being transferred onto long-term sickness benefits.
When the UK emerged from the last recession, its manufacturing base had been decimated and the economy was over reliant on the financial services sector. This left us particularly vulnerable to the domino effect that started with the collapse of the US sub-prime market. Gordon Brown’s financial acumen has saved Britain from an economic and a social catastrophe. The approach he spearheaded has been recognised as an exemplar for economic recovery around the world.
But the Tories haven’t acknowledged that it was their failures that sowed the seeds of the meltdown in the financial services sector. The truth is the Tories haven’t learned anything from their previous economic failures. Given the chance, David Cameron has made it clear that they would repeat the same inept economic policies that had such a devastating impact during the recessions of the 1930s and 1980s. Their plans would exacerbate the economic downturn leading to an economic disaster and send unemployment into the stratosphere. Professor David Blanchflower, a former member of the Monetary Policy Committee of the Bank of England says George Osborne’s plans could lead to unemployment reaching 5 million!
That is why the Labour leadership through to the Labour Party’s rank and file membership must counter the Tory propaganda with the facts about what their plans would actually mean. Failure is not an option.
Thursday 24 December 2009
Friday 20 November 2009
OUT OF SIGHT, OUT OF MIND: DERBY LIB DEMS' HALF-BAKED SOLUTION TO STUDENT PARKING PROBLEM
STUDENTS in Derby fear they are being put at risk after being allocated parking in an unlit, unsupervised city car park.
Derby City Council and the University of Derby have moved the students to Markeaton Park car park following complaints about on-street parking.
But the winter nights and lack of lighting at the site mean the students are expected to traipse through the pitch black to find their vehicles, often after finishing lectures and seminars late into the evening.
I have written to the Council and the University to demand that temporary lighting is installed and, if the parking arrangements become permanent, a longer term fix is found. He also wants a shelter erecting so that when students are waiting for the shuttle bus to arrive they are not exposed to the elements.
There was a problem with on-street parking that demanded a proper solution, but this half-baked effort has been thrown together and has put the students in a vulnerable position.
What was needed was a well-thought out answer to the problems, not a botch job like this. It's a case of out-of-sight, out-of-mind - and the students are certainly out of sight here.
I've been up there with NUS Student Rights Officer, Josh Eades, to have a look and it's absolutely ridiculous. I wouldn't want to find my car in those conditions, and nor would the Liberal Democrats who've made this decision - so why should the students?
Derby City Council and the University of Derby have moved the students to Markeaton Park car park following complaints about on-street parking.
But the winter nights and lack of lighting at the site mean the students are expected to traipse through the pitch black to find their vehicles, often after finishing lectures and seminars late into the evening.
I have written to the Council and the University to demand that temporary lighting is installed and, if the parking arrangements become permanent, a longer term fix is found. He also wants a shelter erecting so that when students are waiting for the shuttle bus to arrive they are not exposed to the elements.
There was a problem with on-street parking that demanded a proper solution, but this half-baked effort has been thrown together and has put the students in a vulnerable position.
What was needed was a well-thought out answer to the problems, not a botch job like this. It's a case of out-of-sight, out-of-mind - and the students are certainly out of sight here.
I've been up there with NUS Student Rights Officer, Josh Eades, to have a look and it's absolutely ridiculous. I wouldn't want to find my car in those conditions, and nor would the Liberal Democrats who've made this decision - so why should the students?
Wednesday 18 November 2009
DEVIL TAKE THE HINDMOST OR KEEP HOPE ALIVE - THE CHOICE IS YOURS
In December 1993 a local magazine, Derbyshire Now, published a piece I had written about the aftermath of the late 1980s and early 1990s property boom that saw record numbers of repossessions. When I wrote that article 16 per cent of mortgage holders were in negative equity.
Now, 16 years later, the situation is very different. The worst worldwide economic downturn since the 1930s, fuelled by the collapse of the so-called US subprime property market, could have had disastrous consequences for the UK. Had the policies pursued by John Major’s Conservative government prevailed today the situation would indeed have been considerably worse. If repossessions, arrears and negative equity were running at the same rate this year as in the early 1990s, 91,000 households would have been repossessed, 396,000 would be in arrears and 2.2m would be in negative equity.
I’m not seeking to minimise the difficulties some homeowners have encountered in recent times. I understand the anxiety that is suffered when householders fall into arrears. I’ve seen the heartbreak people feel when their home is repossessed. And I’ve personally experienced the distress caused by negative equity. I watched the value of the house I bought in 1988, at the height of the property boom, plummet in value to well below what I paid for it.
The measures introduced by this Labour government have saved thousands of families from the same housing traumas that people went through 20 years ago. The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) has said it is going to revise its forecast on the numbers of repossessions this year from 65,000 to 48,000. The CML has also said it expects the numbers of homeowners in arrears by more than 2.5 per cent of their mortgage balance to be considerably lower than it originally anticipated. Its latest forecast puts the figure at 195,000 rather than 360,000. And up to a million more households were in negative equity in the early 90s compared to today.
In 1991 alone, 75,500 households lost their homes but Labour has tightened the rules to ensure that repossession is now always the last resort. Lenders have been forced to consider all other options to keep people in their homes, including the government’s Homeowner Mortgage Support Scheme and the Mortgage Rescue Scheme. This includes having to satisfy tougher tests in courts, with a new checklist for them to prove they have exhausted every possible option before taking action against borrowers. They have also been forced to inform local authorities when repossession action is started against residents, allowing councils to step in to offer advice and help. But Derby’s Liberal Democrats, who currently run the city council, have resisted the government’s schemes to help borrowers.
Not content with flouting government measures to assist hard pressed home owners, the Lib Dems joined with the Tories and so-called independent councillors to vote down the Labour Group’s proposals to assist Derby’s struggling home owners. It was actually pretty nauseating to witness their indifference towards thousands of their constituents fearful about keeping a roof over their heads.
That one incident in Derby’s council chamber in March this year gave a clear insight into the mindset of other political parties. It gives a pointer to how a future Tory government would leave people to fend for themselves resulting in more people being at risk of losing their homes. The choice couldn’t be clearer. People can vote go back to the devil take the hindmost approach to the economic downturn, exemplified by Margaret Thatcher and John Major, or vote to keep hope alive with Labour.
Now, 16 years later, the situation is very different. The worst worldwide economic downturn since the 1930s, fuelled by the collapse of the so-called US subprime property market, could have had disastrous consequences for the UK. Had the policies pursued by John Major’s Conservative government prevailed today the situation would indeed have been considerably worse. If repossessions, arrears and negative equity were running at the same rate this year as in the early 1990s, 91,000 households would have been repossessed, 396,000 would be in arrears and 2.2m would be in negative equity.
I’m not seeking to minimise the difficulties some homeowners have encountered in recent times. I understand the anxiety that is suffered when householders fall into arrears. I’ve seen the heartbreak people feel when their home is repossessed. And I’ve personally experienced the distress caused by negative equity. I watched the value of the house I bought in 1988, at the height of the property boom, plummet in value to well below what I paid for it.
The measures introduced by this Labour government have saved thousands of families from the same housing traumas that people went through 20 years ago. The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) has said it is going to revise its forecast on the numbers of repossessions this year from 65,000 to 48,000. The CML has also said it expects the numbers of homeowners in arrears by more than 2.5 per cent of their mortgage balance to be considerably lower than it originally anticipated. Its latest forecast puts the figure at 195,000 rather than 360,000. And up to a million more households were in negative equity in the early 90s compared to today.
In 1991 alone, 75,500 households lost their homes but Labour has tightened the rules to ensure that repossession is now always the last resort. Lenders have been forced to consider all other options to keep people in their homes, including the government’s Homeowner Mortgage Support Scheme and the Mortgage Rescue Scheme. This includes having to satisfy tougher tests in courts, with a new checklist for them to prove they have exhausted every possible option before taking action against borrowers. They have also been forced to inform local authorities when repossession action is started against residents, allowing councils to step in to offer advice and help. But Derby’s Liberal Democrats, who currently run the city council, have resisted the government’s schemes to help borrowers.
Not content with flouting government measures to assist hard pressed home owners, the Lib Dems joined with the Tories and so-called independent councillors to vote down the Labour Group’s proposals to assist Derby’s struggling home owners. It was actually pretty nauseating to witness their indifference towards thousands of their constituents fearful about keeping a roof over their heads.
That one incident in Derby’s council chamber in March this year gave a clear insight into the mindset of other political parties. It gives a pointer to how a future Tory government would leave people to fend for themselves resulting in more people being at risk of losing their homes. The choice couldn’t be clearer. People can vote go back to the devil take the hindmost approach to the economic downturn, exemplified by Margaret Thatcher and John Major, or vote to keep hope alive with Labour.
Sunday 15 November 2009
LABOUR ACTION TO HELP PENSIONERS WITH COUNCIL TAX BILLS
Labour has done a lot to address pensioner poverty with initiatives like the winter fuel payments, concessionary fares, free TV licenses and pension credit. But the take-up of some social security benefits among older people could still be improved.
I know from my casework as a councillor, and previously as a welfare rights officer, that some elderly people feel there is a stigma in claiming their full entitlements. The British Legion agrees and is one of a number of organisations who have voiced concerns about this phenomenon.
It’s a sad irony that the very people who built the welfare state are among the most reluctant to enjoy the fruits of the welfare state that they secured. It was this generation who voted in their millions for the first post-war Labour government to make sure we didn’t go back to the grinding poverty of 1930s Britain under the Conservatives.
It’s therefore good news that the Labour government has decided to rename Council Tax Benefit, which was originally introduced in the aftermath of the disastrous poll tax. In future it will be known as Council Tax Rebate. This might seem like a relatively insignificant step, but I’m sure it will encourage more pensioners to claim the help to which they’re entitled. At the moment the take-up of this benefit is between 62 – 68 per cent and the average award is just under £16 per week. Anything that helps to increase take-up should be welcomed.
But simply renaming Council Tax Benefit is not enough. It needs to be part of a wider programme to raise awareness about social security benefits. Labour has recognised that further steps need to be taken to make claiming simpler and the government is taking action. Since November last year, pensioners have been able to apply for support with their Council Tax and Housing costs through an initiative that allows people to avoid pages of paper work. Pension Credit now only requires just one free phone call.
Poverty remains a stain on our society. Under Labour it’s been reducing, but a change of government would see that decline reversed. It was Harold Wilson who said the Labour Party is a moral crusade or it is nothing. The elimination of poverty is certainly a moral crusade that’s well worth fighting for.
I know from my casework as a councillor, and previously as a welfare rights officer, that some elderly people feel there is a stigma in claiming their full entitlements. The British Legion agrees and is one of a number of organisations who have voiced concerns about this phenomenon.
It’s a sad irony that the very people who built the welfare state are among the most reluctant to enjoy the fruits of the welfare state that they secured. It was this generation who voted in their millions for the first post-war Labour government to make sure we didn’t go back to the grinding poverty of 1930s Britain under the Conservatives.
It’s therefore good news that the Labour government has decided to rename Council Tax Benefit, which was originally introduced in the aftermath of the disastrous poll tax. In future it will be known as Council Tax Rebate. This might seem like a relatively insignificant step, but I’m sure it will encourage more pensioners to claim the help to which they’re entitled. At the moment the take-up of this benefit is between 62 – 68 per cent and the average award is just under £16 per week. Anything that helps to increase take-up should be welcomed.
But simply renaming Council Tax Benefit is not enough. It needs to be part of a wider programme to raise awareness about social security benefits. Labour has recognised that further steps need to be taken to make claiming simpler and the government is taking action. Since November last year, pensioners have been able to apply for support with their Council Tax and Housing costs through an initiative that allows people to avoid pages of paper work. Pension Credit now only requires just one free phone call.
Poverty remains a stain on our society. Under Labour it’s been reducing, but a change of government would see that decline reversed. It was Harold Wilson who said the Labour Party is a moral crusade or it is nothing. The elimination of poverty is certainly a moral crusade that’s well worth fighting for.
Friday 13 November 2009
TECHNICAL QUALIFICATIONS KEY TO ECONOMY
Derby is renowned as the region’s economic powerhouse generating more exports per capita than anywhere else in the UK. The average earnings of people who work here are the highest in the East Midlands.
But in an increasingly globalised economy, the big question is how can we sustain Derby’s position in the world and more importantly, how can we make sure local people benefit from the economic wealth that Derby generates.
Unlike the Laissez-faire approach favoured by the Conservatives, I believe it’s essential that national and local government intervenes in the economy to maximise our competitive edge. That means investing in research and development and helping people to obtain the necessary skill set to correspond with the growth in hi-tech industries. That will help us to ensure that companies like Rolls Royce and Bombardier remain in Derby.
The Business secretary, Peter Mandelson, acknowledges that higher level skills have never been more important to the UK’s growth. He wants to make sure we’ve got the skills to power the new industries and jobs of the future.
It’s therefore great news that the Labour government has just announced an ambitious vision to enable three quarters of the population to go to university or get an advanced technical qualification by the age of 30. The plans include proposals to create a modern class of technicians, through a significant expansion of advanced apprenticeships.
The aim is to create 35,000 new apprenticeship places over the next two years. The policy programme laid out in the government’s document Skills for Growth – The National Skills Strategy, will give people and businesses the skills they need to drive economic growth in Derby and across the UK.
Derby is well placed to benefit from this strategy because it will focus funding on the areas of the economy that can do most to drive growth and jobs. Around 160,000 training places will be created in areas such as digital media and technology, advanced manufacturing, engineering, construction and low carbon energy.
This is yet another reason why Labour must win the next general election. It’s clear that Labour has the ideas and the will to secure the future prosperity of our country. Unlike the Tories, Labour is willing to invest in ensuring that Britain gets through the recession by equiping people with the skills the country needs to succeed in the years ahead.
But in an increasingly globalised economy, the big question is how can we sustain Derby’s position in the world and more importantly, how can we make sure local people benefit from the economic wealth that Derby generates.
Unlike the Laissez-faire approach favoured by the Conservatives, I believe it’s essential that national and local government intervenes in the economy to maximise our competitive edge. That means investing in research and development and helping people to obtain the necessary skill set to correspond with the growth in hi-tech industries. That will help us to ensure that companies like Rolls Royce and Bombardier remain in Derby.
The Business secretary, Peter Mandelson, acknowledges that higher level skills have never been more important to the UK’s growth. He wants to make sure we’ve got the skills to power the new industries and jobs of the future.
It’s therefore great news that the Labour government has just announced an ambitious vision to enable three quarters of the population to go to university or get an advanced technical qualification by the age of 30. The plans include proposals to create a modern class of technicians, through a significant expansion of advanced apprenticeships.
The aim is to create 35,000 new apprenticeship places over the next two years. The policy programme laid out in the government’s document Skills for Growth – The National Skills Strategy, will give people and businesses the skills they need to drive economic growth in Derby and across the UK.
Derby is well placed to benefit from this strategy because it will focus funding on the areas of the economy that can do most to drive growth and jobs. Around 160,000 training places will be created in areas such as digital media and technology, advanced manufacturing, engineering, construction and low carbon energy.
This is yet another reason why Labour must win the next general election. It’s clear that Labour has the ideas and the will to secure the future prosperity of our country. Unlike the Tories, Labour is willing to invest in ensuring that Britain gets through the recession by equiping people with the skills the country needs to succeed in the years ahead.
Tuesday 10 November 2009
Lib Dem Lucy (Doesn't) Care
Lucy Care, the Liberal Democrat cabinet member with responsibility for planning, and parliamentary candidate for Derby North, has failed the victims of a cowboy clamping company operating in Derby’s Crompton Street car park.
The company’s dubious tactics have been the subject of extensive media coverage so she is well aware of the unacceptable way in which local people are being treated. Even after I revealed the company didn’t have planning permission for the car park, she has failed to instruct council officers to take enforcement action.
The Derby Labour Group has been running a campaign to alert unsuspecting motorists of the sharp practices at this car park. My fellow councillor, Ranjit Banwait, has even organised a number of protests at the car park to draw attention to what has been happening there.
I’ve now arranged a public meeting at the Council House at 7.30 pm on Thursday evening to discuss possible legal action against the company. The meeting will be addressed by Selman Ansari, a London based barrister who lives in Derby. If you have been affected by this company’s activities, or if you know of anyone else who has, please attend this meeting.
Lucy Care’s inertia on this issue is quite shocking. She has stood by wringing her hands like a latter day Uriah Heep implying it had nothing to do with her. What is the point of her occupying a senior council cabinet position that has oversight of these matters when she fails to use the powers at her disposal to protect the public?
Her record as cabinet member for planning and transport is shambolic. She’s tried to axe school buses, delayed works to Alvaston District Centre, allowed parking chaos to ensue in Littleover and is failing hard pressed motorists who have fallen victim to these ruthless clampers. Many of the people who have been subject to punitive penalty charges have been unemployed because the Crompton Street car park is just around the corner from the jobcentre.
Lucy really does deserve her sobriquet – Lucy (DOESN’T) Care.
The company’s dubious tactics have been the subject of extensive media coverage so she is well aware of the unacceptable way in which local people are being treated. Even after I revealed the company didn’t have planning permission for the car park, she has failed to instruct council officers to take enforcement action.
The Derby Labour Group has been running a campaign to alert unsuspecting motorists of the sharp practices at this car park. My fellow councillor, Ranjit Banwait, has even organised a number of protests at the car park to draw attention to what has been happening there.
I’ve now arranged a public meeting at the Council House at 7.30 pm on Thursday evening to discuss possible legal action against the company. The meeting will be addressed by Selman Ansari, a London based barrister who lives in Derby. If you have been affected by this company’s activities, or if you know of anyone else who has, please attend this meeting.
Lucy Care’s inertia on this issue is quite shocking. She has stood by wringing her hands like a latter day Uriah Heep implying it had nothing to do with her. What is the point of her occupying a senior council cabinet position that has oversight of these matters when she fails to use the powers at her disposal to protect the public?
Her record as cabinet member for planning and transport is shambolic. She’s tried to axe school buses, delayed works to Alvaston District Centre, allowed parking chaos to ensue in Littleover and is failing hard pressed motorists who have fallen victim to these ruthless clampers. Many of the people who have been subject to punitive penalty charges have been unemployed because the Crompton Street car park is just around the corner from the jobcentre.
Lucy really does deserve her sobriquet – Lucy (DOESN’T) Care.
DON'T TRUST THE TORIES WITH THE NHS
Labour has just launched a consultation on new patient rights to be contained within the NHS Constitution. The various proposals include a new right to be treated within 18 weeks, or seen by a cancer specialist within a week and an interim milestone of two weeks. It also proposes a new right to be offered a NHS Health Check every five years for everyone aged 40-74
When Labour came to power in 1997 the NHS had been brought to its knees by 18 years of chronic under-funding by the Tories. Massive waiting lists for operations were commonplace, even for cancer patients.
Labour's consultation process outlines the next steps along the road to making further and significant improvements in the NHS with new patient rights including more convenient access to GP services.
Labour has fought hard to make things better for patients. We mustn’t allow the Conservatives to take us backwards, which is precisely what would happen if they win the next general election. That is another reason why we must fight for every vote between now and the election whenever it comes.
David Cameron’s warm words about his love for the NHS are meaningless. He’s on record last year saying he thinks Labour’s NHS targets to cut waiting times are wrong. Lets’ just look at what the Tories actually did when they were last in power compared with Labour’s record since 1997.
Between 1979 and 1997 the number of people on NHS waiting lists went up by more than 400,000, but since Labour’s been in power the number has fallen by almost 600,000.
In 1997, 284,000 patients were waiting for over six month for treatment. Today, the NHS is delivering the shortest waits on record with the average wait for inpatient treatment running at 4.5 weeks. Waiting times in Derby are among the lowest in the country.
Two million more operations are carried out each year than in 1997 – including more than double the number of heart operations
More than 89,000 extra nurses and over 44,000 doctors have been recruited since 1997.
There weren’t any NHS walk-in centres in 1997 – today there are 90 around the country including one in Derby.
Like motherhood and apple pie, the Tories say they would like to see waiting times go down, but in the next breath say governments shouldn’t set mandates or tie the hands of the medical profession with top-down targets. This link takes you to an article that appeared last month in the medical journal Pulse, which is where I read their statement about targets http://www.pulsetoday.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=23&storycode=4123862
This is further evidence that the Tories haven’t changed and the truth is they cannot be trusted with the NHS.
When Labour came to power in 1997 the NHS had been brought to its knees by 18 years of chronic under-funding by the Tories. Massive waiting lists for operations were commonplace, even for cancer patients.
Labour's consultation process outlines the next steps along the road to making further and significant improvements in the NHS with new patient rights including more convenient access to GP services.
Labour has fought hard to make things better for patients. We mustn’t allow the Conservatives to take us backwards, which is precisely what would happen if they win the next general election. That is another reason why we must fight for every vote between now and the election whenever it comes.
David Cameron’s warm words about his love for the NHS are meaningless. He’s on record last year saying he thinks Labour’s NHS targets to cut waiting times are wrong. Lets’ just look at what the Tories actually did when they were last in power compared with Labour’s record since 1997.
Between 1979 and 1997 the number of people on NHS waiting lists went up by more than 400,000, but since Labour’s been in power the number has fallen by almost 600,000.
In 1997, 284,000 patients were waiting for over six month for treatment. Today, the NHS is delivering the shortest waits on record with the average wait for inpatient treatment running at 4.5 weeks. Waiting times in Derby are among the lowest in the country.
Two million more operations are carried out each year than in 1997 – including more than double the number of heart operations
More than 89,000 extra nurses and over 44,000 doctors have been recruited since 1997.
There weren’t any NHS walk-in centres in 1997 – today there are 90 around the country including one in Derby.
Like motherhood and apple pie, the Tories say they would like to see waiting times go down, but in the next breath say governments shouldn’t set mandates or tie the hands of the medical profession with top-down targets. This link takes you to an article that appeared last month in the medical journal Pulse, which is where I read their statement about targets http://www.pulsetoday.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=23&storycode=4123862
This is further evidence that the Tories haven’t changed and the truth is they cannot be trusted with the NHS.
Thursday 5 November 2009
WORKING CLASS COMMUNITIES WOULD BEAR THE BRUNT OF A TORY GOVERNMENT
As the jobless total has increased, the Labour government has invested £5bn to support people losing their jobs. By contrast the Conservative Party wants to cut spending on this issue even though we’re in the middle of a recession. The Labour government is actually saving jobs, which in turn cuts the costs of unemployment.
The former member of the Monetary Policy Committee of the Bank of England, Professor David Blanchflower, poured scorn on the Conservatives’ stance. He says their plans would lead to unemployment reaching 5 million. That would mean much higher costs in unemployment benefit, not to mention the social consequences of mass unemployment.
The Director-General of the CBI, Richard Lambert, agrees. He says…”the economy is too fragile right now for massive cuts in public spending”.
But the Tories aren’t listening. Their plans would see the ‘Future Jobs Fund’ being scrapped, even though it’s created 150,000 jobs across the country, including Derby.
The ‘Young Person’s Guarantee’ of work or training would also be jettisoned.
The ‘New Deal for Lone Parents’ that helps lone parents move into work would be abandoned as would the ‘Access to Work’ scheme that assists disabled workers obtain or remain in employment.
I ask people to compare Labour’s response to this recession to that of the Conservative government in the 1980s where whole swathes of the country were laid waste.
It’s no coincidence that despite the recession and the big increase in student numbers, the proportion of workless households is still lower today than in 1997. It’s as a direct consequence of the policy decisions of this Labour government that’s minimised the impact of the recession on ordinary people.
History tells us that if the Conservatives win the next general election, it will be ordinary working class people who will bear the brunt of their cuts. The choice couldn’t be starker.
The former member of the Monetary Policy Committee of the Bank of England, Professor David Blanchflower, poured scorn on the Conservatives’ stance. He says their plans would lead to unemployment reaching 5 million. That would mean much higher costs in unemployment benefit, not to mention the social consequences of mass unemployment.
The Director-General of the CBI, Richard Lambert, agrees. He says…”the economy is too fragile right now for massive cuts in public spending”.
But the Tories aren’t listening. Their plans would see the ‘Future Jobs Fund’ being scrapped, even though it’s created 150,000 jobs across the country, including Derby.
The ‘Young Person’s Guarantee’ of work or training would also be jettisoned.
The ‘New Deal for Lone Parents’ that helps lone parents move into work would be abandoned as would the ‘Access to Work’ scheme that assists disabled workers obtain or remain in employment.
I ask people to compare Labour’s response to this recession to that of the Conservative government in the 1980s where whole swathes of the country were laid waste.
It’s no coincidence that despite the recession and the big increase in student numbers, the proportion of workless households is still lower today than in 1997. It’s as a direct consequence of the policy decisions of this Labour government that’s minimised the impact of the recession on ordinary people.
History tells us that if the Conservatives win the next general election, it will be ordinary working class people who will bear the brunt of their cuts. The choice couldn’t be starker.
Tuesday 3 November 2009
NEW MEASURES TO TACKLE CHILD POVERTY IN DERBY
FROM today, low income families in Derby will be eligible for additional financial assistance. This measure was announced in last year’s budget.
New rules around Housing and Council Tax Benefits will mean that families earning a low wage will be better off by, on average, £20 a week.
New Government policy means that income from Child Benefit will no longer be taken into account when calculating entitlement to Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit. This will mean more money for families already getting these benefits and other low income families becoming eligible for the first time.
Both Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit can be claimed by people who are working and this change will be an extra incentive to getting back to work.
The Child Benefit disregard for Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit is one of a series of measures taken since the 2007 Budget to lift more children out of poverty.
I am calling on Derby City Council to launch a publicity campaign to make sure local people know about this rule change. I want the council to make sure that families are made aware of this extra help
Labour is committed to eradicating child poverty by 2020 and this extra cash is a practical way to reduce child poverty and ensure the benefits from working are even stronger.
New rules around Housing and Council Tax Benefits will mean that families earning a low wage will be better off by, on average, £20 a week.
New Government policy means that income from Child Benefit will no longer be taken into account when calculating entitlement to Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit. This will mean more money for families already getting these benefits and other low income families becoming eligible for the first time.
Both Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit can be claimed by people who are working and this change will be an extra incentive to getting back to work.
The Child Benefit disregard for Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit is one of a series of measures taken since the 2007 Budget to lift more children out of poverty.
I am calling on Derby City Council to launch a publicity campaign to make sure local people know about this rule change. I want the council to make sure that families are made aware of this extra help
Labour is committed to eradicating child poverty by 2020 and this extra cash is a practical way to reduce child poverty and ensure the benefits from working are even stronger.
Thursday 29 October 2009
LIB DEMS IN ALARMING ACT OF HYPOCRISY
LESS than 18 months after Derby's Liberal Democrats declared themselves saviours of a care home, the same group of councillors has confirmed it will shut.
In an alarming act of hypocrisy, Derby’s Lib Dems have put the future of every care home in the city in doubt and confirmed that Bramblebrook House will close.
The same councillors spent two years opposing plans by the previous Labour-led administration to close Bramblebrook, after it became clear that it was impossible to retain.
In July, last year, the same councillors boasted that they had saved the home, giving false hope to every resident. And as recently as March, this year, Lib Dem cabinet member Ruth Skelton pledged not to shut the home. Now those words have proved to be hollow.
This is utterly shameless. I have no issue with the closure as it’s been clear for some time that the home cannot remain open. But I’m appalled at the opportunist campaign the Lib Dems have run.
They masqueraded as saviours and let the vulnerable residents and their families believe that Bramblebrook was sustainable, when the sad but inevitable truth was that it never was.
The campaign they fought while in opposition has now been shown to be completely without foundation. If they truly felt the home should remain open then that’s what they should have made happen when they won control of the council.
But they’re too weak to do that. Their policies in opposition were based entirely on opportunism, and their policy in control is to unquestionably bow to council officers.
Now they’ve gone too far in proposing to close all the council’s homes because there is an ongoing need for some traditional council run residential care provision.
In an alarming act of hypocrisy, Derby’s Lib Dems have put the future of every care home in the city in doubt and confirmed that Bramblebrook House will close.
The same councillors spent two years opposing plans by the previous Labour-led administration to close Bramblebrook, after it became clear that it was impossible to retain.
In July, last year, the same councillors boasted that they had saved the home, giving false hope to every resident. And as recently as March, this year, Lib Dem cabinet member Ruth Skelton pledged not to shut the home. Now those words have proved to be hollow.
This is utterly shameless. I have no issue with the closure as it’s been clear for some time that the home cannot remain open. But I’m appalled at the opportunist campaign the Lib Dems have run.
They masqueraded as saviours and let the vulnerable residents and their families believe that Bramblebrook was sustainable, when the sad but inevitable truth was that it never was.
The campaign they fought while in opposition has now been shown to be completely without foundation. If they truly felt the home should remain open then that’s what they should have made happen when they won control of the council.
But they’re too weak to do that. Their policies in opposition were based entirely on opportunism, and their policy in control is to unquestionably bow to council officers.
Now they’ve gone too far in proposing to close all the council’s homes because there is an ongoing need for some traditional council run residential care provision.
Tuesday 27 October 2009
TORIES ARE OBSESSED BY HUNTING
TORY frontbencher, Nick Herbert, recently confirmed that the Tories would offer a free vote on repealing Labour's hunting ban.
The League Against Cruel Sports has responded by writing to Parliamentary Standards Commissioner John Lyon, asking him to look into donations made to Mr Herbert.
According to an article published in the Daily Mail, of seven donations totalling £24,500 to the shadow environment secretary’s office, four came from people and organisations with known links to hunting.
They included £1,500 from hunting outfitter William & Sons, £2,000 from grouse moor owner Michael Cannon, £2,000 from the Altnaharra Estate in Sutherland and £5,000 from Johan Christofferson, former master of the Isle of Wight Hunt.
While Labour is focussing on getting the country out of recession, the Conservatives want to waste parliamentary time bringing back an activity that most of their own voters don’t even support.
The Conservatives’ obsession with bloodsports illustrates their warped sense of priorities and is further evidence that they’re still the same old Tories that forced millions into poverty.
I just don’t understand why any government would think that one of the first things to do after a General Election is repeal the ban on fox hunting.
I’m sure that the vast majority of people, whatever their views are about foxhunting, would agree that with all the challenges in the world at the moment, this is completely wrongheaded.
The League Against Cruel Sports has responded by writing to Parliamentary Standards Commissioner John Lyon, asking him to look into donations made to Mr Herbert.
According to an article published in the Daily Mail, of seven donations totalling £24,500 to the shadow environment secretary’s office, four came from people and organisations with known links to hunting.
They included £1,500 from hunting outfitter William & Sons, £2,000 from grouse moor owner Michael Cannon, £2,000 from the Altnaharra Estate in Sutherland and £5,000 from Johan Christofferson, former master of the Isle of Wight Hunt.
While Labour is focussing on getting the country out of recession, the Conservatives want to waste parliamentary time bringing back an activity that most of their own voters don’t even support.
The Conservatives’ obsession with bloodsports illustrates their warped sense of priorities and is further evidence that they’re still the same old Tories that forced millions into poverty.
I just don’t understand why any government would think that one of the first things to do after a General Election is repeal the ban on fox hunting.
I’m sure that the vast majority of people, whatever their views are about foxhunting, would agree that with all the challenges in the world at the moment, this is completely wrongheaded.
Monday 26 October 2009
COUNCIL SNUBS CALLS FOR 10% CUT IN CARBON EMISSIONS
The Lib Dem Council leader, Hilary Jones, has been summoned to the Council’s Climate Change Commission to explain why the council hasn’t already signed up to reduce its carbon emissions next year.
And the Derby Climate Change Group has also written to her demanding an explanation.
The Lib Dems’ party conference backed a motion promising that any council run or influenced by the Lib Dems would commit itself to reducing carbon emissions by 10% in 2010.
Speaking at the party's Bournemouth conference, Simon Hughes, the party’s parliamentary energy and climate change spokesman, told delegates that "we cannot start too soon" in reducing emissions.
When Labour ran the council we were working to reduce the council’s carbon emissions by 25% by 2011, but our target has been all but abandoned by this Lib Dem administration.
I had hoped that the commitment by the Lib Dems’ national leadership would have an influence on Derby’s Lib Dems, but it seems to have fallen on deaf ears.
In the absence of any leadership from Derby’s hapless Lib Dem councillors, Labour has stepped into the breach to promote this vital campaign.
We will be putting a motion the next full council meeting on November 18 that will seek support for the 10:10 campaign
And the Derby Climate Change Group has also written to her demanding an explanation.
The Lib Dems’ party conference backed a motion promising that any council run or influenced by the Lib Dems would commit itself to reducing carbon emissions by 10% in 2010.
Speaking at the party's Bournemouth conference, Simon Hughes, the party’s parliamentary energy and climate change spokesman, told delegates that "we cannot start too soon" in reducing emissions.
When Labour ran the council we were working to reduce the council’s carbon emissions by 25% by 2011, but our target has been all but abandoned by this Lib Dem administration.
I had hoped that the commitment by the Lib Dems’ national leadership would have an influence on Derby’s Lib Dems, but it seems to have fallen on deaf ears.
In the absence of any leadership from Derby’s hapless Lib Dem councillors, Labour has stepped into the breach to promote this vital campaign.
We will be putting a motion the next full council meeting on November 18 that will seek support for the 10:10 campaign
TORIES IN CLIMATE CHANGE DENIAL SHOCK
A CONTROVERSIAL film declaring that there is no such thing as climate change has been broadcast in Derby City Council’s Council Chamber at the request of the Conservatives.
The film, branded “dangerous” and “irresponsible”, declares that climate change does not exist and that there is little point in making efforts to reduce carbon emissions.
Other councillors are furious that the transmission has gone ahead and have questioned the Conservatives motives.
Tory Councillor Frank Leeming is promoting the film.
The council’s Tories are supposed to be committed to reducing carbon emissions yet here they are irresponsibly pushing a film which threatens all of that.
It reaffirms my belief that the Conservatives have merely been paying lip service to environmental issues in pushing their new branding as a caring party.
Councillor Leeming has always been a law unto himself but the Tories evidently felt he had the sufficient qualities for their group when they went out of their way to recruit him last year.
Now they’ve given him the biggest vote of confidence they could by giving him the green light to promote a viewpoint, which is at best misguided and at worst completely irresponsible.
The film, branded “dangerous” and “irresponsible”, declares that climate change does not exist and that there is little point in making efforts to reduce carbon emissions.
Other councillors are furious that the transmission has gone ahead and have questioned the Conservatives motives.
Tory Councillor Frank Leeming is promoting the film.
The council’s Tories are supposed to be committed to reducing carbon emissions yet here they are irresponsibly pushing a film which threatens all of that.
It reaffirms my belief that the Conservatives have merely been paying lip service to environmental issues in pushing their new branding as a caring party.
Councillor Leeming has always been a law unto himself but the Tories evidently felt he had the sufficient qualities for their group when they went out of their way to recruit him last year.
Now they’ve given him the biggest vote of confidence they could by giving him the green light to promote a viewpoint, which is at best misguided and at worst completely irresponsible.
LABOUR HAS BEEN TOUGH ON CRIME AND ITS CAUSES
Since Labour came to power in 1997, the government has been tough on crime and the causes of crime.
One of the biggest causes of crime is poverty, and Labour has reduced poverty. The minimum wage, working tax credits, child tax credits and better and affordable childcare have all helped to make a difference, as have the increased employment opportunities and minimum wage.
Education is a key pathway out of poverty and Labour has invested heavily in education by building new schools, employing more teachers and more teaching assistants. This has helped more young people to obtain better qualifications and more people than ever are getting the chance to go to university.
Providing the legal powers and financial support to address crime directly is also essential and Labour’s done just that with more investment in the Police, youth services and drug treatment facilities.
Let’s not forget that crime has actually fallen by a third under Labour. Since 1997, overall crime is down 36%, domestic burglary is down 54%, vehicle related crime is down 57% and violent crime is down 41%.
Furthermore, the DNA database is a vital crime fighting tool that in the last 10 years has identified 390,000 crimes with DNA matches and provided the police with a lead on the possible identity of the offender.
The recent closure of a ‘crack house’ in Normanton, which was reported in the Derby Telegraph on 23 October, is an example of Labour’s policy of being tough on crime.
There is of course still more to do, but Labour’s achievements in tackling crime and its causes, particularly when compared to the dark days under the Conservatives, are pretty amazing.
What we have to do is build on those achievements by continuing to tackle poverty and reduce crime. Both these evils feed off each other and can blight communities.
But make no mistake; a Tory victory in the next general election would almost certainly see these twin evils growing again.
One of the biggest causes of crime is poverty, and Labour has reduced poverty. The minimum wage, working tax credits, child tax credits and better and affordable childcare have all helped to make a difference, as have the increased employment opportunities and minimum wage.
Education is a key pathway out of poverty and Labour has invested heavily in education by building new schools, employing more teachers and more teaching assistants. This has helped more young people to obtain better qualifications and more people than ever are getting the chance to go to university.
Providing the legal powers and financial support to address crime directly is also essential and Labour’s done just that with more investment in the Police, youth services and drug treatment facilities.
Let’s not forget that crime has actually fallen by a third under Labour. Since 1997, overall crime is down 36%, domestic burglary is down 54%, vehicle related crime is down 57% and violent crime is down 41%.
Furthermore, the DNA database is a vital crime fighting tool that in the last 10 years has identified 390,000 crimes with DNA matches and provided the police with a lead on the possible identity of the offender.
The recent closure of a ‘crack house’ in Normanton, which was reported in the Derby Telegraph on 23 October, is an example of Labour’s policy of being tough on crime.
There is of course still more to do, but Labour’s achievements in tackling crime and its causes, particularly when compared to the dark days under the Conservatives, are pretty amazing.
What we have to do is build on those achievements by continuing to tackle poverty and reduce crime. Both these evils feed off each other and can blight communities.
But make no mistake; a Tory victory in the next general election would almost certainly see these twin evils growing again.
Saturday 10 October 2009
Derby Tories Scraping The Barrel
CONSERVATIVE attempts to portray themselves as a party that’s ready to run the city council in Derby has been rather undone.
It seems Derby’s Tories can’t even find enough people from within their own ranks to contest the 17 seats up for grabs in next year’s local elections in Derby.
To enable them to field a full slate they’ve had to resort to running an event at the Council House to sign up wanabee councillors without any political affinity whatsoever.
It’s a damning indictment of the Tory group’s ability to attract Derby people to join their cause and puts some perspective on the apparent 'resurgence' in popularity of the Tories.
Of course Derby’s Tory group has already demonstrated its willingness to take anybody into their party to artificially swell their numbers.
In the last few years they’ve welcomed five disgruntled defectors from other political parties that electors had voted in believing they represented contrary views to the Conservative Party.
Among the defectors are the Conservative Mayor, Sean Marshall, who was originally elected as a Lib Dem, and the Tory shadow cabinet member Amar Nath, who won his current Normanton seat as a Labour member.
Tory backbencher Frank Leeming has switched allegiance five times since he first joined the council, while Phil Ingall, also elected for Labour, switched to the Conservatives in 2008.
The shenanigans of Derby’s Conservative Party is making a mockery of local democracy and this latest episode is yet another example of their unsuitability for public office
It seems Derby’s Tories can’t even find enough people from within their own ranks to contest the 17 seats up for grabs in next year’s local elections in Derby.
To enable them to field a full slate they’ve had to resort to running an event at the Council House to sign up wanabee councillors without any political affinity whatsoever.
It’s a damning indictment of the Tory group’s ability to attract Derby people to join their cause and puts some perspective on the apparent 'resurgence' in popularity of the Tories.
Of course Derby’s Tory group has already demonstrated its willingness to take anybody into their party to artificially swell their numbers.
In the last few years they’ve welcomed five disgruntled defectors from other political parties that electors had voted in believing they represented contrary views to the Conservative Party.
Among the defectors are the Conservative Mayor, Sean Marshall, who was originally elected as a Lib Dem, and the Tory shadow cabinet member Amar Nath, who won his current Normanton seat as a Labour member.
Tory backbencher Frank Leeming has switched allegiance five times since he first joined the council, while Phil Ingall, also elected for Labour, switched to the Conservatives in 2008.
The shenanigans of Derby’s Conservative Party is making a mockery of local democracy and this latest episode is yet another example of their unsuitability for public office
Sunday 6 September 2009
RURAL THUGS GET KILLING AGAIN
On Tuesday, the partridge shooting season began. The birds, literally millions of them, have been bred and reared as live targets for sport.
One of the things that is little mentioned about shooting at live birds for sport is the level of cruelty involved. The flying birds are shot at with shotgun pellets, which often do not kill outright. The pellets can disable with the bird then crashing to the ground, sometimes to be killed on impact, sometimes unable to fly and seeking to find cover. Other times the birds are only slightly wounded and glide or fly on only to come to grief far away from the shoot.
At a typical shoot there are twice as many shots fired as there are birds downed. This is not precision humane killing, it is haphazard wounding and winging for sport, with a pretty ramshackle and only partial clean up operation using gun dogs to follow. The image that the shooting industry tries to present – of expert marksmen and women killing birds humanly for the pot – is just not borne out by the facts.
The fact that the vast majority of those who shoot to kill for sport are men over the age of forty should not be ignored. Shooting as a sport appears to appeal to men as some sort of power fantasy: killing as an exercise in dominance. The chance to exercise the power of life and death, the claim to be a proficient killer and the chance to demonstrate prowess as a hunter killer, seems to strike a machismic chord in those who shoot for sport. In a civilised society we really ought to question the sense in allowing and/or facilitating the use of guns as a power fantasy.
As a society we send very conflicting messages when on the one hand we criminalise violence to and the unnecessary killing of domestic and farmed animals while at the same time we allow the killing of wild animals with guns for sport. We send out equally confusing messages when we deplore gun culture amongst young criminals, but at the same time license children and adults to use shotguns and firearms to kill wild animals for sport.
It is still legal to hold a firearm certificate in the UK for an elephant gun. Why on earth do we need to allow people to acquire huge and lethal firearms that cannot possibly be needed in the UK? The woolly mammoths died out a long time ago, wild rhinos no longer roam here, yet there are people in the UK with firearms allegedly needed to kill animals that are on the endangered species lists and/or extinct.
There is no doubt that, to roughly quote Chairman Mao, power comes from the barrel of a gun. We have to ask ourselves if we want an armed citizenry, as there is in the USA and elsewhere, bearing arms and indulging in power and dominion fantasies using their firearms?
There is plenty of evidence to support the Socratic dictum that vice harms the doer. Rousseau said that the act of killing coarsens the sensibilities of the killer. The concern for life is diminished by killing the duty of care, which is put to one side in pursuit of an unnecessary indulgence for sport. Do we really want this? I think not.
Predictably this week when a coroner recommended, and the BMA agreed, that doctors should note on their files if a patient had applied for or held a shotgun or firearm, the shooters opposed the idea.
The supporters of shooting oppose any medical revocation of firearms. Doctors already as a matter of routine report to the authorities if they believe someone is no longer fit to drive a car; the same process should apply to firearms. It is grossly irresponsible that the shooting industry does not to support the coroner’s recommendation which followed an inquest on a person who having expressed suicidal tendencies to his doctor then shot and killed his wife and child before killing himself.
To my mind anyone who causes unnecessary suffering is an abuser. When that unnecessary suffering is explained as being a sport and the suffering of the target animals is as naught, I think that is abuse. People have a responsibility for the welfare of the animals that they interact with. To chase, to harry, to injure and to kill for sport is an abuse of that responsibility because it is deliberately not being done humanely.
If the intention of the bloodsports enthusiast was to kill only when necessary and then humanely, they would not do what they do. The shoots would be closed down, the reared pheasants and partridges would be killed humanely and not released into the countryside, the hunted animals would not be chased by packs of dogs and the terriermen would not be using their dogs to bait foxes below ground. Bloodsports by self definition are cruel sports; name it and shame it is my advice.
One of the things that is little mentioned about shooting at live birds for sport is the level of cruelty involved. The flying birds are shot at with shotgun pellets, which often do not kill outright. The pellets can disable with the bird then crashing to the ground, sometimes to be killed on impact, sometimes unable to fly and seeking to find cover. Other times the birds are only slightly wounded and glide or fly on only to come to grief far away from the shoot.
At a typical shoot there are twice as many shots fired as there are birds downed. This is not precision humane killing, it is haphazard wounding and winging for sport, with a pretty ramshackle and only partial clean up operation using gun dogs to follow. The image that the shooting industry tries to present – of expert marksmen and women killing birds humanly for the pot – is just not borne out by the facts.
The fact that the vast majority of those who shoot to kill for sport are men over the age of forty should not be ignored. Shooting as a sport appears to appeal to men as some sort of power fantasy: killing as an exercise in dominance. The chance to exercise the power of life and death, the claim to be a proficient killer and the chance to demonstrate prowess as a hunter killer, seems to strike a machismic chord in those who shoot for sport. In a civilised society we really ought to question the sense in allowing and/or facilitating the use of guns as a power fantasy.
As a society we send very conflicting messages when on the one hand we criminalise violence to and the unnecessary killing of domestic and farmed animals while at the same time we allow the killing of wild animals with guns for sport. We send out equally confusing messages when we deplore gun culture amongst young criminals, but at the same time license children and adults to use shotguns and firearms to kill wild animals for sport.
It is still legal to hold a firearm certificate in the UK for an elephant gun. Why on earth do we need to allow people to acquire huge and lethal firearms that cannot possibly be needed in the UK? The woolly mammoths died out a long time ago, wild rhinos no longer roam here, yet there are people in the UK with firearms allegedly needed to kill animals that are on the endangered species lists and/or extinct.
There is no doubt that, to roughly quote Chairman Mao, power comes from the barrel of a gun. We have to ask ourselves if we want an armed citizenry, as there is in the USA and elsewhere, bearing arms and indulging in power and dominion fantasies using their firearms?
There is plenty of evidence to support the Socratic dictum that vice harms the doer. Rousseau said that the act of killing coarsens the sensibilities of the killer. The concern for life is diminished by killing the duty of care, which is put to one side in pursuit of an unnecessary indulgence for sport. Do we really want this? I think not.
Predictably this week when a coroner recommended, and the BMA agreed, that doctors should note on their files if a patient had applied for or held a shotgun or firearm, the shooters opposed the idea.
The supporters of shooting oppose any medical revocation of firearms. Doctors already as a matter of routine report to the authorities if they believe someone is no longer fit to drive a car; the same process should apply to firearms. It is grossly irresponsible that the shooting industry does not to support the coroner’s recommendation which followed an inquest on a person who having expressed suicidal tendencies to his doctor then shot and killed his wife and child before killing himself.
To my mind anyone who causes unnecessary suffering is an abuser. When that unnecessary suffering is explained as being a sport and the suffering of the target animals is as naught, I think that is abuse. People have a responsibility for the welfare of the animals that they interact with. To chase, to harry, to injure and to kill for sport is an abuse of that responsibility because it is deliberately not being done humanely.
If the intention of the bloodsports enthusiast was to kill only when necessary and then humanely, they would not do what they do. The shoots would be closed down, the reared pheasants and partridges would be killed humanely and not released into the countryside, the hunted animals would not be chased by packs of dogs and the terriermen would not be using their dogs to bait foxes below ground. Bloodsports by self definition are cruel sports; name it and shame it is my advice.
Saturday 15 August 2009
Lib Dems Caught Out
DERBY'S desperate Liberal Democrat cabinet have been caught out claiming credit for a fund to protect jobs for young people - weeks after admitting they knew nothing about it.
Labour group leader Councillor Chris Williamson heaped pressure on Lib Dem leader Hilary Jones and Tory counterpart Harvey Jennings when he wrote to the pair early in the summer, urging them to support Labour's Future Jobs Fund.
The fund aims to ensure young people are not thrown on to the jobs scrapheap during the recession.
Hilary Jones admitted she knew nothing about the fund at the time, but her deputy leader Les Allen has now claimed credit for the scheme in the local media.
We've seen this time and again from the Lib Dems, but rarely have they been so careless to cover their tracks when they're blatantly trying to claim credit for a scheme that had nothing to do with them.
It's another sign of their lack of vision, their inability to think for themselves and their sheer incompetence.
Labour group leader Councillor Chris Williamson heaped pressure on Lib Dem leader Hilary Jones and Tory counterpart Harvey Jennings when he wrote to the pair early in the summer, urging them to support Labour's Future Jobs Fund.
The fund aims to ensure young people are not thrown on to the jobs scrapheap during the recession.
Hilary Jones admitted she knew nothing about the fund at the time, but her deputy leader Les Allen has now claimed credit for the scheme in the local media.
We've seen this time and again from the Lib Dems, but rarely have they been so careless to cover their tracks when they're blatantly trying to claim credit for a scheme that had nothing to do with them.
It's another sign of their lack of vision, their inability to think for themselves and their sheer incompetence.
Problem Pot Holes Set to Deteriorate
HOPES that Derby City Council would push forward plans to repair roads and pavements across the city have been dashed after the Liberal Democrat cabinet axed funding.
Derby has faced a backlog of road repairs for many years but the previous Labour-led administration had put prudent plans in place to keep on top of the repairs and gradually ease the backlog.
But the list of repairs now looks likely to spiral out of control after the Lib Dems decided to cut the funding.
The Lib Dems are instead ploughing money into other more specific projects, such as the £1 million they plan to spend on a new swimming pool used by a handful of residents in Blagreaves ward.
We're in a recession and it's inevitable that councils have to prioritise their spending.
But it's difficult to believe that the Lib Dems think that road repairs are anything other than a priority. Not fixing potholes and the like will affect people in every part of the city.
The Labour alternative budget, which the Lib Dems and Conservatives refused to debate earlier this year, would have ensured road repairs remained a key priority in the city.
Derby has faced a backlog of road repairs for many years but the previous Labour-led administration had put prudent plans in place to keep on top of the repairs and gradually ease the backlog.
But the list of repairs now looks likely to spiral out of control after the Lib Dems decided to cut the funding.
The Lib Dems are instead ploughing money into other more specific projects, such as the £1 million they plan to spend on a new swimming pool used by a handful of residents in Blagreaves ward.
We're in a recession and it's inevitable that councils have to prioritise their spending.
But it's difficult to believe that the Lib Dems think that road repairs are anything other than a priority. Not fixing potholes and the like will affect people in every part of the city.
The Labour alternative budget, which the Lib Dems and Conservatives refused to debate earlier this year, would have ensured road repairs remained a key priority in the city.
Friday 24 July 2009
Shame on you Liberal Democrats
DERBY’S Liberal Democrats, who are in charge of Derby City Council, have just reported a massive underspend of £2.2 million in social care services.
In 2005 the Labour Party scrapped the home care charges that were introduced when the Lib Dems last ran the council in partnership with the Tories between 2003 - 2005.
When the Lib Dems seized control last year, one of their first acts was to issue a consultation paper on reintroducing home care charges for vulnerable people.
The only individuals who were exempt from the imposition of these swingeing charges were those who could show they were surviving on meagre incomes.
Despite protestations from hundreds of service users and their carers, a hefty charge was imposed at the beginning of this year.
Unsurprisingly, every single Conservative councillor joined forces with the Lib Dems in ignoring Labour’s evidence, which firmly demonstrated that these charges weren’t necessary.
The Liberal Democrats claimed that £2 million was needed to meet an anticipated increase in demand for services.
This was either deliberate scare mongering to justify the imposition of charging or a truly staggering demonstration of incompetence by this shambolic administration?
It’s cold comfort that Labour’s arguments have been vindicated because vulnerable people are being impoverished by this unnecessary and mean-spirited policy.
I just hope the electorate remember the Lib Dems' shameful record and the complicity of Derby’s Conservative councillors who have backed many of the most controversial policies.
In 2005 the Labour Party scrapped the home care charges that were introduced when the Lib Dems last ran the council in partnership with the Tories between 2003 - 2005.
When the Lib Dems seized control last year, one of their first acts was to issue a consultation paper on reintroducing home care charges for vulnerable people.
The only individuals who were exempt from the imposition of these swingeing charges were those who could show they were surviving on meagre incomes.
Despite protestations from hundreds of service users and their carers, a hefty charge was imposed at the beginning of this year.
Unsurprisingly, every single Conservative councillor joined forces with the Lib Dems in ignoring Labour’s evidence, which firmly demonstrated that these charges weren’t necessary.
The Liberal Democrats claimed that £2 million was needed to meet an anticipated increase in demand for services.
This was either deliberate scare mongering to justify the imposition of charging or a truly staggering demonstration of incompetence by this shambolic administration?
It’s cold comfort that Labour’s arguments have been vindicated because vulnerable people are being impoverished by this unnecessary and mean-spirited policy.
I just hope the electorate remember the Lib Dems' shameful record and the complicity of Derby’s Conservative councillors who have backed many of the most controversial policies.
Friday 17 July 2009
TORIES DESERVE THEIR TITLE AS THE NASTY PARTY
The future of hunting wild animals for sport could finally be determined by the outcome of the next general election, which must be called within the next 12 months.
Of course Parliament banned hunting five years ago when it passed the Hunting Act thanks to the support of Labour MPs. Most Tory MPs were against the ban
Mahatma Gandhi once said: "The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated."
So for this nation of so-called animal lovers, the Hunting Act represents a huge leap forward.
Some people say the Hunting Act isn’t working, but I am sure most hunters obey the law.
There have been examples where hunting and chasing animals for sport has still occurred, but the difference now is that it’s a criminal offence.
That is why some bloodsports fanatics are clinging to the hope that the election of a Conservative Government would decriminalise chasing and killing wild animals with a pack of dogs.
Meanwhile, organisations like the League Against Cruel Sports are working hard with the police and prosecutors to clamp down on those who continue to break the law.
And some hunters have been successfully prosecuted after being caught out by hunt monitors who videoed their illegal activities.
The hunting lobby now claims to have more support than ever but the reality is the bloodsports lobby represents a tiny minority of the population.
Hardly anybody supports the ritualised setting of dogs onto animals for sport, apart from bloodsports extremists themselves.
The time for hunting animals for sport has passed, the hunters just don’t accept it yet, but the general public do.
That is why the hunters see this general election as their last chance to turn the political tide in their favour again.
They know that it is only David Cameron’s Conservatives who are taking them seriously. The Liberal Democrats are at best divided on the issue, while Labour is overwhelmingly behind the ban.
It’s hard to understand why politicians in the Conservative Party, from David Cameron down, want to devote parliamentary time to this issue.
Many of those selfsame Conservative politicians said Parliament had more important issues to consider when the Hunting Act was being debated first time around.
Opinion polls reveal most Conservative voters support the hunting ban, yet David Cameron and the Conservative Party remain bedazzled by the hunters.
A YouGov opinion poll published I the Daily Mirror on Friday 17 July 2009, reveals that 59 per cent of voters would be less likely to vote for candidates who favour decriminalising hunting. Given that most Tory parliamentary candidates support hunting, the outcome of the general election could be determined by this issue.
The same poll revealed that 56 per cent of the public link the Tories’ support for hunting with their ‘nasty party’ image, rather than the ‘compassionate conservatism’ image that David Cameron is trying to cultivate.
The Conservative Party’s association with killing wildlife for fun suggests that the term ‘compassionate conservatism’ is in fact an oxymoron.
This issue could be the one that makes people realise that David Cameron’s assertion that the Conservative Party has changed is just a smokescreen. It might encourage people to examine some of the Conservatives’ other policies that are as equally dubious as their support for the ‘killing for fun brigade’.
It was the former chair of the Conservative Party, Theresa May, who told the 2002 Conservative Party conference that the Tories are seen as the ‘nasty party’. Her party’s stance on bloodsports reinforces the view that they still are.
Of course Parliament banned hunting five years ago when it passed the Hunting Act thanks to the support of Labour MPs. Most Tory MPs were against the ban
Mahatma Gandhi once said: "The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated."
So for this nation of so-called animal lovers, the Hunting Act represents a huge leap forward.
Some people say the Hunting Act isn’t working, but I am sure most hunters obey the law.
There have been examples where hunting and chasing animals for sport has still occurred, but the difference now is that it’s a criminal offence.
That is why some bloodsports fanatics are clinging to the hope that the election of a Conservative Government would decriminalise chasing and killing wild animals with a pack of dogs.
Meanwhile, organisations like the League Against Cruel Sports are working hard with the police and prosecutors to clamp down on those who continue to break the law.
And some hunters have been successfully prosecuted after being caught out by hunt monitors who videoed their illegal activities.
The hunting lobby now claims to have more support than ever but the reality is the bloodsports lobby represents a tiny minority of the population.
Hardly anybody supports the ritualised setting of dogs onto animals for sport, apart from bloodsports extremists themselves.
The time for hunting animals for sport has passed, the hunters just don’t accept it yet, but the general public do.
That is why the hunters see this general election as their last chance to turn the political tide in their favour again.
They know that it is only David Cameron’s Conservatives who are taking them seriously. The Liberal Democrats are at best divided on the issue, while Labour is overwhelmingly behind the ban.
It’s hard to understand why politicians in the Conservative Party, from David Cameron down, want to devote parliamentary time to this issue.
Many of those selfsame Conservative politicians said Parliament had more important issues to consider when the Hunting Act was being debated first time around.
Opinion polls reveal most Conservative voters support the hunting ban, yet David Cameron and the Conservative Party remain bedazzled by the hunters.
A YouGov opinion poll published I the Daily Mirror on Friday 17 July 2009, reveals that 59 per cent of voters would be less likely to vote for candidates who favour decriminalising hunting. Given that most Tory parliamentary candidates support hunting, the outcome of the general election could be determined by this issue.
The same poll revealed that 56 per cent of the public link the Tories’ support for hunting with their ‘nasty party’ image, rather than the ‘compassionate conservatism’ image that David Cameron is trying to cultivate.
The Conservative Party’s association with killing wildlife for fun suggests that the term ‘compassionate conservatism’ is in fact an oxymoron.
This issue could be the one that makes people realise that David Cameron’s assertion that the Conservative Party has changed is just a smokescreen. It might encourage people to examine some of the Conservatives’ other policies that are as equally dubious as their support for the ‘killing for fun brigade’.
It was the former chair of the Conservative Party, Theresa May, who told the 2002 Conservative Party conference that the Tories are seen as the ‘nasty party’. Her party’s stance on bloodsports reinforces the view that they still are.
Saturday 11 July 2009
MEATLESS MONDAYS TO HELP TACKLE CLIMATE CHANGE
The impact of the meat industry on global warming has started to receive some attention in recent years.
Now the Belgian town of Ghent, located in the First World War killing fields of Flanders, is promoting life through its ‘Meatless Thursdays’ campaign.
The Ghent City Council says it is the first town in Europe and probably the western world to try to make the entire place vegetarian for one day every week.
The idea behind the campaign is to reduce Ghent’s impact on the climate.
If everyone in Derby followed suit and didn’t eat meat for one day every week it would make a big impact on CO2 emissions. Ghent is slightly smaller than Derby, but it’s been estimated their campaign could save as much CO2 in a year as taking half a million cars off the road.
This isn’t that surprising when you consider the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization’s 2006 report, which revealed that the livestock industry generates 18% of greenhouse gases – more than the entirety of world transportation, which accounts for 16%.
This is because the principle greenhouse gases - methane, carbon dioxide and industrial fumes- are all inextricably linked to the meat industry. The primary sources of methane are due to both the clearance of forests required for cattle grazing and agriculture as well the gases produced by the animals themselves which is released in their excrement.
Carbon dioxide pollution also rests mainly in the hands of meat producers: producing one kilogram of meat releases the equivalent of 3-4 kilograms of carbon dioxide!
It requires huge energy production and consumption for fertilizer production, forest clearance and maintenance of animal facilities. This all puts the meat industry at the top of the climate changing league.
I wonder if people knew the facts about the meat industry's impact on climate change, whether they would support a Ghent-like 'Meatless Mondays' campaign in Derby?
In Ghent every restaurant in the city guarantees a vegetarian dish on the menu, with some going fully vegetarian every Thursday. And from September, Ghent’s schools are to make a meat-free meal the only option every Thursday, although parents can insist on meat for their children. The local hospital also wants to join in too.
It's clear that some some lifestyle changes are needed to tackle the biggest challenge that the human race has ever encountered. Eating less meat is probaby one of the most significant things we can do.
Now the Belgian town of Ghent, located in the First World War killing fields of Flanders, is promoting life through its ‘Meatless Thursdays’ campaign.
The Ghent City Council says it is the first town in Europe and probably the western world to try to make the entire place vegetarian for one day every week.
The idea behind the campaign is to reduce Ghent’s impact on the climate.
If everyone in Derby followed suit and didn’t eat meat for one day every week it would make a big impact on CO2 emissions. Ghent is slightly smaller than Derby, but it’s been estimated their campaign could save as much CO2 in a year as taking half a million cars off the road.
This isn’t that surprising when you consider the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization’s 2006 report, which revealed that the livestock industry generates 18% of greenhouse gases – more than the entirety of world transportation, which accounts for 16%.
This is because the principle greenhouse gases - methane, carbon dioxide and industrial fumes- are all inextricably linked to the meat industry. The primary sources of methane are due to both the clearance of forests required for cattle grazing and agriculture as well the gases produced by the animals themselves which is released in their excrement.
Carbon dioxide pollution also rests mainly in the hands of meat producers: producing one kilogram of meat releases the equivalent of 3-4 kilograms of carbon dioxide!
It requires huge energy production and consumption for fertilizer production, forest clearance and maintenance of animal facilities. This all puts the meat industry at the top of the climate changing league.
I wonder if people knew the facts about the meat industry's impact on climate change, whether they would support a Ghent-like 'Meatless Mondays' campaign in Derby?
In Ghent every restaurant in the city guarantees a vegetarian dish on the menu, with some going fully vegetarian every Thursday. And from September, Ghent’s schools are to make a meat-free meal the only option every Thursday, although parents can insist on meat for their children. The local hospital also wants to join in too.
It's clear that some some lifestyle changes are needed to tackle the biggest challenge that the human race has ever encountered. Eating less meat is probaby one of the most significant things we can do.
Friday 10 July 2009
Tories Are a Threat to Employment Rights
The recession that we are currently enduring is the forth in 40 years, but it’s the deepest since the 1930s.
Thankfully the steps taken by this Labour government have minimised its impact on ordinary working people who bore the brunt of previous recessions when the Conservatives were in government.
But unemployment has inevitably risen which is why I have asked the city council to bid for the government’s £1bn ‘Future Jobs Fund’ to create additional employment opportunities in Derby.
In previous recessions, low paid workers in particular were subject to even greater exploitation, but the introduction the National Minimum Wage 10 years ago, and its annual uplift has put a stop to that.
Before Labour came back into office in 1997, unscrupulous employers could hire and fire virtually at will and in a recession, even more people would have lost their jobs. In previous economic downturns, vulnerable workers were often treated with contempt by unscrupulous employers.
But workers nowadays enjoy protection against unfair dismissal after 12 months in a job and compensation of up to £63,000 if they are dismissed unfairly.
It was the Labour government that also gave workers the right to paid leave of 24 days a year, which increased to 28 days last April. Prior to Labour giving workers a statutory entitlement to paid holidays, some employees didn’t receive any holiday pay at all.
These employment rights have been complemented by measures such paid maternity leave, which now stands at 39 weeks, with two weeks paid paternity leave for new fathers as well.
I shudder to think what would have happened to the rights of ordinary working people had David Cameron’s Conservatives been at the helm in this recession.
We’ve already seen a group of Tories trying to bring in legislation giving employers carte blanche to opt out of the minimum wage. Just think of the havoc the Conservatives would wreak if they were in government.
History shows us that with a Conservative government in power during a recession, welfare is cut and unemployment goes up
Make no mistake, if the David Cameron wins the general election, the welfare and employment rights we enjoy today will be bulldozed away and long term mass unemployment will make a comeback.
Thankfully the steps taken by this Labour government have minimised its impact on ordinary working people who bore the brunt of previous recessions when the Conservatives were in government.
But unemployment has inevitably risen which is why I have asked the city council to bid for the government’s £1bn ‘Future Jobs Fund’ to create additional employment opportunities in Derby.
In previous recessions, low paid workers in particular were subject to even greater exploitation, but the introduction the National Minimum Wage 10 years ago, and its annual uplift has put a stop to that.
Before Labour came back into office in 1997, unscrupulous employers could hire and fire virtually at will and in a recession, even more people would have lost their jobs. In previous economic downturns, vulnerable workers were often treated with contempt by unscrupulous employers.
But workers nowadays enjoy protection against unfair dismissal after 12 months in a job and compensation of up to £63,000 if they are dismissed unfairly.
It was the Labour government that also gave workers the right to paid leave of 24 days a year, which increased to 28 days last April. Prior to Labour giving workers a statutory entitlement to paid holidays, some employees didn’t receive any holiday pay at all.
These employment rights have been complemented by measures such paid maternity leave, which now stands at 39 weeks, with two weeks paid paternity leave for new fathers as well.
I shudder to think what would have happened to the rights of ordinary working people had David Cameron’s Conservatives been at the helm in this recession.
We’ve already seen a group of Tories trying to bring in legislation giving employers carte blanche to opt out of the minimum wage. Just think of the havoc the Conservatives would wreak if they were in government.
History shows us that with a Conservative government in power during a recession, welfare is cut and unemployment goes up
Make no mistake, if the David Cameron wins the general election, the welfare and employment rights we enjoy today will be bulldozed away and long term mass unemployment will make a comeback.
Monday 6 July 2009
Copenhagen Could be a Turning Point
This December a summit in Copenhagen, involving environment ministers from 192 nations, will consider how to tackle climate change.
It is not an exaggeration to say their decisions will have a profound effect on the human race.
The impact of climate change isn’t just something affecting far-flung countries on the other side of the globe.
The unusual weather patterns that we’ve witnessed in recent years should be a wake-up call for all of us.
Scientists are already predicting the situation in Britain could get worse.
Summer rainwater could drop by a quarter, winter rains could increase by almost a third and flooding from heavier rainstorms is likely to become more commonplace.
So it’s essential that this summit reaches the right conclusions for the long-term future of our civilisation.
At the end of June the Labour Government published “The Road to Copenhagen”. Labour’s ministers will be pressing for a worldwide agreement to stop the increase in emissions of greenhouse gases in the next decade and to start reducing them.
But it’s imperative that all nations sign up to secure a global deal, with support being given to the poorest countries to enable them to also play their part.
Of course Derby is well placed to secure an economic bonus from taking action to address climate change.
Our High-tech industries could be at the forefront of developing carbon capture technology, low-carbon and renewable energy production and environmentally friendly consumer goods too.
And the depressed construction industry could also benefit from a spending bonanza through a massive investment in the insulation of residential and commercial premises making them more energy efficient.
I would therefore urge everyone to join Labour’s campaign to stand up for the future of our children by calling on governments around the world to act now!
People can pledge their support at http://www.labour.org.uk/copenhagen_pledge
It is not an exaggeration to say their decisions will have a profound effect on the human race.
The impact of climate change isn’t just something affecting far-flung countries on the other side of the globe.
The unusual weather patterns that we’ve witnessed in recent years should be a wake-up call for all of us.
Scientists are already predicting the situation in Britain could get worse.
Summer rainwater could drop by a quarter, winter rains could increase by almost a third and flooding from heavier rainstorms is likely to become more commonplace.
So it’s essential that this summit reaches the right conclusions for the long-term future of our civilisation.
At the end of June the Labour Government published “The Road to Copenhagen”. Labour’s ministers will be pressing for a worldwide agreement to stop the increase in emissions of greenhouse gases in the next decade and to start reducing them.
But it’s imperative that all nations sign up to secure a global deal, with support being given to the poorest countries to enable them to also play their part.
Of course Derby is well placed to secure an economic bonus from taking action to address climate change.
Our High-tech industries could be at the forefront of developing carbon capture technology, low-carbon and renewable energy production and environmentally friendly consumer goods too.
And the depressed construction industry could also benefit from a spending bonanza through a massive investment in the insulation of residential and commercial premises making them more energy efficient.
I would therefore urge everyone to join Labour’s campaign to stand up for the future of our children by calling on governments around the world to act now!
People can pledge their support at http://www.labour.org.uk/copenhagen_pledge
Monday 29 June 2009
PEOPLE SIGN UP FOR BETTER BUS SERVICES
HUNDREDS of Derby residents have signed a petition calling for public transport services in the city to be improved.
The petition has been launched by Labour city councillors following the controversy over plans by the Liberal Democrat-led council to axe school bus services in Derby.
Under the Lib Dem plans, children from across Derby will be forced to either use commercial services or find alternative ways of getting to school.
City centre shoppers were given the chance to sign the petition on Friday and Saturday before visitors to the Stockbrook Community Fun Day signed up on Sunday.
It became clear straight away that people feel strongly on this issue. That's why we'll be taking this petition in the neighbourhoods so everyone will have a chance to tell the Lib Dems what they think about their ideas.
Plans to improve public transport in the city were voted down by Lib Dem and Conservative councillors in March, when they decided to push through the Lib Dem budget, include proposals to remove the school buses, instead of an alternative Labour budget.
Rather than cutting school transport services, we should be looking at extending them. The total cost of doing this would be around £1.5m.
The Lib Dems are happy to spend a similar figure rebuilding the scarcely used Gayton Swimming Pool so there really is no excuse for what they're planning.
What I find so incredibly frustrating is that we're not just demanding something without backing it up. Our properly balanced alternative budget showed how our plans would have been affordable, but the Lib Dems refuse to sit down and discuss it with us.
There will be opportunities to sign the petition at various locations across the city in the coming weeks.
Saturday 27 June 2009
NATIONAL SURVEY EXPOSES LIB DEMS FOR FAILING DERBY CONFIDENCE IN DERBY
City Council and the services it provides have plummeted since the Liberal Democrats seized control last May.
That is the verdict of a national survey administered by the Department for Communities and Local Government and carried out last autumn.
The Place Survey shows Derby, which achieved 'Excellent' four-star status under a previous Labour administration, is now underachieving in the eyes of residents.
Just 35 per cent of Derby residents were either very or even fairly satisfied with how the council runs things, compared with more than 45 per cent nationally.
The city also fell below the national average in terms of the perceived value for money of services offered.
Derby's council tax was the lowest in the region throughout the previous Labour administration's time in office, but that record has fallen under the Lib Dems.
The numbers of people who felt they had been able to influence decisions in their local area and who felt the city was a good place to live, were also lower in Derby than nationally.
These results are disappointing but not surprising. The Lib Dems have demonstrated a lack of competence since taking control of the city and it was inevitable that people would become frustrated.
Just look at how the Lib Dems tried to close the city's public toilets and how they are now trying to remove school bus services.
Look at how they scrapped regeneration plans for the Exeter House flats in favour of retaining a decrepit building.
The regeneration proposals on Full Street and the former Debenhams site also appear to have petered out.
They're charging the elderly for home care services that we provided for free, and they've so far failed to back any of our suggestions for helping the city through the recession.
One of the most disappointing findings was that fewer people feel able to influence council decisions. When Labour ran the Council we put a lot of effort into creating neighbourhood forums precisely to give local people more say over local public services.
It's been a shameful first year for the Lib Dems and it appears the Derby public now feels they've seen the Lib Dems' true colours.
That is the verdict of a national survey administered by the Department for Communities and Local Government and carried out last autumn.
The Place Survey shows Derby, which achieved 'Excellent' four-star status under a previous Labour administration, is now underachieving in the eyes of residents.
Just 35 per cent of Derby residents were either very or even fairly satisfied with how the council runs things, compared with more than 45 per cent nationally.
The city also fell below the national average in terms of the perceived value for money of services offered.
Derby's council tax was the lowest in the region throughout the previous Labour administration's time in office, but that record has fallen under the Lib Dems.
The numbers of people who felt they had been able to influence decisions in their local area and who felt the city was a good place to live, were also lower in Derby than nationally.
These results are disappointing but not surprising. The Lib Dems have demonstrated a lack of competence since taking control of the city and it was inevitable that people would become frustrated.
Just look at how the Lib Dems tried to close the city's public toilets and how they are now trying to remove school bus services.
Look at how they scrapped regeneration plans for the Exeter House flats in favour of retaining a decrepit building.
The regeneration proposals on Full Street and the former Debenhams site also appear to have petered out.
They're charging the elderly for home care services that we provided for free, and they've so far failed to back any of our suggestions for helping the city through the recession.
One of the most disappointing findings was that fewer people feel able to influence council decisions. When Labour ran the Council we put a lot of effort into creating neighbourhood forums precisely to give local people more say over local public services.
It's been a shameful first year for the Lib Dems and it appears the Derby public now feels they've seen the Lib Dems' true colours.
Thursday 25 June 2009
Progressives Should Unite Behind Labour to Defeat Fascists
THE recent European and local elections brought the usual mix of excitement, with jubilation in some quarters and dejection in others.
As a Labour councillor, my overall feeling was inevitably one of disappointment, although the European results in Derby itself were actually more encouraging.
Aside from the Tory strongholds of Allestree and Spondon, Labour bucked the national trend topping the poll in other parts of the city.
But whichever way you voted, whatever allegiance you have, there was something unpleasant lurking for everyone to worry about that night.
And the cause for alarm was the BNP.
This far right party secured two European seats, in the North West and Yorkshire and Humberside regions.
The two individuals who were elected that night are part of a movement that says people with minority ethnic backgrounds can never be considered to be British.
As someone who feels passionately about politics at every level, this ideology makes me feel almost physically sick.
Thankfully the BNP were kept at bay in the Derbyshire County Council elections, but the number of votes they garnered in defeat is still cause for concern.
I am really worried that the fragmentation and proliferation of political parties does not secure the outcomes that people desire.
It’s surely no coincidence that Labour’s demise nationally has coincided with the increase in votes for minor parties with very similar agendas.
That’s fair enough, but ultimately it is the segregation of votes that creates openings which parties like the BNP can exploit.
There’s no doubt that there’s a growing tendency for people to vote for minority parties.
Not just extremists like the BNP, but also perfectly respectable alternatives such as the Green Party.
Of course, people have every right to vote whichever way they please, but I can’t help feeling that the mainstream parties still provide a better alternative.
For example, when Labour controlled Derby City Council we put environmental issues at the top of our agenda with plans to cut carbon emissions, generate clean energy and build eco friendly housing.
So could Labour have been a viable alternative for people who voted Green?
The answer is almost certainly yes, but there is an insane irony in that a vote for a minority party can ultimately help a party with entirely opposing policies to win instead.
That’s why I would like to see what I would describe as a “coalition of progressives” coming together in Derby to achive radical reforms in our city.
I’ve voted Labour all my life and it goes without saying that I should declare an interest at this point.
But the reality is to bring about change you need to achieve political power. If we can persuade a “coalition of Derby’s progressives” to rally behind Labour’s banner we can make the radical changes they want to see that will take our city forward..
Electoral systems in some countries work in stages, with the party achieving the lowest tally dropping out at each stage and the votes being redistributed to second, third and sometimes fourth choice alternatives.
The system gradually removes those parties that stand no chance of winning to ensure that nobody’s vote is wasted – or ineffective.
Perhaps if we had that system, the results at the recent local elections might have been quite different.
Gordon Brown’s announcement that the government intends to look at democratic reform is therefore particularly timely.
But until such a change is made, it is our responsibility as politicians to do all we can to ensure people know exactly what we stand for.
And it is every person’s responsibility to make sure their vote counts.
As a Labour councillor, my overall feeling was inevitably one of disappointment, although the European results in Derby itself were actually more encouraging.
Aside from the Tory strongholds of Allestree and Spondon, Labour bucked the national trend topping the poll in other parts of the city.
But whichever way you voted, whatever allegiance you have, there was something unpleasant lurking for everyone to worry about that night.
And the cause for alarm was the BNP.
This far right party secured two European seats, in the North West and Yorkshire and Humberside regions.
The two individuals who were elected that night are part of a movement that says people with minority ethnic backgrounds can never be considered to be British.
As someone who feels passionately about politics at every level, this ideology makes me feel almost physically sick.
Thankfully the BNP were kept at bay in the Derbyshire County Council elections, but the number of votes they garnered in defeat is still cause for concern.
I am really worried that the fragmentation and proliferation of political parties does not secure the outcomes that people desire.
It’s surely no coincidence that Labour’s demise nationally has coincided with the increase in votes for minor parties with very similar agendas.
That’s fair enough, but ultimately it is the segregation of votes that creates openings which parties like the BNP can exploit.
There’s no doubt that there’s a growing tendency for people to vote for minority parties.
Not just extremists like the BNP, but also perfectly respectable alternatives such as the Green Party.
Of course, people have every right to vote whichever way they please, but I can’t help feeling that the mainstream parties still provide a better alternative.
For example, when Labour controlled Derby City Council we put environmental issues at the top of our agenda with plans to cut carbon emissions, generate clean energy and build eco friendly housing.
So could Labour have been a viable alternative for people who voted Green?
The answer is almost certainly yes, but there is an insane irony in that a vote for a minority party can ultimately help a party with entirely opposing policies to win instead.
That’s why I would like to see what I would describe as a “coalition of progressives” coming together in Derby to achive radical reforms in our city.
I’ve voted Labour all my life and it goes without saying that I should declare an interest at this point.
But the reality is to bring about change you need to achieve political power. If we can persuade a “coalition of Derby’s progressives” to rally behind Labour’s banner we can make the radical changes they want to see that will take our city forward..
Electoral systems in some countries work in stages, with the party achieving the lowest tally dropping out at each stage and the votes being redistributed to second, third and sometimes fourth choice alternatives.
The system gradually removes those parties that stand no chance of winning to ensure that nobody’s vote is wasted – or ineffective.
Perhaps if we had that system, the results at the recent local elections might have been quite different.
Gordon Brown’s announcement that the government intends to look at democratic reform is therefore particularly timely.
But until such a change is made, it is our responsibility as politicians to do all we can to ensure people know exactly what we stand for.
And it is every person’s responsibility to make sure their vote counts.
Labour’s agenda for environmental change
CATASTROPHIC climate change is the single biggest challenge facing the world right now. It hangs over all of us like the sword of Damocles.
So what are we to do?
We clearly need innovative and bold measures to address this challenge. But that requires political action and to take political action requires political power.
When Labour ran the City Council, we recognised the need for political action and in 2006 committed the Council to reduce its carbon emissions by 25 per cent within five years.
We also set out a vision to make Derby self sufficient in renewable energy by 2025.
Earlier this year we explained how the Council could provide insulation grants to help local people cut their fuel bills by making their homes more energy efficient
We also outlined proposals for the Council to improve public transport, protect the school bus services and introduce a direct bus link to the City Hospital.
All these measures have either been abandoned or voted down before they got started by the combined voting strength of Derby’s Liberal Democrat and Conservative Councillors, which currently outnumber Labour.
Meanwhile the Labour Government has passed the Climate Change Act, which is a world first. It binds the UK government by law to reduce carbon emissions by a third by 2020 and by 80% by 2050.
Renewable energy has doubled in five years and the government is aiming to generate 15% of the nation’s energy requirements from renewables by 2020.
Just think what we could achieve in Derby if the Council embraced our proposals and worked to complement the environmental measures being taken by the government.
Labour’s local programme for renewable energy, reduced energy costs through improved insulation and better public transport would put Derby in the vanguard of cities taking action to develop a low carbon economy.
That’s why I am calling on local people to get behind Labour’s agenda for environmental change in our city.
So what are we to do?
We clearly need innovative and bold measures to address this challenge. But that requires political action and to take political action requires political power.
When Labour ran the City Council, we recognised the need for political action and in 2006 committed the Council to reduce its carbon emissions by 25 per cent within five years.
We also set out a vision to make Derby self sufficient in renewable energy by 2025.
Earlier this year we explained how the Council could provide insulation grants to help local people cut their fuel bills by making their homes more energy efficient
We also outlined proposals for the Council to improve public transport, protect the school bus services and introduce a direct bus link to the City Hospital.
All these measures have either been abandoned or voted down before they got started by the combined voting strength of Derby’s Liberal Democrat and Conservative Councillors, which currently outnumber Labour.
Meanwhile the Labour Government has passed the Climate Change Act, which is a world first. It binds the UK government by law to reduce carbon emissions by a third by 2020 and by 80% by 2050.
Renewable energy has doubled in five years and the government is aiming to generate 15% of the nation’s energy requirements from renewables by 2020.
Just think what we could achieve in Derby if the Council embraced our proposals and worked to complement the environmental measures being taken by the government.
Labour’s local programme for renewable energy, reduced energy costs through improved insulation and better public transport would put Derby in the vanguard of cities taking action to develop a low carbon economy.
That’s why I am calling on local people to get behind Labour’s agenda for environmental change in our city.
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