LIB DEMS BETRAY FIREFIGHTERS

Here is the complete list of those who voted for and against the firefighters in yesterday's debate in the House of Commons on Labour's motion calling for the new firefighter pension regulations to be revoked.

The Lib Dems failed to support the motion and therefore ensured it was defeated. This is a disgraceful way to treat firefighters who spend their entire career risking their lives to keep the public safe only to see their pension undermined.

It will now fall to a Labour Government to ensure that firefighters receive a fair deal.

This is a list of those who voted at the end of the debate. You can read the full debate here: http://tinyurl.com/n475zb2

AYES i.e. those supporting the firefighters

Abbott, Ms Diane

Abrahams, Debbie

Ainsworth, rh Mr Bob

Alexander, rh Mr Douglas

Alexander, Heidi

Ali, Rushanara

Allen, Mr Graham

Anderson, Mr David

Ashworth, Jonathan

Austin, Ian

Bailey, Mr Adrian

Bain, Mr William

Balls, rh Ed

Banks, Gordon

Barron, rh Kevin

Bayley, Hugh

Beckett, rh Margaret

Begg, Dame Anne

Benn, rh Hilary

Berger, Luciana

Betts, Mr Clive

Birtwistle, Gordon

Blackman-Woods, Roberta

Blears, rh Hazel

Blomfield, Paul

Blunkett, rh Mr David

Bradshaw, rh Mr Ben

Brennan, Kevin

Brown, Lyn

Brown, rh Mr Nicholas

Brown, Mr Russell

Bryant, Chris

Buck, Ms Karen

Burden, Richard

Burnham, rh Andy

Byrne, rh Mr Liam

Campbell, rh Mr Alan

Campbell, Mr Ronnie

Caton, Martin

Champion, Sarah

Chapman, Jenny

Clark, Katy

Clarke, rh Mr Tom

Clwyd, rh Ann

Coaker, Vernon

Coffey, Ann

Cooper, Rosie

Cooper, rh Yvette

Corbyn, Jeremy

Crausby, Mr David

Creagh, Mary

Creasy, Stella

Cruddas, Jon

Cryer, John

Cunningham, Alex

Cunningham, Mr Jim

Cunningham, Sir Tony

Curran, Margaret

Dakin, Nic

Danczuk, Simon

David, Wayne

Davidson, Mr Ian

Davies, Geraint

De Piero, Gloria

Denham, rh Mr John

Dobson, rh Frank

Docherty, Thomas

Donaldson, rh Mr Jeffrey M.

Donohoe, Mr Brian H.

Doran, Mr Frank

Doughty, Stephen

Dowd, Jim

Doyle, Gemma

Dromey, Jack

Dugher, Michael

Durkan, Mark

Eagle, Ms Angela

Eagle, Maria

Edwards, Jonathan

Efford, Clive

Elliott, Julie

Ellman, Mrs Louise

Engel, Natascha

Esterson, Bill

Evans, Chris

Farron, Tim

Field, rh Mr Frank

Fitzpatrick, Jim

Flello, Robert

Flint, rh Caroline

Flynn, Paul

Fovargue, Yvonne

Francis, Dr Hywel

Galloway, George

Gapes, Mike

Gilbert, Stephen

Glass, Pat

Glindon, Mrs Mary

Godsiff, Mr Roger

Goodman, Helen

Greatrex, Tom

Green, Kate

Greenwood, Lilian

Griffith, Nia

Gwynne, Andrew

Hain, rh Mr Peter

Hamilton, Mr David

Hamilton, Fabian

Hancock, Mr Mike

Hanson, rh Mr David

Harman, rh Ms Harriet

Harris, Mr Tom

Harvey, Sir Nick

Havard, Mr Dai

Healey, rh John

Hepburn, Mr Stephen

Hermon, Lady

Heyes, David

Hillier, Meg

Hilling, Julie

Hodge, rh Margaret

Hodgson, Mrs Sharon

Hoey, Kate

Hood, Mr Jim

Hopkins, Kelvin

Hosie, Stewart

Howarth, rh Mr George

Hunt, Tristram

Huppert, Dr Julian

Irranca-Davies, Huw

Jackson, Glenda

James, Mrs Siân C.

Jamieson, Cathy

Jarvis, Dan

Johnson, rh Alan

Johnson, Diana

Jones, Graham

Jones, Helen

Jones, Mr Kevan

Jones, Susan Elan

Kane, Mike

Kaufman, rh Sir Gerald

Keeley, Barbara

Kendall, Liz

Khan, rh Sadiq

Lammy, rh Mr David

Lavery, Ian

Lazarowicz, Mark

Lewell-Buck, Mrs Emma

Lewis, Mr Ivan

Llwyd, rh Mr Elfyn

Long, Naomi

Love, Mr Andrew

Lucas, Caroline

Lucas, Ian

Mactaggart, Fiona

Mahmood, Mr Khalid

Mahmood, Shabana

Malhotra, Seema

Mann, John

Marsden, Mr Gordon

McCabe, Steve

McCann, Mr Michael

McCarthy, Kerry

McClymont, Gregg

McDonagh, Siobhain

McDonald, Andy

McDonnell, John

McFadden, rh Mr Pat

McGovern, Jim

McInnes, Liz

McKechin, Ann

McKenzie, Mr Iain

McKinnell, Catherine

Meacher, rh Mr Michael

Meale, Sir Alan

Mearns, Ian

Miller, Andrew

Mitchell, Austin

Moon, Mrs Madeleine

Morden, Jessica

Morrice, Graeme

(Livingston)

Morris, Grahame M.

(Easington)

Mudie, Mr George

Munn, Meg

Murphy, rh Paul

Murray, Ian

Nandy, Lisa

Nash, Pamela

O'Donnell, Fiona

Onwurah, Chi

Osborne, Sandra

Owen, Albert

Paisley, Ian

Perkins, Toby

Phillipson, Bridget

Pound, Stephen

Powell, Lucy

Pugh, John

Qureshi, Yasmin

Raynsford, rh Mr Nick

Reed, Mr Jamie

Reed, Mr Steve

Reeves, Rachel

Reynolds, Emma

Reynolds, Jonathan

Riordan, Mrs Linda

Robertson, Angus

Robertson, John

Robinson, Mr Geoffrey

Rotheram, Steve

Roy, Mr Frank

Roy, Lindsay

Ruane, Chris

Ruddock, rh Dame Joan

Sanders, Mr Adrian

Sarwar, Anas

Sawford, Andy

Seabeck, Alison

Shannon, Jim

Sharma, Mr Virendra

Sheerman, Mr Barry

Sheridan, Jim

Shuker, Gavin

Skinner, Mr Dennis

Slaughter, Mr Andy

Smith, rh Mr Andrew

Smith, Nick

Smith, Owen

Straw, rh Mr Jack

Stringer, Graham

Stuart, Ms Gisela

Sutcliffe, Mr Gerry

Tami, Mark

Thomas, Mr Gareth

Thornberry, Emily

Timms, rh Stephen

Trickett, Jon

Turner, Karl

Twigg, Derek

Twigg, Stephen

Umunna, Mr Chuka

Vaz, rh Keith

Vaz, Valerie

Walley, Joan

Watson, Mr Tom

Watts, Mr Dave

Weir, Mr Mike

Whiteford, Dr Eilidh

Whitehead, Dr Alan

Williams, Hywel

Williams, Mr Mark

Williamson, Chris

Wilson, Sammy

Winnick, Mr David

Winterton, rh Ms Rosie

Wood, Mike

Woodcock, John

Woodward, rh Mr Shaun

Wright, David

Wright, Mr Iain

Tellers for the Ayes:

Tom Blenkinsop

and

Phil Wilson

NOES i.e. those opposing the firefighters

Adams, Nigel

Afriyie, Adam

Aldous, Peter

Alexander, rh Danny

Amess, Mr David

Andrew, Stuart

Arbuthnot, rh Mr James

Bacon, Mr Richard

Baker, rh Norman

Baker, Steve

Baldry, rh Sir Tony

Baldwin, Harriett

Barclay, Stephen

Barker, rh Gregory

Bebb, Guto

Bellingham, Mr Henry

Benyon, Richard

Beresford, Sir Paul

Berry, Jake

Bingham, Andrew

Blackwood, Nicola

Blunt, Crispin

Boles, Nick

Bone, Mr Peter

Bottomley, Sir Peter

Bradley, Karen

Brady, Mr Graham

Brake, rh Tom

Bray, Angie

Brazier, Mr Julian

Bridgen, Andrew

Brine, Steve

Brokenshire, James

Browne, Mr Jeremy

Bruce, Fiona

Bruce, rh Sir Malcolm

Buckland, Mr Robert

Burley, Mr Aidan

Burns, Conor

Burns, rh Mr Simon

Burrowes, Mr David

Burt, rh Alistair

Byles, Dan

Cairns, Alun

Carmichael, rh Mr Alistair

Carmichael, Neil

Cash, Sir William

Chishti, Rehman

Chope, Mr Christopher

Clappison, Mr James

Clark, rh Greg

Clegg, rh Mr Nick

Clifton-Brown, Geoffrey

Coffey, Dr Thérèse

Collins, Damian

Colvile, Oliver

Cox, Mr Geoffrey

Crabb, rh Stephen

Crouch, Tracey

Davey, rh Mr Edward

Davies, David T. C.

(Monmouth)

Davies, Glyn

Davies, Philip

Davis, rh Mr David

de Bois, Nick

Dinenage, Caroline

Djanogly, Mr Jonathan

Dorries, Nadine

Doyle-Price, Jackie

Drax, Richard

Duddridge, James

Duncan, rh Sir Alan

Duncan Smith, rh Mr Iain

Ellis, Michael

Ellison, Jane

Ellwood, Mr Tobias

Elphicke, Charlie

Evans, Graham

Evans, Jonathan

Evans, Mr Nigel

Evennett, Mr David

Fabricant, Michael

Fallon, rh Michael

Featherstone, rh Lynne

Field, Mark

Foster, rh Mr Don

Fox, rh Dr Liam

Francois, rh Mr Mark

Freeman, George

Freer, Mike

Fullbrook, Lorraine

Fuller, Richard

Gale, Sir Roger

Garnier, Mark

Gauke, Mr David

Gibb, Mr Nick

Gilbert, Stephen

Glen, John

Goldsmith, Zac

Goodwill, Mr Robert

Gove, rh Michael

Graham, Richard

Grant, Mrs Helen

Gray, Mr James

Grayling, rh Chris

Green, rh Damian

Grieve, rh Mr Dominic

Griffiths, Andrew

Gummer, Ben

Gyimah, Mr Sam

Hague, rh Mr William

Halfon, Robert

Hames, Duncan

Hammond, Stephen

Hancock, rh Matthew

Hands, rh Greg

Harper, Mr Mark

Harrington, Richard

Harris, Rebecca

Hart, Simon

Haselhurst, rh Sir Alan

Hayes, rh Mr John

Heald, Sir Oliver

Heath, Mr David

Heaton-Harris, Chris

Hemming, John

Henderson, Gordon

Hendry, Charles

Herbert, rh Nick

Hinds, Damian

Hoban, Mr Mark

Hollingbery, George

Hollobone, Mr Philip

Holloway, Mr Adam

Hopkins, Kris

Howarth, Sir Gerald

Howell, John

Hughes, rh Simon

Hunt, rh Mr Jeremy

Hunter, Mark

Hurd, Mr Nick

Jackson, Mr Stewart

James, Margot

Javid, rh Sajid

Jenkin, Mr Bernard

Jenrick, Robert

Johnson, Gareth

Johnson, Joseph

Jones, Andrew

Jones, rh Mr David

Jones, Mr Marcus

Kawczynski, Daniel

Kelly, Chris

Kirby, Simon

Knight, rh Sir Greg

Kwarteng, Kwasi

Lamb, rh Norman

Lancaster, Mark

Lansley, rh Mr Andrew

Latham, Pauline

Laws, rh Mr David

Leadsom, Andrea

Lefroy, Jeremy

Leigh, Sir Edward

Leslie, Charlotte

Letwin, rh Mr Oliver

Lewis, Brandon

Lewis, Dr Julian

Liddell-Grainger, Mr Ian

Lidington, rh Mr David

Lilley, rh Mr Peter

Lloyd, Stephen

Lopresti, Jack

Lord, Jonathan

Loughton, Tim

Luff, Sir Peter

Lumley, Karen

Macleod, Mary

Main, Mrs Anne

Maude, rh Mr Francis

May, rh Mrs Theresa

Maynard, Paul

McCartney, Jason

McCartney, Karl

McIntosh, Miss Anne

McLoughlin, rh Mr Patrick

McPartland, Stephen

McVey, rh Esther

Menzies, Mark

Metcalfe, Stephen

Miller, rh Maria

Mills, Nigel

Milton, Anne

Moore, rh Michael

Mordaunt, Penny

Morgan, rh Nicky

Morris, Anne Marie

Morris, David

Morris, James

Mosley, Stephen

Mowat, David

Mundell, rh David

Munt, Tessa

Murray, Sheryll

Murrison, Dr Andrew

Neill, Robert

Newmark, Mr Brooks

Newton, Sarah

Nokes, Caroline

Norman, Jesse

Nuttall, Mr David

O'Brien, rh Mr Stephen

Offord, Dr Matthew

Ollerenshaw, Eric

Opperman, Guy

Ottaway, rh Sir Richard

Paice, rh Sir James

Parish, Neil

Patel, Priti

Paterson, rh Mr Owen

Pawsey, Mark

Penning, rh Mike

Penrose, John

Percy, Andrew

Perry, Claire

Phillips, Stephen

Pickles, rh Mr Eric

Pincher, Christopher

Poulter, Dr Daniel

Prisk, Mr Mark

Randall, rh Sir John

Redwood, rh Mr John

Rees-Mogg, Jacob

Reevell, Simon

Reid, Mr Alan

Rifkind, rh Sir Malcolm

Robathan, rh Mr Andrew

Robertson, rh Sir Hugh

Robertson, Mr Laurence

Rogerson, Dan

Rosindell, Andrew

Rudd, Amber

Ruffley, Mr David

Rutley, David

Sandys, Laura

Scott, Mr Lee

Selous, Andrew

Shapps, rh Grant

Sharma, Alok

Shelbrooke, Alec

Shepherd, Sir Richard

Simmonds, Mark

Simpson, Mr Keith

Skidmore, Chris

Smith, Chloe

Smith, Henry

Smith, Julian

Soames, rh Sir Nicholas

Soubry, Anna

Spelman, rh Mrs Caroline

Spencer, Mr Mark

Stanley, rh Sir John

Stephenson, Andrew

Stevenson, John

Stewart, Bob

Stewart, Iain

Stewart, Rory

Streeter, Mr Gary

Stride, Mel

Stunell, rh Sir Andrew

Sturdy, Julian

Swales, Ian

Swayne, rh Mr Desmond

Swinson, Jo

Swire, rh Mr Hugo

Syms, Mr Robert

Teather, Sarah

Thornton, Mike

Thurso, rh John

Timpson, Mr Edward

Tomlinson, Justin

Tredinnick, David

Truss, rh Elizabeth

Turner, Mr Andrew

Tyrie, Mr Andrew

Uppal, Paul

Vaizey, Mr Edward

Vara, Mr Shailesh

Vickers, Martin

Villiers, rh Mrs Theresa

Walker, Mr Charles

Walker, Mr Robin

Wallace, Mr Ben

Ward, Mr David

Watkinson, Dame Angela

Webb, rh Steve

Wharton, James

Wheeler, Heather

White, Chris

Whittaker, Craig

Whittingdale, Mr John

Wiggin, Bill

Willetts, rh Mr David

Williams, Stephen

Williamson, Gavin

Willott, Jenny

Wilson, Mr Rob

Wollaston, Dr Sarah

Wright, rh Jeremy

Wright, Simon

Yeo, Mr Tim

Young, rh Sir George

Zahawi, Nadhim

DEMOCRACY SHOULD BE ABOUT IDEAS AND VALUES NOT THE SIZE OF YOUR BANK BALANCE

The Government has changed the law on election spending, increasing election spending limits by £6.2 million - £3.2 million more than the increase recommended by the independent Electoral Commission.

This change in the law is likely to help the Conservatives in the forthcoming general election, as they are the only party currently in a position to take advantage of an increase in spending limits of this size.

They have failed to deliver on their promises to balance the nation’s books and failed to help people to balance theirs. Their policies have impoverished millions while creating record numbers of millionaires. To add insult to injury they’ve also cut tax liabilities for the growing ranks of millionaires while introducing the bedroom tax on Britain’s poorest households.

But they want to go even further. The Tories want to cut the state back to the level it was in the 1930s and now we know they want to buy an election they don’t deserve to win.

This is a party flush with big money backers but without the empathy or ideas the country needs so they are rigging the rules of our democracy in their favour.

This additional spending could potentially see the Tories flood their key seats with millions more leaflets, postcards and other campaign material.

This change in the law comes as the Conservatives are receiving huge sums from an exclusive network backers, including hedge funds, big city interests and secretive supper clubs. Analysis reveals that:
• Hedge funds are bankrolling the Tory Party: they have given the Tories £52 million in total.
• Since the election the Tories have received £6m from secretive Unincorporated Associations, which are clubs that don’t have to declare all their donations.
• The Tories are increasingly funnelling cash to target constituencies: they have raised £2.6 million for key seats since 2010, 60% of which has gone to defensive seats.
This is an indication as to why solidarity is so important in the face of these overwhelming financial odds.

It is imperative that people who believe in progressive policies and social justice get behind the Labour Party to defeat the forces of conservatism. If we fail, the consequences for our country will be dire.

TORIES PLUS TTIP EQUALS SERIOUS THREAT TO NHS AND OTHER PUBLIC SERVICES

FRIDAY’s vote on the NHS in the House of Commons brings the Tories’ desire to privatise public services back on to the news agenda.

For those who haven’t followed these developments, MPs voted in favour of a bill designed to curb the worst parts of the Health and Social Care Act that opened the door to NHS privatisation.

I delivered a 16,442-name petition to Westminster showing how strongly Derby people feel about the issue, and I dearly hope Labour’s long-running campaign to save the NHS will bear fruit.

But while talk of losing something as important as our health service is tangible and inevitably prompts a reaction, another broader issue relating to the future of public services has, to a large extent, slipped under the radar.

Many readers will not have heard of TTIP – the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership – largely because it has been negotiated behind closed doors, but it’s due to be ratified next year.

It is designed to reduce the trade barriers between the US and EU, and to that end clearly has the potential to reap many benefits on both sides of the Atlantic provided it is drawn up carefully.

But there is a reason that it is causing a rumpus among those who have delved into it most deeply.

TTIP could open all of Europe’s public services, such as the NHS and our education system, to private enterprise.

But the prospect of refocusing our public bodies on making money instead of service delivery is anathema to most British people.

Robust caveats must therefore be inserted into the agreement to ensure that doesn’t happen.

There is also a real danger that corporate interests could become deeply embroiled with our democratic processes.

Imagine the next Labour government implementing our pledge to freeze energy bills, only to find the UK being sued by the giant energy companies for loss of profits.

Yet that possibility could arise through TTIP, which proposes the creation of so-called Investor-State Dispute Settlements empowering big companies to take on nation states.

Not only would that be unthinkably bizarre, but it would also be an attack on democracy. Public policy would be stymied by a corporate agenda, giving far too much influence to multinational companies.

But perhaps the biggest question that needs to be addressed is whose interests the politicians negotiating TTIP are representing – the people who elected them or the private corporations pushing for it?

To my mind, economic development is only beneficial if it serves everyone in the chain, not just fat cat executives and wealthy shareholders.

My fear – and one shared by many commentators – is that if we are not careful TTIP will be another mechanism that widens inequality.

We cannot allow this government to use TTIP to enable the rich to get even richer, without any real impact on working people who are actually creating that wealth.

It would make the whole exercise pointless, and if the politicians locked in the secret negotiations can’t see that then TTIP – which offers so much potential – runs the risk of doing more harm than good

THE HUNTING BAN IS TEN YEARS OLD - NOW IT’S TIME STRENGTHEN THE LEGISLATION TO STOP HUNTERS FLOUTING THE LAW

Tuesday 18th November 2014 marks the tenth anniversary of the passing of the Hunting Act. Now the League Against Cruel Sports has launched a new report calling for specific improvements to make it even more effective.

The Hunting Act has proven to be an effective and popular piece of legislation, with a higher number of convictions than similar wildlife laws. Public support for the prohibition of hunting has always been high, but this has also increased substantially over the past ten years.

Yet, since its introduction, the Act has been the target of considerable attack from the pro-hunt lobby which has waged an ongoing and concerted campaign of disinformation to publicly discredit the legislation and promote their campaign for repeal.

The problem is not with the law. It’s with those arrogant bloodsports fanatics who think they’re above the law and openly flout it. This cannot be allowed to go on in a democracy where the rule of law is sacrosanct.

It is now time to build on the successes of first ten years and strengthen the Hunting Act to ensure the spirit of the Act is fulfilled.

The League is recommending three main improvements to strengthen the Hunting Act, these include:

1. Prohibiting the use of dogs below ground - this is arguably where the worst cruelty occurs in hunting, not only to wild mammals pursued underground with limited opportunity to escape (usually foxes and badgers), but also to the dogs sent below ground to find these animals and either flush them out or hold them at bay.

2. Inserting a ‘reckless’ provision to ensure the killing of wild mammals during a trail hunt cannot be passed off as an ‘unfortunate accident’.

3. Increasing the punishments available to the courts so that the Act is brought in line with other animal protection legislation.

LIB DEM COLLABORATORS SEEKING ALIBI FOR VENAL DECISION TO INSTALL TORY GOVT

AFTER four-and-a-half years of merciless attacks on the poor by this disgraceful Government, it takes something pretty galling for someone like me to find myself agreeing with the Tories on anything.

But if there is one thing that seemingly unites Labour and the Conservatives, poles apart though we are in so many ways, it is in the shoulder-shrugging despair at the utter hypocrisy of the Liberal Democrats.

The Lib Dems truly are the most shameless of all when it comes to outrageous acts of mercenary vote chasing, posturing for the popular vote while displaying an abject inability to deliver anything.

There atrocious behaviour in relation to the bedroom tax is probably their lowest, most scandalous act of hypocrisy yet.

It was their ministers and their MPs who backed the Tories all the way when they introduced the bedroom tax, despite anyone with even the merest hint of conscience feeling thoroughly perturbed at such a socially unacceptable policy.

The so-called “spare room subsidy” was designed to pick on people who couldn’t afford it, penalising single parents, disabled people and even parents of soldiers, hitting them in the pocket for having bedrooms not in permanent use.

Did the Lib Dems tell the Tories they weren’t comfortable with such a cut-throat policy?

Did they feel strongly enough to withdraw support or use their position as kingmaker to force a change of heart?

Did they side with Labour and vote it down to protect the vulnerable people who Mr Cameron and Co were so keen to punish.

Of course they didn’t. They didn’t just sit on their hands either – they knowingly voted it through used their controlling influence to transform crackpot right-wing Tory policy into UK law.

Utterly deplorable.

Labour has opposed the bedroom tax from the outset, and Ed Miliband made it perfectly clear some time ago that a Labour Government will reverse this atrocious act against the poor.

And now, suddenly, the Lib Dems agree.

Hark! Is there a General Election in the offing?

Perhaps the most stomach-churning thing of all was reading the comments on Twitter of professional Lib Dem charlatan Vince Cable boasting how he had cancelled his meetings in order back a bill by his party to “fix the Tories’ unfair bedroom tax”.

Mr Cable is unique among Lib Dems.

He has somehow built a reputation, or at least he had prior to his party’s appalling term of office in Government, as something of a one-off – a bright spark of quality among a despairing pit of mediocrity within his party.

Yet the truth is he’s no better than the rest of them. Whether it’s Lib Dems in Westminster or Lib Dems here in Derby, they’re all the same.

In opposition, they promise the earth. They fasten on to every popular policy and tell people what they want to hear (not unlike UKIP), safe in the belief that they will never have to deliver on it.

But then when they stumble into power, the buffoonery begins. They bumble from one place to the next, breaking promises here and digging holes for themselves there.

They are the artisans of hypocrisy and the definition of dishonesty, whether it means promising not to increase student tuition fees then voting for the opposite, or this latest debacle over the bedroom tax.

We saw it in Derby during two forgettable years between 2008 and 2010, and we’ve endured it nationally for the last five sorrowful years.

But their poll ratings suggest that they've finally rumbled once and for all.

FOX HUNT THUGS CONVICTED

Three members of the College Valley and North Northumberland Hunt were last week found guilty of illegally hunting a fox during a hunt meet at West Kyloe Farm, near Lowick, Northumberland on 27th February 2014.

Appearing before Berwick Magistrates’ Court, joint Master, Timothy Wyndham Basil Smalley, huntsman, Ian Robert McKie and kennel huntsman, Andrew John Proe of the College Valley and North Northumberland Hunt, were all convicted of hunting a wild mammal with dogs, contrary to Section 1 of the Hunting Act 2004.

Joe Duckworth, Chief Executive at the League Against Cruel Sports said: “We are extremely pleased with the verdict. We hope this successful case will make other hunt members think twice before breaking the law and causing harm to wildlife.

“We know that many hunts continue to regularly flout the law. Our team of professional investigators work hard in the field to capture illegal activity and work with the relevant statutory bodies to bring about prosecutions.”

The case was brought by the Crown Prosecution Service following evidence supplied by the League Against Cruel Sports and further investigation by Northumbria Police.

Joint Master, Timothy Wyndham Basil Smalley was fined £2,075 with £120 victim surcharge. The Huntsman, Ian Robert McKie was fined £1,150 with a £115 victim surcharge. Kennel Huntsman, Andrew John Proe was fined £480 with a £48 victim surcharge.

Each defendant was ordered to pay costs of £385.

TORY DIRTY TRICKS DEPT'S BOTCHED 1970s SMEAR BACKFIRES

WHEN a politician is recorded without their knowledge making comments at a fringe event or gathering, there normally follows a PR disaster over their controversial utterances.

But I was far from disappointed to learn on this week’s Sunday Politics Show that Conservative Party representatives had made recordings of me without my knowledge.

What was particularly pleasing was how the attempt at political mischief making backfired calamitously, with even Sunday Politics Show host Andrew Neill describing the ruse as “far from impressive”.

In fact, rather than cause me any embarrassment, I was pleased the comments were given air time – even though the first I knew of it was when I was watching the show live on Sunday morning!

The recording featured me detailing many of the great successes of 1970s Britain that made our country anything but the “sick man of Europe” that some would have us believe during that era.

And the facts back up the point I was making.

While the government boasts today about an economic growth which tells half a story as public services gasp for air, the 1.33 per cent growth achieved to 2013-14 is nothing like
the average 2.255 per cent achieved in the 1970s.

Manufacturing represents just 12 per cent of the UK economy today, as opposed to 30 per cent back then.

We are desperately in need of new homes today, and the 135,550 per year managed during this Government’s mid-term is not a patch on the 365,000 achieved at the start of the 1970s.

The list goes on, with unemployment in 2014 more than double what it was 40 years earlier.

Now I’m not saying we should hark back to the old days. Times move on and politics has to move with it.

But I do know that as a 19-year-old apprentice bricklayer in the 1970s, I was able to afford to buy my own comfortable home, something of a pipe dream for many highly qualified professionals starting out on the job ladder today.

What I do believe is that we can learn from our past – be it our successes or our failures – and there is no shame in remembering either from that particular era.

So while those responsible for releasing the recording sought to paint a picture of regressive politics hankering for a return to the dark old days, the truth is somewhat different on both counts.

Reflecting on the past as we seek to move forwards is absolutely essential, and remembering history for what it was rather than what political cowards paint it to be is vital.

And I can’t deny there was something hugely satisfying about watching a panel of analysts and commentators treat the attempt to cause embarrassment with the contempt it merited.

POLICE FAILURE TO ACT LEADS TO PRIVATE PROSECUTION AGAINST HUNTERS

THE League Against Cruel Sports launched a private prosecution on Thursday 9th October 2014 against six members of the Devon and Cornwall based Lamerton Hunt.

The League was left with no option but to bring a private prosecution against hunt members after Devon and Cornwall Police failed to deal with evidence supplied by the charity’s Investigations Team.

The League contacted the police in May but they did not respond for two months and despite several follow up enquiries, they delayed so long the League was left with no option but to commence proceedings itself.

The League has obtained written independent legal advice that there is sufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction and that it would be in the public interest to prosecute

Summonses have been served alleging an offence under Section 1 of the Hunting Act 2004 in relation to an incident which occurred on the 26th March 2014 when the Lamerton Hunt met at Holdstrong Bungalow, near Lydford in Devon.

Joint master George Moyse, huntsman David Lewis, whipper-in Steve Craddock and terrier men, Gilmore Lewis, Stephen Mitchell and Wayne Bartlett of the Lamerton Hunt have been summonsed to appear at Plymouth Magistrates’ Court on November 21, 2014.

The League has also lodged a formal complaint about the actions of Devon and Cornwall Police with the Chief Constable, Shaun Sawyer.

UKIP: MORE TORY THAN THE TORIES!

As voters go to the polls in the constituencies of Clacton and Heywood and Middleton today, the media hyperbole about UKIP is continuing apace.

The media reportage is nothing short of scandalous, with the public being fed a constant stream of articles about how UKIP poses a threat to both the Conservatives and Labour.

UKIP’s extremist policies are glossed over, even embellished by most media outlets. Their outrageous policies are rarely challenged and the details of what they believe in only surface very infrequently.

This approach to ‘news’ coverage of UKIP is doing a huge disservice to our democracy by failing to inform the electorate to enable people to make an informed choice.

I can understand why a Conservative supporter might vote UKIP, but I can’t see why Labour supporter would when UKIP’s values are completely at odds with Labour’s.

The truth that the media will not tell the public is that UKIP are more Tory than the Tories.

The interests of democracy demands that the truth about UKIP is exposed to public scrutiny.

I wonder how many people realise that UKIP’s policies include charges to see your GP, more tax breaks for the wealthiest and tax rises for everyone else.

I wonder how many Labour voters, who are considering voting UKIP, know that earlier this year Nigel Farage described himself as “the only politician keeping the flame of Thatcherism alive”

The truth is UKIP are a more extreme version of the Conservative Party and have nothing in common with the values of Labour voters.

Last year UKIP’s health spokesperson, Jonathan Stanley, said they wanted to introduce charges to use key NHS services, including your GP.
http://www.public-sector.co.uk/news/article-426


Just after the Coalition came to power UKIP’s deputy leader, Paul Nuttall, said: “I would like to congratulate the coalition government for bringing a whiff of privatisation into the beleaguered National Health Service.”
http://www.paulnuttallmep.com/?p=712


UKIP want even deeper cuts than those already delivered by the Tory-Lib Dem Coalition. Speaking on BBC News in December 2012 Nigel Farage said: “You know we keep hearing this big debate about the cuts, where are the cuts? … I just don't think [David Cameron] is being radical enough at all."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-20612624

Tim Aker, UKIP’s Head of Policy, said in August this year that UKIP they would abolish the top rate of tax giving 16,000 millionaires a break of over £100,000
http://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/opinions/exclusive-what-will-ukips-election-2015-manifesto-look-like

A 2010 UKIP policy document on small businesses said they would abolish workers’ rights, including parental leave, maternity pay, holiday pay, sick pay, and even redundancy pay.


And is if all that wasn’t bad enough, UKIP want even higher bankers’ bonuses. In January this year Nigel Farage told the Daily Telegraph: ”We don’t need official caps or limits.”

STATEMENT OPPOSING OPPOSITION VIOLENCE IN ECUADOR

On Wednesday 17th September, a series of violent street protests took place in Ecuador. Centring on schools and universities in Quito, the disturbances resulted in injuries to 34 police officers (with no reported injuries to the demonstrators) and damage to historic public buildings. The violence is suspected to be a result of a far-right infiltration, and neo-nazi drawings were found at the scene.

The violence took place during a demonstration against proposals for a series of constitutional changes including measures that would allow President Correa to stand for election again should he choose to, and proposals for a progressive new labour law aimed at reducing wage inequality. If passed, the labour law will grant new economic rights for women and provide protection against discrimination at work for disabled people, African-Ecuadorians and the LGBT community. It will also set a new maximum wage to follow on from the measures already taken on banker bonuses.

President Rafael Correa has called the destabilisation attempts a ‘conservative onslaught’ designed to undermine a democratically elected government, and derail Ecuador’s Citizens’ Revolution. Describing it as part of an international movement to break progress in Latin America, he said the disturbances were: “A test to find out if they can do to us as they did to Venezuela: A ‘soft coup’, a long term war that consists in weakening the government with national and international support.“ You can watch a video of President Correa’s reaction here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYdYJHNVLQo

As in other parts of Latin America, Ecuador is faced with threats to its sovereignty due to external interference. A series of cables recently released shows repeated attempts by the United States to interfere with Ecuador’s government and oppose President Correa from the beginning. A cable from the US Ambassador in 2006 stated: “we have warned our political, economic, and media contacts of the threat Correa represents to Ecuador's future, and have actively discouraged potential alliances which could balance Correa's perceived radicalism.”

The events of 17th September stir memories of a violent coup attempt against President Correa on 30th September 2010. Carried out by a conservative section of the police force, the violence left eight dead, 274 wounded, and almost succeeded in toppling a democratically elected government. Sections of the mainstream private media had privileged information about the events and presented misleading information about the scale of support for the coup.

Since President Correa assumed office in 2007, Ecuador has reduced inequality four times faster than the average in Latin America, provided free healthcare and education to its citizens for the first time, and dramatically increased wage levels while reducing unemployment. Key to these gains has been taking on powerful vested interests on issues such as tax evasion, outsourcing, oil revenues and low-quality private schools. In a speech after the disturbances, President Correa said “Those who destroyed education are now talking about rescuing it, and those who allowed the theft of our oil, now call us traitors”

These tactics are designed to destabilise a popular, progressive government which, since 2006, has won ten consecutive elections including two presidential elections in the first round. The annual Latinbarometro poll places Ecuador first in support for democracy, fairness in the distribution of wealth and trust in the State, and approval ratings for the government are consistently over 70%. This is despite the mainstream private media consistently distorting events to portray a negative image of President Correa and the Citizens’ Revolution.

We therefore:

- Condemn the violence perpetrated by right-wing infiltrators during the opposition demonstration, and condemn any undemocratic, illegal and unconstitutional actions against the democratically elected and constitutional government of President Rafael Correa.
- Reject attempts by external forces such as the United States to undermine the sovereignty of the Ecuadorian people and destabilise Ecuador’s government.
- Express our support for President Rafael Correa and his democratically elected government, and commend the outstanding progressive social achievements of Ecuador’s Citizens Revolution.

Please send statements of support to friendsofecuadoruk@gmail.com

RIP David Haines

The shocking and brutal murder of David Haines is yet another outrage against humanity by the self-styled Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant or ISIL.

For them to claim that their pitiless acts of barbarism are committed in the name of Islam is a grotesque twisting of Islamic teaching and a blasphemy against Islam.

David Haines was a humanitarian aid worker. What kind of sick minds are capable of sadistically murdering someone whose prime motivation was compassion and humanitarianism?

And the fact that David's killer was apparently British makes the horror even more difficult to comprehend.

These murderers should not be dignified by referring to them as jihadists, they are savage serial killers.

The UK’s first priority must therefore be to stop any more young British people succumbing to this warped ideology and work with allies to cut off ISIL’s access to military hardware.

But Britain will also have to talk to Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria to ensure ISIL is ultimately defeated.

PUBLIC OPINION HAS MOVED TO THE LEFT ON KEY ISSUES

FOR much of its period in office, this Tory-led Government has stood accused of being out of touch with the British people.

When I made my maiden speech in the House of Commons on 25 May 2010, I implored the Government to learn the lessons of history. I said the power of the state can be a force for good, but my words fell on deaf ears.

Now, four-and-a-half-years after my parliamentary debut, it isn’t just opposition politicians like me who are calling for a progressive alternative – the public are calling for it too.

A range of opinion polls have indicated that the public’s verdict on this Government’s policies has resulted in public opinion moving to the left.

Take the issue of income tax. One of the Coalition’s most shameless moments, was when struggling families saw their tax credits slashed, on the same day that people earning over £150,000 were handed a 10 per cent tax cut.

That decision defined this Government. Tory MPs, aided and abetted by Liberal Democrats, reverted to a quintessentially Conservative Party doctrine of rewarding the rich, at the expense of everyone else.

Labour has pledged to reinstate the 50p tax rate on incomes above £150,000, but a YouGov poll shows a majority would go even further, introducing it at £100,000 instead. Moreover, 56 per cent of the population would welcome a 75 per cent tax rate on annual salaries above £1m.

At the other end of the earnings scale, a poll by Survation shows six in 10 people want the minimum wage increased to the Living Wage rate of £7.65 outside London.

On zero hours contracts too, the public is longing for change. Labour plans to give employees the right to demand fixed-hours contracts after working for the same employer for six months. But this Government won’t contemplate such a move, even though YouGov shows 56 per cent want a complete ban on these contracts, compared to just 25 per cent against.

As for private rented housing, YouGov says 45 per cent want the state to cap private sector rents, compared to 43 per cent against.

In education, an ICM poll also shows that most people oppose academies, preferring local councils to be accountable for schools instead.

There are many other areas too where the public seems to have moved to the left. According to YouGov, an overwhelming majority want to see the energy companies, railways and Royal Mail renationalised and more than half support a ‘Robin Hood’ tax on financial transactions.

So do these changes represent a political reawakening, or are they just indicative of a nation that’s had enough of being savaged by four-and-a-half years of Tory policies?

People can make their own minds up, but the conclusion that this Government is hopelessly out-of-touch with the British people is increasingly difficult to dispute.

FAUX CONCERN FOR FAMILIES CAN’T CONCEAL IMPACT OF GOVERNMENT’S DAMAGING POLICIES

WHEN I heard the news yesterday I wasn’t sure if I was listening to an updated adaptation of George Orwell’s ‘1984’ for one of Radio 4’s ‘Book of the Week’ series.

I thought it must be Rory Bremner or Alistair McGowan doing a particularly good impression of the Prime Minister’s voice making a newspeak announcement.

He said: “Every single domestic policy that the Government comes up with will be examined for its impact on the family…For me, nothing matters more than family. It's at the centre of my life and the heart of my politics”.

I was astonished when I realised that it really was the Prime Minister and not a fictional spokesman from the Ministry of Truth.

I’m sure people won’t be hoodwinked by this faux concern when the average working family will be £2,073 a year worse off by the next General Election thanks to this Government’s tax and benefit changes.

Alarming new data shows that, in total, David Cameron’s government has taken £15bn in support away from children and families.

These figures are no surprise when you consider the policy prospectus Mr Cameron has put in place since his Tories joined forces with the Lib Dems to form a government in 2010.

There was the bedroom tax, which affected some 220,000 households across the country, impacting directly on as many as 375,000 children.

Cuts to maternity pay, tax credits and support for new families show that the average family with a new born baby is £2,000 worse off, according to the House of Commons Library.

Then there were the cuts to claimable childcare costs through the working tax credit, meaning some families lost £1,500 per year.

All this, at a time when childcare costs have risen five times faster than wages, and when there are 628 fewer Sure Start Children’s Centres offering some 35,000 fewer places.

Add into the mix the fact that the average family has seen their energy bill rise by more than £300 since the last General Election, and it’s easy to see why many have faced a tough few years.

In fact the £2,000-plus that the average family finds itself short-changed by, is likely to be just part of the story. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that any family which falls into two or more of the categories detailed above will find itself significantly worse off.

That is what’s so totally unfair about this Government’s counterproductive austerity programme. Millions have had their standard of living diminished by a Cabinet stuffed full of millionaires who have enhanced their own privileged circumstances through the policies this Government has pursued.

The only sense in which this Government has put families first is by placing them right at the front of the queue for cuts, somewhere up there with the NHS and other public services.

It is only when a Labour Government returns to power that those families who the Prime Minister feigns to care about so deeply, will feel any sense of respite; and it is a day which can’t come quickly enough.

THE FUTURE OF BRITAIN’S YOUNG PEOPLE DEPENDS ON LABOUR

INTERNATIONAL Youth Day came and went last week without too much media attention. And yet unemployment, low pay, zero hour contracts and access to housing have hit young people particularly hard and this Government’s cuts programme is making matters far worse.

However, in contrast to the media’s failure to acknowledge International Youth Day, the public service union, UNISON, published a new report on cuts in youth services, as part of its ‘Damage’ series.

The UK’s youth services: how cuts are removing opportunities for young people and damaging their lives, is now available online at http://www.unison.org.uk/catalogue/22532

The report is based on two pieces of research: a Freedom of Information request sent to every council in the UK, to find out the extent of the cuts in youth services since 2012, and a survey of UNISON members, asking questions about the impact of the cuts on young people and the communities they live in.

The key findings discovered that:

• More than 2000 youth service jobs have been lost since 2012
• 350 youth centres have closed as a result of the cuts
• 41,000 youth service places for young people have been cut
• At least 35,000 hours of outreach work by youth workers have been removed
• Youth service spending has been cut by £60 million since 2012, and since 2010 the figure is £259m

The report makes clear that cuts to youth services lead to increased poverty, crime, higher youth unemployment and an increase in teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. These factors will have major knock-on effects on communities, the criminal justice system, the health service and the economy.

But rather than investing in our young people, this Government is hidebound by its neoliberal ideology, which is causing untold damage to Britain’s future generations. It makes the removal of the Tories and Liberal Democrats at the next election absolutely imperative.

But we also need to make sure that we in the Labour Party offer a genuinely progressive alternative. Implementing a radical programme in Government to create a new social democratic consensus similar to what we achieved in 1945 is essential.

The future wellbeing of Britain depends on us being brave and bold, taking on and defeating the corporate interests who have used globalisation to impoverish millions and enrich themselves at the expense of everyone else. Failure is not an option for us!

GOVT'S INDIFFERENCE TO CLIMATE CHANGE INCREASES DERBY’S FLOOD RISK

AN extra 330,000 properties will end up at risk of flooding over the next 20 years, thanks to this Government’s record on flood protection.

That’s another reason why Britain desperately needs Labour Government to protect our climate for families, their homes and businesses.

The problem stems from a mindset within the Conservative Party which has been guilty of indifference, inaction and downright hostility towards the very existence of climate change.

Unless action is taken, the consequences for Britain will be enormous. We’ve seen here in Derby how cuts to funding for flood defence work has left Chester Green exposed in the event of severe weather affecting the River Derwent.

We need to get investment in flood defence back on track as well as taking action on climate change by investing in renewable energy. Reducing demand for energy is also essential by financing a massive home insulation programme.

Such actions will not only reduce exposure to flooding and reduce the UK’s carbon emissions, it will also generate hundreds of thousands of good quality new jobs too.

DAVID CAMERON - A 21st CENTURY RICHARD II?

A few days after the Peasants Revolt was put down in 1381, King Richard ii made a speech in which he said:

"Peasants you were and peasants you are.

"You will remain in bondage not as before, but in an incomparably worse state.

"For as long as we are alive to achieve this, and by the grace of God rule this kingdom, we shall work with our minds, powers and possessions to keep you in such subjection that the abject state of your servitude may be an object lesson to posterity."

We need to ensure David Cameron, who is related to royalty, doesn't get another five years to inflict a 21st century version of Richard ii's menacing and pitiless peroration

GOVE’S GONE BUT THE FREE SCHOOL DEBACLE CONTINUES

THE axe may have fallen on Michael Gove’s tenure as Education Secretary, but it would be a mistake to confuse the Prime Minister’s tactical manoeuvring with a genuine agenda for change.

Far from being concerned by the radical attacks on education, David Cameron seems to have been delighted as Mr Gove has taken schools to the brink of privatisation and stripped power away from local authorities.

But the gross unpopularity of Mr Gove has made him a liability, and Mr Cameron’s decision was focussed purely on clinging on to votes ahead of next year’s General Election.

In all my adult life I have never known an education minister invoke such loathing among teaching professionals, unions and parents alike, as that directed towards Mr Gove.

He has stood in Conservative Party conferences and all-but accused teachers of being good-for-nothings without a care in the world for the education of children. He has moved the goalposts so many times that education professionals don’t know whether they are coming or going.

And he has imposed changes, like his disastrous ‘free schools’ programme, which has used young people as pawns in the Conservative Party’s foolish ambition to privatise as many public services as possible.

We have had first-hand experience in Derby of the Conservatives allowing their preposterous party political dogma to trump blindingly obvious common sense.

The shambolic introduction of the Al-Madinah Free School in my home city of Derby, and the failure to involve the local council in its running, put the education of hundreds of local children at great risk. Other examples of free school failures have emerged up and down the country.

Within hours of Mr Cameron’s announcement, social media was rife with jokes and quips about the welcome end of an era following Mr Gove’s move to Chief Whip. Somebody even went to the trouble to create an app allowing users to hit a cartoon figure of Mr Gove, and it predictably went viral.

But among the humour and delight of teachers and parents alike, we should not lose sight of the fact that, much of the damage has already been done.

In all the euphoria over Mr Gove’s departure, it’s worth remembering that at no point has the Prime Minister declared that his party will backtrack on any of Mr Gove’s more extreme policies.

On the contrary, from what I can see it’s business as usual. Mr Gove has played the bad guy brilliantly, but his removal in the cabinet reshuffle is just cynical window dressing 10 months before the General Election.

I’m afraid the dark clouds that have formed over schools across our country in the last four years show no signs of clearing while the Conservatives remain in Government.

WHY I BECAME A VEGAN

THERE are meat-eaters who abhor animal cruelty and vegans who are driven by matters other than animal welfare. But, in my case, the two have always been intrinsically linked.

I vividly remember being horrified as a 14-year-old given a summer job by my local butcher.
Having been led to believe I would be serving behind the counter, I was surprised on my first day to find myself exposed to the slaughterhouse next door.

Rather than serving up some prime steak for Mrs Smith or chicken fillets for Mr Brown, my unglamorous job was to feed sheep intestines through my fingers to be used for sausage skin.

But if that was unpleasant enough, nothing could have prepared me for some of the other horrors that I experienced on that first day.

I saw the fear in the eyes of the animals who were about to be killed. I can still picture that now, just as I can still smell the rank scent of death which filled the air in that awful place.

It was an experience that stayed with me for life and something that influenced my eventual decision that I could no longer partake in this industry.

I made that choice in 1976, some five years after that dreadful experience in the butcher's slaughterhouse.
Thinking back, I was inspired by people like Mahatma Gandhi, who said: "The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated."

I can even remember hearing Spike Milligan discussing his vegetarianism as he was being interviewed on the Michael Parkinson Show. That unquestionably influenced me, too, and may well have been the deciding factor. But, for me, becoming a vegan was less about emulating my heroes or making a statement.

It was much more about taking what seemed to be the next natural step, as a 19-year-old who was beginning to come to terms with some of the social injustices that would epitomise much of the next couple of decades.

It was an era that shaped the person and politician I became. My ideologies and beliefs were shaped in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and becoming a vegan was part of that.

Cruelty seemed inherent within the meat industry. So why would I want to partake in such a thing when I felt so passionately about it?

I joined the Hunt Saboteurs Association at around the same time and was elected on to the League Against Cruel Sports' board of trustees in 1979. It's a position I still hold with pride. And I'm as passionate now about fighting against cruelty to animals as I was back then. That made it easy for me to take my natural position on debates such as fox-hunting before that was finally resolved by the last Labour Government. It also sheds some light on why I have been such a vocal opponent of the appalling badger cull which remains in place, even if our campaign against it has forced the Tory-led Government to slow its progress. All that is because it is easy to campaign on an issue when it rankles with the belief systems you hold at your very core.

I abhor cruelty in any form and the way in which animals are reared has become more intensive, which has inevitably compromised welfare. But there are so many other reasons to believe that eating animals is fundamentally wrong, especially at a time when the earth's natural resources are under intense pressure and energy efficiency is more topical than ever.

Farmed animals consume 13 pounds of grain for every pound of meat produced. It is an incredibly wasteful use of land. It would be far more efficient to eat the crops directly rather than feeding them to animals first. Food crops can produce up to 15 times more protein per acre than each acre of land set aside for meat production.

Even more perversely, farmed fish need to be fed five pounds of wild-caught fish for every pound of flesh produced for human consumption.

It is grossly inefficient and makes no sense whatsoever.

In terms of energy consumption, 11 times more fossil fuel is exhausted to make a calorie of animal protein than it takes to make a calorie of food protein. And the livestock industry is responsible for nearly 20 per cent of the world's climate changing emissions.

Add in other alarming statistics, such as the fact that 50% of antibiotics are used to tackle health problems of animals being reared in intensive conditions, and it casts a dark shadow over the whole meat industry.

So, while my original decision was about cruelty to animals, there are dozens of other factors that reinforce my view that veganism is not just about morals, but about making a sustainable life choice.

Population growth and environmental considerations mean that meat consumption at present levels is untenable. Consequently, the likelihood is that, for future generations, a vegan diet will be the norm rather than the exception that it is today.

QUEEN’S SPEECH WAS A MISSED OPPORTUNITY

WEDNESDAY’S Queen’s Speech was yet another missed opportunity, by this out-of-touch zombie government, to announce measures that would address the real issues affecting people up and down the country.

One or two laudable bills like action on modern slavery were included, but it’s clear that this government has run out of ideas and is marking time up to the next election. It is more than half a century since so few bills were contained in a Queen's Speech.

By contrast, in response to the government’s pathetic programme for the year ahead, Labour leader, Ed Miliband set out what would be in a Labour Queen’s Speech.

We would have a bill to make work pay for all workers. That would include an increase in the National Minimum Wage and then linking it to a higher proportion of average earnings. It would outlaw exploitative zero-hour contracts and guarantee a regular contract to people working regular hours month after month. It would encourage businesses to pay the living wage and it would support working parents by offering 25 hours free childcare for three and found year olds.

We would have a Banking bill to establish a British Investment Bank as well as regional banks to support small businesses. And we would create at least two new sizeable and competitive banks to challenge the current domination of retail banking by the existing high street banks.

We would have a community bill to devolve power to local communities, enabling local councils to stop the spread of pay day lenders on their high streets. Local authorities like Derby City and Derbyshire County Councils would be given real powers over things like transport and skills policy to drive economic growth and create well-paid local jobs.

We would have an Immigration bill to stop ruthless employers and rogue employment agencies using migrant workers to undercut wages. This would be achieved by strengthening minimum wage enforcement, increasing the maximum fine to £50,0000 and banning the recruitment of workers exclusively from abroad.

We would have a Consumers' Bill that would include a commitment to freeze energy bills, reform the energy market and embark on a home insulation programme to secure lower longterm prices.

We would have a Housing bill to tackle the housing crisis and commit to building a million new homes by 2020. We would give councils powers to force developers sitting on land holdings with planning permission to build on it or lose it. Three year tenancies with predictable rents would become the norm in the private rented sector and letting agents would be prevented from imposing fees on tenants.

And we would have an NHS Bill to make it easier to see your GP, guaranteeing appointments within 48 hours. The Bill would include measures to repeal the Health and Social Care Act 2012 to stop in its tracks the creeping privatisation of our NHS that this government has been championing.
Other priorities that wouldn't necessarily need primary legislation, but would be mentioned in a Labour Queen’s Speech would include: the abolition of the bedroom tax, a jobs guarantee for unemployed kids and the return of the 50p tax rate on earnings above £150,000 per annum.

In just 334 days this optimistic progressive vision for Britain can become a reality when the British people get a chance to decide who governs Britain at the general election.

LABOUR WILL INCREASE THE MINIMUM WAGE TO HELP THOSE ON LOW PAY COPE WITH THE COST OF LIVING CRISIS

I’m proud that the last Labour government introduced the National Minimum Wage. This boosted pay for millions at the bottom without leading to a loss of jobs and now I can’t imagine a Britain without it.

But the issues we face today are different to those we faced at the end of the last century. The minimum wage was originally designed to prevent extreme low pay and abuse. Today, the challenge is to help people earning above the minimum wage but still living in poverty or dependent on benefits. Over five million people, or one in five employees, are low paid.

This has got worse under the Tories, with families on average £1,600 a year worse off since David Cameron became Prime Minister. And while this Government has given tax cuts to millionaires, the value of the national minimum wage has declined by five per cent since 2010.

Those on the lowest pay are at the sharpest end of the cost-of-living crisis. In-work poverty is a shocking legacy of the Tories’ four years in power and it’s only Labour government that would do something about it.

In September last year Ed Miliband asked Alan Buckle, former‎ Deputy Chairman at KPMG, to investigate how to improve the minimum wage. The report, published today, argues for a new framework to ensure that the minimum wage rises faster over the next five years than it has in the recent past, as part of a national mission to tackle low pay and build a new economy with more high skill, high paid jobs.

The report recommends that the next Labour Government should set an ambitious target to increase the minimum wage, bringing it closer to median earnings over a five-year period. This will ensure that there is a bond between the wealth we earn as a nation and the wages that people earn.

A clear five-year target gives businesses time to plan and adapt their business models so they are able to support higher wages for their employees.

The Tories’ economic policies over the last four years have resulted in higher prices, lower wages and a cost-of-living crisis that has hit tens of thousands of people in Derby. It is only Labour that will create a new economy that works for everyone instead of just a few at the top, and that begins by increasing the National Minimum Wage.

GUN LICENCE FEES SHOULD PAY FOR HOTLINE TO MONITOR GUN OWNERS

THE debacle over the Prime Minister’s personal intervention to block a rise in gun licence fees continues to rumble on – and taxpayers continue to subsidise wealthy gun owners. Currently the fee is £10 a year – the cost of a few cups of coffee. In an industry where people will regularly pay £1000s for a day’s shooting and champagne that is unacceptable.

The Gun Control Network has been told by Norman Baker, the Minister for Crime Prevention, that the move to full cost recovery has been agreed. But it was agreed by Damien Green his predecessor so whether this Minister will succeed in doing what the previous one failed to do remains to be seen.

The issue now is what the licence fee is supposed to cover and what the real cost is.

Gill Marshall-Andrews Chair of GCN says: “It’s obvious that the licence fee should cover the whole cost of administering a rigorous licensing regime that will keep guns out of the hands of unsuitable people and keep the public safe.

“That means it should cover all administration, checks for mental illness, domestic violence, criminal behaviour, alcohol and drug abuse, police court costs where appeals are made, and a hot line for families and neighbours who are concerned about the behaviour of a gun owner.

“The hot line is particularly important because we know there are many people who feel threatened by a gun owning partner or ex partner, or even a neighbour. Going to the police often doesn’t work for these people so a dedicated hot line is what’s urgently needed.

“Guns are lethal weapons and they do great damage in the wrong hands. The real cost of licensing guns is likely to be in the region of £50 a year not £10. It will be money well spent, but it should not be the taxpayers’ money.”

I complained to the Cabinet Secretary, Sir Jeremy Heywood, back in February about the Prime Minister’s intervention as I believed Mr Cameron had potentially breached the Ministerial Code. Paragraph 7.1 state: “Ministers must ensure that no conflict arises, or could reasonably be perceived to arise, between their public duties and their private interests, financial or otherwise.

After three reminder letters I eventually received a response from Sir Jeremy last week. He said he was “satisfied that the Prime Minister did not intervene improperly in the decision on firearms licensing fees.” He went on to say the “matter was handled entirely properly through the ministerial clearance process.”

At a time of unprecedented cuts in funding for public services, including the police, there can be no justification for this subsidy to continue.

MORE WORKING PEOPLE IN DERBY NEED HOUSING BENEFIT TO HELP MEET RENT SINCE THIS GOVT CAME TO POWER

THE Tories talk tough about reducing the benefits bill but the truth is they’ve failed to get to grips with the problem. In fact, their cost-of-living crisis has now left hundreds of working people in Derby relying on housing benefit to help pay their bills.

Since David Cameron became Prime Minister, the number of working people claiming housing benefit in Derby has increased by a staggering 55 per cent.

Working people are now on average £1600 a year worse off as wages have fallen while prices have soared. Many people in work can’t get the hours they need while low-paid and insecure work is forcing more people to rely on housing benefit.

We also face a massive housing shortage in this country yet this government has presided over the lowest level of home building since the 1920s. David Cameron's failure to tackle this shortage means the cost of housing is rising beyond the reach of ordinary working people.

It can’t be right that ordinary people who do the right thing and go to work have to rely on housing benefit. The Tory-led government is either unwilling or unable to do anything about this and David Cameron seems content to let the British taxpayer pick up the bill.

Labour intends to take immediate action to deal with the cost-of-living crisis by freezing gas and electricity bills until 2017 if we win the election. And we’ll make work pay by introducing a lower 10p starting rate of tax, raising the national minimum wage and ending the abuse of zero-hours contracts.

But you can't deal with the cost-of-living crisis without building more homes. That's why Labour has committed to getting at least 200,000 homes built a year by 2020. We’ll also reform the private rented sector by banning rip-off letting agent fees for tenants and introducing long-term stable tenancies with predictable rents.

The increased number of working people claiming housing benefit shows you can’t trust the Tories or their Lib Dem collaborators to solve the cost-of-living crisis. Only Labour has the policies and the determination to stand up and make a real difference.

GOVERNMENT EXCLUDES MICRO-BUILDERS FROM BUILDERS FUND

LABOUR'S commitment to a house building renaissance is essential to tackle the country's housing crisis.

The government’s ‘Help to Buy’ scheme and its 'Builders Finance Fund' do not go far enough, and Help to Buy could actually make matters worse.

Although the Builders Finance Fund is supposed improve access to finance for small house builders, the minimum threshold of 15 units will exclude many small and micro-house builders.

The Federation of Master Builders (FMB) has pointed out that most of its members build schemes of fewer than 15 new homes. The FMB’s chief executive says it is “disappointing” that this fund will not be open to micro-house builders.

He said: “If Ministers want to see a meaningful spike in SME house building, the 15 to 250 unit is wrong.

LET’S EARN OUR WAY OUT OF THE COST-OF-LIVING CRISIS THROUGH HIGH QUALITY, HIGHLY PAID JOBS

The cost-of-living crisis has been going on for far too long, for far too many people in Derby. Youth unemployment is all too commonplace, public service jobs have been slashed and the pernicious attacks on Derby's poorest communities has led to a surge in demand for foodbanks in the city

Every time I hold an advice surgery and even when I am out shopping people tell me how they are struggling and that things are getting harder, not easier for them. The prices of essentials such as food, clothes and heating are rising much faster than wages thanks to the slowest economic recovery in over a century.

That is why the government’s talk of recovery rings hollow for local people in Derby who are still struggling with the cost of living crisis. The workers, pensioners and unemployed people I speak to know that one set of figures on an economist’s spreadsheet isn’t going to help them pay their bills.

This is the nature of the economic recovery under this dreadful Tory-Lib Dem government: tax cuts for millionaires while people on lower and middle incomes get left behind.

The government’s dismissal of the cost of living crisis demonstrates how out of touch it is with the reality facing people in places like Derby. The government can’t deal with the long-term challenges we face because it’s committed to a race to the bottom built on low pay, low skills, low prospects and low productivity.

Since David Cameron became Prime Minister, there has been a surge in the number of insecure jobs, with the number of people on zero hours contracts tripling since 2010. And too many of these jobs are low paid, with employment growing twice as fast in low paid sectors as in higher paid sectors.

A hundred years ago today Keir Hardie made his "Sunshine of Socialism" speech in which he referred to the accpeted view of the Conservatives and Liberals of his era who thought it "an offence against laws of nature and ruinous to the State for public authorities to provide food for starving children, or independent aid for the aged poor. Even safety regulations in mines and factories were taboo. They interfered with the ‘freedom of the individual’. As for such proposals as an eight-hour day, a minimum wage, the right to work, and municipal houses, any serious mention of such classed a man as a fool."

Keir Hardy described these views as "cruel, heartless dogmas." The incredibly sad fact is that these selfsame cruel, heartless dogmas are the mainstream opinion in the modern day Tory and Lib Dem parties.

As Keir Hardy identified 100 years ago, the way to make a real difference in people’s lives is to make sure the economy works for working people. That begins by creating decent, secure, well-paid jobs so we can all benefit from the recovery.

The next Labour government will build a highly skilled, higher wage economy. This will mean more jobs in skilled construction trades, better quality jobs in health and caring professions and more growth in the technology sector.

But this can’t be just imposed from Westminster – real change needs local people to make the difference and create the jobs we need. We will back city and county regions to become engines of growth so they can develop their own economic strategies, clearly focused on the creation of well-paid jobs for local people.

The cost of living crisis is far from over for people on lower and middle incomes. Too many people have been locked out of the economic recovery and are unlikely to feel the benefits under this appalling Tory-Lib Dem government. By creating more high-quality, well paid jobs Labour will ensure that we all benefit from our future economic prosperity.

DEVOLVING POWER TO LOCAL GOVERNMENT IS GOOD FOR DEMOCRACY AND GOOD FOR THE ECONOMY

Ed Miliband made an important speech yesterday about devolution of power to local government. It was a bold speech and long overdue. Devolving power to local councils is something for which I have been campaigning for over 25 years.

The centralising tendency of both parties over the last 100 years got completely out of hand when Margaret Thatcher’s Tory government came to power in 1979. Our period in office from 1997 to 2010 did little to reverse that.

It is therefore excellent news that Ed has set out Labour’s intentions should we win the election next year. I have just come back from Lyon, which I was visiting with the CLG Select Committee as part of our enquiry into fiscal devolution. I was incredibly impressed by what they have archived and the scale of their ambition.

France is itself going through a transition from what they consider to be an over centralised state to greater autonomy at a local level. However, under the pre-existing arrangements, French local authorities were able to raise a far bigger proportion of their budget without recourse to their government. It is clear that the French value their public services and that government trusts locally elected representatives to make decisions on behalf of their electorate without meddling.

This is something we need to learn in England and Ed’s speech sets out an alternative vision that will see Labour will introduce the biggest devolution of power to English cities in the last century. We need our cities and towns to be engines of growth, so that we can create well paid jobs and tackle the cost-of-living crisis. At least £20billion will be devolved from Whitehall over the Parliament.

It will mean stronger local democracy, more and better economic growth and jobs, and public services that better meet the needs of local people.

If we also restructure local government to remove the two tier structure, that still pertains in many counties, we could free up valuable resources. This would also have the additional benefit of creating a system of local government that it is more easily understood by the public.

Our Victorian forebears built our cities, including their banks, parks, libraries, factories, and town halls. They were the engines of our industrial revolution, sources of our prosperity, and monuments to patriotic pride.

When the CLG Select Committee reports on its enquiry into fiscal devolution, it will add another useful dimension to the debate about tackling our overly centralised state, which is no longer fit for purpose – if it ever was!

RAMS MAULING OF FOREST CAN LIFT THE WHOLE CITY

THE stereotypical image of an MP is probably someone in a grey suit talking about the economy or other important issues.

But I don’t mind admitting I was bouncing around like a child on a trampoline as Derby County thrashed Nottingham Forest at Pride Park.

What a result. I always felt we would have enough in the locker, even with our injuries, to get the better of Forest.

But I thought it would be close and tense. Not in my wildest dreams did I imagine we would send them packing on the back of such a heavy defeat.

On a footballing front, it shows what the Rams are capable of. We can build on the result and hopefully clinch an automatic promotion spot, but at the very least it sets us up for a confident finish in the play-offs.

And what might it mean psychologically if we face Forest again in the play-offs, which is easily possible? What advantage does that give us going into such an encounter?

Beyond the pitch, success like this also has the potential to do good things on a wider front.

Let’s be honest, society hasn’t been its happiest in the last four years.

We are in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis, energy bills are rising while wages have dropped under this Government.

The impact of the Government cuts have been felt locally too. The city council, police and fire authorities have had their budgets savaged by the current incumbents of 10 Downing Street.

That leads to very tough choices being made and, inevitably, services being cut.

So what’s the link to thrashing Forest 5-0?

Quite simply, a result like that can unite us. It can put the feelgood factor back in the city, not only in the short-term but possibly in the longer term too if the Rams can build on this success.

I don’t deny there will be some people out there saying: “It’s only a game”.

And if you don’t feel the joy of a Derby County success then that may be true.

But I think that most people in Derby do, whether they’re season ticket holders or even if they’ve never been to Pride Park.

We are a people who are proud of our city, something we’ve shown time and again when we have united on issues like Bombardier losing the Thameslink contract, or when the Fair Deal for Derby campaign showed that we were receiving unfair funding from the Government.

And we’ve got every reason to be proud of our city, and our magnificent football club, today.

HELP TO BUILD GETS THUMBS UP

THE Labour Party’s proposal for a ‘Help to Build’ guarantee scheme to improve access to finance for small and medium-sized house builders has been given the thumbs up from the Federation of Master Builders (FMB).

The FMB says it would provide a welcome boost to help increase the supply of new housing, and they are right. This needs to sit alongside a major investment in a new generation council housing.

The obscene expenditure subsidising private landlords through housing benefit each year should be used to build houses instead. Currently £9.5 billion of the total £24 billion annual housing benefit bill goes to private landlords.

We need a mixed approach to housing provision that would generate much needed skilled jobs and give a boost to the construction supply chain. If we are going to tackle the nation’s housing crisis we need the public and private sectors working in harmony to provide good quality affordable homes to rent and buy.

This government’s obsession with ‘selling off the family silver’ through the heavily discounted right to buy will only make the housing crisis worse. I agree with the FMB’s Chief Executive, Brian Berry, who said: “To provide the number of new homes we need in this country, both builders and buyers need access to finance.” The problem is the present government’s ‘Help to Buy’ scheme is increasing accessing to finance but is doing little to increase supply, which is creating another house price bubble.

The SME house building sector used to deliver around two thirds of all new homes but it now only delivers less than one third. Furthermore, the number of firms in the market has plummeted over the past five years, further reducing the industry’s capacity. As Brian Berry points out: “Without access to finance on reasonable terms, SME house builders will remain hamstrung in their ability to increase the supply of new homes.”

The chancellor could use the budget to boost the supply of affordable housing and assist SME house builders. I just hope he’s listening.

BOB CROW DIES – A TRUE WORKING CLASS HERO

I HAVE known Bob Crow for almost four years now. I first met him when I joined the RMT Group of MPs when I was first elected in 2010.

He was absolutely solid in his support of Derby’s Bombardier workers when this Government awarded the Thameslink contract to Siemens. I remember marching proudly with him at the front of the 10,000 column of people in Derby in protest at the Government’s crass decision.

John McDonnell, Convenor of the RMT Group of MPs, said: “The RMT Parliamentary Group is absolutely devastated by the tragic loss of Bob Crow, and send out deepest condolences to his family and friends and the members of his union, the RMT.

“Bob was one of the finest trade unionists we have ever seen. He was simply loved by his members and re-elected time and again.

“He was an outstanding socialist and a tireless campaigner for a better transport system not just for his members but for all the public. He was a political giant and will be sorely missed.”

Bob was a true working class hero and I will miss him. RIP comrade.

BADGER CULL IN IRELAND DID NOT REDUCE bTB

BBC accepts it was wrong to state that badger culling in Republic Ireland reduced TB in cattle. In a ground-breaking decision the BBC today accepted it was wrong to state that badger culling in the Republic of Ireland had reduced incidences of TB in cattle.

The statement was following a complaint from a member of the public concerning an article published on the BBC Website on the 31st May 2013 “How did the Irish badger cull play out?”
The BBC accepted that the language used in the article had not been sufficiently precise, as it suggested that the badger cull might be a factor in helping control the disease, when this was scientifically unproven.

Although data did show a decline in the number of cattle infected with TB in Ireland, the BBC accepted there was no conclusive evidence to show that the badger cull had been categorically responsible for any of this decline and so it was inaccurate to say that, along with other measures, it can help control the disease.

This conclusion has huge implications, simply because the Government has sought on numerous occasions to justify its own badger cull on the apparent ‘success’ of killing badgers in Ireland. In one such example in the Independent on Sunday, the DEFRA Secretary of State, Owen Paterson stated:

“Go to the Republic of Ireland where you had a spectacular increase in TB until they started to cull badgers, they’ve gone down from 40,000 to 18,000 cases and its dropping fast.”
Those campaigning against the cull say that this is yet another deliberate attempt to deceive the public and the media. Responding to the BBC decision, Dominic Dyer, CEO of the Badger Trust and Policy Advisor to Care for the Wild, said:

“This decision raises serious concerns over statements made by the Government to MPs and the public that the large scale culling of badgers in the Republic of Ireland is an effective example of TB reduction in cattle that should be followed in the UK.

“Under the BBC Editorial ruling Owen Paterson and others would no longer be able to make statements claiming that culling played a role in reducing TB in Ireland, as they would be considered misleading and not based on scientific evidence. The question is, will Owen Paterson now withdraw the statements he has made about culling in Ireland following the BBC ruling? And will the Government avoid any further statements of this kind?

“The shocking thing is, the government has been aware from the beginning that the scientific evidence does not underpin the claim that culling badgers reduces bovine TB, but they have continued to make this claim because they’ve been allowed to get away with it. The badger cull is a deeply unpopular policy and we believe that even more people would oppose it than already do, if the truth was told consistently. So it’s very important the government bases all its statements on peer reviewed evidence and not spin the story to suit its own political agenda.”

The BBC ruling could further damage the Government’s stance on the badger cull, within a week of a leaked report from the Government’s Independent Expert Panel (IEP), which showed that in addition to dramatically failing to reach kill targets during the cull, the pilot cull also failed to reach their own humaneness criteria. Next Thursday anti-cull campaigners will hold a large protest in Old Palace Yard to coincide with a back bench debate in the Houses of Parliament to discuss the failure of the culls in light of the report.

NEW FIGURES SHOW INCREASE IN TUBE TICKET OFFICE TRANSACTIONS

NEW figures obtained by the Labour Group on the GLA and released today show a net increase in total transactions at tube ticket offices from 7.418 million in 2012 to 7.577 million in 2013 – making a nonsense of claims that the booking offices are in decline and some sort of relic from the past.

The latest figures come hot on the tail of other research which has exposed the fact that David Cameron’s claim in Parliament that “only 3% of transactions now involve ticket offices” is totally misleading and disingenuous.

Independent research by fullfactl.org shows that the truth is that one in five journeys, 20%, originate at a ticket office.

COLD HOMES WEEK IS GRIM REALITY 52 WEEKS A YEAR FOR MANY

COLD homes week was a series of events and activities designed to focus attention on the shocking state of many of the UK’s homes - and the terrible effect on the people left shivering inside them.

The event was organised by Energy Bill Revolution, which revealed new fuel poverty figures showing seven million people in England are in fuel poverty – meaning they cannot keep their homes warm at a reasonable price.

The figures includes 2.2 million children growing up in cold homes.

The shocking figure is based on a new Government definition of fuel poverty for England which, when introduced, classified far less people as fuel poor than the previous definition.

The Energy Bill Revolution campaign brought together almost 180 organisations, charities and companies to call on the Government to do much more to help those in cold homes by providing far more support to insulation and energy efficiency schemes.

The campaigners point to other countries, such as Sweden, where incomes and fuel prices are broadly similar to the UK, but better housing means more people can afford to heat their homes.

Billions of pounds in “carbon taxes” currently disappear into the Treasury, and the campaign called on the Government to recycle this money into help for households to become more efficient.

I welcome this initiative and was more than happy to give it my backing in Westminster.I tabled a series of amendments to the Energy Bill last year to establish clear targets for the eradication of fuel poverty – but they were voted down by the Government.

The work of organisations like Energy Bill Revolution is clear evidence that this growing issue needs addressing - and quickly.

HOLLOW FLOODS PLEDGE?

DAVID Cameron’s pledges in the wake of the recent devastating floods had the hollow sound of a burglar promising to buy a black and white portable telly to replace the 50-inch plasma he stole last week.

I’m afraid for the residents hit by the floods which have ravaged parts of England and Wales, the horse had well and truly bolted long before Mr Cameron made his shallow commitment to firmly close the stable door.

For it was his Government’s reckless austerity measures which had stolen millions of pounds of flood protection funding from those very same areas in which he stood and declared his determination to help residents now and in the future.

Programmes to protect against the risk of flooding right across the Thames Valley have been delayed, stripped back or downgraded since the day Mr Cameron came to Government in 2010 and set about cutting left, right and centre in double-quick time.

Far from being supportive, Mr Cameron’s display as he pledged to repair the damage was a master class in the art of being deceitful and disingenuous.

And we know all about this particular issue in Derby. Our £80m scheme to protect residents, largely in Chester Green and Darley Abbey, is now reliant on public and private sector funding to bridge a vast gap created by yet another Government cutback.

I was as pleased as anyone when the £33.5m grant was confirmed, but the sting in the tail was the news that it was dependent on someone else raising the rest.

How long will it take this Government to get the message that it almost always makes economic sense to invest a little and save a lot?

Does Mr Cameron really believe for a moment that the savings he made by cutting back the schemes in the Thames Valley outweighed the vast expense now being faced by home owners and insurance companies in those areas as they try to repair the damage?

Of course it isn’t. And not just that, but the flood protection measures don’t just shield homes and livelihoods from one instance, but repeated instances. The savings from investing in such infrastructure improvements will be realised time and again with every flood that is avoided.

That’s why it is vitally important that the Government is held to account for Mr Cameron’s promise that he will spend whatever money is necessary to right this wrong.

I don’t doubt for a moment that those words were about as meaningful as they left his lips as the average a Lib Dem pledge to protect students or low earners.

But it is up to the rest of us to give them meaning by reminding Mr Cameron of his duty to learn from his Government’s repeated mistakes and protect our flood risk areas now and going forwards, and remind him we shall.

We should not kid ourselves that the bad fortune bestowed upon those whose lives have been left in turmoil by the floods is matched only by the luck of the draw for those who have avoided it.

There are many residents in my Derby North constituency who live in flood risk areas, and they know only too well that, on another occasion, it could have been them.

No Government can be expected to predict the weather but it is perfectly reasonable to expect that they take reasonable precautions to protect against it.

And it is on that front that David Cameron and his Government have badly let down the nation.

DERBY’S AT ITS BEST WHEN IT STANDS UNITED

DERBY’S schools will rally in the coming weeks and months to support those children badly let down by Michael Gove’s disastrous free school experiment.

Those schools could be forgiven for turning their backs on the episode, such is the disgraceful manner in which the Education Secretary has repeatedly belittled their profession.

You could understand if they told Mr Gove to sort out his own mess, after his frequent attempts to tarnish the reputations of Derby’s schools with lies and falsehoods about standards in Derby.

But instead they will extend a welcome to every former Al-Madinah School pupil they accommodate. They will work tirelessly to integrate those children and help them catch up.

They will do this not because they have to, nor because mopping up Michael Gove’s mess saves him a whole heap of embarrassment.

They will do it because, unlike him, they put the education and wellbeing of our city’s children first, second and third. It is a concept Michael Gove would not grasp.

Education standards in Derby are improving faster than in virtually any other part of the country.

Mr Gove simply cannot bear that fact, and he cannot bear Derby.

It sometimes feels like he and his Government have held a grudge against our city since we stood united against the disgraceful decision to build the Thameslink trains in Germany instead of Derby’s Bombardier.

How satisfying it was to see the train maker awarded the £1bn Crossrail deal last week after our tireless campaigning.

The Government has seen our city as a nuisance since thousands of residents came together to demand a Fair Deal for Derby, after it was shown that Government cuts were punishing cities like ours worst.

Perhaps they saw Derby as an irrelevance. Perhaps they thought we would accept our lot lying down. They were mistaken.

In 30 years in politics, I can rarely remember the city pulling together with such unity on so many occasions in the face of unfair treatment.

And so Derby will dust itself down and pull together once more after the Al-Madinah shambles.

Mr Gove’s free school programme was bound for failure from the outset. While professionals were unfairly pilloried and ridiculed by the minister, free schools were granted untold freedoms and allowed to recruit untrained teachers.

The lesson he should learn from this sorry affair is the necessity to involve local authorities. Derby City Council would have intervened and rescued the Al-Madinah School long before now, if only it had been allowed.

Whether he learns that lesson remains to be seen.

But even Mr Gove must surely have learned by now that our city will not tolerate being treated with contempt by him or his Government colleagues.

TACKLING COLD HOMES WOULD CREATE JOBS & GROWTH

The Energy Bill Revolution is calling on the Government to use the money it gets from carbon taxes to make our homes super-energy efficient. This is the only permanent way to end fuel poverty and drive down household energy bills.

Research has already demonstrated the social and environmental benefits of the programme. It shows that nine out of ten living in cold homes would be removed from fuel poverty. It also shows that the reduction in carbon emissions would be four times greater than the Government’s current policies.

A new report for Consumer Focus shows that:

• Compared to alternatives the Government is considering to boost the economy, like cutting VAT, reducing fuel duty or investing in capital infrastructure projects such as building roads, an energy efficiency programme is a more effective way to stimulate the economy.
• Such a programme would create 71,000 jobs by 2015 and up to 130,000 jobs by 2027.
• The resulting reduction in gas and oil imports would boost economic growth as well as improve the country’s energy security.
• By reducing the amount of money consumers have to spend on energy they would have more money in the wallet to spend on UK products and services.
• The energy efficiency programme is ‘shovel ready’ – fast to mobilise.
• And it would stimulate economic activity and jobs in ALL regions of the UK.
• It employs workers in construction and allied sectors where there is surplus capacity – so investment is less likely to ‘crowd out’ alternate economic activity.
• It would also reduce NHS expenditure on treating cold-related illnesses such as respiratory and coronary diseases.

These research findings have important implications. They show that recycling carbon tax revenue to make homes super-energy efficient is a major opportunity for the Government to re-build the UK economy.

The economy would benefit from increased economic activity, job creation and reduced imports of gas and oil. And, millions of British families would obtain ongoing benefits from warmer homes, reduced energy bills and better health.