I have just written to Francis Maude MP regarding the Justice for Coalfields campaign. The text of my letter is set out below.
Francis Maude MP
Minister for the Cabinet Office
70 Whitehall
London
SW1A 2AS
30 January2014
Dear Francis
JUSTICE FOR THE COALFIELDS
As you know the 1984 cabinet papers made available earlier this month has reopened old wounds relating to the yearlong miners’ strike.
I have to say I was shocked by the way in which Margaret Thatcher used the instruments of the state against ordinary working class men and women. Their only ‘crime’ was in seeking to protect their communities and to secure a future for their children. Most of those pit villages never recovered, which is why many see Margaret Thatcher as an abomination and were incredulous about the quasi-state funeral she was given last year. I hope you will understand how these revelations have only intensified the bitterness and sense of injustice.
Coal mining was a way of life for communities throughout our land. It beggars belief that it was ended, not for any right or justifiable reasons, but because of a determination to crush the National Union of Mineworkers. In my home county, Derbyshire, we lost the Arkwright and Cadley Hill pits in 1988. Within three years the Creswell pit had gone too, followed in successive years by those in Shirebrook, Bolsover and Markham. Even after Margaret Thatcher had been replaced, more and more pits found it impossible to continue and yet we’re importing around 45 million tonnes of coal each year.
I would therefore like to join my colleagues in calling on your Government to:
• Formally apologise for the actions of the previous Conservative Government
• Detail all interactions between the Government and police during that period
• Release all information about government-police communications specifically around Orgreave, with a proper investigation which might go a little way to rebuild public confidence.
A gross injustice was done to Britain’s coalfields communities by Margaret Thatcher’s and John Major’s Governments. If your Government’s commitment to transparency means anything, you will accede to these three reasonable requests.
Yours sincerely
Chris Williamson MP
Thursday 30 January 2014
Wednesday 29 January 2014
JUSTICE FOR COALFIELDS DEMANDED
The 1984 cabinet papers released earlier this month revealed the true scale of the divide and rule politics at the heart of Margaret Thatcher’s Conservative government.
It was confirmed that, despite denials, at the time there was a secret plan to close 75 pits at the cost of some 65,000 jobs, that the Conservative government sought to influence police tactics to escalate the dispute and Mrs Thatcher even actively considered declaring a state of emergency and deploying the Army to defeat the miners, their families and the unions.
We now know the miners’ strike was not simply an industrial dispute but the consequence of government policy driven by an economic ideology which sought the destruction of a way of life.
Today, Labour is launching a campaign, ‘Justice for the Coalfields’. We are calling on the Government to do three things:
• Make a formal apology for the actions of the previous Conservative Government during the time of the strike
• Set out all details of the interactions between the Government and the police at the time of the strike
• Release all information about government-police communications specifically around Orgreave, with a proper investigation which might go a little way to rebuild public confidence, as Yvette Cooper has called for previously
The 30th Orgreave anniversary is an opportunity to begin to put right some of the wrongs that were inflicted on the coalfield communities during the strike. Between now and June 18th Labour will campaign for Conservative ministers to apologise and increase transparency to begin to foster reconciliation with coalfields communities.
We all know that lasting damage was done by the then government – something which is still being felt today. This is an opportunity to for the Conservatives to begin to make amends.
It was confirmed that, despite denials, at the time there was a secret plan to close 75 pits at the cost of some 65,000 jobs, that the Conservative government sought to influence police tactics to escalate the dispute and Mrs Thatcher even actively considered declaring a state of emergency and deploying the Army to defeat the miners, their families and the unions.
We now know the miners’ strike was not simply an industrial dispute but the consequence of government policy driven by an economic ideology which sought the destruction of a way of life.
Today, Labour is launching a campaign, ‘Justice for the Coalfields’. We are calling on the Government to do three things:
• Make a formal apology for the actions of the previous Conservative Government during the time of the strike
• Set out all details of the interactions between the Government and the police at the time of the strike
• Release all information about government-police communications specifically around Orgreave, with a proper investigation which might go a little way to rebuild public confidence, as Yvette Cooper has called for previously
The 30th Orgreave anniversary is an opportunity to begin to put right some of the wrongs that were inflicted on the coalfield communities during the strike. Between now and June 18th Labour will campaign for Conservative ministers to apologise and increase transparency to begin to foster reconciliation with coalfields communities.
We all know that lasting damage was done by the then government – something which is still being felt today. This is an opportunity to for the Conservatives to begin to make amends.
Tuesday 28 January 2014
ED BALLS RESPONDS TO TODAY'S GDP FIGURES
SHADOW Chancellor, Ed Balls, responded to today’s GDP figures, this morning. He said:
"Today’s growth figures are welcome and long overdue after three damaging years of flatlining. But for working people facing a cost-of-living crisis this is still no recovery at all.
"Wages are now down £1600 a year after inflation under David Cameron and tax and benefit changes since 2010 have left families worse off by an average of £891 this year.
"And with business investment still weak, construction output down and housing demand outstripping housing supply, this is not yet a recovery that is built to last.
"Risks remain in the global economy and simply to catch up all the lost ground since 2010 we need 1.6 per cent growth each quarter between now and the election.
"Labour has set out a plan to secure a strong and balanced recovery and earn our way to higher living standards for the many, not just a few at the top.
"We will reform our banks and energy markets, cut business rates, expand free childcare to make work pay and get 200,000 new homes a year built by 2020.
"And we will make fairer choices to balance the books where this government has failed. That’s why for the next Parliament we will reverse David Cameron’s tax cut for the top one per cent of earners on over £150,000.”
"Today’s growth figures are welcome and long overdue after three damaging years of flatlining. But for working people facing a cost-of-living crisis this is still no recovery at all.
"Wages are now down £1600 a year after inflation under David Cameron and tax and benefit changes since 2010 have left families worse off by an average of £891 this year.
"And with business investment still weak, construction output down and housing demand outstripping housing supply, this is not yet a recovery that is built to last.
"Risks remain in the global economy and simply to catch up all the lost ground since 2010 we need 1.6 per cent growth each quarter between now and the election.
"Labour has set out a plan to secure a strong and balanced recovery and earn our way to higher living standards for the many, not just a few at the top.
"We will reform our banks and energy markets, cut business rates, expand free childcare to make work pay and get 200,000 new homes a year built by 2020.
"And we will make fairer choices to balance the books where this government has failed. That’s why for the next Parliament we will reverse David Cameron’s tax cut for the top one per cent of earners on over £150,000.”
Sunday 26 January 2014
DECADES HAVE PAST BUT WE MUST STILL REMEMBER
THIS month marks the 69th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi concentration and death camp Auschwitz-Birkenau, the site of the largest mass murder in history.
In the weeks leading up to and after Holocaust Memorial Day, on Monday 27 January, thousands of commemorative events were arranged by schools, faith groups and community organisations across the country, to remember all the victims of the Holocaust and subsequent genocides.
The Holocaust remains one of the most horrific chapters in human history, and something we must never forget.
For my part, I had no hesitation whatsover in signing the Holocaust Educational Trust’s Book of Commitment in the House of Commons, honouring those who died during the Holocaust as well as the extraordinary Holocaust survivors who work tirelessly to educate young people about what they endured.
In the weeks leading up to and after Holocaust Memorial Day, on Monday 27 January, thousands of commemorative events were arranged by schools, faith groups and community organisations across the country, to remember all the victims of the Holocaust and subsequent genocides.
The Holocaust remains one of the most horrific chapters in human history, and something we must never forget.
For my part, I had no hesitation whatsover in signing the Holocaust Educational Trust’s Book of Commitment in the House of Commons, honouring those who died during the Holocaust as well as the extraordinary Holocaust survivors who work tirelessly to educate young people about what they endured.
FIGURES REVEAL REPOSSESSION FEARS
ONE in every 95 households in Derby is at risk of eviction or repossession as rising housing costs push more families to the brink of financial ruin.
The alarming figure has been released by the homeless charity Shelter, and reveals that Derby households are at far greater risk than those across the East Midlands as a whole.
Throughout the region, around one in every 122 households is at the same risk.
Shelter also stated that in the last six months of 2013, it recorded 171 calls to its helpline from worried Derby residents – although the charity warned that figure won’t include the great many people who call anonymously.
Unforunately, the figures are reflected in the casework I deal with supporting city residents.
We are in the midst of a cost of living crisis. It is something which has become increasingly obvious to me as I help residents in my regular surgeries, and it is something which this Government is failing to address.
People are in poverty and there is an impact of that. In this case it is that families and individuals are at real risk of losing their homes because they simply cannot afford them.
The alarming figure has been released by the homeless charity Shelter, and reveals that Derby households are at far greater risk than those across the East Midlands as a whole.
Throughout the region, around one in every 122 households is at the same risk.
Shelter also stated that in the last six months of 2013, it recorded 171 calls to its helpline from worried Derby residents – although the charity warned that figure won’t include the great many people who call anonymously.
Unforunately, the figures are reflected in the casework I deal with supporting city residents.
We are in the midst of a cost of living crisis. It is something which has become increasingly obvious to me as I help residents in my regular surgeries, and it is something which this Government is failing to address.
People are in poverty and there is an impact of that. In this case it is that families and individuals are at real risk of losing their homes because they simply cannot afford them.
Thursday 23 January 2014
FLAWED DATA PROMPTED RASH CULL
THERE was a nasty sense of de ja vu as it was revealed that a key piece of data which informed the Government’s controversial cull of badgers was based on flawed statistics.
The cost of this disgraceful cull – which I have vehemently opposed from the outset – has been reported in some quarters to be as much as £2m. Put another way, about £1,300 per dead badger.
Not only that, but the exercise, which started last summer, has been played out in the midst of an increasing abundance of scientific evidence suggesting it will not succeed in its stated aim of tackling bovine tuberculosis.
And now it transpires that, besides all that, the number of herds affected by TB were massively overestimated in the first place because of a computer glitch.
Wouldn’t it be nice if Government ministers would come out and explain themselves?
Instead, the revelation has been met by an eerie wall of silence from the same ministers who have done their utmost to mask figures on the cull since the nasty policy was first implemented.
So let’s recap:
A controversial Government decision in the face of both moral and professional advice against it;
The emergence of revelations detailing a fundamental flaw in the process;
Silent Government ministers, refusing to provide the answers the public deserve.
Ring any bells? To me it has horrible overtones of one of the greatest injustices I have witnessed in my Derby North constituency since becoming an MP – the Government’s appalling treatment of Derby train maker Bombardier.
On that occasion the moral offence was handing a lucrative £1.4bn contract overseas when the British economy was crying out for such a stimulus.
The dismissal of professional advice came in the form of industry experts identifying a whole host of errors in the procurement process which saw Bombardier overlooked.
And the revelations came as, unsurprisingly, the incompetence of ministers resulted in the completion date being set further and further back.
That particular fiasco makes my blood boil to this day, and I fear we are treading a similarly turbulent path over the badger cull.
I spoke at length on the issue in a Westminster Hall debate shortly before Christmas.
In that debate, I detailed the scientific evidence outlining the risks that the cull will not only fail to address bovine TB, but could actually make matters worse. I detailed how the public at large were opposed to the cull on principle.
As expected, my remonstrations fell on deaf ears and were disregarded in the same way that the scientific evidence and public opinion had been.
It remains to be seen whether the Government will finally do the decent thing and end the cull in light of the latest developments.
But for an administration that seems so cavalier in all it does, the fear remains that it will once again demonstrate absolute arrogance, shrug its shoulders and carry on regardless.
The cost of this disgraceful cull – which I have vehemently opposed from the outset – has been reported in some quarters to be as much as £2m. Put another way, about £1,300 per dead badger.
Not only that, but the exercise, which started last summer, has been played out in the midst of an increasing abundance of scientific evidence suggesting it will not succeed in its stated aim of tackling bovine tuberculosis.
And now it transpires that, besides all that, the number of herds affected by TB were massively overestimated in the first place because of a computer glitch.
Wouldn’t it be nice if Government ministers would come out and explain themselves?
Instead, the revelation has been met by an eerie wall of silence from the same ministers who have done their utmost to mask figures on the cull since the nasty policy was first implemented.
So let’s recap:
A controversial Government decision in the face of both moral and professional advice against it;
The emergence of revelations detailing a fundamental flaw in the process;
Silent Government ministers, refusing to provide the answers the public deserve.
Ring any bells? To me it has horrible overtones of one of the greatest injustices I have witnessed in my Derby North constituency since becoming an MP – the Government’s appalling treatment of Derby train maker Bombardier.
On that occasion the moral offence was handing a lucrative £1.4bn contract overseas when the British economy was crying out for such a stimulus.
The dismissal of professional advice came in the form of industry experts identifying a whole host of errors in the procurement process which saw Bombardier overlooked.
And the revelations came as, unsurprisingly, the incompetence of ministers resulted in the completion date being set further and further back.
That particular fiasco makes my blood boil to this day, and I fear we are treading a similarly turbulent path over the badger cull.
I spoke at length on the issue in a Westminster Hall debate shortly before Christmas.
In that debate, I detailed the scientific evidence outlining the risks that the cull will not only fail to address bovine TB, but could actually make matters worse. I detailed how the public at large were opposed to the cull on principle.
As expected, my remonstrations fell on deaf ears and were disregarded in the same way that the scientific evidence and public opinion had been.
It remains to be seen whether the Government will finally do the decent thing and end the cull in light of the latest developments.
But for an administration that seems so cavalier in all it does, the fear remains that it will once again demonstrate absolute arrogance, shrug its shoulders and carry on regardless.
Monday 20 January 2014
MINIMUM WAGE AND WESTMINSTER’S LONGEST-RUNNING ADAPTATION OF THE EMPEROR’S NEW CLOTHES
EVEN for a Government becoming increasingly renowned for its U-turns, the coalition’s change of heart on increasing the national minimum wage must have set new records for speediness.
On 15 January 2014, I took part in a debate in the House of Commons in support of a Labour motion demanding that the Government take action to restore the value of the minimum wage. Not only that, but we called for greater enforcement against employers paying below the minimum wage and for companies to be encouraged to pay the higher-still Living Wage.
Predictably, our motion was shot down by a Government who gave no real reason for rejecting its sensible demands, with the Business Secretary Vince Cable presenting a particularly unconvincing and fragmented case for the coalition. Yet, literally 24 hours later, the Chancellor decided to announce that the minimum wage would be going up after all.
Now I don’t want to give the impression that I disagree with the Chancellor’s sentiments; far from it, I will be delighted to see the minimum wage increase – and my representations in the House of Commons before the announcement demonstrates that.
But – really – what possible justification can he now offer for his coalition Government’s actions in rejecting the Labour motion just a day earlier? This coalition truly is all over the place.
On the one hand we have the Lib Dems, who had somehow managed to previously build up this image as reasonable middle-man as the ‘alternative’ party to either Labour or the Conservatives. They have been particularly shocked to find that with responsibility comes accountability, and with accountability comes the risk of criticism.
And, boy, have they faced some deserved criticism in the last three-and-a-half years, with neither the guts to deliver their own promises or the gumption to challenge those of the Tories. Then we have David Cameron and his Conservatives.
They arrogantly thought, and still believe, that control brought with it a right to impose ideology, and have inflicted some of the worst-ever cuts to low and middle earners. Yet the performance of UKIP has them visibly flustered.
They don’t know whether to stray into even more extreme policies themselves or try to take a more reasoned ground into territory they are hopelessly unfamiliar with. And it’s that unfamiliarity which makes Mr Osborne’s announcement so bizarre.
Let us not forget that the Conservatives – and many Lib Dems – actually opposed the introduction of a minimum wage to start with.
Fifteen years have passed since Labour civilised our society by introducing the minimum wage, but our opponents were wheeling out the same flawed arguments about supposed costs to the economy then as Mr Cable was erroneously repeating last week.
Those arguments are of course utter nonsense. With higher earnings come more disposable income, and that in turns prompts local spending which revives the economy. You’d have thought Mr Cable, who the Lib Dems seem to have somehow convinced some onlookers to be a sort-of wizard economist, in Westminster’s longest-running adaptation of the Emperor’s New Clothes, would have been able to figure that one out by himself.
I, for one, will be delighted to see the national minimum wage increase. Families are on average £1,600 a year worse off and the minimum wage is worth less in real terms than it was in May 2010. But I would have been a great deal happier if the coalition Government had taken on board the rest of Labour’s motion too – penalising employers who pay below minimum wage and encouraging companies to go higher still with the Living Wage.
Perhaps Mr Osborne will announce those new Tory ideas next week.
On 15 January 2014, I took part in a debate in the House of Commons in support of a Labour motion demanding that the Government take action to restore the value of the minimum wage. Not only that, but we called for greater enforcement against employers paying below the minimum wage and for companies to be encouraged to pay the higher-still Living Wage.
Predictably, our motion was shot down by a Government who gave no real reason for rejecting its sensible demands, with the Business Secretary Vince Cable presenting a particularly unconvincing and fragmented case for the coalition. Yet, literally 24 hours later, the Chancellor decided to announce that the minimum wage would be going up after all.
Now I don’t want to give the impression that I disagree with the Chancellor’s sentiments; far from it, I will be delighted to see the minimum wage increase – and my representations in the House of Commons before the announcement demonstrates that.
But – really – what possible justification can he now offer for his coalition Government’s actions in rejecting the Labour motion just a day earlier? This coalition truly is all over the place.
On the one hand we have the Lib Dems, who had somehow managed to previously build up this image as reasonable middle-man as the ‘alternative’ party to either Labour or the Conservatives. They have been particularly shocked to find that with responsibility comes accountability, and with accountability comes the risk of criticism.
And, boy, have they faced some deserved criticism in the last three-and-a-half years, with neither the guts to deliver their own promises or the gumption to challenge those of the Tories. Then we have David Cameron and his Conservatives.
They arrogantly thought, and still believe, that control brought with it a right to impose ideology, and have inflicted some of the worst-ever cuts to low and middle earners. Yet the performance of UKIP has them visibly flustered.
They don’t know whether to stray into even more extreme policies themselves or try to take a more reasoned ground into territory they are hopelessly unfamiliar with. And it’s that unfamiliarity which makes Mr Osborne’s announcement so bizarre.
Let us not forget that the Conservatives – and many Lib Dems – actually opposed the introduction of a minimum wage to start with.
Fifteen years have passed since Labour civilised our society by introducing the minimum wage, but our opponents were wheeling out the same flawed arguments about supposed costs to the economy then as Mr Cable was erroneously repeating last week.
Those arguments are of course utter nonsense. With higher earnings come more disposable income, and that in turns prompts local spending which revives the economy. You’d have thought Mr Cable, who the Lib Dems seem to have somehow convinced some onlookers to be a sort-of wizard economist, in Westminster’s longest-running adaptation of the Emperor’s New Clothes, would have been able to figure that one out by himself.
I, for one, will be delighted to see the national minimum wage increase. Families are on average £1,600 a year worse off and the minimum wage is worth less in real terms than it was in May 2010. But I would have been a great deal happier if the coalition Government had taken on board the rest of Labour’s motion too – penalising employers who pay below minimum wage and encouraging companies to go higher still with the Living Wage.
Perhaps Mr Osborne will announce those new Tory ideas next week.
Friday 3 January 2014
DON'T ALLOW THIS HIDEOUS COALITION TO EXTINGUISH HOPE IN 2014
LIKE every Derby County
supporter, I was delighted to see the Rams head into 2014 sitting pretty in an
automatic promotion spot.
When I looked at the fixtures
on Sunday, I had every faith that we could get a result at Barnsley but was
aware we were relying on Burnley and QPR to drop points too.
How fantastic it was to see
it all happen and look on as Derby climbed into a position that would have
seemed beyond aspirational just a few weeks back.
Steve McClaren has the team
playing with a belief that simply didn’t seem possible not long ago, and that
confidence inevitably extends to supporters like us, who find ourselves daring
to dream.
And it’s that sort of thing
that can really give you a lift as you head into a New Year.
It seems bizarre that we
place such faith in the fact we’ve moved from one year to another, but there’s
no doubt that many people find fresh hope once they get to 1 January.
Sadly, though, that picture
is not universal. There will be many in our city who will look back
uneasily on 2013 and fear the worst for the New Year and beyond.
The cost of living crisis has
increasingly seen people struggling to make ends meet and more Derby families
living in poverty. Many will have struggled to heat their homes over the
recent festive period, never mind provide gifts and trimmings.
More families than ever have
relied upon food banks. Some children will have gone without Christmas
presents altogether, while others will have received them not realising that
their loving parents have not eaten properly to make it possible.
This is the alarming reality
being faced by growing numbers of Derby residents as a result of the most appalling
and reckless programme of austerity since the Second World War.
Despite pre-election promises
to the contrary, this Government increased VAT, means tested child benefit,
scrapped education maintenance allowances, tripled tuition fees, sacked hundreds
of thousands of public sector workers and decimated frontline public services.
In one of the richest nations
on earth too many people are poor. Too many are unemployed. And too
many are desperate for full-time work to support their families, but are forced
instead to exist on earnings from part-time jobs.
To their shame, our
ideologically-driven Government is pursuing policies that are extinguishing
hope. But we must not let that happen.
The New Year needs to be
about hope. Whether it’s drawing a line under something bad to put it
behind you, making bold plans for your future, or just wanting your local
football team get back into the Premier League.
We can turn that hope into
reality by pressing for a different approach. And if the Government refuses
to change tack? Well, it’s 16 months to the General Election when we can
vote for a different approach.
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