Listening to the other parties, you would think we were one of the most indebted countries in the world. So here is a list that may surprise you.
Levels of Public Debt as a % of GDP from 2009
1 Zimbabwe 304.30 %
2 Japan 192.10
3 Saint Kitts and Nevis 185.00
4 Lebanon 160.10
5 Jamaica 131.70
6 Singapore 117.60
7 Italy 115.20
8 Greece 108.10
9 Sudan 104.50
10 Iceland 100.60
11 Belgium 99.00
12 Nicaragua 87.00
13 Israel 83.90
14 Sri Lanka 82.90
15 Egypt 79.80
16 France 79.70
17 Germany 77.20
18 Portugal 75.20
19 Hungary 72.40
20 Canada 72.30
21 Jordan 69.90
22 United Kingdom 68.50
'Japan’s Public sector debt is very high. However, Japan has a high savings rate which makes it easier for the government to finance the debt. 90% of Japanese debt is owned by Japanese individuals. US has a low savings ratio and 25% of US debt is owned by foreigners. Nevertheless the National Debt of Japan is a real burden for the economy.'
Though our debt is very high, quite a big chunck of it was used give to banks, who presumably will give it back, eventually. Another chunk was used to support the economy, keeping unemployment low just before an election. Did the other potential chancellors make this point on the recent debate?
Yet another reason that many people are coming to see the big three parties as too similar.
Wednesday, 31 March 2010
Vote Cruelty Free, Vote Green
Vote Cruelty Free is a new non-partisan coalition of organisations working together to raise the profile of animal protection issues on the political agenda.
It consists of the BUAV, Compassion in World Farming, International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), League Against Cruel Sports and Respect for Animals.
By now PPCs should have received a copy of the Vote Cruelty Free manifesto.
Vote Cruelty Free now has the support of over 100 candidates across the country. I am proud to join them and show that I am committed to animal welfare issues. Many Green candidates including, Caroline Lucas, have already pledged.
For further information about this unique project visit www.votecrueltyfree.org or contact us on info@votecrueltyfree.org or 020 76196970.
Best wishes
The Vote Cruelty Free team
http://twitter.com/votecrueltyfree
facebook
Vote Cruelty Free - Green Party Candidates 'Vote Cruelty Free Another two Green pledges take us to 275! Thanks to Adrian Windisch and Mark Ruskell.'
Dear Adrian,
Many thanks for your support of Vote Cruelty Free.
We would like to publicise your support on our website and send out a press release to your local media. The proposed press release is attached, subject to your approval. If you would like to add in a quote or suggest some local media contacts, please let us know.
Once again many thanks and we look forward to hearing from you.
Best wishes,
The Vote Cruelty Free team
Adrian Windisch said, “Thank you for giving me the opportunity to express by desire to end hunting for sport and reduce cruelty to animals. Labour say they are against hunting but have left a mess, things have changed little since the act was passed in 2004.”
The last foxhunting court case came in September when a district judge in Penrith, Cumbria, ruled there was no case to answer against John Harrison, huntsman of the Ullswater hounds in the Lake District. The country's 320 hunts – 181 packs of foxhounds, 90 of hare-chasing dogs, three of staghounds, 21 of mink hounds and 25 Welsh "fox control societies" – has changed little since the act was passed in 2004. Over 85% have the same number of employees and hounds as they did then, or more.
It consists of the BUAV, Compassion in World Farming, International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), League Against Cruel Sports and Respect for Animals.
By now PPCs should have received a copy of the Vote Cruelty Free manifesto.
Vote Cruelty Free now has the support of over 100 candidates across the country. I am proud to join them and show that I am committed to animal welfare issues. Many Green candidates including, Caroline Lucas, have already pledged.
For further information about this unique project visit www.votecrueltyfree.org or contact us on info@votecrueltyfree.org or 020 76196970.
Best wishes
The Vote Cruelty Free team
http://twitter.com/votecrueltyfree
Vote Cruelty Free - Green Party Candidates 'Vote Cruelty Free Another two Green pledges take us to 275! Thanks to Adrian Windisch and Mark Ruskell.'
Dear Adrian,
Many thanks for your support of Vote Cruelty Free.
We would like to publicise your support on our website and send out a press release to your local media. The proposed press release is attached, subject to your approval. If you would like to add in a quote or suggest some local media contacts, please let us know.
Once again many thanks and we look forward to hearing from you.
Best wishes,
The Vote Cruelty Free team
Adrian Windisch said, “Thank you for giving me the opportunity to express by desire to end hunting for sport and reduce cruelty to animals. Labour say they are against hunting but have left a mess, things have changed little since the act was passed in 2004.”
The last foxhunting court case came in September when a district judge in Penrith, Cumbria, ruled there was no case to answer against John Harrison, huntsman of the Ullswater hounds in the Lake District. The country's 320 hunts – 181 packs of foxhounds, 90 of hare-chasing dogs, three of staghounds, 21 of mink hounds and 25 Welsh "fox control societies" – has changed little since the act was passed in 2004. Over 85% have the same number of employees and hounds as they did then, or more.
Pledges; Action for Children , ECPAT UK, NSPCC
Action for Children are a children's charity that supports and speaks out for the UK's most vulnerable and neglected children and young people.
Serious neglect kills; neglect leaves children feeling unloved, unwanted, small and vulnerable.
Many thanks for signing our pledge
To find out more, read our latest research Deprivation and risk: the case for early intervention at www.actionforchildren.org.uk/deprivation
Thanks
Action for Children
ECPAT UK believes that the sexual exploitation and abuse of children is a global outrage that requires urgent action in order to protect children everywhere.
ECPAT UK is a leading UK children’s rights organisation campaigning to protect children from commercial sexual exploitation.
ECPAT UK is active in research, campaigning and lobbying government to prevent exploitation and protect children in tourism and child victims of trafficking.
ECPAT UK works in partnership with others including NGOs, media, academics, police and government agencies to advocate for stronger laws to safeguard children and prosecute offenders.
Dear Mr Windisch
Thank you for taking our survey.
If you would like more information about ECPAT UK and its campaigns, please do not hesitate to contact us on 020 7233 9887 or look at our website www.ecpat.org.uk
twitter
‘I Stand for Children’ protecting children should be at the top of the political agenda. The NSPCC believes that protecting children must remain a political priority, in order to keep children safe from harm and protect those who have experienced abuse. As a prospective parliamentary candidate, you can make an important contribution to this by pledging ‘I Stand for Children’
Serious neglect kills; neglect leaves children feeling unloved, unwanted, small and vulnerable.
Many thanks for signing our pledge
To find out more, read our latest research Deprivation and risk: the case for early intervention at www.actionforchildren.org.uk/deprivation
Thanks
Action for Children
ECPAT UK believes that the sexual exploitation and abuse of children is a global outrage that requires urgent action in order to protect children everywhere.
ECPAT UK is a leading UK children’s rights organisation campaigning to protect children from commercial sexual exploitation.
ECPAT UK is active in research, campaigning and lobbying government to prevent exploitation and protect children in tourism and child victims of trafficking.
ECPAT UK works in partnership with others including NGOs, media, academics, police and government agencies to advocate for stronger laws to safeguard children and prosecute offenders.
Dear Mr Windisch
Thank you for taking our survey.
If you would like more information about ECPAT UK and its campaigns, please do not hesitate to contact us on 020 7233 9887 or look at our website www.ecpat.org.uk
‘I Stand for Children’ protecting children should be at the top of the political agenda. The NSPCC believes that protecting children must remain a political priority, in order to keep children safe from harm and protect those who have experienced abuse. As a prospective parliamentary candidate, you can make an important contribution to this by pledging ‘I Stand for Children’
Tuesday, 30 March 2010
Pledge generator, Chancellors Debate
Pledge Generator
I just saw the chancellors debate, it does explain why people are so bored with politics. The big 3 parties are just so similar, can there really be no other option that them? Of course there are other options, there are other parties, but you wouldn't know it watching the debate.
All 3 big parties talk up the size of the debt and how they are the ones who can do the most cutting. They forget that our debt is not at historically high levels, and is not exceptional compared to other countries. Clearly some things can be easily cut, Trident, ID cards, and more. But we need far more investment in other things, like insulating our houses, this is not on their agenda.
Partly they are attempting to triangulate, one party says we need to cut and it gives them a boost, so the others chase them into a spin. One party says cut inheritance tax, so they all do it.
The LibDems think Vince should be a saint, they may have forgotten he has to die first. And his reputation is based on some falsehood, which he admits to. He warned about debt, as did many others, but he wanted the banks to merge and become ever bigger. He didn't warn about the US mortgage market which he admits was the trigger. One might have expected Cable the 'political prophet' to have been arguing consistently for better, firmer and stronger regulation of the City. On the contrary, "No one," he said, "is arguing for an increasingly severe, more onerous and dirigiste system of regulation." Cable was a prominent contributor in 2004 to the Lib Dems' pro-market Orange Book, which advocated introducing a US-style private health insurance scheme to replace the National Health Service.
Cable did a two-year spell as chief economist for the oil giant Shell in the mid-1990s. Mark Lynas, who interviewed Cable when he worked at Shell, remembers him as being deeply evasive and avoiding all questions about Saro-WiwaKen (who with eight others was executed by the military government). Lynas is astonished at Cable's transformation into Britain's favourite politician. "I don't know how anyone could have stayed at Shell during that period and slept at night," he told me. "Because of Shell, I've always questioned his judgement on human rights."
Not that Osbourne is any better, he is seen as the weak link in Camerons tram. I would have preferred to see Ken Clarke at the debate, he performs well on TV.
But not all parties are chasing the same focus groups, the Greens have long term policies that do not change each week. Our policies are decided democratically by our members at conference, after a debate. The other parties stopped doing this decades ago, its too slow for them, they just chase the headline. So no mention of the Robin Hood Tax, or indeed just raising income tax, that would be a bit to 'raw' a policy for these 3 spinners.
Now I have no time for the policies of Ukip, but to be fair to them they, they along with us, Plaid Cymru & the SNP should be part of this debate. All these parties have proved that a section of society supports them, as have the Greens. So what sort of democracy is it that leaves out so many people? One that is loosing the support of the country. This is the time for the 'minor' parties, not for more of the same stuff that made this mess.
Monday, 29 March 2010
One Pot Pledge - Grow Your Own Food
One Pot Pledge, is a nationwide campaign across the UK hoping to recruit 30,000 people to pledge to grow their own fruit and veg for the very first time.
One Pot Pledge is sponsored by Garden Organic, the UK's leading organic growing charity.
Despite the surge in interest in ‘grow your own,’ many newcomers -- although keen to have a go -- still don’t know where to start when it comes to food growing. Many are put off because they think they don’t have space to garden, or because they don’t have the time or knowledge.
www.youtube.com composting part 1
One Pot Pledge aims to:
- Get people growing food, even on a small scale in just a pot, and show them how to do it.
- Provide simple tips and advice to demonstrate how easy it is to grow your own – all you need is a pot, some compost and seeds.
- Give people the chance to connect with the food they eat and enable them to make more sustainable food choices.
- Show people they can save money by growing their own food.
- Encourage healthier eating.
onepotpledge blog
twitter.com/gardenorganicuk
www.facebook.com/pages/Garden-Organic
www.youtube.com/user/GardenOrganic
One Pot Pledge is sponsored by Garden Organic, the UK's leading organic growing charity.
Despite the surge in interest in ‘grow your own,’ many newcomers -- although keen to have a go -- still don’t know where to start when it comes to food growing. Many are put off because they think they don’t have space to garden, or because they don’t have the time or knowledge.
www.youtube.com composting part 1
One Pot Pledge aims to:
- Get people growing food, even on a small scale in just a pot, and show them how to do it.
- Provide simple tips and advice to demonstrate how easy it is to grow your own – all you need is a pot, some compost and seeds.
- Give people the chance to connect with the food they eat and enable them to make more sustainable food choices.
- Show people they can save money by growing their own food.
- Encourage healthier eating.
onepotpledge blog
twitter.com/gardenorganicuk
www.facebook.com/pages/Garden-Organic
www.youtube.com/user/GardenOrganic
Saturday, 27 March 2010
Labour Vulture Fund, Shabby Trick On The Poorest People
I was sent an email from the Labour Party today, its bizarre. Blaming the Tories as though they are the ones in power, when they are the opposition, is a shabby trick in there last days of power.
Labour say they are doing something with vulture funds, but its a private members bill. If they support it why not use their power to legislate? And how can they blame the Tories for stopping it, they have a huge majority of MPs. So Tory Christopher Chope stopped the bill, but Labour failed to pass the bill as part of its legislation. Who are worse? Actually they are much the same, Labour are nasty for using poverty as a political football & Chope for Objecting.
Facebook Group here.
My response.
The letter from Labour is below. Its as though they wanted a Tory to object, so they could act as the aggrieved party.
Guardian
Labour say they are doing something with vulture funds, but its a private members bill. If they support it why not use their power to legislate? And how can they blame the Tories for stopping it, they have a huge majority of MPs. So Tory Christopher Chope stopped the bill, but Labour failed to pass the bill as part of its legislation. Who are worse? Actually they are much the same, Labour are nasty for using poverty as a political football & Chope for Objecting.
Facebook Group here.
My response.
This is shabby, if you wanted it, you should just legislate, you have the majority of MPs. Blaming the Tories as though they are the ones in power, when they are the opposition, is a trick. Shame on you Stephen Timms, letting the poorest be hurt so you can score a cheap political point.
I expect you wont be in power much longer.
Adrian Windisch
The letter from Labour is below. Its as though they wanted a Tory to object, so they could act as the aggrieved party.
Adrian,
I thought you would like to be the first to know that tomorrow the Labour Party will announce that the election manifesto will include a clear commitment to introduce tough new legislation on vulture funds early in the next Parliament.
Share the good news with other campaigners - click here to act now
As you know, Vulture funds buy developing country debt at low cost and then sue these poor countries for the money. They undermine development in the poorest countries and use the UK legal system to do so.
We will not let a handful of Conservative MPs stand in the way of progress, we will make it happen.
By getting your friends to sign up today we can show them the strength of public opinion
Its why Labour's Andrew Gwynne MP introduced his Private Members Bill to tackle Vulture Funds once and for all. With the support of Government and Treasury Minister Ian Pearson, the Debt Relief (Developing Countries) Bill made good progress.
Yet outrageously, at its third reading in the House of Commons, it was torpedoed by Conservative MPs who objected to it, despite having promised to support the bill.
These actions not only betrayed the hopes of poor countries but of thousands of campaigners like you.
So please share this with anyone you think would be interested
Thanks,
Stephen Timms
Guardian
Turn off, tune in, drop out…Its Earth Hour 2010
As we speak, a blanket of darkness is rolling around the Earth.
No, we have not yet run out of power, it’s Earth Hour! That time of year when governments, businesses and hundreds of millions of people around the world make a visual protest against climate change by turning off their lights for sixty minutes. Following the wet flannel that was Copenhagen, this year’s Earth Hour is more important than ever to show the world’s leaders that though they have failed us, and the millions of people in the developing world who are already losing their lives and livlihoods to climate change, we are still watching.
Earth hour begins at 8.30pm today. Turn off, tune in, drop out…
http://thethirdestate.net/
http://ruscombegreen.blogspot.com/2010/03/earth-hour-tonight.html
No, we have not yet run out of power, it’s Earth Hour! That time of year when governments, businesses and hundreds of millions of people around the world make a visual protest against climate change by turning off their lights for sixty minutes. Following the wet flannel that was Copenhagen, this year’s Earth Hour is more important than ever to show the world’s leaders that though they have failed us, and the millions of people in the developing world who are already losing their lives and livlihoods to climate change, we are still watching.
Earth hour begins at 8.30pm today. Turn off, tune in, drop out…
http://thethirdestate.net/
http://ruscombegreen.blogspot.com/2010/03/earth-hour-tonight.html
Old School Politics, Shocking Tory MP Gerald Howarth
There were some shocking moments yesterday at the Farnborough 6th Form College Hustings.
Firstly the display of homophobia by the Tory and Ukip candidates. The Ukipper was almost a caricature from the cold war, but many people don't expect much better from them. He claimed to be aloof from expenses troubles, but is ignoring the Ukip MEPs that had to step down, Ashley Mote and Tom Wise, for benefit fraud and money laundering.
The Lab PPC managed to mention climate change and praise cheap flights in the same sentence! But the prize goes to ....
The shock was what the Tory MP Gerald Howarth said. I know Cameron was caught out on camera confused about free votes on Gay rights, but that was a minor slip. No one thinks Cameron is homophobic. But if his shadow defence minister is homophobiic, what message does that send out?
The LibDem PPC was shocked at Howarths expenses claims, but I wasnt surprised. We pay for him to have a second home, fully furnished, with luxuries like sky sports, despite living an hours commute from London. I am not surprised because the Tory Chair Eric Pickles said much the same on BBC question time last year. Though Pickles did later apologise, he lives 37 miles from London. Farnborough is a similar distance.
Conservative Party chairman Eric Pickles said unreliable transport and long hours at Parliament justified his claiming expenses for a second home even though his constituency was in the Home Counties. He later said of his performance: "It was like a car crash in slow motion, and which you're just trying to steer away [from], and the more I tried to steer away, the worse it was."
Gerald Howarth does not appologise, he wants us to keep paying for his lifestyle. Mr Howarth said he could be earning more money than his £64,766 MP’s salary if he were in his previous job as a city banker. Perhaps that was true in the past, but its not relevant. So thanks taxpayers for £100,000.
This speech in Parliament, he said "This is a Christian country and that we owe everything to our Christian tradition. This nation has been forged and fashioned down the centuries by its Christian tradition. Every Act of Parliament is prefaced by reference to the support of the Lords temporal and spiritual and the Commons assembled. That indicates that our Christian faith has played a hugely important part. Therefore, while I have enjoyed the frivolities of this evening’s proceedings, we should be under no illusions that a serious issue is at stake. I am afraid that I am not interested in the Joint Committee on Human Rights or the European Court of Human Rights; I am interested in my views and beliefs, which are profoundly held and shared by a lot of people in this country."
This is on Conservative Home Gerald Howarth MP: "The Minister may know that the former Home Secretary’s decision to refuse citizenship to Mr. Mohamed Fayed was dispatched in a matter of weeks. Given the great distress and burden on the public purse caused by Fayed’s absurd allegations, will the Home Secretary take swift action to remove for good as an undesirable alien that thief, crook and liar?"
On 2 August 2005 Howarth said of British Muslims: "If they don't like our way of life, there is a simple remedy: go to another country, get out". When asked what if these people were born in Britain, Howarth responded: "Tough. If you don't give allegiance to this country, then leave. There are plenty of other countries whose way of life would appear to be more conducive to what they aspire to. They would be happy and we would be happy". So no one is allowed to want to change this country?
In 2004 Gerald Howarth, a Tory shadow minister for defence, gave a House Of Commons pass to Michael Wood, an arms lobbyist. His clients, who include BAE, Airbus and MBDA, are together responsible for UK defence contracts worth billions of pounds. The arrangement, which allows Mr Wood to enter the House of Commons at will, runs counter to the voluntary code of conduct that regulates political consultants. It will also fuel fears that the current pass regime is too lax in the wake of repeated breaches of Westminster security. Mr Howarth lists Mr Wood as a member of his staff on the official register. Callers to the MP's Commons office, however, are directed to the offices of Whitehall Advisers. The Association of Professional Political Consultants forbids lobbyists from holding Commons passes. Martin Bell, the anti-corruption campaigner, called for the rules to expressly forbid lobbyists from holding passes. "I think there is a strong case for the rules to be tightened."
He was caught out on a spoof show, brass eye, a few years ago. “How brazen and shameless is the modern paedophile?”. It satirised the way the media covers the issue which we believe is encouraging a dangerous atmosphere. Gerald said: "I haven't seen the programme because I was doing something useful at the Royal International Air Tattoo."
Gerald Howarth, Conservative MP for Aldershot said in November 2007 on the coroners and justice bill; “It describes homophobia and transphobia as terms used to describe a dislike of LGBT people or aspects of their perceived lifestyle. In other words, homophobia and transphobia are not restricted to a dislike of individuals; the dislike can be based on any sexual act or characteristic that the person associates with an LGBT person, whether or not any specific LGBT person does that act or has that characteristic. That dislike does not have to be as severe as hatred. It is enough that people do something or abstain from doing something because they do not like LGBT people.” ”Surely that is hugely wide-ranging. Parliament has no say in this matter, and we could be faced with a situation where such an interpretation means that anyone who expresses a dislike of this kind of behaviour would be caught by the CPS under its interpretation of the law.”
Defence spokesman Gerald Howarth said on Gay adoption: "We now undoubtedly face a challenge from the UK Independence Party and to a lesser extent from the British National Party. We therefore need to measure what is the effect of the message we are sending. This will cause concern among a lot of traditional Conservatives up and down the country. This is an incredible assault on freedom of conscience." Mr Howarth said he expected to raise his concerns with Mr Cameron. "This is a motif for his leadership. Our core supporters in the country don't like it and they are saying they will vote for UKIP. It's wrong, it's offensive. it's political correctness, and it's social engineering. "Tony Blair has given us 20 months to adapt 2,000 years of Christian teaching. It's unacceptable."
On Gays in the military, he told the House: “This appalling decision will be greeted with dismay, particularly by ordinary soldiers in Her Majesty’s Forces, many of whom joined the Services precisely because they wished to turn their back on some of the values of modern society.” Veteran gay rights campaigner Peter Tatchell said “While there are still some pockets of homophobia, overall the Armed Forces has made an astonishingly successful transition from being one of the most homophobic institutions in Britain to being one of the most gay-friendly, all in space of a decade. It’s extraordinary."
Speech in the HoC on setting the age of consent for male homosexuals at 16 in 1999.
Mr. Gerald Howarth: Although the Home Secretary's proposals to deal with abuse of trust are welcome—indeed, 1 supported the amendment that was tabled by the hon. Member for Bassetlaw (Mr. Ashton)—does he not understand that the message that he and those who will vote for the measure today are sending to the country is totally at variance with the message that the Government wish to give about the importance of the family?
Does the Home Secretary not understand that he simply cannot have it both ways? I know that the Government are keen to do that, but it is clear that the message that will go out from the House tonight if it votes for the 29 measure—it is opposed by 70 per cent. of the population, so the House will be out of kilter with the public—is at variance with the Government's proclaimed support for the family, which the measure seeks to undermine.
Gerald Howarth (Shadow Minister, Defence; Aldershot, Conservative)HoC debate 2005 Equality:
I am extremely grateful to the Minister for giving way. I have to say that, as a white, Anglo-Saxon, Anglo-Scot, middle-class male heterosexual, I feel that we are increasingly becoming the persecuted who might be in need of protection. The Bill is nothing if not the ultimate manifesto in political correctness. She said that it will apply to public authorities. Can she explain why, for some obscure reason, this place, the other place, the Security Service and the authorities of both Houses are exempt from all this absurdity? Does that not undermine the whole case for this absurd and ridiculous Bill, which should be consigned to the dustbin now?
To quote David Cameron, its time for change. Change this MP for a better one.
Firstly the display of homophobia by the Tory and Ukip candidates. The Ukipper was almost a caricature from the cold war, but many people don't expect much better from them. He claimed to be aloof from expenses troubles, but is ignoring the Ukip MEPs that had to step down, Ashley Mote and Tom Wise, for benefit fraud and money laundering.
The Lab PPC managed to mention climate change and praise cheap flights in the same sentence! But the prize goes to ....
The shock was what the Tory MP Gerald Howarth said. I know Cameron was caught out on camera confused about free votes on Gay rights, but that was a minor slip. No one thinks Cameron is homophobic. But if his shadow defence minister is homophobiic, what message does that send out?
The LibDem PPC was shocked at Howarths expenses claims, but I wasnt surprised. We pay for him to have a second home, fully furnished, with luxuries like sky sports, despite living an hours commute from London. I am not surprised because the Tory Chair Eric Pickles said much the same on BBC question time last year. Though Pickles did later apologise, he lives 37 miles from London. Farnborough is a similar distance.
Conservative Party chairman Eric Pickles said unreliable transport and long hours at Parliament justified his claiming expenses for a second home even though his constituency was in the Home Counties. He later said of his performance: "It was like a car crash in slow motion, and which you're just trying to steer away [from], and the more I tried to steer away, the worse it was."
Gerald Howarth does not appologise, he wants us to keep paying for his lifestyle. Mr Howarth said he could be earning more money than his £64,766 MP’s salary if he were in his previous job as a city banker. Perhaps that was true in the past, but its not relevant. So thanks taxpayers for £100,000.
This speech in Parliament, he said "This is a Christian country and that we owe everything to our Christian tradition. This nation has been forged and fashioned down the centuries by its Christian tradition. Every Act of Parliament is prefaced by reference to the support of the Lords temporal and spiritual and the Commons assembled. That indicates that our Christian faith has played a hugely important part. Therefore, while I have enjoyed the frivolities of this evening’s proceedings, we should be under no illusions that a serious issue is at stake. I am afraid that I am not interested in the Joint Committee on Human Rights or the European Court of Human Rights; I am interested in my views and beliefs, which are profoundly held and shared by a lot of people in this country."
This is on Conservative Home Gerald Howarth MP: "The Minister may know that the former Home Secretary’s decision to refuse citizenship to Mr. Mohamed Fayed was dispatched in a matter of weeks. Given the great distress and burden on the public purse caused by Fayed’s absurd allegations, will the Home Secretary take swift action to remove for good as an undesirable alien that thief, crook and liar?"
On 2 August 2005 Howarth said of British Muslims: "If they don't like our way of life, there is a simple remedy: go to another country, get out". When asked what if these people were born in Britain, Howarth responded: "Tough. If you don't give allegiance to this country, then leave. There are plenty of other countries whose way of life would appear to be more conducive to what they aspire to. They would be happy and we would be happy". So no one is allowed to want to change this country?
In 2004 Gerald Howarth, a Tory shadow minister for defence, gave a House Of Commons pass to Michael Wood, an arms lobbyist. His clients, who include BAE, Airbus and MBDA, are together responsible for UK defence contracts worth billions of pounds. The arrangement, which allows Mr Wood to enter the House of Commons at will, runs counter to the voluntary code of conduct that regulates political consultants. It will also fuel fears that the current pass regime is too lax in the wake of repeated breaches of Westminster security. Mr Howarth lists Mr Wood as a member of his staff on the official register. Callers to the MP's Commons office, however, are directed to the offices of Whitehall Advisers. The Association of Professional Political Consultants forbids lobbyists from holding Commons passes. Martin Bell, the anti-corruption campaigner, called for the rules to expressly forbid lobbyists from holding passes. "I think there is a strong case for the rules to be tightened."
He was caught out on a spoof show, brass eye, a few years ago. “How brazen and shameless is the modern paedophile?”. It satirised the way the media covers the issue which we believe is encouraging a dangerous atmosphere. Gerald said: "I haven't seen the programme because I was doing something useful at the Royal International Air Tattoo."
Gerald Howarth, Conservative MP for Aldershot said in November 2007 on the coroners and justice bill; “It describes homophobia and transphobia as terms used to describe a dislike of LGBT people or aspects of their perceived lifestyle. In other words, homophobia and transphobia are not restricted to a dislike of individuals; the dislike can be based on any sexual act or characteristic that the person associates with an LGBT person, whether or not any specific LGBT person does that act or has that characteristic. That dislike does not have to be as severe as hatred. It is enough that people do something or abstain from doing something because they do not like LGBT people.” ”Surely that is hugely wide-ranging. Parliament has no say in this matter, and we could be faced with a situation where such an interpretation means that anyone who expresses a dislike of this kind of behaviour would be caught by the CPS under its interpretation of the law.”
Defence spokesman Gerald Howarth said on Gay adoption: "We now undoubtedly face a challenge from the UK Independence Party and to a lesser extent from the British National Party. We therefore need to measure what is the effect of the message we are sending. This will cause concern among a lot of traditional Conservatives up and down the country. This is an incredible assault on freedom of conscience." Mr Howarth said he expected to raise his concerns with Mr Cameron. "This is a motif for his leadership. Our core supporters in the country don't like it and they are saying they will vote for UKIP. It's wrong, it's offensive. it's political correctness, and it's social engineering. "Tony Blair has given us 20 months to adapt 2,000 years of Christian teaching. It's unacceptable."
On Gays in the military, he told the House: “This appalling decision will be greeted with dismay, particularly by ordinary soldiers in Her Majesty’s Forces, many of whom joined the Services precisely because they wished to turn their back on some of the values of modern society.” Veteran gay rights campaigner Peter Tatchell said “While there are still some pockets of homophobia, overall the Armed Forces has made an astonishingly successful transition from being one of the most homophobic institutions in Britain to being one of the most gay-friendly, all in space of a decade. It’s extraordinary."
Speech in the HoC on setting the age of consent for male homosexuals at 16 in 1999.
Mr. Gerald Howarth: Although the Home Secretary's proposals to deal with abuse of trust are welcome—indeed, 1 supported the amendment that was tabled by the hon. Member for Bassetlaw (Mr. Ashton)—does he not understand that the message that he and those who will vote for the measure today are sending to the country is totally at variance with the message that the Government wish to give about the importance of the family?
Does the Home Secretary not understand that he simply cannot have it both ways? I know that the Government are keen to do that, but it is clear that the message that will go out from the House tonight if it votes for the 29 measure—it is opposed by 70 per cent. of the population, so the House will be out of kilter with the public—is at variance with the Government's proclaimed support for the family, which the measure seeks to undermine.
Gerald Howarth (Shadow Minister, Defence; Aldershot, Conservative)HoC debate 2005 Equality:
I am extremely grateful to the Minister for giving way. I have to say that, as a white, Anglo-Saxon, Anglo-Scot, middle-class male heterosexual, I feel that we are increasingly becoming the persecuted who might be in need of protection. The Bill is nothing if not the ultimate manifesto in political correctness. She said that it will apply to public authorities. Can she explain why, for some obscure reason, this place, the other place, the Security Service and the authorities of both Houses are exempt from all this absurdity? Does that not undermine the whole case for this absurd and ridiculous Bill, which should be consigned to the dustbin now?
To quote David Cameron, its time for change. Change this MP for a better one.
Farnborough 6th Form College Hustings Friday 26th March 2010
Farnborough 6th Form College is huge with thousands of students, in Aldershot constituency.
The Green Party was asked to send someone, its only ½ an hour away so I went.
The difference with my local politicians is quite shocking as you will see.
As usual this is written from my notes, if there are any differences of opinion please comment.
The other PPCs were:
Gerald Howarth MP(Conservative) Shadow Defence Minister
Jonathan Slater (Labour)
Adrian Collett (Liberal Democrat) Contested Aldershot 1992, 1997, 2001, 2005.
Robert Snare (UKIP) Born 1932, Retired squadron leader.
Unfortunately Dale Fontaine (Official Monster Raving Loony) Didnt come, he is a veteran Elvis Presley impersonator!
After a brief introduction, we went into questions.
Q1 How would you change funding after Ashcroft and Unite?
L Unions founded Labour, they are democratic and pay taxes.
C Ashcroft has been very helpful. We need to limit funding, but not pay it from taxes.
G Limit party funding as the wealthiest can have too big an influence with posters. The suspicion is that lobbyists are buying influence with big donations, so should be state funded.
LD Reform the system first then state funding. Ashcroft has avoided paying £127 million in tax.
U I'm not a politician, a plague on all your houses. My funding is from my pension.
C Rebuttal – disputes Ashcroft tax figure, he made a deal wih HMRC, £2.5 m gift to LD then ran away.
Q2 David Cameron and the Gay Times Interview
C Equality for all, there are 'gay guys' on the shadow cabinet.
L Before 97 many things were illegal, Lab have made progress. David Cameron has brought the Tories into modern times.
An audience member asked an additional question about marriage equality.
LD Equality for all, while L&C have made progress, not all C have signed up. In EU the Cons sit with homophobes.
U In my working days as a pilot half the cabin staff were gay. Marriage would be downgraded if gay people included.
G Marriage and civil partnership should be equal, available to all. I think Cameron made a gaff, we are all human, we have just heard another gaff. (audience laughter).
C rebuttal. Not apologising for my voting record, I agree with the squadron leader. Marriage is the union of man and woman, anything else is bad for children. We are a Christian country.
Q3 Lisbon Treaty
U Eastern European EU people are 45% ex KGB(!!!!) 27 nations cant work together without imploding.
L Thanks to the Lisbon Treaty we have more rights, can tackle climate change, more democratic, cheaper phone roaming and cheaper flights (!!!!)
C We don't want a united states of Europe, a President whose name we can't pronounce (Herman Van Rompuy EU President) (he thought it was Baroness Ashton at first).
G We were promised a referendum and should have one, people are angry. The EU has brought peace to Europe.
LD We would be mad not to stay in the EU. Longest period of peace, the treaty tidied up laws. We should have a referendum on staying in.
U Peaceis thanks to Nato not EU, wars in Bosnia and Albania, loss of habeus corpus, European arrest warrants (then got a bit confused with USA extradition). Gary McKinnon did the USA a favour. China has 3000 hackers attacking.
Q4 How to restore the trust in British Politics.
LD difficult to have total transparency, LD had attemped to get bills passed but L&C voted against. MPs in safe seats are less careful, electoral reform needed.
L We have had a low point this year in politics, MPs should have 1 home, MPs salary should be determined by an independent body. I was the first to pledge on transparency.
G MPs salary is determined by an independent body, they decided to increase it! Proportional Representation would help things become more fair. If within commuting distance then one home, but for those with constituencies in the North of England will need a second home.
LD rebuttal. I was the first to pledge on transparency!
C Referred to personal attacks on him as he has a second home, being an MP isn't a 9 to 5 job and he needs it. The attack on MPs by the Telegraph was a sad day. I'm in politics for power, to use it to help people. Its not a job but a way of life. I will pay capital gains on my second home so the country benefits. As a shadow minister I can't be expected to drive back and forth to London every day, the congestion it impossible.
U I am aloof from all this! In my last job people were court-martialed and cashiered for this. Theft of taxpayers money. (Ashley More, Tom Wise ex MEPs fraud)
Q5 Is defence spending adequate.
U increase it 40%, Ukip discussed it at a recent conference and will release it to the press soon.
G At a time when things are tight, the troops don't have proper equipment, either increase spending or bring them home. Why are we in Afghanistan anyway? Cut Trident and all nuclear weapons.
The chair asked me to specify, I said I was a member of CND and so against nuclear proliferation.
C Who here knows what the PSBR means? Darling said cuts deeper than Thatcher. Iran is the threat we need the nukes for, they could kill us! We want to play a role in the world.
L 10% more defence spending than '97, we are in Afghanistan or al qaeda will regain power!
LD If not for Iraq we would have done better in Afghanistan. We should have listened to Vince Cable on the economy. Soldiers are without proper equipment. No need to renew trident now, leave it 20 years. Nuclear non proliferation treaty.
C had to make a phone call so left at this point.
Q6 University Fees.
LD Cut after 6 years, phased out gradually.
U EU wants a 5 year degree. Cut University places to save money. State scholarship in my day. Cut dodgy degree. (He was asked for an example) Politics. Discussed foreign students. (Roused the audience to anger, they pay moe to study here). I am old fashioned and proud of it. I don't need approval of namby pamby types. (He really did say namby pamby!) (Audience roused in anger, why are you here if you are not listening to new ideas).
L Pledged not to raise tuition fees. Created vocational training.
G Apprenticeships have been around a while, not created by L, there are too few of them, in construction we need to train up young people.
After a closing speech of thanks, the LD asked to make a few words. He plugged his website. Cheeky.
The Green Party was asked to send someone, its only ½ an hour away so I went.
The difference with my local politicians is quite shocking as you will see.
As usual this is written from my notes, if there are any differences of opinion please comment.
The other PPCs were:
Gerald Howarth MP(Conservative) Shadow Defence Minister
Jonathan Slater (Labour)
Adrian Collett (Liberal Democrat) Contested Aldershot 1992, 1997, 2001, 2005.
Robert Snare (UKIP) Born 1932, Retired squadron leader.
Unfortunately Dale Fontaine (Official Monster Raving Loony) Didnt come, he is a veteran Elvis Presley impersonator!
After a brief introduction, we went into questions.
Q1 How would you change funding after Ashcroft and Unite?
L Unions founded Labour, they are democratic and pay taxes.
C Ashcroft has been very helpful. We need to limit funding, but not pay it from taxes.
G Limit party funding as the wealthiest can have too big an influence with posters. The suspicion is that lobbyists are buying influence with big donations, so should be state funded.
LD Reform the system first then state funding. Ashcroft has avoided paying £127 million in tax.
U I'm not a politician, a plague on all your houses. My funding is from my pension.
C Rebuttal – disputes Ashcroft tax figure, he made a deal wih HMRC, £2.5 m gift to LD then ran away.
Q2 David Cameron and the Gay Times Interview
C Equality for all, there are 'gay guys' on the shadow cabinet.
L Before 97 many things were illegal, Lab have made progress. David Cameron has brought the Tories into modern times.
An audience member asked an additional question about marriage equality.
LD Equality for all, while L&C have made progress, not all C have signed up. In EU the Cons sit with homophobes.
U In my working days as a pilot half the cabin staff were gay. Marriage would be downgraded if gay people included.
G Marriage and civil partnership should be equal, available to all. I think Cameron made a gaff, we are all human, we have just heard another gaff. (audience laughter).
C rebuttal. Not apologising for my voting record, I agree with the squadron leader. Marriage is the union of man and woman, anything else is bad for children. We are a Christian country.
Q3 Lisbon Treaty
U Eastern European EU people are 45% ex KGB(!!!!) 27 nations cant work together without imploding.
L Thanks to the Lisbon Treaty we have more rights, can tackle climate change, more democratic, cheaper phone roaming and cheaper flights (!!!!)
C We don't want a united states of Europe, a President whose name we can't pronounce (Herman Van Rompuy EU President) (he thought it was Baroness Ashton at first).
G We were promised a referendum and should have one, people are angry. The EU has brought peace to Europe.
LD We would be mad not to stay in the EU. Longest period of peace, the treaty tidied up laws. We should have a referendum on staying in.
U Peaceis thanks to Nato not EU, wars in Bosnia and Albania, loss of habeus corpus, European arrest warrants (then got a bit confused with USA extradition). Gary McKinnon did the USA a favour. China has 3000 hackers attacking.
Q4 How to restore the trust in British Politics.
LD difficult to have total transparency, LD had attemped to get bills passed but L&C voted against. MPs in safe seats are less careful, electoral reform needed.
L We have had a low point this year in politics, MPs should have 1 home, MPs salary should be determined by an independent body. I was the first to pledge on transparency.
G MPs salary is determined by an independent body, they decided to increase it! Proportional Representation would help things become more fair. If within commuting distance then one home, but for those with constituencies in the North of England will need a second home.
LD rebuttal. I was the first to pledge on transparency!
C Referred to personal attacks on him as he has a second home, being an MP isn't a 9 to 5 job and he needs it. The attack on MPs by the Telegraph was a sad day. I'm in politics for power, to use it to help people. Its not a job but a way of life. I will pay capital gains on my second home so the country benefits. As a shadow minister I can't be expected to drive back and forth to London every day, the congestion it impossible.
U I am aloof from all this! In my last job people were court-martialed and cashiered for this. Theft of taxpayers money. (Ashley More, Tom Wise ex MEPs fraud)
Q5 Is defence spending adequate.
U increase it 40%, Ukip discussed it at a recent conference and will release it to the press soon.
G At a time when things are tight, the troops don't have proper equipment, either increase spending or bring them home. Why are we in Afghanistan anyway? Cut Trident and all nuclear weapons.
The chair asked me to specify, I said I was a member of CND and so against nuclear proliferation.
C Who here knows what the PSBR means? Darling said cuts deeper than Thatcher. Iran is the threat we need the nukes for, they could kill us! We want to play a role in the world.
L 10% more defence spending than '97, we are in Afghanistan or al qaeda will regain power!
LD If not for Iraq we would have done better in Afghanistan. We should have listened to Vince Cable on the economy. Soldiers are without proper equipment. No need to renew trident now, leave it 20 years. Nuclear non proliferation treaty.
C had to make a phone call so left at this point.
Q6 University Fees.
LD Cut after 6 years, phased out gradually.
U EU wants a 5 year degree. Cut University places to save money. State scholarship in my day. Cut dodgy degree. (He was asked for an example) Politics. Discussed foreign students. (Roused the audience to anger, they pay moe to study here). I am old fashioned and proud of it. I don't need approval of namby pamby types. (He really did say namby pamby!) (Audience roused in anger, why are you here if you are not listening to new ideas).
L Pledged not to raise tuition fees. Created vocational training.
G Apprenticeships have been around a while, not created by L, there are too few of them, in construction we need to train up young people.
After a closing speech of thanks, the LD asked to make a few words. He plugged his website. Cheeky.
Friday, 26 March 2010
Denefield School Hustings 25th March
Students at Denefield School asked some tough questions yesterday. The event was well chaired, well attended and a good experience for everyone.
This is written up based on my notes, and quoted from the Reading Post. If anyone wants to add or change anything, please comment. (My comments are in italics).
The event was chaired by Tommy Gilchrist, vice-president for education at Reading University Student Union (RUSU), chaired the panel.
And organised with the help of Josh Harsant, Member of Youth Parliament for Reading, and now Deputy Head Boy at Denefield School. @joshharsant
PPCs:
Lib Dem Cllr Daisy Benson,
Conservative Cllr Emma Webster (Alok Sharma had a previous commitment with a local charity).
Labour Cllr Naz Sarkar
and Green Party Adrian Windisch.
The candidates made a 2 minute introductory speech:
Green; I spoke of fairness with elections and the environment. First past the post favours the big parties but PR is more fair for all.
Lab; Naz Sarkar, who is also a maths tutor at the school, said: “This election matters and it’s very close between Labour and the Tories nationally and locally. Your families, your relatives, make an enormous difference and they could determine whether a national Government is Labour or Conservative.”
LD; “When I first become interested in politics I was about your age. I grew up with a Conservative Government and the reason I got involved with the Liberal Democrats is because I was not happy with the status quo. One of the big issues for me is fairness. At 16 you are not allowed to vote and when I got elected to the council student voices were not heard very much.”
I got involved because I wanted to take the opportunity to change things on a local level.”
C; Spoke about health and the need for more politicians under 40.
Questions were taken in batches.
Q1a Tuition Fees?
Q1b Housing for young people?
LD; Phase out tuition fees after 6 years, use empty houses to solve problem.
C; More University places by 2010 (seems short notice to me). Loans and reduce stamp duty for first timers.
L; Opposed differential, more places for better Universities. Build more homes.
G; Cut tuition fees now. Use empty homes, use empty offices rather than build on green spaces. And its unfair that some people have second homes that are empty while others have none.
Q2a Hard for those on middle income to afford University?
Q2b What each party would do for those students who did not want to continue on to university?
Q2c Why is this the first time all of us have appeared together at this school?
G; I would be delighted to come to this school, but I haven't been asked before. “When I was younger there were lots of apprenticeship schemes. There are some now but a small number.”
LD; In regular contact with Johs, School buses, the first £10,000 a year not taxed. “We won’t leave it for six months to help those find a job, we would help them after three months and help with internships. We would also make minimum wage a standard and wouldn’t have young people paid less.”
C; “There are two very important areas to look at. Is it because they want an apprenticeship or work, or because they are scared of the financial implications?”
L; We need more jobs for the 18 to 24 year olds. Investment of £3.5 million in Prospect School.
“We need to make sure we target people and young people specifically. I do think we need more teachers in Parliament and young people.”
Q3 Future of 'A' levels questioned,
C; Make best use of time, exams at the end of 2 years.
L; Changes in rules make it harder to teach.
LD; Maidenhead schools plan to scrap 'A' levels, David Cameron plans to scrap some degrees.
G; 'A' levels used to be set at a certain percentage for each grade, now more and more get the top grade, some employers want to differentiate between the top students. I don't know the answer to this but I would listen to students and teachers to find out. Naz is right, Labour have changed the rules every few years, causing every profession including teachers to spend lots of time filling in forms.
We were asked to make some closing remarks;
G; I thanked the organisers and said I had learned something today.
L; Its a close race between Labour and Conservatives.
C; Our education policy is designed to help, look at our policies.
LD; One vote shouldn't count more than the others, LD got 1 in 4, with 1 in 3 LD would win.
You can follow on twitter, everyone should get involved.
Tweets
@DaisyBenson
liked the q from the girl "why is this the first time you've come to speak to us?" Need 2 listen to young people not just at election time!
5:40 PM Mar 25th via Tweetie
enjoyed the hustings at Denefield School. School bell went off during my bit! #rdg
5:21 PM Mar 25th via Tweetie
@adrianwindisch
Back from Denefield School hustings went very well, enjoyed by all. No bickering, well chaired and some good questions. I will blog soon.
6:24 PM Mar 25th via web
@nazsarkar hasn't twittered since the last hustings.
This is written up based on my notes, and quoted from the Reading Post. If anyone wants to add or change anything, please comment. (My comments are in italics).
The event was chaired by Tommy Gilchrist, vice-president for education at Reading University Student Union (RUSU), chaired the panel.
And organised with the help of Josh Harsant, Member of Youth Parliament for Reading, and now Deputy Head Boy at Denefield School. @joshharsant
PPCs:
Lib Dem Cllr Daisy Benson,
Conservative Cllr Emma Webster (Alok Sharma had a previous commitment with a local charity).
Labour Cllr Naz Sarkar
and Green Party Adrian Windisch.
The candidates made a 2 minute introductory speech:
Green; I spoke of fairness with elections and the environment. First past the post favours the big parties but PR is more fair for all.
Lab; Naz Sarkar, who is also a maths tutor at the school, said: “This election matters and it’s very close between Labour and the Tories nationally and locally. Your families, your relatives, make an enormous difference and they could determine whether a national Government is Labour or Conservative.”
LD; “When I first become interested in politics I was about your age. I grew up with a Conservative Government and the reason I got involved with the Liberal Democrats is because I was not happy with the status quo. One of the big issues for me is fairness. At 16 you are not allowed to vote and when I got elected to the council student voices were not heard very much.”
I got involved because I wanted to take the opportunity to change things on a local level.”
C; Spoke about health and the need for more politicians under 40.
Questions were taken in batches.
Q1a Tuition Fees?
Q1b Housing for young people?
LD; Phase out tuition fees after 6 years, use empty houses to solve problem.
C; More University places by 2010 (seems short notice to me). Loans and reduce stamp duty for first timers.
L; Opposed differential, more places for better Universities. Build more homes.
G; Cut tuition fees now. Use empty homes, use empty offices rather than build on green spaces. And its unfair that some people have second homes that are empty while others have none.
Q2a Hard for those on middle income to afford University?
Q2b What each party would do for those students who did not want to continue on to university?
Q2c Why is this the first time all of us have appeared together at this school?
G; I would be delighted to come to this school, but I haven't been asked before. “When I was younger there were lots of apprenticeship schemes. There are some now but a small number.”
LD; In regular contact with Johs, School buses, the first £10,000 a year not taxed. “We won’t leave it for six months to help those find a job, we would help them after three months and help with internships. We would also make minimum wage a standard and wouldn’t have young people paid less.”
C; “There are two very important areas to look at. Is it because they want an apprenticeship or work, or because they are scared of the financial implications?”
L; We need more jobs for the 18 to 24 year olds. Investment of £3.5 million in Prospect School.
“We need to make sure we target people and young people specifically. I do think we need more teachers in Parliament and young people.”
Q3 Future of 'A' levels questioned,
C; Make best use of time, exams at the end of 2 years.
L; Changes in rules make it harder to teach.
LD; Maidenhead schools plan to scrap 'A' levels, David Cameron plans to scrap some degrees.
G; 'A' levels used to be set at a certain percentage for each grade, now more and more get the top grade, some employers want to differentiate between the top students. I don't know the answer to this but I would listen to students and teachers to find out. Naz is right, Labour have changed the rules every few years, causing every profession including teachers to spend lots of time filling in forms.
We were asked to make some closing remarks;
G; I thanked the organisers and said I had learned something today.
L; Its a close race between Labour and Conservatives.
C; Our education policy is designed to help, look at our policies.
LD; One vote shouldn't count more than the others, LD got 1 in 4, with 1 in 3 LD would win.
You can follow on twitter, everyone should get involved.
Tweets
@DaisyBenson
liked the q from the girl "why is this the first time you've come to speak to us?" Need 2 listen to young people not just at election time!
5:40 PM Mar 25th via Tweetie
enjoyed the hustings at Denefield School. School bell went off during my bit! #rdg
5:21 PM Mar 25th via Tweetie
@adrianwindisch
Back from Denefield School hustings went very well, enjoyed by all. No bickering, well chaired and some good questions. I will blog soon.
6:24 PM Mar 25th via web
@nazsarkar hasn't twittered since the last hustings.
Heathrow Third Runway Victory
Breaking news about a court case.
The High Court ruled on a judicial review brought against the government after it announced support for a third runway at Heathrow Airport.
Local councils, residents and green groups say the decision in favour of the runway was flawed by "conspicuously unfair" public consultations.
The judge to rule the runway cannot go ahead without a further period of full consultation. This is because it contradicts all the talk of reducing emissions.
The judge said 'Its untenable. Without common sense.'
If the Government wants to pursue its plans for Heathrow expansion it must now go back to square one and reconsider the entire case for the runway.
Also today the Government will announce a ban on wild animals from circuses, ending hundreds of years of performing elephants, tigers and lions in the big top.
Another Green victory.
The High Court ruled on a judicial review brought against the government after it announced support for a third runway at Heathrow Airport.
Local councils, residents and green groups say the decision in favour of the runway was flawed by "conspicuously unfair" public consultations.
The judge to rule the runway cannot go ahead without a further period of full consultation. This is because it contradicts all the talk of reducing emissions.
The judge said 'Its untenable. Without common sense.'
If the Government wants to pursue its plans for Heathrow expansion it must now go back to square one and reconsider the entire case for the runway.
Also today the Government will announce a ban on wild animals from circuses, ending hundreds of years of performing elephants, tigers and lions in the big top.
Another Green victory.
Wednesday, 24 March 2010
What Qualities Should MPs Have?
I was reading a few other blogs today, very thought provoking. 'In the Commons, 110 of 645 MPs have a BSc or equivalent, whereas nearly as 400 have humanity or law qualifications.' At least they have some qualifications, some don't.
Julian Huppert, LD PPC for Cambridge, has written about the need for more qualified scientists and engineers in parliament. 'A successful PR agency will be able to create a good response for a product, whatever the true merits of the product. A scientist or engineer, however, succeeds based on things working.'
I’m glad someone thinks we need more engineers in Parliament, I just happen to be an engineer. But I don't think that would address the problem. Most MPs are lawyers or career politicians, and they don't have the required skills of reflect the population. I think most engineers and scientists lack the communication skills needed.
I think we need MPs who have experience as employers, team workers & as volunteers. They should have applied for jobs and hired other people. Too many have very limited backgrounds, and are hopelessly out of their depth. We also need more women, and people from different backgrounds and with a wide variety of skills.
Sanbikinoraion says 'Ideally, legislators should have a sharp eye for detail, excellent reading comprehension skills, an excellent grasp of statistics, an understanding of history and political philosophy and a set of novel personal background experiences to bring to the table.'
In practise, after convincing their party members that they will perform well, PPCs then must convince 35,000+ skeptics to give them a job, 'through awareness-raising campaigning, doorstepping, local problem solving, successful media interviews and appearances, and being able to recall and reframe the main planks of their party's brand identity at will'.
To every rule there are exceptions; I have met some young PPCs who have built up there local parties from a handful to a strong force that others must take seriously. That is such an impressive feat that I think they are capable of being brilliant MPs regardless of their backgrounds or experience.
Julian Huppert, LD PPC for Cambridge, has written about the need for more qualified scientists and engineers in parliament. 'A successful PR agency will be able to create a good response for a product, whatever the true merits of the product. A scientist or engineer, however, succeeds based on things working.'
I’m glad someone thinks we need more engineers in Parliament, I just happen to be an engineer. But I don't think that would address the problem. Most MPs are lawyers or career politicians, and they don't have the required skills of reflect the population. I think most engineers and scientists lack the communication skills needed.
I think we need MPs who have experience as employers, team workers & as volunteers. They should have applied for jobs and hired other people. Too many have very limited backgrounds, and are hopelessly out of their depth. We also need more women, and people from different backgrounds and with a wide variety of skills.
Sanbikinoraion says 'Ideally, legislators should have a sharp eye for detail, excellent reading comprehension skills, an excellent grasp of statistics, an understanding of history and political philosophy and a set of novel personal background experiences to bring to the table.'
In practise, after convincing their party members that they will perform well, PPCs then must convince 35,000+ skeptics to give them a job, 'through awareness-raising campaigning, doorstepping, local problem solving, successful media interviews and appearances, and being able to recall and reframe the main planks of their party's brand identity at will'.
To every rule there are exceptions; I have met some young PPCs who have built up there local parties from a handful to a strong force that others must take seriously. That is such an impressive feat that I think they are capable of being brilliant MPs regardless of their backgrounds or experience.
Which Celebrity Do You Really, Really Hate - Meme
I have been tagged by Janeistheone on the "which celebrity do you really, really hate?" I'm not sure about hate, but here is one man that makes me want to change channels to avoid him.
'They must be famous and also that you have never met them. I am going to exclude politicians or people you hate for political reasons too. It has to be just based around their face or demeanour or something else equally shallow and irrational! And you can only pick one so if you have loads it has to be the one you hate the most. However irrational though you must justify your choice and try and persuade the rest of us of the rightness of your cause!'
In 2000 Mirror editor Piers Morgan breached the newspaper industry's code of practice in the recent share dealing scandal, the Press Complaints Commission has ruled. For some reason the Mirror kept him employed though.
In 2004 Daily Mirror editor Piers Morgan has been sacked after the newspaper conceded photos of British soldiers abusing an Iraqi were fake. In a statement the Mirror said it had fallen victim to a "calculated and malicious hoax" and that it would be "inappropriate" for Morgan to continue.
The Queen's Lancashire Regiment (QLR) said the Mirror had endangered British troops by running the pictures. “It is just a great pity it has taken so long… and that so much damage has been done in the meantime.” At a news conference in Preston on Friday afternoon, the regiment demonstrated to reporters aspects of uniform and equipment which it said proved the photographs were fake. The regiment’s Brigadier Geoff Sheldon said the vehicle featured in the photographs had been located in a Territorial Army base in Lancashire and had never been in Iraq.
He said the QLR’s reputation had been damaged by the Mirror and asked the newspaper to apologise because the evidence they were staged was “overwhelming”.
So who employs a man who endangered the life of our soldiers?
Mumsnet Online has a chat with Piers Morgan. He was asked:
Q: Do you think you were "set-up" over the fake Iraq abuse photos?"
Piers: I don't know if I was set up over those Iraq photos, but I do know that we still don't know who took them, what they depict, where they were taken, or anything.
I am not surprised that he knows nothing, but why do some people believe him?
Q:Would you say you are a feminist?
Piers: I'm not a feminist, but I love women - until they get too feminist
Revealing, he hates women.
How does he get on 'America’s Got Talent' I wonder?
Apparently he has considered standing for Parliament.
http://tabloid-watch.blogspot.com/ is a good antidote. And Private Eye.
The origin of this is Mark Reckons. If you feel up for it bloggers, consider yourself tagged.
'They must be famous and also that you have never met them. I am going to exclude politicians or people you hate for political reasons too. It has to be just based around their face or demeanour or something else equally shallow and irrational! And you can only pick one so if you have loads it has to be the one you hate the most. However irrational though you must justify your choice and try and persuade the rest of us of the rightness of your cause!'
In 2000 Mirror editor Piers Morgan breached the newspaper industry's code of practice in the recent share dealing scandal, the Press Complaints Commission has ruled. For some reason the Mirror kept him employed though.
In 2004 Daily Mirror editor Piers Morgan has been sacked after the newspaper conceded photos of British soldiers abusing an Iraqi were fake. In a statement the Mirror said it had fallen victim to a "calculated and malicious hoax" and that it would be "inappropriate" for Morgan to continue.
The Queen's Lancashire Regiment (QLR) said the Mirror had endangered British troops by running the pictures. “It is just a great pity it has taken so long… and that so much damage has been done in the meantime.” At a news conference in Preston on Friday afternoon, the regiment demonstrated to reporters aspects of uniform and equipment which it said proved the photographs were fake. The regiment’s Brigadier Geoff Sheldon said the vehicle featured in the photographs had been located in a Territorial Army base in Lancashire and had never been in Iraq.
He said the QLR’s reputation had been damaged by the Mirror and asked the newspaper to apologise because the evidence they were staged was “overwhelming”.
So who employs a man who endangered the life of our soldiers?
Mumsnet Online has a chat with Piers Morgan. He was asked:
Q: Do you think you were "set-up" over the fake Iraq abuse photos?"
Piers: I don't know if I was set up over those Iraq photos, but I do know that we still don't know who took them, what they depict, where they were taken, or anything.
I am not surprised that he knows nothing, but why do some people believe him?
Q:Would you say you are a feminist?
Piers: I'm not a feminist, but I love women - until they get too feminist
Revealing, he hates women.
How does he get on 'America’s Got Talent' I wonder?
Apparently he has considered standing for Parliament.
http://tabloid-watch.blogspot.com/ is a good antidote. And Private Eye.
The origin of this is Mark Reckons. If you feel up for it bloggers, consider yourself tagged.
GREN Reading East Hustings Tuesday 13th April
Reading East Election 2010:
Quiz the Candidates
Labour, Liberal Democrat, and Green candidates, and a Conservative
representative.
Chaired by Professor Chris Garforth, Reading University.
Tuesday 13 April 8.00 pm, The Warehouse, 1a Cumberland Road, Reading, RG1 3LB
In 2010 Reading East will elect its MP for the next five years.
Find out what the candidates would do to combat climate change and build a
more sustainable Reading.
Do you have a burning question: Environment, Energy Transport, Biodiversity,
Sustainable Economy?
Submit it in advance at www.gren.org.uk
_____________________________________
Quiz the Candidates
Labour, Liberal Democrat, and Green candidates, and a Conservative
representative.
Chaired by Professor Chris Garforth, Reading University.
Tuesday 13 April 8.00 pm, The Warehouse, 1a Cumberland Road, Reading, RG1 3LB
In 2010 Reading East will elect its MP for the next five years.
Find out what the candidates would do to combat climate change and build a
more sustainable Reading.
Do you have a burning question: Environment, Energy Transport, Biodiversity,
Sustainable Economy?
Submit it in advance at www.gren.org.uk
_____________________________________
Tuesday, 23 March 2010
David Miliband Passport Fears
Foreign Secretary David Miliband is angry that Israel has cloned British passports, they may have been used in the assassination of a Hamas suspect by Mossad. I am angry that we have passports that can be easily cloned.
Miliband is saying the passports were cloned at an airport in 20 minutes. He wants us not to let our passports out of our hands. Perhaps he has never been abroad, people are always taking our passports away, hotels, car hire, crossing a border...
Unfortunately for British citizens, the new micro-chipped passports, introduced in UK to protect against terrorism and organised crime, can be cloned.
A researcher has succeeded in cloning the chips of British passports in which he introduced the pictures of Osama bin Laden. Jeroen van Beek, a computer researcher at the University of Amsterdam developed his cloning method based on previous researches made in UK, Germany and New Zealand.
The micro-chipped passports contain a small radio frequency chip and an antenna attached to the back page of the passport. The chip responds to an encrypted signal sent by an electronic reader, by sending the holder's ID and the biometric details back to the reader. Therefore, a copied chip could be palmed at an unattended reader or a copy of a passport that hasn't even been stolen could be used if the bearer resembled the original holder.
Months ago these concerns were raised, but under Miliband the authorities were not worried, till now. To any concerns expressed in relation to the safety of the data on the e-passports, the Home Office has always argued that faked chips can be discovered at border checkpoints because, when checked against an international database, they would not match the key.
The Dutch researcher not only changed the data on the e-passports but succeeded in writing a new signature that will pass through the system, under certain circumstances. According to the reader performances, to the exchange of certificates between countries or to the use or not of PKD, the signature might not even be checked.
"We're not claiming that terrorists are able to do this to all passports today or that they will be able to do it tomorrow (...) But it does raise concerns over security that need to be addressed in a more public and open way" said Mr van Beek.
He changed an id card to Elvis Presley.
Some people are discussing how to disable the chip to protect their identity, but this is probably illegal so I wont give a link, but its not hard to find out.
Miliband is saying the passports were cloned at an airport in 20 minutes. He wants us not to let our passports out of our hands. Perhaps he has never been abroad, people are always taking our passports away, hotels, car hire, crossing a border...
Unfortunately for British citizens, the new micro-chipped passports, introduced in UK to protect against terrorism and organised crime, can be cloned.
A researcher has succeeded in cloning the chips of British passports in which he introduced the pictures of Osama bin Laden. Jeroen van Beek, a computer researcher at the University of Amsterdam developed his cloning method based on previous researches made in UK, Germany and New Zealand.
The micro-chipped passports contain a small radio frequency chip and an antenna attached to the back page of the passport. The chip responds to an encrypted signal sent by an electronic reader, by sending the holder's ID and the biometric details back to the reader. Therefore, a copied chip could be palmed at an unattended reader or a copy of a passport that hasn't even been stolen could be used if the bearer resembled the original holder.
Months ago these concerns were raised, but under Miliband the authorities were not worried, till now. To any concerns expressed in relation to the safety of the data on the e-passports, the Home Office has always argued that faked chips can be discovered at border checkpoints because, when checked against an international database, they would not match the key.
The Dutch researcher not only changed the data on the e-passports but succeeded in writing a new signature that will pass through the system, under certain circumstances. According to the reader performances, to the exchange of certificates between countries or to the use or not of PKD, the signature might not even be checked.
"We're not claiming that terrorists are able to do this to all passports today or that they will be able to do it tomorrow (...) But it does raise concerns over security that need to be addressed in a more public and open way" said Mr van Beek.
He changed an id card to Elvis Presley.
Some people are discussing how to disable the chip to protect their identity, but this is probably illegal so I wont give a link, but its not hard to find out.
Students Say Vote Green
A survey by UNITE, reveals the majority would vote for the Green Party (19 per cent), followed by the Conservatives (17 per cent), Labour (14 per cent) and the Liberal Democrats (13 per cent). Just 5 per cent said they would vote for the BNP.
Unfortunately 47 per cent – the equivalent of over one million students - will not be voting or are highly unlikely to.
The research found that students are largely indifferent to the main parties, with a quarter (24 per cent) unable to identify any differences between them or unsure what they stand for.
One in five (19 per cent) said they wouldn’t vote because their friends and family weren’t planning to while one in 10 (12 per cent) admitted they had no interest in politics.
The study, which surveyed 1,566 students around the country, also asked students what would encourage them to vote – and which party they would back if an election were called tomorrow.
A third (29 per cent) said they would be more likely to vote if all the parties pledged to drop tuition fees. Two in five (38 per cent) asked for clearer information on what the parties stand for and their manifestos.
The piece of legislation that students would most like to see introduced by the new Government is refunding the costs of a degree to those who achieve a first. One in five (19 per cent) said they would back such a policy.
One in 10 (12 per cent) think a tax on bankers’ bonuses should be introduced to help contribute towards tuition fees. A further 10 per cent thought that MPs’ expenses should be cut to create additional funding and 8 per cent were in favour of abolishing tuition fees in favour of a “graduate tax”.
When it comes to social issues faced by students, finding employment after graduating was ranked as the most important. This was followed by knife crime, climate change, rising student debt, terrorism and sexual health.
The findings also reveal gaps in students’ political knowledge. A third (33 per cent) failed to name Gordon Brown as the Prime Minister and leader of the Labour party. Only half (48 per cent) knew Nick Clegg headed up the Liberal Democrats and third (34%) couldn’t identify David Cameron as the leader of the Conservative party.
To help make student voices heard, UNITE has joined forces with the independent Electoral Commission, to provide information about the voting process and encourage people to register to vote. Free, impartial information, literature and registration forms from the Commission will be distributed to UNITE properties. They are also available through www.aboutmyvote.co.uk.
Shane Spiers, Managing Director of UNITE student accommodation business, said: “We are home to almost 40,000 students and believe it’s important for our residents to feel they can influence issues that matter most to them. Through partnering with the Electoral Commission, we can equip our residents with the information they need to debate the options and make their vote count.”
The report also reveals:
* A quarter of the vote (26 per cent), students think TV personality and Gurkha campaigner Joanna Lumley would do a better job running the country than any of the current candidates.
* Two thirds (61 per cent) of students think the current state of higher education is the same or worse as it was previously following 12 years of Labour Government.
* The majority of students (41 per cent) feel that becoming more personally involved in politics (by protesting, joining a political party etc) is more likely to achieve political change than voting (29 per cent).
* Politics is the least talked about subject among students – one in ten (nine per cent) admit never talking about it with their friends.
This compared with figures from 2005, an 18%+ swing LD to Green among students!
Unfortunately 47 per cent – the equivalent of over one million students - will not be voting or are highly unlikely to.
The research found that students are largely indifferent to the main parties, with a quarter (24 per cent) unable to identify any differences between them or unsure what they stand for.
One in five (19 per cent) said they wouldn’t vote because their friends and family weren’t planning to while one in 10 (12 per cent) admitted they had no interest in politics.
The study, which surveyed 1,566 students around the country, also asked students what would encourage them to vote – and which party they would back if an election were called tomorrow.
A third (29 per cent) said they would be more likely to vote if all the parties pledged to drop tuition fees. Two in five (38 per cent) asked for clearer information on what the parties stand for and their manifestos.
The piece of legislation that students would most like to see introduced by the new Government is refunding the costs of a degree to those who achieve a first. One in five (19 per cent) said they would back such a policy.
One in 10 (12 per cent) think a tax on bankers’ bonuses should be introduced to help contribute towards tuition fees. A further 10 per cent thought that MPs’ expenses should be cut to create additional funding and 8 per cent were in favour of abolishing tuition fees in favour of a “graduate tax”.
When it comes to social issues faced by students, finding employment after graduating was ranked as the most important. This was followed by knife crime, climate change, rising student debt, terrorism and sexual health.
The findings also reveal gaps in students’ political knowledge. A third (33 per cent) failed to name Gordon Brown as the Prime Minister and leader of the Labour party. Only half (48 per cent) knew Nick Clegg headed up the Liberal Democrats and third (34%) couldn’t identify David Cameron as the leader of the Conservative party.
To help make student voices heard, UNITE has joined forces with the independent Electoral Commission, to provide information about the voting process and encourage people to register to vote. Free, impartial information, literature and registration forms from the Commission will be distributed to UNITE properties. They are also available through www.aboutmyvote.co.uk.
Shane Spiers, Managing Director of UNITE student accommodation business, said: “We are home to almost 40,000 students and believe it’s important for our residents to feel they can influence issues that matter most to them. Through partnering with the Electoral Commission, we can equip our residents with the information they need to debate the options and make their vote count.”
The report also reveals:
* A quarter of the vote (26 per cent), students think TV personality and Gurkha campaigner Joanna Lumley would do a better job running the country than any of the current candidates.
* Two thirds (61 per cent) of students think the current state of higher education is the same or worse as it was previously following 12 years of Labour Government.
* The majority of students (41 per cent) feel that becoming more personally involved in politics (by protesting, joining a political party etc) is more likely to achieve political change than voting (29 per cent).
* Politics is the least talked about subject among students – one in ten (nine per cent) admit never talking about it with their friends.
This compared with figures from 2005, an 18%+ swing LD to Green among students!
Monday, 22 March 2010
Nick Clegg On TV "spectacularly wrong"
This morning I watched Nick Clegg on the Politics show, and now theres an hour long interview now on ITV. This publicity is priceless, but what message is Nick giving?
I have heard something on his policies, but nothing on the environment, or even PR. He did better than Gordon Brown on the politics show but thats not saying much. He couldn't answer some questions, I doubt he converted anyone. He got tied in knots over the fuel tax and immigration. Its on iplayer. Soon we will have the leader debates, perhaps he will improve.
LibDems make lots of noise about young peoples criminal behaviour such as Graffiti. Do they know he set fire to a precious plant collection when he was younger? They will now. He had to do some community service.
There was no mention of his pensions gaffe, he said the basic state pension was just £30. The true figures then were £90.70 a week for a single person and £145.45 for a couple. Mr Clegg later told the BBC News Channel he had got it "spectacularly wrong".
No mention of the four Liberal Democrat MPs; Richard Younger-Ross, John Barrett, Sandra Gidley and Paul Holmes, guilty of a “serious misjudgment” concerning dodgy rent agreements.
Apparently he wrote a thesis on the political philosophy of the Deep Green movement!
A year after joining the LD he was an MEP. At his frst try he became an MP for Sheffield.
There are clearly some differences between the LD and the Green Party, every position, even a cllr, takes years of hard work. If he had worked hard for it, he would be more experienced and better able to answer questions.
I have heard something on his policies, but nothing on the environment, or even PR. He did better than Gordon Brown on the politics show but thats not saying much. He couldn't answer some questions, I doubt he converted anyone. He got tied in knots over the fuel tax and immigration. Its on iplayer. Soon we will have the leader debates, perhaps he will improve.
LibDems make lots of noise about young peoples criminal behaviour such as Graffiti. Do they know he set fire to a precious plant collection when he was younger? They will now. He had to do some community service.
There was no mention of his pensions gaffe, he said the basic state pension was just £30. The true figures then were £90.70 a week for a single person and £145.45 for a couple. Mr Clegg later told the BBC News Channel he had got it "spectacularly wrong".
No mention of the four Liberal Democrat MPs; Richard Younger-Ross, John Barrett, Sandra Gidley and Paul Holmes, guilty of a “serious misjudgment” concerning dodgy rent agreements.
Apparently he wrote a thesis on the political philosophy of the Deep Green movement!
A year after joining the LD he was an MEP. At his frst try he became an MP for Sheffield.
There are clearly some differences between the LD and the Green Party, every position, even a cllr, takes years of hard work. If he had worked hard for it, he would be more experienced and better able to answer questions.
Sunday, 21 March 2010
Every Disabled Child Matters Pledge
General Election candidates have been contacted by the charity Every Disabled Child Matters (EDCM) to sign their pledge. I am proud to do so.
In my role as MP for Reading West constituency, and as a supporter of the Every Disabled Child Matters campaign, I will (if elected):
1.Meet with disabled children, young people and their families to discuss key issues of concern to them
2.Raise these issues of concern, and promote rights and resources, for disabled children, young people and families from my constituency in Parliament
3.Visit local services for disabled children and their families on a regular basis
4.Support measures to transform services for disabled children and their families, such as the Aiming High for Disabled Children (AHDC) programme in England
5.Find out how funding is being used in my constituency to improve services for disabled children, young people and their families
In my role as MP for Reading West constituency, and as a supporter of the Every Disabled Child Matters campaign, I will (if elected):
1.Meet with disabled children, young people and their families to discuss key issues of concern to them
2.Raise these issues of concern, and promote rights and resources, for disabled children, young people and families from my constituency in Parliament
3.Visit local services for disabled children and their families on a regular basis
4.Support measures to transform services for disabled children and their families, such as the Aiming High for Disabled Children (AHDC) programme in England
5.Find out how funding is being used in my constituency to improve services for disabled children, young people and their families
Saturday, 20 March 2010
Earth Hour this year is Saturday 27 March, 8.30pm
On Saturday 27 March 2010 at 8.30pm, WWF want a billion people around the world to switch off their lights for one hour – Earth Hour. Show you care about climate change.
Earth Hour 2009 took the world by storm as it travelled east to west and hundreds of millions of people switched off their lights. Earth Hour was embraced by people in over 3,000 cities and towns, nearly 1,000 landmarks and more than 83 countries around the world.
There is still time to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. But we need to act now.
Stop Nestle Or The Orangutans Get It. Greenpeace Vs Kitkat
Nestlé, maker of products such as Kit Kat, uses palm oil from companies that are trashing Indonesian rainforests, threatening the livelihoods of local people and pushing orang-utans towards extinction.
We all deserve to have a break - but having one shouldn't involve taking a bite out of Indonesia's precious rainforests. We're asking Nestlé to give rainforests and orang-utans a break and stop buying palm oil from destroyed forests.
It seems that Nestle doesn't seem to like criticism. See Facebook page.
But it looks like they're actively blocking reasonable, informed criticism of their unsustainable business practices. Banned from youtube, now see their video on vimeo. See video here.
Greenpeace / Nestle from id0 on Vimeo.
Since Wednesday, we've been asking our supporters to email Paul Bulcke, the CEO of the company, politely asking him to clean up Nestle's business practices and stop using unsustainable palm oil that's contributing to the destruction of Indonesia's rainforests.
But from what we can tell, Nestle have been blocking the IP address of our mail delivery software since Werdnesday afternoon. Rather than engage with people's concerns, they decided to try and censor them. Just like they did with comments on their facebook page - just like they tried to do with our Kitkat subvert.
I sent the email, and got this from Greenpeace.
Hi Adrian,
Thank you for telling Nestle to stop buying palm oil from destroyed rainforests. Your email really counts and with Greenpeace supporters around the world doing likewise, Nestle will be under intense pressure to cease trading with the worst palm oil suppliers.
This is just the beginning and we’re going to have to keep the pressure up. So we'll stay in touch on how our campaign develops and all the other creative ways you can tell Nestle to stop trashing the rainforests for palm oil. In the meantime, there are other things you can do to help:
Letting people know how Nestle are implicated in the destruction of the Indonesian rainforests, endangering orang-utans and accelerating climate change is vital and I hope we can count on your further support.
Thanks again for your help,
Jamie Woolley
Friday, 19 March 2010
Question Time, Time For The Greens
For months now I have been waiting for a Green Party person to appear on Question Time, at long last yesterday there was Caroline Lucas MEP. And what a difference she made to the often stale debates between the big three parties that are so similar, we have to rely on an occasional comedian to make any sense. And why do they often have two Tories? Yet the right claim the BBC are biased to the left. Its available here. This week, Question Time travels to Wythenshawe, Manchester where the panel includes Margaret Beckett, Andrew Lansley, Charles Kennedy, Caroline Lucas and David Starkey
From the first question Caroline stood out as something fresh in politics. Where Margaret Beckett was afraid to voice support for millions of union members Caroline stood up for them. Beckett couldn't even admit to getting thousands in funding for her election campaign from Unions, she said that was something to do with her agent! Who could forget £16,000 to Labour for Derby North and South! Caroline pointed to the union wanting BA to put the deal back on the table that they had offered before, that their CEO Willie Walsh playing politics with strike action. It may have been an attempt to get Lord Ashcroft from the headlines, but it is hardly the most important thing going on in the country. Why do unions continue to support Labour is another question. Historian David Starkey kept interrupting people, he accused Caroline of being a socialist, she said we had socialist principles. (Such as supporting the NHS). Charles Kennedy said he speaks to lots of airline stewardesses and they aren't militant!
Q2 was on Gordon Browns mistake claiming defence spending has gone up every year, he had to admit he was wrong. CL said her heart went out to those such as the woman last week (one of the most powerful things she had ever heard) who have to by equipment for her soldier son. GB claims to be strong on figures, he was chancellor for a long time. It reflects enormously badly on this government.
Q3 Childrens comissioner said age of criminal responsibility should be 12 not 10. Starkey said Norway would do it differently as it had a similar case, 'its small' (actually Norway is over a 1000 miles long).
Starkey said we have 25% feral children, tweeters wanted to know where he got this figure from. I think is counting all single parents, he considers them all to be hopeless, how little he knows. He certainly got the tweeters hot. CL said the media have a role in whipping this up, that demonising children (ASBOs) its a self fulfilling prophecy. Her timing was insensitive, it was good she appologised. But taken out from this context she made a good point.
Q4 Unemployment fall vindication of Government policy. Caroline said a smaller working week would see more employment. Figures show no cuts in services is working. Historically our deficit has been much higher, even Starkey admitted that. Employment is the most important thing, not the deficit. Cut trident and id cards, not 200,000 from Universities. There are 2 ways to look at economics, look at tax evasion not cutting jobs or it will trigger double dip recession. When Starkey said economists disagreed, CL quoted David Blanchflower who also warned that something was wrong when the others staid quiet. Starkey said Blanchflower was regarded as 'wildly eccentric' (twitters said pot calling kettle). DS 'Economists don't rule the markets'.
Q5 View on LD candidate Anna Arrowsmith makes porn movies. Kennedy said he was relieved not to be LD leader, she was well regarded, up to the constituency. DS compared her to Jeremy Thorpe. Beckett declined to comment. CL said Arrowsmith claimed to be directing feminist porn, she thought all porn exaggerates and fetishises sex, similarly lap-dancing isn't about empowerment.
Why not have a Green every week? I would love to see on QT; Tony Juniper, Peter Tatchell, Jonathan Porritt, Jean Lambert MEP, Jenny Jones AM, Darren Johnson AM.
This bought the session to an end, but twitterers continued to comment.
CarolineLucas (the only twitterer on the panel)
Thanks so much for all the kind comments about Question Time last night - Starkey seriously challenged my commitment to non-violence! #bbcqt
@guidofawkes Green woman talking sense #bbcqt
manishtasunnia
well done to Caroline Lucas who has once again proved that she is a brilliant MEP will make a fantastic MP and a woman of integrity! #bbcqt
catherinelm
@Ralphwjbrown Caroline was great on #bbcqt. Informed and intelligent.
@Sundip: Verdict #bbcqt – Beckett: tame, Lansley: lame, Kennedy: game, Lucas: fame, Starkey: shame
maskofanarchy
Tosser of the night: Dave Starkey. Voice of Reason: Caroline Lucas. Incompetent buffoon: Andrew Lansley #bbcqt
tnjharris
How come the Tories seem to have two representatives on #bbcqt every week?
andyfree
Lucas spot on on shorter working week! #bbcqt
andreawalko
Go Caroline Lucas talking sense! #bbcqt
adrinwindisch
Starkey Dad was a left-wing trade unionist, but he is a conservative. And likes the sound of his own voice. #bbcqt http://bit.ly/bks54D
foxycoxy
Go Caroline Lucas! Maybe we should all do something very daring and vote Green at the next election... #bbcqt
caerwynw
#bbcqt is this the best labour can offer tonight feckett? Lucas good points..I am seriously thinking of going Green In may.
BevaniteEllie
RT @RichardNeudegg: Good point from Caroline Lucas there on the Conservatives and Ashcroft. #bbcqt
SephRBrown
I wish Caroline Lucas was in the Labour Party #bbcqt (AdrianWindisch this is a Labour Supporter)
AllieCannell
Caroline Lucas: "very happy to say we have socialist principles"! Go Caroline! #FirstGreenMPs #bbcqt
From the first question Caroline stood out as something fresh in politics. Where Margaret Beckett was afraid to voice support for millions of union members Caroline stood up for them. Beckett couldn't even admit to getting thousands in funding for her election campaign from Unions, she said that was something to do with her agent! Who could forget £16,000 to Labour for Derby North and South! Caroline pointed to the union wanting BA to put the deal back on the table that they had offered before, that their CEO Willie Walsh playing politics with strike action. It may have been an attempt to get Lord Ashcroft from the headlines, but it is hardly the most important thing going on in the country. Why do unions continue to support Labour is another question. Historian David Starkey kept interrupting people, he accused Caroline of being a socialist, she said we had socialist principles. (Such as supporting the NHS). Charles Kennedy said he speaks to lots of airline stewardesses and they aren't militant!
Q2 was on Gordon Browns mistake claiming defence spending has gone up every year, he had to admit he was wrong. CL said her heart went out to those such as the woman last week (one of the most powerful things she had ever heard) who have to by equipment for her soldier son. GB claims to be strong on figures, he was chancellor for a long time. It reflects enormously badly on this government.
Q3 Childrens comissioner said age of criminal responsibility should be 12 not 10. Starkey said Norway would do it differently as it had a similar case, 'its small' (actually Norway is over a 1000 miles long).
In Norway, no children under 15 are prosecuted and Silje's killers were back at kindergarten within a week. The local community were encouraged to air their views and brought together to grieve openly. A team of counsellors was set up to work with the children in school. The strategy worked and, amazingly, there were no reprisals against either of the boys or their families. They were able to carry on living on the local housing estate.
Starkey said we have 25% feral children, tweeters wanted to know where he got this figure from. I think is counting all single parents, he considers them all to be hopeless, how little he knows. He certainly got the tweeters hot. CL said the media have a role in whipping this up, that demonising children (ASBOs) its a self fulfilling prophecy. Her timing was insensitive, it was good she appologised. But taken out from this context she made a good point.
Q4 Unemployment fall vindication of Government policy. Caroline said a smaller working week would see more employment. Figures show no cuts in services is working. Historically our deficit has been much higher, even Starkey admitted that. Employment is the most important thing, not the deficit. Cut trident and id cards, not 200,000 from Universities. There are 2 ways to look at economics, look at tax evasion not cutting jobs or it will trigger double dip recession. When Starkey said economists disagreed, CL quoted David Blanchflower who also warned that something was wrong when the others staid quiet. Starkey said Blanchflower was regarded as 'wildly eccentric' (twitters said pot calling kettle). DS 'Economists don't rule the markets'.
Q5 View on LD candidate Anna Arrowsmith makes porn movies. Kennedy said he was relieved not to be LD leader, she was well regarded, up to the constituency. DS compared her to Jeremy Thorpe. Beckett declined to comment. CL said Arrowsmith claimed to be directing feminist porn, she thought all porn exaggerates and fetishises sex, similarly lap-dancing isn't about empowerment.
Why not have a Green every week? I would love to see on QT; Tony Juniper, Peter Tatchell, Jonathan Porritt, Jean Lambert MEP, Jenny Jones AM, Darren Johnson AM.
This bought the session to an end, but twitterers continued to comment.
CarolineLucas (the only twitterer on the panel)
Thanks so much for all the kind comments about Question Time last night - Starkey seriously challenged my commitment to non-violence! #bbcqt
@guidofawkes Green woman talking sense #bbcqt
manishtasunnia
well done to Caroline Lucas who has once again proved that she is a brilliant MEP will make a fantastic MP and a woman of integrity! #bbcqt
catherinelm
@Ralphwjbrown Caroline was great on #bbcqt. Informed and intelligent.
@Sundip: Verdict #bbcqt – Beckett: tame, Lansley: lame, Kennedy: game, Lucas: fame, Starkey: shame
maskofanarchy
Tosser of the night: Dave Starkey. Voice of Reason: Caroline Lucas. Incompetent buffoon: Andrew Lansley #bbcqt
tnjharris
How come the Tories seem to have two representatives on #bbcqt every week?
andyfree
Lucas spot on on shorter working week! #bbcqt
andreawalko
Go Caroline Lucas talking sense! #bbcqt
adrinwindisch
Starkey Dad was a left-wing trade unionist, but he is a conservative. And likes the sound of his own voice. #bbcqt http://bit.ly/bks54D
foxycoxy
Go Caroline Lucas! Maybe we should all do something very daring and vote Green at the next election... #bbcqt
caerwynw
#bbcqt is this the best labour can offer tonight feckett? Lucas good points..I am seriously thinking of going Green In may.
BevaniteEllie
RT @RichardNeudegg: Good point from Caroline Lucas there on the Conservatives and Ashcroft. #bbcqt
SephRBrown
I wish Caroline Lucas was in the Labour Party #bbcqt (AdrianWindisch this is a Labour Supporter)
AllieCannell
Caroline Lucas: "very happy to say we have socialist principles"! Go Caroline! #FirstGreenMPs #bbcqt
Thursday, 18 March 2010
Feet In Tariffs, problems and solutions
After years of campaigning feed in tariffs finally arrive, coming here on April fools day. So the electricity you generate from wind turbines gets 34p, and solar panels 41p.
Unfortunately those who installed their system and were accredited under the Renewables Obligation before 15 July 2009 will automatically be transferred to the feed-in tariff at a generation rate of 9p per kWh, regardless of technology. This will be paid until 31 March 2027.
Microgenerators who installed pre 15 July 2009 and are not accredited under the RO will not be eligible for feed-in tariffs. So those who pioneered this technology without a grant are penalised. Labour are unfair, they should all get a decent rate, at least more than the electricity would cost.
Britain has only 25,000 solar roofs. Freiburg, a town of 200,000 people (similar to Reading), has almost as much solar photovoltaic (PV) power as the whole of Britain. Anyone generating electricity from solar PV, wind or hydro gets a guaranteed payment of four times the market rate - about 35p pence a unit - for 20 years in Germany. Germany had the Green Party in coalition for years, now thats over and so is the subsidy. At least they have a head start.
"If you put solar panels on your roof the government will pay you 36p - or 36.5p is the number out for consultation and what we expect it to be." "They will pay that level for each kilowatt you generate whether you use it or not. And that is a substantial return given you pay 12-13p in the market at the moment." This reduces the pay-back time on your investment to nearer 10 years.
But how effective is solar? Robert Barrow and his family live off solar power, and has a generator for back-up in the house they rent near Borth, Ceredigion, Wales. "Even on a cloudy day, it can generate over 50%," he says. "We do have doldrums. When we have heavy clouds, they cease to produce anything to let you run the washing machine and so on."But most days, on an average kind of day, there's enough juice to keep our HDTV, surround sound stereo and other creature comforts running. No problem."
In every election that Labour has fought since 1997 there has been a renewed commitment to renewable energy, but today renewables still only produce 5% of our power. The European average is 14%. This performance means that the UK comes 25th out of 27 EU countries in the proportion of its energy supplied from renewable sources – behind Malta and Luxembourg.
Renewables could produce 38% of present energy needs.
George Monbiot in The Guardian describes Solar Photovoltaic panels as ‘comically inefficient’. This is an uncharacteristically simplistic and wrong view of the technology from him. An average 2kWp PV system will produce around 1600 kWh of electricity per year which is around a half or a third of a households annual electricity use. In the south of England this could increase to 2000kWh/year. Hardly insignificant and not a cause for amusement.
Costs of solar panels are directly related to the current small size of the market. The aim of the feed in tariff/clean energy cashback policy is to develop a mass market for solar panels which will reduce the unit cost and therefore the cost of saving carbon.
George refers to Solar PV contributing only 0.4% to Germany’s electricity supply but this rather misses the application of the technology at the micro level. At the domestic and small scale level microgeneration technologies such as PV are not feeding into the grid but are being used within the buildings they serve and displacing the need for grid generated dirty electricity. So the impact for the householder installing may be a reduction in 30 to 50% of their electricity use. PV on this scale should be regarded as demand reduction technology as opposed to a mass generation option.
Another point he makes is that it is a technology option is only one that the rich will be able to take advantage of. However this is simply not the case. In Kirklees we now have hundreds of council tenants, many of who are pensioners on low incomes taking advantage of solar PV. Because the Clean Energy Cashback can be ‘assigned’ to the installer or social landlord who is installing the solar panels, the capital costs for installation could be met in their entirety by the revenue gained. The tenant/householder will still get the benefit of the electricity generated in their own home. With many people on low incomes being retired, or unable to work due to illness, their peak demand will more reflect the peak generation times of the solar panels during the day. So it is arguably a technology best applied to low/fixed income households. Having said that, with more affluent households working from home these days it is increasingly likely that people with solar panels will make use of the electricity generated on site rather than exporting it to the grid.
What George Monbiot completely fails to realise is the wider potential of microgeneration to change the way people regard themselves. They are no longer simply consumers of energy they can be generators and producers of their own heat and power. While that is literally ‘empowering’ it also means that householders have more of incentive to reduce their own consumption, to be more efficient in their use of energy, because now there is a ‘balance sheet’ of incoming and outgoing energy. If they are sufficiently responsible in their energy consumption they might even come out ‘in profit’ on their fuel bills. We have needed some real tangible incentives for saving energy in the home for a long time beyond the usual exhortations. Microgeneration provides that incentive.
We have the possibility of an ‘energy generating democracy’ in the UK with benefits to society and the environment inmeasurably greater than the narrow ‘property owning democracy’ that drove policy in the eighties. I find it bizarre to say this to someone with such well established green credentials but George Monbiot really should see the bigger picture here!
Wednesday, 17 March 2010
Battle Of Public Service Cuts
The Taxpayers’ Alliance produced an edited version of a film which demonstrates the wide range of jobs throughout the public sector which could be abolished without (they claim) 'any impact at all on front line services'. A good example of how it is hotting up in the iCampaign…
Guido
The other taxpayers alliance
Barely a day goes by without Chief Executive Matthew Elliott appearing in the media, representing the views of "ordinary taxpayers". The problem is that it isn't an alliance of ordinary taxpayers at all. It is an alliance of right-wing ideologues. Its academic advisory council is a who's who of the proponents of discredited Thatcherite policies.
Not everything the TPA says is wrong. Who could disagree with its commitment to "criticise all examples of wasteful and unnecessary spending", or to putting 2012 London Olympic spending under scrutiny? But the Alliance's concern for better public spending is a stepping stone to its desire for less public spending. And far from being a voice for "ordinary" taxpayers, its policies – opposing all tax rises (what, for everyone, in any circumstance?) and backing a flat rather than progressive tax – will increase inequality and shift wealth from poor to rich.
They also have links tothe Tories. For an organisation so concerned with transparency, the TaxPayers' Alliance is surprisingly opaque about its own finances. No list of donors is available.
The term ‘Alliance’ suggests that the TPA has some kind of democratic legitimacy, that it represents the voting public in some kind of genuine fashion. Indeed, it claims to be: ‘the guardian of taxpayers money, the voice of the taxpayer in the media and their representative at Westminster’. The Guardian had investigated the TPA’s sources for its £1m annual funding and discovered 60 per cent of it comprised donors giving £5000 or more to the Conservative Party. Moreover one of the group’s directors lives abroad and does not pay any UK tax.
The Greens see things differently. Caroline Lucas, MEP for the South East including Brighton, has said:"The last thing we need to be doing in the current economic climate is making cuts. What is needed is investment in public services, to make sure we get out - and stay out - of recession."
Guido
The other taxpayers alliance
Barely a day goes by without Chief Executive Matthew Elliott appearing in the media, representing the views of "ordinary taxpayers". The problem is that it isn't an alliance of ordinary taxpayers at all. It is an alliance of right-wing ideologues. Its academic advisory council is a who's who of the proponents of discredited Thatcherite policies.
Not everything the TPA says is wrong. Who could disagree with its commitment to "criticise all examples of wasteful and unnecessary spending", or to putting 2012 London Olympic spending under scrutiny? But the Alliance's concern for better public spending is a stepping stone to its desire for less public spending. And far from being a voice for "ordinary" taxpayers, its policies – opposing all tax rises (what, for everyone, in any circumstance?) and backing a flat rather than progressive tax – will increase inequality and shift wealth from poor to rich.
They also have links tothe Tories. For an organisation so concerned with transparency, the TaxPayers' Alliance is surprisingly opaque about its own finances. No list of donors is available.
The term ‘Alliance’ suggests that the TPA has some kind of democratic legitimacy, that it represents the voting public in some kind of genuine fashion. Indeed, it claims to be: ‘the guardian of taxpayers money, the voice of the taxpayer in the media and their representative at Westminster’. The Guardian had investigated the TPA’s sources for its £1m annual funding and discovered 60 per cent of it comprised donors giving £5000 or more to the Conservative Party. Moreover one of the group’s directors lives abroad and does not pay any UK tax.
The Greens see things differently. Caroline Lucas, MEP for the South East including Brighton, has said:"The last thing we need to be doing in the current economic climate is making cuts. What is needed is investment in public services, to make sure we get out - and stay out - of recession."
Unsustainable Street Lamps, Oxford Road Regeneration
About 10 years ago £7 million was spent on 'regeneration' of the Oxford Road in West Reading.
The 'striking futuristic' street lamps in Oxford Road were installed as part of a £7 million regeneration scheme. Now they are being taken down because of “ongoing maintenance issues”. Spare parts are no longer available so as part of a general review of street furniture, Reading Borough Council decided to get rid of the lampposts.
Disposable lamp posts after 10 years is clearly not sustainable, this local authority should be apologising for their mistakes. They also wanted to demolish the Civic Centre, which is newer than most buildings in Reading. Madness, when they could refurbish it to make it greener for less money and less carbon.
They didn't think to include a cycle path in the development, though there is room for it. Our Labour Council has failed on so many levels, this is just one more nail in the coffin.
It reminds me of all those other regeneration myths that ignore local people, such as the London Dome, Olympics, and many more. They often benefit developers at the expense of the community.
If you search the web for regeneration, you find Dr Who. Leave it to Science Fiction.
The 'striking futuristic' street lamps in Oxford Road were installed as part of a £7 million regeneration scheme. Now they are being taken down because of “ongoing maintenance issues”. Spare parts are no longer available so as part of a general review of street furniture, Reading Borough Council decided to get rid of the lampposts.
Disposable lamp posts after 10 years is clearly not sustainable, this local authority should be apologising for their mistakes. They also wanted to demolish the Civic Centre, which is newer than most buildings in Reading. Madness, when they could refurbish it to make it greener for less money and less carbon.
They didn't think to include a cycle path in the development, though there is room for it. Our Labour Council has failed on so many levels, this is just one more nail in the coffin.
It reminds me of all those other regeneration myths that ignore local people, such as the London Dome, Olympics, and many more. They often benefit developers at the expense of the community.
If you search the web for regeneration, you find Dr Who. Leave it to Science Fiction.
Tuesday, 16 March 2010
Explaining FPTP To 9 Year Olds, The Crisp Analogy
This morning I went to give a talk to a school preparing for Mock elections. I recall in my School Mrs Thatcher won, but enough history. A previous speaker from another party spoke to the children as if they were 67, so I made an effort to do better. But how do you explain to children in a couple of minutes climate science, first past the post (FPTP) proportional representation and everything else.
So I gave it a go, and they seemed to follow most of it. Their teacher then asked them, put up your hands everyone who likes cheese and onion crisps. About half put up their hands. So under FPTP, you would all have to eat cheese and onion. A cry of dismay went up from the others. And quite right too, I know how they feel.
Then they asked me questions, and it was really tough. Hydrogen fuel cells, what car do I drive, electric vehicles, nuclear power, Afghanistan War, how many members do Parties have, ethanol as fuel and much more. They asked who my party leader was, I told them Caroline Lucas MEP, that she was on Question Time this week but they might be a bit young to watch it.
In the afternoon I went knocking on doors in Park Ward, trying to get Rob White elected in the Reading council election. He lost by 20 votes last time, but every time our vote has gone up and up, see graph above. I spoke to one man who went from being negative about all parties to volunteering to help us! Well that doesn't happen every day, it really makes you feel that you have done some good. I should talk about vegetable oil more often.
So I gave it a go, and they seemed to follow most of it. Their teacher then asked them, put up your hands everyone who likes cheese and onion crisps. About half put up their hands. So under FPTP, you would all have to eat cheese and onion. A cry of dismay went up from the others. And quite right too, I know how they feel.
Then they asked me questions, and it was really tough. Hydrogen fuel cells, what car do I drive, electric vehicles, nuclear power, Afghanistan War, how many members do Parties have, ethanol as fuel and much more. They asked who my party leader was, I told them Caroline Lucas MEP, that she was on Question Time this week but they might be a bit young to watch it.
In the afternoon I went knocking on doors in Park Ward, trying to get Rob White elected in the Reading council election. He lost by 20 votes last time, but every time our vote has gone up and up, see graph above. I spoke to one man who went from being negative about all parties to volunteering to help us! Well that doesn't happen every day, it really makes you feel that you have done some good. I should talk about vegetable oil more often.
Monday, 15 March 2010
'Elf and Safety' Gone Mad
A few years ago, health and safety stories started to add to the tabloid familiar warning cry of “What’s the world coming to?” A formula emerged – a traditional, nostalgic aspect of British life is threatened by a modern, mindless bureaucracy, says Rob Strange of the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH)
You wouldn’t know it from reading our newspapers but Britain has seen an 81 per cent fall in workplace deaths and a 72 per cent fall in other reported workplace injuries over the past 35 years. We benefit from having one of the best safety records in Europe. And it isn’t just workers that profit from this – savings to the economy and to society from lives saved, healthier workforces and better attendance records are substantial, with some large employers estimating their savings at millions of pounds. This success story, largely untold, is partly down to the unsung heroes of health and safety, those who work so the rest of us can go home unharmed at the end of the day. But theirs isn’t a sexy story. Done well, health and safety works silently, invisibly, to prevent the bad news story from happening. Good health and safety is not, by its very nature, news.
David Cameron’s speech last December, called for an end to our “over-the-top” health and safety culture and for cuts in health and safety legislation. The New Year saw The Sunday Telegraph wade in with an attack on IOSH, accusing us of advising people not to grit snow and ice in public areas because they could get sued if it led to personal injury. In fact, they had provided a Telegraph reporter with an IOSH comment, encouraging businesses to grit beyond their boundaries to prevent accidents, yet this was ignored. Instead, the journalist drew on opinion from a year-old guest article, framed it in front page quotes and attributed it as an official IOSH “warning” to businesses.
This year's cheese-rolling event in Gloucestershire has been cancelled after concerns about safety. The competition, which dates back hundreds of years, involves participants chasing a 7lb Double Gloucester cheese down the hill in a series of races. The winner of each race wins the cheese. Cooper's Hill Cheese Rolling Committee (CHCRC) voted to postpone this year's event, there were concerns over the numbers of people, ambulance access and people damaging fences.
The HSE has a myths of the month.
I wonder how quick the tabloids would be to blame the authorities if they did nothing after people died. Just look at the current fuss about the lack of soldiers equipment in Afghanistan.
I work in construction, when I started in the 80s things were much more dangerous, since then things have improved and fewer die a year. Construction accounts for 31% of UK accidents. The most common injuries reported in construction in 2007/08 were manual handling - accounting for 29% of reported injuries to workers, and slips and trips 25%. Compared to workers across other industries, construction has higher proportions of reported injuries caused by falls from a height and moving/falling objects.
Mark Twain once said that “a lie can travel halfway round the world while the truth is putting on its shoes”. It’s time to call in the big health and safety lie from its travels before it leads to tragedy and hurt. And it’s time to give truth a chance to put on its shoes.
You wouldn’t know it from reading our newspapers but Britain has seen an 81 per cent fall in workplace deaths and a 72 per cent fall in other reported workplace injuries over the past 35 years. We benefit from having one of the best safety records in Europe. And it isn’t just workers that profit from this – savings to the economy and to society from lives saved, healthier workforces and better attendance records are substantial, with some large employers estimating their savings at millions of pounds. This success story, largely untold, is partly down to the unsung heroes of health and safety, those who work so the rest of us can go home unharmed at the end of the day. But theirs isn’t a sexy story. Done well, health and safety works silently, invisibly, to prevent the bad news story from happening. Good health and safety is not, by its very nature, news.
David Cameron’s speech last December, called for an end to our “over-the-top” health and safety culture and for cuts in health and safety legislation. The New Year saw The Sunday Telegraph wade in with an attack on IOSH, accusing us of advising people not to grit snow and ice in public areas because they could get sued if it led to personal injury. In fact, they had provided a Telegraph reporter with an IOSH comment, encouraging businesses to grit beyond their boundaries to prevent accidents, yet this was ignored. Instead, the journalist drew on opinion from a year-old guest article, framed it in front page quotes and attributed it as an official IOSH “warning” to businesses.
This year's cheese-rolling event in Gloucestershire has been cancelled after concerns about safety. The competition, which dates back hundreds of years, involves participants chasing a 7lb Double Gloucester cheese down the hill in a series of races. The winner of each race wins the cheese. Cooper's Hill Cheese Rolling Committee (CHCRC) voted to postpone this year's event, there were concerns over the numbers of people, ambulance access and people damaging fences.
The HSE has a myths of the month.
I wonder how quick the tabloids would be to blame the authorities if they did nothing after people died. Just look at the current fuss about the lack of soldiers equipment in Afghanistan.
I work in construction, when I started in the 80s things were much more dangerous, since then things have improved and fewer die a year. Construction accounts for 31% of UK accidents. The most common injuries reported in construction in 2007/08 were manual handling - accounting for 29% of reported injuries to workers, and slips and trips 25%. Compared to workers across other industries, construction has higher proportions of reported injuries caused by falls from a height and moving/falling objects.
Mark Twain once said that “a lie can travel halfway round the world while the truth is putting on its shoes”. It’s time to call in the big health and safety lie from its travels before it leads to tragedy and hurt. And it’s time to give truth a chance to put on its shoes.
Lobbying Transparency Pledge
As A PPC I have taken a pledge to make lobbying transparent and open to scrutiny.
When lobbying is shrouded in secrecy it damages politics and corrodes trust. There is a public interest in knowing who is trying to influence government decisions.
As a parliamentary candidate, I am committed to greater transparency in lobbying. I support the immediate introduction of a statutory register of lobbying activity, as recommended by the Public Administration Select Committee. This must include:
names of lobbyists
who they are working for
which decisions they are trying to influence
I will also encourage my party to commit to the introduction of a compulsory register of lobbyists.
When lobbying is shrouded in secrecy it damages politics and corrodes trust. There is a public interest in knowing who is trying to influence government decisions.
As a parliamentary candidate, I am committed to greater transparency in lobbying. I support the immediate introduction of a statutory register of lobbying activity, as recommended by the Public Administration Select Committee. This must include:
names of lobbyists
who they are working for
which decisions they are trying to influence
I will also encourage my party to commit to the introduction of a compulsory register of lobbyists.
Sunday, 14 March 2010
Hustings Views And Housing Policies
LD Cllr Ricky Duveen has written up his views of the hustings, and they are quite fair.
I think Ricky did ok, he was a decent substitute. The only clear mistake he made was on the Rushey mead wind turbine, which is in the countryside near the M4, not in the town as he said. To be fair this is not in Reading West, so it isn't too surprising that he doesn't know.
Ricky goes on to discuss the possibility of turning food waste into biogas. Its not a bad idea, though I would rather see less food waste. I did question Aloks statement that 50% of our gas could be provided by biogas, but there is a report that says its possible. CAT say 'the climatic conditions in the UK require heating and/or insulation, leading to complex and expensive digester designs' which explains why they are more popular in China and India. A problem with the use of biogas for CHP (combined heat and power) generation is that biogas plants are not normally located in densely populated areas. This makes piping of heat for district heating less viable. In Germany, where government subsidies have lead to the creation of around 4,000 farm-scale biogas plants, and in the USA, biogas farms have started to export purified biogas into the national gas grid. This is one in Shropshire.
I am sceptical after the disaster of biofuel where we have seen fuel replace food as a crop in some areas, and wildlife killed. Seven years ago biofuel was going to be made from converted waste oil, but unscrupulous people thought otherwise, endangering rainforests to make way for palm oil plantations is also putting further pressure on orangutans and other endangered wildlife.
I think Ricky was a bit kind to Naz though, in my view Naz knew little of any of the issues discussed, his answer often seemed to be that he didn't know. He did know about TIF, and he argued strongly on that. He also argued that the government shouldn't act without 'taking the people with us', an excuse for doing nothing.
Alok I think had prepared well, he seemed to know a bit about the environment. He likes nuclear weapons and is against congestion charging, and said so. A contrast to Martin Salter who would always say what the audience would want to hear, and then do the opposite.
I didn't say it last time but I am rather proud of that hustings, its my first for years, and I was not confidant. As always I thought of better things to say after I had answered questions, but I expect that's true of most people. I think I was the only one who knew about the feed in tariffs, the waste hierarchy.
I should have mentioned Rob White living for a year with just one bin. And said coal was polluting, CCS a waste, but someone else in the audience had already said it so I didn't.
I said a lot about flooding in Reading that no one else said, about the need to stop building on the flood plane, and perhaps dig up sealed car parks like the one at the Oxford Rd Tesco built on the flood plane. I am proud that we were the only party opposing that development, the others seem to have learned something since.
Though the LD is against trident, they are pro nuclear weapons and vote for AWE, I got a cheer when I spoke against that.
Then there is Daisy. She twitters that 'Teather - "we are the only party going into the GE with a sensible housing policy or indeed any housing policy" #libdems #ldconf'. She wrong on every count. Unlike Ricky, who can say what is true about other parties without being so partisan. Her determination to say 'only the LD...' undermines any credibility of what she is saying. Why get caught out spreading such guff? Is she modelling herself on Gordon Brown?
So to prove she is wrong, here are some Party Policies on housing.
Housing Policy from Tory,'That’s why local people need to decide where new homes should go, instead of Whitehall bureaucrats. And that’s why we will use incentives to encourage new homes to be built, rather than letting unelected quangos impose unsustainable development on communities.
Labour’s planning rules have resulted in a shortage of family homes and the bulldozing of homes with gardens - and they have prevented the market building new homes with parking spaces and gardens. A Conservative Government will change these rules as a matter of urgency.'
Lab, 'Labour believes everyone should have access to a decent home, at an affordable price, in the area where they want to live.' But doesn't say how. And what if we all wanted to live cheaply in Notting Hill?
LD , 'The Liberal Democrats today set out plans to bring a quarter of a million empty homes back into use, making homes available for people who need them.' There aren't enough empty homes, its the LD policy that looks empty. And the Greens have been talking about empty homes for years anyway.
And Green. The Green Party believes that it is for governments to employ building workers in a large programme of social housing, and by further expanding the public housing stock through a Right to Rent scheme. Homes should also be retrofitted with energy efficiency measures and new stock should be built to the highest standard. Insulate over five years all 20 million uninsulated homes in the UK.
Even ukip have a housing policy. Not so much about building them, but it does call itself a housing policy anyway. It seems to be based on reading tabloid headlines on 'benefit cheats'.
It turns out the Alok is a real smooth talker with all the sincerity of David Cameron. Naz is a bit sharper but clearly not at his best on environmental issues. Adrian was at least consistent and set out a green view of the issues with sincerity and plain talking. I am not sure that I am a brilliant debater (actually I know I am not) but I did manage to get some policies over.
I think Ricky did ok, he was a decent substitute. The only clear mistake he made was on the Rushey mead wind turbine, which is in the countryside near the M4, not in the town as he said. To be fair this is not in Reading West, so it isn't too surprising that he doesn't know.
Ricky goes on to discuss the possibility of turning food waste into biogas. Its not a bad idea, though I would rather see less food waste. I did question Aloks statement that 50% of our gas could be provided by biogas, but there is a report that says its possible. CAT say 'the climatic conditions in the UK require heating and/or insulation, leading to complex and expensive digester designs' which explains why they are more popular in China and India. A problem with the use of biogas for CHP (combined heat and power) generation is that biogas plants are not normally located in densely populated areas. This makes piping of heat for district heating less viable. In Germany, where government subsidies have lead to the creation of around 4,000 farm-scale biogas plants, and in the USA, biogas farms have started to export purified biogas into the national gas grid. This is one in Shropshire.
I am sceptical after the disaster of biofuel where we have seen fuel replace food as a crop in some areas, and wildlife killed. Seven years ago biofuel was going to be made from converted waste oil, but unscrupulous people thought otherwise, endangering rainforests to make way for palm oil plantations is also putting further pressure on orangutans and other endangered wildlife.
I think Ricky was a bit kind to Naz though, in my view Naz knew little of any of the issues discussed, his answer often seemed to be that he didn't know. He did know about TIF, and he argued strongly on that. He also argued that the government shouldn't act without 'taking the people with us', an excuse for doing nothing.
Alok I think had prepared well, he seemed to know a bit about the environment. He likes nuclear weapons and is against congestion charging, and said so. A contrast to Martin Salter who would always say what the audience would want to hear, and then do the opposite.
I didn't say it last time but I am rather proud of that hustings, its my first for years, and I was not confidant. As always I thought of better things to say after I had answered questions, but I expect that's true of most people. I think I was the only one who knew about the feed in tariffs, the waste hierarchy.
I should have mentioned Rob White living for a year with just one bin. And said coal was polluting, CCS a waste, but someone else in the audience had already said it so I didn't.
I said a lot about flooding in Reading that no one else said, about the need to stop building on the flood plane, and perhaps dig up sealed car parks like the one at the Oxford Rd Tesco built on the flood plane. I am proud that we were the only party opposing that development, the others seem to have learned something since.
Though the LD is against trident, they are pro nuclear weapons and vote for AWE, I got a cheer when I spoke against that.
Then there is Daisy. She twitters that 'Teather - "we are the only party going into the GE with a sensible housing policy or indeed any housing policy" #libdems #ldconf'. She wrong on every count. Unlike Ricky, who can say what is true about other parties without being so partisan. Her determination to say 'only the LD...' undermines any credibility of what she is saying. Why get caught out spreading such guff? Is she modelling herself on Gordon Brown?
So to prove she is wrong, here are some Party Policies on housing.
Housing Policy from Tory,'That’s why local people need to decide where new homes should go, instead of Whitehall bureaucrats. And that’s why we will use incentives to encourage new homes to be built, rather than letting unelected quangos impose unsustainable development on communities.
Labour’s planning rules have resulted in a shortage of family homes and the bulldozing of homes with gardens - and they have prevented the market building new homes with parking spaces and gardens. A Conservative Government will change these rules as a matter of urgency.'
Lab, 'Labour believes everyone should have access to a decent home, at an affordable price, in the area where they want to live.' But doesn't say how. And what if we all wanted to live cheaply in Notting Hill?
LD , 'The Liberal Democrats today set out plans to bring a quarter of a million empty homes back into use, making homes available for people who need them.' There aren't enough empty homes, its the LD policy that looks empty. And the Greens have been talking about empty homes for years anyway.
And Green. The Green Party believes that it is for governments to employ building workers in a large programme of social housing, and by further expanding the public housing stock through a Right to Rent scheme. Homes should also be retrofitted with energy efficiency measures and new stock should be built to the highest standard. Insulate over five years all 20 million uninsulated homes in the UK.
Even ukip have a housing policy. Not so much about building them, but it does call itself a housing policy anyway. It seems to be based on reading tabloid headlines on 'benefit cheats'.
Saturday, 13 March 2010
Slogan Generator; Every Party Needs One
It seems every Party has a new slogan this year.
Cons "vote for change"
Green "Fair is worth fighting for"
Lab "A future fair for all"
Today the LibDems unveiled "Change That Works For You. Building A Fairer Britain" . Its a bit of a mouthful, and seems to include most other parties slogans. Perhaps preparing for a hung parliament? Clegg even made some jokes about wearing a red tie also.
I thought I would help them by suggesting a few alternatives:
'Change we can fair believe in'
'Working For Fair Change'
And with the Slogan generator.
To Change Britain Fairer.
Slogan Generator
Cons "vote for change"
Green "Fair is worth fighting for"
Lab "A future fair for all"
Today the LibDems unveiled "Change That Works For You. Building A Fairer Britain" . Its a bit of a mouthful, and seems to include most other parties slogans. Perhaps preparing for a hung parliament? Clegg even made some jokes about wearing a red tie also.
I thought I would help them by suggesting a few alternatives:
'Change we can fair believe in'
'Working For Fair Change'
And with the Slogan generator.
Slogan Generator
Friday, 12 March 2010
Reading West Hustings Tilehurst, 11 March 2010
A very interesting hustings, well chaired by Bishop Stephen Cotrell.
Representing the parties were Ricky Duveen (LD), Naz Sarkar (Lab), Adrian Windisch (Green), Alok Sharma (Cons). Ricky was standing in for Daisy Benson who was chairing an RBC meeting, he was a good substitute but I would have been interested in Daisys opinions, she has talked a lot about housing, but where would you build the extra houses and what of there impact?
When he introduced the candidates, the Bishop said Naz was with New Labour, which got a laugh.
Below are a collection of my notes, they are not precise, (and I have made some explanations in brackets). Anyone reading this who wants to, please feel free to comment or contact me and I will either correct the text or leave as comments.
All the candidates got 3 minutes to make their speech, the order was done by lots, I got to go first. The Bishop proved he was tough strait away, by stopping me after 3 mins, I had overrun by about a sentence.
I talked about the difference between the Green Party and the other, fairness, future generations. Ricky talked about carbon trading, Naz praised Martin Salter on the Kennet Meadows, recycling and landfill. Alok started with that great Prescott quote, "I will have failed if in five years time there are not...far fewer journeys by car”, mentioned Disraeli cleaning up rivers, the green belt.
Question 1, was about how we will achieve our emissions targets. Naz kept saying 'we have to take the public with you' which seemed code for not doing anything without huge popular support, and the TIF bid. He said he didn't have all the answers. Alok talked about investing, up to £6500 per house to insulate, and that we should lead the world in CCS (Carbon capture and storage). Ricky talked about improving recycling, food waste and green transport. (I didn't note down what I said but I think it was) cutting emissions by 9% every year, I questioned the £6500 per house figure as most houses would need a few hundred, Alok responded that this was 'up to' £6500.
Q2, how can we encourage councils to do more. Ricky talked about vehicle emissions, reducing lorries passing through Reading. Alok said its all stick and no carrot, the TIF scheme was being replaced, weekly waste collection, spy chips in rubbish bins. An audience member asked why West Berkshire (Tory council) was not applying for TIF. Another asked what TIF meant. (I was glad of this as I didn't know it meant Transport Innovation Fund). Alok said councils have autonomy. Naz said we were getting £650m with TIF, Alok interupted to say its been cancelled. An audience member asked why Alok was against congestion charging, he said because Manchester had voted against it by 79%. I pointed out that London had voted for it, and I supported congestion charging.
Q3, Grants for renewable energy projects. Alok spoke of feed in tariffs, rooftop PV, 50% biogas replacing current gas supplies. Ricky said that the other candidates were speaking against their local party policies (later they denied this). Naz said he knew no details on biogas. An audience member asked why the feed in tariff rates were so poor, the others didn't answer so I said that the new rates were ok, but they were giving a very low rate for existing PV panels.
I was sceptical about biogas after the experience of biofuel, but it would be a good use of food waste.
An audience member (@lappynet) said CCS didn't work. Alok wants us to invest in it and then export the technology.
Q4, can public transport reduce congestion. Naz spoke about Cllr Tony Page, and said the Tories weren't participating with TIF. Alok responded that Sadiq Khan MP was replacing it.
He was keen on high speed trains & cycle lanes. I said make it cheaper to use public transport than by car and traffic would reduce. I also mentioned the difference with congestion on school holidays, encourage people to walk to school and school buses. An audience member said buying a car at £15,000 makes car use more expensive. (I was referring to getting car owners to use public transport).
Q5, developments in Reading. Alok was asked about the Chronicle storey saying the Pincents Hill developers would have better luck under the Tories, he said he was gobsmacked, and had written to the developers, he would oppose it with his life! Naz spoke about top down planning. Ricky said the decision would be made in Bristol.
In the audience a comment came about Infrastructure Plans, another comment that emissions could be easily sorted with reduced bus fares. Another asked about reducing business emissions. Alok spoke of BT; how good companies were at reducing emissions. Naz said the Pincents Hill descion was robust and would stand up. I said behind these developments were the Barker review of housing that pushed ever more housing on us, we need to change this, there were limits with available land for housing, roads and drains (flooding).
Alok praised the save calcott campaign and that a future Tory government would prioritise a new planning bill.
Q6, Threat to sustainable future population growth. Unsustainable lifestyles in developing countries similar to us. I spoke about bicycles in China 20 years ago, how the roads were full of bikes, but that most people in those countries live more sustainably than we do. (I later mentioned contraction and convergence, we reduce growth, allowing the countries to catch up is fair). Alok spoke of his interest in development in India, including wind. Naz spoke of 'wasteful growth'? 'Copenhagen not as successful as it could be'!
Q7, what do we do to reduce our emissions? Alok flies less on buisness, has a new condensing boiler (a heckler said his one just froze up). Naz said he has no car, and has few emissions. Ricky uses public transport to commute. I said I hadn't flown for 10 years, didn't use the car on short trips but needed it for work as public transport so poor.
Q8 three questions, Endless growth, new technologies, emission targets.
Ricky said we cant go on. I discussed contraction and convergence limits growth, we have the technolgy now but new things like led lightbulbs with very low energy come along, and a yearly target is better than a distant one in 10 years that may be for a different parliament. Alok said growth by debt was less as less debt around and CCS can develop.
Q9, Inequality, the book 'Spirit Level', Mandleson saying he was 'relaxed about people getting filthy rich'.
Naz was uncomfortable with inequality. Alok discussed top rates of tax, and was heckled about Ashcroft the non dom. I said the inequality was getting worse and lead to frustrations and tensions in society, as the rich were getting richer. I referred to a rich broker who said his cleaner was paying more tax.
Q10, The local vicar asked about flood risk.
Mike Hurd asked about noise from wind turbines legislation.
Naz said there was a real issue with flooding in Whitley and would spend money on it, he was a fan of wind power and said we were the largest in the world. (I struggled with laughter at this point). I said we were one of the worst for wind turbines, councils turn down most applications or we would be much better. Standing under the Green Park turbine I can't hear any noise over the M4. Flooding was being made worse by building on the flood plane, I mentioned Pangbourne (I meant to mention Purley), building sealed car parks like tesco on the flood plain, we may have to dig them up to allow groundwater recharge when it rains instead of heavy rain going into flooding. I also said I would give the Environment Agency teeth, so they could stop such developments, not just make recommendations. Alok spoke a a flood review, and making benefits for locals when there is a new wind turbine. Ricky said Wokingham was a built up area (the town is like Reading, but the turbine is for Rushey Mead, Arbourfield, near the M4).
The questioner than explained he meant that the legislation should be updated as modern turbines were much bigger, and he was for renewables, but not closer than a mile from homes. (I think they were from HARM).
Q11, as its near lent, the Bishop asked what we would up to reduce emissions.
I said nuclear weapons, trident alone will cost £78billion. Alok struggled to answer, I helpfully suggested id cards. Ricky said we had already taken his choices. Naz said we had to take people with us.
This is one of the first hustings on twitter, so below are some twitters about the hustings.
In reverse order.
Reading West Hustings Tilehurst, 11 March 2010: A very interesting Hustings, well chaired by Bishop Stephen Cotre... http://bit.ly/daaHTd
Pictures From Reading West Hustings in Tilehurst: It was very entertaining, I will write more shortly. The Bisho... http://bit.ly/8ZkeOu
1:46 AM Mar 10th via twitterfeed
Pressure on Green Belt land means it ‘CAN BE BUILT ON’ http://greenconstructionuk.wordpress.com/2010/03/09/green-belt-land-can-be-built-on/
@dazmando Asok did his thing but he was very defensive and the #rdg audience didn't seem persuaded by him or his posters.
about 13 hours ago via web in reply to dazmando
The #rdg West hustings was more a real political event than the rather fake Cameron Direct that was held recently and that I attended.
about 13 hours ago via web
Ricky Duveen was standing in for @CllrDaisyBenson (who was chairing a scrutiny meeting on that night) and present the Lib Dem case well.
about 13 hours ago via web
thames_pilgrim
Adrian Windisch, the Green PCC, was often able to point out flaws made by Labour and the Conservatives on green issues
about 13 hours ago via web
Naz Sarkar, the Labour PCC, was a nice enough chap but he often seemed a bit confused and made a number of mistakes.
about 13 hours ago via web
Alok Sharma, the Conservative PCC, was really defensive about all manner of things. He seemed to feel under pressure.
about 13 hours ago via web
Unfortunately I sat next to some really foul mouthed Conservatives, who were really rude about the other parties. I tried to ignore them.
about 13 hours ago via web
I rated the parties at the #rdg hustings, in order of performance; Lib Dems, Green, Labour and finally the Conservatives.
about 14 hours ago via web
Back from the #rdg West parliamentary hustings on Green Issue. It was quite robust with bishop chairing it taking an active role.
about 14 hours ago via web
lappynet
Green party first and only to mention pop growth and that we need to reduce, but only so poorer countries can continue. Understandable.
about 14 hours ago via TweetDeck
Q asked about poor countries pop growth, our lifestyle & their aspiration for it. Wow, way to ignore our pop growth.
about 14 hours ago via TweetDeck
Ooh, got to talk. Cut down conservative for promising carbon capture as though it works and mentioned additional unheard cost of bio fuel.
about 14 hours ago via TweetDeck
All twoddle. Promise of unproven tech and cut back cash. No one is talking abou population growth.
about 15 hours ago via TweetDeck
nazsarkar
Just come from the Greater Reading Environmental Network election hustings. Lots of really good questions and very interesting!
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