Handing on the Baton

 Labour, Loughborough, Melton Mowbray  No Responses »
Jul 282012
 

The Olympics show whats best in our political system.  The decision and effort to bring the Olympic Games to London was made under the Labour Administration of Tony Blair.  Ken Livingstone was Mayor of London at the time and supported the bid.  The games were awarded to London almost 10 years ago in 2003.  After the change in Government seven years later in 2010 the Conservative Government has worked tirelessly in the remaining two years to ensure that the Games are a success. Boris Johnson too has contributed to this effort.  This shows how major national enterprises can succeed the transition of political administrations if the project is important enough and if a political consensus is built around the project.

Another, perhaps more important, example of this is the peace process in Northern Ireland which was stared by John Major and brought to a successful conclusion in the Good Friday agreement by Tony Blair and Mo Mowlem.

So far there has yet to be a project from the Coalition Government which is of this magnitude.   Let’s hope for all our sakes they are able to formulate such a project which they can hand on the baton to an incoming Labour Government to complete.

 

I agree with Dave!

 Labour, Loughborough  No Responses »
Jul 192012
 

Clueless Cameron?

It’s not often I agree with Prime Minister David Cameron, probably not often that he would agree with me either.  His interview in the Daily Telegraph was interesting for the boundaries he was putting round various policy issues.  For example he said he”d never campaign for an ‘out’ vote in a referendum on the European Union.  We can both agree on that. Where we will disagree will be on the terms of our membership. But I needn’t worry there as the other members of the EU aren’t going to let him have his way on these terms – allowing the UK special opt-outs or privileges. Ultimately if he’s not going to back an ‘out’ campaign in a referendum the Europeans know they can happily resist the repatriation of powers he wants.

David reckons austerity is going to be with us at least until 2020.  Again I agree with him it will – there is a but. And that’s if he continues the current economic policy of austerity rather than growth.  If a group of people owe me money and I cut their working hours, freeze their rate of pay, and sack some of them.  It’s going to take them longer to pay me back.  So under current trends 2020 seems about right.  I’m confident there’ll be a change of Government before then and a new policy on growth to reduce our deficit.

Off the Rails

 Labour, Loughborough, Melton Mowbray  No Responses »
Jul 162012
 

Great News! The Government has given the go-ahead (again) to electrify the Midland Mainline, starting after 2014 (general election is in 2015). The money isn’t coming from the Government but from significant increases in passenger fares. How generous of them.

We’ve asked for investment in infrastructure so as to boost the economy and they’ve turned round and agreed a scheme which will take at least 3 years to get fully off the ground and which we’re paying for. Forget the recession we’ll be in a depression by then.  What beats me is all the money we’re pumping into the railways only for shareholders to get dividends at the public expense.  We must be off our rockers – never mind off the rails.

Milking It

 Foods, Labour, Loughborough, Melton Borough Council, Melton Mowbray  No Responses »
Jul 162012
 

Dairy Cows

I probably get through, on my own, almost a litre of milk a day. I make my porridge with it, have it in coffee, and like it just to drink.  Added to that I eat a lot of cheese – you get the idea – I’m very dependent on the dairy industry.  And I do know the price of a pint – of milk that is.

I pay 90p in the shop across the road for a 2 pint carton of milk. Now supermarkets retail their milk at around 52p a litre and yet they buy milk from the farmer at 25p a litre.  Since it costs the farmer roughly 30p to produce this milk, the farmer is producing milk at a loss. No wonder the number of dairy farmers has fallen in the last 15 years by more than 20,000 – down to just 14,500.  Yet in the same period the profits the retailers make from milk has rocketed sixfold up from 2.6p to 15p a litre.

Not all retailers are the bad boys in this – some are worse than others.  At least Tesco, Marks and Spencer, Sainbury’s and Waitrose have “aligned contracts” with their farmers which guarantee the farmers 30p a litre, ie the cost of production and no more.  Morrison, Asda and the Co-Operative Group have yet to offer a fair price to farmers for their milk – so I won’t be buying my milk from them in future.

Fairtrade? We need FairMilk in this country – pay farmers a decent price for their milk and in the long term we’ll all benefit.  It’s about time we stopped greedy firms from milking it!

Who Gives a Monkey’s?

 Labour, Loughborough, Melton Borough Council, Melton Mowbray  No Responses »
Jul 112012
 

Lords Reform?

Your husband’s lost his job and despite answering loads of adverts and cold calling lots of firms still hasn’t managed to find work.  The economy has gone into recession so there’s few firms taking on new people.  Those that might have expanded can’t get banks to lend them money to invest. Your wages have been frozen and if you don’t agree to a pay cut there’s a risk your firm will go under.   The mortgage payment is late.  Your benefits are to be cut.  Fuel prices are still way too high for your budget.  The County Council are cutting the subsidy on buses for your kids to get to school…

And in Parliament there is total obsession about Reform of the House of Lords.  Who gives a Monkey’s?  Now that proposals to timetable discussion on the Bill for Lords Reform have been pulled, it looks as if much of the coming months will be dominated by an issue that has been dragging on since 1911 and which many think could happily drag for on a bit longer without the country going into chaos.

When are our Lords and masters going to get back in touch and discuss issues of real relevance to the crisis?  Isn’t it time that the Organ Grinder told the Monkey to shut up and focus on the real issues?

Insulting School Governors

 Labour, Loughborough, Melton Borough Council  No Responses »
Jul 092012
 

Gove’s Insult to Governors

“Local worthies who see being a governor as a badge of status not a job of work.” This is Education Secretary, Michael Gove’s description of School Governors.

Last year I stepped down after 16 years as a Governor of a village primary school.  I also stepped down after 8 years as Chair of Governors of a 4 – 18 year Special Needs School. For the latter, I was responsible for merging two predecessor schools into the new organisation, designing and building the new school, appointing the head – and her successor, achieving an outstanding rating by Ofsted and just before I left opening a new MLD provision and building for the area.  I remain a governor at a secondary school.

So I am incensed at Michael Gove’s description of me and the many colleagues who have given their time and expertise to help run numerous schools in the County.  How dare he!
He goes on… “Discussions that ramble on about peripheral issues, influenced by fads and anecdote, not facts and analysis. A failure to be rigorous about performance. A failure to challenge heads forensically and also, when heads are doing a good job, support them authoritatively.”

And he warns: “We cannot have a 21st century education system with governance structures designed to suit 19th century parochial church councils.”

Well Mr Gove, let’s see you try and run schools without Governors. You’ve abolished control/supervision by the Local Authorities with your Academies project. Now you want to remove the last vestiges of any local or democratic accountability for what you clearly see as education businesses. Meanwhile your boss, David Cameron still goes on about the Big Society – do you two every talk to each other?  Thinking about the O Level exam leak, apparently not!

Not good enough!

 Labour, Loughborough, Melton Mowbray  No Responses »
Jul 052012
 

How many of you were mis-sold Endowment Mortgages, or wanting to take out a loan were sold expensive insurance policies which were of little value and not even necessary.  Small businesses have been saddled with expensive financial arrangements they can hardly afford.  On top of all that we have the Libor Scandal, the sub prime mortgage  fiasco which caused the collapse of the banking system.  And it doesn’t and won’t stop there.

All of this has caused this recession, unemployment and financial hardship for many.

And the Conservatives want a quick inquiry into what went wrong and how to put it right.  This isn’t good enough.  The chairman of the inquiry doesn’t want a ‘witch hunt’.  I do.  I want those responsible named and shamed.  I want those who were involved in misdeeds facing criminal charges and if necessary prison.  I want their bonuses reimbursed.  But it won’t happen.  The Tories will let their rich chums off the hook in a partisan inquiry which should have been led by a independent and impartial judge. Not good enough.

Going, going, gone!

 Labour, Loughborough, Melton Borough Council, Melton Mowbray  No Responses »
Jul 042012
 

David Parsons Expenses Questions?

Conservative Councillor David Parsons has resigned as Leader of Leicestershire County Council and not before time.  He faced a vote of no confidence from his own group and jumped knowing that if he didn’t he’d have been pushed.  That’s not the honourable act that some are portraying in the media – the guy had counted the votes in the room and knew he was going to lose – if there’d been any doubt as to the outcome he would have stayed regardless of the consequences on the reputation of the County Council.

It’s not just about the scandal over his expenses which the police are investigating. It’s about the arrogance of power how leaders if they are not careful can become out of touch.  When you are being driven around in a chauffeured car, you forget the common man and woman waiting in the rain at a bus stop whose services you have cut.  The local media have revealed the cost of refurbishing and running his office over the few years as over £1 million. In these times of cuts think of how many social workers that would have paid.

Bob Diamond also resigned yesterday – another good resignation!

Shepshed’s Fuming

 Labour, Loughborough  No Responses »
Jul 012012
 

Incinerator Monstrosity

Well, the Coalition Government promised to bring decision making down to the local level. The localism bill was to give new rights to neighborhoods and the National Planning Policy Framework was designed ensure local residents have more of a say about planning issues in their area.

And in practice?  The incinerator planned for the outskirts of Shepshed is a good case to study.  Local residents signed petitions, wrote and voiced their opposition to the application.  The Town Council opposed it, their representatives on the Borough Council opposed it.  The County Council rejected it.

The Secretary of State has now ignored the overwhelming opposition to this application at parish, district and county level and has imposed this monstrosity on Shepshed and North Loughborough.

Generations of residents in Shepshed and North Loughborough will not only have to suffer the consequences of increased pollution and additional traffic but they will have a massive and obtrusive landmark to remind them of these potential hazards for years to come.”

No wonder Shepshed is fuming!