Just thinking to myself just now i really think politics has really made a comeback in this country. Before the election and years before it people didnt blink a eye lid to what was going on down at Westminster. Now i wouldnt suggest a huge shift has occured but from the way young students are going out onto our streets to protest in their hundreds of thousands it would suggest the young are certainly becoming more engaged again. This is excellent news i feel. Even if they are angered clearly that is not good but the fact they are thinking politically and about what things affect them.
I couldnt be more proud of these students taking to the streets and carrying out occupations of universities. Hopefully this will inspire a new generation of political activists. There has always been protests down the years in this country but we havent seen any on the scale as what we have recently. What encourages me more is the bravery and the endever of these young comrades. To take the fight back to the coalition government who have betrayed them deeply. Especially on the subject of tuitian fees. I say good on them and i hope this new wave of political activism continues, peacefully of course but making sure their message can be heard loud and clearly.
Hopefully the young can inspire the older more mature political activists to get re-engaged again and follow up with similar protests to defend our welfare state and many other things that appear to be under threat.
Let this be the start of a wave of optimism to sweep this great nation where the vunerable and the working class's and the under threat start the fight back.
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Tuesday, 30 November 2010
Why i feel school sport is still important
So as we await the decision from FIFA this week to learn if England will be hosting the 2018 football world cup we hear reports that the tory lead coalition government are looking to cut school sports for schools funding in the face of all this.
With the county little over 2 years till the 2012 London Olympics which you cant go anywhere in London without hearing about this. I just feel cutting the sports funding to schools is very disapointing. As we are constantly being reminded we are a nation that is becoming increasingly over weight. Especailly at a younger age. So kids in schools need regular excersise and funding for that. It is complete idiocy to cut this budget therefore. The tories line is they want to push this decision back to headteachers to decide what to do. But when your given the chance to decide what to spend nothing on. It doesnt really give you much of a choice to be honest. It is like saying here you go have no money and see what you can do with it.
This country needs to take a lead of the way we live, eat and excersise. We are quickly going the way of America of our children doing little excersise and eating horribly unhealthy foods.
Something must be done and i dont blame people like Jamie Oliver coming out and hammering the government on this. It is not just a tory-lib dem thing the previous labour government started the proccess of selling off school playing fields. So lets not think labour have the morale high ground on this issue. But i do think Labour have a big chance with their policy review under way now to re think their views on this.
If they are seen to be on the sides of schools and headteachers and children this could gain them a lot of crediablity. On a issue that is important to a lot of people. As we look towards these two big sporting events we need to be helping children achieve sporting success. I just think children should be playing sport competitive or not it should not matter. The tory claims of Labour didnt promote winners is rubbish. It is the taking party and being sporting which is far more important i feel.
With the county little over 2 years till the 2012 London Olympics which you cant go anywhere in London without hearing about this. I just feel cutting the sports funding to schools is very disapointing. As we are constantly being reminded we are a nation that is becoming increasingly over weight. Especailly at a younger age. So kids in schools need regular excersise and funding for that. It is complete idiocy to cut this budget therefore. The tories line is they want to push this decision back to headteachers to decide what to do. But when your given the chance to decide what to spend nothing on. It doesnt really give you much of a choice to be honest. It is like saying here you go have no money and see what you can do with it.
This country needs to take a lead of the way we live, eat and excersise. We are quickly going the way of America of our children doing little excersise and eating horribly unhealthy foods.
Something must be done and i dont blame people like Jamie Oliver coming out and hammering the government on this. It is not just a tory-lib dem thing the previous labour government started the proccess of selling off school playing fields. So lets not think labour have the morale high ground on this issue. But i do think Labour have a big chance with their policy review under way now to re think their views on this.
If they are seen to be on the sides of schools and headteachers and children this could gain them a lot of crediablity. On a issue that is important to a lot of people. As we look towards these two big sporting events we need to be helping children achieve sporting success. I just think children should be playing sport competitive or not it should not matter. The tory claims of Labour didnt promote winners is rubbish. It is the taking party and being sporting which is far more important i feel.
Monday, 29 November 2010
Can labour achieve gender balance in the next parliament ?
Well over the weekend i was reading a interview with the Labour party leader Ed miliband and his thoughts of achieving gender equality balance under his leadership.
I thought i should blog on this. I ask you is this possible ? i personally think this is doable. Since the last election labour has gained a lot of female members and i've made friends with a lot of politically engaged women now. It is great to see. But one thing is having new female members of the party and anotehr thing to transforming them into good labour female MP's.
It is tricky but i do hope labour can be seen as the home for women in politics with a fair chance of making the shortlists of being a parliamentary candidate.
Hariot Harman has done wonders in this area at raising the profile of women in the party. I do also think unions especially ones affiliated with labour and the labour movement could do more to encourage women to join a union and gain positions of power within their union.
I am all for equality as you amy all well know but i think labour and the unions need to go further to help this.
It is the start of what i feel is the reallignment of the working class's. Helping other parts of society feel properly represented. This will eventually include women, men, Lesbians, gay and transexual people, disabled and any other group of people i may have messed out if i have i apologise. I just want labour to rediscover itself as being a party for all. a fair chance for all to make it in politics. A fair chance for everyones views to be heard whatever background you are from.
I thought i should blog on this. I ask you is this possible ? i personally think this is doable. Since the last election labour has gained a lot of female members and i've made friends with a lot of politically engaged women now. It is great to see. But one thing is having new female members of the party and anotehr thing to transforming them into good labour female MP's.
It is tricky but i do hope labour can be seen as the home for women in politics with a fair chance of making the shortlists of being a parliamentary candidate.
Hariot Harman has done wonders in this area at raising the profile of women in the party. I do also think unions especially ones affiliated with labour and the labour movement could do more to encourage women to join a union and gain positions of power within their union.
I am all for equality as you amy all well know but i think labour and the unions need to go further to help this.
It is the start of what i feel is the reallignment of the working class's. Helping other parts of society feel properly represented. This will eventually include women, men, Lesbians, gay and transexual people, disabled and any other group of people i may have messed out if i have i apologise. I just want labour to rediscover itself as being a party for all. a fair chance for all to make it in politics. A fair chance for everyones views to be heard whatever background you are from.
The Socialist Way: Guest Post:The UCL Occupation
The Socialist Way: Guest Post:The UCL Occupation: "On wednesday several hundred UCL students and supporters staged a sit in at the Jeremy Bentham Room of the university. We have voted to ma..."
In support of John Mcdonald MP
Over the weekend Baroness Warsi has come out asking Ed miliband to repremand John Mcdonald MP for apparently inciting a riot.
http://news.sky.com/skynews/Article/201009115839207
What rubbish really. Ed miliband should rightly ignore this woman who has a habbit of coming out with ridiculous statements. John did nothing wrong and is allowed to attend whichever event he likes. If it happens to be against what the government are currently putting through then so be it. SDoes she expect him to go along with the cuts that are ridiculoulsly unfair ? I just dont think these people live in the real world.
Yes John Mcdonald is a public figure but i dont see how he was inciting a riot. If a riot did occur doesnt that show the anger at the coalition and its policies. Rather than slamming people opposing the cuts why not look at why they are against the cuts Baroness Warsi. Another tory who seems hugely out of touch with popular public feeling.
It is a growing reisistance. Something of which i reblogged earlier a extract of how the conference of resisstance went over the weekend. The tories are just running scared as not everyone is going along with their plans.
Well i can only see the feelin growing to oppose these cuts personally i cant see them becoming more popular over night somehow.
So this blog would like to send out its support to one of the few proper labour left wingers left in the party in John Mcdonald MP
In solidarity
http://news.sky.com/skynews/Article/201009115839207
What rubbish really. Ed miliband should rightly ignore this woman who has a habbit of coming out with ridiculous statements. John did nothing wrong and is allowed to attend whichever event he likes. If it happens to be against what the government are currently putting through then so be it. SDoes she expect him to go along with the cuts that are ridiculoulsly unfair ? I just dont think these people live in the real world.
Yes John Mcdonald is a public figure but i dont see how he was inciting a riot. If a riot did occur doesnt that show the anger at the coalition and its policies. Rather than slamming people opposing the cuts why not look at why they are against the cuts Baroness Warsi. Another tory who seems hugely out of touch with popular public feeling.
It is a growing reisistance. Something of which i reblogged earlier a extract of how the conference of resisstance went over the weekend. The tories are just running scared as not everyone is going along with their plans.
Well i can only see the feelin growing to oppose these cuts personally i cant see them becoming more popular over night somehow.
So this blog would like to send out its support to one of the few proper labour left wingers left in the party in John Mcdonald MP
In solidarity
Luna17: Coalition of Resistance: conference launches "mili...
Luna17: Coalition of Resistance: conference launches "mili...: "Yesterday's Coalition of Resistance conference saw a diverse range of speakers outline the arguments we need to counter the cuts. They offer..."
Sunday, 28 November 2010
do MP's get into politics for the right reasons ?
Here i am again wiwht another blogpost. This time i am going to outline my thoughts and feelings on this current crop of MP's who are in parliament. This is not a attack on any party of MP's in particular but in MP's in general.
Not one to generalise but i ahve noticed over recent years the last 10 or more more and more polititians coming into politics for their own self interests.
What disapoints me sometimes is there are fewer and fewer polititians coming into politics with a message. Very few actually stand for something clear and exact. Alot just like to appeal to the mass's sit on their huge majoritys and live a good life off it all.
If i was to ever gain a position of power from a election i would want to do something with it. Make a difference in the world. I would want to change things for the better, make the placea fairer world.
People like Caroline Lucas of the Green party is one example who stands for something. She is not afraid to tell things how it is. She spoke excellently at the new economics foundation event i attended in october titled where has all our money gone.
She spoke with real purpose and belief. Gone are the days of MP's like Tony Benn who wore his heart on his sleave, won alot of support for sticking to his beliefs and values. He was one of the people i'd say were in politics for the right reasons. His legacy as a result will live on.
But far too many polititians come and go and you do not remember them. THis is to do with them having no profile little public image and saying very little.
It is a wonder how these people ever do get elected sometimes as they are hardly well known and if you asked people in their areas what do they stand for and why are they standing for your votes few people could tell you i am sure.
I do think if any reform is to be made of politics there should be less and less career polititians in the commons just there picking up their wages and having a cushty life. What MP's often forget they are their to serve us and need to listen to us and not just shut yourself away and never approach the public. After all we are the people who elect you.
It would be great if more real people could get into politics and more people from the streets who are ordinary and live ordinary lives.
Perhaps when that starts to happen and real peoples views started getting heard rather than people who have always been acedemic going through uni and striaght into westminster having no life experience.
I am a big advecote of people in power gaining proper life experience before taking on powerful jobs and roles in the country. To mainly keep them grounded but to give them a sense of normality and reality.
So i do hope as politics changes and modernises itself that more ordinary peoples views are heard and listened to.
Not one to generalise but i ahve noticed over recent years the last 10 or more more and more polititians coming into politics for their own self interests.
What disapoints me sometimes is there are fewer and fewer polititians coming into politics with a message. Very few actually stand for something clear and exact. Alot just like to appeal to the mass's sit on their huge majoritys and live a good life off it all.
If i was to ever gain a position of power from a election i would want to do something with it. Make a difference in the world. I would want to change things for the better, make the placea fairer world.
People like Caroline Lucas of the Green party is one example who stands for something. She is not afraid to tell things how it is. She spoke excellently at the new economics foundation event i attended in october titled where has all our money gone.
She spoke with real purpose and belief. Gone are the days of MP's like Tony Benn who wore his heart on his sleave, won alot of support for sticking to his beliefs and values. He was one of the people i'd say were in politics for the right reasons. His legacy as a result will live on.
But far too many polititians come and go and you do not remember them. THis is to do with them having no profile little public image and saying very little.
It is a wonder how these people ever do get elected sometimes as they are hardly well known and if you asked people in their areas what do they stand for and why are they standing for your votes few people could tell you i am sure.
I do think if any reform is to be made of politics there should be less and less career polititians in the commons just there picking up their wages and having a cushty life. What MP's often forget they are their to serve us and need to listen to us and not just shut yourself away and never approach the public. After all we are the people who elect you.
It would be great if more real people could get into politics and more people from the streets who are ordinary and live ordinary lives.
Perhaps when that starts to happen and real peoples views started getting heard rather than people who have always been acedemic going through uni and striaght into westminster having no life experience.
I am a big advecote of people in power gaining proper life experience before taking on powerful jobs and roles in the country. To mainly keep them grounded but to give them a sense of normality and reality.
So i do hope as politics changes and modernises itself that more ordinary peoples views are heard and listened to.
Saturday, 27 November 2010
The racial under current in the UK
I have noticed over the last few years a growing racial feeling in britain. I dont think racists have ever gone away sadly they have just been covered up better and not given as much exposure.
But when recessions bite and times become hard tensions can rear their ugly head once again. I think we should be on the outlook constantly to oppose racisism and any other ugly discriminations.
Certainly since september 11th and the July 7th london bombings racial tensions have been growing i feel in America and the Uk the media dont help this. The vast majority of muslims are peace loving people it is the minority of the religion who are frankly hiding behind their religion to get away with their views.
The media seem to bracket every muslim as a terrorist because of a minority.
I just think we should be careful not to let racisism make a big come back in this country. I am dead against any form of racism and will speak up against it. I have black and asian friends and they are really nice people who wouldnt harm a soul.
I just feel things like crime, racism, social unrest all rise when people have lesss money due to the recession, butw e must remember our rights and wrongs.
On a similar note peoples views to imigration and such matters will become more concentrated when a recession bites. As david miliband described to us at one of his meetings i attended over the summer. He stated that imigration becomes a bigger problem and almost a reason to blame people coming to this country when there is unemployment and a lack of social housing. I think the majority of people in this country are not racist but look for someone to blame when things dont go their way and the people coming to the country are the easiest to blame.
I think we'd find if these issues were solved, social housing, crime, jobs that tensions between communities would quickly disepate.
But when recessions bite and times become hard tensions can rear their ugly head once again. I think we should be on the outlook constantly to oppose racisism and any other ugly discriminations.
Certainly since september 11th and the July 7th london bombings racial tensions have been growing i feel in America and the Uk the media dont help this. The vast majority of muslims are peace loving people it is the minority of the religion who are frankly hiding behind their religion to get away with their views.
The media seem to bracket every muslim as a terrorist because of a minority.
I just think we should be careful not to let racisism make a big come back in this country. I am dead against any form of racism and will speak up against it. I have black and asian friends and they are really nice people who wouldnt harm a soul.
I just feel things like crime, racism, social unrest all rise when people have lesss money due to the recession, butw e must remember our rights and wrongs.
On a similar note peoples views to imigration and such matters will become more concentrated when a recession bites. As david miliband described to us at one of his meetings i attended over the summer. He stated that imigration becomes a bigger problem and almost a reason to blame people coming to this country when there is unemployment and a lack of social housing. I think the majority of people in this country are not racist but look for someone to blame when things dont go their way and the people coming to the country are the easiest to blame.
I think we'd find if these issues were solved, social housing, crime, jobs that tensions between communities would quickly disepate.
Thursday, 25 November 2010
More embarrassment for David Cameron
today another tory peer, this time a newly appointed one by David Cameron who's choice of appointments will be brought back into question again.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-11837538
This time Tory peer Howard Flight has been found to have said " the cuts to the welfare state will encourage the poor to breed more to gain more benifits"
more shameful comments from the nasty party of british politics, Only last week we were told we have never had it so good by Lord Young who was consequently sacked, refering to that recession so loosely is making a mockery of the whole thing really.
No wonder people are so angry with the out of touch tories already now. They just do not live in the real world with everyone else.
David cameron should clamp down on these people speaking out so freely if he wants to hang on to any dignity of his peerage appointments
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-11837538
This time Tory peer Howard Flight has been found to have said " the cuts to the welfare state will encourage the poor to breed more to gain more benifits"
more shameful comments from the nasty party of british politics, Only last week we were told we have never had it so good by Lord Young who was consequently sacked, refering to that recession so loosely is making a mockery of the whole thing really.
No wonder people are so angry with the out of touch tories already now. They just do not live in the real world with everyone else.
David cameron should clamp down on these people speaking out so freely if he wants to hang on to any dignity of his peerage appointments
Wednesday, 24 November 2010
Kettling a disgraceful way to treat protesters
Today is the second wave of student protests all over the United Kingdom against tuitian fees rising to 9 thousand pounds a year. AStudents from all over the country have walked out on mass today not just against university fee increases that Nick clegg seems to now regret promising to protect against but also the removal of the EMA which helps a lot of less well off students and families afford school equipment.
But a number of students protesting today in the capital in London have been kettled, a police tactic they use in a event of a riot where the crowds are penned in. This is going to create tension and if there isnt violence before this might just trigger any off.
Lets hope there are no repeats of the violence seen on the 10th of november but if any does break out police heavy handed tactics and leaving police vans as decoys to set students up should be highlighted.
I have already read of students being beaten heavily with trunchens and being kidney prodded and all sorts of unsavory actions. The police should not provoke trouble they should just respect the peaceful protest and not rial already angry students up.
But a number of students protesting today in the capital in London have been kettled, a police tactic they use in a event of a riot where the crowds are penned in. This is going to create tension and if there isnt violence before this might just trigger any off.
Lets hope there are no repeats of the violence seen on the 10th of november but if any does break out police heavy handed tactics and leaving police vans as decoys to set students up should be highlighted.
I have already read of students being beaten heavily with trunchens and being kidney prodded and all sorts of unsavory actions. The police should not provoke trouble they should just respect the peaceful protest and not rial already angry students up.
Friday, 19 November 2010
Lord Young your a disgrace
It was announced today Lord Young will be resigning from his role as the governemnt enterprise advisor
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-11798366
Lord Youngs comments were deamed inappropriate when he calimed that the british ahd never had it so good and the recession was all down to mortgage prices going through the roof.
Thank god this guy has gone, it just highlights to me even more that the majority of the conservative party although in government are still hugely out of touch with reality of people loosing their jobs on a daily basis.
I hope this guy now cant find a job and has to do litter picking like the tories want unemployed people to do. Treat him like a criminal. I dont imagine he knows how it feels to live on the breadline. Tories like Lord young really wind me up.
Now lets see the other advisor to David cameron go now after he has brought shame on the government step forward Andy Coulson....
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-11798366
Lord Youngs comments were deamed inappropriate when he calimed that the british ahd never had it so good and the recession was all down to mortgage prices going through the roof.
Thank god this guy has gone, it just highlights to me even more that the majority of the conservative party although in government are still hugely out of touch with reality of people loosing their jobs on a daily basis.
I hope this guy now cant find a job and has to do litter picking like the tories want unemployed people to do. Treat him like a criminal. I dont imagine he knows how it feels to live on the breadline. Tories like Lord young really wind me up.
Now lets see the other advisor to David cameron go now after he has brought shame on the government step forward Andy Coulson....
why i feel the banks should suffer more
They are the people and the institutions throughout this financial crisis who have got off scot free. Anytime there is a bank that goes wrong the governemnt rush to put out its fire by throwing money at them.
The great capitilist institutions they are they should be able to look after themselves.
I say enough is enough we put up a banking levee to a good 40% i suggest and tax them through the hilt. After all we as the public deserve our money back for what we lent them when the banks needed bailing out time after time.
These are the real people who got us into the mess we are in now. Not labour not any polititian it was the banks. Their wreckless risk taking and lending of huge proportions to people who cant pay it back with huge interest rates on some mortages is just unacceptable too long now have the banks been taking the western world for a ride.
For something which started in America we must send the shockwave back the other way we wont stand for banks being wreckless with our money. Money must not be wasted on proping up banks if all they are going to do is pocket it and give themselves huge bonus' still. It is a insult to the ordinary worker in this country that their money has been spent on proping up the banking sector only for them to reward themselves bonus's.
To me bankers and stock brokers shuld get a wage which is fair to the job they do. If they do well for their job fine but no bonus's of silly nature. Any bonus's they do make the majority of it should be taxed and put back into the public coffers for reinvestment in our schools and hospitals.
I just think the banks have a nerve to hold us to ransom threatening us they will leave if we tax them too much. Sorry but if they want to leave i think we should let them. As long as we have our money back first. Then new fairer possibly even greener banks can be created with stricter rules on lending and less risk taking.
I would love to see the end of big bonus culture in this country it sends out totally the wrong message to the rest of us who are facing hard times right now.
I think capitalism is broken and the rich have no idea how to fix it so they just chuck even more money at it. This is not the answer. I do advise people to look at the New economics foundation. Please look them up they have some great ideas how to reform our banks and how to get better value for money.
right now our finances are broke and i think they will take a long long time to recover if we dont learn from our mistakes of the past.
The great capitilist institutions they are they should be able to look after themselves.
I say enough is enough we put up a banking levee to a good 40% i suggest and tax them through the hilt. After all we as the public deserve our money back for what we lent them when the banks needed bailing out time after time.
These are the real people who got us into the mess we are in now. Not labour not any polititian it was the banks. Their wreckless risk taking and lending of huge proportions to people who cant pay it back with huge interest rates on some mortages is just unacceptable too long now have the banks been taking the western world for a ride.
For something which started in America we must send the shockwave back the other way we wont stand for banks being wreckless with our money. Money must not be wasted on proping up banks if all they are going to do is pocket it and give themselves huge bonus' still. It is a insult to the ordinary worker in this country that their money has been spent on proping up the banking sector only for them to reward themselves bonus's.
To me bankers and stock brokers shuld get a wage which is fair to the job they do. If they do well for their job fine but no bonus's of silly nature. Any bonus's they do make the majority of it should be taxed and put back into the public coffers for reinvestment in our schools and hospitals.
I just think the banks have a nerve to hold us to ransom threatening us they will leave if we tax them too much. Sorry but if they want to leave i think we should let them. As long as we have our money back first. Then new fairer possibly even greener banks can be created with stricter rules on lending and less risk taking.
I would love to see the end of big bonus culture in this country it sends out totally the wrong message to the rest of us who are facing hard times right now.
I think capitalism is broken and the rich have no idea how to fix it so they just chuck even more money at it. This is not the answer. I do advise people to look at the New economics foundation. Please look them up they have some great ideas how to reform our banks and how to get better value for money.
right now our finances are broke and i think they will take a long long time to recover if we dont learn from our mistakes of the past.
Thursday, 18 November 2010
Plot to oust Gordon brown hosted at Hariot Harmans house
we learn today in the times that Hariot harmans house was used as the location for secret meetings with several other high ranked labour MP's before the genearl election to oust Gordon Brown before the election came around.
reading http://www.labourlist.org/plot-to-oust-brown-hatched-at-harmans-home
certain labou members should bear this in mind when defending her after she came under attack at the last PLP meeting where she was hammered for attacking Phil Woolas and making it impossible for him to return to the party even before a appeal had been heard to remove him as a MP.
I personally think Hariot Harman is a good MP and speaks very well but sometimes her actions can be a bit of a liability.
I dont know and havent heard too much of her and Ed milibands relationship but you always get the feeling she is up to something behind peoples backs as this times article highlights.
I just think we should be careful as labour members if you are one reading this to be careful before openly defending people like Hariot despite their great work. Trying to under mine the then PM is a serious thing. Lets not underestimate how serious that is and how destructive that could have been.
Their line was they didnt feel Gordon brown could win the next election. Well are they not making it twice as hard for him by trying to upset the apple cart ?
Just think its a bit wrong.
reading http://www.labourlist.org/plot-to-oust-brown-hatched-at-harmans-home
certain labou members should bear this in mind when defending her after she came under attack at the last PLP meeting where she was hammered for attacking Phil Woolas and making it impossible for him to return to the party even before a appeal had been heard to remove him as a MP.
I personally think Hariot Harman is a good MP and speaks very well but sometimes her actions can be a bit of a liability.
I dont know and havent heard too much of her and Ed milibands relationship but you always get the feeling she is up to something behind peoples backs as this times article highlights.
I just think we should be careful as labour members if you are one reading this to be careful before openly defending people like Hariot despite their great work. Trying to under mine the then PM is a serious thing. Lets not underestimate how serious that is and how destructive that could have been.
Their line was they didnt feel Gordon brown could win the next election. Well are they not making it twice as hard for him by trying to upset the apple cart ?
Just think its a bit wrong.
The place of unions in politics
I have been reading with some disapointment at how so many labour members totally dont get the union movement and the way their party was set up in the first place.
Some seem almost to want rid of them entirely. well who would fund the party as its pretty much bankrupt as it is.
It is so easy to join with the tory lead union bashing and say they are irresponsible and strike all the time etc etc.
But when you think waht they actually do and stand for i am so frustrated with peoples attitudes towards the trade unions.
Lets get one thing straight unions dont strike for fun they strike as a last resort and for very good reasons quite often.
I myselfwoud love to join a union and help promote the union movement. I think waht people are getting confused is that back in the 80's there was this perception the unions just used to strike for fun and to disrupt the every day working of this country. This to is simply not true they were standing up for workers rights.
Afterall if there is no union who else will stand up for workers rights ? the employer certainly wont that's for sure.
I just think certain labour members need to remember who got us to where we are today and the labour party was built on the f oundation of a mass workers party movement. A party for the working class and the less well off. Well that is a far cry from todays labour party. Many of its MP's are career polititians and are not in it for representing working trades people.
This is the reason labour has lost its way, it doesnt know who it represents anymore. Is it the working class or the middle class. I'd say more the middle class these days. In which case it cant pretend it is a party of the working class anymore
There are few socialists left in the labour party any there are left are rare. I would like to think i have socialist tendancies and have a left way of thinking but since new labour took over and seems to be carrying on the party has shifted more and more towards the right.
But i am hugely in favour of unions and waht they do to represent workers rights so please lets not forget the good work they do for the party and teh country at large.
Some seem almost to want rid of them entirely. well who would fund the party as its pretty much bankrupt as it is.
It is so easy to join with the tory lead union bashing and say they are irresponsible and strike all the time etc etc.
But when you think waht they actually do and stand for i am so frustrated with peoples attitudes towards the trade unions.
Lets get one thing straight unions dont strike for fun they strike as a last resort and for very good reasons quite often.
I myselfwoud love to join a union and help promote the union movement. I think waht people are getting confused is that back in the 80's there was this perception the unions just used to strike for fun and to disrupt the every day working of this country. This to is simply not true they were standing up for workers rights.
Afterall if there is no union who else will stand up for workers rights ? the employer certainly wont that's for sure.
I just think certain labour members need to remember who got us to where we are today and the labour party was built on the f oundation of a mass workers party movement. A party for the working class and the less well off. Well that is a far cry from todays labour party. Many of its MP's are career polititians and are not in it for representing working trades people.
This is the reason labour has lost its way, it doesnt know who it represents anymore. Is it the working class or the middle class. I'd say more the middle class these days. In which case it cant pretend it is a party of the working class anymore
There are few socialists left in the labour party any there are left are rare. I would like to think i have socialist tendancies and have a left way of thinking but since new labour took over and seems to be carrying on the party has shifted more and more towards the right.
But i am hugely in favour of unions and waht they do to represent workers rights so please lets not forget the good work they do for the party and teh country at large.
Wednesday, 17 November 2010
So Mr osbourne how do we afford a irish bailout ?
We are and have repatably been told this country is on its knees, we have a the biggest deficit in the EU, we are just like Greece we must act now to avoid financial melt down.
ALl things we were told and have been told to us by the tories since before the general election.
Well then how can George Osbourne claim today we will be there to help bail out Ireland ? if our finances are in such a mess isnt this plain irresponsible of him ?
Have we not got a mess of our own to sort out, or to make worse depending which side of the political fence you sit. I myself feel we are heading down the same route as irealnd by cutting too fast and too deep.
But my question is to you all how can George Osbourne and those financially estute tories say we will be able to bail outIreland, yes they are our neighbours but if we really are broke like the tories like to make out surely we cannot afford this ?
or unless we have been sold a huge set of lies that our finances were no where near as bad as the tories led us to believe ?
where is this money coming from to help out ireland ay ?
I'm not trying to suggest our finances werent in a mess of course we could have done with scaling back a few things, notably bankers bonus's for one example but huge scale public sector cuts more than ever seems very idealogical to me. I feel it is the tories seeing a golden chance to rip into the welfare state which they ahve never liked and take apart the public sector. All in the name of selling off these services to their private sector friends to make loads of money out of.
Really worrying i feel...
ALl things we were told and have been told to us by the tories since before the general election.
Well then how can George Osbourne claim today we will be there to help bail out Ireland ? if our finances are in such a mess isnt this plain irresponsible of him ?
Have we not got a mess of our own to sort out, or to make worse depending which side of the political fence you sit. I myself feel we are heading down the same route as irealnd by cutting too fast and too deep.
But my question is to you all how can George Osbourne and those financially estute tories say we will be able to bail outIreland, yes they are our neighbours but if we really are broke like the tories like to make out surely we cannot afford this ?
or unless we have been sold a huge set of lies that our finances were no where near as bad as the tories led us to believe ?
where is this money coming from to help out ireland ay ?
I'm not trying to suggest our finances werent in a mess of course we could have done with scaling back a few things, notably bankers bonus's for one example but huge scale public sector cuts more than ever seems very idealogical to me. I feel it is the tories seeing a golden chance to rip into the welfare state which they ahve never liked and take apart the public sector. All in the name of selling off these services to their private sector friends to make loads of money out of.
Really worrying i feel...
Is Ireland still a example to follow ?
Today The EU tried to downplay bailout talks with the Irish government of nothing to worry about
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-11771574
With Ireland joining the growing list of EU countries facing hard times joining Greece, Spain, Portugal and Italy this is worrying times for the European Union.
What was set up on a wave of optimism with alot of the founding members doing well to start with since the economic down turn alot of these countries who cant independantly control their own currency or devalue it in any way are left in some rather difficult situations.
Ireland for example of which the posted link refers to has under gone round after round of deficit cuts. Something which our own Chancellor of the United Kingdom George Osbourne admired and priased lavishly a few years back now.
He saw them as a beacon and a example to follow. Well now Mr Osbourne lets look where Ireland stand now. On the brink of defaulting on their repayments and crippling debt. Ireland seem to be on the slide rather than picking up. With high unemployment in the Republic and little prospect for new job creation their economy seems to be stalling.
With the Uk looking like we'll step in and help with a big bailout of ireland is this really the route George Osbourne really wants to be taking the Uk down ?
With huge cuts cuts mass unemployment. As ireland have found out cuts dont create growth and growth leads back to recession.
George Osbourne has gone ratehr quiet on ireland and matters of this since these news stories ahve been coming out. Perhaps he is turning a blind eye to it and hoping our cuts over here will be alright. Well let me tell you they wont. They are the biggest peace time public sector cuts since the 30's back when you guessed it we cut too harda nd far too deep and found oursleves trapped in a depression for many years.
I do hope ireland pull through this but it is nothing new and i can only see things getting worse there before better.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-11771574
With Ireland joining the growing list of EU countries facing hard times joining Greece, Spain, Portugal and Italy this is worrying times for the European Union.
What was set up on a wave of optimism with alot of the founding members doing well to start with since the economic down turn alot of these countries who cant independantly control their own currency or devalue it in any way are left in some rather difficult situations.
Ireland for example of which the posted link refers to has under gone round after round of deficit cuts. Something which our own Chancellor of the United Kingdom George Osbourne admired and priased lavishly a few years back now.
He saw them as a beacon and a example to follow. Well now Mr Osbourne lets look where Ireland stand now. On the brink of defaulting on their repayments and crippling debt. Ireland seem to be on the slide rather than picking up. With high unemployment in the Republic and little prospect for new job creation their economy seems to be stalling.
With the Uk looking like we'll step in and help with a big bailout of ireland is this really the route George Osbourne really wants to be taking the Uk down ?
With huge cuts cuts mass unemployment. As ireland have found out cuts dont create growth and growth leads back to recession.
George Osbourne has gone ratehr quiet on ireland and matters of this since these news stories ahve been coming out. Perhaps he is turning a blind eye to it and hoping our cuts over here will be alright. Well let me tell you they wont. They are the biggest peace time public sector cuts since the 30's back when you guessed it we cut too harda nd far too deep and found oursleves trapped in a depression for many years.
I do hope ireland pull through this but it is nothing new and i can only see things getting worse there before better.
Tuesday, 16 November 2010
The royal wedding under a dark cloud of gloom
So we learn today that Prince William and his long term girlfriend Kate Middleton are getting married next year. How inappropriate seeing as next year is when the spending cuts will be biting at most. How dare David cameron claim this is a cause for national celebration. Does the man not live in the real world ?
most ordinary working people are living in permenent worry of not knowing if their job is going next year and if they will be a ble to afford their mortgage repayments. They are also finding life tough with child benifit being cut .
So in the face of all this our good old royal family choose next year as their back drop to celebrate by splashing some of our own cash.
Why should tax payers have to pay anything towards their wedding. They are just human beings, just happen to be born into a rich family so waht ?
I dont think people would be half as bothered about this if we werent al feeling the pinch from the spending cuts from the coalition gov.
On another note how dare David cameron even think in the first place it is acceptable to put his own "vanity project" photographer on the public civil service payroll. He has now retracted this move but what gave him the idea in the first place that using public money was a wise idea in this current financial climate ?
sometimes i just think he loves to lord it up in front of us to rub it in what he and his nasty party are doing to the country and the less well off.
All in all this is not good news and the condems idea to bury bad news will not go unoticed by myself and others in opposition to the government.
Lets just hope we get a day off for this anyway
THis blog post will probably get a award for grumpiest of the year but these sorts of things get under my skin
most ordinary working people are living in permenent worry of not knowing if their job is going next year and if they will be a ble to afford their mortgage repayments. They are also finding life tough with child benifit being cut .
So in the face of all this our good old royal family choose next year as their back drop to celebrate by splashing some of our own cash.
Why should tax payers have to pay anything towards their wedding. They are just human beings, just happen to be born into a rich family so waht ?
I dont think people would be half as bothered about this if we werent al feeling the pinch from the spending cuts from the coalition gov.
On another note how dare David cameron even think in the first place it is acceptable to put his own "vanity project" photographer on the public civil service payroll. He has now retracted this move but what gave him the idea in the first place that using public money was a wise idea in this current financial climate ?
sometimes i just think he loves to lord it up in front of us to rub it in what he and his nasty party are doing to the country and the less well off.
All in all this is not good news and the condems idea to bury bad news will not go unoticed by myself and others in opposition to the government.
Lets just hope we get a day off for this anyway
THis blog post will probably get a award for grumpiest of the year but these sorts of things get under my skin
Madam Miaow Says: Labour woos UK Chinese in rebranding exercise
Madam Miaow Says: Labour woos UK Chinese in rebranding exercise: "Ray Collins (Labour Party General Secretary) and Sonny Leong (Chair, Chinese For Labour) Fancy 'refreshing the Labour brand'? The Labour ..."
Sunday, 14 November 2010
the loss of compassion in Britain
This is a blog post on a more personal level. Some of you may enjoy this more.
As a young blind guy living in britain today it strikes me so many times during a week that we have become this selfish greedy country.
It saddens me that at such a young age i already feel that this country has gone to the dogs in so many aspects. I really dont think people look out for eachother in the way we used to anymore. Where i live in the south east of England people go about their business and rarely mix with others. We have become a society of individuals. More single people than ever before and more people doing what they want.
The selfish attitude of a lot of people in this country now i believe has alot to do with Margret tatcher and her right to buy policey which enpowered a lot of people to buy their own council houses. This gave people a real propety and a foot hold on the propety ladder.
Alot of people who took up this offer did not look back and have grown greedier and greedier.
I dont think this is what britain is all about. In the war times we all mucked in and helped eachother out. I strongly believe we are a kind caring country still not a conservative selfish one. We have always helped other countries out around the world be it through aid, funding, humanitarian or allies. I think peoples attitudes have changed so much due to the realisation of money and the good times we enjoyed in the 2000's.
Now money is becoming tighter the country over people are finding out how much they really do have.
Another point is just general friendliness. It seems so rare now for people to stop on their walk to work or the shops to say hello, not just hello but ask how people are, a small gesture can go a long way to making somebodys day a lot brighter.
This country is becoming less and less interested in helping people out and more about bettering themselves. The best feeling i can get for myself is helping someone out if i can in anyway at all. To me knowing i have helpd put a smile on someones face means a lot more than achieving something personal i find.
I am a big people person, care about the well being of people in general, the less well off more so as they are so often the ones who are the worst affected in life.
I also think it is a north south divide issue too.
Take for example when i was at Hereford at the royal national college for the blind the taxi companies all around there would go the extra mile to help you out if you needed it. They would offer to twalk you into the building you were trying to get into and it'd be no trouble to them.
In contrast not mentioning taxi companiy names down here in teh south east my t taxi company i use to get to work on a monday and tuesday seem in such a rush to drop me off and get off it just feels very unconnected. If i ask them where the door is roughly to get in to my work place they sound like its all such a big effort to help out. Its all wrong and i thinka general feeling of compassion has gone missing in alot of people today.
As a young blind guy living in britain today it strikes me so many times during a week that we have become this selfish greedy country.
It saddens me that at such a young age i already feel that this country has gone to the dogs in so many aspects. I really dont think people look out for eachother in the way we used to anymore. Where i live in the south east of England people go about their business and rarely mix with others. We have become a society of individuals. More single people than ever before and more people doing what they want.
The selfish attitude of a lot of people in this country now i believe has alot to do with Margret tatcher and her right to buy policey which enpowered a lot of people to buy their own council houses. This gave people a real propety and a foot hold on the propety ladder.
Alot of people who took up this offer did not look back and have grown greedier and greedier.
I dont think this is what britain is all about. In the war times we all mucked in and helped eachother out. I strongly believe we are a kind caring country still not a conservative selfish one. We have always helped other countries out around the world be it through aid, funding, humanitarian or allies. I think peoples attitudes have changed so much due to the realisation of money and the good times we enjoyed in the 2000's.
Now money is becoming tighter the country over people are finding out how much they really do have.
Another point is just general friendliness. It seems so rare now for people to stop on their walk to work or the shops to say hello, not just hello but ask how people are, a small gesture can go a long way to making somebodys day a lot brighter.
This country is becoming less and less interested in helping people out and more about bettering themselves. The best feeling i can get for myself is helping someone out if i can in anyway at all. To me knowing i have helpd put a smile on someones face means a lot more than achieving something personal i find.
I am a big people person, care about the well being of people in general, the less well off more so as they are so often the ones who are the worst affected in life.
I also think it is a north south divide issue too.
Take for example when i was at Hereford at the royal national college for the blind the taxi companies all around there would go the extra mile to help you out if you needed it. They would offer to twalk you into the building you were trying to get into and it'd be no trouble to them.
In contrast not mentioning taxi companiy names down here in teh south east my t taxi company i use to get to work on a monday and tuesday seem in such a rush to drop me off and get off it just feels very unconnected. If i ask them where the door is roughly to get in to my work place they sound like its all such a big effort to help out. Its all wrong and i thinka general feeling of compassion has gone missing in alot of people today.
We move on but we never forget
Just wanted to do a special blog post on the rememberance sunday tributes.
On the 11th hour of the 11th day the guns fell silent in france and the world war 2 ended. This is the day we all stop to think of those we have lost and have sacrificed their lives for our cause today. For them we may not be living in a english speaking britain today instead we may have been speaking german.
I do think the papers in the week who highlighted these minority of muslims who were disrespecting the rememberance day services should be condemned but also we must not let theis become a attack on the muslims by so called racists in this country.
I still think there is a racist under current in this country still. Alot of people who are casually racist because their parents are or because it is seen as cool. We ll it is not cool it is very uncool. I am totally against racism and will disassociate myself with anyone i know who has been racist in any shape or form. We are a multi cultural country and must learn to live together. After all alot of british muslims fought for us in the war and helped us out. Of course there are a minority of extremists out there everywhere has some but these people seem to get more publicity than the peace loving kind hearted muslims who live peacefully in the united kingdom.
So i'd like to remind people waht the soldiers recent and from the past waht they have fought for and what we must protect. Our democracy and our freedom of speech.
We should feel proud to be british whether yuo are black, white, asian, gay, straight or anything.
To me equality matters a lot to me and fairness is key.
On the 11th hour of the 11th day the guns fell silent in france and the world war 2 ended. This is the day we all stop to think of those we have lost and have sacrificed their lives for our cause today. For them we may not be living in a english speaking britain today instead we may have been speaking german.
I do think the papers in the week who highlighted these minority of muslims who were disrespecting the rememberance day services should be condemned but also we must not let theis become a attack on the muslims by so called racists in this country.
I still think there is a racist under current in this country still. Alot of people who are casually racist because their parents are or because it is seen as cool. We ll it is not cool it is very uncool. I am totally against racism and will disassociate myself with anyone i know who has been racist in any shape or form. We are a multi cultural country and must learn to live together. After all alot of british muslims fought for us in the war and helped us out. Of course there are a minority of extremists out there everywhere has some but these people seem to get more publicity than the peace loving kind hearted muslims who live peacefully in the united kingdom.
So i'd like to remind people waht the soldiers recent and from the past waht they have fought for and what we must protect. Our democracy and our freedom of speech.
We should feel proud to be british whether yuo are black, white, asian, gay, straight or anything.
To me equality matters a lot to me and fairness is key.
A democratic country i think not
After reading http://liberalconspiracy.org/2010/11/13/tories-plan-militarisation-to-deal-with-protests/
the way the tories want to deal with protests and so called civil arrest from now on suggests to me they are against anyone protesting. Be it political or anything. This is strikes a veryw orrying chord with me that if notably the left is being monitored if we are going to protest or not this shows a inbalance in this country that we must oppose. How can a democractic country monitor this sort of activity. If people wish to plan protests why cant they. Just police it better its quite simple. Monitoring and spying on leftist groups is wrong and is not politically fair or democratic in my opinion.
The article will appear in sundays Observer newspaper and this is a exert from the piece
As police face continued criticism for failing to control the march, the Observer has learned that defence firms are working closely with UK armed forces and contemplating a “militarisation” strategy to counter the threat of civil disorder.
The trade group representing the military and security industry says firms are in negotiation with senior officers over possible orders for armoured vehicles, body scanners and better surveillance equipment.
The move coincides with government-backed attempts to introduce the use of unmanned spy drones throughout UK airspace, facilitating an expansion of covert surveillance that could provide intelligence on future demonstrations.
Derek Marshall, of the trade body Aerospace, Defence and Security (ADS), said that such drones could eventually replace police helicopters. He added that military manufacturers had discussed police procurement policies with the government, as forces look to counter an identified threat of civil disobedience from political extremists.
Meanwhile police sources say they have detected an increase in the criminal intentions of political extremists and are monitoring “extreme leftwing activity” in light of last week’s student protest.
The office of the National Co-ordinator for Domestic Extremism (NCDE) said it was feeding information to Scotland Yard’s National Public Order Intelligence Unit, which holds a database of protest groups. NCDE, which in turn works closely with the Confidential Intelligence Unit that monitors political groups throughout the UK, said it had already recorded a rise in politically motivated disorder.
I would love to know peoples thoughts in this. Do the police and security of this country monitor extreme right wing groups and their plans and activities too ?
it just seems like a big swipe at the left and our right to protest to me.
the way the tories want to deal with protests and so called civil arrest from now on suggests to me they are against anyone protesting. Be it political or anything. This is strikes a veryw orrying chord with me that if notably the left is being monitored if we are going to protest or not this shows a inbalance in this country that we must oppose. How can a democractic country monitor this sort of activity. If people wish to plan protests why cant they. Just police it better its quite simple. Monitoring and spying on leftist groups is wrong and is not politically fair or democratic in my opinion.
The article will appear in sundays Observer newspaper and this is a exert from the piece
As police face continued criticism for failing to control the march, the Observer has learned that defence firms are working closely with UK armed forces and contemplating a “militarisation” strategy to counter the threat of civil disorder.
The trade group representing the military and security industry says firms are in negotiation with senior officers over possible orders for armoured vehicles, body scanners and better surveillance equipment.
The move coincides with government-backed attempts to introduce the use of unmanned spy drones throughout UK airspace, facilitating an expansion of covert surveillance that could provide intelligence on future demonstrations.
Derek Marshall, of the trade body Aerospace, Defence and Security (ADS), said that such drones could eventually replace police helicopters. He added that military manufacturers had discussed police procurement policies with the government, as forces look to counter an identified threat of civil disobedience from political extremists.
Meanwhile police sources say they have detected an increase in the criminal intentions of political extremists and are monitoring “extreme leftwing activity” in light of last week’s student protest.
The office of the National Co-ordinator for Domestic Extremism (NCDE) said it was feeding information to Scotland Yard’s National Public Order Intelligence Unit, which holds a database of protest groups. NCDE, which in turn works closely with the Confidential Intelligence Unit that monitors political groups throughout the UK, said it had already recorded a rise in politically motivated disorder.
I would love to know peoples thoughts in this. Do the police and security of this country monitor extreme right wing groups and their plans and activities too ?
it just seems like a big swipe at the left and our right to protest to me.
Saturday, 13 November 2010
How the lib dems planned to drop principles long before the election
this news has broke over the last day or so : http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/nov/12/lib-dems-tuition-fees-clegg?CMP=twt_gu
it describes how the liberal democrats were preparing to drop their pledge to defend the rise in tuitian fees. The article describes that in any event o a hung parliament the party lead by Nick Clegg would be happy to drop their tuitian fees pledge as one of their first things to bargain with.
This to me strikes as a big let down and a betral of their voters. THe lib dems won a lot of votes on the student vote and to sell them out like this is just not on.
I feel all the anger directed at them right now is fair and just. If they planned to drop that pledge long before the election why did they not be honest and tell their voters ? spineless i'm sorry the whole party.
No they are firmly in bed with the tories, a party i dont think now they are too disimilar from. In the past these two parties have been very close in the past and i wouldnt mind betting they will merge one day.
But the coalition talk about this "neww politics" and being honest and regaining trust i just think this latest announcement flies in the face of all of that and makes them look like the lieing fools they are.
it describes how the liberal democrats were preparing to drop their pledge to defend the rise in tuitian fees. The article describes that in any event o a hung parliament the party lead by Nick Clegg would be happy to drop their tuitian fees pledge as one of their first things to bargain with.
This to me strikes as a big let down and a betral of their voters. THe lib dems won a lot of votes on the student vote and to sell them out like this is just not on.
I feel all the anger directed at them right now is fair and just. If they planned to drop that pledge long before the election why did they not be honest and tell their voters ? spineless i'm sorry the whole party.
No they are firmly in bed with the tories, a party i dont think now they are too disimilar from. In the past these two parties have been very close in the past and i wouldnt mind betting they will merge one day.
But the coalition talk about this "neww politics" and being honest and regaining trust i just think this latest announcement flies in the face of all of that and makes them look like the lieing fools they are.
Labours cuts
This is a blog post which i have been umming and aahring about for a while. I dont want to sound negative or give out a message of dissent but would just like to raise a few issues with the current situation with the labour party.
As a lot of you know i like to form a balanced opinion as much as i can and tonight i'd like to look at the alternative. Yes the alternative Labour offer.
Now i am a labour party member of course but the lack and the slugishness of the leaders in the PLP to form a credible alternative is very frustrating it is making us look weak and not standing for anything.
I do think it is a fair question by the tories to ask what would labour cut instead to the coalition cuts. I am lead to beleive they put down to halve the deficit in 4 years. Such labour cuts would have seen housing benifit cut this is true as i know it to be from reading the Labour party 2010 manefesto, Written with help by none other than Ed miliband.
Lets get one thing straight i'm not critisising Ed miliband for one second or labour as a whole they clearly have a plan under way to sit back and see where the coalition go in the next yaer before making their own move.
Although this can be a good move if the coalitions plans do not come off and we end up going back into recession it would look like labour is still there on peoples side weighing up the options. But i would love to know waht labour would have done in this situation. No doubt whoever got in at the election wuld have had to make cuts. That seems a given. Not that i agree with the cuts it was widely reported labour would have made big cuts too. whether it wanted to or felt it had to to go with the feeling in the country i am not sure. I would love to know this.
But i do think Labours cuts would have been interesting to see, playing devils advicate would they have been any fairer than they are now. i am pretty sure they would be but how much i ask you ?
Housing benifit cuts depending on how you structure them could be fair but i do wonder.
The longer labour leave it going without a credible alternative to the current cuts the longer we will look weak on economic matters. To alan johnson and Ed miliband i urge you to get a plan down on the desk even if a draft of cut where you would make and where you would not make them. Make them so the rich do pay more. I dont care if it looks like your attaking the more well off than the poor, After all are we not the labour party who was founded on the basis of the working class with a union movement behind us. I recognise a lot of this has been lost now to a lot of career based polititians in it for themselves more than standing for something. I must stress this is not everyone of course there are some labour MP's who do still stand for something and do this very well.
This post is in aid of the party and its current direction not a slagging off post. I do hope people see it for what it is that even members inside it can offer constructive advice and opinion of where we are going. As afterall didnt Ed miliband in his leadership campaign offer to reconnect with labour grass roots activism and working class people. He claimed we had lost trust, well lets start regaining this trust shall we by talking to the people most affected by these savage coalition cuts and forming policies to defend them. That would be my start of a comeback for labour and a tune to play with the public.
Once we have assured people we are on their side we can then really get down to offering an alternative to which the country including myself would love to hear.
Even as a leftist leaning labour member
I do think there is many things we could cut. Bankers bonus's for a start. Trident is something i feel we could do without. Even if it costs us in the short term it will be worth it in the long term
I also reccomend looking at big tax evaders. Wealthy capatilist tax dodgers must be clamped down on. Alot i might add who do fund the tory party but even big business such as vodafone should feel ashamed of itself for evading big tax bills. These are the cuts we should be making not the ones on the working class and the less well off.
I think there is a route for labour now but we must tread carefully and with confidence when we do. We must defend the people and let the people believe in us again, after the lib dems broken promises we must latch on to that and prove we can be trusted again and fast.
As a lot of you know i like to form a balanced opinion as much as i can and tonight i'd like to look at the alternative. Yes the alternative Labour offer.
Now i am a labour party member of course but the lack and the slugishness of the leaders in the PLP to form a credible alternative is very frustrating it is making us look weak and not standing for anything.
I do think it is a fair question by the tories to ask what would labour cut instead to the coalition cuts. I am lead to beleive they put down to halve the deficit in 4 years. Such labour cuts would have seen housing benifit cut this is true as i know it to be from reading the Labour party 2010 manefesto, Written with help by none other than Ed miliband.
Lets get one thing straight i'm not critisising Ed miliband for one second or labour as a whole they clearly have a plan under way to sit back and see where the coalition go in the next yaer before making their own move.
Although this can be a good move if the coalitions plans do not come off and we end up going back into recession it would look like labour is still there on peoples side weighing up the options. But i would love to know waht labour would have done in this situation. No doubt whoever got in at the election wuld have had to make cuts. That seems a given. Not that i agree with the cuts it was widely reported labour would have made big cuts too. whether it wanted to or felt it had to to go with the feeling in the country i am not sure. I would love to know this.
But i do think Labours cuts would have been interesting to see, playing devils advicate would they have been any fairer than they are now. i am pretty sure they would be but how much i ask you ?
Housing benifit cuts depending on how you structure them could be fair but i do wonder.
The longer labour leave it going without a credible alternative to the current cuts the longer we will look weak on economic matters. To alan johnson and Ed miliband i urge you to get a plan down on the desk even if a draft of cut where you would make and where you would not make them. Make them so the rich do pay more. I dont care if it looks like your attaking the more well off than the poor, After all are we not the labour party who was founded on the basis of the working class with a union movement behind us. I recognise a lot of this has been lost now to a lot of career based polititians in it for themselves more than standing for something. I must stress this is not everyone of course there are some labour MP's who do still stand for something and do this very well.
This post is in aid of the party and its current direction not a slagging off post. I do hope people see it for what it is that even members inside it can offer constructive advice and opinion of where we are going. As afterall didnt Ed miliband in his leadership campaign offer to reconnect with labour grass roots activism and working class people. He claimed we had lost trust, well lets start regaining this trust shall we by talking to the people most affected by these savage coalition cuts and forming policies to defend them. That would be my start of a comeback for labour and a tune to play with the public.
Once we have assured people we are on their side we can then really get down to offering an alternative to which the country including myself would love to hear.
Even as a leftist leaning labour member
I do think there is many things we could cut. Bankers bonus's for a start. Trident is something i feel we could do without. Even if it costs us in the short term it will be worth it in the long term
I also reccomend looking at big tax evaders. Wealthy capatilist tax dodgers must be clamped down on. Alot i might add who do fund the tory party but even big business such as vodafone should feel ashamed of itself for evading big tax bills. These are the cuts we should be making not the ones on the working class and the less well off.
I think there is a route for labour now but we must tread carefully and with confidence when we do. We must defend the people and let the people believe in us again, after the lib dems broken promises we must latch on to that and prove we can be trusted again and fast.
Thursday, 11 November 2010
why i agree with Ed Miliband on a living wage
Ed miliband championed one of the best ideas i have heard for a good while during his leadership campaign.
Ed campaigned fora national living wage for everyone. Including for students working on a internship. I would just love to throw my weight behind this plan i think the current minimum wage system which evidently was brilliantly introduced by labour while the conservatives strongly opposed it. One of new labours better things they did i must say.
But i think we need to go further now transform the wage structure in this country. Big business's will no doubt not aprove of this idea as any idea of having to pay their workers more money they have reservations about. But they will also be getting more money too.
I proposed a rate of 7 pounds per hour. This would be universally expanded to all areas of the country. I think with VAT rising and people in general having far less money than before this would be the honourable thing to do by government and employers.
We all know we are in a time of austeraty but helping your workers out throughout this time can mean a lot and can save you from disaster. The company i work for has done exactly this. Not introduced a living wage as they dont have to yet sadly but have given people their first wage rise in about 3 years roughly to compensate the coming VAT rises and the cost of living going up too. A very braveand couragous move in my opinion and i'm duely grateful of this. I am sure fellow workers will appreciate this too. Even in these difficult times a company like ours can look after and think of its workers is tribute to it.
I just wonder if other companies will follow suit or carry on laying off staff and freezing pay increases.
Its a risk for the company to put up wages slightly but if the work then does follow it'll tie them over nicely over the next few uncertain years.
But going back to my original point i do believe the living wage needs to be campaigned for and i will be doing exactly that for the good of the british workforce public or private sector.
Ed campaigned fora national living wage for everyone. Including for students working on a internship. I would just love to throw my weight behind this plan i think the current minimum wage system which evidently was brilliantly introduced by labour while the conservatives strongly opposed it. One of new labours better things they did i must say.
But i think we need to go further now transform the wage structure in this country. Big business's will no doubt not aprove of this idea as any idea of having to pay their workers more money they have reservations about. But they will also be getting more money too.
I proposed a rate of 7 pounds per hour. This would be universally expanded to all areas of the country. I think with VAT rising and people in general having far less money than before this would be the honourable thing to do by government and employers.
We all know we are in a time of austeraty but helping your workers out throughout this time can mean a lot and can save you from disaster. The company i work for has done exactly this. Not introduced a living wage as they dont have to yet sadly but have given people their first wage rise in about 3 years roughly to compensate the coming VAT rises and the cost of living going up too. A very braveand couragous move in my opinion and i'm duely grateful of this. I am sure fellow workers will appreciate this too. Even in these difficult times a company like ours can look after and think of its workers is tribute to it.
I just wonder if other companies will follow suit or carry on laying off staff and freezing pay increases.
Its a risk for the company to put up wages slightly but if the work then does follow it'll tie them over nicely over the next few uncertain years.
But going back to my original point i do believe the living wage needs to be campaigned for and i will be doing exactly that for the good of the british workforce public or private sector.
we'll make work pay say tories
After reading this news today
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-11728546
the Minister for work and pensions, Iain Duncan Smith has claimed to make work pay for people. There will be a universal benifit consolidating all benifits in to one big benifit. By big i mean a one which contains them all. Although it doesnt of course it is reducing your benifits as they are just merging them all together.
Firstly i think this is wrong in itself i am against a universal benifit as such.
Also i totally oppose how the coalition government are going about these plans. No one disagrees taht if people can work they should try to. But the tactics the condems plan to use by if you dont find work within a year you will be forced, yes i said it forced to work in the community picking litter or something of taht nature. Aswell as this slave labour to keep their reduced benifits they will loose their benifits for 3 years if they refuse to work.
This criminalisation of the unemployeed is a disgrace in my view and is yet another attack on the less well off in this country by the rich. Tories are convinced there are jobs about to get into. Well why is unemployment rising month on month. With a record amount of university graduates unemployed this year this will only rise.
This is all before the proposed 490,000 public sector job cuts proposed in teh spending review last monthh.
Labour say they support these plans from teh government even the universal benifit which means people will be less well off under the plans. Their only concern is if there is enough jobs out there. If i was higher up in labour i'd be banging the drum loud on this. there are real major social concerns about these plans. Coupled with the reduction in housing benifit and the rise in VAT come january we will quickly find a lot more homeless people on our streets once again. I am depressed to see which direction this government is taking this country. Making the unemployed feel like they are criminals for not being able to find a job is just plain wrong in my view.
If the jobs were there and being created i can see the logic of encouraging people in to them. not that they would need much encouraging as i am sure most people agree with me that most people would rather be in work than not. Alot of them time people are unemployed through no fault of their own
I think Mr Ducan Smith needs to go back to that council estate he visited in 2002 and take a look again at how bad some areas of this country is in terms of unemployment and how George osbournes cuts will further affect poor areas.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-11728546
the Minister for work and pensions, Iain Duncan Smith has claimed to make work pay for people. There will be a universal benifit consolidating all benifits in to one big benifit. By big i mean a one which contains them all. Although it doesnt of course it is reducing your benifits as they are just merging them all together.
Firstly i think this is wrong in itself i am against a universal benifit as such.
Also i totally oppose how the coalition government are going about these plans. No one disagrees taht if people can work they should try to. But the tactics the condems plan to use by if you dont find work within a year you will be forced, yes i said it forced to work in the community picking litter or something of taht nature. Aswell as this slave labour to keep their reduced benifits they will loose their benifits for 3 years if they refuse to work.
This criminalisation of the unemployeed is a disgrace in my view and is yet another attack on the less well off in this country by the rich. Tories are convinced there are jobs about to get into. Well why is unemployment rising month on month. With a record amount of university graduates unemployed this year this will only rise.
This is all before the proposed 490,000 public sector job cuts proposed in teh spending review last monthh.
Labour say they support these plans from teh government even the universal benifit which means people will be less well off under the plans. Their only concern is if there is enough jobs out there. If i was higher up in labour i'd be banging the drum loud on this. there are real major social concerns about these plans. Coupled with the reduction in housing benifit and the rise in VAT come january we will quickly find a lot more homeless people on our streets once again. I am depressed to see which direction this government is taking this country. Making the unemployed feel like they are criminals for not being able to find a job is just plain wrong in my view.
If the jobs were there and being created i can see the logic of encouraging people in to them. not that they would need much encouraging as i am sure most people agree with me that most people would rather be in work than not. Alot of them time people are unemployed through no fault of their own
I think Mr Ducan Smith needs to go back to that council estate he visited in 2002 and take a look again at how bad some areas of this country is in terms of unemployment and how George osbournes cuts will further affect poor areas.
The Socialist Way: Class War is not of our making!"
The Socialist Way: Class War is not of our making!": "Keeping a blog is time consuming I think, and can be a labour of love and commitment. From one day to the next, you don’t really know wha..."
Wednesday, 10 November 2010
Has britain got its balls back
After todays mass protests by students in and around Westminster which some say was as much as 60 thousand people.
BBc strikes last week, tube strikes becoming regular, firefighters going on strike and many many still to come i am sure of it.
so i ask the question has britain finally woken up and got its balls back to fight back ?
have people had enough of the capitalist society we have turned in to and want a farier possibly even a socialist agenda put back into society. I for one would be for taht, I do think labour could pick up many votes if it turned itself a little to the left, It would surely pick up a lot of disaffected lib dems for a start.
I just think now that this winter will be just the start of the working people the down trodden for years who have to sit by and watch their jobs go, pay cut, conditions worsen come back.
It took Margret tatchers government 6 years for protests like today this coalition government with the tories and lib dems has only taken a matter of months. Just think waht the country will be like in 2 or 3 years time. scarey and very worrying is my assessment.
I think there will be more strikes and the TUC's general strike in late march seems a long way away now but they may bring it forward, i know a lot of trade unionists want it to be brought forward to this side of christmas. Striking should always be a last resort but i think will be one of the ways to bring down this government who seem hell bent on causing the less well off pain and suffering.
It will be interesting to learn which way Ed miliband takes labour now with strikes looming large and people becoming angry. If labour stand in the middle of the road for too long it will look like we are just trying to please all. As we all know you cannot do this in politics and before long you will get found out. So i do hope Ed milibanda nd his shadow cabinet stand on teh side of the people who are being affected by all these cuts.
But i do think today the old britain has awoken and the beast is stirring....
BBc strikes last week, tube strikes becoming regular, firefighters going on strike and many many still to come i am sure of it.
so i ask the question has britain finally woken up and got its balls back to fight back ?
have people had enough of the capitalist society we have turned in to and want a farier possibly even a socialist agenda put back into society. I for one would be for taht, I do think labour could pick up many votes if it turned itself a little to the left, It would surely pick up a lot of disaffected lib dems for a start.
I just think now that this winter will be just the start of the working people the down trodden for years who have to sit by and watch their jobs go, pay cut, conditions worsen come back.
It took Margret tatchers government 6 years for protests like today this coalition government with the tories and lib dems has only taken a matter of months. Just think waht the country will be like in 2 or 3 years time. scarey and very worrying is my assessment.
I think there will be more strikes and the TUC's general strike in late march seems a long way away now but they may bring it forward, i know a lot of trade unionists want it to be brought forward to this side of christmas. Striking should always be a last resort but i think will be one of the ways to bring down this government who seem hell bent on causing the less well off pain and suffering.
It will be interesting to learn which way Ed miliband takes labour now with strikes looming large and people becoming angry. If labour stand in the middle of the road for too long it will look like we are just trying to please all. As we all know you cannot do this in politics and before long you will get found out. So i do hope Ed milibanda nd his shadow cabinet stand on teh side of the people who are being affected by all these cuts.
But i do think today the old britain has awoken and the beast is stirring....
my take on the students protests in london today
As we all have been watching and hearing on our tv's and radio's there have been big protests today organised by national union of students. Police estimate there was 50,000 people out on the streets today.
The protest which was there to campaign against the unfair trebling of tuitian fees to as much as 9 thousand pounds.
the protest turned ugly later in the day with several hundred storming tory party HQ on Millbank. As you all may gatehr i'm far from a fan of the conservative party and really dont like what they stand for. But on this ocasion i cannot condone violence. By all means protest and make your point heard but i think this will have marred the true reason as to why the students were protesting today. People have said there were socialists out there causing trouble. I dont believe there were i heard no rallying call for people to go up there and join teh protest. I can only assume these people who got into the tory hq and on to the roof were students with a radical agenda. Not that i condone violence but i really can understand their frustration and someway anger at these rises in fees.
I'm left leaning myself, a little bit more than some in the labour party maybe but i dont believe socailists to be aggresive or violent. This lot of people today were there to cause trouble and i dont think it was right. Reports of a few injuries today during the protests but i do hope the media focus's on the positive message being sent out today that students will not just lay down for these rise's and that the working and lower class will fight back if it needs to.
This was as much a message to the lib dems who broke their promises from before the general election of voting against tuitian fee rises. That is where the anger stems from. Nick Clegg and his awful party of liars who have joined the conservatives to give them the chance to put through these awful cuts which i still dont feel are entirely nessesary.
So to sum up i dont agree violence is always the answer but as someone pointed out on twitter peaceful protests never make teh news while these sorts of ones do, maybe not for the right reasons but it does send a message to this government that we will fight back if need be.
The protest which was there to campaign against the unfair trebling of tuitian fees to as much as 9 thousand pounds.
the protest turned ugly later in the day with several hundred storming tory party HQ on Millbank. As you all may gatehr i'm far from a fan of the conservative party and really dont like what they stand for. But on this ocasion i cannot condone violence. By all means protest and make your point heard but i think this will have marred the true reason as to why the students were protesting today. People have said there were socialists out there causing trouble. I dont believe there were i heard no rallying call for people to go up there and join teh protest. I can only assume these people who got into the tory hq and on to the roof were students with a radical agenda. Not that i condone violence but i really can understand their frustration and someway anger at these rises in fees.
I'm left leaning myself, a little bit more than some in the labour party maybe but i dont believe socailists to be aggresive or violent. This lot of people today were there to cause trouble and i dont think it was right. Reports of a few injuries today during the protests but i do hope the media focus's on the positive message being sent out today that students will not just lay down for these rise's and that the working and lower class will fight back if it needs to.
This was as much a message to the lib dems who broke their promises from before the general election of voting against tuitian fee rises. That is where the anger stems from. Nick Clegg and his awful party of liars who have joined the conservatives to give them the chance to put through these awful cuts which i still dont feel are entirely nessesary.
So to sum up i dont agree violence is always the answer but as someone pointed out on twitter peaceful protests never make teh news while these sorts of ones do, maybe not for the right reasons but it does send a message to this government that we will fight back if need be.
Tuesday, 9 November 2010
Which way will the lib dems go ?
After reading the labour lists article on the lib dems and the rise in tuitian fees which can be read here
http://www.labourlist.org/a-final-warning-to-the-liberal-democrats
i thought i should blog my feelings. As the article sets out this could be a turning point for the lib dems and their legacey really. Alot of their seats they hold are in key university city's including Sheffield where Nick clegg sits. Cambridge, bath and Norwich if only by a slim majority of 300 votes.
I think the lib dems should personally stand with labour on this issue and stand against the rise in tuitian fees to as much as 9,000 pounds. The lib dems have always done well out of the student vote but as they look to turn their backs on these pledges they made to campaign agaisnt a rise in fees they will be duely punished i hope.
The only option they have is to obstain from the vote, how many will or how many will cave in and sell out once again.
No wonder the youngest parliamentary candidate in the last election who came second to my own Mp Mark prisk has joined labour this week from the lib dems. Andrew Lewin wil be made very welcome indeed.
I would also just like to mention the big demo 2010
which yuo can read more about here
http://www.demo2010.org/
is a huge student rally in london tommorrow campainging about these cuts to higher education and rises in tuitain fees. I urge any young students or political activists to get up there if yuo can i believe it starts at half past 10 on horse guards parade.
best of luck comrades
http://www.labourlist.org/a-final-warning-to-the-liberal-democrats
i thought i should blog my feelings. As the article sets out this could be a turning point for the lib dems and their legacey really. Alot of their seats they hold are in key university city's including Sheffield where Nick clegg sits. Cambridge, bath and Norwich if only by a slim majority of 300 votes.
I think the lib dems should personally stand with labour on this issue and stand against the rise in tuitian fees to as much as 9,000 pounds. The lib dems have always done well out of the student vote but as they look to turn their backs on these pledges they made to campaign agaisnt a rise in fees they will be duely punished i hope.
The only option they have is to obstain from the vote, how many will or how many will cave in and sell out once again.
No wonder the youngest parliamentary candidate in the last election who came second to my own Mp Mark prisk has joined labour this week from the lib dems. Andrew Lewin wil be made very welcome indeed.
I would also just like to mention the big demo 2010
which yuo can read more about here
http://www.demo2010.org/
is a huge student rally in london tommorrow campainging about these cuts to higher education and rises in tuitain fees. I urge any young students or political activists to get up there if yuo can i believe it starts at half past 10 on horse guards parade.
best of luck comrades
Words From A Cowardly Lion: Class War
Words From A Cowardly Lion: Class War: "Picture this: A Lab-Lib coalition is in power. In their first 100 days they announce a 5% increase in the top rate of income tax; 'death dut..."
Brian colemans real cuts agenda
Today we learn the real pla by London Fire brigade general secretary Brian Coleman.
today in this article
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23895818-tories-propose-500-firefighter-cuts-after-strike.do
after their strike the fire service is to be hit with 500 job cuts and 1 in 6 fire engines to be taken out of service. This entails to about 27 fire engines across London. Now if this is bearing Londoners safety in mind then i dont know what is. Brian Coleman clearly said on radio 5 live a week or so ago he would not be sacking anyone or reducing equiptment.
how does he explain this recent move...
today in this article
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23895818-tories-propose-500-firefighter-cuts-after-strike.do
after their strike the fire service is to be hit with 500 job cuts and 1 in 6 fire engines to be taken out of service. This entails to about 27 fire engines across London. Now if this is bearing Londoners safety in mind then i dont know what is. Brian Coleman clearly said on radio 5 live a week or so ago he would not be sacking anyone or reducing equiptment.
how does he explain this recent move...
Labours dangerous political game
Just reading Sunny's piece on http://bit.ly/cKRp1c
Suddenly it struke me that labour to me are playing a dangerous game with politics at the moment. With Ed miliband and Douglas alexander saying we will support the coalition where we agree with them is a dangerous position to take i feel. This to me is letting the government and the right wing ideaology dictate the arguement. In sunny's piece he says we have lost the arguement on cuts and how to get down the deficit. I dont beleive we have. There is a growing movement against cuts and even the polls would suggest a growing anxiety amoungst the general public that cuts are being carried out far too fast and far too deep. People for the last 13 years have lived in a good world and have had things pretty good i'd say. Now with things being rolled back and f unding taken away it will take a while but when people finally start realising what is going on the governments populairty will plummit.
At the moment most ordinary people dont feel the cuts are affecting them. Alot of them have good jobs anda car and havent been badly affected. THis is the middle class of this country i'm talking ab out. people around where i live in Hertfordshire. This county i imagine will fair pretty well out of these spending cuts. This highlights to me even more that the cuts have been made on the lower income families and people who are worse off.
The danger of supporting the government on their welfare reforms as labour seem to be largely doing at the moment can be risky as it shows you are being lead in the arguement. You are limited to how you can change the direction of the arguement. I know the governemnt is the party/parties in power but if we are not offering proper fairer reform for the government to consider we will be led down a sticky path.
Do labour need to agree with george osbourne to sound credible on the economy ? i dont think we do. We need to be offering our own cuts as sunny wrongly points out the left is not opposed to every cut. We wouldnt be upset with loosing trident and saving money there. I do like sunny alot but just fear he has been taken by the idea we have to agree with the cuts that are going forward to look credible. I dont beleive we have to. We have been on the defensive for far too long, its time we started offering a real alternative to these massive cuts. Some real ideas how to boost growth and get people back into jobs rather than forcing them. Even otehr political figures including none other than Ken livingstone has publically said he doesnt think getting people back into work by encouraging them to work by picking litter and just getting them used to the idea of work is a bad thing. No its not ken but when your going about it and making unemployed people who may have not had much choice in the matter like criminals that is wrong and we must oppose this idea.
When people are being made unemployed from their jobs and are making every attempt to find work but are simply not getting the luck due to lack of new jobs being created you can hardly treat them like benifit scrounging criminals which David cameron and his governemnt seem to like to do.
Suddenly it struke me that labour to me are playing a dangerous game with politics at the moment. With Ed miliband and Douglas alexander saying we will support the coalition where we agree with them is a dangerous position to take i feel. This to me is letting the government and the right wing ideaology dictate the arguement. In sunny's piece he says we have lost the arguement on cuts and how to get down the deficit. I dont beleive we have. There is a growing movement against cuts and even the polls would suggest a growing anxiety amoungst the general public that cuts are being carried out far too fast and far too deep. People for the last 13 years have lived in a good world and have had things pretty good i'd say. Now with things being rolled back and f unding taken away it will take a while but when people finally start realising what is going on the governments populairty will plummit.
At the moment most ordinary people dont feel the cuts are affecting them. Alot of them have good jobs anda car and havent been badly affected. THis is the middle class of this country i'm talking ab out. people around where i live in Hertfordshire. This county i imagine will fair pretty well out of these spending cuts. This highlights to me even more that the cuts have been made on the lower income families and people who are worse off.
The danger of supporting the government on their welfare reforms as labour seem to be largely doing at the moment can be risky as it shows you are being lead in the arguement. You are limited to how you can change the direction of the arguement. I know the governemnt is the party/parties in power but if we are not offering proper fairer reform for the government to consider we will be led down a sticky path.
Do labour need to agree with george osbourne to sound credible on the economy ? i dont think we do. We need to be offering our own cuts as sunny wrongly points out the left is not opposed to every cut. We wouldnt be upset with loosing trident and saving money there. I do like sunny alot but just fear he has been taken by the idea we have to agree with the cuts that are going forward to look credible. I dont beleive we have to. We have been on the defensive for far too long, its time we started offering a real alternative to these massive cuts. Some real ideas how to boost growth and get people back into jobs rather than forcing them. Even otehr political figures including none other than Ken livingstone has publically said he doesnt think getting people back into work by encouraging them to work by picking litter and just getting them used to the idea of work is a bad thing. No its not ken but when your going about it and making unemployed people who may have not had much choice in the matter like criminals that is wrong and we must oppose this idea.
When people are being made unemployed from their jobs and are making every attempt to find work but are simply not getting the luck due to lack of new jobs being created you can hardly treat them like benifit scrounging criminals which David cameron and his governemnt seem to like to do.
The fair society
So we all know about David Camerons "big society"
He has been banging on about this idea since before the general election which let me tell you is nothing new really
The big society let me describe quickly is the idea of giving power back to the people, allowing people to volunteer and work and unpaid wage and do more for others. I do however feel this is a huge smokescreen to the biggest attack on the welfare state since well ... ever i think.
While people are loosing jobs left right and centre we are being asked by David cameron who has probably never volunteered in his life for us to do more in our communities and volunteer more, for less.
In this modern day Britain we are very time poor and have little time to even stop and think let alone stop and help out by putting something back into your community.
Let me state the idea in principle is not a bad idea but the back drop to how he is implimenting his ideas is all wrong. Sure it would be nice if we all acted more of a community and helped out others more. This is a very good thing but the way Cameron is going about the cuts to public services which would in my view do a very similar job is a big smokescreen in my eyes.
So i propose a fair society, my idea stems from a similar logic, but has one main difference, it is and will be fair for all.
Firstly i would reign in the banks hold them to account for the mess they have brought us. I would consider nationalising them to gain back our money which we lent them to save them. Once we would be in control of the banks in public ownership they would have no choice but to start lending and lending money back to the people who helped them out in the first place.
This would be my first plan. I would then offer fair alternatives to the savage spending cuts going on in the public sector right now. They are wrong and are not nessesary or unavoidable according to the prime minister. The public sector did not create the financial crisis, the disabled didnt create the financial crisis the young and elderly didnt create the financial crisis eitehr.
So why should they be the ones to suffer the most. I should mention a lot more other groups of people including women and low income families will also suffer too.
I believe the big society is not a bad idea in principle and i'm not just opposing its creation just because a tory came up with it. But the way it is being implimented is all wrong and badly orchestrated. Perhaps the timing is wrong, perhaps if we were not in a big financial mess the idea would sit better with people, But when people are loosing jobs the last thing they want to hear is they can do some work for nothing when they have a mortgage to pay and children to feed.
I think we need to look for a more fairer society where the rich wealthy tax dodgers are clamped down on and the banks are not allowed to get away with almost anything. We must stop this ridiculous big bonus culture that has not stopped even through the recession i might add. How a banker and a broker can be worth giving that sort of bonus to on top of a salary for essentially risking huge amounts of our money is incomprehendable to me.
Its like rewarding risk taking, yes its ok if it comes off but what if it doesnt, its our money they are playing with and we should hold them accountable.
People in the media and teh tory party warn us if we regulate the banks and tax them too much they will just up sticks and leave. Well to me, even though i bank with a bank i dont feel this threat is worth worrying about. This may sound nieve but there will always be other banks ready to take the ones who want to leave. Who knows they might be a lot more fairer and a lot better at their jobof holding our money and not taking risks.
I suggest we take a look at cooperative banks and institutions and having part public part private ownership of the banks to always keep them in check.
This is my first part of the fair society idea and outlines some of my feelings on the financial crisis we face right now.
He has been banging on about this idea since before the general election which let me tell you is nothing new really
The big society let me describe quickly is the idea of giving power back to the people, allowing people to volunteer and work and unpaid wage and do more for others. I do however feel this is a huge smokescreen to the biggest attack on the welfare state since well ... ever i think.
While people are loosing jobs left right and centre we are being asked by David cameron who has probably never volunteered in his life for us to do more in our communities and volunteer more, for less.
In this modern day Britain we are very time poor and have little time to even stop and think let alone stop and help out by putting something back into your community.
Let me state the idea in principle is not a bad idea but the back drop to how he is implimenting his ideas is all wrong. Sure it would be nice if we all acted more of a community and helped out others more. This is a very good thing but the way Cameron is going about the cuts to public services which would in my view do a very similar job is a big smokescreen in my eyes.
So i propose a fair society, my idea stems from a similar logic, but has one main difference, it is and will be fair for all.
Firstly i would reign in the banks hold them to account for the mess they have brought us. I would consider nationalising them to gain back our money which we lent them to save them. Once we would be in control of the banks in public ownership they would have no choice but to start lending and lending money back to the people who helped them out in the first place.
This would be my first plan. I would then offer fair alternatives to the savage spending cuts going on in the public sector right now. They are wrong and are not nessesary or unavoidable according to the prime minister. The public sector did not create the financial crisis, the disabled didnt create the financial crisis the young and elderly didnt create the financial crisis eitehr.
So why should they be the ones to suffer the most. I should mention a lot more other groups of people including women and low income families will also suffer too.
I believe the big society is not a bad idea in principle and i'm not just opposing its creation just because a tory came up with it. But the way it is being implimented is all wrong and badly orchestrated. Perhaps the timing is wrong, perhaps if we were not in a big financial mess the idea would sit better with people, But when people are loosing jobs the last thing they want to hear is they can do some work for nothing when they have a mortgage to pay and children to feed.
I think we need to look for a more fairer society where the rich wealthy tax dodgers are clamped down on and the banks are not allowed to get away with almost anything. We must stop this ridiculous big bonus culture that has not stopped even through the recession i might add. How a banker and a broker can be worth giving that sort of bonus to on top of a salary for essentially risking huge amounts of our money is incomprehendable to me.
Its like rewarding risk taking, yes its ok if it comes off but what if it doesnt, its our money they are playing with and we should hold them accountable.
People in the media and teh tory party warn us if we regulate the banks and tax them too much they will just up sticks and leave. Well to me, even though i bank with a bank i dont feel this threat is worth worrying about. This may sound nieve but there will always be other banks ready to take the ones who want to leave. Who knows they might be a lot more fairer and a lot better at their jobof holding our money and not taking risks.
I suggest we take a look at cooperative banks and institutions and having part public part private ownership of the banks to always keep them in check.
This is my first part of the fair society idea and outlines some of my feelings on the financial crisis we face right now.
Friday, 5 November 2010
Rage against the Coalition: A question
Rage against the Coalition: A question: "I would like someone to answer this question because I cannot for the life of me make it make sense. 1/2 million people - at least - are go..."
Firefighter strikes in london called off
London’s firefighters have called off the strike they had planned for tomorrow (Friday) after bosses agreed to go to arbitration.
The FBU union had planned to strike for 47 hours from 10am tomorrow, Bonfire Night, over bosses’ plans to sack all 5,500 London firefighters to force through worse shifts would lead to cuts to night-time fire cover.
But the union called the strike off tonight after the fire authority made a new offer and agreed to take it to arbitration at the Resolution Advisory Panel (RAP).
While they are in the arbitration, which is non-binding, the fire authority bosses have agreed to delay the mass sackings – although they have not been withdrawn.
This means that the London firefighters’ two eight-hour strikes so far have succeeded in getting a better offer – 13-hour night shifts and 11-hour days, with no "strings”. And this offer may be slightly improved during the arbitration process.
Bosses had originally wanted to change the firefighters’ existing 15-hour night and 9-hour day to an equal 12-hour day and night.
The fact that the bosses made a new offer at all shows that the Bonfire Night strike plan had them on the back foot. They knew how effective it would be, and how inadequate their scabbing operation is – which is why they have spent the last week waging war on the union in the media.
That’s why it was a mistake to call off the strikes. The union has clearly won some concessions – but it has lost the momentum it had on its side, and missed a key opportunity to stretch the private AssetCo scabbing operation beyond breaking point.
I have copied that exert from the socialist workers website. sums things up brilliantly to me. I am tentively pleased about this move. I think there was growing opposition to the firefighters striking on bonfire night, although i on a personal level was in favour of this, due to the pressure it heaped on the London fire brigade to sort this. I think this has ultimatly lead to this decision to take the dispute to the court of arbitration.
I can only commend the firefighters and their excellent professional attitude throughout this dispute. They have come out with their pride held high. They havent revertedt o smear tactics via the media like Brian coleman and his LFB boss's have clearly done.
I just hope now that the sacking notices can be fully retracted and they can all get around the table and thrash out a good deal for everyone concerned.
I'm pleased there will be no strike on bonfire night as this assures a win for the firefighters and teh firefighters union to keep public support on their side. I have been reminded constantly by fellow comrades on twitter that public support is key in any union vs management dispute so i'm glad that this will further strengthen the firefighters case and hopefully the unions too.
The FBU union had planned to strike for 47 hours from 10am tomorrow, Bonfire Night, over bosses’ plans to sack all 5,500 London firefighters to force through worse shifts would lead to cuts to night-time fire cover.
But the union called the strike off tonight after the fire authority made a new offer and agreed to take it to arbitration at the Resolution Advisory Panel (RAP).
While they are in the arbitration, which is non-binding, the fire authority bosses have agreed to delay the mass sackings – although they have not been withdrawn.
This means that the London firefighters’ two eight-hour strikes so far have succeeded in getting a better offer – 13-hour night shifts and 11-hour days, with no "strings”. And this offer may be slightly improved during the arbitration process.
Bosses had originally wanted to change the firefighters’ existing 15-hour night and 9-hour day to an equal 12-hour day and night.
The fact that the bosses made a new offer at all shows that the Bonfire Night strike plan had them on the back foot. They knew how effective it would be, and how inadequate their scabbing operation is – which is why they have spent the last week waging war on the union in the media.
That’s why it was a mistake to call off the strikes. The union has clearly won some concessions – but it has lost the momentum it had on its side, and missed a key opportunity to stretch the private AssetCo scabbing operation beyond breaking point.
I have copied that exert from the socialist workers website. sums things up brilliantly to me. I am tentively pleased about this move. I think there was growing opposition to the firefighters striking on bonfire night, although i on a personal level was in favour of this, due to the pressure it heaped on the London fire brigade to sort this. I think this has ultimatly lead to this decision to take the dispute to the court of arbitration.
I can only commend the firefighters and their excellent professional attitude throughout this dispute. They have come out with their pride held high. They havent revertedt o smear tactics via the media like Brian coleman and his LFB boss's have clearly done.
I just hope now that the sacking notices can be fully retracted and they can all get around the table and thrash out a good deal for everyone concerned.
I'm pleased there will be no strike on bonfire night as this assures a win for the firefighters and teh firefighters union to keep public support on their side. I have been reminded constantly by fellow comrades on twitter that public support is key in any union vs management dispute so i'm glad that this will further strengthen the firefighters case and hopefully the unions too.
Tuesday, 2 November 2010
Should prisoners get the vote ?
I was listening to a good debate on radio 5 live last night on the tony livesey show and they were talking about the EU possibly imposing a law forcing the UK to give its prisoners the right to vote still.
I for one am not for this act. I dont want to sound right wing at all but i do think that when you commit a crime of the land that breaks the United Kingdoms laws you are surely forfeiting your rights to such things as teh vote.
People on the other side of the arguement say that even though they have commited a crime it is their human right to vote even if they are in jail. I disagree, life cannot be the same for them on both sides, if you commit a crime you surely cannot expect life to be as it is on the outside. Otherwise what would be the deterrent
?
the reason we have so many prisoners in jail in this country i believe is we are too soft on criminals who commit offences, if the sentances were tougher and life inside was perhaps not so nice people would not want to go inside would they ? its pretty simple to me.
I know my thoughts here are not that liberal and that's fine this is one of the things i take a hard stance on really. I think we could be tougher on criminals in this country. Not to the way america is using the death penalty or anything like that but maybe less comfort in jail and limit their rights inside.
what do other people think ?
I for one am not for this act. I dont want to sound right wing at all but i do think that when you commit a crime of the land that breaks the United Kingdoms laws you are surely forfeiting your rights to such things as teh vote.
People on the other side of the arguement say that even though they have commited a crime it is their human right to vote even if they are in jail. I disagree, life cannot be the same for them on both sides, if you commit a crime you surely cannot expect life to be as it is on the outside. Otherwise what would be the deterrent
?
the reason we have so many prisoners in jail in this country i believe is we are too soft on criminals who commit offences, if the sentances were tougher and life inside was perhaps not so nice people would not want to go inside would they ? its pretty simple to me.
I know my thoughts here are not that liberal and that's fine this is one of the things i take a hard stance on really. I think we could be tougher on criminals in this country. Not to the way america is using the death penalty or anything like that but maybe less comfort in jail and limit their rights inside.
what do other people think ?
Monday, 1 November 2010
The Tea party in american politics
Having just watched this worlds documentary from Andrew Neill on bbc 2 earlier on this the fastest growing political movement in the USA.
Worries me slightly at the language being used and the messages being put across. To me it is always worrying when a big political movement gets going it is a momentum that can snowball out of control sometimes if the wrong people get involved.
This documentary focused on how people are flocking to this new right wing movement in the states in their droves. It highlighted peoples frustration with the current government and government in general. Tea party activists seem to want to take America back to the good old days where things were easier and simplier. They are dead against big government and the federal state.
Aligning this ideaology to a british perspective i'd say they are like the tory party of old in Britain. A group of people who do not want governemnt interfering in their lives anymore and want to take back their country as they put it.
The current president in America is of course O'barma who is a black american who has been touted as a socialist and a muslim by many in this tea party movement. I just find some of these claims farcicle and so wide of the mark, O'barma may be of african disent but he is defanatly american.
To me a british politics enthusiast i find it hard to get my head around how quickly this movement has sprung up so close behind what seemed like the big wave of optimism that swept across America to see President o'barma into the white house. Where has all that feeling gone ?
As i documented earlier this tea party movement predomenantly a grass roots campaign has been growing speed and power and is now infiltrating the Republican party in American politics, a party that has always been more right wing and been quite conservative, This tea party threatens and has achieved reasonable success in taking the republican party further to the right than it has ever gone before.
One question stands out for me is how have ordinary Republicans just let their party be taken over like this ?
I am aware that tea party activists have used all sorts of dirty tactics to get republicans out and their people in.
Now we face the mid term elections across America with the senate and the congress both up for grabs i expect to see a major shift towards the right in America with this scarirly fast movement which has tinges of racism in amoungst its depths. I just wonder where this will leave America and its less well off who are struggling even as it is. Will these be left to fend for themselves and ultimatly maybe perish.
Doesnt bear thinking about. I fear this movement from the documentary i watched tonight even without a leader to protect itself by having no head to cut off may be a road America may regret turning down.
Worries me slightly at the language being used and the messages being put across. To me it is always worrying when a big political movement gets going it is a momentum that can snowball out of control sometimes if the wrong people get involved.
This documentary focused on how people are flocking to this new right wing movement in the states in their droves. It highlighted peoples frustration with the current government and government in general. Tea party activists seem to want to take America back to the good old days where things were easier and simplier. They are dead against big government and the federal state.
Aligning this ideaology to a british perspective i'd say they are like the tory party of old in Britain. A group of people who do not want governemnt interfering in their lives anymore and want to take back their country as they put it.
The current president in America is of course O'barma who is a black american who has been touted as a socialist and a muslim by many in this tea party movement. I just find some of these claims farcicle and so wide of the mark, O'barma may be of african disent but he is defanatly american.
To me a british politics enthusiast i find it hard to get my head around how quickly this movement has sprung up so close behind what seemed like the big wave of optimism that swept across America to see President o'barma into the white house. Where has all that feeling gone ?
As i documented earlier this tea party movement predomenantly a grass roots campaign has been growing speed and power and is now infiltrating the Republican party in American politics, a party that has always been more right wing and been quite conservative, This tea party threatens and has achieved reasonable success in taking the republican party further to the right than it has ever gone before.
One question stands out for me is how have ordinary Republicans just let their party be taken over like this ?
I am aware that tea party activists have used all sorts of dirty tactics to get republicans out and their people in.
Now we face the mid term elections across America with the senate and the congress both up for grabs i expect to see a major shift towards the right in America with this scarirly fast movement which has tinges of racism in amoungst its depths. I just wonder where this will leave America and its less well off who are struggling even as it is. Will these be left to fend for themselves and ultimatly maybe perish.
Doesnt bear thinking about. I fear this movement from the documentary i watched tonight even without a leader to protect itself by having no head to cut off may be a road America may regret turning down.
Where Ed turns next
Having just read this article from the brilliant progress online who i still intend to join at some point
http://www.progressives.org.uk/articles/article.asp?a=7049
it argues some very good points i agree with. It sums up Ed milibands first month as leader veryw ell. It says that we as labour have been lagging behind the coalition in terms of winning the arguement. It also makes the case very clear to me that within labour now, there is a growing frustration at the lack of a alternative to waht the coalition are carrying out. It is all very well opposing certain things but it looks shallow when you are not offering any alternatives. In the progress article it suggests possibly taxing the child benifit recieved rather than cutting it, which to me sounds quite similar in its results.
I do think from what the article suggests that some of labours policies it may come out with after the policy review, being conducted by Liam burn at the moment will upset some unions. In my view that will not bode well for labour. With a growing resistance to the cuts from the unions. Labour do not want to get themselves caught in between the unions and the coalition. Having opposition from both sides could be catastrophic for labours chances of regaining power in 5 years time.
It has either got to side with the unions to a degree that it is comfortable with or expect union rebellion and possible splits with some unions who currently support the party.
I feel they are running a bit of a tight rope really trying to play to all corners. Are labour a party for the middle class or working class anymore ? it is becoming difficult to tell from where i see things.
Ed miliband has told the Prime minister where he thinks he is going wrong but i still think he is lacking credibility on economic matters. Labour needs to appear out of the shadows of its past and come out with some new ideas how to boost growth.
They do say if you stick in the centre of the road and try to appeal to everyone you get run over, i hope this is not going to happen to labour this time around. But certainly frustration is growing i can sense within some members who thought Ed would reform the party and get labour back on the straight and narrow in the polls and popularity.
http://www.progressives.org.uk/articles/article.asp?a=7049
it argues some very good points i agree with. It sums up Ed milibands first month as leader veryw ell. It says that we as labour have been lagging behind the coalition in terms of winning the arguement. It also makes the case very clear to me that within labour now, there is a growing frustration at the lack of a alternative to waht the coalition are carrying out. It is all very well opposing certain things but it looks shallow when you are not offering any alternatives. In the progress article it suggests possibly taxing the child benifit recieved rather than cutting it, which to me sounds quite similar in its results.
I do think from what the article suggests that some of labours policies it may come out with after the policy review, being conducted by Liam burn at the moment will upset some unions. In my view that will not bode well for labour. With a growing resistance to the cuts from the unions. Labour do not want to get themselves caught in between the unions and the coalition. Having opposition from both sides could be catastrophic for labours chances of regaining power in 5 years time.
It has either got to side with the unions to a degree that it is comfortable with or expect union rebellion and possible splits with some unions who currently support the party.
I feel they are running a bit of a tight rope really trying to play to all corners. Are labour a party for the middle class or working class anymore ? it is becoming difficult to tell from where i see things.
Ed miliband has told the Prime minister where he thinks he is going wrong but i still think he is lacking credibility on economic matters. Labour needs to appear out of the shadows of its past and come out with some new ideas how to boost growth.
They do say if you stick in the centre of the road and try to appeal to everyone you get run over, i hope this is not going to happen to labour this time around. But certainly frustration is growing i can sense within some members who thought Ed would reform the party and get labour back on the straight and narrow in the polls and popularity.
A special thank you
I have met some great people online during my time on the internet in recent years. Some from all over the planet. This guy has left an impression on me and would just like to repay the favour for giving my blog some much needed exposure.
As you all know this blog recieves limited exposure and any it does get must be commended by those who do give it that.
on this page here :
http://thesocialistway.blogspot.com/2010/10/blogging-revolt.html?spref=tw
i am still not sure of the guys name but the second blog down he gives me a lovely glowing reference to myself and this blog. I have a lot of respect for this man and his blog. His vision for the future is a hope and one day hopefully a reality. I have learnt a lot from him already. I am learning more and more ab out socialism as weeks go by. I would say i now sit on the left of the labour party movement now and look on at the condem government with trepedation. I am becoming increasingly ressistant to t hese cuts they are putting through. My latest gripe is with the London fire brigade and their threat to sack their workers if they do not sign up to these new contracts. Which change their hours significantly.
Anyway more on that dispute another time. I just wanted to thank the socialist way himself for his touching post on me and giving my blog some exposure.
As you all know this blog recieves limited exposure and any it does get must be commended by those who do give it that.
on this page here :
http://thesocialistway.blogspot.com/2010/10/blogging-revolt.html?spref=tw
i am still not sure of the guys name but the second blog down he gives me a lovely glowing reference to myself and this blog. I have a lot of respect for this man and his blog. His vision for the future is a hope and one day hopefully a reality. I have learnt a lot from him already. I am learning more and more ab out socialism as weeks go by. I would say i now sit on the left of the labour party movement now and look on at the condem government with trepedation. I am becoming increasingly ressistant to t hese cuts they are putting through. My latest gripe is with the London fire brigade and their threat to sack their workers if they do not sign up to these new contracts. Which change their hours significantly.
Anyway more on that dispute another time. I just wanted to thank the socialist way himself for his touching post on me and giving my blog some exposure.
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