We've entered the last week of the campaign in the Shepton West by-election, it really has been good to talk to so many residents, sadly I will not get to every door, they are well over 2000 homes and it is impossible for me to do that in 3.5 weeks.
However the messages are clear, this re-inforcing my view most council discussions are not included on the residents most wanted, the process drives the discussion, highly reactive, it is a carousal easy to get on harder to break away from, a bit of a circus.
Today, Mr Hunt MP, secretary of state for culture, made a gaffe in regard to the Hillsborough disaster, linking the disaster to football hooliganism, this of course was wholly wrong as the excellent Taylor Report made clear, he obviously then made a statement of a kind of apology, but the pain he caused the 96 families by his ignorant slip was unnecessary, Justice for the 96, Mr Hunt, Justice!
Whilst on Football matters, what a terrible performance by England, 4-1 flattered us, but did anyone see the FIFA press conference, where the spokesman was left speechless at the wrongly disallowed goal, FIFA are fools, they will one day allow technology, pity it wasn't yesterday.
Monday, 28 June 2010
Thursday, 24 June 2010
The Good news just keeps on rolling
The new CONDEM coalition government announces that the rising retirement age will be brought forward so anyone six years away from retirement at sixty five will have to work for another year for their state retirement pension.
This tremendous news for low paid manual workers (sarcasm), will be met with despair. Those in the public sector will enjoy higher pension contributions for less pension and will work longer for them.
In the private sector the occupational pension are too often been ended and replaced by less well performing equity linked schemes, I can quote an employee that occupational pension was paid at 5% of his income with his company paid 10% and he got a final salary pension, this replaced with an equity scheme where the employer pays 3.5% and the employee pays 7%, so this news of extending his working life is tremendous news, another couple of years to pay into a less well performing equity based scheme.
Why do low paid manual worker die before white collar professionals?
I heard Nick Clegg argue that it was only fair to erode the public sector pension provision in line with the private sector.
One last thought the on ConDems, the bank levy will collect £2billion a year £8billion in 4 years whilst the corporation tax cuts on the banks will amount to £28billion, gee that sounds really fair, the banks helped cause the financial problems today, yet they get a financial reward of £20billion whilst low paid workers face cuts in services and higher taxes.
This tremendous news for low paid manual workers (sarcasm), will be met with despair. Those in the public sector will enjoy higher pension contributions for less pension and will work longer for them.
In the private sector the occupational pension are too often been ended and replaced by less well performing equity linked schemes, I can quote an employee that occupational pension was paid at 5% of his income with his company paid 10% and he got a final salary pension, this replaced with an equity scheme where the employer pays 3.5% and the employee pays 7%, so this news of extending his working life is tremendous news, another couple of years to pay into a less well performing equity based scheme.
Why do low paid manual worker die before white collar professionals?
I heard Nick Clegg argue that it was only fair to erode the public sector pension provision in line with the private sector.
One last thought the on ConDems, the bank levy will collect £2billion a year £8billion in 4 years whilst the corporation tax cuts on the banks will amount to £28billion, gee that sounds really fair, the banks helped cause the financial problems today, yet they get a financial reward of £20billion whilst low paid workers face cuts in services and higher taxes.
Wednesday, 23 June 2010
Too Good
Well done England, come on! Looking forward to Sunday afternoon.
This evening I encountered some Conservative canvassers, but there candidate was no where to be seen.
The weather is fantastic with most people out tonight, but some good conversations, these included sports development in Shepton, condition of our roads and the VAT rise, I did say Mendip didn't collect this tax! A couple of unhappy Lib Dem voters, said they were returning to Labour.
Anyway, short and to the point tonight.
This evening I encountered some Conservative canvassers, but there candidate was no where to be seen.
The weather is fantastic with most people out tonight, but some good conversations, these included sports development in Shepton, condition of our roads and the VAT rise, I did say Mendip didn't collect this tax! A couple of unhappy Lib Dem voters, said they were returning to Labour.
Anyway, short and to the point tonight.
Tuesday, 22 June 2010
Budget
Firstly can I apologies for an inaccuracy in my entry last night, I said that the CONDEMs wanted to cut public spending by 20%, unfortunately it will be 25%, so even more cuts.
I spoke to two local public sector workers this evening, they are desperately worried about their jobs, they have had meetings with their respected employers and are aware of the savings that mean cuts of service to the people of Shepton.
We will have to wait for the details of where the 25% axe will fall. I worry about my schools funding, real gains has happened in the last few years, I fear these will be undone by the CONDEMs.
In terms of who needs public services the most, it is the poorest, so better public services are the best for low earners.
The ConDems will give £28billion corporation tax cuts to British banks, they will levy £2billion on their bank tax, that seems fair....not!
The VAT is the most regressive tax, this tax effects the poorest the hardest, the Conservatives before the election said they had no plans to raise VAT, the Lib Dems campaigned against what they said was conservative plans, their support for the VAT rise was endorsed by Nick Clegg nodding at Georgie Osbourne.
Another major shift in policy from the Lib Dems, like any chameleon their colour has changed from a yellow to blue in 6 weeks, they have become indistinguishable from the Conservatives
Monday, 21 June 2010
More Campaign
A good evening on the doorstep, many positive discussions and promises of support.
More issues raised including poor ground maintenance, lack of activities for young people and the poor conditions of the pavements in the town centre.
Tomorrow will be an important day for this country, the ConDem budget will announced.
The Office of Budget Responsibility has said that although growth in the economy may be lower than first thought, the deficit will be about where Labour had predicted, so there will be no financial meltdown.
If the ConDems does slash spending and this heavily effects the growth rate this could make the deficit worse, which will cause higher unemployment, more home repossessions less economic activity.
We know the Conservatives want to reduce the state spending by 20%.
The Lib Dems position before the election was different, Nick Clegg said the decision who governs the country should not be in fear of what the markets might do, imagine a Conservative government who announces they want to slash public services in an early tough action, people in his constituents of Sheffield of which more people work in the public sector as a proportion of the workforce than anywhere else in the country, who are these people who want to slash the public services, when referring to the Conservatives plans to slash the public services, Nick Clegg said who are these people to take our jobs away, what mandate do they have, with no Conservative MPs or councillors as far as the eye could see.
Indeed Mr Clegg, the Office of Budget Responsibility confirmed Labours level of borrowing was about right, your policy at the election was for no slashing of the spending this year, your mandate was for growth this year, after all, as you said by slashing spending could lead to social and industrial unrest, this would be the way to go about it.
More issues raised including poor ground maintenance, lack of activities for young people and the poor conditions of the pavements in the town centre.
Tomorrow will be an important day for this country, the ConDem budget will announced.
The Office of Budget Responsibility has said that although growth in the economy may be lower than first thought, the deficit will be about where Labour had predicted, so there will be no financial meltdown.
If the ConDems does slash spending and this heavily effects the growth rate this could make the deficit worse, which will cause higher unemployment, more home repossessions less economic activity.
We know the Conservatives want to reduce the state spending by 20%.
The Lib Dems position before the election was different, Nick Clegg said the decision who governs the country should not be in fear of what the markets might do, imagine a Conservative government who announces they want to slash public services in an early tough action, people in his constituents of Sheffield of which more people work in the public sector as a proportion of the workforce than anywhere else in the country, who are these people who want to slash the public services, when referring to the Conservatives plans to slash the public services, Nick Clegg said who are these people to take our jobs away, what mandate do they have, with no Conservative MPs or councillors as far as the eye could see.
Indeed Mr Clegg, the Office of Budget Responsibility confirmed Labours level of borrowing was about right, your policy at the election was for no slashing of the spending this year, your mandate was for growth this year, after all, as you said by slashing spending could lead to social and industrial unrest, this would be the way to go about it.
Friday, 18 June 2010
Free Schools
Having been lectured by local Lib Dems over the years for the new Academy schools and trusts for the corrosive effect that they had on comprehensive education, I see another white flag of Lib Dem policy with the new Free School policy, these free schools will opt out of local authority working, will compete for children, this particularly important as we have falling roles as here in Somerset.
It looks like the building the schools for the future will be raided, the additional individual tuition fees to pay for struggling children in maths and english will be scrapped.
Now I read in the Guardian newspaper that Michael Gove is considering raiding the funding for the poorest children to receive free school meals this transferring £35million to the free schools policy, this on top of scrapping Labours plans to fund 500,000 additional free school meals that were to be provided in September. http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/jun/18/school-plan-takes-money-from-poor
The price of power for the Lib Dems is ditching everything they advocated for years, frankly who cares about their abject humiliation, but even to consider stealing free meals from the poorest children for a policy that their voters had rejected, shows the levels the Lib Dems will sink, the simple message, Vote Lib Dem, get Tory and your COMDEMned
It looks like the building the schools for the future will be raided, the additional individual tuition fees to pay for struggling children in maths and english will be scrapped.
Now I read in the Guardian newspaper that Michael Gove is considering raiding the funding for the poorest children to receive free school meals this transferring £35million to the free schools policy, this on top of scrapping Labours plans to fund 500,000 additional free school meals that were to be provided in September. http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/jun/18/school-plan-takes-money-from-poor
The price of power for the Lib Dems is ditching everything they advocated for years, frankly who cares about their abject humiliation, but even to consider stealing free meals from the poorest children for a policy that their voters had rejected, shows the levels the Lib Dems will sink, the simple message, Vote Lib Dem, get Tory and your COMDEMned
Thursday, 17 June 2010
dysfunctional
Sometimes you can look at the same problem from different ends and it looks exactly the same.
As a local councillor, I am deeply depressed about how dysfunctional local government is and how the structure is designed to fail.
When out having conversations on the doorsteps peoples frustrations comes through, we know as councillors three tiers of local government is silly.
The parish/Town council is largely a talking shop, partly of their own making partly legal, 16 councillors sitting around discussing Shepton issues with few resources.
Mendip District Council is a small district council with a small tax base, highly dependant on central government grant, a disporportionently small cut in grant from government will either cause disporporationately large cuts in services or big tax increases, but as the CONDEMs have ruled out tax rises, this could seriously challenge Mendips viability.
Somerset County Council behaves in a remote fashion, one of the major complaints I hear, time and time again is the lack of youth provision in Shepton, this is a County function. We are continually promised pedestrian crossings outside our schools, they are never delivered, some may say this is cynical politics by previous Lib Dem and current Conservative county councillors, what ever the reason, people are not happy.
Bus services from Bristol do not come through Shepton onwards to Yeovil or Bridgwater, why does Shepton not have a direct bus service to either Bath or Bristol?
The pavements and surfaces in the town centre are simply unacceptable, yet inaction by the county council.
There are examples of how councils work together, the best example is Somerset waste partnership, this is where district and county form services, but both councils need not exist for somerset waste partnership to operate.
For me we need a strategic tier of local government and a civic tier, Town Councils need to concerned with all aspects of civic pride, grass cutting, street cleaning, town promotion, simply how the town looks.
Largely people don't care about this detail, they know there has been extensive housing growth in the town in the last 20 years, the rational for this is, this growth will lead to new services.
Sadly for too long these new services have never materialised and provision of existing services has got worse, no wonder people are concerned, more tax for less service.
As a local councillor, I am deeply depressed about how dysfunctional local government is and how the structure is designed to fail.
When out having conversations on the doorsteps peoples frustrations comes through, we know as councillors three tiers of local government is silly.
The parish/Town council is largely a talking shop, partly of their own making partly legal, 16 councillors sitting around discussing Shepton issues with few resources.
Mendip District Council is a small district council with a small tax base, highly dependant on central government grant, a disporportionently small cut in grant from government will either cause disporporationately large cuts in services or big tax increases, but as the CONDEMs have ruled out tax rises, this could seriously challenge Mendips viability.
Somerset County Council behaves in a remote fashion, one of the major complaints I hear, time and time again is the lack of youth provision in Shepton, this is a County function. We are continually promised pedestrian crossings outside our schools, they are never delivered, some may say this is cynical politics by previous Lib Dem and current Conservative county councillors, what ever the reason, people are not happy.
Bus services from Bristol do not come through Shepton onwards to Yeovil or Bridgwater, why does Shepton not have a direct bus service to either Bath or Bristol?
The pavements and surfaces in the town centre are simply unacceptable, yet inaction by the county council.
There are examples of how councils work together, the best example is Somerset waste partnership, this is where district and county form services, but both councils need not exist for somerset waste partnership to operate.
For me we need a strategic tier of local government and a civic tier, Town Councils need to concerned with all aspects of civic pride, grass cutting, street cleaning, town promotion, simply how the town looks.
Largely people don't care about this detail, they know there has been extensive housing growth in the town in the last 20 years, the rational for this is, this growth will lead to new services.
Sadly for too long these new services have never materialised and provision of existing services has got worse, no wonder people are concerned, more tax for less service.
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