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David Miliband’s right about a debate, but it cannot ignore the most fundamental problemsThere is much to welcome in David Miliband’s call for a ‘comradely and serious debate’ about the future for the Labour Party, as prompted by Roy Hattersley’s recent article in the Political Quarterly on social democracy. He is certainly right about the spirit in which the debate should take place, but this... |
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Will we be treble-crossed?
Tweeting today There is no conceivable British interests threatened by Iran. But vast profits beckon for the international war profiteers. Ever thus. 179 British lives lost in Iraq after Commons was bribed, baffled and bamboozled with lies on on non-existent WMDs. New Iran lie is being spread Afghan...
It’s time to end exploitative payday loans
Last week I was out campaigning along with fellow Labour MPs Stephen Twigg and Steve Rotheram, against sky high loan interest rates. With more and more people struggling to meet the cost of higher bills, it’s hardly surprising then that many households now have to rely on payday loans just to get by...
Who will police the police?
It’s not just the well-reported antics of Mark Kennedy that call in question the activities of undercover policing against political and protest groups. It’s the almost total lack of accountability about the clandestine operations of police spies over the last 40 years. ...
Desperate times call for …
Two weeks ago, when the labour market statistics were published, I didn't have time to write a post about unemployment in Edmonton, but the situation is too dire to ignore so I thought it was necessary to revisit those figures here.From January to December of last year, the total number of people claiming...
24 Early Day Motions
FATALITIES IN AFGHANISTAN (No. 21) That this House salutes the bravery of the armed forces serving in Afghanistan and records with sorrow the deaths of Guardsman Christopher Davies, 1st Battalion Irish Guards, aged 22 from St Helens, Merseyside, Lance Corporal Gajbahadur Gurung, 1st Battalion The Yorkshire...
Unfair changes to child benefit
Labour has repeatedly warned about the unfairness and problems with David Cameron’s child benefit plans. A two-earner family each earning £40,000 – a total of £80,000 – would keep their entire child benefit. But a single-earner family on £43,000 would lose it all from next year. Tough choices...
Police to investigate Rupert Murdoch’s Times of London over email hacking
Text of letter for people who can’t see embedded Google Docs: Dear Mr Watson Re: Email Hacking at The Times newspaper Thank you for your letter dated 23 January 2012, and subsequent letter clarifying the position around the evidence given by The Times to the Leveson Inquiry. I write to reassure...
What needs to be done in the eurozone – Ed Balls in today’s Independent
Far from being over, I fear the eurozone crisis is this year entering a more chronic, drawn out but equally dangerous phase. While the bouts of market turmoil which characterised the crisis of last year may have receded – at least for a time – don’t be fooled. The underlying pressures have...
Why are the banks treated with kid gloves whilst the poorest are made homeless without any demur?
Business, SMEs in particular, need funding fast, so why doesn’t Osborne just order RBS and Lloyds to ratchet up the lending? After all he owns 80% of the former and 40% of the latter, more than those who talked about seizing the ‘commanding heights’ of the...
Afghan War Lost
The myths will crumble. The lies will be hidden in the hope that they will be forgotten. The war has been lost by the West. The Taliban will be the Government again in Afghanistan. The great majority of Afghans trust the Taliban more than the corrupt Karzai and his depraved thieving army. The Times...
Another anorak’s guide to parliament: backbench bills
Second post of the day for political anoraks… and possibly rather useful for new, and not so new MPs. I had a very interesting chat today with a clerk in the Public Bills Office and, after nearly seven years in this place, found out all sorts of things I didn’t know about Private Members’...
#wrb – one for the political anoraks
Some people have asked me on Twitter what happened at today’s voting on the Welfare Reform Bill, when the Government blocked Labour’s amendment on the benefit cap. I’ll try to explain… When we deal with amendments in the Commons the Speaker and his clerks will meet the morning...
Are you the new George Osborne?
Assuming you haven't been living on the moon since May 2010, you'll know that I'm not too keen on George Osborne as Chancellor. I have a whole raft of reasons why and, were I to be in his shoes, I would be making very different economic decisions. But this isn't about me.This is about you!If you are...
More flip-flops than on a sunny day in Cornwall
You may remember back in November I wrote here about the Government's proposals to halve the frequency of MOTs ("unnecessary red tape," as they called it), and the understandable outcry there was as a result from those worried about road safety - car users and pedestrians alike - and those worried about...
