Very sad news. 

Former head of Pillgwenlly Primary School Joan Todd died last night. She has been ill for some time at the Royal Gwent Hospital Newport. Our condolences go to husband Neil and sons Brychan and Meirion.

Joan was an inspiring and gifted teacher. I have unforgettable memories of attending Assemblies at this relatively new school. They were a joy. The school is a rainbow mix of many ethnic groups. Half the children at prayer joined their hands in the Christian tradition, the other half cupped them in the Muslim tradition. But Joan ensured they were saying the same prayer.

Many thousands of Newportonians will be saddened tonight. They benefited from Joan's work as a teacher and a headteacher. Their lives and characters were shaped by her example and exhortations. She won the respect and the concentrated attention of her pupils by the strength of her character and the variety and inventiveness of her teaching. Her idealism and socialism ran deeply.

Her many friends in Newport knew Joan …

Very sad news. 

Former head of Pillgwenlly Primary School Joan Todd died last night. She has been ill for some time at the Royal Gwent Hospital Newport. Our condolences go to husband Neil and sons Brychan and Meirion.

Joan was an inspiring and gifted teacher. I have unforgettable memories of attending Assemblies at this relatively new school. They were a joy. The school is a rainbow mix of many ethnic groups. Half the children at prayer joined their hands in the Christian tradition, the other half cupped them in the Muslim tradition. But Joan ensured they were saying the same prayer.

Many thousands of Newportonians will be saddened tonight. They benefited from Joan's work as a teacher and a headteacher. Their lives and characters were shaped by her example and exhortations. She won the respect and the concentrated attention of her pupils by the strength of her character and the variety and inventiveness of her teaching. Her idealism and socialism ran deeply.

Her many friends in Newport knew Joan …

The developers want approval for two towers of 29 and 26 storeys, dwarfing the surrounding area and casting a shadow over the adjacent neighbourhood.

They want the Town to amend their own Official Plan to allow the project to go ahead. The maximum height of buildings is currently 8 storeys.

The flats will all be sold at the market rate despite regional guidelines that call for 25% of new developments to be allocated for affordable housing.

The developers say they are proposing “a specialised form of housing that will be marketed towards older adults and seniors” and the affordable housing provisions “cannot be applied to the units within the proposed development”.

With the property market sizzling, developers are hungry for land and for the planning permissions they need to make …

The disparity in the levels of treatment for cancer patients living in and around London as compared to the rest of the country is nothing short of disgraceful. The data on each of England’s 28 cancer networks showed that the further you moved away from London the smaller chance you have of receiving radiotherapy. North West London topped the list at 94%. The North East came bottom with radiotherapy provision at 27%. In fact the 5 bottom networks were all north of the river Trent.  

The reality of this is that cancer patients in the Minister’s London constituency are three times more likely to receive the radiotherapy treatment they need than those patients residing in Northern England, and twice as likely as those living in the South West of England. I’m afraid …

Tonight the House of Commons is debating metal theft. So here’s some Test Department. To think I saw them in the basement bar at Liverpool Uni something like 27 years ago…

…

The hon. Member for Cities of London and Westminster (Mark Field) has reminded me of the extraordinary genius that produced “Peppa Pig”. In the past fortnight I have seen Père Cochon and Maman Cochon, watching on Gallic television, as I do frequently—and there is a Dada Moch and a Mama Moch—in versions of “Peppa Pig”. Why should young children including my many grandchildren be fascinated by a mutant pig with both eyes on one side of her face? That, I presume, is explained by the nature of errant genius.

I speak with a special interest in the matter, because the Intellectual Property Office has the great good luck to be located in the wide open spaces of Newport West. When it was the Patent Office, its relocation was cited in the Lyons report as the exemplar of a splendid, profitable and intellectually successful relocation. I remind the House …

The hon. Member for Cities of London and Westminster (Mark Field) has reminded me of the extraordinary genius that produced “Peppa Pig”. In the past fortnight I have seen Père Cochon and Maman Cochon, watching on Gallic television, as I do frequently—and there is a Dada Moch and a Mama Moch—in versions of “Peppa Pig”. Why should young children including my many grandchildren be fascinated by a mutant pig with both eyes on one side of her face? That, I presume, is explained by the nature of errant genius.

I speak with a special interest in the matter, because the Intellectual Property Office has the great good luck to be located in the wide open spaces of Newport West. When it was the Patent Office, its relocation was cited in the Lyons report as the exemplar of a splendid, profitable and intellectually successful relocation. I remind the House …

The charity does a lot to encourage healthy lifestyles including promoting physical activity and healthy cooking. They showed me the care packages on offer and we discussed their concerns about government cuts to social care budgets including cuts to moderate care. They are concerned that this will really impact on the quality of care and as a charity are having to do much more fundraising to maintain the service.

Fuel poverty and the cost of electricity and gas is also a major cause for concern for the charity. Working with Mersey Fire support Network they have introduced a dangerous heating amnesty. There are 140 free radiators available, which will be given out to people who are aged 65 and over, who have an old out-dated heater. Each of Liverpool’s seven fire stations have 20 to give away and they will be available …

Jon Cruddas, MP for Dagenham and Rainham, has backed recent government plans to offer ex-service personnel help with housing.

Jon Cruddas, MP for Dagenham and Rainham, has backed recent government plans to offer ex-service personnel help with housing, including giving priority to those who want a home. 

The importance of the new initiative was highlighted when Jon was approached for help by veteran soldier Simon Steadman.

Simon, who spent 12 years in the army, has recently moved into a home in Dagenham under the new scheme.

Simon was pointed towards the scheme by Jon, after turning to his MP for help.

read more…

Liberty Credit Union tell us about their work.

“Exciting times are ahead as we have just negotiated our first permanent base in Vicarage Field Shopping Centre in Barking. We are looking to open by the end of March 2012 which will make our services even more accessible - you can of course join in our existing temporary site at Vicarage Field (details below).

read more…

Last Friday Jon Cruddas was in Rainham to discuss the local council’s controversial use of CCTV smart cars to target local shoppers and residents. He met with John Kirkwood, a small businessman in Rainham, who is unhappy about Havering council’s use of the CCTV cars which he feels is damaging businesses in the area. This highly controversial policy has proved disastrously unpopular amongst traders, residents and shoppers alike, with claims that it is harming an already struggling high street and is unfairly targeting local residents.

read more…

1. Reverse Boris Johnson’s cuts to 1700 police officers

2. Reinstate sergeants to all 600 Safer Neighbourhood Teams, more of which will be beefed up to a minimum of nine officers, reversing the Tory Mayor’s cut to 300 sergeants in 2011.

According to the Metropolitan Police violent crimes such as robbery, residential burglary and rape have all risen while police have been cut. Knife crime has risen every year under Boris Johnson.

Police officer numbers peaked in 2010 at 33,260 officers. According to the Metropolitan Police there are currently just 31,657 officers in London. On Tuesday 24th January 2012 Boris Johnson admitted cutting 1700 police officers on LBC.

Ken Livingstone said,

“Boris Johnson has admitted cutting 1,700 police officers. If I am elected, I will reverse his cuts. And I will reinstate sergeants to all 600 Safer Neighbourhood Teams, more of which will be beefed up to a minimum of nine officers.…

While bankers remain hate figure no.1, it is important to recognise that many other top occupations have joined the Gadarene charge to the trough.   And it’s not just the board members and chief executives of the mega-corporations, who had a 49% increase in remuneration last year when the income of the bottom tenth rose just 0.1%, i.e. a 500:1 ratio between top and bottom.   It’s the lawyers too.   In a revealing article in the New Law Journal two weeks ago, Geoffrey Bindman QC pointed out that there is a ‘magic circle’ at the top of the legal profession, chiefly commercial solicitors and mainly based in the City of London, who have devised a charging system which produces astronomical profits.   The million a year (£19,230 a week) is now becoming the metier of succdess across the board.

The recent government-commissioned Jackson report on civil litigation estimates that partners’ hourly rates in the magic circle at £600-750  in 2008.   By comparison legal aid rates are a tiny fraction of these.   Even in …

Writing in the Guardian this week, sketch writer Simon Hoggart claimed that Labour MP Paul Flynn had invented a new word. He wrote: “11.55:Paul Flynn coins new word for what the coalition has created: “An ineptocracy of greed.” Won’t catch on.”

Unfortunately for Mr Hoggart, he was wrong on two counts. Firstly, Mr Flynn didn’t coin the word. And secondly, it already has.

Ineptocracy has been around very …

I had a constituent come to see me in my advice surgery the other day, who’d had his JSA cut because, they said, he hadn’t been trying hard enough. He showed me the little booklet he has to fill in, with details of all the jobs he’d applied for and all the enquiries he’d made at firms that weren’t doing any hiring, with a heartbreaking column at the end headed something like “what will you do now?” which he’d filled out with phrases like “I will try harder” and “I will keep looking”. What else could he say?

This is Uncle Tupelo …

That this House expects the Government to respect the ruling by the Information Commissioner and to publish the risk register associated with the Health and Social Care Bill reforms in advance of Report Stage in the House of Lords in order to ensure that it informs that debate.

I agree entirely with what the EDM says, and I suppose if I sign up to it then I’m putting that on the public record, and people searching the …

That this House expects the Government to respect the ruling by the Information Commissioner and to publish the risk register associated with the Health and Social Care Bill reforms in advance of Report Stage in the House of Lords in order to ensure that it informs that debate.

I agree entirely with what the EDM says, and I suppose if I sign up to it then I’m putting that on the public record, and people searching the …

Apart from keeping people happy though, there isn’t that much point to signing an EDM. They don’t go anywhere within the parliamentary process. They’re just words. As someone once said, they’re “parliamentary grafitti”. There are usually 3000+ per parliamentary session and most of them fall on deaf ears. We can call for a debate on them at the weekly Business …

I asked Mr Lansley about his ‘close’ relationship with such private healthcare interests at Health questions in October last year. He took offence. Here’s the exchange.

Kerry McCarthy (Bristol East, Labour)

In the wake of the former Defence Secretary’s resignation and the fact that 40 peers who voted on the Health and Social Care Bill have private sector health interests, and given the Secretary of State’s known connections with private health care companies, can he assure the House that he has been as transparent as possible about the influence of private health care companies on the passage of the Bill?

Andrew Lansley (Secretary of State, Health; South Cambridgeshire, Conservative)

I am …

The coalition government has made a concerted effort to garner public support for a national cap on benefits and it has been allowed to lead the argument.

No-one wants to see people out of work earning or claiming more than someone working hard for their living.

Therefore the argument put forward by the government appeals to the public.

Taken at face value it is about fairness and for this reason there has been a complete lack of serious debate on the issues. In short, policy has pandered to people’s base instincts without any consideration for the facts.

Unless we are willing to take on the arguments of this government, which is without doubt the most right-wing and predatory government in living memory, the Conservatives will continue to make political ground.

The truth is, a national cap as proposed by the coalition would make a …

First, the issue… It might seem pretty pointless to be complaining about one beer in the Strangers Bar when we are surrounded by sexist advertising everywhere we go. But a) this is the House of Commons, and surely should maintain a certain gravitas and certain standards, and b) this is a workplace (and not just any workplace but one where women have to cope constantly with public references to being Blair Babes, Cameron Cuties, Mili’s Fillies, etc… In fact we had …

First thing today is a meeting Baroness Royall, the Labour Leader in the Lords, has convened with South West SERA (the Socialist Environmental Resources Association, which is Labour’s green affiliate); then I’m meeting a Labour MEP to talk about, inter alia, the EU-Colombia Free Trade Agreement; then it’s Home Office Questions, followed by a statement from Hague on Syria and then the Second Reading of the Financial Services Bill. I’m also going to an Orchid Project event, to mark International Day Against FGM.

Tomorrow starts at 9.30am with a Westminster Hall debate on “intellectual property and its contribution to economic growth”, which has been called by Pete Wishart, the SNP MP and former member of …

As if the woes of decade-long austerity, pay freeze, and demolition of the NHS and Welfare State were not enough, the signs of a final showdown in the Eurozone are becoming more ominous, at three simultaneous levels.   True, huge efforts, and money, have been poured into finding a solution.   The European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF), which proxies as the Eurozone bailout fund, now has resources of €780bn, banks on the edge with enormous amounts of Greek and Italian debt are being re-capitalised (again), and a haircut of near 60% for past investors in Greek debt seems about to be achieved till it was scuttled at the last moment.   But that still leaves three thunder-clouds threatening the scene.

First, after last weekend’s summit (the 15th), Merkel looks like getting her way that there should be central supervision of Eurozone budgets, with tough controls even in severe recession.   The aim is to ensure that each country in the Eurozone has to turn itself into a mini-version of thrifty Germany  – more fiscal imperialism than an …