Why cutting the Future Jobs Fund is a travesty
contribution by Richard Exell
The government’s list of £6.2 bn of ‘savings’ includes one item that breaks my heart: the abolition of the Future Jobs Fund. This has been the most positive and progressive jobs programme for a quarter of a century, creating temporary but real jobs for young unemployed people around the country.
For a generation employment schemes have been let down by the attempt to run them on the cheap. The history of work experience programmes is that, unless they are crafted to address specific problems faced by individuals in getting back into work, they are not much use.
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Sorry right-wingers but there will be no Labour ‘civil war’
Paul Flynn’s reluctance to endorse either John McDonnell or Diane Abbott, despite being part of the Socialist Campaign Group, does not bode well for socialists within Labour.
Having contacted several MPs last week in a drive to get a left candidate nominated, I’m getting the impression that both will find it very difficult to get the required 33. This is a shame because I think the party needs a broader debate than the one it’s having right now. And the campaign to get either on the ticket will carry on.
But this reluctance to endorse socialists, even among socialists, is not surprising.
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The leadership debate should show new talent not replay old rows
Most of the candidates for the Labour Leadership are splendid answers to the wrong questions.
The correct questions is who will best revive our party in the next five years and present the most persuasive case in the television debates in 2015?
Many good friends and comrades have contacted me urging that I repeat the nomination I gave to John McDonnell when he tried to stand against Gordon Brown.
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Tory MPs less confident in Cameron now than in John Major then
“This is the most poisonous atmosphere I have known since Maastricht”, one Tory MP texted to colleagues last week, according to a Sunday Telegraph report that the Tory 1922 Committee is thinking about rejecting the rule changes proposed by David Cameron last week.
Charles Moore has an important column warning about the scale of dissent about what he calls Cameron’s “coup”. (As James Forsyth points out, Moore is a party Establishment figure who is very supportive of Cameron).
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Why David Miliband can’t sweep Iraq under the carpet
Two Labour leadership candidates yesterday distinguished themselves by showing some candour over the issue of the Iraq War and a third, David Miliband, made me feel personally vindicated by yet again showing why he is the wrong choice to lead this party.
Don’t fool yourself that Iraq doesn’t matter because British troops are out; it matters for a few reasons:
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The Miliband commitment to climate change is mostly just rhetoric
The Miliband brothers both claim to be ‘green-leaning’ candidates, and this is part of what helps them to appear modern and progressive.
But the reality, given their actions when leading various government departments, is that their rhetoric masks a lot of inaction.
- That effort is being successfully conducted if emissions are going down. But most people don’t realise that our Co2 emissions are still going up.
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Does paying drug addicts to be sterilised work?
Barbara Harris, the founder of Project Prevention, is the definition of a social entrepreneur. She’s the kind of person who, under the Big Society ideology of the Conservatives, might be represented as a worthy provider of a public service.
She saw a social problem where she lived in LA, and she – with the time, money and inclination to do it – implemented her own solution. She even uses the language of entrepreneurship to describe the poor and desperate people she works with: they’re her “paid clients”.
And now, she’s bringing that solution to the UK, campaigning from the This Morning Sofa and the BBC’s Hard Talk.
The problem she identified is the birth of babies to drug-addicted parents. And the solution? Paying addicts to be sterilised.
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The differences between Diane Abbott and John McDonnell
The two left hopefuls: Diane Abbott and John McDonnell, are London MPs who have long political histories and who are both members of the Campaign Group.
McDonnell comes in a straight clear red, softened by his personable and thoughtful style while Abbott is more of a free thinking leftist who often does not conform to type. In other words she’s not as left-wing as McDonnell, but then again it would be hard to live up to his impeccable, mace wielding, credentials.
Well, I say impeccable…
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The truth about Oxbridge admissions: a reply To Dave Osler
Dave Osler wrote a piece attacking the “Oxbridge Mafia” yesterday. I thought I’d take it upon myself to offer The Family’s response.
So, cards on table: I graduated from Oxford in 2008 with (horror of horrors) a degree in Politics, Philosophy and Economics – the very same degree that Dave singles out for particular disapprobation.
But for the record, I was also educated at a normal state comp and attended the local state sixth form college.
Firstly, I’d like to note something odd about one of Dave’s initial concerns: that the top level of politics is over-represented by people with Oxbridge degrees.
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The left should welcome Diane Abbott’s leadership entry
Diane Abbott’s decision to throw her hat into the ring has gotten some socialists annoyed. I think this is unwarranted. People can’t call for a more plural debate within the Labour party and then get all sectarian when another candidate threatens their preferred one. Let’s have a wide-ranging debate: even among socialists. Or is that not possible?
I spoke to Diane the day before yesterday. At the time she said that if she were to stand, and get less nominations than John McDonnell, then she would be happy to endorse him. This is the right approach because the last thing we need is a split on potential nominations for a left candidate. I hope John will agree to the same.
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How to democratise Oxbridge
Actually I do have a problem with the term ‘Oxbridge Mafia’. It is just so unfair to the Cosa Nostra, which at least welcomes working class applicants and is sufficiently discreet to ensure that members keep schtum about their adherence.
By contrast, the graduates of our elite universities flaunt their education for all to see, and make no pretence of their desire to monopolise every leading position in politics. Take, for instance, the Labour Party leadership race.
Runners so far include David Miliband, who has a degree in Politics, Philosophy and Economics from Oxford; his brother Ed Miliband, who has a degree in Politics, Philosophy and Economics from Oxford; and Ed Balls, who has a degree in Politics, Philosophy and Economics from Oxford.
Just to inject some variety into the proceedings, Andy Burnham and Diana Abbott did at least go to Cambridge, which makes them les damnes de la terre in this context.
Lessons on reducing poverty
The latest set of information about poverty in UK, snappily titled “Households Below Average Income: An analysis of the income distribution 1994/95 – 2008/09″ was published today. You can have a look through it here, but here are some of the key findings:
There are currently 3.9 million children in the UK growing up in poverty. This is a fall of 600,000 compared to a decade ago.
There are currently 7.8 working age adults in the UK living in poverty. This is an increase of 1.1 million compared to a decade ago.
There are currently 1.8 million pensioners in the UK living in poverty. This is a fall of 1.1 million compared to a decade ago. continue reading… »
Tories get a chance to embrace the defence industry again
contribution by BenSix
Congratulations to Guido Fawkes for posting something worthy of note…
Whilst a frontbench spokesman for defence under Michael Howard, Howarth was slammed in 2004 for providing a weapons lobbyist with a one of his allocated parliamentary staff passes. Michael Wood of lobbyists Whitehall Advisers (whose clients included BAE Systems and Airbus) who are the backbone of the UK’s billion pound arms industry.
Like Caroline Spelman and her farming interests, David Cameron seemingly does not consider Howarth’s past connections to be an issue. Howarth has been made the parliamentary Under Secretary for Defence. He now has a direct role in arms procurement.
Liberal Conspiracy Annual Conference: 26th June
On 26th June I’m hosting the second Liberal Conspiracy ‘Blog Nation’ conference.
We hosted the first one in July 2008; I’m hoping to make it an annual event thereafter.
The theme of the conference will be: “How Can The Left Organise in Opposition?”
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The dilemma of the Tory right: reply to Simon Heffer
Only a Tory without principles would demonise the right, argues Simon Heffer in the Daily Telegraph this morning. And David Cameron demonises the right. He doesn’t quite fill out the syllogism, but let’s just say that therefore Socrates is a mortal.
Once one cuts through the customary Hefferian hyperbole, today’s tirade is basically an extended complaint that those ghastly milquetoast moderates that make up the Tory leadership perpetually ignore those that lean to starboard.
Even viewed from what is perhaps the worst point on the entire political spectrum from which to observe the affairs of the Conservative Party, the contention seems indisputably true. What is more, the reason for this is obvious.
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A campaign to avoid ‘Shock Doctrine’ for the UK
contribution by Adam Ramsay
We’ve now launched a website and a petition for our campaign against a “shock doctrine” for Britain – that is, the use of the recession to force through right wing policies which would otherwise be politically impossible to secure.
On the same week, it looks ever more likely that students at Sussex University will be severely punished for the ‘crime’ of protesting against cuts to the funding of their education – this discipline could cost these students degrees they have worked three years towards.
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Getting McDonnell nominated for Labour: need your help
Yesterday Don Paskini made a convincing case for Labour MP John McDonnell to be nominated for Labour leadership race.
I agree that the party needs a strong left-wing voice and John is the obvious candidate given that the only other contender has backed out.
There isn’t much time before nominations for the leadership close, so I need some help in putting pressure on these MPs to nominate John and have that wide-ranging debate.
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The case for nominating John McDonnell as Labour leader
John McDonnell represents a constituency which was Tory from 1983 to 1997. One of Labour’s key policies was massively unpopular in his constituency, involving hundreds of people losing their homes and the rest suffering a reduced quality of life.
Yet the Labour vote increased by more than 4,000 votes between 2005 and 2010, and he was re-elected with a majority of more than 10,000.
His campaign mobilised large numbers of volunteers, including many who weren’t members of the Labour Party.
He has a large personal vote in his constituency, and I’ve met people from other, neighbouring constituencies who have been helped by him when their own MP didn’t want to know.
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BA cabin crew: not Scargillites of the skies
Something intuitively doesn’t quite stack up about Willie Walsh’s efforts to brand British Airways cabin crew unreconstructed throwbacks to the glory years of class struggle.
Everybody knows the real industrial militants of the period were hairy-arsed engineering workers in blue overalls, ready to down tools and converge on Saltley Gate at the drop of a hat, the instant they were so instructed by Red Robbo.
Try to picture the idea of ‘massed ranks of pencil-skirted women with ash blonde highlights, accompanied by a bunch of obviously gay blokes’. It doesn’t exactly replay images of Orgreave in your head, does it?
I mean, it is shop stewards who are supposed to ringlead angry chants of ‘the work-uhs … united!’ Airline stewardesses politely put on a fake smile and softly ask ‘can I get you a drink, sir?’
Greece bailout shows how subservient we are to financial markets
Writing in Le Monde yesterday, the economist Michel Aglietta looked at the long-term implications of the Greek bailout. His assessment was damning:
Lazily imposing a crushing austerity on Greece that it will undertake alone in the context of an internal recession, a possible spiral of deflation, and with European growth which is at best very weak will create a time bomb that could cost all of Europe very dear.
Aglietta’s point was that the Greek bailout is the worst of all possible outcomes.
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» Why don’t MPs pay back tuition fees instead of increasing ours?
» Obama is right to slam BP – and why capitalists should too
» Why does Phillip Blond see civil cohesion as a security issue?
» So what if the Labour candidates went to Oxbridge?
» Last night’s Labour hustings: will it get interesting or turn to torture?
» It’s now down to Ken to win London for Labour
» The Labour people need
» Blog Nation: what would you like to see discussed?
» The Labour leadership’s token contender.. and it’s not Diane Abbott
» In defence of these fraternal nominations
» Is this the end for the socialist left?
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