Tag Archives: Margaret Thatcher

December 12, 2012 · 9:41 am

History should be taught well to all school students

It was good to hear that the House of Commons All Party History Group wants more teaching of history in schools.

While I would not necessarily like to see citizenship classes axed to allow more time for history, I most certainly agree that history should have a major place on the school curriculum. Students should generally be expected to study it to GCSE.

As many of you will know, my degree was modern history, called “modern” to distinguish it from “ancient” or “classical”. In fact, I did British and European history from the fall of the Roman Empire to 1939. For “A” level I followed the various ups and down of the Tudors and Stuarts, Francis 1 and the following French kings up to Louis XIV as well as the fortunes of Spain and the multitude of German and Italian states plus anything else that added to the mix such as the Ottoman Turks.

My “O” level syllabus was very interesting for a 16 year old, comprising as it did the period from the industrial revolution to the First World War. This took in the beginnings of industrialisation, the Victorian reforms this brought about such as those concerning working conditions and public health as well as major changes in the electoral system, compulsory education and the expansion and regulation of local government.

It is important that people in general understand their past, both collectively as a continent and as a nation as well as on a more local and personal level. It may just be that knowledge of recent history could in a few instances prevent the same mistakes being made again. It is also true that understanding history may help with present day identity.

Knowing what happened in the past, in any event, adds richness to life. It’s good to know about your grand parents and even great grand parents. In the same way, there is value in knowing who was Prime Minister in, for example, 1945 and what Party was in office (Labour) and that the National Health Service was introduced during the course of that government. Likewise you may like to know that unemployment rose to over 10% of the population under Margaret Thatcher, Prime Minister from 1979 until 1990. Facts such as these may well help to shape ideas.

The old debate about whether pupils at school should learn history chronologically apparently still rages. The main question here is one which is rarely raised, namely practicality. It’s not very feasible to do 1066 to 1945 between the ages 11 and 16 in amongst all the other demands of the curriculum. It would therefore be better to identify key historical periods for study in chronological order to give the overall subject an intelligent framework.

Apparently the All Party History Group is concerned that there are not enough history teachers for a full history curriculum. The answer may well be to pay extra to encourage teachers of history as has been done for other shortage subjects. We need a commitment to teaching history well in all schools. It is not an optional extra, but an important part in understanding the way we live today.

1 Comment

Filed under Labour Party

Tagged as , , ,

September 26, 2012 · 7:20 am

Congratulations to Poland’s Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski

You may have seen this article in yesterday’s times by Poland’s Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski.

A veteran of the Solidarity generation, Mr Sikorski ticks, in his own words, “every box required to be a lifelong member of the Eurosceptic club”. He is even acknowledged by his heroine Margaret Thatcher in her book “Statecraft”.

Yet he believes in the modern European project and emphasises that Poland will do its utmost to make it succeed.

Mr Sikorski is, of course, in the European mainstream. This is yet another example of just how isolated the British Conservatives find themselves.

Mr Sikorski goes much further in his article, busting seven myths about the EU regularly peddled in Britain.

Myth 1 – Britain’s trade with the EU is less important than its trade with the rest of the world.

In fact half of UK exports go to the EU. Until recently Britain traded more with Ireland than Brazil, India and China put together. In 2011 the UK trade deficit with China was £19.7 billion. Between 2003 and 2011 Britain’s exports to Poland increased threefold.

Myth 2 – The EU forces Britain to adopt laws on human rights that are contrary to the British tradition

In fact these rulings come from the European Court of Human Rights, which is not part of the EU but part of the Council of Europe, originally set up by the UK and pre-dates the EU.

Myth 3 – The UK is bankrupting itself by funding Europe

In fact, the EU budget is a mere one per cent of the GDP of all EU member states. The UK’s annual net contribution to the EU is £8 – 9 billion a year, similar to that of France and less than Germany. It equates to just £150 a year for each person in Britain. Moreover, UK companies have benefitted enormously from EU cohesion fund investments in Central and Eastern Europe. These are new markets for this country. The British Government estimates that every household “earns” between £1,500 and £3,500 from the single market – between five to fifteen times the UK’s budget contribution.

Myth 4 – The UK is drowning in EU bureaucracy

In fact there are 33,000 people working for the European Commission compared with 82,000 at HM Revenue and Customs. Spain has nearly three million bureaucrats.

Myth 5 – Britain is being taken over by EU legislation

In fact EU Directives are not imposed on high from Brussels. British elected representatives and officials in the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers approve and sign off EU legislation.

Myth 6 – The European Commission is a hotbed of socialism

In fact there are many examples of the EU helping to dismantle monopolies and maintaining competition regulations, for example the Open Sky and the subsidies to business.

Myth 7 – The EU stops hardworking Britons working longer hours than feckless continentals

In fact the average Pole works 40.5 hours a week, the average Spaniard 38.1 and the average across the EU is 37.2. In the UK we are slightly under the EU average at 36.2 hours a week.

Mr Sikorski has given us valuable information on the reality rather of the EU rather than the fantasies we hear all the time. Maybe we are also seeing the beginning of a more mature and sensible attitude to the European Union by some of those sections of the British media who have in the past been somewhat economical with the truth about our membership.

2 Comments

Filed under Labour Party

Tagged as , , , , , ,

May 16, 2012 · 6:41 am

The Eurozone avoids recession after the UK has sunk into double dip

The first meeting between President Hollande and Chancellor Merkel ended with a show of unity, at least on the surface, and a joint view that Greece should stay in the Euro. Meanwhile, as IMF head Christine Lagarde adds her voice to those who think Greece may have to leave the single currency, the Eurozone remains in crisis. The result of the next round of elections in Greece will be crucial for both that country and the Euro itself.

It is important at what may turn out to be the crossroads for the Eurozone that those who make these decisions do not get caught up in the general air of panic. There is no doubt the atmosphere in Europe is febrile, while the Merkel/Hollande meeting is being described as sober.

Yesterday I argued that Europe’s leaders must take on board the results of a recent poll in Germany as well as the national elections in France and Greece which produced winning results for candidates opposing austerity. Fortunately it looks as if this may be sinking in. Horst Seehofer, head of Germany’s CSU Party, sister party to Merkel’s CDU, is now calling for some element of growth.

Yet the Eurozone crisis and the problems in Greece are taking place at the same time as the Eurozone is keeping its head above water as far as recession is concerned. It was announced yesterday that the Eurozone had avoided recession thanks, interestingly, to stronger than expected German growth. Even France, sometimes seen as a problem due to its 35 hour week and generous pensions, recorded neither growth nor contraction.

This is not, of course, the case in the UK. At the end of April we were informed that the British economy had again sunk into recession putting us into the unenviable double-dip category. David Cameron, of course, blamed the Eurozone crisis. This claim looks less than tenable in the light of the Eurozone’s ability to avoid recession itself. In fact, according to a recent Sunday Times/YouGov poll 32% of people blame the return of recession on the Tory-led coalition.

Cameron and Osborne have, in fact, been fortunate that the Eurozone crisis has taken attention away from the British economy. Our economy is not doing at all well, as those who have lost their jobs and the young people who cannot find employment will tell you. In addition, the Bank of England has today revised its forecast for growth downwards. We are, in fact, seeing a re-run of the decimation of our society last seen under Margaret Thatcher in the 1980s.

The British people are, however, cottoning on to this. The local elections on 3 May showed beyond a shadow of doubt that they preferred Labour under Ed Miliband to this Tory-led coalition. Labour is on the way up, the Tories are going down and the beleaguered Liberal-Democrats seem headed for electoral wipe-out.

Leave a Comment

Filed under Labour Party

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , ,

December 15, 2011 · 10:06 am

Cameron should forge an alliance for green growth and jobs with Denmark

Nick Clegg has called David Cameron’s antics inBrussels last week, which culminated in Cameron’ failure to get anything forBritain before flouncing out of the negotiations, “bad forBritain“.

Vince Cable, the erratic Lib-Dem Business Secretary, subsequently went further saying, “We need to continue to work with countries in Europe because millions of jobs in Britain depend on it.” 

Cable is right, of course, and David Cameron, George Osborne and their right-wing Eurosceptic colleagues would do well to take note of their beleaguered coalition partners. Though the Tories have gained a slight bounce in the opinion polls at the expense of UKIP, the government still has to carry out its responsibility to the British people.

And that responsibility lies fairly and squarely with the European Union. David Cameron himself has always said he does not want Britain to come out of Europe.

So, come on Mr Cameron. If you believe Britain’s place is in the EU, then stand up for Britain in the Council of Ministers and make sure we are properly represented and that you get the best deal for all of us.

This deal inevitably hinges on the EU Single Market. It was none other than Margaret Thatcher who took us into the Single Market on the excellent grounds that it was good for British business and trade. Se has been proved right ever since.

Made up of a series of measures to boost the European economy, the EU Single Market is the UK’s largest trading area. Already there are 12 further measures on the EU table to improve the Single Market, ranging from a directive on public provision, revision of accounting standards and a new proposal on venture capital.

If the Con-Dem Government is not involved in the discussions on these and the other new Single Market initiatives it will be very bad for Britain.

Cameron and co should also be supporting the forthcoming presidency of the EU Council of Ministers, due to be taken up by Denmark next month. David Cameron, George Osborne et al will, of course, not like the fact that Denmark now has a social democrat government.   

As you would expect, the Danish presidency is putting forward some extremely important initiatives. In particular they are looking beyond austerity to tackle the economic crisis. The Danish presidency, unlike other European leaders, believes growth is an extremely important element in rescuing us from recession and the economic downturn.

Accordingly Denmark is proposing developing green technologies to foster economic growth while at the same time ensuring the preservation of our natural resources.

Now that David Cameron has so spectacularly fallen out with Angela Merkel and Nicolas Sarkozy, in order to fulfil his pledge to keepBritain in the EU, he would do well to look at rebuilding Britain’s fractured relationships with the smaller EU countries, many of whom have been allies of the UK for a number of years.

Denmark, a Scandinavian country and a natural friend, would be a good place to start. Denmark has a raft of dynamic ideas for Cameron to consider, most of which would be extremely good forBritain.

I will watch developments with interest.

1 Comment

Filed under Labour Party

Tagged as , , , , , , ,

December 13, 2011 · 12:48 pm

British Rebate in Jeopardy thanks to David Cameron

Joseph Daul, leader of the European People’s Party (EPP), has just told the European Parliament that the rebate Britain receives from the EU must be put into question following David Cameron’s veto last week.

David Cameron has certainly not fought for our national interest. Not content with isolating us in Europe thereby endangering Britain’s trade within the EU single market, his actions are threatening our cherished rebate first won by his heroine Margaret Thatcher.

Since Cameron consistently tells us he wants Britain to remain in the EU, the only conclusion to be drawn from his disastrous veto on Friday morning is that, far from being good for our country, it is very much against the national interest.

As EPP Leader Joseph Daul carries a lot of clout. The EPP is the largest political group in the European Parliament. The Tories ignominiously left it to set up shop with what Nick Clegg described at the time as “a bunch of nutters” and in so doing threw away whatever influence in the European Parliament they may have had.

After Mr. Daul had spoken, Guy Verhofstadt, Leader of the EuroParl Liberal Group said in English: “Mr. Cameron, if you do not sit at the table you find yourself on the menu.”

Martin Schulz, Leader of the European Parliament’s socialists, said that it was bankers in the City of London who had caused the crisis.

Britain is now a laughing stock. It is an open secret Cameron failed to properly use the British foreign office during pre-summit negotiations. They are the Rolls Royce of foreign diplomats, they are ours and yet our Prime Minister failed to put their expertise at the disposal of the British Government.

As Glenis Willmott, Leader of the Labour MEPs in the European Parliament said, “Cameron might think he is Churchill. In fact, never in the history of negotiations with our European partners was so much sacrificed for so few by so many.”

Thanks to David Cameron and the feral Eurosceptic Tories on whom he relies to stay in office, if not in power, when British financial interests are discussed by our EU partners, we will not be at the table to defend our national interest.

Leave a Comment

Filed under Labour Party

Tagged as , , , , , , , ,

June 27, 2011 · 11:25 am

Being a female politician is about more than “sex appeal”, thank you.

Over recent weeks the British press have been almost ecstatically condemnatory of the chauvanistic nature of French politics, talking loudly of how dreadful it must be to be a woman in politics in France.

Indeed, recent revelations along with what we have always known about French political culture would offer no evidence to the contrary. What is remarkable, however, is the self-righteousness with which news of the DSK affair (among others) have been received in Britain.  There has been an overwhelming smugness displayed by both the media and British politicians that Britain does not have France’s chauvinism problem.

However, today I read in the Times an interview piece on Rachida Dati who the Times itself described as one of the most prominent victims of France’s overtly sexist political culture. Yet, the first paragraph of the piece reads:

“After the Dominique Strauss-Kahn affair, at a time when France is fretting over sexism and the limits of seduction, it seemed fitting to be talking to Rachida Dati. The most glamorous of the mould-breaking women whom Nicolas Sarkozy took to power with him in 2007, Dati was sacked and banished from the Elysée Palace two years ago, but she remains a symbol of how French women have it both ways. They can wield power and high-octane sex appeal at the same time, using the latter to enhance the former”

Firstly, why on earth is her “high-octane” sex appeal and her glamour the most important things to mention about her? If this was a biopic on any male politician there is no way that the first paragraph would mention any octane of sex appeal, nor would it then go on to talk about what they were wearing, yet we are made aware that Dati looked “impeccable in couture trouser-suit and heels” and has both “big dark eyes and perfect make-up”.

Dati is not the only example of how female politicians are judged and evaluated by their appearance. Much as I am not the biggest fan of Theresa May, I find it abhorrent that she is judged by the British press on what kind of shoes she wears or how often she wears the same jacket. I have also blogged before about by what criteria women are judged to be powerful - overwhelmingly as a result of their husband’s status or through their effect upon popular culture rather than politics or business.

The most shocking statement made in the article however is that which states that French women use their sex-appeal to obtain and enhance their power.  This appalling argument is one that has formed a cornerstone of the cultural myth surrounding powerful women: That their power is reliant first and foremost upon their sex appeal and therefore dependent upon manipulation of men.

Not only does this have the implicit effect of pitting women against women (since power is dependent upon men’s favour it must be obtained in precedence of other women) but also renders a the power a woman holds illegitimate in the eyes of the masses. A female politician perceived to have got where she is by seduction can never be thought as worthy as a man who has got there by hard work and genius.

This myth is not only damaging but overwhelmingly false. The most powerful women today and in recent history, for example Angela Merkel, Margaret Thatcher or Dimla Rousseff, did not make it to power based upon their sex appeal or sexual manipulation of male politicians. Such women are also examples of the real change enacted by women upon the world stage and just how effective they can be as politicians.

What is actually most dangerous about this treatment of powerful women in the media is that all of this intrusive and irrelevant fluff about their appearance or personal life is given precedence over any discussion of policy, ideas or achievements. Nowhere in the Times article is there any mention of anything Dati actually did as Minister of Justice. This attitude is a problem for all female politicians, not just the most “glamorous”. If women in politics are only evaluated by the press for their appearance and their personal or family life, how are we meant to convince men in politics and the wider public as a whole to take us or our ideas seriously?

This is an issue so insidious that many simply fail to recognise it, or accept it as normal, but until we confront it and, as female politicians, demand to be judged on the criteria of policy, accountability and deed neither we nor the rest of the women of Britain will achieve equality.

Leave a Comment

Filed under Labour Party

Tagged as , , , , , , ,

June 16, 2011 · 9:19 am

Selling Northern Rock will rob Taxpayers

I was extremely disappointed to learn this morning that George Osborne has decided to ignore the sound advice from the Co-operative Party over the sale of Northern Rock.

Our Chancellor - Blinded by Ideology

Our Chancellor - Blinded by Ideology

The Co-operative Party’s proposals, which I support, advocated for a re-mutualisation of Northern Rock. Mutual ownership is the best solution for ensuring a stable long-term future for these companies, and ensuring that the expense undertaken in their nationalisation will deliver for consumers in the long term.

During the 1980s the Conservatives under Margaret Thatcher embarked upon an ideologically-motivated demutualisation of co-operative financial institutions. It was many of these institutions, such as Northern Rock, which then subsequently failed due to over-risky lending, plunging us into a financial crisis.

Given that the policy of enforcing a complete privatisation of the financial sector has shown not only to have failed but to have done so with dire consequences to the entire country, it is clear that this decision is motivated by blind ideology rather than the best interests of the country.

In addition to the lessons of history there are other reasons why this decision is catastrophic. Firstly, if Northern Rock is auctioned off now then the taxpayer will actually make a loss on the sale: according to the Times the bank, which was given an injection of £1.4 billion of taxpayers’ money, is only expected to fetch about £1 billion when auctioned. This means that taxpayers money will be used to subsidise a private purchase whose profits will then go to line the pockets of the City’s wealthiest.

Secondly, in privatising the bank the government is relinquishing any opportunity it has to force its practices to be more consumer friendly. The least the taxpayer should gain from such an expensive purchase is the assurance that the currently nationalised banks will be pressured into providing accessible lending for those struggling during these difficult times. George Osborne however, has now demonstrated just how little he cares for those small businesses and first time homeowners who were most affected by the crisis and who our financial services are currently failing.

This is simply another example of how this deeply political chancellor is putting his own personal beliefs above the needs of the people and future economic stability and growth. It also highlights just how unfit he is to be in charge of our country’s economy. I urge you to support the Co-operative’s proposals by signing up to their campaign to reverse this decision.

2 Comments

Filed under Labour Party

Tagged as , , , ,

April 19, 2011 · 11:01 am

The AV Referendum is about more than Nick Clegg

I am feeling increasingly angry that the AV referendum campaign seems to be coming down to a question of personalities. Yes, it’s good it’s hotting up and there is now some real passion in what, until the last few days, looked like a mere distraction. But changing our antiquated voting system which is out of step with most of the rest of the world should not come down to Nick Clegg, or, for that matter, David Cameron, Ed Miliband or Vince Cable.

I, of course, hold no brief for Nick Clegg who, I agree, has proved a pretty useless Deputy Prime Minister. There is no doubt Clegg is now a toxic commodity, a far cry from the heady days of the pre-general election TV debates.

However, we mustn’t let our views on Clegg cloud the issue. The AV referendum is far more important than one individual.

Not only is it right that Britain changes its voting system to something fairer and more democratic, but we also need to be aware of what the Tories have done to our parliamentary constituencies. As Jackie Ashley pointed out in the “Guardian” yesterday, the Act allowing the referendum on AV also cut the number of constituencies to 600 and made them all more or less the same size. The combination of keeping first past the post and the new gerrymandered constituencies will give the Tories a massive boost.

David Cameron could be on the verge of pulling off a master-stroke if the Yes Campaign loses its momentum and allows the Nos to get a foothold, even, dare I say it, winning. If Britain votes to keep first past the post there is a very real danger that the Tories may be in power for a very long time. It could mean a return to the 1980s and Margaret Thatcher style government.

Just in case you need reminding, Margaret Thatcher presided over unemployment topping one million for more than 10 years, decimated the trade union movement, laid waste large tracts of our industrial heartlands, waged war on Labour in local government, introduced of the poll tax, amongst other horrendous policies which struck at the core of the well-being of our country.

And in each of the general elections which returned Margaret Thatcher, the Conservatives only gained a minority of the votes cast – 43.9 percent in 1979, 42.4 percent in 1983 and 42.4 percent in 1987, due to the undemocratic nature of first past the post and the geographical distribution of the Tory and Labour voters. As I once heard the excellent former Foreign Secretary Robin Cook, who was a great supporter of proportional representation, say: “Under PR we would not have had Margaret Thatcher.”

I do not believe that the majority of the British people want a return to Thatcher, clothed this time as Cameron, or similar if Dave doesn’t go the distance.

When our electorate did not give any political party a clear majority in the 2010 election, they were telling the political class that they did not want either of the two main parties to govern. This can and does happen. We have, in fact, had a number of hung parliaments since the Second World War, including 1964, twice in 1974 as well as 2010. It seems that British politicians just cannot accept that sometimes it will be like this and that not every general election will produce a clear mandate for one particular party. Our continental counterparts take a much more mature view and are not afraid to form coalition governments when their electorate wishes this to happen. 

Strong government does not always equate to good government the “of the people, by the people, for the people” variety. Voting yes to AV will make the way we choose our representatives fairer and provide a bulwark against governments who seek to impose their own misguided ideology no matter what the consequences may be for the majority of those who live in our country.

4 Comments

Filed under Labour Party

Tagged as , , , , , ,

February 2, 2011 · 3:18 pm

The Tories’ atempt to deny prisoners voting rights is about self interest not public interest

The Daily Mail and David Cameron are trying to tell us that the Government’s decision to give MPs a free vote on whether or not long-term prisoners should have the vote is about asserting the supremacy of the British Parliament over the European Court of Human Rights.

It sounds good, doesn’t it, and is music to the ears of Eurosceptic MPs. Good old Blighty taking on those uppity continentals who want to destroy our way of doing things.

However, on closer examination it becomes clear that the European Court of Human Rights is not by any means the matter as a whole. Giving prisoners the vote could potentially upset the electoral arithmetic in some Tory seats.  For instance, Dartmoor Prison in the Tory held Torridge and West Devon constituency has an inmate population of about 1000. Since the current Tory majority is just under 3000, the potential for the prison vote to make a difference is very high.

I believe it is no coincidence that Cameron is seeking to deny prisoners the vote as his plan to reduce the number of House of Commons constituencies is going through the House of Lords, albeit with strong opposition from Labour peers. The move to stop prisoners voting is quite clearly part of the same process – to gerrymander constituencies so that the Tories gain maximum advantage by foul means or fair.

So while we have Cameron behaving extremely cynically in order to maintain Tory MPs in Parliament and dressing up in his best anti-EU rhetoric, his junior coalition partners now have a real problem. Since the Liberal-Democrats before the 2010 general election actively wanted to enfranchise prisoners, I wonder where this leaves them in relation to their coalition responsibilities.

Meanwhile the question of European Court of Human Rights rulings still remains. Quite clearly the UK should not go against the European Court. Former Lord Chancellor, Lord Mackay, who was incidentally appointed to the post by Margaret Thatcher, has insisted Britain must recognise its rights under the European Convention on Human Rights and is very clear that politics should be conducted under the rule of law.

This is, indeed, true and I wonder what former Labour Home Secretary was doing in signing a motion with Tory MP David Davies calling on the British Parliament to ignore the European judges.

In conclusion it is worth bearing in mind that the only EU countries with an outright ban on prisoners voting are Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Luxembourg and Romania. Were Britain to go down the David Cameron route, we would be among the EU countries that have the least respect for human rights.

2 Comments

Filed under Labour Party

Tagged as , , , , , , , ,

January 31, 2011 · 2:16 pm

Ed Balls – the only choice for Shadow Chancellor

Ed Balls was always my choice for Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer as I blogged, during the Labour Party Leadership campaign. I am therefore very pleased to now see him taking up that role.

I’m also delighted to be proved right. Ed Balls give a blinding performance on the Andrew Marr show yesterday, quite the best I’ve seen on that particular programme for a long time. While I was never a natural Balls supporter for the leadership of the Labour Party, I became increasingly impressed as the campaign went on.

It’s a massive task facing Ed Balls. There is no doubt in my mind that the Tory cuts are ideologically driven, just the same as they were under Margaret Thatcher. Make no mistake, David Cameron is Margaret Thatcher updated to 2011. This Tory government is a “conviction” government is the same way. They just hide it better.

Those of us who were active in the Labour Party when Thatcher was in power remember just how terrible it was – over 10 million unemployed, vast swathes on industry closed down, savage benefit cuts hitting the most vulnerable, to name but three.

Thatcher’s reign of terror was no good for Britain. We were never the international power we claimed to be and we were severely weakened at home. I, for one, never wish to see this happen to our country again.

This is why Ed Balls’s job is so important.  He set out his planes in the Independent on Sunday. Yes Britain does need to tackle the deficit, incidentally not caused by the last Labour government as the Tories would have you believe but by the international banking crisis. However we do not need to go as fast as George Osborne. The watchword is responsibility, something Osborne seems to lack all together.

Since growth in the British economy has come to a standstill we need to get things moving. As Ed Balls has said it’s jobs and growth first. This has to be right. The first duty of any government is to protect its citizens and improve their living, working and leisure conditions. Osborne is patently not doing this and neither does he intend to do so. Labour must keep on until we get the opportunity to form a government ourselves.

2 Comments

Filed under Labour Party

Tagged as , , ,