"If we had AV last year there could have been a Labour LibDem Government"

This morning while listening (yet again) to "Today" on the way into work, they interviewed John Curtice, professor of politics at the University of Strathclyde. He number crunched that if we had AV in the last election, there could have been a Labour led Coalition government. Presumably, at the expense of Tories MP’s .

In 1997 he claimed that there would have been an even bigger majority for Labour under AV

I actually think that no-one really know how the Great British Public will actually vote in a AV election. Asking people for the last 20 years who are their second preference is not that useful if you have a First Past the Post system in place. If voter’s thought that their second preference vote actually meant something - this could change peoples voting behaviour.

I cannot see at all what is wrong with the principle that every single MP is supported by at least 50% of voters?

While, if like me, you think there is a progressive majority in this country, who when presented with credible progressive parties and policies they would (usually) support them. Then I think the case for AV is unanswerable.

A Labour led Coalition with the “Orange Book” Liberal Democrats such as Clegg would have been a nightmare at times but when compared to this horrible reactionary Government, which is hell bent on destroying our public services and our welfare state, then the choice I think is clear.

Vote Labour and Yes to AV.

Of course. In my opinion. For what it is worth.

UNISON National Housing Seminar 2011: "We Ain’t Seen Nothin' Yet"

Keynote speaker, Heather Wakefield, Head of UNISON Local Government. (Usual health warning about the accuracy of my hurriedly typed notes) "It seems to have been a very long year. So much destruction has taken place. We now know that Nick Clegg “cries”. Bless his heart. His cabinet of millionaires that wreaks our welfare state. £80 billion in cuts. With no mandate to do so. Before the election Nick Clegg said not a single front line worker would be affected.  Check out Richard Murphy’s excellent blog on taxation. The Tory minister who boasted that these are cuts that “Mrs. Thatcher could only have dreamed about”.

This financial crisis was caused by banks and financial services. Who caused a massive reduction from 60% to 35% in the share of wealth. This led to the debt crisis. They lent mortgages to those who could never pay for them. It was not us, not you, that caused this crisis - but the friends of this Cabinet. They are proposing massive cuts in housing and people’s rights. Pay cuts, even though Local government pay is the lowest in all public services. The new White paper that will propose that all public services in England will have to be put out to tender. Also the review of “public duties”. We ain’t seen nothing yet - I am very sorry to say. We all know someone who has been made redundant. Many Tory and coalition councils don’t have to cut as much as they need to - they are not necessary. Thanks to Pete Challis for his work on educating branches and regional organisers on Council finances and show it is possible to not make such cuts. There are 3 things to do

1. Get technical – get on top of budgets.
2. Get political. There has been a lot of disengagement by branches in politics - especially in England. Nowadays a lot of branches do not think they should engage politically but I think we should be doing this. We have to use the local elections to give the coalition a “bloody nose” if we can. This is essential. Certainly not everything was rosy under a Labour government and Labour councils, we all know that, but just think of the difference between now and then. We have to undermine them.

3.Massively increase density. It is around 50% in local government but below this in some branches. We cannot allow our industrial bargaining position to fall in line with lower density. There is no excuse for any reduction in density. We must build organisation and strength. We have got to use our industrial muscle only when we can and when it will achieve what we want it to do. Industrial action is an important weapon. I’ve been told off in the past as being too keen than some about strikes but if we have industrial action that does not deliver – this does not improve things. If we have industrial action over pay or pensions we need to get our records updated. We cannot afford to take action that is not successful. That is what the government wants us to do – to get egg on our face. Take precipitate industrial action.  

UNISON branches are doing an amazing job day in and day out. We may not stop every redundancy. But we have seen success by taking councils on over finance, equality impact statements and campaigning. We have had successful industrial action and I am sure we will continue to have more. This is a government who despite being hard nose bastards can be forced to backtrack and do a “U turn”. Have seen this over Forests but also plans to cut housing benefit for those who are unemployed. There was a partial victory over EMA and the “break” over plans to privatise our NHS. It can be done. Got to be very canny about the way we do it.

Our primary job is to defend our members - we are a trade union but we must also win the argument with the public against privatisation. We cannot afford it. Public money goes down the drain; millions spent on drawing up processes and increased money for senior management. Don’t forget the shareholders premium. Privatisation only delivers cheaper services on the backs of cuts in our member’s wages and conditions. They have got rid of the 2 tier code so new starters will not be paid decent pay and terms. Decent Pensions will also soon go. Privatisation is the biggest threat face the union.  

So what to do? March 26th was a great day. In itself it may have affected the NHS proposals. They, the government, would love us to wear ourselves out by constant marching and industrial action. How do we build on March 26th? How to keep the pressure up on the government and coalition councils? Develop a massive movement against this government from the bottom up. There is no other alternative. We can have another March 26 and this would not change the governments mind. We in housing have to work with tenant and resident groups, voluntary organisations and others and not just fight for pay and pensions. The groups who are taking action against tax corruption such as London Citizens and UK uncut. Important social movements that are born of the same feelings as us. They are different from us. We in the unions are big organisations and are use to leading, but we have to work with others. There are problems with the politics. But by working with other unions and peoples who feel like us - we can derail this government". 

The Beatles - Hello Goodbye

Check out this post. 14 Million people have watched this video...and we think we have a drug problem nowadays?

Say Goodbye

This song is by Chris Brown.  The right time for Nick Clegg to say Goodbye is now of course. I will freely admit that this music is not my era but this I did appreciate reading the lyrics and recognising its poetry.

Check out reasons for this post.

"Time to Say Goodbye"

See here and here for the "rational".  Mr Clegg, it is "Time to say Goodbye". But this is a simply beautiful song but best heard I think - not seen. 

"Say Hello, Wave Goodbye"

It's Saturday night and I'm staying indoors.  I'm not that interested in "Strictly" so instead I am doing a trawl of my favorite YouTube music videos that refer to saying "Goodbye" in honour of this Party Election Broadcast.  Firstly a blast to my past and Soft Cell with "Say Hello, Wave Goodbye". 

Enjoy:)

Saying Goodbye to Broken Promises?

Once upon a time a fresh faced Party leader called Nick Clegg spoke eloquently about “broken promises - there have been too many in the last few years; too many in the last 30 years in fact; our nation has been littered with them; a trail of broken promises ....I think it is time to do things differently ....I think it is a time for promises to be kept “ .

These are the opening lines from the Liberal Democratic Party Election broadcast 13 April 2010. Check out on Youtube before it disappears. Hat tip Tom.

Meanwhile, talking about “promises” ...."page 39 of the 'Liberal Democratic Manifesto 2010' states " We will scrap unfair fees for all students taking their first degree, including those studying part-time, saving them over £10,000 each. We have a financially responsible plan to phase fees out over six years, so that the charge is affordable even in these difficult economic times, and without cutting university income. We will immediately scrap fees for final year students” Hat tip Three Score Years and 10.

Finally the BBC reports that the new “Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has insisted that plans to charge tuition fees of up to £9,000 a year to students in England represent a "fair and progressive solution to a very difficult problem".

Nuf said?

Orange Clegg and Saint Vince are Janus

"FURTHER UPDATE: Labour's Kevin Brennan, as mischievous as ever, asked if Speaker Bercow could confirm that it would be in order for MPs to walk through both the Aye and the Noe lobby if they want to register an abstention.

He said that Lib Dems who wanted to claim they had voted both for and against tuition fees could therefore satisfy different audiences".

Hat tip Col. Roi.

A 2010 Christmas Carol

In an east London state nursery, staff noticed that a three year old new starter, a little girl, was still wearing nappies.  They were concerned and when the mother came to pick the toddler up, they spoke to the Mum.

Her mother was a single parent who was originally from East Europe.  She explained that the only accommodation she could afford was a small room in a large house full of strangers.  The one toilet in this house had no door on it.  The toddler refused to use this toilet since there was no privacy.  Therefore she still wore nappies.

Extreme poverty and deprivation still occurs in this country.  Not the same scale as in the times of Dickens but still here - and now.  Coalition cuts in building and refurbishing homes, housing benefit, protection against eviction, regulations of HMO's, massive increase in rents and the farming of homeless to the private sector will make things far, far worse.

There was redemption for this family as nursery staff rallied around to rescue Mother and daughter, from the slum and help find them a self contained flat to live.  Well done to them. No Tory "Big Society" saved them but rather experienced and trained public sector professionals - thinking out of the box.

It goes without saying that you could hope against hope that a Christmas spirit would mean that Cameron, Clegg, Shapps and Boris (four guilty men) will change their ways to prevent the "shadows of what may be."

Which always reminds me of the saying "you've got two hopes, Bob Hope and no hope" of this.

Update: Another Christmas Carol

Nick Clegg: The Porkie King

Note that our Deputy Prime Minister and Leader of the Liberal Democratic Party is holding a placard saying "I pledge to vote against any increase in in fees" (for UK Students).

On the way home tonight BBC radio 4 News suggested that there will be a deal for the Lib Dem Government Ministers and MP's to abstain against increases.

When before the election they "pledged" to VOTE against any increase. 

In London we have respected figures who do good works and raise money for local charity and they are called Pearly Kings and Queens.

Surely, if Nick does not vote against any increase in fees or if he abstains, he is in the East End at least, a Dunlop Tyre.  There are some other possible choice words to describe him.

Nuf said?

Hat tip Socialist Unity

Update: a facebook pal Mr Shoebury reminds me that Clegg and his MP's all actually pledged to abolish fees and linked to this report that at the same time they made the promises they were planning to renege on them.

No more broken promises Nick?

Video from the National Union of Students.  Hat tip Labourlist

Update: even more hypocrisy - check out stroppy

Nick Clegg and David Cameron: separated at birth?

"Listening to Nick Clegg’s speech I am struck by the fact that I could imagine David Cameron giving more or less exactly the same speech, almost word for word.”

Iain Dale: Leading Tory blogger.

Nuf said?

Hat-tip Tom Harris MP

Friday Picture: Cameron's lovely "basin of gravy"

hat tip thingy Political Scrapbook via Rupa.  As translated here.

Nick Clegg's photo-op at £44k cut Children's centre which may close 2011

Deputy PM Hypoc....nuf said? hat tip thingy Tom Harris MP

Nick Clegg's strangeness to the truth

More evidence (if really needed) of the shame faced hypocrisy of our new Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg. 

In this pre-election letter to electors in Kingston he claims that "Voting Labour will only help the Conservatives win". 

I love the stuff about "most people remember the damage the last Conservative government did to our country. Record unemployment, cuts to front line services and politics riddled with sleaze...Today's Conservatives haven't changed...funded by billionaires and city bankers...helped cause the economic meltdown...Conservatives want to cut taxes for millionaires while giving the rest of us a VAT rise (yeah)..a vote for Lib Dems will mean lower taxes...investment in schools(!!!)...

The ironic thing is I think that there are many Liberal Democrats who are genuinely ashamed of their Party's alliance but "Orange Book" Clegg is of course clearly not one of them.

Hat-tip thingy Col. Roi