Petition: Don’t hold an Election Until 2010

"We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to Not Hold a General election before 2010".

"In order to have the time to fully implement its manifesto commitments and fulfil its electoral mandate the Prime Minister should consider waiting until 2010 before holding a general election".

In response to Tory spam on this blog (and others) to sign the Petition at the 10 Downing Street site calling for a “general election in 2007”, I have created the above petition. It was rejected once for being “political” and having “duplicates” so I have had to change it. It was approved this afternoon and so far it has one signature on it – Me!

http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/GenElection2010/

and the answer to the question is no, I haven’t got anything better to do…..

End Prohibition? Legalise Drugs..

On the way home tonight I heard on the radio a defensive Richard Brunstrom, maverick Chief Constable (& blogger)of North Wales Police, argue for possession of all drugs to be decriminalised.

Once again I am personalising things (not usually a good thing in Politics) but today at work I heard about yet another resident being “banged up” for several years and losing his home for stupid drug offences. I have absolutely no sympathy with drug dealers, and if “prison works” and actually dealt with illegal drug abuse in this country then I would not bat an eyelid at such consequences. However, now I feel that this is just another waste of a life.

Brunstrom’s argument was that we have lost the war against drugs and like America in the 1920s; we should recognise that Prohibition against drugs is an unwinnable war. For example, despite draconian criminal sanctions we can only stop an estimated 10% of heroin from being imported each year. The rest gets in and floods the market, often impure and untested, ultimately only benefiting low life drug dealers. He also points out that he did not want a “free for all”. I suppose there would need to be severe sanctions of dealers who for example targeted children. But the big mass of dealers who we see driving around our big cities in flash cars and covered in bling, setting a completely wrong example to young people, would be put out of business in a single stroke.

He also argues, I think persuasively, that we are pretty much near the limit of what democratic societies subject to the rule of law can actually do. If long mandatory sentences and fortitude's fail to stop criminals dealing then what do we do next? Hang ‘em high? While no doubt that does have an effect, it still hasn’t got rid of the problem in China, Singapore or even Cuba. Personally I don’t want to live in a quasi-fascist Police State simply because of dipsticks who enjoy rotting their brains for a quick fix.

Okay, I am ignoring my potentially very harmful consumption of my legal “drug of choice” - a glass of red wine that is staring at me beguilingly as I type (but, it’s organic, taxed and from Tesco’s, so it must be alright!)

Over the years I have seen what drug abuse can do to individuals and families. The filth and squalor is sometimes simply just beyond belief. Society as well suffers, not only the drug fuelled violence, muggings, burglaries and petty thefts that junkies get up to but the massive cost to the taxpayer of the criminal justice system that is needed to deal with addicts. If the present policy does not work. Something needs to be done. Something radical?

I won’t even mention the destruction and misery that prohibition causes in poor countries such as Colombia and Afghanistan. Where drug production and dealing fuels terrorism and gangsters. If we legalised drugs, these gangs would collapse.

Fundamentally, we are supposed to have a “joined up” government that is evidence based and looks at what works? If we cannot stop drug importation and abuse in this country then why do we enrich dealers with such huge amounts of money when we could simply legalise the supply, maybe require GP prescriptions, tax it very heavily and use the money to educate people on its dangers. The dramatic decline in smoking is surely a real indication of what can be done to combat drugs if it is legalised. Everything we have tried so far has simply failed.

Remember if there is nothing we can effectively do about the supply of illegal drugs by prohibition then what have we really got to lose by trying decriminalisation?

Paradise Lost: SWP Purge

Following on last nights post on the very sad situation that Galloway and the SWP find themselves. I woke up today to find that the SWP central committee have expelled 3 senior activists for siding with George and the Muslim Brotherhood.

Nick Wrack, who is likely to be the new Respect National organiser, Kevin Ovenden and Rob Haverman have all been expelled for going “native” and supporting Galloway against the orders of SWP bosses John Rees and Lindsey German. This is all such a terrible shame.

Respect: Pantomime amidst Hand to Hand Combat?

Time to have an update on what is happening to our comrades in diss-Respect. My last post on this subject in September featured the SWP slagging off Gorgeous George and his Muslim fundamentalist allies for being anti-gay and practicing "Communal politics".

George had demanded the resignation of the SWP secretary of Respect, John Rees, and his own people to take charge of the Party. The expected bloodbath was postponed due to the prospect of an impending General Election. So we had the farcical performance of George saying he would not stand as a Respect Candidate in Poplar and Limehouse, only to be then “persuaded” by a grovelling plea from the SWP to stand! Now the immediate prospect of a general election is off, things are beginning to return to form.

The Tower Hamlets “Respect” blogger Nedlud (who appears to be a functional human being) latest report is titled “Combat corps-à-corps de Respect, apparemment” (which I think if my CSE French is correct, means that there is hand to hand fighting in Respect, apparently) speculates on reports that Tower Hamlet Respect Councillors will split.

The small number of SWP believers, led by nice but led astray, Oli Rahman, will be kicked out by the Muslim Brotherhood, head honcho, (and Council opposition leader) Abjol Miah.

While I love the recent Workers Liberty (AWL) “open letter” to the SWP in which they allege that “your association with Galloway is demeaning and befouling? ….Do you now find yourselves suddenly realising what you have got into, with the shock of someone who wakes up to the realisation that he has been sleep-walked into a disease-ridden stream of sewage?... pissed on secularism….”

I couldn’t possibly comment.

Meanwhile former long term SWPer Nick Bird who recently resigned, is interviewed by the infamous “Worker Weekly”. The SWP is exposed as a flock of sheep controlled by Napoleon’s sheep dogs.

While anti-SWP critic Mac Uaidhas rejoined Respect and has decided that since he has taken George’s shilling he must defend the indefensible. Poor chap.

Meanwhile Galloway himself, in the middle of the mother of all battles for the soul of “respect” has decided to commit himself to his many East London constituents in Blackpool to hold (according to his official web site) “You'll laugh! You'll cry! You'll rage! Know why? Because George is launching the Mother Of All Talk Shows annual convention in Blackpool on Friday, November 9 and Saturday November 10. There will be a cabaret, competitions, prizes, a late-night disco on Friday, an all-day conference and on the Saturday night his talkSPORT radio programme will be beamed live from the venue - with audience participation. We might even chuck in a stick of Blackpool rock. And only £25 a ticket!”

Pass the sick bag

Support Your Local Postal Workers

This lunchtime at work, one of the reception staff came up to my desk with a bunch of leaflets. They told me that striking Posties had come in and asked them if there was a union rep in the building, who could put one of their leaflets on the union notice board and distribute the rest.

I went down to the reception but they had already left. I saw that they had put the same flyers on all car windscreens parked all along the Roman Road. It was a pity that I missed them. They only left 5 leaflets. These flyers were very good. The title was “A message to the public” and explained in simple direct terms the Posties’ case and what people could do to help.

I was pleased that when I went back to my desk and gave people copies of the flyer that it generated a discussion with work colleagues on the strike, the impact that it was having and what people thought of it. Only a few people joined in but others listened. It was pretty favourable, even those who were unsympathetic about strikes (“them and the bloody railway union are always on strike”) had a “good” story about their favourite Posties, past and present. It is of course, one of the last personal “door to door” services that most working people grew up with and still cherish. Even though nowadays most people buy stuff at the supermarket or online rather than on the doorstop (milk, newspapers, rent, insurance, savings etc) because it’s cheaper and suits them more.

I think that people were interested in the leaflet since it explained that the strike was about “proper trade union issues”. For example; opposing pay cuts and the slashing of their pensions. As well as being sent home early one day, and then expected to work longer hours whenever management needed them, without notice or extra pay. One working Mum present said she couldn’t do such a job when her kids were small since she had to have regular hours to pick them up from school. The prospect of letters being delivered at 4pm and the ending of Sunday collections didn’t go down very well either.

Our local East End sorting office in Bromley- by-Bow is on a “Wildcat” unofficial strike. I have just heard on the radio that a high court judge has granted an injunction banning next week’s “official” strike action. Don’t know what the reason is but I can guess.

By coincidence I was late getting into work this morning and heard the first 15 minutes of “Desert Island Discs”. The guest was former Postie, Alan Johnson, the Secretary of State for Health. Alan of course was the former General Secretary of the Posties Union, the “Communication Workers Union”. Alan and the CWU have “fallen out” since. This is a shame. Alan gave a very moving account of being brought up in poverty amongst very difficult family circumstance in London during the 1950s. Not the usual picture of life in the 50s of happy, smiley families who left the front door unlocked, but one of extreme poverty, cold, hunger, overcrowding and common place violence. However, when he was asked how he coped with modern pressures as health secretary he said he was used to it. When as General Secretary of the CWU, he was in charge of 160,000 trade union members who were on all out strike action, he soon learnt to cope with pressure. I suppose Billy Hayes is learning fast too.

UPDATE - 00:15 BBC 24 report a "deal" - strike settled?

Health & Safety Sponsors Conkers

Now a serious subject for a change: Conkers. I applaud the Institute of Safety & Health IOSH (of which I am a member) brilliant decision to sponsor this year’s World Conker Championship which will take place this weekend at Ashton in Northamptonshire.

For too long the “health & Safety” lobby in this country has been on the defensive against wholly inaccurate and frankly dishonest myth making by much of the media - such as the “HSE bans conker playing in schools” etc. The usual suspects are at work e.g. Daily Hate, The Torygraph and the Daily Pornography).

This is also a key political issue where we have “clear blue water” between the Tories and Labour. John Redwood MP in the recent so-called "competitiveness report" announced that the Tories would get rid of the vitally important “Health & Safety at Work Act” and “The Working Time Regulations” if they won the next election.

Check out the HSE site health & safety myths

Bigot is Not Guilty

It seems that even the Fundamentalist Far Right can be unfairly treated by the Courts and the Police. On the face of it, the quashing of the conviction on appeal of Newham Christian Peoples Alliance (CPA) Councillor, Simon Ademolake (very far right), of assault on Police and Court bailiffs, is somewhat surprising. Especially given that the judge in the original trial clearly expressed the view that Ademolake was lying and that this Christian Councillor choose to evidence without swearing on his bible?

However, the legal system has decided that he is not guilty and can leave the court “without any stain on his character”. So he is obviously sweetness and light.

I’m not going to comment about the circumstances about this case (Court admin cock-up?) but I think that anyone with slightest bit of honour would actually resign as a Councillor over this issue (no matter what else - he clearly broke the law of this land and failed to pay his fines when he should have).

However, his CPA leader (they have 3 seats on Newham Council), Alan Craig, is obviously keen to keep Simon on in order to continue his crusade against non fundamentalist Christians, gays, Muslims and rest of us who have stone hearts that need ripping out.

What on earth did Newham do so wrong as to deserve having both Alan Craig’s Fundamentalist Christian and George Galloway’s Fundamentalist Muslim bigots as opposition Councillors? I blame Thames Water?

Boris the Bear

Yesterday, while out walking in the English countryside and woods in Bedfordshire I saw a black bear. The bear looked very much ill at ease, unsure of what to do and which way to turn. It moved slowly and awkwardly, stumbled from left to right, it was unkempt, overweight and bumbling and even at a distance of 100m you can sense a far from pleasant aroma. I kept my distance.

In the excitement of last week, my “better half” had insisted that since she was likely to become an “election widow” that we go off for a long walk on what could have been our last free Sunday for a while.

On the drive there we listened to Parkinson on Radio 2. Poor old Gordon was getting a bit of undeserved stick over the postponed election. In his honour Parkie played “It’s lonely at the top” by Randy Newman.

Admittedly the 8 mile circular walk (No 23 “one of the great classic walks in Bedfordshire”) was through the public footpaths that crisscross Woburn Abbey. Home of the famous Safari Park and 3000 acre deer park, golf courses, racing stables and farmland. The Abbey and Park are still owned by the latest descendant of the famous Russell family (currently led by the 15th Duke of Bedford).

It does stick in your throat that one family could own just so much land, you can walk for hours and hours and still be on the family estate. However, to be fair the deer park is well looked after and gorgeous, at least they haven’t turned it into an upmarket Country hotel and conference centre like they have with Brocket Hall.

For part of the walk the footpath goes alongside the Safari Park. To try and see the animals you have to recreate your own Kinder Scout trespass and leave the public footpath and cross over the road, the final perimeter fence is a further 50m away. Beyond the fences there is the bears and wolves reserve. Safari parks are much better than Zoo's but still not suitable for wild animals. Animals as well as Tory game show hosts should also keep to their own natural environment.

There we saw our bear. We just had to call him Boris. GLA elections May 2008. In London and elsewhere the battle continues.

Prudence says No

So it’s off. My home Virgin media broadband connection crashed yesterday afternoon, then while trying desperately to work out whether or not it was my PC or Virgin at fault (it was of course Virgin), I got a text from a normally “very reliable source” saying “there will be no general election”. I switched on BBC 24 and it was confirmed that Gordon had told Andrew Marr that there will be no immediate election.

I had simultaneously a profound sense of relief and disappointment.

I think that since the Labour Party is in Government and can constitutionally remain in power until at least 2010, then the prospect that we volunteered to go door knocking and delivering leaflets before we had to, during cold dark damp winter evenings, was somewhat discouraging. Especially since opinion polls can be wrong and the predicted margin of victory was pretty narrow (or indeed off beam if today’s polls about the Tories being ahead in marginals are correct).

On the otherhand, any election is energising to any real activist. I admit that I have political scores to settle (mention no names). The opinion polls may have been a little flaky but it is almost unprecedented for a fourth term British government to be ahead in polls. I don’t know for certain but I imagine that Gordon would have instinctively wanted to hold an election as soon as he became PM to establish his authority. The awkward squad on our own side will no doubt make problems over policies they want to grandstand over in the near future.

There again, they would probably do this anyway if they were re-elected on a Brown manifesto.

Anyway, Prudence has spoken. Remember this instinctive caution and intellectual analysis is one of the reasons why this son of the manse was re-elected unopposed. Yes, Gordon probably wanted to hold a snap election soon after he took over to give him a clearer mandate; yes, there appeared to be an opportunity too good to dismiss after Tory disarray during the summer and deft handling by Gordon of critical events.

Yes, I did think that he was going to hold an election and it is clear that he was seriously considering it. However, upon reflection he decided against it.

Is there anything really wrong with that? Isn’t this something we should encourage politicians of all Parties to do a little more thinking and being susceptible to arguments before making a final decision? It’s a good thing in my book.

Remember with Gordon, WYSIWYG and if Gordon decided after shifting through all the evidence, this was not the best time to hold an election then we can expect nothing less than for him to say "No".

An audience with Keith Hill MP

“Should I stay or should I go?” I doubt if Gordon Brown is listening tonight to the 80’s punk rock band “Clash”, while making up his mind about whether or not to go to the country. There again, I haven’t heard his “Desert Island Discs” selection, so who knows.

Yesterday, we had the unexpected pleasure of former Housing Minister and PPS to Tony Blair, Keith Hill MP, (Streatham CLP) giving a Parliamentary report to UNISON Labour Link London regional committee. UNISON has a new Constituency Development Plan with Streatham CLP.

It was a “tour de force”, by a naturally “larger than life” retiring MP (he has announced he is going to stand down at the next election – whenever that may be) who until very recently had been at the very heart of government and was now obviously enjoying his new found freedom after years of purdah.

The topical bit was Keith’s view on whether or not there should be an election at this moment (Thursday AM). That Labour was “poised at the cusp of a possible general election but it was not a foregone conclusion” was no surprise.

Nor was his view that Brown will consider the mixed bag of 3 public opinion polls that were announced this morning (for example “The Guardian” with the Tories on level pegging with Labour) but also that there are influential private Labour Party polling data available to the Party only at the same time.

A good reason to have an election now could be to circumvent the flood of Ashcroft money that the Tories have planned to pour into marginal seats over the next two years. Keith says that Ashcroft believes that this money alone would make a huge difference to the election result.

Against this is the fear that the public may feel that they have been unfairly manipulated (or Mugagbe-ised as he put it) into an unnecessary Parliamentary contest and the Tories could play on this. Let’s wait and see.

I must admit that being a housing bod, I had been rather unmoved with Keith’s stuff while as a Housing minister. Check out this weeks “Inside Housing” for a flavour. However, once we moved off the speculation about the election it was a treat to be meet someone who could “walk and talk” at the same time (OK he was sitting down – but you know what I mean).

In response to questions about present day “difficulties” between the Unions and the Labour Government, Keith reminded us that before he was an MP, he had been a Labour Party adviser who had been present at the last NEC meeting that Harold Wilson had attended in 1976. Later he was the parliamentary advisor to the forerunner of the RMT for 16 years (obviously before Bob). He’s been about.

His view was that despite present day difficulties (more style than substance in his view) that the present day affiliated unions had actually more contact and influence over the Party than the Union barons in the 1970s. In the 1970s the unions were dismissed and ignored, while nowadays with the Warwick agreement there is actually unprecedented involvement and co-operation.

He also suggested that the Labour Party National Policy Forum (which has taken over many not all of the functions of conference) may well not work effectively for grass roots Party members but gives the unions the opportunity to exercise real and unprecedented influence. I agree on the opportunity bit.

I remember asking PM Tony Blair a question at a Labour Party National Policy forum last year about the relationship between the government and the trade unions and he replied that actually it was better than at any time in the history of the movement. Every other Labour Government including Atlee’s had been stricken by bitter and self destructive industrial disputes. I’m not sure that this is totally fair but I can see the argument. No doubt the CWU will have a different view.

There was a good debate over pensioner incomes. Keith believes that average Pensioner incomes have actually gone up by more that if the earnings link with wages had been introduced in 1997. He was very proud that 1.1 million pensioners had been brought out of poverty with a 73% increase in real income.

This was the first time that I had heard a coherent argument about Labour’s housing policy. OK, Probably my fault for not listening but maybe not. Keith explained that due to the failure by the Tories to invest in maintenance and supply during their 18 years of power, Labour in 1997 faced a massive dilemma that they could not afford to improve homes as well as improve supply at the same time. They decided that the priority was to improve homes to a “decent standard” which took £25 billion to do so and are now on tract to be completed. This is why now, Gordon is going to spend significant amounts on new build to make up supply.

Keith also described “Early Day Motions” (EDM) as a “debased currency”. There used to be only 400 odd per year, now there are over 2500. Instead of asking your MPs to support an EDM congratulating Oldham Athletic, you should ask them to write personally to Ministers on particular issues. Makes sense if they will do it I suppose.

I didn’t agree with everything Keith said but it was a pleasure to engage (lovely New Labour term) with a charming, relaxed, cheerful and enthusiastic real human being.

If there is a general election, and of course there will be a Labour Party victory, I hope that Lord Hill of Streatham (or whatever) is invited back to our committee to give his next parliamentary report.