MPs and Social Networking Nationally and Locally.

In the news this week Dianne Abbott and Ed Miliband caused a stir with ill thought out tweets and a typo.

Dianne Abbott and Ed Miliband

Dianne Abbott, in a conversation with a Journalist stated words to the effect that White people like to Divide and rule. I can't comment on the context or say what I think she may have been trying to say or whether or not I thought she made a racist remark or not.
All I can say with certainty is there were grounds for offence and offence was taken whether real, false or hype. She claims the tweet was taken out of context and that she was talking about Colonialist attitudes to race in the 18th and 19th century.

Fair enough. However it wasn't clear and someone has blown a 142 character tweet out of all proportion and there were even attempts to get her to resign! 142 characters did all of that.

Ed Miliband then dropped a clanger the following day when he was talking about the passing of Bob Holness and he accidentally typed Blackbuster instead of blockbuster. This in the wake of Abbottgate led to another burst of furor. I am struggling to see why though as it was clearly a typo but yet again demonstrates the dangers of using such a tool and one should be used very carefully.

Tracey Crouch MP

Twitter gives the constituents access to their MPs in a way that could never have been dreamt of a decade ago and is used with quite some success by MPs such as Tim Farron to talk about constituency work and to interact with his party members in his role as Party President. Other MPs such as Mark Reckless post links to news stories on his blog and short comments. Tracey Crouch is a bit more engaging but lies between Tim Farron and Mark Reckless in chattiness but that is not a bad thing. There is nothing wrong with being guarded about things especially in todays digital age.

However Tracey Crouch has been slated for not stating her position on the selling off and out sourcing of four elderly Care homes (something I have written about here and here)

As Nelson Court lies in her Constituency it was decided by the Save Nelson Court Campaign group run bu former Lib Dem Councillor Maureen Ruparel (whose husband uses Nelson Court) and her son to write to to Miss Crouch.

The Campaign is not a Liberal Democrat run campaign but apolitical as it was feared that it would be come a politicised struggle and detract from the actual plight and concerns of residents and the welfare of patients. The campaign is, however, supported by the Lib Dems, Labour, trade Union groups and Welfare groups.

As I understand it, Tracey wrote back to Maureen's first communication saying she was looking into the Council's proposals very carefully. Since then Maureen's mentioned there has been further communication between the Campaign group and Miss Crouch. Unfortunately due to a pressing family commitment, Christmas, my involvement in a pressing and purely Liberal Democrat project has led me to neglect my involvement in the campaign and I have not been as involved as maybe I should have. My knowledge of the campaign at the moment comes only from the local press. However I do intend to catch up as soon as possible.

I should quickly state what my role in the local party is so as not to garner any further confusion. I have been a member for under three years, an active member for exactly one year, group secretary for exactly one week. I've no involvement with what our Councillors do in Chambers at this moment nor can I dictate Where the party stands. At best I am nought more than a citizen of Gillingham with political interests who writes opinions on stories and issues.

Right back to topic.

Local Labour Councillor for Luton and Wayfield Tristan Osborne tweeted Tracey Crouch and Mark Reckless (MP for Rochester and Strood) for their stance as the story broke in the press in December. (blogged here)
Tracey's response was straight forward. She wouldn't comment on issues on a Social Networking site. All correspondences should be directed to her office or email address and she would respond that way.
She has then come under fire for refusing to state her position openly. ( blogged here) There has also been mounting pressure on Twitter by Medway Labour and Cllr Osborne for her to publicise her stand point.
Has a letter or email be sent to her by the Labour group?

To a degree I agree that in an ideal world it would be super for all MPs to publicise their opinions on everything but it is sadly very impractical!

In today's modern age anything said or written can come back to haunt you at a later time, also with the fluidic nature of politics etc information would need to be updated regularly to avoid mistakes or old opinions being quoted as current opinion. Also MPs would be under constant criticism for U-turning on previous positions by opposition parties - you can shake your heads but you know you would. A good past quote can be dug up and;

MP for Marden and Staplehurst Chris Sams once said that the Marden bypass would be wholly damaging to the local environment when just six months ago he was right behind it. Lib Dem U turn!!!!

May be I'm just a traditionalist but I can't imagine Asquith, Churchill or Wilson releasing their opinions regularly. If anything I could see Churchill quoting the Duke of Wellington;

If I thought my hair knew what my brain was thinking - I'd shave it off and wear a wig.

The key point is that Tracey is in consultation with the Campaign and is undoubtedly paying interest to the situation especially as her stated Parliamentary interests are:

Vice Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Dementia as well as Age UK and signing up to the winter pledge 

If anything these facts alone would show that she would take the Nelson Court issue very seriously and may not want to jeopardise the campaign by making rash statements or worse further politicise it detracting it even further from what it is actually about - the plight of the patients and their families.

Yes the public should be let know but at the moment the Council is still going through the Consultation stage and nothing has been decided (although Cllr Osborne told me yesterday the Council has pre-budgeted for their closure) so at the moment Tracey's dealings with the Council are not a concrete outcome UNTIL a final position has been stated by the council. Hopefully, as I've warned before, the Council haven't gone into the consultations with an outcome already in mind.

Also as a relatively new MP she is right to be cautious with her words and tweets, something that Dianne Abbott and other MPs should take note of the perils of Twitter and heed the words that discretion is the better part of valour and one day you may say something casual and a month, a year later it bites you on the bottom.

Even in this case, I've read the drafts of this blog very carefully several times to make sure that it isn't worded badly or could be misconstrued as anything but observations.

Medway to be home of a University Technical College.

I should admit that this is something I don't say very often but... Medway Council have done a good job.

I know, I surprised myself... I had to have a little lie down after I said it!

It seems that plans for a new University Technical College in the Brompton area are set to go through with support from the Baker Dearing trust. It will have 600 places and open to 14-19 year old students with specialities in Engineering and Construction, which makes sense bearing in mind the Engineering pedigree in Brompton.

Whilst offering traditional subjects like Maths, Science etc... and GCSE's the College will also provide proper vocational training in Engineering and Construction with some of the teachers being professionals from industry as well as traditional teachers. Post 16 they can either continue studies or be offered apprenticeship placements to continue their trades! This sort of education would be invaluable to youngsters especially as there is a growing shortage of Plumbers, electricians and Carpenters in the building trade and a tradesman can get quite a good wage.

Further to that the college would not set homework but instead pupils would have to be there 8.30 - 17.00 to simulate working hours and get them ready for actual working times.

Former education minister Lord Baker, who is a strong advocate of this sort of college and who coordinates the Baker-Dearing trust and who puts forward bids to the Ministry of Education, has visited Medway and met Cllr Les Wicks (portfolio holder for education) and said that a UTC in Medway would get "Strong support" for its proposal. This all sounds amazing and at the time of writing I can think of no draw backs to this project. It would give teenagers a trade and skills that will actually get them into a real job at the end of it and useful tools for later life and I think the Council should be fully supported in its endeavour as this is could be a really good thing for the teenagers in our education system and for a better Britain if the scheme catches on.

One of the ways to beat the recession is by construction and industry. Britain was once a global hub of construction of Cars, Aeroplanes and Ships and it could be again but the only way this can be done is with trained and engaged young folk who want to use skills to do so.

On a Local level, Medway is in serious need of regeneration. Everywhere you look the towns show signs of aging, decay and residents cannot afford house repairs as the small amount of sparks, chippies and plumbers can set their own prices as there is little competition.
A fresh infusion of young engineers and apprentices with the Coalition's tax breaks and encouragement for startup businesses will encourage more new businesses and skilled workers and therefore more competition driving prices down and perhaps the people of Medway can improve their homes and the civic facilities.

Another upcoming opportunity is IF Lodge hill and even Boris Island are constructed they're going to need skilled workers and artisans. If there is a large group of locals able to fill that gap and with local construction companies able to bid for contracts it can only mean greater prosperity for the Towns.


University can be a real waste of time and money. You can be better off not going.

There I've said it.

A lot of people will try to lead you to believe that University is the be all and end all of education and that if you go to University you are set for life.

A lot of Vocational degrees like Law, Medicine, Chemistry etc will indeed open doors and can be a building block for the future.

BUT if you're doing an arts degree you can forget it.

I've got a good solid 2.1 History degree and a post graduate in Social history specialising in German Military engagements 1939-45 with specific reference to the Luftwaffe (air force) its' structure, operations etc - For some reason I'm not Dan Snow.

I've work colleagues who have Oxbridge degrees that mean nothing too.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but employers are more picky about who they employ and degree holders are ten a penny and you should be aware that a degree does not guarantee an amazing future. The only thing University guarantees is debt.

Two quick disclaimers though;

1. University was an awesome experience and I had a lot of fun, met some really great people and friends (including my wife). I do think people should go.
2. Also - I know that critics of the Liberal Democrats and Coalition will say that the debt level has gone up because of our policies and I'd say - Yeah, you're right. I'd also point out that had I signed the pledge I would not have broken it and that now debt repayment is ALOT easier thanks to us.

New school would prepare pupils for the workplace, Jenni Horn,  Medway Messenger, 6-1-11

Care for the elderly in Crisis - Medway Council to take note?

On 16th December Councillor Alan Jarrett the deputy leader of Medway Council and Portfolio holder for finance wrote in "Party People" (in the Medway Messenger) about proposals concerning Medway's care homes; Balfour Centre, Robert Bean Lodge, Platters Farm and Nelson Court.

Councillor Jarrett stresses that the council is trying to create value for money and;

Ensure that Medway Tax payers get even better value.

Ok. I get that. As a tax payer I expect the local authorities to make periodic reviews, after all you don't want a Wasteful council that rashly spends the tax payer's money on white elephants...

However the more I read Cllr Jarrett's piece, which I'm sure was supposed to reassure the people that nothing was a "done deal", it read like it had been written rather uncaringly.

It means the Balfour centre is no longer financially viable.

Even though numbers using the facility have only fallen to 1071 visits P.A from 1618 PA which is hardly a conclusive drop.

The three residential Care homes are increasingly uneconomic.
One would hope that as much "In house" efficiency saving has been carried out.
Councillor Jarrett then goes on to suggest that more "Modern Provisions" can be achieved by an "Out-sourced model"
I hope that the consultation process is done openly and fairly without pre-conclusions and that everyone's point of view is taken into account especially with the Council's budget coming soon.

Last week's Guardian ran a story about social care for the elderly being in "Absolute Crisis"

 Michelle Mitchell of Age UK, citing the King's fund research said;

"Care is in crisis and it is getting worse. We have evidence to show that local authorities have cut care for older people by 4.5% this year, and this at a time when social care is chronically underfunded anyway."

Age UK also shows that 1.8 Million pensioners are beneath the poverty line and 1 million in severe poverty. This is an awful state of affairs that we find ourselves in nationally!

This is the last remnants of the generation that fought to keep us democratic and free of NSDAP Germany and others who helped build this country through the 50's and 60's and we're letting them suffer like this! With the cost of living and privatised care rising and pension's values staying stable or decreasing how can people be expected to survive?

Paul Burstow MP, Care services minister said that:

The evidence is clear: the most innovative councils are protecting access to elderly care services and getting better outcomes. They are doing it by listening to carers and service users to develop new ways of working.

He has also indicated that an extra £7.2 billion over four years is being provided to local Authorities to help protect vulnerable people's services and a further £300000 has been invested in a Local Government scheme to improve their productivity.

My Grandfather, a very wise man, once said that he only supported three charities,
Salvation army because I saw the good they did during the War and as a Policeman, Demelza House care home and Help the aged... you never know what will happen and one day I could be in need of their help.
The point being that if there is anything where a loss can be accepted it is definitely elderly care, with a growing elderly population the costs are going to go up and it is worth the investment, as Granddad said - you never know it might be you needing a care home one day.

I feel that if the council doesn't fully explore all the options and does just rush into out-sourcing the care homes they will leave people suffering or with a lack of care. I'm not trying to scare monger or cause a panic at this time merely stating what could be a very real possibility and would urge all those with an interest to watch the consultation's very carefully. As Councillor Jarrett has said Medway has an excellent record but it could quickly fall away and be on par with Ms Mitchell's statistics with the rest of the country if it isn't done right.

Finally, after 4280 elderly people died in Kent in last year's winter snows, the highest figure in for a region nationwide, Age UK has started the Winter Pledge that will raise awareness of the plight of the elderly.
This pledge is backed by local MP Tracey Crouch;
By raising awareness and making sure that older people are prepared, we can end this completely avoidable tragedy.

The Coalition Government has protected the Winter fuel allowance and Warm home discount scheme as well as schemes to help insulate homes and double glazing should all help even with the increase in fuel bills and the Fuel poverty that seems to be increasing.

But this pledge is definitely a good thing and should be supported and more can be read here.

Sources:

http://gingerliberal.blogspot.com/2011/11/medway-council-to-make-elderly-suffer.html

Party People, Medway Messenger, 16th December

MP pledges her support to raise awareness over winter deaths, Medway Messenger, 2nd Janaury 2012

www.guardian.co.uk/society/2011/dec/28/care-elderly-crisis-charity-warns

Ed Miliband; doomed to lose the next election?

Three months on from my first blog post on Ed Miliband's leadership it is being questioned by the polls and there are warnings that 2015 won't go Labour's way in a pamphlet warning of "Cameron's Trap" unless they change tack quickly.

Lets start with the Leadership;

According to the ICBM poll carried out for the Guardian 48% of people believe David Cameron is doing a good job, second on 33% Nick Clegg is doing a good job and finally on 32% Ed Miliband.

A further blow is that 44% thought Cameron/Osborne were doing a good job of managing the economy compared to 23% who would like to see Miliband/Balls doing it, this is a gap of 21% which has grown from October's 11 % lead for Cameron/Osborne!

Could Cameron's lead have been extended by his stance over the Euro? Or the further strikes including the Tube strike on Boxing day?

All we can do is speculate but in a time when Austerity is biting down on the people of Britain and with every passing week we hear how the Chancellor is mismanaging the economy and how Vital public spending is being cut, you'd think the opposition party would be receiving more support.

Ed says; I'll carry on being what I am. I think that's what people want

I think he is right, people want substance in a leader rather than flashy showmanship, although they seem to like to vote in the showmen. I guess they're not sure that Ed has the substance but as I have said before, he is still relatively new in post and he has not been able to show any potential and leadership.

Which brings me to the Cameron Trap, no it isn't an awesome new Computer game, nor a Mills and Boon story based on a young Liberal Democrat leader joining a Coalition...

Gregg McClymont MP, the shadow pensions minister wrote in a pamphlet about the fear that Labour could easily fall into a trap that caught Neil Kinnock, Michael Foot and even the respectable Ramsey MacDonald. At times where Conservative governments have been carrying out harsh spending cuts that affect the country and rising unemployment they have won more and more elections returning Stanley Baldwin to parliament consecutively and even Margaret Thatcher offering enough prosperity for enough of a time to convince the electorate of the Government's credibility, in fact McClymont speculates that the Conservative line of;
It's tough now but under Labour it will be WORSE!!!
May have won them the 92 election!

Indeed the trap itself is that if Labour continue to support the failing Public Sector and Public spending rather than appealing to a vaster Middle ground of people they will lose public confidence.

This is true. The strikes have had a lot of public support but at the same time people are being hit in their pockets as they are forced to take days off work to look after their children or rearrange their busy lives. Other strikes like the RMT strike on Boxing Day are seen as unnecessary and Bob Crow is disliked by a vast swathe of London Commuters who face more arduous journeys as the already well paid Tube drivers seem to haggle over yet another rise. If Labour were to cling to this then they will certainly fall into a trap.

An easy Conservative retort would be that if Labour got in they would raise spending and ring fence more Public services and thus forcing other cuts over a longer period of time.
The Coalition wants to say in 2015 ; Job done. Then they can offer tax incentives and relief to people in their manifesto.

Ed Miliband has already moved to try and head for the middle ground and in a very Clegg way said;

We need a more responsible Capitalism, a new approach to our economy and our society.

Anyone else hearing Nick Clegg April 2010? Still it is true that Capitalism needs to change, greed has badly affected the nation polarising it to Victorian levels.

Ed Miliband also has warned in his New Year message that the Government's measures are reminiscent of the 30's Conservative Government's measures and;
When politicians shrug their shoulders in the face of other people's despair, they are not just abdicating responsibility, they are making clear choices. That is as true now as it was in the Great Depression during the 1930's.

Just a quick History lesson;
1. Stanley Baldwin may have been a Conservative Prime Minister but he was PM of a NATIONAL GOVERNMENT with Ramsey MacDonald the Labour leader and previous PM as his deputy so it wasn't all the Conservatives crushing the people - Bear in mind that Labour were a lot more left wing in the 30's.

2. Britain's economy never sank to the levels of Germany in the early 30's where Deutschemarks were near enough worthless and had fully recovered in time for the Second World War.

Also another observation. A true leader, a real leader in military and political terms has to be hard. Tough decisions have to be made to help the people and the nation. It is sad but sacrifices have to be made for the greater good and you do have to shrug your shoulders at the plight sometimes and keep on going, however tough it may be.

It is suggested that Labour should come up with better plans to encourage the private sector growth than the Conservatives as encouraging growth rather than spending cuts will attract votes in the same way that Clement Attlee did in 1945.

Also if they were to concentrate on the Coalition's regressive charging mechanisms and focus on Labour's plans to cut tuition to £6000 pa.

As the authors of In the Black Labour have said, Labour need to stop this vague economic plans and actually pull a white rabbit out of their hats and show that they can be a credible party on the economy with actual policy that will actually work rather than "Not the Coalition's way".

As for Ed as a leader, only time will tell and I don't think one poll now necessarily means that he will not win in 2015, after all that is still a long way away and anything could happen.

Afraid I can't find my link to the Guardian's story but here is a link to the Sun's article on the poll.
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/politics/4022470/New-poll-blow-for-Ed-Miliband-Voters-favour-Lib-Dem-leader.html

School Dinners to compete with Takeaway

The nation is getting more and more rounded as time goes on. I'm guilty of it, I can't say no to a KFC dinner with Miss Bell or to a Double Cheese Burger after work on my way home, this coupled with pass times that don't involve me leaving my house and a job where I spend my day sat down has led me to put on a bit of weight. Obviously when Sophie gets older and I'm chasing her boyfriends up the street wielding a rolled up newspaper regularly I'll be a bit more spry!

Seriously, it is an affliction that is hitting the nation as fast and convenient food and a lack of time for good old home cooking is leading to people having bad diets. How many times have you thought as I have;

Bugger it, I can't be bothered to cook I'll go to the Fish 'n' Chip shop/Chinese/Curry house/ order pizza... ?

A few ideas have been bandied around including a Fat Tax on high calorie food or a start up tax on take aways and even tighter Zoning laws to keep take aways at a further distance to schools to protect the young.

Obesity and the health complaints related to poor diet is hitting the NHS hard and an already stretched budget is struggling to cope with all of the calls on its time and resources and with growing levels of youth obesity the Government has stepped forward to assist using the good old Liberal ideal of competition in the market place.

In 1980 Margaret Thatcher's government removed the minimum nutritional standard from school dinners meaning that schools could turn out any food they chose and that the meal did not have to equal a main meal of the day for kids. This was turned around by Labour in 2004 after exposure from Jamie Oliver's expo Jamie's school dinners.
The problem is that kids are still finding a portion of chips down at the chippy is cheaper than a proper meal at school. Even a Big Mac meal is around £3.50 where as you could easily spend £5 on a school meal.

Under current legislation for schools to vary the prices for their dinners they need to appeal to the Secretary of state for education to do so which is obviously a long process that is a waste of time.

Cue Sarah Teather MP, Lib Dem Children's minister.

School meals beat takeaways hands down on the quality of food they serve but until now they have struggled to compete on price. Getting Children into the school canteen is vital - the benefits of healthy school meals are clear.

 Now Meal Deals can be pitched by the schools and they can compete. Offer a main course with a selection of drinks and a dessert for £4's and it might tempt kids to eat in rather than trudge out.

Other initiatives such as moves to let parents pay for the children's dinners on line means that parents can keep a track of their children's habits and also remove the need children to carry money which is easily lifted from them by bullies. As a mouthy ginger kid at school who attracted a fair amount of unwanted attention I can agree with that.

Will the schools over price their meals?

It is a fair question and one that the more sensible and thrifty parents will ask. It is a possibility however the aim is to get people off the streets and back in the dining hall and the best way to do this is to keep the prices low. As far as I can see this is a win win for schools (who will drum up more business) and the consumers (as more healthy options mean healthier children).

The only downside is that Michael Gove has had an 80's throw back moment and has removed the obligation of Academies and Free schools to provide a basic nutritional standard. Jamie Oliver has already attacked this decision and with a growing number of Academies it would totally undo the moves by Ms Teather if only half of the educational establishments did offer healthy meals.

Source; Richard Gardiner Schools to offer Pupils meal deals to combat lure of cheap takeaways, I, page 4, 29/12/2011

News From Gillingham South's Councillors

Councillor Juby, Leader of the Libdem group

Well, another batch of Focus' for me to deliver in the new year arrived last week and here is a review of what Councillors Geoff Juby and Shelia Kearney have done for you... the lucky people of Gillingham South!

Well lets get the more mundane, less interesting but necessary stuff done first!

Road re-surfacing in Canterbury Street, Balmoral Road and Duncan Road all of which needed serious attention. Rubbish clearance from Lock Street and Canterbury street and an alley way cleared between Balmoral Road and Franklin Road.

A Salt bin has been approved and placed by us at Windmill Road's junction with Canterbury Street after resident's complained that last year Medway Council didn't salt some roads and paths.

Two benches have been provided in Rookery fields Park from the Ward improvement funds. Sadly I must report that I've noticed they've been heavily graffittied by the School Kids who've gone past in the past few weeks but a bench is a bench still!



The Bridge as it was



I can also report a success story too. After 13 years of campaigning the Railway bridge outside Gillingham Station's footpath has been widened! Before the Station's refit the path could fit two people abreast which was problematic for wheel chair users, buggies and prams or at the traffic lights if there were a lot of people waiting to cross.

Now, with a bit of road re-direction and change it is now around four people across and is much easier for the people of Gillingham who are trying to get into the town.

As for Parking, which is another on going problem in Gillingham and in fact most of Medway.
Medway Council are only going to do reviews if they can be funded externally due to the budget cuts due to the Budget cuts and lack of money and, sadly, none of the developments being undertaken in Gillingham currently warrant a Section 106 which would mean they have to pay for the review.
Geoff and Shelia have pushed that the parking fine revenue earned should be used to pay for a review. Why not cure the problem with the benefits?

The Conservatives have refused.

Another interesting thing is the "Better for Less" streamlining of the telephone services to the Council. The aim was to cut down the number of operators and lines for residents to call however Geoff and Shelia have said that there have been many complaints from residents saying that they have found it very difficult to get through to the person or department they need and that problems are taking weeks rather than hours to solve. Is this another policy rushed through with out proper thought and implementation by the council?

The promise was that Customer's would come first still but it looks like a rocky start!

If YOU have had trouble getting through and are a resident of Gillingham South, please contact Geoff or Shelia and they will continue to up the pressure to make sure the system will work.

Finally, and I will be writing about this properly in the New year, the proposed merger of Medway Maritime and Darent Valley Hospital Dartford. As I've said in the past we as a group are worried about the merger, especially for the secrecy that seems to have overtaken the proceedings. The Consultation meetings are pretty much being held behind closed doors unless you are a member of LINK(?)

The big concerns are the sharing of certain services. Front line services are being kept at each hospital but specialist things are being shared out but Darent is dificult to get to by Public transport, (in fact it is easier to get to London hospitals!) especially as Medway Maritime covers the Isle of Sheppey also which is a fair old stretch to Darent!

Well, that's the news so far from Gillingham South. If you are a resident or have met with the issues I've mentioned feel free to email me or Geoff and Shelia on the above links or you can attend one of the Ward Surgeries held on the Second Monday of the month at St Mark's Church or the Third Saturday at Salem Church, Nelson road (opposite the Bus depot).

Happy New Year From Nick