We're all scroungers in ConDem nation

I do not blog much at the moment as it is quite painful typing due to nerve problems in my arms, but I was so outraged this morning when I learnt about the latest Tory attack on benefits that I was moved to comment.

A Tory backed review has called for patients on sick notes to face independent assessment after being off work sick for more than 4 weeks.  Judging by the welcoming noises the government have made they are keen to follow this through.

Already the government have been attacking those on long term disability support, with rhetoric which infers that many of those on benefits are bogus and don't need support.

In my 21 years of work I have been written off as sick for over 4 weeks on a couple of occasions.  Once was for a serious break to the arm which resulted in being in a cast for 6 weeks, the other time involved 2 discs in my neck pressing on nerves causing serious pain in my back and arm which made in near impossible to sit down at a desk or use a computer, which is 95% of my job.  These are just two examples of justified absence from work, there are hundreds of other genuine examples such as cancer, serious injury, major operations to name but a few.  Why should the thousands of people in this position be forced to face an inquisition to see if their illness/injury is a valid case for absence.  Your own GP is in the best position to judge this.

As well as the physical examples of injury mentioned above, many ask their GP for time off work due to depression and stress.  What worries me is that this is exactly the sort of condition these measures are aimed at attacking.  The result will mean that many people will feel intimidated into returning to work before 4 weeks so that they don't have to face this assessment, even when they are not well enough to be returning to a work environment.  This could result in a worsening of their condition, and could even contribute to an increase in severe mental health conditions and suicide.

I hope the Labour Party see this aggressive approach for managing health problems for what it is and oppose any such bill which is put before parliament.

Leonard Nimoy and a bit of silliness for Sunday morning

40 things to do before I reach 40

I reach forty in 2 1/2 years so have decided to draw up a list of activities and achievements to reach before then.  So far I have:

1. Visit Scandanavia
2. Learn a foreign language

Hopefully I will have drawn up a list of 40 by the end of the month.  I will keep a blog of my achievements over at http://40thingstodobeforeireach40.blogspot.com/

Suggestions for my list of 40 welcome, although nothing too dangerous and physical please.

Do you want this racist representing you in Europe?

Original message at https://twitter.com/#!/nickgriffinmep/status/100135489859895296

If Trade union votes are being looked at so should the MP/MEP block

The Guardian reported recently that Ed Miliband is looking at changing the rules to reduce the influence of trade unions at conference and in the leadership election.

I am not going to argue that the place of unions within the party shouldn't be looked at, but they should be revised alongside all other power bases and groupings within the party.

Many argue that if it wasn't for the trade unions Ed Miliband would not have won the leadership election.  This is true under the current leadership rules, but it is also true that because MPs and MEPs hold a third of the vote and their votes boosted David Miliband's vote.  If the perceived unfairnesses are to be addressed it should be to bring in a genuine one member one vote system where every members vote has the same weighting on the basis of being a member of the Labour Party, and that member should only have one vote, not up to 5 based on how many other groupings that person belongs to such as The Fabians, The Co-Operative Party etc.  Only then can we say we have a truly democratic means of electing the leader.

The dangers from Chinese lanterns

Over the past few years the use of Chinese lanterns has increased considerably, but many users are unaware of the risks they cause to the countryside.

Many of these lanterns can end up landing on farm land where they have found to be eaten by farm animals, particularly cattle which can suffer a slow agonising death, as the write can puncture the stomach lining..  Animals and wildlife can also get entangled in the wire.  Although not quite as dangerous bamboo framed lanterns can still cause problems for animals, as they can become entangled in them or get injured from the bamboo.

There is also a risk from fire, as the fire has not necessarily extinguished when the lantern lands.  They can cause serious fires if they land on hay stacks or fields.  A quick search of Google will provide evidence of numerous fires caused by them.

They are also beginning to cause a problem with litter in the countryside, with many landing miles away from the area they were lit, instead landing in the countryside.

Therefore, please think twice.  Chinese lanterns may look beautiful in the sky, but they can cause serious risks to animals and farmland.  If you are going to use them please ensure they are securely tethered to the ground.

Further reading:

NFU information leaflet
NFU article
BBC News article
Guardian news article

If Rupert Murdoch hadn't been born - Classic Fry & Laurie

Is it such a bad thing to drop shadow cabinet elections?

I am a strong supporter of bringing in more accountability and democracy to the Labour Party, but the shadow cabinet elections are a rather problematic arrangement and I can understand why Ed Miliband would want to get rid of them.

The leader is elected by a 3 way split of MPs & MEPs / Trade Unions and Labour party affiliates / Ordinary Members.  Ed just scraped in with more votes when all 3 constituents were taken into account, but David Miliband had a clear lead in the parliamentary labour party.  This means that many in the shadow cabinet are supporters of his brother David.  In total there are - members of the shadow cabinet who supported David:

• Douglas Alexander
• Angela Eagle
• Tessa Jowell
• Caroline Flint
• Ivan Lewis
• Jim Murphy
• Mary Creagh
• Meg Hillier
• Shaun Woodward
• Liam Byrne

If you also take into account those who supported campaigns for the other candidates it only leaves a few cabinet members who actually campaigned for Ed to be leader.

While I am not for one minute suggesting any of these people are being disloyal, it is possible that there are some people who feel that Ed is taking the wrong direction.

It surely makes more sense for a leader to pick his/her own cabinet which more strongly represents the general thinking of the leader.  It also gives the leader the opportunity to put a shadow cabinet together who will continue in those roles once Labour are re-elected, rather than the leader having to carry out a re-shuffle of places once in government.

Withdraw Brian Souter's Knighthood

In the recent Queen's birthday honours list it was announced Stagecoach co-founder Brian Souter is to be awarded a knighthood.

I could not think of a more unsuitable person to receive such an honour.  Souter personally bank-rolled a referendum in Scotland campaigning to keep the homophobic law Section 28, which stopped the "promotion" of homosexuality in schools.

I urge people to sign the following petition:

We the undersigned are deeply offended that Brian Souter has been awarded a Knighthood in the Queen's Birthday Honours 2011.
Mr. Souter ran a campaign of fear and misinformation which was deeply hurtful to the LGBT community in Scotland.
The Keep The Clause Campaign increased hatred towards an already victimised group and saw a corresponding increase in violence against LGBT people.
We believe that it is wrong for such a person to be given such a high honour by Her Majesty The Queen and call on HM Government to withdraw this award.

Click here to sign http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/notosoutersknighthood/

The petition has already attracted over 3800 signatories in two days.

My Desert Island Discs

I enjoyed listening to the Your Desert Island Discs programme on Radio 4 yesterday.  It  encouraged listeners to send in their Desert Island Disc choices, which I along with 10,000 other listeners did.

The choices were rather predictable, especially considering the listener demographic, but I do like the top 8 choices, although I would say that Bohemian Rhapsody is far from the best song by Queen.

I can't remember all 8 songs I selected, but if I was submitting today I would choose the following 8:

1. Casta Diva from Bellini's Norma, sung by Maria Callas



2. Drown by the Smashing Pumpkins



3. I'd Rather Go Blind, sung by Etta James



4. If It Be Your Will by Leonard Cohen



5. Symphony No.5 by Mahler



6. Wave of Mutilation (UK Surf Mix) by The Pixies



7. Estranged by Guns N Roses



8. With Or Without You  by U2



It is rather difficult whittling your choices down to 8, I could have easily picked 20 tracks.  I would have liked to have added Billie Holiday, Judy Garland, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Billy Bragg, Chopin, Goldfrapp and Pink Floyd to name but a few.

My choice of book would be easier.  Without a doubt it would be the Tales of the City series by Armistead Maupin which I cannot recommend highly enough.

And my luxury would have to be and endless supply of wine, as that would be the only way to survive the tedium :)

Why I will no longer support York Against the War after its decision to invite Gilad Atzmon

I joined York Against the War in 2002 when it was clear the government were planning to invade Iraq.  It has done an excellent job over the years opposing the governments wars, and I have attended many of their meetings and marches, although admittedly fewer of the past few years.

I was dismayed to hear that they had decided to invite Gilad Atzmon (see http://www.yorkagainstthewar.org.uk/#gilad_atzmon).  Several people tried to warn YATW that Atzmon was an unsuitable guest due to the accusations of anti-Semitism against him.  I along with others objected to his invite, but the decision was made to go ahead with the invite.

I would recommend reading the following articles about Atzmon:

A Guide to the Sayings of Gilad Atzmon, the anti-Semitic jazzman by Tony Greenstein

The unlikely friends of the Holocaust memorial killer by Nick Cohen (although I would point out that the SWP don't have anything to do with him now either.  John Rose recently withdrew from a meeting when he found out he was to share a platform with Atzmon).

And if you are not convinced by the inappropriateness of Atzmon's invite read his own article on anti-Semitism at http://www.gilad.co.uk/writings/on-anti-semitism-by-gilad-atzmon.html

This event will do nothing to advance York Against the War's cause and I for one will have nothing to do with it.

Tabloids and invasion of privacy

Looking at the Sunday papers this morning I saw that once again the News of the World had hit new depths.  As the following was printed on the front cover:

How can such depraved stalking by the paparazzi be in the public interest?  I'm no defender of the Royals are their extended family, but like anyone else they should be allowed some privacy.  Why should Pippa Middleton be stalked by sleazy journalists and photographers?

When public figures and celebrities are at public events by all means it is fare game to photograph, but this sort of behaviour goes far beyond this.

Once again the News of the World and the Murdoch empire should be ashamed of themselves.

It is obvious that self regulation by the Press does not work and it is time for an official regulatory body as there is with other areas of the media.

Spitting Image certainly got it right when they portrayed tabloid reporters as pigs

Taking some time out to enjoy the Yorkshire coastline

Decided to take a rest from leafleting this morning to take a trip to Flamborough Head.  This is one of my favourite places on the Yorkshire coast and an excellent venue for me to practise my amateur photography:

Sign the petition against the cull

Click here to getImages  &
Badger Pictures - Pictures

I have just signed the League Against Cruel Sports' petition against the badger cull.

It is vital that they reach 100,000 signatures to ensure the subject is debated in parliament but to show the government just how opposed the public is to the cull, their target is ONE MILLION SIGNATURES.

Please help them reach this target. It only takes a minute but could save the lives of thousands of badgers.

Just follow this link www.league.org.uk/badgerpetition

Parish Council precepts and student exemption

This is my latest contribution to the Press letters page:

IT WAS disappointing to read that residents are still facing a rise in their precept payment even though parish councils have frozen the precept (The Press, April 20).

Heslington Parish Council froze the precept this year, but we didn’t have the information to hand at the time to know how many properties were exempt from council tax and whether it has risen from the previous year.

It seems grossly unfair that residents face an increase in their precept due to an increase in student lets. It would be unreasonable to expect students to pay council tax and the precept.

Perhaps it is time for a change in the law to make the landlords responsible for council tax, and therefore precept payments, when they rent properties out to students, so there isn’t an increasing tax burden on those residences which are not inhabited by students.

Letter in support of Labour winning Heslington

Got this letter in today's Press

On May 5, the voters of York are faced with a decision which will have major consequences for the next four years.

They can vote for the Lib Dems and four more years of Tory budgets, as they continue to rely on the local Tories and push through the national agenda from the Tory-led Government.

Or they can vote for change and vote Labour, who have an alternative vision for York, based on protecting local services and reducing waste. As a Heslington resident and parish councillor, I am supporting David Levene.
Since being nominated as the Labour candidate, he has made a point of canvassing the whole of the village and has listened to residents’ concerns.

He launched a petition to call for double-yellow lines on University Road – which the council has now thankfully adopted – and continues to work on traffic and parking issues in the village and Low Mill Close.

Despite what some might say, Labour can win in Heslington, having essentially tied for second last time.
Please support David in the upcoming local elections, a candidate I strongly believe will stand up for the residents of Heslington and listen to their concerns.

Want to vote Conservative in York? You may be left disappointed.

As reported in today's Press, the Conservative Party are not fielding candidates in all wards for the City Council Elections.  If you look at the Council's election page to check nominees you will notice:

Clifton - Only 2 candidates standing in a 3 candidate ward
Fishergate - No candidates in a 2 candidate ward
Guildhall - Only 1 candidate in a 2 candidate ward
Heslington - No candidate
Heworth - 2 candidates in a 3 candidate ward
Holgate - 2 candidates in a 3 candidate ward
Hull Road -  Only 1 candidate in a 2 candidate ward
Huntington and New Earswick - Only 1 candidate in a 3 candidate ward and that candidates nomination form was not valid.
Micklegate - 1 of the candidates forms was not valid so only 2 candidates standing.
Westfield - 2 out of 3 candidates forms had insufficient subscribers


It could be just coincidence that this lack of Conservative candidates will help the Liberal Democrats, especially in wards like Heslington where the Lib Dems are trying to keep the seat.  If it is just a cock up, it shows a high level of incompetence and would you really want to vote for a party who cannot even get their nominations right?

Why I'm voting No to AV

No to AV referendum broadcast

It is only in the last few weeks that I have finally made a decision over how I'm going to vote.  I found myself rather conflicted as I consider myself to be progressive and support a change to the electoral system but I do not believe that the alternative vote system is the right way to go.

My main reasons for voting against are:

• It will increase the chance of coalitions.  When coalitions are formed the governing parties can tear up their manifestos and start again with a coalition agreement.  I am not saying that parties in the future will sell out as badly as the Lib Dems have, but it is likely that parties will have to renege of pre-election promises.
• It is not proportional representation.  If this system genuinely created a level playing field for all parties I could be convinced, but this system only benefits the medium size parties like the Lib Dems and possibly UKIP in some areas.  Smaller parties are likely to get lower preferences from the majority of electorate so are unlikely to be successful.  This may be attractive because it keeps out the BNP, but it will also probably make it more difficult for the Greens or socialist parties to get elected.
• You could have a situation where the 2nd of even 3rd party with the most first preferences ends up winning.  This could lead to dull middle of the road parties who stand for very little, which is probably why the Lib Dems like it.
• Finally I see it as a negative system.  Apart from your first preference you are using the rest of your preferences to keep out the party you hate the most.  In reality there is only one party you want to win, the rest of you votes are being used to block another party from getting in.

What does surprise me is that the Tories are against it.  Chances are they will get a lot of 2nd and 3rd votes off UKIP, English Democrat and BNP voters as well as a good chunk of Lib Dem voters.  Alongside the re-drawing (or gerrymandering) of boundaries they must be on to a winner if it goes through.  Where as it is not too clear that it will advantage Labour as this Channel 4 report shows.

My preference for an electoral system would be to keep the current system and have a proportion of seats used as top up seats so that the smaller parties are represented.  That way we would have a fairer system whilst keeping the constituency link.

An appeal from Michael Moore to support the NHS

Israel's disdain for international law

Two items in the news recently have highlighted Israel's disdain for international law and seriously question Israeli leaders commitment to the peace process.

First we saw the white-wash which was the Israeli inquiry into the deadly attack on the aid flotilla last May.  The inquiry ruled that the attack and the naval blockade are legal under international law.  It is beyond belief that these actions can be found to be legal.  The attack was in international waters on a ship sailing under the Turkish flag, this can be interpreted as an act of war or at the least an act of piracy.  We can only hope the UN inquiry due to be released later this year produces a different set of findings.  Although like previous UN inquiries it is likely Israel will reject the outcome.

Then yesterday we saw the leak of Palestinian documents showing how much the Palestinian negotiators have been willing to sacrifice in order to come up with a peaceful settlement.  The documents show that the Palestinian administration were willing to surrender all but one of the illegal settlement areas in East Jerusalem to Israel.  This is despite the fact that Israel have illegally occupied these areas since the 6 day war in 1967.  This huge gesture was still not satisfactory for Israel, one can only presume that Israel is not interested in giving away the land it seized and will continues to build illegal settlements on.  It appears that the only acceptable resolution for Israel is the complete surrender of all settlements by the Palestinians.

The map below shows how much land the Palestinians have lost since 1948.  The longer the occupation and settlement building continues the more likely it is that there will never be a peaceful resolution.  This may prove to be a crucial mistake by Israel as eventually the only workable solution will be a one state solution.

Charity gimmicks for the Big Society

Got the following letter in the Press yesterday

The latest Big Society initiative to come from the Government is for cash machines to be able to accept donations for charity.

Although I have nothing against such moves, it is diverting attention from the fact that charities are going to face a serious funding crisis over the next few years.

In all likelihood, charities will see a drop in income from individuals as a result of the VAT rise, public-sector redundancies and pay freezes and the resulting redundancies in the private sector. Unfortunately, when times are hard, charitable donations are often the first area individuals look at when trying to save money.

Charities will also see a drop in income from local and central government, and with nearly a quarter of charities receiving funding from government, many charities are going to feel the squeeze from both individual and state funding. This at a time when many charities are going to face greater demand for their services as a result of the cuts.

This is just another example of the results of the over-the-top unnecessary cuts being imposed on us by the current Tory-led Government.

Predictions for 2011

Towards the end of 2010 we began to see the signs of what to expect for 2011.  Here are a few of my predictions for 2011:

Re-alignment of politics, the Liberal Democrats and the AV referendum


At the end of 2010 the Liberal Democrats were hovering around 8-10% in the opinion polls, only a few months into the coalition.  The first big test will be in the May local elections, Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly elections.  If the opinion polls are to be believed it will be devastating news for the Lib Dems, it is quite likely hundreds or even thousands of Lib Dem councillors will lose their seats, and lose control of most the councils they currently control.  Hopefully it will be mainly Labour who benefit from these losses, particularly in England, although the votes are liable to be shared with the SNP in Scotland and Plaid Cymru in Wales.

At the same time we will be voting on the AV referendum.  My prediction is that the result will be close, probably with the No vote winning.  If this is the case, the No vote alongside massive seat losses will put serious pressure on the coalition with many Lib Dems questioning their commitment to it, knowing that if they decide to stick with it they are likely to lose many parliamentary seats come 2015.

2011 should see a continuing rise in support for Labour, with Ed Miliband being the right man to lead the party forward.  This should be a good year for Labour, hopefully winning the Oldham by-election and greatly increasing the number of council seats.

Ed is right to lead a review of party policy and question which Labour policies worked and which didn't.  Only a re-invented party, moving on from New Labour will engage with voters, particularly those who drifted away from Labour due to Iraq and attacks on civil liberties.  The Labour Party is the natural party for those who believe in fairness, equality and strong public services and hopefully the number of new members will continue to grow throughout the year.

A year of protest


Just because the tuition fee rise has been passed by Parliament, the ConDems are likely to be disappointed if they think the students will now leave the streets.  There are likely to be continued demonstrations about fees and the loss of EMA.  Alongside these demonstrations they student movement will be part of the bigger movement challenging the ConDem cuts.

March 26th will see the March for the Alternative demonstration, organised by the TUC.  In all likelihood this will be the largest demonstration the country has seen since the 2003 demonstration against the Iraq war.

Alongside the demonstrations there are likely to be an increasing number of strikes from public sector unions defending workers against the hundreds of thousands of jobs the ConDems wish to shed.

Royal Wedding

The diversion of a royal wedding will not take out minds off devastation the ConDems are causing to the country.  Unlike the Di/Charles wedding it is likely to polarise opinion, many will support it, but many  will questioning the relevance of a monarchy in the 21st century.  Republic will be leading the campaign for an elected head of state.