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[Blogs] Current Parliamentary Selections

2008-12-01T08:06:31-05:00

Current Parliamentary Selections Seat: Bromsgrove
Held By: Con
2nd Place: Lab
Majority: 10,080
AWS: No - open shortlist
Closing date for aspiring candidate: 28 November
Hustings and count: 8 January 2009

Seat: Chesham and Amersham
Held By: Con
2nd Place: LD
AWS: No open shortlist
Closing date for aspiring candidate: 30 November
Hustings and count: 1 March 2009

Seat: Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey
Held by: SNP
Closing date for aspiring candidates: 18 Dec
Hustings and count: tbc
OPEN selection

Seat: Bolton West
Held By: Labour
2nd Place: Con
AWS: YES ALL WOMEN SHORTLIST
Closing date for aspiring candidate: 19 Dec
Hustings and count: 28 Feb 2009

Seat: Keighley
Held By: Labour
Maj: 4,852
2nd Place: Con
AWS: Yes - ALL WOMEN SHORTLIST
Closing date for aspiring candidate: 5 Jan
Hustings and count: 14 March (tbc)

Seat: Wycombe
Held By: Con
2nd Place: Lab
AWS: No OPEN
Closing date for aspiring candidate: 15 December
Hustings and count: 3 February

Seat: Wealden
Held By: Con
2nd Place: Lib Dem
AWS: No - Open shortlist
Closing date for aspiring candidate: 9 Jan
Hustings and count: 29 Jan

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[Blogs] Tories guilty of treason for debasing currency?

2008-12-01T07:35:41-05:00

I'm grateful to a dinner guest on Saturday who is not a member of the Labour Party for raising this issue. We were discussing the cost of the economy of Conservative opposition to the government's plans to rescue the banking system and try and ensure the recession is as shallow and short as possible.

By carping on about debt levels, the Tories are both increasing the risk of higher import prices and hence domestic price levels by talking the currency down, and adding to the debt by increasing the level of interest rates and risk premia to be paid to lenders.

Let's be clear, as the reluctance of private investors to finance increased capitalisation of the banks is illustrating - no government knows with certainty how much money will have to be borrowed to ensure the viability of the banking system.

CHX Alistair Darling set out how prudence can be sustained in his Pre Budget Report a week ago. Faced with the very real threat of a collapse of the banks, what on earth was a Labour government going to do, other than what was necessary?

Any politician that continues to whinge about debt levels is debasing the currency. Rather than focussing on Conservative shadow home affairs spokesman Damian Green and the hamfisted way in which the police handled their investigation into a possible serial leaker of government documents, I'm much more concerned to see Conservatives in the dock charged with treason for undermining sterling.

Wikipedia helpfully states:

In law, treason is the crime that covers some of the more serious acts of disloyalty to one's sovereign or nation.... A person who commits treason is known in law as a traitor.

Quite so. It is about time all those media outlets that claim to be so concerned about the pound in our pocket named and shamed the Conservative leadership as such. Public money is allocated to support Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition, if any one can think of a better way of bring the Tories to their senses, I'm all ears.

[Blogs] Protecting the whistleblower?

2008-11-30T08:02:51-05:00

The arrest of MP Damien Green and the gagging of a social worker by a court order obtained by Haringey perhaps point to deficiencies in the way we deal with whistleblowers. Though we do not yet know the full facts, the case of shadow minister Damien Green who, it would seem, has been arrested for his part in revealing goverment lapses, also says something about our attitude to whistleblowers. It comes on top of the Baby P case, during which it emerged that a social worker had been gagged by a Court Order obtained by Haringey, after having drawn the attention of alleged lapses of procedure by Haringey to ministers.

In the wake of the BSE scandal Labour promised a ‘whistleblower’s charter’ plus the Freedom of Information Act. Labour delivered on these, but perhaps these latest cases indicate that we are not doing enough to protect the vital role of the whistle blower in being able to draw matters of public interest to the attention of Parliament – it is also said, incidentally, that the alleged whistleblower in the Damien Green case has also been arrested.

Mabye it is time to ask our MPs to review the law on whistleblowers, to strengthen their protection, and that of MPs, with regard to informing Parliament about matters of public interest.

[Blogs] Civil Security Force

2008-11-29T17:42:32-05:00

Buried at the bottom of this BBC news item is a proposal from the Progress conference:

Also, forcing local authorities to spend more money on youth services and the creation of civilian security force consisting of military trainers, civil servants, police officers, judges and other logistical staff.

I have seen Obama's ideas for such a force, but does anyone have any further detail of what is proposed for the UK?

[Blogs] Julie Elliott selected for Sunderland Central

2008-11-29T13:51:48-05:00

Labour members in Sunderland Central have today selected Julie Elliott to be the Labour Candidate at the next General Election.

The vacancy occurred after the decision by Chris Mullin MP to retire from Parliament at the next General Election.

Julie Elliott, aged 45, is currently a Political Officer with the GMB Union.

Mum of four grown-up children, she is a local Sunderland Labour Party activist and Chair of Sunderland Central Labour Party.

The full story from the Labour North Region is on Labour Matters.

[Blogs] ICM - Tories increase lead to 15%

2008-11-28T17:07:33-05:00

From the Guardian Conservatives 45% (+3)
Labour 30 (-1)
LibDEms 18 (-1)

"Overall, more people approve of the plans announced by Darling, 50%, than disapprove, 41%.
Labour has also extended its lead as the party with the best economic team: 46% of voters back Gordon Brown and Darling, an 11-point increase on their October score.

"In March 2008 40% of voters picked the Tory lineup and only 32% Brown and Darling.

"But support for David Cameron and George Osborne, at 37%, is also up 1%. Opinion has hardened as a result of the crisis, with fewer people naming neither party.

Another source of hope for Labour comes from the Guardian's regular question on economic confidence.

"The proportion of voters who feel happy about their financial position and ability to keep up with the cost of living has gone up slightly, from 45% in September to 50% now.

"Meanwhile 49% are not confident, down 5%. This shift probably reflects recent cuts in interest rates and lower inflation, rather than wider optimism about the country's economic prospects

"Only 22% agree with the government's argument that it is important to boost the economy now, even if it means more borrowing and taxes later.

"Meanwhile 74% agree with the broad thrust of Conservative criticisms, that it is important to keep borrowing under control so as not to store up problems.

What to make of these swings in the polls? One of them, either ICM or YouGov, is wrong. If only we knew which! Methinks people don't understand that if we did nothing, the end debt will be even higher.

My verdict: Instead of debating polls, Labour should act as though they are well behind and act accordingly. In the end it will boil down to a) will the Darling plan work and b) can we get our vote out, which depends on a) but also on how hard we canvass.

[Blogs] Russia's new nukes

2008-11-28T15:41:03-05:00

Russia has test fired it's state of the art, submarine launched, intercontinental ballistic missile - the RSM56 Bulava.

The missile has an 8000 KM range and is capable of carrying multiple, independently targeted warheads. Russia also claims that the missile is designed with advanced anti-missile defence technology, including being able to perform evasive maneuvers and course correction, EM shielding, decoys and blast shielding.

The missile is intended to be the cornerstone of Russia's nuclear force and will be outiftted in the new Borei class submarine - of which, Russia plan to build 12.

Now that oil is $50 a barrel, I can hardly see russia being able to build 3; however - it is ample evidence to suggest that the prospect of a nuclear free world is a fools dream - and it would be the biggest calamity in British history if we decided to unilaterly disarm; especially when aggressive powers are - for all intents, re-arming.

http://www.russiatoday.com/news/news/33973 *

* Official "news" channel of the United Russia party.