A Walk on Part; The Fall of New Labour

Theatre in London is not all it is made out to be. Firstly the majority of shows are musicals and old reliables aimed squarely at the tourist and corporate entertainment markets. Go to New York and you see the same money spinning shows on Broadway. Secondly the bulk of the 60 odd theatres in Central London are controlled by a small number of companies who have rather quaint and somewhat spivvy attitudes, such as ludicrous booking fees when you use their websites (i.e. they charge you to do their admin for them) and silly discount schemes to maintain high headline ticket prices.

So it is refreshing to see new and innovative drama and as a Labour activist I eagerly looked forward to seeing A Walk on Part; The Fall of New Labour brought to the West End by the ever lively Soho Theatre but performed at the small 350 seat Arts Theatre near Leicester Square. Its subject, Chris Mullin, was well known as a journalist before becoming a Labour MP for his pivotal role in campaigning for the Birmingham Six, who were convicted and imprisoned on false evidence.They were sentenced to life imprisonment in 1975 in England for the Birmingham pub bombings. Their convictions were declared unsafe and unsatisfactory and quashed by the Court of Appeal on 14 March 1991. 

In 1986, Mullin's book, Error of Judgment: The Truth About the Birmingham Pub Bombings, set out a detailed case supporting the men's claims that they were innocent. It included his claim to have met some of those who were actually responsible for the bombings.

Chris Mullin was first elected as a Labour MP in 1987, and was returned at every subsequent election until 2005. He did not seek re-election in 2010. Michael Chaplin’s A Walk on Part dramatises the fall of New Labour as documented by his diaries. It is an insider's view of the last and most turbulent decade in politics; this is a fast, funny and furious theatrical ride based on his critically acclaimed diaries. With a huge host of well-known characters including John Prescott, David Cameron, George Osborne, Tony Benn and Tony Blair.

Tony Blair entering Downing Street as Prime Minister in 1997

Blending gossip, insight and details of the frustrations of ministerial and backbench life alike, the show is excellently performed under Max Roberts's direction. John Hodgkinson, with his awkwardly buttoned-up jacket and air of inquisitive bemusement, admirably captures Mullin's mix of decency and self-doubt. The other 60-odd characters are also evoked with lightning skill by the top class cast in a piece that shows political theatre at its entertaining best and leaves Mullin asking "Was anything done?"

It was an excellent evening’s theatre which kept the audience right there with its wonderful blend of insight and wit. John Hodgkinson plays Chris Mullin brilliantly with his bad buttoned up suit echoing the description of the subject as "looking like a deck chair which had been left out over the winter." As a narrative on New Labour it covers a lot of ground really well and I suspect with its pace, cast and complex weaving of references is a far more reliable guide to those halcyon years when Tony Blair led Labour to a historic three General Election victories, an achievement never equaled by any other Labour leader. A must see both for the political aficionado and for those who enjoy good new writing and excellent acting.

John Hodgkinson as Chris Mullin.

With Tracy Gillman, Hywel Morgan, Andi Osho & Joe Caffrey.

http://www.sohotheatre.com/whats-on/walk-on-part/

Arts Theatre

6-7 Great Newport Street

London Chinatown

WC2H 7JB

Channel 4 Political Correspondent Michael Crick quizzes the ex-PM over the recent West End transfer of A Walk On Part; the hit political comedy adapted from the diaries of Chris Mullin.

The Nations National Health Service

At the last election, David Cameron promised he would "cut the deficit, not the NHS". Last week’s autumn statement showed the opposite is true. As a result of lower growth and higher unemployment, the government will be forced to borrow £158bn more than forecast a year ago. The New Statesman points out that this is more than Labour was projected to borrow at the last election – an amount that Conservatives then claimed would take Britain to the "brink of bankruptcy".


Aylesbury Labour activists celebrating the NHS's 63rd Birthday @ Stoke Mandeville Hospital earlier this year

http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2011/07/happy-63rd-birthday-to-national-health.html

On December 1st children across the country opened the first window in their advent calendars, starting the countdown to Christmas. But let us mark the countdown in another way - by sending David Cameron a message that all we want for Christmas is our NHS. Cameron’s Health Bill, the Bill that will rip apart our Health Service, is still making its way through the House of Lords. The fight to stop this Bill is far from over: Labour Lords are making a strong stand against it, and it still needs to go back to all our MPs to be debated before it can become law.



But if we want to defeat this Bill, we have to keep up the pressure on the man who is responsible. That’s why we’re going to deliver ‘Health-Scrooge’ Cameron a big Christmas card from all of us, saying: all we want for Christmas is our NHS. Will you sign the card?

http://www.nhsalert.org.uk/signthecard

Cameron’s Tories, backed up by the Lib Dems, are putting the NHS at risk. Their cuts mean that people are already waiting longer for the treatment they need, and they are wasting billions of pounds on a top-down restructure that will mean:

• worse patient care with services cut, hospitals closing and longer waiting times for treatment

• more privatisation and more companies making money from all parts of our health service

• more red tape making it harder for nurses, doctors and other health professionals to do their jobs

David Cameron promised to ‘protect the NHS’, to ‘give the NHS a real rise in funding’ and to ‘stop top-down NHS reorganisations’. He is breaking every one of those promises – you just can’t trust the Tories with the NHS. Join thousands of other people in sending ‘Health-Scrooge’ Cameron a Christmas message - all we want for Christmas is our NHS. Sign the card today:

http://www.nhsalert.org.uk/signthecard



This Christmas, we want a gift that matters to everybody - a National Health Service that puts patient care before private profit.

PS. If you have 2 minutes to spare, why not sign the Government e-petition calling on Cameron to drop the Health Bill?

http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/22670

Protect the health of the Nation and not the Private Healthcare Lobby who fund the Tories.

Should Larry the Cat resign?

Larry the Downing Street Cat

The ConDem Coalition is under pressure as its slash and burn tactics by the Cabinet of All the Millionaires drags the economy deeper into recession. The May 2010 General Election resulted in the LibCon Coalition of the Conservative Party who didn’t win the election and the Liberal Democrats who most definitely lost the election and whose promise of changing the “Face of British Politics” turned out to be a busted flush. Since then the public has been treated to a drip, drip, drip of spending cuts and tax raises based on slash and burn policies which were never put to the electorate. It is now clear that under the guise of “fiscal responsibility” what is happening is an ideologically driven attack on State services and the whole concept of “Society.” For David Cameron’s Big Society read Bogus Society.



As you would expect the pressure has already lead to high level political resignations and the papers are speculating on what is to come with both Theresa May and her nemesis Ken Clarke being frequent names in the media frame. However far more seriously there is a clear and vicious smear campaign against the one name which still commands cross-party support and the public vote, Larry the Downing Street Cat who was drafted in to get the rats out of British Politics.

Today, Downing Street has rebuffed calls for Larry to resign as No 10's cat after reports a mouse appeared at a recent prime ministerial dinner. The PM was with other ministers, including Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith, when the offending creature appeared, the Daily Mail said. No 10 brought in Larry, in February, to combat its rodent problem. Asked whether Larry should resign, the PM's spokesman said: "Larry brings a lot of pleasure to a lot of people."

Four-year-old Larry came to Downing Street from Battersea Dogs and Cats Home and was said to have "a high chase-drive and hunting instinct", developed during his time on the streets. A spokesman said he had also shown "a very strong predatory drive" and enjoyed playing with toy mice. Larry's services were called upon after a large rat was seen scuttling past the door of No 10 during live television broadcasts.



In June, the prime minister told the BBC he was "a good mouser" and had caught three mice since his arrival. Spotted during a live broadcast from Downing Street during the BBC's News at Ten, Larry patiently waited on the steps before being let in through the famous door. The PM said he had taken a photograph on his mobile phone of a mouse in his kitchen, but at the time Larry had yet to have been allowed in that room.

He said the cat was "doing well" in his new home and although he was "not very keen on men", he had made an exception in May when he was happy to be stroked by US President Barack Obama. Larry is not taxpayer-funded - and until a recent fundraising event, his meals were paid for by the prime minister's staff out of their own pockets. A spokesman for the Royal Parks confirmed in September that Maisie, a cat who lives at the nearby St James' Park keeper's cottage, had struck up a close friendship with Larry.

http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2009/04/st-jamess-park-london.html

This is the political story which has it all, backbiting, intrigue, leaked smears, back alley briefings, cat porn and inaccurate fork throwing. As for the future of Larry the Downing Street Cat? Well there are no grounds for optimism, David Cameron has just given him his “fullest 100% support” and described his position as unassailable. It seems for Larry the Cat the writing is on the skirting board, he is being set up as a scapecat?

Public Sector Strike 30th June.

Remember when Carers, Teachers, Police Officers, Soldiers, Nurses, Fire-fighters, and other government employees crashed the stock market, took billions in bailout money, wiped out banks, took millions in bonuses, stopped their contributions to the pension system and paid no taxes? No? Me neither!


Davy Cameron's New Model (after cuts) Army

On Thursday 30th June 2011, hundreds of thousands of union members will be striking against an attack on their hard fought and won pension rights. People are being forced to withdraw their labour because they are outraged at having to pay for an economic crisis caused by selfish bankers and unaccountable financial institutions. Our public services, jobs and pensions are under attack by the ConDem Government of Millionaires for Millionaires.



Show solidarity with striking public sector workers. You can do this by joining a picket line in your locality and/or by attending one of the rallies listed below:

Aberystwyth: noon, rally at Morlan Centre, Queens Road, SY23 2HH.

Bedford: 10am, rally at Civic Theatre, Horne Lane, MK40 1RA. Speakers include Jim Stringer from PCS.

Birmingham: noon, gather for rally and march which will start and finish at Victoria Square, B1 1BD. Speakers include: Hugh Lanning, PCS deputy general secretary; Vici Whittal, PCS Birmingham prison; Jason Ferraby, PCS Cannock Department for Work and Pensions; and Kevin Courtney, National Union of Teachers (NUT) deputy general secretary.



Brighton: 10:30am assemble at The Level, 37 Ditchling Road, BN1 4SB. March to Hove Town Hall, Norton Road, BN3 4AH for rally at noon. Speakers include Dominic McFadden, PCS national executive (NEC).

Bristol: 11am, assemble at College Green, BS1 5TA. March to Castle Green, Wine Street, BS1 2BH, for speakers including John McInally, PCS vice president. There will be an afternoon of stalls and entertainment in Castle Park, Castle Street, BS1 3XD.

Cambridge: noon, rally at Parker's Piece, Parkside, CB1 1JE.



Canterbury: 10am to 2pm, rally at Abbotts Barton Hotel, New Dover Road, Canterbury, CT1 3DU. Speakers include John Walder, Kent NUT divisional secretary.

Cardiff: noon, assemble Sofia Gardens, Cathedral Road, CF11 9XR. March to Cathays Park, CF10 3ND, for a rally. Speakers include: Andy Richards, president of Wales Trades Union Congres; and Dave Bean, deputy president PCS.

Carlisle: 12.30pm rally by Old Town Hall, CA3 8JH, with music and food. Speakers include: Mary Ferguson, PCS NEC.

Chatham: noon to 2pm rally at Command House, Dock Road, ME4 4TX. Speakers include Zita Holbourne, PCS NEC.

Chelmsford: 11am, rally at High Street, CM1 1BE.



Chester: 12.30pm, rally at Town Hall Square, Northgate Street, CH1 2HJ. Organised by West Cheshire Trade Union Council.

Colchester: 12.30pm, rally outside Colchester town hall, High Street, CO1 1PJ. Organised by Colchester and Clacton trades union councils.

Dover: noon, rally at St Mary's church hall, Church Street, CT16 1BY. Speakers include Annette Rogers, NUT association secretary; Alan Dennis, PCS NEC.

Exeter: 11am rally at the Corn Exchange, George Street, EX1 1BU. Speakers include: Brendan Barber, general secretary of the Trades Union Congress (TUC); and Hector Wesley (PCS NEC). March to Belmont Park for a Festival for the Alternative at 12.30pm with music from Billy Bragg, a bouncy castle and children's entertainment, stalls and food and drink available.

Glasgow: noon rally in George Square, Glasgow, G2 1DU. Speakers include: Janice Godrich, PCS president; Grahame Smith, general secretary of the Scottish TUC; Mary Senior, University and College Union (UCU) Scottish secretary; Mike Kirby, Unison Scottish secretary; and Pat Rafferty, Unite regional secretary.



Gloucester: 10.30am, rally at the bandstand in Gloucester Park, Park Road, GL1 1LH.

Halifax: 10am to noon, indoor rally at Arden Road Social Club, HX1 3AG. Speakers include: Linda Riordan, Labour MP; Ian Murch, NUT national treasurer.

Hastings: 10am to noon, rally at White Rock, White Rock, TN34 1JU. Speakers include Andy Reid, PCS NEC; Dave Brinson, NUT NEC. Followed by a picnic in Alexandra Park, St Helen's Road, TN34 2EL.
Huddersfield: noon, rally Market Cross, Market Plave, HD1 2AN. Speakers include Eddie Childs, PCS NEC.

Hull: 10am, rally at Royal Hotel, 170 Ferensway, HU1 3UF.

Ipswich: assemble at 10.45am in Giles Circus, Princes Street, IP1 1DT. March to a rally at town hall council chamber, Cornhill, Ipswich IP1 1DH. Speakers include Lorna Merry, PCS.

Leeds: 11.30am, assemble at Leeds Metropolitan University, Woodhouse Lane, LS1 3HE. March to noon rally in City Square, LS1 2AN. Speakers include Jane Aitchison, president of PCS in the Department of Work and Pensions.

Liverpool: assemble from 11.30am, William Brown Street, L1 1JJ. March to The Black-E arts centre, Great George Street, L1 5EW, for a rally at 12.30pm. Speakers include: Marie Daley, UCU NEC; Julie Lyon-Taylor, NUT NEC; and Alice Robinson, Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL), national senior vice president.



Llandrindod Wells: 11am, rally at The Pavillion, Spa Road, LLD1 5EY. March to rally and picnic at Landrindod Wells Lake Park, LD1 5LG.

London - central: 11am, assemble at Lincoln Inn Fields, WC2A 3TL. Music provided by Love Music Hate Racism. March to Westminster Central Hall, Storeys Gate, London. SW1H 9NH, for a rally at 1pm. Speakers include union general secretaries - Christine Blower (NUT), Mary Bousted (ATL), Sally Hunt (UCU), and Mark Serwotka (PCS); Dot Gibson of the National Pensioners Convention; and Labour MP John McDonnell. Find out more and download the London rally flyer at the events page.

London Wembley: 10am, rally in The Torch pub, Bridge Road, HA9 9AB, by Wembley Park station.

Luton: noon assemble at Market Hill, LU1 2YN, walk to Town Hall, George Street, LU1 2BQ, for speakers at 12.30pm - including Ian Albert, PCS NEC. In the afternoon there's a picnic in Wardown Park, Old Bedford Road, LU2 7HA.

Maidenhead: 11am to 1pm, rally at The Thames Hotel, Ray Mead Road, SL6 8NR.

Maidstone: noon to 2pm, assemble outside the Walnut Tree, 234 Tonbridge Road, ME16 8SR, for a rally focussing on education.
Maidstone: 4 to 5pm, assemble outside County Hall, County Road, ME14 1XD, for a rally focussing on public sector cuts.



Manchester: assemble from 11am, All Saints, Oxford Road, M1 7DU. March to Castlefield Arena, Liverpool Road, M3 4JN for a rally at noon. Speakers include: Helen Andrews, NUT NEC; Mark Baker, ATL NEC; and Dominique Lauterburg, UCU NEC.

Merthyr Tydfil: 12.30pm, rally at civic centre, Castle Street, CF47 8AN. Speakers include: Peter Harris, PCS Wales secretary; Dominic MacCaskill, Unison; Debbie Scott, NUT; and Jeff Edwards, leader Merthyr council. NEW

Middlesbrough: 4.30pm, rally by the bottle sculpture, Russell Street, TS1 2AE.

Newcastle-upon-Tyne: Meet at noon at Life Centre, Times Square, NE1 4EP. March to the monument, Grey Street, NE1 7AL, for a rally at 1pm. Speakers from striking unions including Cheryl Gedling, PCS NEC; plus Kevin Rowan, secretary Northern TUC.



Newport (south Wales) : noon, rally at John Frost Square, NP20 1PA. Speakers include: Dave Bean, PCS deputy president; Roy McCabe, UCU; and Angela Davies, NUT.

Norwich: noon, rally outside the Forum, Millennium Plain, Bethel Street, Norwich NR2 1TF.

Nottingham: 11.30am, assemble at Castle Meadow, NG2 1AB, for march to Trinity Square, NG1 4AF. Followed by rally in Albert Hall, North Circus Street, NG1 5AA. Speakers include Paul Williams, PCS NEC.

Oxford: noon, assemble at Town Hall, St Aldate's, OX1 1BX. March to a 2pm rally in Bonn Square, OX1 1EU. With music and a barbecue. Called by the Oxford & District Trades Council.



Peterborough: 10am rally at Laxton Square, PE1 1UQ. Organised by Peterborough TUC.
Peterborough: noon, rally in conjunction with Unison at City Hospital, Bretton Gate, Bretton, PE3 9GZ. Organised by Peterborough TUC.

Plymouth: 11am to 12.30pm , rally organised by ATL, NUT and UCU at Plymouth Albion rugby club, Madden Road, PL1 4NE.
Plymouth: noon, assemble at Guildhall Square, PL1 2AD, for Stop the Cuts' march round town and back to Guildhall, organised by Plymouth TUC.

Portsmouth: noon, rally at Guildhall Square, PO1 2AB. Speakers include: Mike Derbyshire, PCS NEC.

Preston: noon, rally at The Flag Market, PR1 2JA. Speakers include: Kathy Eager, ATL NEC; Simon Jones, NUT NEC; and John Murphy, UCU NEC.



Reading: 11am, rally at Reading International Solidarity Centre, 35 London Street, RG1 4PS. Noon, leafleting at Oracle shopping centre, RG1 2AG.

Rotherham: 11am, rally All Saints Square, S60 1PW.

Sheffield: noon, assemble Peace Gardens, Pinstone Street, S1 2HH. March to rally at Barkers Pool,S1 2JA. Speakers include Marion Lloyd, PCS NEC.

Sittingbourne: 11am, rally at Phoenix House, Central Avenue, ME10 4BX.

Southampton: 11am, rally in Guildhall Square, West Marlands Road, Southampton SO14 7FP. Unite and Unison members who are in dispute with Southampton city council will join the crowd at 12.30pm.



Southend: 12:30pm, Victoria Circus, SS1 1TJ. Organised by Southend Against the Cuts.

Swansea: 12.30pm to 2.30pm, rally at Castle Square, SA1 3PP.

Taunton: 11am, rally at Taunton rugby club, Hyde Lane, TA2 8BU.

Telford: noon, assemble at Southgate, TF2 8JT. March to rally at Cordingley Hall, Wellington Road, Donnington, TF2 8JS. Speakers include Chris Morrison, PCS NEC. Refreshments provided.

Truro: 10am to 1pm, rally at Lemon Quay, TR1 2LW.

Worthing: 11am, rally in Steyne Gardens, Warwick Road, BN11 3DZ. March to Homefield Park, Homefield Road, BN11 2HZ. Speakers include: Adam Kalif, PCS NEC. Supported by Worthing Solidarity Network.

Wrexham: 11.30am, rally at Queens Square, LL14 3EQ.

The above list is not exhaustive. It is very likely that a rally will also be held in your locality, if none of the above is convenient for you. Please check the link below for the latest on events organised near you:

http://www.pcs.org.uk/en/campaigns/campaign-events/events.cfm



NECESSARY LEAVE TO LOOK AFTER DEPENDENTS

Some advice in relation to the strikes next Thursday 30 June 2011 on the legal position regarding necessary leave to look after children or other dependents as many employers are trying to “blindside” employees by not telling them about the legal position in relation to time off.

Under S.57A Employment Rights Act 1996 (“ERA 1996”), employees have the right to take unpaid time off work, in certain circumstances, to care for or make arrangements in respect of a ‘dependant’. In order for the right to apply, the employee must:

(a) tell the employer the reason for his or her absence as soon as reasonably practicable; and

(b) if able, to contact the employer before returning to work, giving the employer an estimate of how long the absence will last.




The issue here is whether employees have had sufficient time to make alternate care arrangements. The legal test is whether it was ‘necessary’ and ‘unexpected’, and not as is often wrongly assumed, ‘sudden’ or in an emergency situation.

Therefore it is imperative that any employee who believes that they will have a difficulty in finding alternative care provision for their dependents during next week’s strike, must inform their employer as soon as possible. This will then give them protection from any potential disciplinary action. It should be noted that the right is only for unpaid leave. Companies may offer the choice of taking a day’s holiday instead, but this would be discretionary.

Please do all you can to support public sector workers. A victory for them is a win for a better future for all!

To keep you going until Thursday here is the Jam singing ‎"Kidney machines replaced by rockets and guns"... still so true 31 years later!

TUC March against the Cuts

Memo to the Metropolitan Police; The Right to Protest does not equal the Right to be Kettled. Perhaps it is timely to remind Lib Dems and other members of the Coalition of Opportunism who are pushing relentlessly the politics of dispossession and driving the country into stagnation what at the 2009 Lib Dem conference their then Justice spokesman David Howarth said:

"The ugly scenes of police aggression and intimidation witnessed at the G20 protests and the Kingsnorth demonstrations were a national disgrace. Tactics like baton charges, the seizure of personal property and the kettling of protestors for hours on end are fundamentally wrong. They are a threat to democratic rights; they cause distress and injury, increase tension, provoke reaction and damage the reputation of the police.



These tactics must change. The police must recognise the democratic right to protest and put the protection of the public first at all times."

The tactic is not actually legal. Almost every other European court that has examined the tactic has found that it cannot be justified - the police cannot legally detain hundreds or thousands of people indefinitely without probable cause. Only in the UK have the courts found that the ancient right to freedom from arrest without cause can be sacrificed in the name of "public safety." Thus, no legal standards apply - the police have and will kettle pregnant women, children, the sick, and the elderly for extended periods without access to basic necessities. No courts have shown a willingness to stop them so far.



We have reached a point in the UK where the police can do almost whatever they like, and even the Law Lords will not stop them. There is currently an application pending at the ECHR; perhaps our EU neighbours will save us from this abuse of power.



Remember, Dear Protestors, that the Police who are paid out of our taxes to protect us and to respect our right to protest at the TUC Rally against the cuts in London tomorrow are not like us. They will start their day under the quaint “Spanish Practices” agreed with the Police Federation with “Operational Feeding.” This will be the notorious “999 Breakfast”, many will be on triple time for working “Rostered Rest Days” which are agreed 9 months in advance and all will be entitled to have overtime calculated from the NOTIONAL time they clock on at their usual “Nick” to the NOTIONAL time they get back to their usual “Nick.”

Cuts or No Cuts, many of them will double their salary through a combination of overtime and restrictive practices. That is why “ordinary coppers” who claim they can’t live on their salaries are fighting through the thuggish Police Federation to protect their Redneck Rights to holiday homes in Spain / Florida and their Harley Davidson’s. It’s only right ‘innit that they are compensated for the abuse they get and are not forced to take kickbacks from the News of the World and former colleagues in “Security” for leaking confidential information?



To those taking part in the TUC March against the Cuts tomorrow there are two sources of advice to help you stay safe – Below is the Police’s own advice and then there is a new mobile app called SUKEY.

Here is what the Police say

“Containment will be very much a tactic of last resort. If it does become necessary, again we have responded to feedback, and now have a dedicated Chief Inspector to ensure the swift dispersal of innocent and vulnerable people and to ensure the needs of those contained are considered. We will communicate with those inside the containment via Twitter, as well as face to face communications with officers at the scene.

The MPS Twitter account @CO11MetPolice will be running for fast time communication updating information about the march, and responding to enquiries as appropriate. Leaflets will be handed out on the day of the march, and we will make use of dot matrix signs on the route. Our website has a dedicated page for the march and will be updated with information, including the route of the March, road closures and questions and answers on what to expect on the day.

We have launched a texting service; to register text the word police to 83123, for updates throughout the 26th March. We will be making use of Bluetooth technology, please switch yours on. Officers have already been out meeting and speaking with businesses and local communities affected by the route on the 26th.”


What is SUKEY?

To keep peaceful protesters informed with live protest information that will assist them in avoiding injury, in keeping clear of trouble spots and in avoiding unnecessary detention. The application suite gives maximum information to those participating in a demonstration so that they can make informed decisions, as well as to those following externally who may be concerned about friends and family.

It should make full use of the crowd in gathering information which is then analysed and handed back to the crowd.



If you find yourself in the unfortunate position of being detained here is a survival guide from a Police Officer!

http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2009/06/survival-guide-for-decent-folk.html

Tory Housing and Pension advice to the common people of Britain

IDS - Housing the common people

The UK's Work and Pensions Secretary, Iain Duncan Smith, has warned young people not to rely on home ownership to fund their retirement. Unveiling a radical overhaul of the state pension, the Work and Pensions Secretary said rising house prices were putting bricks and mortar out of reach. He added it was "absolutely imperative" that the Government took steps to "secure the position of the next generation" and encourage saving.


Swanbourne, Buckinghamshire

He added that 70 per cent of today's pensioners owned their own homes, but their grandchildren were "struggling to even get a foot on the housing ladder" because house prices for first-time buyers had risen by 40 per cent in real terms over the last decade. "The next generation will not be able to rely on bricks and mortar in the way their parents have been able to," he said. "It's no wonder our children are increasingly cynical about saving." Now Iain Duncan Smith happens to live not too far from the Sage's Castle in Buckinghamshire and I happen to know a bit about his own bricks and mortar.


Lord and Lady Cottesloe

This is such good advice from a person who when he was made redundant had the comfort and support of his father in law, John Fremantle, 5th Baron Cottesloe, who built and gave him a house on his 1,400 acres of land at Swanbourne, in North Buckinghamshire where IDS lives to this day. Iain Duncan Smith is married to Elizabeth "Betsy" Fremantle. As IDS observed during the Foot & Mouth epidemic, he understands the plight of the ordinary farmer. And no doubt the ordinary person made redundant who doesn't have the cushion of an aristocratic father-in-law?

His “ordinary farmer” father-in-law is the 5th Baron Cottesloe. He also inherited the Austrian noble title "Baron Fremantle", which is an authorised title in the United Kingdom by Warrant of April 27, 1932. He was Lord-Lieutenant of Buckinghamshire between 1984 and 1997. An Old Etonian and former naval commander, he owns the Swanbourne estate in Buckinghamshire, which includes the picture-postcard village of Swanbourne, complete with post office, village store, tea-rooms, prep school and houses, plus rolling acres of prime farmland. Lord and Lady Cottesloe live in the Old House, a manor house set in five acres. As Betsy is the Cottesloes' oldest child, the next village squire could be Iain Duncan Smith. Despite attempts by Tory Central Office to present him otherwise, Duncan Smith is resolutely upper class.


The Fremantle Family's Betsey Wynne Pub at Swanbourne.

The Pub’s name comes from Betsey, who married Thomas Fremantle when he was a sea Captain with the British Fleet in Naples, 1797. Horatio Nelson was the best man. From their prolific union stems the complete Fremantle line of distinguished Naval Officers, including three Admirals and the present head of the family, Lord Cottesloe, who lives at Swanbourne. IDS's wife is named after her and Fremantle, Swanbourne and Cottesloe in Western Australia are named after the family who claimed Western Australia for the crown and founded the Swan River Colony, today Perth.

IDS served as a British Army officer in the Scots Guards from 1975 to 1981 and his father was a Group Captain in the RAF. Intriguingly, given his wife's family wealth, his two homes, and his children going to public schools, Duncan Smith has complained that life as an MP had been "a financial disaster”. From his aristocratic marriage, military background, free house and personal wealth of over £1 million he is able to understand the hearts and minds of the ordinary men and women of Britain.


IDS cares about housing


Now let us in the spirit of the Tories Big Society all sing the first verse and chorus of the hoary old anthem “We are all in this together.”


http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23929767-pension-reform-pound-140-weekly-payments-in-major-overhaul-to-reward-savers.do

Big Society, Small Military?

Being republican with both a big and a small R the Celtic Sage is hardly an admirer of British militarism or imperialism. How could I be given their history in Ireland and my belief that the people are sovereign – I believe in being a citizen, not a subject? There is still too much unfinished business out there from the days of Empire which indicates that “Perfidious” and “Albion” are still two words which go together. Witness the shameful dispossession of the inhabitants of Diego Garcia, the abandonment of their allies against the Japanese the brave Karen people of Burma, their ignoring of the oppression of the Tamils in Sri Lanka since independence and the shabby racist treatment of ex Ghurkha soldiers and their families. Then there were the squalid post-colonial misadventures in Kenya, Aden, Cyprus and Suez to name a few which suggest “Our Boys” as they are known in gender prejudice Tabloid Land have frequently been ill used by politicians. Then there was the Mother of all Illegal Wars, where Britain was not just unconscious of the present in Iraq but apparently also unaware of its shameful past in that country.

http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2008/04/britain-in-iraq.html


Nevertheless if you are not a pacifist you accept that Britain needs Armed Forces which must be properly resourced. You must also accept that there is a special compact to look after members of the Services who are prepared to die or be maimed to defend you and I - The Military Covenant. However I doesn’t recall either the Great Empire Defenders aka The Tories of the Lib Dems who form the Coalition of Opportunism which is grinding the UK back to the Stone Age tell the electors “Elect us and we’ll destroy the Army, Navy and RAF!” Nope, I never heard that before the election, did you?



No siree this was not the election platform but yet the UK’s Armed Forces are being ritually disembowelled on parade grounds around the world as we write. The Flagship of the Royal Navy Carrier Ark Royal and the entire Harrier Jet Force are being scrapped, £4 Bn of Nimrod Spy Planes (ordered by Conservative, Michael Portillo when they were in last time) will never fly and are being cut up. In the most significant changes to Britain’s defences since the post-Suez review of 1957, ministers and officials plan to scrap large parts of the Armed Forces. The Services will lose up to 16,000 personnel, hundreds of tanks, scores of fighter jets and half a dozen ships.


HMS Ark Royal has been sunk! The Flagship of the Navy she was the fifth Royal Navy ship to bear the illustrious name of Queen Elizabeth the First’s flagship which led the defeat of the Spanish Armada.


But the RAF will bear the brunt of the planned cuts. The Air Force will lose 7,000 airmen – almost one sixth of its total staff – and 295 aircraft. The cuts will leave the Force with fewer than 200 fighter planes for the first time since 1914. In addition, the Navy will lose two submarines, three amphibious ships and more than 100 senior officers, along with 2,000 sailors and marines.


Your job is OK Son!

The Army faces a 40 per cent cut to its fleet of 9,700 armoured vehicles and the loss of a 5,000-strong brigade of troops. The defence review scaled back Britain’s Armed Forces over the next decade, leaving the UK with just one operational aircraft carrier, a smaller number of surface ships and a reduction of 42,000 MoD personnel. The dismantling of three existing Nimrod reconnaissance aircraft, which were close to completion at a cost of £4.1 billion, is one of the most embarrassing outcomes of the review.


£4.1 Billion of new Nimrod surveillance aircraft which have never flown being cut up and scrapped

One amazing feature of the Demolition Coalition so far is the compliant press coverage from the Murdoch and Tory Press. When you consider the acerbic and highly personalised disinformation campaign against Labour and its entire works before the May Election the docility of the right wing press in the face of swingeing Defence cuts is both incredible and hypocritical. Remember the highly personalised campaign against former PM Gordon Brown for not supporting “Our Boys.” Now we are told he supported them too much!



Labour’s “Cool Britannia” has been replaced by the LibCon’s “Cruel Britannia.” So the casual cruelty to the Armed Forces continues with career prospects being destroyed, RAF pilots who cost £4 M each to train being sacked with only short flying hours remaining before they get their wings, 100 long serving soldiers being sacked by email, Sea, Air, Rescue being privatised one week and the process abandoned the next and experienced pilots telling David Cameron to his face that he has destroyed their careers.



We have been here before under the Conservatives. Remember saved the cost of one Navy ship they withdrew from the Falkland Islands and it cost us an entire war! The Falklands War cost 255 men, six ships (ten others suffered varying degrees of battle damage), 34 aircraft and £2.778 billion. Another Conservative triumph of economic management! This current disembowelling of the armed forces is even more perverse because it is based on two big lies. One is that we need to replace Trident, the Cold War MAD (mutually assured destruction) system which will cost £34 Bn. And never be used. The other is the lie about the HUGE budget deficit. But the government’s budget projections do not take into account the selloff of the stakes in the banks rescued in the 2008 Credit Crunch at a cost of £37 Bn. For UK PLC’s stake in these banks. The perfidious nature of George Osborne’s projections means these are not included. So the country, including the armed forces is being wrecked to keep an Election Bribe to one side for 2015.


Big Society community based Defence Partnership

It is not just the Armed Forces which are not safe in the hands of the Tory / LibDem Coalition, the whole country is at risk. David Cameron is certainly standing behind "Our Boys and Girls" - in the queue at the Job Centre!

To see what serving members of the Armed Forces think of their treatment by the Government see;

www.roguegunner.com

The Big Dumb Society

David Cameron’s Big Idea conquered up in something of a hurry before the last election is a somewhat nebulous concept called “The Big Society.” Now as far as can be told this is in line with the Tory led Coalitions attack on the State and those who depend on it. Whereas Margaret Thatcher infamously said there is no such thing as Society, her ideological love child David Cameron” has used his PR skills to rebadge this as “The Big Society.” New name, same difference. Under the guise of volunteerism and greater private sector involvement the attack on Society has begun with vigour. So the Armed Forces are being ritually disembowelled on parade grounds around the world. The Flagship of the Royal Navy Carrier Ark Royal and the entire Harrier Jet Force are being scrapped, £4 Bn of Nimrod Spy Planes (ordered by Conservative, Michael Portillo when they were in last time) will never fly and are being cut up. University fees have been tripled and the privatisation of Education has begun with wholesale approval of “Independent Schools.” As for the NHS which the ConDem Coalition said was safe its budget is being drastically cut in real terms whilst being subject to wholly unproven and untested changes which were never in ANY Election Manifesto.



And in a continuing attack on communities and learning, libraries which account for less than 5% of Local Authority budgets are being closed wholesale. Education Secretary Michael Gove attempted to say his ‘reforms’ in education would favour poorer working class families, but now watches working class kids have their local library closed without a squeak of protest. There is little more sickening than watching well heeled public school and Oxbridge graduates like Cameron and Clegg, who had endless access to books and computers, telling workers that it is necessary to close libraries, while bankers and businessmen give themselves tax free bonuses after precipitating the crisis we are in.




Marsh's Library Dublin - A public library since 1701

Protesters have held "read-ins" and storytelling sessions at dozens of libraries across the UK to campaign against planned branch closures. At one library in south London the event has turned into an all-night sit-in involving about 35 protesters. Authors Philip Pullman and Mark Haddon were among those who took part in events elsewhere. Some councils have said keeping libraries open would put services for vulnerable and elderly people at risk. More than 450 libraries and mobile services across the country are currently threatened with closure.



New Cross Library

At New Cross Library, in south-east London, protesters taking part in an earlier "read-in" resolved to occupy the library overnight. Three security guards have been brought in to stay in the library with the group. Protester James Holland, of Save New Cross Library, told the BBC people had brought meals for the protesters, who were "sitting around playing Monopoly and Connect 4 and doing plenty of reading." I think with this occupation we are going to take the libraries campaign - and the anti-cuts campaign in general - to a whole new level. We are just not going to put up with these cuts," he said.

Other events during Saturday included a rally outside Bolton's central library and a flashmob book reading at Cambridge Central Library. Musician Billy Bragg sang and delivered a speech in Dorset, where library users attempted to take out the maximum number of books to empty shelves.


New Cross Library Occupation

Comic writer Gervase Phinn sent a statement to Bawtry library in South Yorkshire, describing books as "the architecture of a civilised society". He added: "Reading is the very protein of growth in learning. We must preserve our libraries. Have they thought through the impact of their messianic message about literature on the most vulnerable in our society?”

His Dark Materials author Philip Pullman has been particularly vocal over proposals to close 20 of Oxfordshire County Council's 43 libraries. He said the impact would not be easily measured. He said: "It's a kind of inward loss, a darkening of things, a narrowing of horizons that will gradually make us a less informed, less intelligent, less aware, less useful, less imaginative, less kindly people than we might have been."


Great Smith Street Library - Closed as it was too good for the common people

We have seen libraries being easy targets before. I remember when I was first living in London going to the wonderful Library in Great Smith St. Westminster, just beside the Department for Education and nearest public library to Parliament. Part of a complex which included public baths designed to improve the lot of working people it was a “proper” library with a cavernous and comfortable reading room. The Conservative Council sold it off, replaced it with a pokey (and now little used) library shop in its own offices in Victoria and it is now The Cinnamon Club, an upmarket restaurant of the type beloved by MP’s and Bureaucrats spending somebody else’s money.






My second home when I was at school - Drumcondra Library, Dublin

In my home town of Dublin our oldest public library, Marsh’s, which opened in 1701 is still going strong including the “cages” where readers of rare books were locked in! After school I used to cycle down to Drumcondra Library where the world awaited and real human librarians could always point a young student in the right direction. Built by the City Council to a distinctive design I was delighted to see on a recent trip home it has been refurbished and modernised. Libraries are centres of adult learning, of computer access for those who can't afford their own, of vital services and support in areas of severe deprivation.

Isaac Asimov summed it up;

"My real education, the superstructure, the details, the true architecture, I got out of the public library. For an impoverished child whose family could not afford to buy books, the library was the open door to wonder and achievement, and I can never be sufficiently grateful that I had the wit to charge through that door and make the most of it. Now, when I read constantly about the way in which library funds are being cut and cut, I can only think that the door is closing and that society has found one more way to destroy itself."

How dare the ConDems suggest that they are creating a "Big Society?" It's a complete con for public services like libraries which are not there for “profit”but for quality. Libraries are at the very heart of communities - lifelines for so many people. Asimov would turn in his grave if he knew what was happening. There is a vast list of writers who have educated themselves through using public libraries. Libraries offer so much to people- the best things in life are free- and we should preserve our marvellous heritage. British public libraries are admired worldwide, indeed The Brirish library describes itself as "The World's Library." So, if it ain't broke, why fix it?