It’s good news that the nurses have received a pay offer which will hopefully mean no more strikes. They are the last people who should be driven to taking such drastic action. It is shocking, however, that the money for their pay settlement will have to be found from existing NHS budgets at the sameContinue reading Rewards for the Rich
I wrote this column before the Chancellor’s speech but, thanks to pre-budget leaks, the content is hardly a state secret. He has more money to play with than anticipated and is likely to target areas where opinion polls show Labour taking a lead. He’ll relax staff/child ratios for nurseries. It’s been done in Scotland withContinue reading Finding Holes in the Budget
The Works and Pensions Select Committee is currently conducting an inquiry into jobs. There are three main issues.: shortages in key areas affecting growth and outcomes, too few people with the right skills, and deprivation which limits opportunity. Our inquiry is considering how other countries are dealing with these problems. One of our biggest concernsContinue reading Introducing Mentors
In a TV debate last week, I almost fell off the chair when the Tory MP claimed hers was the party of law and order. Recorded crime has hit a 20 year high, with over 6.3 million crimes but a mere 5.6% resulting in prosecution. One of the more sickening statistics is that only 1.3%Continue reading Crime: Turn Back Time
Racism and prejudice affect all cultures and societies, and the temptation to look for scapegoats in times of difficulty is not unusual. A sense of unfairness, lack of reward for honest work and justice for those trying to do the right things is currently impacting on the normal tolerance of British people. In 2019, antisemitismContinue reading No Place for Fearmongering
Events at a hotel housing asylum seekers in Liverpool are a reminder of what happens when government loses control of something like immigration and those bent on trouble take the law into their own hands. This government has been talking tough on immigration for thirteen years. During that time, the criminal gangs have multiplied andContinue reading A Fair Asylum System
First, Boris Johnson was driven from office because even his own MPs could no longer tolerate his lies. Then we suffered the Liz Truss disaster, resulting in chaos in the markets, threats to pensions, increases in mortgages and rents, and the highest tax burden in 70 years. It’s easy to see how Tory MPs mustContinue reading Falling Apart
The Tories have been in charge for thirteen years. During that time we’ve seen the NHS driven to the verge of collapse, our schools are falling apart, the police and justice system is in turmoil, and homelessness has reached crisis point. Still this government denies responsibility and looks elsewhere for scapegoats. At the 2019 electionContinue reading Birmingham’s Bids Binned
When will this government address the problems of damp and mould in housing, so starkly revealed by the coroner’s findings in the tragic death of two-year-old Awaab Ishack? I’m horrified at the condition of properties which constituents of mine, with young children, are being forced to live in. It reminds me of the BBC dramaContinue reading Housing Reaches Crisis Point
In his first public address of the New Year, the Prime Minister made five pledges which he says are the foundations for a better future. After thirteen years, aren’t we entitled to more than laying the foundations? He says he’ll half inflation before the end of the year which, as Chancellor, he let rip. OfContinue reading We Deserve a Lot Better
