POLITICS CORNER

[Stanley]

What I am asking for is a fair deal. At the moment wages are continuing to fall behind inflation from a low base start. How many people in the lower 50percentile now get a living wage? I can remember when a single wage at 15.5p an hour kept my wife at home and paid a mortgage on a seven acre farm. Those were glory days compared with today.
Did you see George Osborne on TV last night promising Scotland greater powers? Salmond says they are panicking, if not, why not make the promises before the postal votes went out? I think he has a point!
Lots of talk about what Russian aims are in Ukraine. It seems to me that at the back of Putin's mind is establishing a land route to the Crimea. But what the hell do I know about these matters!
Later... An interesting discussion on Today with the representative of the TUC on the news that the government has been accused of pursuing a 'Downton Abbey' model of society. (LINK). John Humphrys' line of argument was that this is the politics of envy and things were always thus. The TUC say that things are getting worse but I think it would be better if they said why. Anybody who has read and understood Piketty is now aware that the big problem is that the upper 10% of the economy are getting rents and returns on their capital greater than GDP or anything that can be achieved by normal savings. This means that they are sucking money out of the lower 90%, increasing their capital and further strengthener their position. The curve of projected GDP and interest rates for the next decades can't match this upper echelon profit. There are only two logical conclusions, either a global wealth tax or simple revolution. In the absence of one of these the imbalance and inequality will continue to grow and the pressures increase. In the meantime the lowest 50% will be driven into relative penury. This is the question that needs to be addressed, even if austerity cuts were abandoned tomorrow, the situation can't improve.

[Stanley]

I was listening to Toto Wolff, boss of the Mercedes team and, talking about the Rosberg/Hamilton controversy, he said that strange things happened inside 'the insanity of the bubble'. I like the phrase and suspect that it could equally apply to what is happening at Westminster at the moment. Say what they will, there is more than a hint of panic in what is happening at the moment. The realisation is beginning to dawn, this is a seismic moment in the affairs of the country. Will Cameron go down in history as the man who gave Scotland away?
Did you notice that amongst the bribes was a virtual promise to nationalise Scotrail, the phrase used was 'non profit making'.
Also noticeable is the absence of Blair in all this. Any chance of Chilcot report soon?

[Stanley]

Looking further afield the expectation is that the US will soon announce a policy for 'dealing with' Islamic State. Why do my back hairs start to rise? Apart from a simple desire to dominate, one of the main factors is religious difference and no amount of military activity can alter this. I only see one prospect here, an internecine war between the various Sunni factions which seems to have started already. This seems to have started already and might weaken IS internally. I don't buy the supposed unity in the new Iraq government and still see the ultimate outcome as a realignment of borders and allegiances very close to the Old Mesopotamia before we started interfering in the early 20th century. I hate to say it but the best solution could be to let the situation sort itself out and accept the barbarity of that. We should concentrate on stopping the infection spreading. I hate having to say that......

[Tizer]

...the best solution could be to let the situation sort itself out and accept the barbarity of that. We should concentrate on stopping the infection spreading. I hate having to say that......

...But I have to agree with you.

Will Cameron go down in history as the man who gave Scotland away?

Shades of George III and America?

[Thomo]

I also agree about containment, passionately. At the same time I do not agree that this is all "our" fault. We are constantly told here that "We" started this, or are the cause of the current problem. Not being a scholar I still believe that this goes way beyond whatever happened in the Middle East and this Country's involvement. The origins were more religious than political and go further back than the Crusades to people like Genghis Kahn. Assistance to religious communities predates political interference. Whilst history has a lot to offer, what has now become a major issue demands modern solutions. "IS", have already stated that they want an Islamic world, and appear to be prepared to do whatever they believe to be appropriate to achieve this, regardless of the terrible loss to those of their own original faith and the impact on other Islamic communities. Already some of those from this country who went to Syria and Iraq are seeking amnesty, and wish to come back here without being called to account, this we do not need. If their community wants to live here in peace, they need to adjust, and assist the rest of us to put an end to issues such as this. The recent problems in Yorkshire underline this to an extent, the Police and the welfare section are under massive attack, yet they are constantly told to "back off" when it comes to racial problems, the race card! The parents of the victims and the families of they who abused them also have a responsibility, as indeed do the victims themselves, they did not need to do this, being manipulated is easy to overcome, if one has self determination. We have a friend in Burnley who has a Young Daughter, calls to the father "where is your little Girl now" where a frequent event, soon stopped when she was "grounded".
Different faiths have their own sets of rules, this most of us appreciate, yet in order to achieve a peaceful balance, the majority has to be taken into consideration. If we are so bad, why come here!

[Stanley]

Three English politicians went to Scotland.... Err, that's about it really. One thing is clear, in the political chicanery stakes, Alex Salmond has run rings round them. 11 days until the vote....

[Stanley]

President Obama announces he is going to poke a stick in the Middle East hornet's nest again. He says there will be no 'boots on the ground' only about 500 'advisers'. Now where have I heard that one before....
Later, I have just heard a report from the CIA that there are three times more IS fighters than previously thought. That's handy for the move to intervene.....

[Tizer]

The Aussies have raised their terror alert level. They're now having the same Islamist concerns as we have.

[Thomo]

There cannot be many places on Earth where there is not some level of concern. One problem is that it is easy to confuse Islamist with Islamic, not good for the non extremist Islamic people. The latter need to give up their bad apples and co-operate with host nations for their own safety. This of course is a big ask, yet the same applies to the recent events in places like Rotherham. Here, blaming the Police and Council Officials will not solve the problem, thanks to political correctness, bodies such as these have their hands tied, surely the root cause is lack of parental control, kids, like pets are not disposable items.

[Tizer]

On a more local issue, many of you will recall the Localism Act introduced in November 2011. The Local Government Association says: "The aim of the act was to devolve more decision making powers from central government back into the hands of individuals, communities and councils." Well, two years on either it hasn't appeared or it's been and gone already. A developer has sought planning permission to build houses on what was the pub car park in the centre of our village which means there is parking for only about six cars at the pub and yet there will be more cars at the new houses. The pub stands on a main A class trunk road opposite the primary school and shop and between two side lanes where traffic is already a problem. The Post Office is on the corner of one of the lanes too. The big issue is the risk to the safety of pedestrians and drivers due to the traffic jams and the difficulty of getting cars in and out of the lanes. The pub owner sold the car park to the developer and used the money to spruce up what was a tatty pub and is aiming to attract more customers (which seems the wrong time to sell your car park!). Everyone except the developer is against the plan and it was rejected by the council planners. He applied again and was rejected again. But then he `got someone in from London' who over-turned the planners' decision and now it's going ahead. The District Council says it can't afford to fight the decision. So there we are, whatever happened to `localism'? (Incidentally, the `man from London' didn't meet with the Parish Council and his report shows some lack of knowledge of the situation in the village.)

[Whyperion]

Ombudsman referal suitable if 'London' planner has made judgement on error (or missing) facts?

[Stanley]

Dead right Tiz. It is still with us and as far as the government is concerned it's working well. Problem is that the intention was never to devolve power but to shift responsibility. Where it suited central government, responsibility for vital social services was dropped completely on local authorities, where it didn't, in areas like housing and education power was removed. At the same time funding was cut by capping Council Tax and reducing direct grants. The result was win win for central government, shifting the blame for things that didn't go well and cutting the cost to Whitehall of central government. Even where they gave power to a local council they handicapped them by interfering. Perhaps the best example of this is London Transport, theoretically London ids in charge of its own transport but allowing private bus companies in and interfering in Tube contracts meant that in many areas the London Council hadn't really got control.
Bottom line is that the trend over the last decades has been to shift responsibility and reduce funding. Same principle can be seen in outsourcing of vital government services like procurement for the MOD.

[Stanley]

Brenda quietly has her say..... Cameron is on his way North again today. Not long now until we find out what the verdict is. It doesn’t really matter as far as we are convened because whatever the result politics will change in England as well as Scotland on the principle that if it's good enough for Scotland it's good enough for us!.

[Stanley]

One of the most striking aspects of the contest in Scotland is how Godron has reinvented himself. He is leading the NO campaign and one wonders whether this is his re-entry into high level government. If so, it's a real Lazarus moment!
I note that the military have joined in now warning that England's defence will suffer if we lose our assets North of the Border. This causes me no problems at all. High time we stopped this stupid effort to 'punch above our weight' and retain a place at 'the top table'. This is a sham anyway, it's based on spending billions on weapons we can't use and a rapidly shrinking army. Time to cut our clothes to suit our cloth.
On a peripheral matter, there's an advert on CBS plugging Ross Kemp as an SAS superhero. The voice over goes "The best sergeant in the best regiment in the best army in the world". I'm sorry, much as I admire our soldiers this is macho crap and there is far too much of it about. I'll take a small bet that the squaddies are laughing at it as well!

[Thomo]

A bald head, and a cockney accent do not a special forces operative make. Some of these people live amongst us, and you can never really tell who they are. The ones who were not, wear it like a badge, this is not how it works! Reserve SAS personnel are more likely to talk freely than their regular counterparts, whereas anyone with SBS connections does not talk at all. Nor, despite popular belief, are they all magnificent physical specimens, covered in tattoo's. Quiet, and often unassuming, the really good ones are without doubt the best there is, macho, is not how they are, but they are extremely good at what they are asked to do, these are people that Hollywood can only dream about.

[Stanley]

I know of one in Scotland. Little quiet bloke but definitely dangerous. Never spoke.
Listening to the referendum results, NO campaign has a slight edge at the moment. Turnout is stunning, possibly over 85%.
By shortly after 5AM it was obvious that the NO campaign had won by about 54% to 46% on a uniformly high turnout. Attention now turns to what this means as the fact that almost half the population voted YES. Add in that many who voted NO were also not satisfied with the amount of control from Westminster and it all points to a volatile period in UK politics. Also, the question is being asked about whether the massive changes that will inevitably come can be agreed and put in place before the 2015 General Election. Interesting times.....

[David Whipp]

Me and Tony Greaves have tabled the following for the Pendle council meeting next Thursday:

Motion for Council
Mover: Tony Greaves. Seconder: David Whipp
Pendle Council
(a) notes the result of the Scottish referendum;
(b) notes and welcomes the increasing public discussion on the possible devolution of powers and finance to the North of England, and its possible implications for people in Pendle;
It calls on the Government and all the political parties to develop policies to achieve this, and in particular resolves
(1) that the present imbalance in power, investment, development, and culture between London and the South-east, and regions such as the North of England, is bad for both, and for the country as a whole;
(2) that the necessary devolution of powers and finance to the North of England must be done in ways that enhance and strengthen local democratic bodies;
(3) that the clear imbalance in government and related investment between London and the South East, and regions such as the North of England, is unacceptable and must be removed;
(4) that the North of England is more than just the large cities, and the many areas that are not within clear city regions - such as East Lancashire (Pennine Lancashire) - must also gain greater powers and finance in order to build successful and prosperous futures;
(5) that district Councils such as Pendle, with a record of experience and resources in the areas of regeneration and economic development, have an important role to play in these areas, individually and in partnership with other bodies.
Note: Resolution when passed to be sent to LCC and all Lancashire Unitary and District Councils and MPs, to the PM and DPM, DCLG and BIS, to the LGA, and to the main political parties.

[Stanley]

Good work and sound common sense. The imbalance between London and the rest particularly is a disgrace. Remember me warning about the Law of Unforeseen Consequences? This is exactly what I meant and will not be the only area where 'problems' will arise for the Westminster Bubble. I can hear the right wing Tories shuffling around in the background getting ready for the fight against giving Scotland anything without a quid pro quo for England. This will be, if it happens, a massive misreading of what has happened.

[Stanley]

Godron assures the troops that the timetable for additional powers will be adhered to but what he can't guarantee is that all the promises will be kept. There are already undercurrents of criticism about Westminster reneging on promises and commentators point out that the changes are so complicated that they can't possibly be completed on time. One commented that a senior civil servant had said to him that the rest of his career was now mapped out, he will be dealing with devolution until he retires. All this leaves aside the scale and timetable of the changes which are going to be demanded by the English electorate.
Meanwhile, it's noticeable how quiet UKIP is. They are watching and waiting.

[Stanley]

Labour are in deep doo doo because Cameron's tactic of concentrating on the Midlothian Question means that, if he is successful, they lose the power of the Scottish Labour vote. The consequence is that in interviews with members attending the party conference, whenever this subject is raised, we get hyper levels of evasion and obfuscation. It's smart politics on Cameron's part but does nothing for the main event which needs addressing, the devolution of power to Scotland and what is, in effect, English Home Rule. Once again, politics is taking precedence over good governance.

[David Whipp]

As far as we're concerned, an English Parliament will just concentrate more power into London and the south east.

What we need is devolution that'll benefit us locally.

[Stanley]

I agree David. Read my NOP on inequality and control. Westminster is an octopus which does everything it can to accumulate, maintain and expand the power of the politicians. In the late 19th century, despite the overall laisser faire attitude which allowed the capital owners to hold power over the workers, local government had amazing power to borrow and run their own affairs. This was how we got modern utilities, services, housing, education and transport. It worked and we can see the results. This is the type of freedom that's needed now.
Listened to the Labour spokesman (Milliband or Ball?) on Today and he kept referring to 'tough economic choices'. Thing that struck me was that they were all piddling changes that affect the poor. What we need is some tough choices on fripperies like Trident, Aircraft carriers, defence in general and transport policy for a start. The thing that is obvious is that the current policies are not working. However, as we see now, the politicians shy away from anything that will adversely affect their power, their 'place at the top table', 'punching above our weight', 'the special relationship'. High time we took a reality check and realised that we are in a different time and need different mechanisms. I would go as far as saying that there are certain areas where politicians should be barred from interfering. Let the people who run those areas make the decisions.

[Stanley]

Looking at the news that air strikes on Syria have started using a coalition of US and Arabic States forces, it strikes me that the Arabic States have most to gain because if the IS Caliphate is established it threatens all those in Islam who disagree. They will eventually become targets. Have a look at this LINK for some history. The concept of a Caliphate has always been contentious, indeed this was the main reason it died for so long. There is much talk about the threat to the West but the danger for the Arabic States is even more pressing.
Noticeable that Assad is, up to now, keeping quiet. The assumption is that he was not consulted but one has to wonder what is happening. I would be surprised if there has not been some 'back channel' communication. Co-operation with the Syrian regime is a hot potato in the West, any moves would be very secretive.

[Tizer]

Some wealthy private individuals in the Gulf states have been funding IS, while the states have been denying that any money goes from their country to the terrorists. Even so, I'd wondered why the Gulf states didn't do more to counter them. Now I read that it's because they don't have the capacity. They've got a lot of military hardware from the USA but, except for Saudi Arabia, they don't have the trained soldiers to use it.

[Stanley]

They've been too busy making $trillions out of oil sales and relying on the West for military protection AKA Kuwait and Saddam. Perhaps they are now realising that in this case they could be the biggest losers. Depressing watching those Cruise missiles leaping of the decks of warships. Remind you of anything? We get the usual rhetoric about precision and smart weapons but we all know that there is bound to be 'collateral damage'. A hateful euphemism for civilian deaths.
Much criticism of Ed for a) boring his audience into insensibility and b) forgetting to mention the deficit. Try as he might he never sounds sincere or passionate to me. My problem of course is that I can remember some of the greats..... Find a clip of Bevan, Churchill or Kennedy and then compare and contrast. No contest. Read Crossman and note that he always had a roadmap for his set piece speeches and even if he went off piste, always made sure he got the salient points in.