POLITICS CORNER

[Stanley]

Some nice by-play in PMQs about the fact that the man who maintains Mr Cameron's comb-over featured in the New Year's honours list.
Did anyone notice Cameron putting his foot in it again yesterday? He praised Duggan's mother for advocating peaceful protest against the verdict that the shooting of her son was lawful. Now I suppose that what he was really doing was trying to smooth over the situation on the estate which could possibly lead to a repetition of the riots. However, has he lost sight of the fact that this man was a known criminal living on the edge, associating with gangs and gun culture and regardless of his messy end, not really a good advertisement for maintenance of the law or good parenting. Shouldn't the PM leave this subject to the police and the agencies? He seems incapable of letting a bandwagon go past without jumping on it. This is displacement activity and is an attempt to deflect attention from the really serious national problems we are seeing develop as his economic policies build up massive problems in society.

[Thomo]

Same day, different bandwagon!

[Stanley]

I'm getting thoroughly fed up of Plebgate.... Let's see what actually happened. Stroppy MP comes out of Downing Street in a bad temper and tries to pull rank to get main gate opened for a bike. Doesn't work so he loses his temper and swears at the Bobbies. Media joins in row and some stupid bobbies elsewhere see the chance of getting some exposure for their long-running battle with government who seem to have gone out of their way to alienate the police in the last two years. (See Stanley comments passim). They tell lies, it all escalates from a playground quarrel to a full-blown Parliamentary issue. In steps the Met Commissioner and does his job supporting his men. Only problem is he did it before he had the full facts. Now they are talking about his resignation and to hear the Tory supporters of the egregious Mitchell you'd think he was the second coming and not a man who couldn't control his temper. Never mind, given the history of both the Home Office and the police, this was bound to happen anyway, if it hadn't been Plebgate it would have been something else. The bottom line is that the right wing of the Coalition want more control of the police and this is a bad thing.

On a more local matter. There have been some very good letters in the BET of late questioning government policies, the relentless up beat messages from our MP and the solidity of the economic miracle. I decided to join in and sent them this letter yesterday. Don't know if they will publish of course...

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Thanks to both Kevin Hey and David Penney for airing the subject of the alternative view of the 'economic miracle'. I support everything they say including misgivings about our MP's relentless on-message reports from the house. I'd like to add my worries about other aspects of modern life, the relentless growth in gambling, both on-line and in the main street, pawn shops, high interest loans and food banks. These are all evidence of breakdown in modern society fuelled by economic policies which completely exclude the lower 50% of the population. The society I was lucky enough to be reared in valued hard work and paid a living wage. We were thrifty, we didn't borrow to sustain a life style beyond our means and funnily enough, even though we are told today that the industries we worked in were totally out of date, we had job security and in the main, happy working conditions. When we left school we went straight into work, all right, they were menial jobs and the wages were low but we were learning the disciplines of punctuality, regular attendance and how to work effectively. The better jobs came later with merit.
I feel sorry for the young today. I can never remember a time, even in the dark days after WW2, when the prospects were so bad. We are promised pie in the sky but everyone knows that this regression in living standards will last for at least another ten years and during the course of it we will see the reinforcement of the Two Nations, the haves and the have nots.
This raises my ultimate worry. Is what we are seeing a permanent alteration in the rules of engagement with life? Can society as we knew it survive this constant grinding down of standards? We all know about the Law of Unintended Consequences, my fear is that in the rush back to 19th century laissez faire capitalism we shall re-create the conflict in society that did not end until the Labour government of 1945 made the first steps towards creating a more equitable and secure society where people no longer had to live in fear of old age, disability, ill health or the workhouse.
Yes. You are right. I am angry!

Stanley Challenger Graham
East Hill Street
Barnoldswick

10/01/14

[Tardis]

Transferred all fracking decisions from Westminster to Borough planning officers?

[Stanley]

Deathly hush at Westminster about the Romanian flood but this doesn't stop arguments about immigration. I heard an interesting argument last night from an academic who pointed out that the usual track for many immigrants was that they were educated at their home country’s expense, came here for their working life and paid taxes than, when they were getting to the stage where they would be eligible of pensions and more likely to need medical intervention, many retire to their home country. Looked at like this they are a win-win acquisition for the host country. Sounds like a valid point of view.

[Tizer]

On a more local matter. There have been some very good letters in the BET of late questioning government policies, the relentless up beat messages from our MP and the solidity of the economic miracle. I decided to join in and sent them this letter yesterday. Don't know if they will publish of course.

They'd be daft not to publish something so well written and thought provoking as your letter. Thanks for writing it and for putting it on here for others like me, in far distant places, to see and to relish.

[Thomo]

I believe that when it comes down to local matters, there is more than just one set of opinions in Barnoldswick, and possibly not the one so often portrayed here. This Town has more strings to its bow than what may have been on the played on the instrument of the past. Many of us here can see all sides of an argument and are more than capable of making our own minds up, whether this be at local or national level, and when things do not work out as we hoped that they would, we are still able to look at the greater picture and consider the possible impact of a change.

[Stanley]

Thanks Tiz. But you never know... Experience and history show that when income balance shifts to the extent it has over the last twenty years there are repercussions in society which are slow to occur and even slower to re-balance. That's what I see in the recent trends and it's worrying. The rabid right wing hammers the unemployed for being work shy and at the same time gives them benefits which subsidise low wages and industry. Where is the reward for being a good and conscientious worker today?
I not Robert Gates chiding us for cutting back on the armed forces and hinting that it will damage UK/US relationship. Really? What happened to the Peace Dividend everyone was citing at the end of 'The Cold War'/ Could it be that our political systems are so bereft of good policies that they can only function by spending on arms to keep the economy going? Try transferring that defence spend to disposable incomes and then watch what happens to manufacturing industry, it will react to increased demand and blossom. Show me one instance of a foreign war leading to a positive result since 1945. (With the possible exception of Bosnia) For that matter, show me a war that the US won.....
I note that crime figures are now officially unreliable. (LINK)
I can't help viewing Lord Renard's attempts to re-enter public life as being ill advised.

[Tardis]

I believe that when it comes down to local matters, there is more than just one set of opinions in Barnoldswick, and possibly not the one so often portrayed here. This Town has more strings to its bow than what may have been on the played on the instrument of the past. Many of us here can see all sides of an argument and are more than capable of making our own minds up, whether this be at local or national level, and when things do not work out as we hoped that they would, we are still able to look at the greater picture and consider the possible impact of a change.

I agree

[plaques]

I agree

I'm all for people having a different opinion to me, even if they are wrong !
Thomo, With luck Barlick will continue in its present state of suspended animation until the Fan blade at RR ceases to be a strategic item. Then its fingers crossed and like Mr Micawber's optimism, "hope that something turns up".
The Pendle core strategy on Barlick quotes.

7.42 There is clear evidence that the local economy remains over-reliant on a manufacturing sector that
is currently fuelled by a small concentration of specialised advanced manufacturing businesses,
many of whom are highly dependent on the Rolls-Royce facility in Barnoldswick. Continued support
for this high value added sector is essential, but diversification of the local economic base is also
important in helping to make the area more resilient to future economic downturns.

[Tripps]

Quite worrying to see on TV earlier this week, that the Chinese, having already assembled 150 Airbus aircraft - 'on time and to full safety standards' - are now producing their own aircraft from scratch. Ryanair are already taking a look. I also saw that they have five times as many genome sequencing setups than there are here in Cambridge at the Sangar Institute. They have cloned industrial quantities of pigs, and are now working on 'any animal that's cute or you can eat '.
19C British - 20thC American - 21stC Chinese? Looks inevitable.

[Stanley]

P. you're right. In 1913 everyone thought the cotton industry would last forever, same mind set. There are massive changes taking place in the global economy and according to the politicians shifting paper round will do it for the UK. They don't seem to realise that it has got beyond the writing being on the wall, it is quite plain that economic power has moved East. Meanwhile the Coalition drags us back to the 19th century....
Our biggest problem in the UK is that we believe our own PR. Ask anyone who won WW2 and the vast majority will say us, some will mention the US but how many will say that it was Russia that bled the Germans dry on the Eastern Front and lost at least 35million lives in the process? That was never part of the official story and so it is ignored. At the moment the PR is that the UK is recovering from 2008 faster than any other economy. It's cloud cuckoo land..... all based on more and more debt and a complete disregard of the plight of at least 50% of the population. Like it or not, the truth is that we will have to pay the price in the end.

[Stanley]

So, the government admits that when it said they were spending more on flood prevention than Labour they were wrong.

[Tripps]

"it is quite plain that economic power has moved East."

Perhaps qucker than even I imagined. This new gold coin has the Queens head on the front, and a rather nice horse, with a Chinese character on the reverse. A snip at just under £800 each.

"For 2014 The Royal Mint launches a series of Lunar coins, fusing ancient tradition with British craftsmanship: the Shengxiao Collection. There is a maximum mintage of 30,000 pieces. The coins are U.K.legal tender and are therefore CGT exempt. "

If you can't beat 'em, join 'em.

[Thomo]

From "P"
"I'm all for people having a different opinion to me, even if they are wrong "!

How nice it is for everyone to know that you are so sure of yourself, with an unassailable belief that you are always right, and anyone who does not agree is not wordly enough to understand.

And.

"Thomo, With luck Barlick will continue in its present state of suspended animation until the Fan blade at RR ceases to be a strategic item. Then its fingers crossed and like Mr Micawber's optimism, "hope that something turns up".

Last night we watched the today prog, and at one motor manufacturers the plea was for more graduate engineers, University to Office an a single leap, no mention of a workforce to support this advance in progress. Here in Barlick, the main workforce that has supported Rolls Royce and other engineering works for many years, learned their skills on the shop floor, and most could adapt to whatever they were asked to produce, from aerospace through tractors to sewing machines. This generation of true engineers is being replaced by a vacuum of people who do not appear to understand that in order to make something useful, you may just have to get your hands dirty. Technology has replaced some of the more mundane features of the shop floor, now at the push of a button, it is possible to produce something that you do not fully understand. If, you are correct, It is not just Barlick that is in suspended animation. The Rolls Royce facility here is recorded as being the most advanced unit of its kind on Earth, and life does not end with the single crystal wide chord fan blade, if that were to be the case then Bankfield would have closed many years ago, Rolls Royce do not make just jet engines, and many of the other diverse products had their origins right here in the Town that you appear to see as almost redundant. Of course, it could always become the foreign takeaway capitol of the North, but only if "we" let it, and Hope did turn up!

[plaques]

Thomo, I like to think that I have confidence in my own opinion based on a number of facts. My own experience, listening to others and then watching what happens. I’m not that bigoted not to listen even when I know them to be wrong. Which is not quite the same as thinking they should be totally ignored. People who are sincere in there views are always worth listening to.

Rolls Royce Barlick had many first class engineers who knew what they were doing and pulled RR out of the 1971 bankruptcy. As a company they still lead the field. The Fan blade is a strategic item which currently no other firm makes and the manufacturing techniques are a closely guarded secret. However, should this technique ever be copied or superseded by future technology then global pressures may force RR to think again about the Barlick site. Personally, I hope this never happens.

[Stanley]

See this LINK for news of Edwina Currie opening her moth and putting her foot in it by saying that food bank users spend their money on tattoos and dog food.
See this LINK for news that the egregious Lord Rennard is refusing the accept the findings of the disciplinary committee that the accusations levelled against him were broadly credible if not capable of legal proof. He is trying to get back into the upper echelons of the Lib Dems and it is not a pretty sight. The most likely outcome is another enquiry accusing him of damaging the party by refusing to accept that his antediluvian views on women are not acceptable.
Both these matters make one wonder what the mind set is in the Westminster Bubble. Is there no normal behaviour there? Would any reasonable person support either of these people? Where are the ethics and principles?

[Stanley]

“This is the equivalent of a few years ago, an Italian man pinching a woman’s bottom. How much more must this man be made to suffer through the media condemnation that comes out day after day fed by the party leadership?” So says Chris Davies in defence of Rennard. Apart from the fact that bottom pinching is regarded as sexual harassment in Italy what does this say about male attitudes towards women in public life? Haven't they grasped the fact that women are no longer chattels but equal partners in law? God help any woman who has to deal with dinosaurs like these.
The big problem for the Lib Dems is of course that they have no sanctions against Rennard, his narrow legal argument actually stands up and if it was tested in court he would win. As long as these antediluvian attitudes are allowed to persist in public life we will have repetitions of this sort of problem. In case you haven't guessed already, I am with the women on this one and wish them well..... One thing is certain, Rennard is doing terrible damage to not only his public image but that of the Lib Dem Party and attitudes to women in the Westminster Bubble.

[Stanley]

It looks as though the Lib Dems have seen the light and excluded Rennard. However, like all bullies and cowards he is doing the predictable thing, threatening to dig the dirt on the women who snitched on him. This looks like a totally dishonourable man trying to hang on to political power. The dirty side of politics. Dangerous strategy of course, suppose the media goes digging in his past? Will he be squeaky clean? Meanwhile, his Party suffers. This is a boil that needs lancing.
An un-named peer asserts that half the peers have pinched a woman's bottom in their time. So this makes it OK?

[plaques]

Newsnight last night with Jeremy Paxman. As an outside observer I was impress with Lord Tony Greaves and his assessment of the situation. Unlike most politicians he gave a honest answer to Paxman's questions. Careful not to take sides in this dispute he offered up possibly the least damaging solution. Unfortunately, as is the case in these disputes, its not until the participants realize that there can be no outright winner do they resort to some kind of "peace process". Lets hope that common sense prevails and get back to dealing with the real problems that this country faces.

[Stanley]

I'll second that P!

[Tripps]

I can't help thinking that there must be some Liberal Ladies who did not reject Mr Reynards advances, and obtained preferment.

[Stanley]

Sorry about this but you reminded me of the vivid image given by one woman of relations with a certain obese politician. She said "Imagine a wardrobe falling on you with the key still in the lock". (Yes, I apologise profusely, don't know what came over me....)

[Tripps]

That would be Nicholas Soames?

I saw Baroness Boothroyd in Tesco last week. Not seen her for a while, and I must report that she looked very well. A little older, and a little lighter, but striding out purposefully. I wonder how she would have responded to any such advances. A little more robustly than a highly veiled threat of legal action I think.

[Stanley]

Quite!
We are under another barrage of dodgy statistics and statements following the miraculous fall in unemployment to 7.1%. No mention of why half of the employed are on Income Credit because of inadequate wages. No mention of how many of these 'jobs' result in a living wage. No mention of the erosion of employment rights like guaranteed hours, sick pay, overtime rates, or even contracts of employment. No mention of the levels of insecurity and the damage this does. No mention of the growing gap between disposable income and the costs of living. No mention of the fact that the raw inflation figure bears no relationship to the real inflation rate of essentials like transport, energy and food, the main components of the spend of 50% of the families in Britain. No mention of the fact that these are crude statistics and only apply to those who are in the system.
In other words, no mention of any policies aimed at alleviating the damage that is being done to society which will eventually come back to haunt us. Sorry, in case you haven't got my message I have no confidence at all in this 'recovery'.