Archive for August, 2010

Monday News Review

16/08/2010, 07:30:29 AM
 

Milburn: not getting off lightly

More Milburn

Contenders for the Labour leadership will probably be more guarded in their language but would be equally displeased since they might have expected to use the talents of Milburn in opposition.
Leadership contender Andy Burnham said that if Milburn accepted the job it would be a “kick in the teeth” to Labour supporters. – The Guardian.

Health Emergency campaign information director John Lister warned that Mr Milburn is a free-market “fundamentalist.”  “Milburn’s the one who introduced neoliberal policies in the NHS – clearly he’s been brought in to do a similar job in terms of social mobility,” said Mr Lister. Former deputy prime minister Lord Prescott branded Mr Milburn a “collaborator.” Communist Party of Britain general secretary Robert Griffiths was more blunt. “The rats have left the sunken ship and scrambled aboard the Con-Dem vessel – which is heading for a similar fate,” he said. – Morning Star.

Disaster Funding

Government funding for global disasters such as Pakistan’s floods faces being scrapped as part of the coalition government’s plans to cut back on international aid, the Labour party has warned. The central emergency response fund (Cerf), which helps countries respond to natural disasters, is on a list of more than 80 commitments targeted for cuts by the department for international development (Dfid). The list was revealed last week in a leaked memo from DfId director of policy, Nick Dyer, to secretary of state for international development, Andrew Mitchell, in which Dyer suggested where cuts could feasibly be made. He recommended the cabinet minister should honour 19 of the 80 pledges, but the Observer today reported that Mitchell had agreed to honour only eight of the promises. – The Guardian.

 

Coal power: remaining a contentious issue

Green issues

Green groups are aghast that a flagship policy called for in opposition by both Lib Dems and Tories, and which they last year tried to force on the Labour government, will now not be implemented in the coalition’s first energy bill to be published this year. Their criticism of the government’s commitment to green issues follows news last week that nature reserves could be sold off as countryside protection measures also bear the brunt of budget cuts in the Department for Environment. – The Guardian.

A matter of support

It would, of course, be stretching things to say that the public loves the coalition. While its net approval ratings remain positive, they are declining. The novelty of Conservatives and Liberal Democrats working together has largely worn off. Support for the opposition Labour party has hardened over concern about the scale and severity of the cuts the government unveiled in its emergency Budget in June – FT.

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We owe it to young people to keep sex ed on the curriculum, says Hannah McFaull

15/08/2010, 02:00:38 PM

Question: What is a clitoris?

Answer: Is it a fish in the Amazon?

Question: What happens if you’re having sexual intercourse and the condom splits?

Answer: Do you wash her (sic) out with white spirit?

Genuine questions from a genuine sex education lesson in an east London school with a group of 15 year olds. Aside from cringing at the second answer, the more worrying indication is that we’re not doing enough or starting early enough when talking to our children about their bodies, relationships and sexuality.

Imagine that even the basic, inadequate wisdom that we currently impart wasn’t compulsory or standardised. Not knowing the basic human anatomy of your own body, let alone the anatomy of anyone else’s. Not understanding how to prevent the spread of disease. Not appreciating that you have a choice in avoiding becoming a parent until you’re ready.

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Sunday News Review

15/08/2010, 09:09:58 AM

Bring in the ringers

Alan Milburn has been appointed to give political cover to Clegg

As expected there’s been a furious response from ex-Labour deputy, John Prescott to the overnight news that former arch-Blairite cabinet minister, Alan Milburn is possibly going to return to government to act as “Social Mobility Czar” – whatever that means. Prezza Twittered: “So after Field & Hutton, Milburn becomes the 3rd collaborator. They collaborated to get Brown OUT. Now collaborating to keep Cameron IN” For the three Labour figures named were all opponents of the Gordon Brown premiership which makes it easier for Prescott to condemn them in this manner – though I do wonder whether the term “collaborator” is taking tribal politics a bit too far. – Political Betting

Labour’s Alan Milburn is poised for a shock return to Government as David Cameron’s “social mobility” czar. And it was reported last night that former Cabinet minister David Blunkett could also boost the coalition with advice on poverty, benefit cheats and the pensions crisis. His former Cabinet colleague Mr Milburn will advise the PM on helping people from humble backgrounds into lucrative careers. – The Mirror

The appointment of the former Health Secretary will anger Tory traditionalists who fear there are already too many left leaning policies being drawn up by the coalition. The announcement will be made by Nick Clegg, perhaps as early as Wednesday. A Liberal Democrat insider said the appointment had been agreed between Mr Clegg and Mr Cameron as a way of promoting the former’s “fairness” agenda. Many will see it as a way of shoring up the Deputy Prime Minister and Lib Dem leader who is facing internal trouble in his own party over the severe spending cuts he has backed. – The Telegraph

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The week Uncut

14/08/2010, 05:31:17 PM

Opposition is almost 100 days old. Fingers and toes are needed to tot up the number of Con/Lib gaffes. Even the summer recess hasn’t slowed down the u-turns. But where are the punches, where are the jabs? The party needs a leader. Roll on September. 

It was all about who got what this week. Lots of the little people gave Ed M their hard-earned, some more of Tony’s mates slipped Dave a few, the self titled ‘master storyteller’ wrote a big one for Ed B, a footballer kicked in for Andy’s bus fare, and one little candidate got none. 

In case you missed them, here are half a dozen of Uncut’s best read pieces of the last seven days:

How they got here: the leadership candidates Parliamentary selections 

Is Vince off to the knacker’s yard? 

Dan Hodges asks what happened to the Brownites? 

Paul Corby remembers the Clyde-built man 

Battling on in opposition: Tom Watson’s report on ministerial cars

John Woodcock argues for radical public service reform

Make sure you tune in next week when Tom Watson takes the helm as guest editor.

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Economy: Sam Dale says we must stop apologising and start fighting back

14/08/2010, 11:00:51 AM

David Cameron and Nick Clegg have clearly made it their political priority to blame the recession and slow recovery on Labour.

Since the election there have been daily attacks on Labour’s economic record, with the government’s inheritance invariably described as a mess. Dave and Nick accuse Labour of economic incontinence and spending money it didn’t have. There was even the sinister suggestion – which should have caused far more offence than it did – that Labour employed a scorched earth policy before leaving office.

Peter Mandelson is portrayed as a madman throwing money around with no thought for the consequences. Dave and Nick simply can’t believe that Labour wanted to help a Sheffield firm in the recession. In their deficit-obsessed, warped minds, this is a total dereliction of duty. And, of the course, there was the ill-judged joke that Liam Byrne left for his successor, feeding the government narrative.

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Saturday News Review

14/08/2010, 09:01:47 AM

Whelan v. Mandelson

Whelan

In his first major newspaper interview since new Labour came to power in 1997, Whelan gives an explosive insider’s account of the civil war that helped destroy the Labour government. In a blistering attack on Mandelson, he says the man who Brown had controversially recalled to the Cabinet after the disgrace of being twice sacked by Blair, actually lost the Labour Party votes because of his betrayal of the PM, and was responsible for a culture of defeatism that blighted Labour’s campaign. – The Mail.

Williams at 80

Shirley Williams has just turned 80. Yes, there was a little birthday party, and lunch with her daughter, but nothing more. “That’s enough to be going on with, thank you,” she says. There’s no time to waste for Baroness Williams of Crosby, now that her party’s finally got a share of government. – The Guardian.

Ed: likes seaside

Mili-by the seaside

Ed Miliband is speaking to me from the last days of his holiday in Cornwall, writes Krishnan Guru-Murthy. Like so many politicians in the new age of austerity he has found the English seaside rather delightful. He is a convert, he says, to British holidays. – Channel 4.

The race

Gazing at what passes for the Opposition, are we supposed to laugh, cry, weep with mirth or smile bravely through the tears? This may be a rhetorical question. With the Labour Party uncertain whether to style itself as tear-jerking soap opera or broad-brush satirical sitcom, it is asking too much of the rest of us to decide for it. – Telegraph.

Hardie remembered

He’s been called Labour’s greatest hero and the party’s most inspirational leader but could Keir Hardie also be in danger of being forgotten?
Some admirers of the founder of the Labour Party believe so and will tomorrow, on the anniversary of his birth, launch a society to promote his life and work across the generations. – The Herald.

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Next week’s guest editor: Tom Watson MP

13/08/2010, 07:00:06 PM

Uncut’s guest editor next week will be former Labour minister and sitting MP for West Bromwich East, Tom Watson.

The second British MP to start blogging (in 2003), he has emerged in the three months since the election as the most vigorous backbench scourge of the Tory-Lib Dem government.

Uncut will not be safe in his hands. But the management team has made a judgment that he is unlikely to break it in a week.

To the limited extent that it is possible to do them simultaneously: pay attention, and run for cover.

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Carthorse Cable off for glue? Crowdsourcing the resignation

13/08/2010, 02:19:15 PM

He’s the most left-wing member of the government. He used to work for John Smith. And this week he learned that he’s got just half as many staff as Caroline Spelman at DEFRA. It has become about as remarkable as pointing out that Gerrard and Lampard don’t really work together in midfield, but it’s worth saying one more time: Vince Cable is a walking resignation.

Add today’s news that, presumably just to annoy Cable, the government has signed up Sir Philip ‘sophisticated tax status’ Green as an efficiency adviser, and the truth is more obvious than the hangover Dave’s never had from the ‘tins’ of Stella he pretends to buy from a supermarket he’s never been to: Cable will walk.

Vince has already manoeuvred his ally Simon Hughes into the party’s deputy leadership; and the grassroots, who still worship Vince, are preparing to brand Gove’s free schools programme even worse than first past the post. But a conference bust up over a ridiculous right wing policy almost certainly won’t be enough to precipitate Vince’s resignation in 2010. So just when will it come, and how?

Here at Uncut we’re crowdsourcing the resignation. We’ll start the ball rolling.

It’s late autumn 2011 and the drastic cuts Vince never believed in have led to the fabled double dip he always feared. It is becoming increasingly apparent that Lansley’s NHS reforms should have been concluded with a rather more substantive paragraph than “we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it”. And the increasingly ubiquitous media presence of Toby Young is – amazingly – one of the least upsetting consequences of Michael Gove’s DfE.

Directly elected police commissioners have been the disaster everyone predicted, and Cable’s own department has been reduced to hot-desking whilst trying to save British business because Danny Alexander ‘needs’ a spare set of computers in case he breaks his by spilling Tizer all over them again.

As he arrives at his office, a downtrodden Vince is forced to cross a picket line of public service workers. He can’t help but feel that they have a point as they protest at Con/Lib plans to axe 98% of social service funding based on the flimsy big society thesis that “maybe a charity will do it instead…hopefully.”

As he walks towards his office Vince wipes the rotten tomatoes from his beige suit and the eggshell from his off-white shirt to discover the final insult. Nick and Gideon are there, in his office, high on a cocktail of port, pimms and power, smoking cigars and doing impressions of the once national treasure using Vincey’s own signed copy of Joseph Stiglitz’ “Stability with Growth” as a makeshift bald cap. As he slams the door he shouts “what the hell do you think you are doing?”, but it barely registers. The braying continues, a defeated Vince turns and leaves, never to darken the great offices of state again.

A broken man, Vince spends the rest of his days pondering one question: how did I let it happen. How did I join a government that contained Chris Grayling, Michael Gove and Iain Duncan Smith. It wasn’t even nice while it lasted.

Your turn.

How do you think the end will come? Bust up with Osborne, schism with Nick. Or an offer he just can’t turn down to fill the vacant presenters chair on Nevermind the Buzzcocks?

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David Mirrorband’s banana

13/08/2010, 10:57:43 AM

As momentum starts to shift towards David M in our breathlessly exciting leadership contest, word reaches Uncut of tortured deliberations in the offices of the Daily Mirror. Their inclination to break for the elder statesman of the Miliband clan is, we understand, being tempered by painful memories of the 2008 ‘bananagate’ debacle.

This, you will recall, was when the Mirror produced a  major profile piece extolling the virtues of the then foreign secretary as part of a carefully choreographed leadership challenge, only for their support to be undermined by his arrival at conference wielding a banana, rather than a knife, and professing his undying loyalty for Gordon Brown and all his works.

Given that the Mirror is now the only Labour-supporting daily in the land, and is regarded as the greatest editorial prize by all five leadership contenders, the results of this soul searching may have a significant impact on the outcome of the contest.

Sources say that the clever money is on the paper finally taking the plunge for DM, though a commitment to avoiding yellow herbaceous plants of the genus Musa is likely to be the price of their endorsement.

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Friday News Review

13/08/2010, 08:01:31 AM

Backers revealed

David Miliband‘s leadership donations came from less high-profile names, with £50,000 donated by the PR man Anthony Bailey, £10,000 from the businessman Gulam Noon, £25,000 from the Usdaw union and nearly £23,000 from the businessman Lord Sainsbury. He received the most of any candidates in July – £138,835.12 – and has received the most overall with a total of £277,000, plus £47,100.33 in non-cash donations. – The Guardian

Liverpool and England centre half Jamie Carragher is throwing his cash behind Evertonian, Andy Burnham’s Labour leadership campaign. Carragher, who is known for his action on the grass roots of Anfield, rather than grass roots politics, added a £10,000 cash donation to Burnham’s war chest, figures released by the electoral commission showed today. – Liverpool Click 

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