Inside « Labour Uncut

Tom Watson’s letter to Sir Gus O’Donnell

03/11/2010, 07:59:00 AM

Sir Gus O’Donnell

Cabinet Secretary

Cabinet Office

70 Whitehall

London

SW1A 2AS

2 November 2010

Dear Gus,
You will no doubt be aware of today’s report in the Mirror newspaper that the Prime Minister has taken the decision to appoint Mr Andrew Parsons as his official photographer.

Given the current financial climate, and the severe pressure on the public finances, you will be aware that this appointment is the subject of some controversy.

I would be grateful, therefore, if you could answer the following questions: (more…)

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The swaggering arrogance that is storing up pain for the Tories

01/11/2010, 05:30:00 PM

As George Osborne sat down to the sound of rapturous applause and shaking order papers, he had achieved what few had thought possible. He had fronted up to the biggest political challenge facing a chancellor in years and ended not just still standing, but firmly on the front foot.

After a hoarse hour spelling out the detail on the investment and the reasoning behind the savings, Osborne climaxed his comprehensive spending review with the sort of political sleight of hand that must have had the absent Gordon Brown nodding in grudging approval. After all the cuts, all the efficiencies, the elimination of Labour waste, the fledgling government, thanks to turning around the economy, had actually cut less than Darling had planned. Your move Mr Johnson.

"We're all in this together"

Except, of course, that he hadn’t. Osborne’s move was calculated to win a short term tactical battle. The treasury team would never have attempted such a move against a Brown or a Darling. They took the gamble to instantly put Labour’s new shadow chancellor under pressure. The braying 30 and 40 somethings in the cheap seats loved it. Of course they did. The backbenchers were raucous but whilst this was a tactical triumph it was a strategic disaster. (more…)

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Former prime ministers don’t usually say much in the Commons

01/11/2010, 02:48:19 PM

Those getting in a lather about Gordon Brown’s speaking record are ignoring tradition. The lore of the land. The former PM is behaving quite normally.

Winston Churchill spoke twice after stepping down as PM. The first time was four and a half years after leaving Downing Street, on 25th Nov 1959. Both interventions were to acknowledge birthday wishes.

Both Harold Macmillan and Mrs Thatcher spoke just four times after resigning as PM. Mrs Thatcher first spoke three months after her resignation.

After stepping down as leader of the Conservative party, John Major didn’t speak again for eight months.

Yet none of the above faced the barrage of venom which is being rained down on Gordon. Go figure. And tell your friends.

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Caroline Flint writes to Eric Pickles over FoI refusal

29/10/2010, 12:21:08 PM

CF_letter

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Tom Watson’s anatomy of a Downing St spin day

29/10/2010, 12:05:43 PM

Yesterday, we were opaquely conned. Downing Street heralded a “forging ahead in the transparency agenda.” We were misled.

“This is the first time any government has proactively published information on special advisers’ gifts and hospitality. All this information is being published quarterly which will mean more regular and up to date information”, said Downing Street.

The rhetoric was soaring; the action was far more subterranean.

What actually happened was a cynical, but well executed spin exercise to kill the story and deflect attention on to the last Labour government – with Downing St spinners taking lobby journalists for patsies.

The statements were delayed – the first to be published was a statement on the cost of government cars for the last financial year of the Labour government. The next statement was not released for three hours.

Then the number 10 spin machine kicked into overdrive. The information about Labour special advisors for the last 12 months of the last Labour government was placed in the House of Commons library – great, transparent, easy to access. What about the statements on Tory and Lib Dem advisers, where were they? Well they were tucked away online, hidden from view, released in dribs and drabs.

PA led with the easy to find Labour information, comparing figures on the number of advisors. Cameron has reduced the number they say, or has he just moved the goal posts? How many lackeys from CCHQ have now found their way on to the civil service payroll?

(more…)

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Tom Watson writes to Eric Pickles over FoI refusal

28/10/2010, 01:27:07 PM

If you can’t see the viewer below the plain text version is here.

TomW Pickles

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Tom Watson writes to Eric Pickles over FoI refusal

28/10/2010, 01:25:57 PM

Tom Watson MP

House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA

The Rt Hon Eric Pickles MP

Secretary of State

Communities and Local Government

Eland House

Bressenden Place

London

SW1E 5DU

28 October 2010

Dear Eric,

I refer to the story reported this morning on Labour Uncut and in the Local Government Chronicle about your refusal to comply with an extremely straightforward freedom of information request.

(more…)

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Eric Pickles the ‘transparency champion’ refuses FoI request

28/10/2010, 07:59:59 AM

Eric Pickles talks about transparency. A lot. In fact it is one of his departments ‘watchwords’. He has been hailed as a transparency champion by the taxpayers’ alliance, and his efforts to make local government more transparent have gained support from some unlikely places.

But it seems Big E has one rule for councils and another for himself.

The Local Government Chronicle reports today that DCLG officials have refused to answer a freedom of information request about whether Mr Pickles took legal advice in the in the wake of adversely critical comments about the electoral commission chair, Jenny Watson. Ministers declined to renew her position as a board member of the audit commission in September.

A senior DCLG ‘source’ was quoted in The Times earlier this year saying that Jenny Watson had “built her career on incompetence”, “milked the taxpayer” and was “not fit for the role”. The Local Government Chronicle reports that following the publication of the comments Pickles sought internal legal advice as to whether the comments could be considered defamatory and whether there were grounds for legal action.

A source close to the department said that DCLG’s lawyers gave Pickles advice that the comments (which LGC says did not come from a departmental official or a press officer) could be considered defamatory. Pickles then allegedly sought external legal advice.

Pickles has previously talked about the vital importance of transparency, and stated that it is key to allowing the public to hold politicians to account saying:

People should be able to hold politicians and public bodies to account over how their hard earned cash is being spent and decisions made on their behalf. They can only do that effectively if they have the information they need at their fingertips.

But it appears the rules don’t apply to the man himself. DCLG officials have refused to answer the FoI, saying that they are “unable to either confirm nor deny” that it holds the information requested. However, guidance from the information commissioner on FoI requests says that departments have a duty to confirm or deny whether the information requested is held.

His department’s refusal stands in contrast with Pickles’ own campaign for transparency, in which he’s said:

Being open about how taxpayers’ money is spent will push central and local government into rooting out waste and duplication. That’s why we’re throwing open the shutters and bringing the full glare of the public’s eye onto spending. This new transparent era means a new way of thinking for councils but I’m showing them it’s possible by publishing more of my department’s spending online.

Come on, Eric. We thought this was the new transparent era? What have you got to hide? Who made the comments? And how much did legal advice about this gaffe cost the taxpayer?

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PLP elections today: Parliamentary committee and select committees

26/10/2010, 11:15:29 AM

From: O’DONOVAN, Martin
Sent: 25 October 2010 17:17
Subject: PLP elections – CLOSE OF NOMINATIONS

FAO Labour MPs

At 5pm this evening nominations closed ahead of tomorrow’s PLP elections.

1. TOMORROW’S BALLOTS
We now move to ballot to fill the following vacancies:

(i) PARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEE – SIX VACANCIES (please note only backbench MPs can vote in this contest)
Please note you must vote for at least two women
CANDIDATES: John Cryer, Nic Dakin, Geraint Davies, Clive Efford, Bill Esterton, Sheila Gilmore, Kate Green, Steve McCabe, Siobhain McDonagh, Jim Sheridan, Valerie Vaz

(ii) FOREIGN AFFAIRS SELECT COMMITTEE – ONE VACANCY (all Labour MPs may vote in this contest)
CANDIDATES: Bob Ainsworth, Jeremy Corbyn, Fabian Hamilton, Mark Hendrick, Yasmin Qureshi

(iii) INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT SELECT COMMITTEE – TWO VACANCIES (all Labour MPs may vote in this contest)
CANDIDATES: Michael McCann, Alison McGovern, Pamela Nash

(iv) NATO PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY – FOUR REMAINING VACANCIES (all Labour MPs may vote in this contest)
Please note – Madeleine Moon has been elected as there is not a contest to fill the two vacancies for women members
CANDIDATES: Hugh Bayley, David Crausby, Mike Gapes, Jim Hood, Ian Murray, John Robertson

(v) OSCE PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY – TWO REMAINING VACANCIES (all Labour MPs may vote in this contest)
Please note Linda Riordan has been elected as there is not a contest to fill the vacancy for women members
CANDIDATES: Tony Lloyd, Dai Havard, Nick Smith, Linda Riordan, Mark Hendrick

The ballot will run from 10am to 5pm tomorrow in the PLP Office, West Cloister.

2. ELECTED UNOPPOSED
Please note the following colleagues have been elected unopposed to fill the following vacancies:

BIS – Gregg McClymont, Paul Blomfield, Ian Murray, Katy Clark
CLG – Simon Danczuk, David Heyes
Defence – Thomas Docherty, Dai Havard, Sandra Osborne
Education – Bill Esterton
DECC – Barry Gardiner, Ian Lavery
Health – Yvonne Fovargue
Northern Ireland – Kate Hoey
Transport – Julie Hilling, Gavin Shuker
Work and Pensions – Teresa Pearce, Alex Cunningham, Glenda Jackson
Finance and Services – Clive Betts
Public Accounts – Stella Creasy
Public Administration – Lindsay Roy

Council of Europe – Paul Flynn, Geraint Davies, Alan Meale, Jim Hood, Virendra Sharma, Jim Sheridan, Joe Benton, Sandra Osborne, Ann Coffey, Yasmin Qureshi, Michael Connarty, Jim Dobbin

House of Commons Commission – Frank Doran

3. REMAINING VACANCIES
We still have the following vacancies. Frontbench colleagues will be asked to remain on these Committees until such time as we elect a successor.

DEFRA
Political and Constitutional (2)
Science and Technology
Welsh Affairs (2)
Environmental Audit
Human Rights
Public Administration (2)
Finance and Services
Administration

Martin O’Donovan
Director of Unit and PLP Secretary

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