Anger over Tory continued mistakes on BSF
I was in the House at this point and I feel my colleague Tom Watson MP, although very passionate, summed up what we were all feeling:
Five reasons why the Con-Dem Budget makes the poor pay for the banking crisis
- Disabled people on Disability Living Allowance will face humiliating tests with the aim of cutting their benefits
- Raising VAT to 20% will add £425 a year to average family spending. The increase in tax allowances is worth £170 – unless you are in the poorest three million households when you get nothing but still pay the VAT hike. Cameron said on 1 April ’Our plans don’t involve an increase in VAT’. Clegg said on 8 April ‘Our plans do not require a rise in VAT.’
- Public sector pay freeze. Low paid workers in the NHS, schools and other public services will see their pay cut by at least 6% over the next two years, as pay is frozen and inflation rises by 3% a year. ‘Protecting’ the lowest paid means little more than a 1% increase for those on less than 21k – a real terms cut of 4%.
- Households on more than 40k will lose their tax credits. Exactly the middle income families the Tories denied they would attack a few weeks ago.
- Child benefit will be frozen for three years – a cut of up to 10% on one of the most vital methods of supporting families and children.
As an attack of low and middle income families this budget goes beyond what Thatcher and Major did in the last Tory Government. I wonder if the Tories remember their 2008 poster?
The only surprise is the cowardly and greedy way the Liberals have backed them. Especially after this campaign they launched only a few weeks ago here in Scotland…
Why I am backing Ed Balls for the Labour Leadership
Before I tell you the decision of who I think should lead the Labour party, first we should all be angry about losing 
elections, not for the puerile sake of winning and losing but because when Labour lose elections we leave the fate of our country and the fate of those who rely upon Labour MPs the most for protection in the hands of a Conservative government, which as history always shows lets them down.
This is never as more obvious as in a constituency like ours in Glasgow. Take unemployment for example, despite the recession unemployment across our city is still around 22% down on 1997 levels, that’s incredible considering the recession meant that it has almost doubled since 2008 – when it was down by almost 60% on 1997 levels.
The destination of school leavers in our city went from 17% going to university in 1997 to 47.5% by 2009. Life expectancy in Glasgow, known for being among the lowest in the UK, has gone up and the system of tax credits has lifted many thousands of my constituents out of poverty. These may seem like endless lists of statistic’s to some but behind these figures are names and faces; I see young people I have known from childhood who have broken away from paths of long-term unemployment that were well trodden by their parents.
All this is what has influenced me on who I want to lead the party. As these things don’t happen by chance, they don’t fall out of the sky – let’s be clear – this came about due to a Labour government. But most importantly a Labour government that had strong leadership at its heart; as well as the determination to drive through its vision and policy past the barriers of bureaucracy and into implementation. Something I have learnt from my time at Westminster is the importance of strong leadership.
Whilst he headed up the Department of Children Schools & Families, Ed made tough decisions and coherently defended them. In addition, during Ed’s time at the Treasury he was at the centre of many of the bold that I have mentioned, which changed the lives of many people in this country like people in our constituency. As well as being at the heart of key decisions like making the Bank of England independent and not letting Britain enter the Euro.
Ed has the right characteristics that I think would be needed in a leader and future PM and this is why I am nominating Ed Balls for leader of the Labour Party.
Thank you for voting
I was re-elected to represent Glasgow North West at Westminster, an office I have held since 2000 when I was elected MP of Glasgow Anniesland following the very sad death of my friend Donald Dewar.
I must thank those 19,233 people who chose to vote for me and return me as their MP. I also want to assure all my constituents that, whether or not I was your first choice, you will have tireless and professional service from me and my staff between now and the next General Election.
I was returned with a majority of 13,611 votes, or 38.3%. This is an increase of almost 9% from the 2005 General Election.
35,582 votes were cast, an increase of 3.1% from the 2005 election.
I must also thank the fantastic team of volunteers, party workers who turned out to help. I have never been involved in such a positive and energetic campaign. I really enjoyed getting around the constituents and visiting schools like that of St Thomas Aquinas where I took part in a very memorable Q&A with their students.
Turnout in Labour areas in particular was the best in years. I hope this is because people feel they can trust me to represent their best interests after 10 years. But it was also a response to the divisive and extremist policies of the Tories nationally, and the foresight to see through Lib Dem false promises.
So what next?
With the national situation so volatile, it is important that we hang onto clear principles. Labour’s commitment remains the same whether in power or not: to cut the deficit without cutting vital services. While we acknowledge the importance of halving the deficit over the next four years jobs must be protected.
Locally, my job is more straightforward. I will work with residents and community groups in Glasgow North West to make sure their voices are heard at Westminster. And through my weekly surgeries around the constituency and my casework team at Dalsetta Avenue I will deal quickly and efficiently with the issues constituents need to raise.
Please get in touch if I can help you or your family.
Robin Hood Tax
I have had a few constituents write to me regarding the Robin Hood Tax campaign; just so everyone knows this is a campaign I fully support.
The campaign for a Robin Hood Tax on financial transactions has been gathering steam over the last two weeks as support for the measure is growing. Three hundred and fifty economists and over 120,000 members of facebook have all signed up. I attended the campaign’s Parliamentary launch around in February, I believe it was a Wednesday, and I wasn’t able to sign Early Day Motion 913 in support of the campaign at the time due to my PPS responsibilities, but I have gone one better and put them up on the website.
For those unaware of this campaign let me explain. The proposals would see on average a 0.05% tax on speculative transactions that could raise hundreds of billions of pounds each year. The money could be spent on a multitude of worthy causes such as tackling poverty, both here and abroad, and dealing with Climate Change. As we move out of the global recession we need to ensure that global banking agreements and policies secure our future. This scheme, which could benefit millions of the poorest in our society and across the world, will only be possible if we look for an international agreement and if we are not afraid to challenge big businesses and banks to do their bit for society.
This won’t be good news for the Tory peer Lord Griffiths, whose friends at Goldman Sachs attempted to sabotage the campaign with a mass computerised vote on the campaigns website. Griffiths, who is International Advisor to Goldman Sachs, has consistently supported banker bonuses and will undoubtedly be leading the Tories against the tax. As my Labour colleague, Steve Pound MP, put it that week at PMQs, “I think we know all know who speaks for the Sheriff of Nottingham!”
The campaign is still growing in support and you can join in at the Robin Hood Tax website. Please watch the video below, featuring one of the campaign’s most high profile supporters, Bill Nighy, as he acts out the part of a banker:
WWF Campaign: Earth Hour
On Saturday I joined thousands of people all over Scotland and hundreds of millions of people across the world in switching off my lights in a demonstration of support for people and wildlife threatened by the dangers of man made climate change.
I support the WWF’s Earth Hour and followed Piccadilly Circus, the London Eye and even the Las Vegas strip, by turning off my lights from 8.30pm to 9.30pm last Saturday (27th March) to save energy and highlight the issue of global warming.
I support vigorously the campaign to help fight climate change; I have tabled EDM 524 to force my fellow parliamentary colleagues to show that they recognise man made climate change, and I also sit on the Energy and Climate Change Select Committee raising environmental issue when necessary.
To sign up to take part in WWF’s Earth Hour please visit: www.wwf.org.uk/earthhour.
NSPCC campaign to ensure children safety
I have signed up to the N
SPCC’s new campaign to ensure protecting children is a political priority: I Stand for Children. It is a priority of this government to ensure that all children, no matter what their background might be, receive the care that they need to make the best possible start in life.
The NSPCC’s campaign is calling on MPs and candidates to commit to a range of child protection measures including:
Continued funding of helpline services for children and for adults concerned about the safety or welfare of a child
Making the internet safer for children
Tackling domestic violence from a child’s point of view
Ensuring that vital child protection reforms are fully implemented and resourced, following the death of Baby Peter and other child deaths since
Provision of resources for vital therapeutic services for children who have experienced abuse
Strengthening the role of the children’s commissioner in England to act as a genuinely independent voice for children.
The charity’s Diana Sutton, head of the public affairs and campaigns unit at the NSPCC, said: “We need to make sure that the next elected Government keeps child protection high on its list of priorities. By signing up to our campaign, candidates in this next general election can help. The public can play their role by letting the politicians know what they want done.”
Rt. Hon Ivan Lewis MP visiting Glasgow North West
Foreign Office Minister Ivan Lewis MP
5.15pm Thursday 25th March
Knightswood Community Centre, 201 Alderman Road, Glasgow
The Rt. Hon Ivan Lewis MP is coming to speak in Glasgow North West on tonight and will be answering questions from the public. The event will be from 5:00pm (for a 5:15pm start) to 6.30pm at the Knightswood Community Centre. We encourage you to come and arrive early to avoid disappointment.
He will be talking about foreign policy issues, such as why the UK is involved in Afghanistan, as well as other Middle East and Counter Terrorism issues.
If you wish to come along, please contact my office at 0141 944 7298, or jrmpoffice@btinternet.com.
I look forward to seeing you.
Yours faithfully,
John Robertson MP
Minister announces signing of £127m contract on the Clyde
The Secretary of State for Scotland, the Rt. Hon Jim Murphy MP, alongside John Robertson MP and Ian Davidson MP, has announced the decision to go ahead with building on the Clyde of the Type 26 Warships.
The Minister confirmed that the MoD has signed the £127m contract to take the project into the assessment phase
John Robertson said: “This shows a Labour government’s commitment to long term planning for defence, retaining capability and skills and protecting Scottish jobs.”
John Robertson MP added: “The choice for the electorate in the coming election is now very clear; vote Tory or SNP and you’re voting for unemployment on the Clyde”.
John Robertson MP ended: “The truth is that successive Tory governments have cut defence spending; I remember Sir Francis Pym falling out with Margaret Thatcher over her plans to axe defence spending, and John Major cutting the defence budget by over half a billion a year.”
Only last month the future of the aircraft carriers and the shipbuilding on the Clyde was put into doubt by comments by Liam Fox MP, the Shadow Defence Minister, who told union representatives that he planned, on day one of a Conservative government, to seek details about break clauses in the carrier contracts. Such actions could jeopardise the future of the entire industry, which risks up to14, 000 jobs.
ENDS
Notes to Editors:
- Liam Fox has refused to match Labour’s commitment to ring-fence the Defence budget in 2010/11
- The Tories refuse to give assurances on the future of ship building on the Clyde.
- On 24/02/10 the Shadow Defence Spokesman Liam Fox told a meeting of trade union officials that he will look into open up the defence contracts.
The Hon. John Robertson MP is the Labour Member of Parliament for Glasgow North West.
The Hon. Ian Davidson MP is the Labour Member of Parliament for Glasgow South West.
