Why Language Matters

Language matters.  I don't agree with the way Harriet Harman talked about Danny Alexander at my party's conference this weekend.  Just as  I think Boris Johnston was wrong to bring Kosovo into the debate about the effect of the Coalition's housing policies on London.

Some language is just wrong in principle.  But often its wrong-headed because it distracts from the real issues.

In London, we should be talking about the the impact of an ideologically driven policy on thousands of families trying to  make a life for themselves in a vibrant, multi-cultural city.  The combined effect of Housing Benefit caps and cuts, combined with the development of a "social "housing sector based on near market level rents will drive the unemployed and those on low wages out of high-rent areas like central London.  We will see the same effects in any area where demand for rented housing keeps local rents high, as Housing Benefit is tied to local averages, not a single national figure.

And in the Highlands, the debate should be about the politics of the man who has designed a programme of savage cuts of a depth and speed he spoke out against during the election.  Who spoke out against the idea of raising VAT because of its impact on the poorest in our society - but who now presides over a rise to 20% from January.  Who made a lot of noise about local post offices closing, but who now sits side by side with his new political friends who have just voted to privatise the Royal Mail.

Language matters, but its what you do that counts.   

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Why Osborne is just Wrong!

In speech after speech at their Conference in Birmingham, the Tories argued that the coming programme of savage cuts in public spending is the only way. Its all Labour’s fault. A result of years and years of profligate spending . Labour’s fault for deciding to increase the deficit, and bail out the banks.  Labour's fault for cutting VAT and boosting public spending as the recession hit.

“…. because of the problem left by the previous government……” seems to be a mandatory part of every Coalition politician’s speech.

Labour politicians, not bankers, are responsible. Public sector workers and families with children across the country now need to pay the price. There is no choice. It’s the only way to keep the financial markets happy (and profitable).

What rubbish.

Yes, Labour spent money to invest in public services, like the NHS and the New Deal. But it mainly raised taxes to pay for it; the Windfall Tax on Utilities, National Insurance rises. Remember all the Tory complaints about “stealth taxes”? Tax income rose steadily on the back of economic growth.

When the global banking crisis hit in 2008, the UK had low inflation, low interest rates, low unemployment and the lowest net debt of any G7 economy.

In 2008, the Labour Government had to make the critical decisions on how to respond to the global financial crisis caused the big US and UK banks. We pumped money into the banks and the wider economy to protect jobs, support household finances and keep the small business economy working. Yes, a huge programme of public spending but it worked, avoiding a total collapse in our economy. Our approach was commended and then replicated by Governments around the world.

That’s where our huge spending deficit comes from.

Of course, we need to reduce that deficit, but we need to do it through a fair and long term programme which balances income from economic growth and taxation with reduced spending.

And for me “fairness” is making sure that financial speculators, investment bankers and tax avoiders pay their share before we start putting the burden on working class families with “too many” kids.

The lessons from history are stark. In 1925, 1931 and 1980, governments told us there was no alternative to massive cuts in public spending. The markets demanded it, to restore “confidence”. Recession, devastation for individual families and huge social unrest followed every time.

George Osborne, David Cameron and Nick Clegg are taking us down the same road again.

To quote from Ed Ball’s excellent Bloomberg speech back in August:

“For all George Osborne’s talk of ‘deficit-deniers’ – where is the real denial in British politics at the moment? We have a Chancellor who believes that he can slash public spending, raise VAT and cut benefits – he can take billions out of the economy and billions more out of people’s pockets, he can directly cut thousands of public sector jobs and private sector contracts, and none of this will have any impact on unemployment or growth. Against all the evidence, both contemporary and historical, he argues the private sector will somehow rush to fill the void left by government and consumer spending, and become the driver of jobs and growth.
 This is ‘growth-denial’ on a grand scale. It has about as much economic credibility as a Pyramid Scheme.”

Time to put the record straight. Step up Ed Milliband.

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Rural Broadband, Rural Health

I’ve posted before on the issues surrounding access to decent quality broadband services in the Highlands.


What I learned today added a whole new dimension.

I was in Inverness on business today, attending an HIE conference on Digital Healthcare and how it supports the emerging P4 strategy for service delivery – Predictive, Preventative, Personalised, Participatory.

Speakers – clinicians, academic researchers, technologists – all described what is possible in terms of delivering the P4 strategy in rural communities. The essence of which is that instead of requiring people to travel to a GP or major health centre for “treatment”, they can take responsibility for their own health by being able to access information, diagnostics, services and on-line communities. The potential benefits - in terms of quality of healthcare outcomes and cost-effective service delivery - are immense.

The Murray Community Healthcare Partnership is already piloting these ideas with the Health E-care Portal and the Dot Rural project. In Inverness, UHI and the Centre for Health Science are involved in world class research and development around the concept.

In the workshops, however, it was clear how big a barrier the rural broadband issue is. If people and communities don’t have decent internet access, they can't exploit such services. And what really surprised me was how vocal the delegates were about why this was a POLITICAL issue that the Scottish Parliament must address.

Decent broadband services in the islands and other rural areas aren’t just about on-line shopping. They are fundamental to achieving excellence in health outcomes in a cost effective way.

Labour’s Digital Britain Strategy points the way.

The Scottish Government needs to make it happen.

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With friends like this......

So, George Osborne is Danny Alexander's best new friend according to his extraordinary interview in today's Scotsman.

This is the same George Osborne who is planning to slash benefits for the most vulnerable in our society by at  least £4bn.  And that's on top of the massive cuts to other public service budgets to be announced next month plus the VAT rise in January which every ecomomic commentator agrees will hit the poorest hardest.

I challenged Danny about the VAT rise when he spoke at the recent Inverness Chamber of Commerce Lunch.  He agreed with me that the rise in VAT was a "political" rather than an economic decision.  Now in today's interview, the No 2 at the Treasury goes on the suggest that benefits cuts of even more than £4bn are being considered.  That seems to me to be all about an increasingly right wing political agenda and nothing about fairness.  Keeping your new friends happy?

The LibDems fairness agenda now seems nothing more than words on an election leaflet.  Actions speak louder than words indeed. 

If I was a LibDem I'd be choosing my friends a bit more carefully.

Judge us in five years time says Mr Alexander. 

We will.

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Time for a Change

I voted on line in the Labour Leadership election last night. It’s taken me a long time during this election process to work out who the right candidate is and who I will support.

From the start, I wanted to support a leader who could get Labour back into power. Not just someone I would vote for, but someone who could earn the trust and votes of the many left and liberal leaning friends and colleagues I meet as I work and travel up and down the country.

I also wanted to support someone who shared my political values, promoted (at least some of) the policies I believed and would allow ordinary party members to feel that it was once again worth being part of a political movement. That membership mattered.

I’ve enjoyed watching and listening to Ed Balls as he has ripped into the Coalition over schools and the economy. He speaks with real authority and knowledge on both subjects. I hope he has a key role to play in our fight pack to power.

But Ed Miliband gets my vote for Leader. The Living Wage is a key policy and it’s something I have long thought is vital to fairness in our society. His views on the need to invest in the green economy and industries of the future sit comfortably with me. He has gone further to say that Iraq was wrong than his brother and I hope he will eventually stand up and say no to Trident. I trust his instincts and commitment on Climate Change.

I first heard Ed speak at conference in Manchester in 2007. He is no Obama, but he has a powerful ability to enthuse, empathise and inspire, all qualities which will build voter support. He is, I am convinced, a team builder, who will assemble a powerful shadow cabinet with the intellect, passion and moral conviction to take on the Coalition and win the argument on the economy, the recovery and the other great issues we face. A shadow cabinet that will focus on the job of winning again, rather than faction fighting around yesterday’s issues.

All of this has to be combined with a determination to take Labour in a fresh direction – radical, democratic, more openly socialist – that will establish a new left of centre politics. A new political “common ground” around which our communities can engage and develop. We also need to re-engage not just with the public but our own membership. Ed doesn’t just recognise the need to do this, from what I have read and heard, he means it.

Ed Miliband talks powerfully about the need for change. I’m trusting him to deliver.

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Rural Fuel Prices

The Highland LibDems - and Danny Alexander in particular - after all the noise they made about reducing rural fuel prices during the election, have a lot of explaining to do.

The Herald has predicted fuel prices in the Highlands could soar to 136p per litre from January as a result of the proposed hike in VAT to 20% on top of the already planned fuel duty increases.  See here.

VAT rises always hit the poorest hardest, so what exactly is "fair" about this, Danny?

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Blairs Millions

Whatever money the British Legion gets from Tony Blairs book profits will be well used and appreciated by those that benefit from it.

I am not going to get into his motives. That's for him to deal with. But the torch shone on his financial affairs as a result reveals so much. The multi-million pound properties, the huge fees for speaking and advice to other governments, the estimated total wealth in 10s of £millions.

Criticising him for taking advantage of the opportunity to make that kind of wealth is difficult. How many of us would walk away?

But you can't operate in that world without losing touch with the world the rest of us live in.

For me, sadly, that explains a lot.

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