Birmingham Post - News Blog

"Leave Julie Alone!" Says Lembit

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:10:08 +0000

Julie Kirkbride has received backing from an unlikely source for her hopes of standing again as the Conservative candidate in Bromsgrove.

The Tory MP has made it pretty clear she wants to stay on in Parliament, despite announcing she was standing down.

And now she's been endorsed by high-profile Liberal Democrat MP Lembit Öpik - who urged his own colleagues not to give her a hard time over her expenses claims.

Speaking to ITV Central, Lembit said: "I'm glad she's thinking about this. I know she's felt really shocked by the way she was treated in the media.

"She will have gone through this and decided, is there really something here so serious that I shouldn't stand again?

"I really hope that the Liberal Democrats in Bromsgrove will respect her wishes and not seek to make political gain out of this."

Of course, Lembit knows what it's like to be the centre of media attention, after dating first weather forecaster Sian Lloyd and then half of the Cheeky Girls (in a toe-curling Commons performance he told MPs: "I should point out that the other sister is still single").

Perhaps he sympathises. Or perhaps he's just taken a leaf from Chris Crocker's defence of Britney Spears.

Quick Guide to the Queen's Speech

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 12:01:35 +0000

The Queen's Speech set out the laws Labour plans to introduce before the next election. Here are some of the highlights:

Parents and school pupils will be told exactly what they have a right to expect from schools - and gain the right to take schools to court if they are failing to deliver.

The Children, Schools and Families Bill will allow them to complain to the head, then to the local authority, then to the Local Government Ombudsman and finally, if they are still not satisfied, to take a school to court in the form of a judicial review. The Association of School and College Leaders complained today that the Bill will become a "whingers' charter", encouraging litigious parents to complain.

A Financial Services Bill will hand new powers to the Financial Services Authority (FSA) designed to curb unreasonable bonuses, allowing it to void banker contracts and banks those that continue to offer unjustifiable sums.

The Government is once again promising to make parents of anti-social teenagers take responsibility for their child's behaviour. A new Crime and Security Bill will will encourage courts to impose parenting orders, which force parents to attend counselling or guidance sessions, when a child receives an ASBO.

Police will gain the power to evict people accused of domestic violence from their homes temporarily, even if they are not charged with any offence, "empowering victims to feel safe in their homes" according to the Government.

It will become a criminal offence to possess a mobile phone in prison, following reports that illicit mobile phones are common in Britain's jails. More than 300 illicit mobile phones and SIM cards were seized from inmates in Birmingham Prison last year, according to Government figures.

Broadcasting watchdog Ofcom will gain the power to appoint and fund "independently funded news consortia". These are partnerships of broadcasters, newspapers and bloggers, and the government is introducing the measure in an effort to stem the decline of regional media.

Culture minister Sion Simon (Lab Erdington), a Birmingham MP, is helping to oversee the policy. Ministers are expected to announce next month that he first consortia will be Scotland, Wales and North West England.

The Queen's Speech included a commitment to respond to the report setting out options for building a high speed rail line which will be published by the High Speed Two company in December.

The Government will press ahead with its Equality Bill, which includes measures to equalise pay between men and women.

Public bodies will be obliged to publish reports revealing average pay for men and women, so that disparities are easy to spot, and private businesses with more than 250 staff will be encouraged to do the same - with the threat of new legislation if the private sector fails to comply.

A new Child Poverty Bill is one of the most blatant "political" bills in the Queen's Speech. It will set out a target of eradicating child poverty by 2020, and require government to draw up a new "child poverty strategy" every three years. However, government frequently publishes strategies without requiring legislation to do so, and the Bill is really a statement of intent designed to highlight Labour's commitment to reducing poverty.

There is a victory for campaigners such as John Spellar (Lab Warley), who had demanded better rights for agency workers. They will receive the same employment rights as permanent staff if they are employed for more than 12 weeks in the same job.

Wheel clampers will be more strictly regulated to discourage "cowboy clampers" who target motorists unfairly, again dealing with an issue raised by a number of MPs.

The Government will once again press forward with creating an elected House of Lords - perhaps completing the reforms of the Lords it promised in its 1997 manifesto. Peers will also be allowed to resign and disclaim their peerage, allowing them to stand for election to the House of Commons.

This has led to questions about Business Secretary Peter Mandelson, currently Lord Mandelson, and whether he might become an MP once again, allwoing him to stand for the Labour leadership. Questioned this morning, he said he had "no present plan" to return to the Commons.

As widely trailed, a Personal Care at Home Bill will guarantee free personal care at home for up to 280,000 elderly and disabled people with the highest needs - although 166,000 do already receive free care. It's unclear why legislation is needed to increase the number of people receiving care.

Don't hold your breath for the Rover trust fund to pay up

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:42:45 +0000

I've been writing today about the MG Rover trust fund, which was discussed in a House of Commons debate led by Richard Burden (Lab Northfield), the Birmingham MP.

You may know that the former Rover directors, known as the Phoenix Four, promised to turn what left of the business into cash to be distributed to former employees, when the carmarker collapsed in 2005.

So far there's been no money, and the official explanation is that the business could not be liquidated while an official government inquiry into its affairs was still taking place.

Now that the inquiry is over - it reported in September - Mr Burden wants the money transferred to the employees' fund as soon as possible.

Fair enough. But let's remember that there is no guarantee there will ever be any money at all.

The corpse of MG Rover has creditors as well as assets. It needs to pay them off first.

Some of the Government's critics have talked up the importance of the trust fund, claiming that the lengthy inquiry into Rover's affairs stopped former employees getting their cash.

But they may be guilty of raising false hopes. I hope former Rover staff receive compensation but I wouldn't assume anything until they have the money in their pockets.

West Midlands Select Committee Growing Ever-Smaller

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 13:13:46 +0000

I've written in the past about how the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats are boycotting the West Midlands select committee, a House of Commons committee set up to ensure the Government is giving the region a fair deal.

Now it seems even Labour can't get its members on the Committee. The whole thing is rapidly descending into farce, despite the best efforts of the chairman, Birmingham MP Richard Burden (Lab Northfield).

There are supposed to be nine members of the West Midlands committee, which is currently investigating the effects of the recession on the people of the region.

Five of these are meant to be Labour, with three Tories and one Liberal Democrat.

But the Tories won't turn up, because they object to the whole idea of regional government.

The Lib Dems are also boycotting the committee, because they feel it is unfair they only get one member on the regional committee in places such as the south west where they have a lot of MPs (this doesn't really apply to the West Midlands, but local MPs are boycotting it anyway).

Mr Burden attempted to get independent MP Richard Taylor (Ind Wyre Forest) on the committee - but Lib Dems have managed to block this, by objecting to it in the House of Commons.

Now, Labour MP David Kidney (Lab Stafford) has left the committee, because he has got a Government job as an energy minister.

MP Janet Dean (Lab Burton) is meant to be his replacement.

But her appointment has also been blocked by opposition MPs, who appear determined to ensure the committee fails.

So out of nine committee places, only four are currently filled - and even Labour is only taking four of the five seats it is entitled to.

Let's Give Spin the Red Card

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 17:18:54 +0000

Birmingham's football clubs face a tax hike of more than £900,000 next year thanks to increases in business rates, according to Conservatives.

A press release from the Tories claims that Villa will see business rates go up from £637,775 to £1,309,380, an increase of £671,605.

And rates paid by Blues will go up from £575,460 to £334,650, an increase of £240,810.

Between them, they'll be paying an extra £912,415 to the taxman. It's all a result of a revaluation of business properties which comes into effect next year.

For example, Villa Park's rateable value has increased from £1.3 million to £3.1 million (according to the inspectors who decide these things), as you can see here: http://www.2010.voa.gov.uk/rli/en/basic/find/assessment-history/2010/10341021000

St Andrews is now deemed to be worth £1.4 million rather than £700,000 - and here's the link: http://www.2010.voa.gov.uk/rli/en/basic/find/assessment-history/2010/11144765000

As revaluations occur every five years, and the last one was in 2005, I'm not sure how shocking this is. Conservatives claim it could lead to higher ticket prices.

But what makes me smile a little is the toe-curling comment from Tory Shadow Local Government Minister Justine Greening.

She is quoted in the press release saying: "Even football, our national sport, is not safe from Gordon Brown's tax rises.

"If clubs pass on these extra costs, it could mean even higher ticket prices for fans. I'm sure many will think it is time to show this Government the red card."

It's one of those phrases that nobody would ever actually use, except perhaps when speaking to the media.

Will a Conservative Government be the Age of the Blogger?

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 10:03:28 +0000

Amidst all the talk about raising pension ages and fixing the economy, Conservatives have thrown out some interesting ideas for making government more open, at their Manchester conference.

These include a public consultation stage for new laws - after a Bill's second reading in the Commons but before it goes into committee stage, when amendments are drawn up - allowing the public to suggest changes

This will all be done online.

The Tories also plan to cut back on inspections of local authorities, and instead tell councils to publish every item of spending above £500 online.

The idea would be to replace the top-down accountability that exists at the moment with a bottom-up regime, where residents are able directly to scrutinise what their councils are doing.

While the aim is to let individuals get more involved in government, there will also be a role for mainstream media and bloggers in making sense of it all and providing forums for debate.

Of course, it also means there is a danger that people without internet access will be excluded from parts of the democratic process.

Sion Simon Speaks on Digital Britain, Internet Piracy and That Cameron Spoof

Thu, 01 Oct 2009 17:23:48 +0000

Older members of the Government might not understand the "nuts and bolts" on the internet, but they understand that it's important, according to Creative Industries Minister Sion Simon.

I tried something new when I interviewed Mr Simon, the MP for Birmingham Erdington, during Labour's conference this week.

Instead of picking the questions myself, I worked with website Yoosk.com, which allows the public to suggest the questions they want politicians to answer.

Yoosk is a funded partly by the taxpayer through Advantage West Midlands, and by Channel Four through it's 4iP fund.

Topics raised by questioners includes the Government's "Digital Britain" strategy, which aims to promote digital industries and get broadband internet access into every home, and the Government's planned crackdown on internet piracy, which has been criticised by local Labour MP Tom Watson (Lab West Bromwich East) among others.

Here's what Mr Simon had to say:

It's Not True to Claim the Tories Want to "Do Nothing"

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 09:47:54 +0000

I think we gave Gordon Brown's speech a reasonably warm reaction in today's Post. It did contain some interesting ideas, including reforms which might save post office branches from closure and a promise that the elderly will no longer need to sell their homes to pay for care (although Labour's account of how this will be paid for is laughable).

But clearly, not everyone agrees. In today's Sun, even the page three girl says she supports David Cameron now.

What I failed to mention in today's Post is the propaganda film which preceded the great leader's speech.

Shown on a big screen in the conference hall, this gave Labour credit for "18 UK Oscar winners in the past four years" and the "best Olympic performance for 100 years".
More seriously perhaps, Labour's message all week has been that the Conservatives wanted to "do nothing" about the recession.

This is based largely on comments made by Stratford MP John Maples in the Commons, when he said the recession must be allowed to "run its course" - a phrase you'll sometimes hear repeated by Labour figures.

The problem is that Labour suggests David Cameron or George Osborne said this
.
That's simply untrue.

Brown Needs a Big Idea to Lead Fightback

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 13:20:21 +0000

Heading off to hear Gordon Brown's speech very soon - the big news, briefed in advance, includes plans to expand childcare, crack down on anti-social behaviour and protect post offices from closure.

It's all worthy stuff, but doesn't sound likely to grab people's imagination. How often have we heard pledges to tackle anti-social behaviour or expand childcare from Labour? They are important issues, but hardly seem like policies to fight back from the brink and win an election on.

The proposal for a "people's bank" at the Post Office is at least new, and saving post offices will probably be popular. The "people's bank" phrase won't actually appear in the speech (apparently it is owned by an Irish bank and can't be used by Mr Brown for legal reasons).

But I'm told there is another "big story" in the speech that has not been leaked in advance. We'll see.

That Black Country Accent isn't Easy

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 13:12:31 +0000

You learn something new at every party conference.

This year, it was the admission from West Bromwich West MP Adrian Bailey that, despite ten years in the job, he still has problems understanding the Black Country accent.

He sometimes has to ask his wife to translate for him, he told a fringe meeting.

Mandelson's Still Spinning after Jaguar Land Rover Announces Factory Closure

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 17:47:39 +0000

Peter Mandelson is determined to look on the bright side after Jaguar Land Rover announced it was shutting one of its two West Midlands plants.

I had the chance to question him at a small press conference, where he was trumpeting the Government's work supporting the economy in the regions (ie, outside London).

The Business Secretary said how pleased he was that JLR had confirmed it was committed to keeping its Merseyside plant open.

I put it to him that while the announcement was good news for Merseyside, it would mean job losses in the West Midlands.

In response, he repeatedly insisted that he could not speculate on announcements that JLR had not yet made.

I'm sorry, but while we don't yet know all the details, it seems to me that closing a major factory (JLR apparently haven't decided whether it will be the Castle Bromwich or Solihull site) and creating 800 new jobs in Merseyside can only be a disaster for our region.

Those 800 jobs in the north west can only mean 800 jobs will go in the West Midlands - and probably more. The idea, after all, is to save money, not to create new jobs.

And while it's great that JLR have said there will be no compulsory redundancies, this does imply that positions will be lost in other ways, probably by not replacing staff who leave voluntarily.

Lord Mandelson has done a great job representing Labour lately. When he's on the telly, he sounds confident, knows what he's talking about and is never at a loss for words.

But his refusal to accept that JLR's announcement is another blow for the West Midlands region shows that beneath his new "pussycat" exterior, the great spinner still lurks.

Tax Rich People, Not Expensive Homes

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 16:46:49 +0000

Liberal Democrats are proposing a new property tax on homes worth more than £1 million.

Vince Cable, their Treasury spokesman who has become something of a national treasure himself, stresses that this would be a "small annual levy" of half a penny in the pound.

If I've got my maths right, that's £5,000 a year.

I don't really understand property taxes. Making the most wealthy pay more sounds reasonable enough, but if that's the aim then why not simply tax people on their incomes?

The trouble with taxing property values is that they may have little connection to how wealthy the householder really is.

If you can afford to buy a home for £1 million, then it's a safe bet you're not short of a bob or two, even if it involved a hefty mortgage.

But there are people who are not rich at all, but have simply stayed in the same home they bought 20 or 30 years ago and watched the value of their property shoot up.

In theory, anyone who owns a property worth £1 million is extremely wealthy.

In practice, of course, they can't get their hands on the cash unless they sell it.

And if you've lived in the same place for most of your life, possibly raising a family there, that may be the last thing you want to do.

Admittedly, this is more of a problem in the south east, where property prices reached ridiculous levels before the credit crunch.

But not everyone who lives in an expensive home in Solihull or Sutton Coldfield is going to have £5,000 a year to spare. And they should not be forced to move home simply because the property market spun out of control in the years since they moved in.

Brown vs Osborne on Spending - People vs Policy

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 18:18:58 +0000

Both the major parties delivered important speeches on the economy today.

As we report in tomorrow's paper, Gordon Brown told the TUC that some cuts in public spending will be needed, saying: "Labour will cut costs, cut inefficiencies, cut unnecessary programmes and cut lower priority budgets.

"But when our plans are published in the coming months people will see that Labour will not sup port cuts in the vital front line services on which people depend."

Meanwhile, Conservative Shadow Chancellor George Osborne told a conference organised by magazine The Spectator that a Conservative government would deliver "monetary activism to keep interest rates low and stimulate the economy [and] fiscal responsibility to restore confidence and rebuild our battered public finances."

Fiscal responsibility, in Mr Osborne's speech, includes spending cuts, as he made clear later on.

But if both parties are saying similar things, they have different ways of expressing themselves.

Questions for Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg

Mon, 14 Sep 2009 18:07:27 +0000

I'll be meeting Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg tomorrow at noon for a brief chat. As the Lib Dem conference is coming up, I imagine he will be keen to talk about the the messages he hopes to get across there. Of course, the party conferences this year will be the last before the next general election, so to some extent they will set the theme for the election campaigns.

However, I also hope to press him on some local issues. The format will be around a dozen local newspaper reporters meeting him together, so we may well only get one or two questions each.

The issues that came to mind were whether he is satisfied by the findings of the Rover report; Birmingham council's financial woes (I haven't been involved in this story but I think we have a good piece in tomorrow's paper); high speed rail, and the potential takeover of Cadbury (I suspect he'd just say it's a private matter, but who knows?).

However, if any readers have other ideas I'd love to hear them.

Should the Public Decide What the House of Commons Debates?

Mon, 07 Sep 2009 15:05:46 +0000

A Commons committee chaired by Staffordshire MP Tony Wright (Lab Cannock) is to consider whether the public should be able to initiate a debate in the House of Commons.

One option might be that MPs are required to hold a debate on a topic if enough people sign a petition demanding one. However, the committee is asking the public to submit their own ideas.

I'm blogging about this because the committee has just announced a formal call for evidence.

So if you have any ideas about how the Commons could be reformed, now is the time to have your say.

You can send your thoughts to the House of Commons Reform Committee by e-mail to reformcom@parliament.uk, or in writing to the Clerk to the Committee, House of Commons Reform Committee, Journal Office, House of Commons SW1P 3JA.

According to a statement from the committee, each submission should begin with a short summary in bullet point form; have numbered paragraphs, and (if sent by e-mail) be in Word format or a rich text format with as little use of colour or logos as possible.

Other topics being considered by the inquiry include the appointment of members and chairmen of select committees; the appointment of the Chairman and Deputy Chairmen of Ways and Means (who act as Speaker of the Commons when the Budget is being discussed), and how the Commons timetable is decided.