Well, another great day on the doorsteps of Pinhoe. I met up with Cllr Moira Macdonald (after the rugby world cup final!) at the junction of Pinn Lane and Harts Lane and covered all the Monkerton area. What a beautiful area it is too - with some lovely houses, and incredibly friendly people. I was made to feel very welcome.
Over the whole weekend, chatting with people, it was fascinating to see that I just could not predict voting intentions! Some of the biggest, most impressive homes on Pinn Lane I found were Labour supporters. Mind you, maybe I shouldn't be surprised now that polls are routinely showing that people do not feel the Conservative-led government are handling the economy at all well.
There are some clear issues emerging as local concerns - but there is also great concern about countywide issues - particularly the local cuts to services; and indeed nationally - particularly (not surprisingly) the squeeze that everyone is feeling on their disposable income. Those in rented accommodation are particularly anxious as rents become more unaffordable while of course inflation across other area (not least utility bills and petrol) continue to rise too.
Pinhoe is always a straight fight between the Conservatives and Labour with a very modest Lib Dem vote. That said I've chatted with a few former Lib Dem voters this weekend. I say "former" because they expressed their shock at how the Lib Dem career politicians at the top are propping up this Tory government, and one said he would never vote Lib Dem again. "Labour's not perfect," he said (fair point, and I wouldn't argue!) "but you've got my vote from now on. Nothing could be worse than this shower."
One other thing struck me about what I've seen meeting the people of Pinhoe, and that is the level of community action here. David and Margaret Mogford work tirelessly running the Pinhoe Community Association. Dave is also a great salesman, and got me signed up to membership on the spot! Frank explained to me at some length the involvement he and his wife have in a charity that takes aid to Eastern Europe - specifically Moldova - with the help and support of local churches and businesses. I was involved with a similar project some years back linked to orphanages in Romania, so I know the effort that is required to sort out the logistics of such things. Elsewhere, a coffee morning was going on to raise funds for an education project in Peru. (I hope that it was the local Amantani charity - we host those chaps at my work office in Exeter CVS!)
So, a great weekend on the doorsteps and I have been made to feel most welcome by residents and locals in the pub! I'm going to enjoy living here! :-)
Now, I've had the rugby and the doorstep deliveries -so if you'll excuse me, I now have just the small matter of the Manchester derby followed by the Mighty Chelsea taking on QPR to go....
Sunday, 23 October 2011
Out & About
Well, I had a great time out and about in Pinhoe yesterday. I hope you've started receiving your Pinhoe Ward News from us. If not, you'll be receiving a copy very soon.
It's fantastic to be part of a team working so hard for a local area, and I have some great support this weekend. Yesterday I was joined by Ben Bradshaw MP, Cllr Ian Martin and Hon. Alderman Val Dixon, and today I shall be out in the Monkerton area with Cllr Moira Macdonald.
Ben deserves his great local reputation as a hard-working constituency MP who really connects with his community, and demonstrates his care and concern. I saw first-hand the time he took with people whenever he was stopped - which was often! He is clearly well-known and well-liked. It was a pleasure to have him working with us and great to see in these days a politician held in high regard.
Cllr Ian Martin needs no introduction, of course. A veteran (hope he doesn't mind me calling him that!) campaigner and an experienced local politician. Ian is a local councillor for Mincinglake, and also portfolio holder for Business Transformation at the council - doing an excellent job of navigating the council and its valued staff through major restructure against a backdrop of aggressive cuts to local authorities' services by Tory central government.
Honorary Alderman Val Dixon deserves a special mention. Val is a local Labour stalwart and was a councillor for Pinhoe from 1996, and was Exeter's first Lord Mayor in 2002. That year she raised over £25,000 for the Force Cancer Support Centre. Val was honoured by the city in 2010 with Alderman status, and has remained a high-profile citizen in the city, and was very much in charge yesterday as no one know Pinhoe and its people like Val! It was Val who led me from house to house, usually enthusing "there's someone here I want you to meet...!"
Val lost her husband only this summer - himself a Labour activist, and as an Alderman she has every right to take a back seat and class herself as "politically retired". No chance! Val remains an active and dynamic worker for the ward, the city and the party - it was incredible to see her at work and to draw on her considerable knowledge and experience.
So, back out today - ready to meet more of you and to listen to what concerns YOU in our ward. If you see us out, please do say hello!
It's fantastic to be part of a team working so hard for a local area, and I have some great support this weekend. Yesterday I was joined by Ben Bradshaw MP, Cllr Ian Martin and Hon. Alderman Val Dixon, and today I shall be out in the Monkerton area with Cllr Moira Macdonald.
Ben deserves his great local reputation as a hard-working constituency MP who really connects with his community, and demonstrates his care and concern. I saw first-hand the time he took with people whenever he was stopped - which was often! He is clearly well-known and well-liked. It was a pleasure to have him working with us and great to see in these days a politician held in high regard.
Cllr Ian Martin needs no introduction, of course. A veteran (hope he doesn't mind me calling him that!) campaigner and an experienced local politician. Ian is a local councillor for Mincinglake, and also portfolio holder for Business Transformation at the council - doing an excellent job of navigating the council and its valued staff through major restructure against a backdrop of aggressive cuts to local authorities' services by Tory central government.
Honorary Alderman Val Dixon deserves a special mention. Val is a local Labour stalwart and was a councillor for Pinhoe from 1996, and was Exeter's first Lord Mayor in 2002. That year she raised over £25,000 for the Force Cancer Support Centre. Val was honoured by the city in 2010 with Alderman status, and has remained a high-profile citizen in the city, and was very much in charge yesterday as no one know Pinhoe and its people like Val! It was Val who led me from house to house, usually enthusing "there's someone here I want you to meet...!"
Val lost her husband only this summer - himself a Labour activist, and as an Alderman she has every right to take a back seat and class herself as "politically retired". No chance! Val remains an active and dynamic worker for the ward, the city and the party - it was incredible to see her at work and to draw on her considerable knowledge and experience.
So, back out today - ready to meet more of you and to listen to what concerns YOU in our ward. If you see us out, please do say hello!
Friday, 21 October 2011
Come and meet your Labour team
Tomorrow morning (Saturday 22nd October) we will be out and about in Pinhoe delivering copies of the Pinhoe Rose, Labour's newsletter from your local MP and City and County Councillors and hearing first hand the issues that are affecting you at ward, city & county level.
I'll be out with Ben Bradshaw MP and Cllr Ian Martin tomorrow from 11am to 1pm and looking forward to meeting as many of you as possible, and I'll also out again on Sunday at the same time. If it's very wet, we'll be at the Spar shop sheltering (cowering?!) under the canopy and having a "walk-by" clinic for local issues. (Note: This venue may be changed to the Heart of Oak or the Poltimore Arms by discretion!)
You may also be seeing Cllrs Saxon Spence and Moira MacDonald and Honorary Alderman Val Dixon doing the rounds as the Labour team in Pinhoe swells!
Please feel free to stop and chat to any of us, and raise the issues that matter to you in Pinhoe, or about the wider city and county. We're here to listen, but more than that, we're here to DO.
Looking forward to seeing you. :)
P.S.: Don't forget to follow my activities on Twitter using @simon4pinhoe, and on campaigning days you can follow the Twitter hashtag #labourdoorstep for updates on what people are telling us.
I'll be out with Ben Bradshaw MP and Cllr Ian Martin tomorrow from 11am to 1pm and looking forward to meeting as many of you as possible, and I'll also out again on Sunday at the same time. If it's very wet, we'll be at the Spar shop sheltering (cowering?!) under the canopy and having a "walk-by" clinic for local issues. (Note: This venue may be changed to the Heart of Oak or the Poltimore Arms by discretion!)
You may also be seeing Cllrs Saxon Spence and Moira MacDonald and Honorary Alderman Val Dixon doing the rounds as the Labour team in Pinhoe swells!
Please feel free to stop and chat to any of us, and raise the issues that matter to you in Pinhoe, or about the wider city and county. We're here to listen, but more than that, we're here to DO.
Looking forward to seeing you. :)
P.S.: Don't forget to follow my activities on Twitter using @simon4pinhoe, and on campaigning days you can follow the Twitter hashtag #labourdoorstep for updates on what people are telling us.
Tuesday, 18 October 2011
Welcome to my latest reader....
It's always good to make front page news... even if it is the...er.... Conservative Party Pinhoe Road residents survey!
So, welcome to my latest Blog reader, Councillor Cynthia Thompson, who has given as much space on her latest newsletter to writing about me as she has to talk about herself - quoting from this very blog. It's all rather flattering really. :-)
However, as with Theresa May talking about immigrants and their cats, or Liam Fox talking about globetrotting with his "advisor" / "friend", it's funny how you don't quite seem to get the whole truth with the Tories!
Cllr Thompson seems to want to make much of the fact that I do not currently live in Exeter. She neglected to say however, that I have worked in community services in Exeter since 1996 working first with drug users, and more latterly with charities and community groups through Exeter CVS. I lived in Exeter up to October last year when, for one year, I have been living near Honiton while still working in the city; and will be moving back to the city next month.
She also cites, quite rightly, that I have been a councillor in Weymouth for the past 8 years. However, she omitted to say that for the past 4 years I chaired the Audit committee, and won the chair of the Scrutiny committee this year - both appointments with the support of Tory councillors as well as my Labour colleagues. Why? Well, as one Conservative councillor told me, "...because we know you'll do the job, and do it well."
It is important to know and understand the needs of the community one represents; and then to know HOW to address those needs, and to have the drive, commitment and energy to do just that. My training as a community worker has enabled me to work with communities using a solution-focused approach for many, many years. I shall be moving house to be near the residents that I want to represent - with all the upheaval that entails - because I am committed to being a part of the community, and working with residents to empower Pinhoe to be all it wants to be, and to play a full and active part in the city. Maybe that is exactly what Cllr Thompson fears - an experienced campaigning councillor and a committed proactive community activist standing against her.
All that said, I do not intend to have a campaign that is characterised by personal attacks on my opponent. I think the arguments can and will be won on what I can do for Pinhoe, as another Labour Pinhoe councillor, working in a team with Cllr Moira MacDonald, Cllr Saxon Spence, and our Labour MP Ben Bradshaw.
It is what I do - and what I can do - that qualifies me to me an effective advocate for the people of Pinhoe, not where I have previously lived.
Thursday, 13 October 2011
The Plan's Not Working, Dave
What a depressing day yesterday was. The House of Lords failed to block the terrifying NHS Bill progressing, Liam Fox still appears to be above Parliamentary standards, and then some appalling unemployment figures were released.
Unemployment in England is now at the highest levels since 1996. This, of course, was the last year the Tories were in power. It gets worse. Unemployment among women is at its highest level since records began in 1992. Similarly, youth unemployment is also at an all-time high. More than 1 in 5 under 25s is now unemployed. The Future Jobs Fund, Labour's scheme to get young people trained and into work, and KEPT in work, has been scrapped.
The south west is being particularly hard hit. Devon and Cornwall saw a 5.7% increase in youth unemployment in the last month alone, and a staggering 29.3% increase on this time last year. (This compares with national average increases of 3.5% and 16.2% respectively.)
Why? Devon is reliant on Public Sector jobs. Two major local authorities are based in Exeter, a large hospital, a health trust, the PCT, the Met Office, a major global university, schools, colleges... 40% of Exeter's employment is in the public sector. And those services are now being cut.
Of course the mantra is that private businesses will fill the void, that private sector jobs created will offset public sector job losses. Well, Job Centres across Devon are being notified of 13.2% LESS vacancies than last month, and 34.1% less vacancies than this time last year.
In recent history, the UK's highest unemployment has been in the years 1984-86; 1992-94; and now, 2011. There's a pattern. It seems you cannot have a Tory-led government without paying for it with jobs and livelihoods.
Cameron and Osborne's "Plan A", and stubborn insistence of sticking to an austerity programme that is strangling any hope of growth is killing the employment market. Don't believe the "deficit reduction" line - the structural deficit in the UK has gone UP under the coalition. People are losing jobs, and households are spending less on consumer goods as fuel costs, rent costs and food costs escalate. Growth is stagnant, and the public sector is bracing itself for further cuts - Devon County Council has already said it needs to find a further £40 million of savings next year.
There is an alternative. Ed Balls has set out a clear five-point plan nationally, to get the UK growing again, and locally Labour councillors are fighting hard to retain vital services for Exeter's communities. Next May you will all have a chance to send a clear message to Westminster by voting Labour in the local elections.
Our message? "Your plan is not working - it's hurting."
Unemployment in England is now at the highest levels since 1996. This, of course, was the last year the Tories were in power. It gets worse. Unemployment among women is at its highest level since records began in 1992. Similarly, youth unemployment is also at an all-time high. More than 1 in 5 under 25s is now unemployed. The Future Jobs Fund, Labour's scheme to get young people trained and into work, and KEPT in work, has been scrapped.
The south west is being particularly hard hit. Devon and Cornwall saw a 5.7% increase in youth unemployment in the last month alone, and a staggering 29.3% increase on this time last year. (This compares with national average increases of 3.5% and 16.2% respectively.)
Why? Devon is reliant on Public Sector jobs. Two major local authorities are based in Exeter, a large hospital, a health trust, the PCT, the Met Office, a major global university, schools, colleges... 40% of Exeter's employment is in the public sector. And those services are now being cut.
Of course the mantra is that private businesses will fill the void, that private sector jobs created will offset public sector job losses. Well, Job Centres across Devon are being notified of 13.2% LESS vacancies than last month, and 34.1% less vacancies than this time last year.
In recent history, the UK's highest unemployment has been in the years 1984-86; 1992-94; and now, 2011. There's a pattern. It seems you cannot have a Tory-led government without paying for it with jobs and livelihoods.
Cameron and Osborne's "Plan A", and stubborn insistence of sticking to an austerity programme that is strangling any hope of growth is killing the employment market. Don't believe the "deficit reduction" line - the structural deficit in the UK has gone UP under the coalition. People are losing jobs, and households are spending less on consumer goods as fuel costs, rent costs and food costs escalate. Growth is stagnant, and the public sector is bracing itself for further cuts - Devon County Council has already said it needs to find a further £40 million of savings next year.
There is an alternative. Ed Balls has set out a clear five-point plan nationally, to get the UK growing again, and locally Labour councillors are fighting hard to retain vital services for Exeter's communities. Next May you will all have a chance to send a clear message to Westminster by voting Labour in the local elections.
Our message? "Your plan is not working - it's hurting."
Monday, 10 October 2011
Block the Bill - The Fight to Save the NHS
When Nye Bevan, the Labour visionary who first foresaw an accessible, universal national healthcare system, free at the point of contact to all, was asked about the future of the new NHS, he said:
I believe he knew that there would be some who would be seeking its demise, who would be seeking to undermine its values of being "accessible", "universal" and "free".
Tory MP, Oliver Letwin, told a meeting in 2004 that "the NHS will not exist within 5 years of a Tory government". (http://ind.pn/f1biL1)
Increasingly, it seems he may be right. You will recall that Andrew Lansley's plans faced fierce opposition in the Commons - so much so that the Prime Minister announced a "pause" in the development of the Bill. Since that pause, 1000 amendments have been made to the Bill, but still it has not been fully scrutinised again in the Commons. This week, it sits with the Lords. There is a reasonable chance the Lords will block the Bill, and I for one sincerely hope that they do.
These plans will mark the end of the NHS as we all know it. Private providers will move in, and profit, not the quality of care, will become the new "bottom line" for clinicians. Even in the United States, a doctor is not allowed to refer a patient to a service that the doctor has a financial interest in. Even such a rudimentary safeguard against conflict of interests and profiteering do not exist in Lansley's Bill.
That is why I went to London yesterday to add my voice to thousands who went to protest against the Bill, and against the putting of profits before people. It was great to see a healthy contingent from Exeter getting up very early and taking a nearly 8 hour round-trip to participate in what was a very good natured, diverse, but powerful protest against this assault on a National Health Service that is the envy of the world.
There were many health care professionals there, and the message that was told again and again is that there is no evidence whatsoever that market competition has any effect on either clinical quality OR cost. This Bill is NOT evidence based, it is - as Letwin's comments in 2004 show - quite simply more toxic Tory ideology.
"The NHS will survive as long as there are folk left with the faith to fight for it."
I believe he knew that there would be some who would be seeking its demise, who would be seeking to undermine its values of being "accessible", "universal" and "free".
Tory MP, Oliver Letwin, told a meeting in 2004 that "the NHS will not exist within 5 years of a Tory government". (http://ind.pn/f1biL1)
Increasingly, it seems he may be right. You will recall that Andrew Lansley's plans faced fierce opposition in the Commons - so much so that the Prime Minister announced a "pause" in the development of the Bill. Since that pause, 1000 amendments have been made to the Bill, but still it has not been fully scrutinised again in the Commons. This week, it sits with the Lords. There is a reasonable chance the Lords will block the Bill, and I for one sincerely hope that they do.
These plans will mark the end of the NHS as we all know it. Private providers will move in, and profit, not the quality of care, will become the new "bottom line" for clinicians. Even in the United States, a doctor is not allowed to refer a patient to a service that the doctor has a financial interest in. Even such a rudimentary safeguard against conflict of interests and profiteering do not exist in Lansley's Bill.
That is why I went to London yesterday to add my voice to thousands who went to protest against the Bill, and against the putting of profits before people. It was great to see a healthy contingent from Exeter getting up very early and taking a nearly 8 hour round-trip to participate in what was a very good natured, diverse, but powerful protest against this assault on a National Health Service that is the envy of the world.
There were many health care professionals there, and the message that was told again and again is that there is no evidence whatsoever that market competition has any effect on either clinical quality OR cost. This Bill is NOT evidence based, it is - as Letwin's comments in 2004 show - quite simply more toxic Tory ideology.
Being interviewed by a Sunday Times journalist
A banner from Exeter of that Nye Bevan quote
Wednesday, 5 October 2011
Big Soc
I see Dave has been plugging away about his "Big Society" concept again at the Tory conference this week. I have to admire his determination to keep flogging this particular dead horse. For those of us that work in the Charity and Community sector (or "Civil Society", as we now called), there has been a long-held cynicism about the whole "Big Society" concept. Early on in the coalition administration I was sent this:
...along with the caption, "Can you tell what it is, yet?!"
Which pretty much sums it up. No one, least of all most Tories, seem ever so clear on what it all actually means. Every couple of months, I go to Westminster to attend meetings of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Volunteering and Civil Society. Attendance from MPs is not great, and attendance by the Tories themselves particularly low.
I asked one Conservative MP what exactly Big Society is. He checked my name badge, and seeing that I work in the community sector said, "Well - it's people and groups like you. Doing things." Very helpful.
"How will it be funded?" I asked him.
"Well, that's the point. It's free."
*Sigh*.
The view seems to be that somehow whole armies of volunteers and community-spirited people are going to rise up and deliver services totally free of charge with little or no resourcing, and that the wealthy and private companies are going to donate mountains of money and professional time out of the kindness of their hearts to good causes, rather than having to contribute through a fair and efficient tax system. Good quality voluntary services and community projects need resourcing and support. They are not just a way of making up for cut public services.
The view seems to be that somehow whole armies of volunteers and community-spirited people are going to rise up and deliver services totally free of charge with little or no resourcing, and that the wealthy and private companies are going to donate mountains of money and professional time out of the kindness of their hearts to good causes, rather than having to contribute through a fair and efficient tax system. Good quality voluntary services and community projects need resourcing and support. They are not just a way of making up for cut public services.
The "Big Society" is just not happening, Dave.
- Only 39% of people volunteered last year - a 10 year low (Daily Telegraph, 23/09/11)
- Only one third of people took part in a civic event (Daily Telegraph, 23/09/11)
- Liverpool City Council, a flagship pilot authority for the Big Society, withdrew from the scheme in February. "I'm not going to pretend the Big Society is going to deliver," said the Council Leader
- The Prince's Trust - a flagship organisation for the National Citizens Service for young people - withdrew from the scheme to focus on "the high levels of youth unemployment" (Third Sector Magazine, 20/09/11)
- The top 100 donors gave 33% LESS this year (UK Fundraising Magazine, 06/05/11)
- Donations to charities were down by £70 million this year (Public Service, 08/07/11)
What so many of us that work in community services are upset about is the way that the "Big Society" announcements have almost sounded as though no grassroots work was happening anyway. The fact is, communities have longed pulled together, often aided and organised by community infrastructure organisations - and it is those very services that are now facing cuts, and some are closing for good.
Pinhoe has many diverse, vibrant, and active community groups, clubs, and charities; and already has community spirit in bucket-loads! Labour councillor Moira MacDonald recently worked alongside staff from the local building firm Seddon to clear, repair and paint the children's play area at the Arena Park.
Councillors, local businesses, and volunteers working together for the good of the community. It's not a fad, or a policy, or a soundbite. It's a way of being. It's a genuine sense of social responsibility and pride in our neighbourhood. And - I have to say it - it's been what Labour has been about for generations.
You can keep your Big Society, Dave. I'll stick with an authentic sense of community, thanks - not a badged, branded gimmick that everyone - your own backbenchers included - can see through.
Councillors, local businesses, and volunteers working together for the good of the community. It's not a fad, or a policy, or a soundbite. It's a way of being. It's a genuine sense of social responsibility and pride in our neighbourhood. And - I have to say it - it's been what Labour has been about for generations.
You can keep your Big Society, Dave. I'll stick with an authentic sense of community, thanks - not a badged, branded gimmick that everyone - your own backbenchers included - can see through.
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