Monthly Archives: April 2008

BULSInside: Marley’s handover signals

by Birmingham University Labour Students

Was there, for the first time from the chair, a recognition that he cannot go on like this and will not now hang on to the bitter end?

His monthly press conference crackled with the anticipation that, this time – unlike so many before it – it really had to deliver.

And deliver it did – in spades if you are of a mind to accept Tom Marley’s nods and winks unquestioningly.

But even for the cynics there was at least enough to think the last two weeks may have shifted the political landscape irrevocably.

In some carefully worded pronouncements Mr Marley, looking far less confrontational than we had been led to believe, delivered something significantly new.

He dropped the defiant old “here to serve a full third semester” stuff, in favour of an entirely different form of words.

And it was all about standing down soon enough to give his successor time to establish himself, or bed himself in.

15 reasons to vote Labour tomorrow

by Tom Guise

Polls are open tomorrow from 7am until 10pm.  Here are just 15 reasons why you should take time out to vote Labour;

  1. Labour introduced a national minimum wage that has risen to £5.52
  2. Over 14 000 more police officers in England and Wales – crime down by 32%
  3. Employment has never been higher
  4. Free entry to museums everywhere
  5. Winter fuel allowance to ease the financial burden on the older generation
  6. NHS Direct offers easy to use advice both online and via telephone.
  7. A million pensioners lifted out of poverty
  8. 600 000 children lifted out of poverty.
  9. Inpatient waiting lists down by over 50%
  10. cut long term youth-unemployment by 75%
  11. doubled the foreign aid budget since 1997
  12. free off-peak bus travel for over 60s
  13. 3 million child trust funds created
  14. Cleanest rivers, beaches and air since before the industrial revolution
  15. Increased the right to paid-holiday for all full-time workers, now 24 days

So go out and vote Labour and make sure we continue to deliver on that record of success. 

 

A new Unions policy from the Tories?

by John Ritchie

The Torygraph reports that their political namesake is considering reducing the “power of the unions.”

There’s no real question that this is simple knee-jerk opportunism on the Tories’ part.  We’ve had a teachers’ strike (whose justifications were admittedly dubious) and a strike of chemical workers (whose justifications seem perfectly commendable), and Osborne is trying to craft a winter-of-discontent image of unions holding the country to ransom.  Pathetic, George: and the Daily Mail-style scare tactics aren’t befitting even of the current Tory frontbench.

What is slightly more scary is the tone of this message and the exposure it gives to the Tories’ hypocrisy.  Only this morning, Cameron was telling us how he was only worried for the poor people of the country in opposing the abolition of the 10p tax rate.  Nonsense.  In a climate where the poor are being squeezed whilst the rich are getting better off (one of the legacies of the current government of which I am less proud), workers need the protection of the trades unions – they do not need yet further erosions to their powers.

In another blindening dose of inconsistency, when it comes to the blame game between employer and union, Osbourne believes the unions are to blame and need to be cut down (cf. Grangemouth), yet when it comes to Civil Servants and the employer happens to be Gordon Brown, can you guess who is to blame?

Striking was not the right way to tackle the issue, he said, adding that the “real culprit” was Gordon Brown.  By that reasoning, who was to blame for the miners strikes of the 80s?

… the unions, I guess.

Its just not Cricket

by mattreeves

Having just received my Take Home test for Political Analysis, I am annoyed. When we were given them, out lecturer said that history students get an extra week just because they have a little bit extra work to do, fair enough. Ive no idea how much work they have but i’ll accept it. Where my problem lies is that he also said certain members of the module have been granted extensions simply because they are campaigning for Boris in London. This is ridiculous when all of us are campaigning, as BUCF are im sure. Why then should Boris campaigners be given an extension when no one else is. If this module was going to grant this extension, they shouldnt have given their test over council election week. End of 

‘I am a sex addict’, says Tory donor

by John Ritchie

 

From today’s Independent:

Lord Laidlaw, the multimillionaire Tory donor, has pledged a £1m donation to an addiction charity after a Sunday newspaper published lurid claims about his addiction to sex.

The Monaco-based peer admitted his lifelong problem after the News of the World claimed he had held sex parties with prostitutes. In a letter to the newspaper, Lord Laidlaw, who has given more than £3m to the Conservatives and paid £25,000 to Boris Johnson’s mayoral campaign, said he had been “fighting sexual addiction for my whole adult life”. He said he was seeking “expert help” and plans to give £1m to a British addiction charity.

Lord Laidlaw said: “Sexual addiction is comparable to other, better-known addictions such as drug, alcohol and gambling. There is no cure for it and self-help is rarely successful.”

Dawn Butler, a Labour vice-chairman, condemned the peer’s actions.

She said: “If they have any respect for the women of this country, I hope David Cameron and Boris Johnson will return the millions of pounds they have been given by Lord Laidlaw or hand over the money to a charity helping abused women. That would send the right signal that his behaviour is unacceptable.”

I have to say, I’m with Dawn on this one.

Question Time Gold

by Brigidjones

Last night’s Question Time Mayoral special had me and The Housemates in stitches. Brian Paddick was a flickering lightbulb- at times he provided some of the best, most cutting lines (usually delightfully aimed at Boris), at others he was more like Team America’s “Matt Damon”, failing to manage a smile the whole hour-long show. Dimbleby brought up everything you hoped he would, Boris was on absolutley top form evading every question thrown at him with his stilted, rambling delivery, and Ken almost made me fall in love.

Favourite Ken moment, re olympics: “no, I don’t care about three weeks of sport- but look at all the money I got us for rebuilding the East End!”

Or perhaps, Paddick’s “This is a shameless attempt to get Lib Dems to vote for you.”

Ken- “Yes, of course it is!”

On the topic of which, I wonder if Boris will live to regret telling BNP supporters he doesn’t want their second preferences?

Paddick’s stance on tactical voting was hilarious, given his party’s long running campaign for electoral reform, and the fact that in my former constituency of Eastbourne it is only through tactical voting they won the council- check out ANY Lib Dem leaflet for the obligitory “vote for us, because the party you actually want can’t win here!” graph.

Look out towards the end for the question, “If Blair was champagne and caviar, while Brown is porridge, what is your leadership style?”… Ken is fruit and veg of course, ‘cos it’s good for you and good for the environment :)

Boris? After much stumbling and evasion, he decided he was like “the difference between a brand of cornflakes that is very cheap, and one that is just the same but grossly overpriced.” Er, that would be like nothing, then?

You can relive the fun on iPlayerKen Livingstone

The UK is in Dreamland, not Hillaryland

by Birmingham University Labour Students
It is not only Mr. Marley who is calling on Hillary Clinton to step out of the race for the Democratic nomination. Peter Mason, former BULS secretary and local campaigns organiser for the Union of Jewish Students, also argues Clinton should stand aside.
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Many of my recent conversations with supporters of the former First Lady, Senator Hillary Clinton spend much of their time shifting the platform of debate away from her failing candidacy, by asking what Obama offers to the American people.

Often citing the lack of his policies, alongside the three minor scandals that have so far hit his campaign, critics of his campaign (rather than supporters ofhers) engage in malevolent hypocrisy, and downright nasty ignorance. I would certainly expect that from the likes of Carville (for example, calling Richardson “Judas” after his endorsement of Obama), but not from educated, University students.

Those who claim not to know anything about Obama, his platform or his history may be forgiven however, because the total lack of substantial and correct reporting of his campaign is sadly lacking within the UK media, last nights Newsnight report is a key example.

However, any absence of information from the BBC or others cant be blamed solely for their ignorance. In the information age, information is, as the age’s title suggests, freely available. Indeed, Obama, unlike many other contenders, has fully engaged and deployed one of the best Web 2.0 campaigns ever seen. I point all those critics of his policy vacuum to his extensive “Blueprint for Change” http://www.barackobama.com/issues/ .

I offer a sincere invitation for all his critics to engage, read and then criticise if you do not witness anything that you might be drawn to. But claims that he is some form of Manchurian, sleeper candidate without policy is simple sophistry. Anyone professing the claim of “no policy” can then be seen clearly for what they are, ignorant of the truth, and the peddlers of negative campaigning.

Not to say that they have been getting campaign memo’s from the demoted, but still involved strategist Mark Penn, but for critics of Obama’s effective and inspiring rhetoric that is bringing independents to the Democratic party like no candidate has since Roosevelt, such claims appear not surprisingly, as empty rhetoric, much like the Clinton camps recent advertisements in the Pennsylvania primaries.

Hillary needs to win 63% of all the available remaining votes, and will not do so. Tracking polls are not showing a post Pennsylvania bump, she is trailing 23 million dollars behind Obama in campaign funds. She is way behind in North Carolina, and level in Indiana. Superdeleagates are now speeding up their endorsements for Obama, whilst party bosses have already signalled their intentions that the race will end sooner, rather than at Denver.

Obama has won 30 states to her 15. He has brought millions of Independents to the party and put much of the south and Midwest in play for the November election, alongside winning big swing states like Virginia. With the other larger states like New York and California unlikely not to vote for a Democrat (and Pennsylvania increasingly becoming less of a swing state, the democrats having won landslide victories for Senate and Congressional candidates in ’06), there is a real risk that party factionalism will aid McCain in his bid for the Presidency. The numerous skeletons that hide in the Hillary closet, which Obama refuses to expose, will certainly be exploited by the Republicans, and with Rove’s continual attempts to spin the notion that they fear her over him, because of this fact and others, is transparent as a tactic,

No amount of negative campaigning, and do-over political twisting of arms by Hillary and Bill can escape the fact that:

  • Obama will win the most popular votes
  • Obama will win the most elected delegates
  • Obama will win the most super delegates
  • Obama has won the nomination

Now is the time for Clinton to leave the race, lest she plunge the US, and the world into 8 years of a McCain government.

new lows

by Gary

While casually looking through the BBC website, as I am wont to do, I noticed this absolutely breathtaking story about how stupid Tories are and how policy-poor they are.

Eric Pickles, the Conservative spokesman (nominally for Communities but mostly for bollocks) today accused the Prime Minister of trying to do what William the Conquerer, Julius Caeser and Hitler failed when he said “Gordon Brown literally wants to wipe England off the map”.

This comes from EU proposals to allocate funding on a regional basis.  The west of England, for example, would join Wales, the West of Scotland and Ireland in the ‘Atlantic region’.  Eastern England wouold join Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, Germany and Sweden in a ‘North Sea Region’.  And for some reason, the south-east of England joins northern France in a ‘TransManche region’.

While this might seem like boring administrative procedure to focus support, funding and reserach for environmental or tourism work (because it is), Eric Pickles, god bless him, says that this is proof that ‘the Labour government has been caught red-handed conspiring with European bureaucrats to create a European superstate via the back door’.

My mom always says that she hates politics because of a) politicians calling their opponents evil for negative campaigning while doing it themselves, often first and nastiest and b) the ‘fake shock’ that politicians find to protest innocent statements and mundane things to make their opponents look bad.  Eric Pickles is absolutely the best example of the latter that I’ve seen since William Hague and ‘Keep the Pound’.

This really shows how the absolute lack of policy or ideas about the UK’s role in Europe and the world from the Conservative party comes to the front when they see a superstate in a concept of regions.  Like drawing attention to the fact that some states share a geography (some quite obvious and historic – Scandanavia for example, or the Mediterranian) means the Fourth Reich.

Idiot.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This isn’t Eric Pickles.  This is Captain Mainwarring from Dad’s Army.  But they remind me of each other for sheer levels of daft, and I’ve not used a photo before and I thought I’d try it.

 

Brown listens

by Brigidjones

Delighted to see Brown announce plans to compensate low earners and the childless today.

Disgusted to see Cameron harping on as if his party’s policies would have done anything better for low earners. In PMQs today he is full of criticism for the PM changing his mind, and no retort to any of the points about his party’s stance on tax credits or rates. All he talks about is personal digs about Brown being weak; all Brown talks about is policy. I know which impresses me more.

an arranged marriage

by Gary

Some interesting things about last night include

  • Hillary Clinton winning Pennsylvania by 10% – 55% to 45%
  • Hillary Clinton winning Pennsylvania by (with 99% of the vote cast and counted by CNN) by 215498 votes
  • Barack Obama spending over $10.6 in media sales (which is over twice what Hillary Clinton did and works out at over $10 for each vote he won)

But my favourite comment of the evening was a pundit saying that this whole election season is like an arranged marriage – they know they’re going to have to end up together to keep the family happy and this whole bithcing couple of months is what the rest of us call foreplay.

 

Brilliant.

Get her OUT!

by Tom Guise

Kate Hoey, LABOUR MP, for Vauxhal in London, has backed down from attending an event with Boris Johnson where she was due to give her endorsement (granted worth nothing).  Apparently, the PM dispatched our Harriet who gave her a right good talking to.  Hoey’s excuse for not attending was that she was ill (if having a conscience is a sickness) however she was seen out and about in her constituency that same day.  Who does she think she is?  How dare she stand with the words “The Labour Party Candidate” next to her name!

 

As you can tell it’s got me quite worked up, so here’s something to lighten the mood.

A tale of two parties

by Brigidjones

It’s not an easy time to be in the Labour Party right now.

I spent yesterday afternoon sticking leaflets through Selly Oak’s letter boxes. I was on my own, but it was nice to have a break from revision and I love helping in my local area.

I spent the early afternoon at a women’s event in Birmingham, aimed at inspiring women, particuarly from BME backgrounds, to get involved in politics. Well done to those who put it together; it was full of women who have achieved and women who want to achieve, with a sprinkling of men who would like to help women achieve, and will hopefully be the first step on a road to a better future for the women chronically under represented in the host ward.

I spent the late afternoon in Bartley Green, sticking leaflets through letter boxes. Despite it not being the nicest of days there were six of us on the streets, and we got through a good lot of walks; the candidate there, BULS’s own Tom Guise, has been working tirelessly there all week, and my friends brought tales of their campaigning exploits at home and in Quinton too.

So then we go to the pub afterwards, and the conversation turns to the ten pence tax row. A friend says she was canvassing that morning, and it was all people could talk about. Usual die-hard Labour supporters,  telling her they had been let down; Labour-certain and Labour-maybes, now Labour-nos. The blogs are full of similar stories. The papers tell of mass discontent. Alaistair Darling was (char) grilled by Andrew Marr this morning, and couldn’t explain how low earning single people were getting a fair deal. I can’t understand why my Labour party is doing this- I am baffled, and so, so disappointed.

This goes deeper than past disagreements; the Iraq war and top up fees had their detractors, but this goes right into the core of the Labour ideology (James Purnell could not be more wrong, he might be so but true members are not “ideologically neutral”). As another friend commented, older voters vote for us because they were brought up on our values and know what they’re meant to be; young voters just don’t see us as having those core principals. And no wonder, if this is all we have to show them.

The rally I went to today, the campaigning I’ve done this week, the enthusiasm of the real members, the people on the ground, is being blown away by what’s going on at the centre of the party; policies that are impossible to have any real input into, that betray our principles, are being churned out at an accelerating pace. The central coure is out of step with almost every member I have come across. A year ago I was excited at the prospect of Brown taking over, but now more often than not when I see him on the news the question rings in my mind- what the hell is he doing? 

The press keep talking about the party being in trouble. Here on the ground, where the real campaigners and real members are, we’re doing alright. We still work hard, we still believe in the same core values. It’s the centre where things are kicking off. In my mind there are two parties, the small elite centre who come up with the policy and get all the attention and the outer rim, the real people. The two right now feel almost entirely disconnected. We are like a ring around their Saturn. It’s like we’re two different Labour parties, existing simultaneously but almost entirely separately.

My only consolation in this is that as I live on less than five grand a year, I won’t be financially affected by the new tax band. What I wish voters would do is put that central Saturn out of their minds on May 1st. Right now, they don’t speak for us; they have so little to do with local government. Vote for the real members, the real candidates, the real people who have put in so much hard work all across the country just to try to make every day living in our home communities that bit better. Vote for the campaigners who go out in the sleet and the snow and the rain (yes BULS have been out in all three this year), vote for the members who sit in their branch meetings and scrutinise planning applications and take action on graffiti and litter, vote for the people on the ground who can make a real difference to your local area. Don’t let shit central government policies let us down- the two Labour parties have a lot to do to reconnect, to sort themselves out. The thick smog of discontent across the divide suggests it won’t be like this for long… until then, don’t punish one for the other’s mistakes.

Viva

by Gary

I thought I’d return after a long absence to blog about an exciting, internationalist, socialist, feminist thing.  How brilliant.  I wanted to comment about this story that I found in the Guardian which tells us that after the Spanish elections last month, the returning Prime Minister, Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapetero has appointed the  first ever majority female Cabinet.  It includes some absolutely fascinating additions like Carme Chacon, who is the new Defence Minister and just about to go on maternity leave.  Amazing.  Apparently the Armed Forces of Spain (whose name, I believe, is Paco) is stunned – but what a bloody good move forwards.

But the reason I blog is to comment on the start of the story, which is about Silvio Berlusconi, the returning Prime Minister of Italy who says that this new ‘Pink Cabinet’ is a daft idea which wouldn’t work in Italy because it isn’t easy to find women who are qualified’.  Apparently, in Italy, finding 8 women of Cabinet level is too hard.  There are literally hundreds of men, but we struggle to find eight women. 

What do we think?  I thought it was typical of right wingers but good news for Spain.  Let’s hope they can show Berlusconi how good they can be.

Prove it!

by Brigidjones

The BBC reports that in future mediums and psychics may have to “prove they are genuine” in order to comply with new consumer protection laws.

Wow. Is this the beginning of an atheists utopia or are they being unfairly discriminated against?

To Gwyneth…

by Tom Guise

Gwyneth Dunwoody, the longest serving female MP, died yeserday at 77.  She had represented Crewe and Nantwich since 1974.

 

She was hugely independent, a fantastic select committee chair, and someone who I looked up to.  I met her once and despite being completely in awe of her, she was extremely congenial towards me.  Like many people, she may have had her gripes with Labour Party policy from time to time, but she always expressed these in a cordial manner, and I bet she was out campaigning for the local elections for as long as she was able to.  I will miss her greatly.

Nationalism on every scale… Where shall we stop?

by Brigidjones

Having attracted the interest of some English nationalists earlier this week, I thought I’d blog about some of the other forms of nationalism around in the UK at the moment. 

Right now we don’t have any parties calling for a united Europe that I’m aware of, unless groupings within the EU, such as European Socialists count. On an, erm, national level, we have the British National Party, hoping for a united Britain exclusively for the British indiginous population, however they might be defined. We have UKIP, oft dubbed the middle class BNP, calling also for Britain to get out of Europe and restrict its borders.

Then we step down a level. The United Kingdom consists of four constituent… countries? regions? sub-nations?… each boasting it’s own nationalist party. These tend to be less racist or concerned with immigration, calling instead for independent governance. Plaid Cymru and the Scottish National Party hold seats in their respective assemblies and parliaments. Ireland provides an interesting variation, as various nationalist groups exist in the Northern Ireland Assembly representing both pro UK and pro united Ireland views. The English Democrats campaign for a parliament of England’s own.

But here we can step down yet another level. What about the groups calling for Cornish independance? What about Government plans to create regional assemblies? At what level do we stop and realise that if we keep dividing we’re going to have nothing left?

Some of us feel allegience to the town we were born in, some to the county, such as Cornwall. Others to the region of the UK, labelling themselves a southerner or a northerner, and others to England or Britain as a whole. Yet more living in the UK might feel more European than British, and then there are people who feel more part of the Commonwelth, and those who consider themselves world citizens. If you are “nationalist” in any sense, be it for a country, region or any particular place, you have to ask yourself, at what point do we stop dividing?

I would love to see the BNP, UKIP, English Dems, Plaid Cymru, SNP, Cornish nationalists and any other group thrown into a room to thrash this out- maybe some sort of bizzarre Question Time. Could get messy, though.

Beautiful Bartley

by Brigidjones

I had the honour today of spending a few hours in brilliant sunshine leafleting the lovely Bartley Green with its Labour Party Candidate for the upcoming elections, Mr Thomas Guise. It was a delightful afternoon and we got to see many sights of the ward, whilst bringing the good message to the local residents. (Photos whould be included but Tom Marley still has my damn usb cable.)

Guisey will be out leafleting for most of the rest of this week, and I hope to be joining him for another outing too. We promise it will be at least 42% more fun than staying at home and revising, and there should be plenty of time for a sociable pint afterwards.

Any time you’re free, morning afternoon or evening, a day or an hour, drop us a line at labour@guild.bham.ac.uk or Facebook Tom!

Revisiting the no-platform policy

by Birmingham University Labour Students

The debate on the need for the no-platform policy has been well discussed on this blog, now we have it, why not make it applicaple to people with genuinely offensive views, even if they’re elected representatives.  The No-platform policy held by the Guild of Students means that no speaker may come to our Union if they hold views deemed to be offensive and a possible risk to our members.

 

Brigid Jones has documented one of Bartley Green’s Conservative councillors and his brush with the law and record of making sexist, racist and nationalistic comments.  I find his views quite abhorent on a number of issues, and I bet he’d love to thump me one if he had the opportunity, so shouldn’t he be banned to speak at our Union if he makes some good hard-working Labour Students feel at risk and threatened?   

Random statistics: Crime and cars

by Brigidjones

0.5 % of the UK population will die in a car accident.

Figures out today show that 0.7 % of Glaswegians were crime victims last year.

It’s 0.6 % in New York.

While the BBC finds that distressing, I found that rather reassuring. Given that most of us don’t think twice about climbing into a car, the fact that the chances of becoming a crime victim are roughly the same as dying in a car should surely set a lot of people at ease… or maybe it should have them diving for the trains and busses, depending which way you look at it.

Scottish Parliament- not just a pretty facade

by Brigidjones

I’ve just got back from a trip to Scotland, which included an excursion to the stunning Scottish Parliament. I actually didn’t know much about it before, and hadn’t fully appreciated how much policy it has control over. A few things struck me about the smoothness of its operation compared to the mess that is the Westminster system- the policy making process is so much more measured and stremlined, and the PR system Scottish Parliamentjust left me deeply envious.

But what really got me was how much control they had over every day life- and how socially progressive they were. Free education! Free prescriptions for students! These mere slogans for students in England, far off dreams that countless speeches at NUS conference told us were so unattainable weren’t worth fighting for- Scotland has them! Obviously I am vastly oversimplifying here and politics isn’t quite that rosy north of the border, but I left feeling a little hard done by for having been born in the wrong part of the country. Maybe it’s because I grew up on the South Coast of England, but until this weekend I’d never actually considered England, Scotland, Wales and NI to be anothing more than regions of the UK. But seeing how much autonomy the Scots have over these issues, and how differently people and students get treated by the same government simply for being born onto a different patch of the land it governs, has left me for the first time ever feeling English (and not proudly so). Whereas before I’d seen the SNP as being a bit nuts, I can kinda now see what they’re getting at. If we’re all going to get treated differently, have different systems of decision making and have hugely different experiences in life, why should we feel British?

The systems of power in this country (the UK) are a mess. (I probably sound a bit thick for having only just realised this, but it’s just not something that I’ve never really considered- I’m far more interested in policy than process.) I can’t help but feel a bit screwed over by the present system. I’m not about to go handing in my membership card and joining the English Democrats, but we need equal and fair representation for all UK citizens: right now, we just don’t have it.

What have they ever done for us?

by Tom Guise

Britain has long been thought of as a country of no-hopers.  Our national football teams are widely unsuccessful for instance, we flop at Eurovision, and more recently, Terminal 5.  So it might be pertinant to point out that Britain’s favourite no-hopers, the Liberal Democrats, were 20 years ago this month after a fractitious alliance with the SDP and in a cloud of confusion that has covered them in fog for two decades.

 

Despite their claims that we have a three-party system, we do not, so in what way does having the Lib Dems benefit our nation?  The next Government will be Labour or Tory, they attempt to breathe some life into their party by claiming that the next election will bring a hung-parliament of which they will be a key-player.  I very much doubt their parliamentary party could be a key-player in anything, that doesn’t involve navel gazing.

The Archant can of worms

by Tom Guise

Archant is a newspaper group with over 20 newspapers across London. Labourhome and Mike Ion both report on how they have recently taken money from the BNP in exchange for advertising spaces in their papers.  The BNP is working hard to gain its first ever seat on the Greater London Assembly. 

 

I ask you this, is it a matter of principal or profit?    Answers on the back of a postcard to the usual address please :)

Breaking news: A few people spotted in Boris t-shirts just 120 miles from London…

by Brigidjones

Deirdre Alden has published shock revelations that “Birmingham University Sudents support Boris“. BULS, which (as of October when the photo was taken) has more members than BU Lib Dems and BUCF put together, would like to clarify that despite being University of Birmingham students, they are not terribly fond of Boris.

And they say they’re not Thatcherites…

by Tom Guise

Here’s a new post from our friends at Birmingham University Conservative no Future.  Mr. O’Doherty, under the headline ‘Bring Thatcher Back’, cites a recent poll in which two-thirds of Tory voters prefer Thatcher to Cameron.  Although, this may have been a poll of the O’Doherty household, it is quite interesting to see the extent of support Thatcher has amongst Tory supporters.  My advice to them is that they should move on.  You’re stuck with Cameron for the meantime so deal with it!!

Pitt-the later

by Tom Guise

David Pitt-Watson has been delaying his arrival as our new General Secretary because he is ironing out the contracts to ensure he is not personally liable if the party loses money.  That’s the kind of top-notch business thinking that gets you to a position of being worth a few bob.  This counters claims that he was delaying due to decor disputes in Labour HQ and rumours that he wanted to hire a trained monkey to balance the books.

Time to get serious…

by Tom Guise

Ok people, I need your help.  I have just sent off my postal vote form for the London elections, but I don’t know who to put second (obviously I’m putting Ken Livingstone first).  Make your pitch below.  Try and convince me – what is the best use of my second preference vote.

It’s official: Immirants don’t queue jump

by Brigidjones

Some interesting figures were published this week by the Equality and Human Rights comission with regards to council housing and immigrants. I quote the facts as published in the Birmingham Post:

  • New migrants make up three per cent of the total population but account for less than two per cent of the population in council housing.
  • Nine in ten people living in council houses are UK born.
  • Council houses are given to 11 per cent of new migrants, 17 per cent of UK-born residents and 18 per cent of foreign-born UK residents.
  • Migrants tend to benefit from social housing after they have been settled for several years in the UK and become British citizens.

In my little perfect world, the tabloids that scream untruths about the issue would be forced to publish as many front pages with these facts as they have ones filled with unresearched xenophobia…

20p too far?

by Brigidjones

Now three Birmingham MPs, Sion Simon, Gisela Stewart and Lynne Jones, have declared the 20p starting rate on income tax a step too far… that’s a fair cross section of MPs, from regular rebel to usual loyalist.

While the theory goes that this will be offset by tax breaks, it is claimed the poorest will be badly hit… knowing sod all about economics, I’m not going to try to analyse it further.

Local Predictions!

by Tom Guise

I made a prediction about the London elections a couple of weeks ago and now I want to predict the Birmingham City Council Elections.  I had a dream over the weekend that a spate of Tory Candidates forgot to hand in their nomination papers, alas the Tory Brum machine was just about organised enough!

 

40 seats are up for election, currently 12 of them are Tory, 13 Lib Dem and 14 Labour, with one independent.

 

I predict, Labour GAIN: 3 but lose 5.  Tory gain: 4, Lib Dems lose 4 and gain 1.  The independent will probably stay.

 

Therefore, the standings will be Tory: 16, Lab, 13, Lib Dem 10 and Other, 1. 

EDITORIAL NOTE:  PragueTory must now declare his predictions and let us compare notes at the end!

Want entertainment? Try the Championship.

by Tom Guise

In the era of celebrity, the attention of fans has shifted from the quality of the football to the lives of the individuals.  Yesterday I went to Wembley to watch West Brom (ranked 5th in the championship) take on the last remaining Premiership side, Portsmouth (ranked 6th in the league) in the Semi-Final of the FA Cup.  It was a tense but exhilarating game which the untrained observer would have found difficult to point out the Premiership side.

Earlier today, two Championship sides, Barnsley and Cardiff battled it out for the second spot in the final.  A tight game won narrowly by Cardiff.  Those two sides had managed to defeat big Premiership opponents along their way to Wembley.  The competition has shown true football fans, where the entertainment lies, along with the suspense.  At the start of the season, West Brom and Watford were touted to win automatic promotion by comfortable margins, now both teams sit in the agonizing Play-off spots with just a couple of points separating the top 5.  It all makes for thrilling games every week.  The competition is equally as close at the bottom end of the table.

The Premiership is equally close, but the top-three are the same top-three its been for years, Arsenal, Chelsea and Man Utd.  Whenever they face eachother the entertainment almost always disappoints.  Some players in the top-flight seem to  believe they are bigger than the club or even the league, that doesn’t happen in the Championship.  It’s teams that do battle in that league not characters.

That’s why West Brom’s play dominated the match for most of the 90 minutes, unfortunately we let in a sloppy goal.  That one mistake will live long in the memory, but we did ourselves proud.  We passed the ball with ease and poise across all ends of the pitch, never relying on one player, we relied on 11 to show up.

I’ll be backing Cardiff to win in the final.  I hope West Brom get promoted but whatever happens, I’ll be keeping a close eye on the Championship to get my football entertainment!

View from the floor

by Brigidjones

As Tom Guise mentioned earlier this week, I am indeed fresh back from my first proper NUS conference. It was quite a spectacle.

It was interesting to see where the big debates fell. While the issues of governance and education attracted long, passionate debate, with the same people arguing against the same people again and again, issues of welfare and “strong and active unions” attracted no such controversey. The politics was agressive- the same tired rhetoric was trotted (heh) out again and again by both sides, and the bitching about the “right wing new labourites” who apparently run the NUS (how ironic) was constant. Factions were evident by the rainbow of t-shirts being worn for various candidates/sides of the governance debate, but not being in recipt of any of the thick field of text messages flying around the room I was ignorant to what was really going on beneath the surface.

I was thoroughly dissappointed, although not surprised by the pathetic and undemocratic efforts to filibuster controversial motions off the agenda (by various factions); I was bored of the constant bitchiness between groups and the long, laborious processes of getting things done; and I was amused by the wonderful irony of seeing a room full of Labour Students upset at the failure of the much needed governance review, having visciously shot down such reforms in their own group only a year previously. My frustration at the failure of the governance review grew as the conference went on and I was treated to more and more glowing examples of the ineffectiveness of the organisation.

Overall, I left feeling I had changed little. Yes, some excellent people were elected- Wes Streeting, Ed Marsh, Susan Nash and Hollie Williams in particular. Yes, we got a lovely set of policy outlining of the kind of things we ought to be fighting for. But with the failure of reform, nothing particuarly momentus happened. What I took away from Blackpool is the knowledge that the NUS has been left in a safe set of hands, with a clear vision of what it ought to work towards…

That, and a hangover.

Obsessed with Class?

by daveborland

It’s an old stereotype that I have come across multiple times while here but are the British obsessed (or are everybody else for thinking it) with class?

from a Simon Hoggart article recently:

“A wise American reporter based in London once told me that every British news story is, deep down, about class. Every American story, he said, is about race. There’s enough truth in that to be worth considering. Look at Madeleine McCann (middle-class parents, so they can’t be at fault), Shannon Matthews (working-class family, dodgy) or David Cameron (a toff – need I say more?).”

Agree or not? Any other stories spring to mind?

Boris backed by BNP

by daveborland

The BNP have told their supporters to give their second preference vote to Boris.

The article also notes how the former Conservative councillor for Southwark and second preference choice for London Assembly for the BNP has had to be dropped after posting on his blog statements that appear to advocate violence against women, including:

“I’ve never understood why so many men have allowed themselves to be brainwashed by the feminazi myth machine into believing that rape is such a serious crime… Rape is simply sex. Women enjoy sex, so rape cannot be such a terrible physical ordeal. To suggest that rape, when conducted without violence, is a serious crime is like suggesting force feeding a woman chocolate cake is a heinous offence.”

From the floor…

by Tom Guise

Many of you may have noticed the distinct absence of Tom Marley and Brigid Jones, they are doing fine jobs representing students at NUS National Conference this week.  I have just recieved word that Wes Streeting has been elected National President.

BULS congratulates Wes on a fine victory and on returning Labour to power in NUS!! Let the good times roll.

How the World sees each other…..according to a survey.

by daveborland

Overall view on different countries influence on the world.http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7324337.stm

The BBC has released its annual survey on which countries are viewed as having a ‘mainly positive’ or ‘mainly negative’ influence on the world. The article is focused on how America has improved in peoples perceptions from the previous survey, but from all the results here are some other ones of interest:

  • Great Britain has second highest positive view of Russia (after Russia) in Europe, albeit at 45%, this compares to the next highest of Germany at 24%.
  • 42% (up from 18%) of the US feel GB has had a mainly negative influence on the world this puts them 4th highest overall after Turkey (48%), Egypt (46%) and Lebanon. (44%)
  • The lowest mainly negative view of GB is Japan at 6% and the highest mainly positive view of GB is Kenya at 85%.
  • Overall positive views on GB have grown from 46% to 50%, with negative views falling from 29% to 24%.  The positive view has mainly gone up in Muslim countries (UAE now 54% positive from 31%, Turkey 36% from 21%, Lebanon 39% from 32%) along with S.Korea, China, France, Italy and Kenya.
  • Those countries who have a lower positive views of GB are the US (45%, down from 67%), Russia (43% from 55%), Portugal (56% from 65%) and India (22% from 37%).
  • Italy has a 70% view of the UK as having a mainly positive influence on the world. This is the highest in Europe.
  • Overall positive views on the European Union have risen from last year (52%, up from 48%) with negative views going from 22% to 21%.
  • All EU countries have robust majorities declaring it a positive influence.
  • GB has a 51% mainly positive rating of French influence in the world, which is second lowest in Europe only to Germany at 49% (down from 60%). GB has the largest negative view of French influence in the world of the European nations at 31%. (compared to Germany in second at 26%)

Any thoughts?

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for a fuller picture here is the direct link to results:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/pdfs/02_04_08_globalview.pdf

Lords throws its two cents into the immigration debate

by mattreeves

The House of Lords has today suggested that the Government has exaggerated just how beneficial immigration is.

Inquiry chairman Lord Wakeham told Sky News: “We recognise that immigrants to this country do a good job, but there is no economic benefit to the resident population and it is damaging to low-paid workers.”

The minister for Immigration, incidentally also the minister for the West Midlands and Hodge Hill MP Liam Byrne, started his response to the report by clarifying that ‘the report doesnt demur…that migration added about £6 million to our economy in 2006′. I would consider those figures to be quite visual of the benefits of immigration to our economy. Byrne goes on to state the importance of gaining the right level of immigration, a notion that few would disagree with.

But of course the ‘right’ level is normative. In an era of globalisation such as we are in now, no one can conceivably say all immigration is negative. It is valuable beyond monetary terms in Culture, but has other economic value as well. If immigration were to be capped too high, then we would lose out to our European counterparts on valuable employees from abroad, lowering our status on the international scene. Also, it could see a decrease in the level of Foreign Investment. Being a culturally diverse, globalised economy has clear benefits, which attracts investment from abroad.

I cant see a clear answer to this problem. I dont agree with setting a maximum percentage or target, because as we all know, the economy is cyclical. We should be looking at immigration in terms of the status of the economic cycle, and not just filling a quota, and trying to keep within a maximum.

Anyone up for a curry?

by Tom Guise

Every once in a while an announcement is made by the Government that raises a smile.  It’s a gesture of self-satisfaction, encouraging you that you did indeed do the right thing when you joined the Labour Party, it truly speaks for your issues.  Curry has a special place in Birmingham and a special place in BULS. That is why I am so pleased to see Gordon Brown working hard to make sure that curry houses don’t need to shut-down if they’re hit hard by a new EU points-system for employment.

My faith in the movement has been slightly bruised in the last couple of weeks but I truly want to thank the PM for keeping an industry going, and ensuring that BULS will never be without venues for endless Curry-nights.

Mayor? Predicting the race

by Tom Guise

Predictions in politics are like a penalty shoot-out in football.  At the end of the day no one knows what will happen but someone will certainly end up looking rather silly.  I’m a proud Brummie, born in Erdington, but there is no hiding the fact that I was raised in London (I know, shameful), Ken is and has been a fantastic Mayor.  The face of London has changed, he has gone about the job with a sense of pride in his city as well as a hugely ambitious vision for its future.  He is, the quintisential ‘strong-mayor’, standing up to the Government when necessary and making the decisions for the betterment of his city.

When we heard that Boris Johnson, (universally regarded as a buffoon except by one man) I was happy, I thought that Ken would have an easy re-election.  However, the tide has been turning slowly.  Ken’s not done anything wrong, just the victim of bad press.  The Evening Standard in London is a bit of a reactionary paper, anyone who goes on the tube or commutes into the city will see its many news-stands with characteristic bill-boards.  Nearly every day in the past 4 weeks, so I am informed, these bill-boards have displayed anti-ken slogans.  Which is why I think the polls are skewed.

I believe that when you call someone up from a polling company and ask them who they’re going to vote for they will say whatever they believe the caller wants to hear.  “Yep I’m voting against Ken because his adviser is being investigated for fraud.”  However when in the polling stations of Ealing, Barking and Lewisham the voters will have an epiphany.  Do they want a proper Mayor, with a proven record of delivery or do they want a hair-doo, someone who has never done a big job before and someone with a proven record of tomfoolery?  A few months ago a top-tory was caught saying that if Boris wins he is going to need an excellent team behind him to get the job done.  That’s not leadership by any stretch of the imagination and that is why I think Ken will just squeak past to victory on May 1st!! 

Zimbabwe

by Tom Guise

This is a really interesting blog from inside Zimbabwe and has a map showing all the breaches which they say make it impossible to call the election free-and-fair. 

I just hope the actual result will be announced soon and will be honoured by all sides.  The BBCs correspondent said on the today programme this morning that most Zimbabweans had chosen not to go to work today, instead awaiting to hear the political fate of their troubled country.

What’s a number?

by Tom Guise

When it comes to national security, I’ve always thought that the police, army and intelligence services should be granted the powers, within reason, that they feel are necessary to help them do their difficult job.  Afterall they are experts at what they do.  This is especially pertinent when discussing the moves to increase the detention without trial limit from 28 to 42 days, Parliament will be debating the matter this afternoon.

For me this is not a moral issue, the nature of modern crime fighting demands the need to sift through vast computer files, bank accounts and other records.  This takes time and a judge needs to approve the holding of any suspect without charge for more than 28 days (under the proposals), the measure is purely a contingency and comes into force after a chief constable and direct of prosecutions ask the Home Secretary.  It clearly has the safeguards in place to prevent any corruption.  We won’t have ordinary bobbies in local stations locking up individuals as they wish for 48 days, the judge and Home Secretary will only grant such powers if there is considerable evidence or considerable leads towards such evidence.

Moral arguments on this issue make me feel a little queazy, we need to catch people who want to kill us indiscriminantly, we can’t let them slip out of the system because it would make us feel morally complete.  It’s time to get real.

People love the Guise. *NOT AN APRIL FOOLS*

by Birmingham University Labour Students

For the 6th consecutive month the BULS blog has recieved a boost to its viewing figures which analysts are attributing to a Guise-bounce.  A delirious Guise (76) said to reporters in the early hours “I have shown the world what I can do, Marley is toast and I am the butter!”  Commentators have noticed a distinct anti-marley agenda running through the club as Guise positions Labour Students to take on an ambitious political agenda.

Mr. Guise, who has taken the nickname recently, Gung-ho Guise, (after allegations he forced grassroots activists to return to the site every five minutes), will no doubt be pleased to see the figures which indicate a sense of relief amongst the blogosphere that Marley’s tenure is over.  A source close to Marley (54), believed to be his father said, “Guise has being going on about it constantly.  Marley was great for the club and believes substance is more important than popularity.”

Over the coming months it will be interesting to see the relationship between these two giants of the Labour movement, it is yet to be seen if Brigid Jones (30) will emerge as an intermediary between the two, hosting them for dinner to smooth the surface during the Easter vacation.  Jones made headlines last month in the local press after an outrageous drunken incident at Chamon.

BULS ended the month of March having had 5543 visitors to its website.