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South Thanet Labour Party

Working for the people of the South Thanet Constituency

South Thanet Labour Party News

30th November 2011

George Osborne and David Cameron having a good laugh at our expense..........

George Osborne's Autumn Statement blatantly declares itself for the privileged few against the least well-off many.

There will be plenty of pain for no gain - but not for everyone. Not one penny was taken from the top 10% of earners!

The extent of harm done is to add a further 100,000 children to the 300,000 the Tories have already driven into poverty since they took office in 2010.

Fewer young people will attend college at 16 due to the removal of the education maintenance allowance (EMA).

There are signs of a serious fall in the number of university applications.

Over 1,000,000 (and rising) unemployed young people.

The Government is set to borrow a staggering £158 billion more than a year ago!

George Osborne has blamed the 'snow' the 'royal wedding' and the 'eurozone' for the financial crisis; he is rapidly running out of excuses. Making more people unemployed and hitting the least well-off isn't going to solve the financial crisis facing this country - it is highly likely that it will make the situation far worse and drive the country back into recession.

The 'casino mentality' of the Banks is the main cause of our current financial problems. The Government have decided that the least well-off families will pay the price while the Bankers are free to continue as if nothing has happened! Large bonuses all round!

The Tories running the country are completely out of touch with reality; many of them are millionaires and they are not going to feel any pain!

22nd September 2011

The British economy continues to stagnate.

Since David Cameron set out his cuts programme in the Comprehensive Spending Review (Oct 2010) the UK economy has grown by a paltry 0.2%

The Tories and their LibDem collaborators are destroying our economy with their ill-advised cuts and it will be the people of the UK who end up paying the price.

15th September 2011

1) Rising unemployment puts another chink in Plan A's armour -

Grim unemployment stats out yesterday. A snapshot of the South East: 43,000 fewer people in employment than in the previous quarter. Unemployment's up 1,000 on the previous quarter & now stands at 256,000. And the number of people claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance has increased by 1,900 on the previous month.

In a Newsnight report Tony Travers of the LSE pointed out the significance of rising unemployment in the South East. Because it’s where a large chunk of the successful private sector is, falling job rates in the region show the Government’s assertion that private sector growth will make up for public sector cuts is a crock.

Ed Miliband to the PM at yesterday’s PMQs: “For every 2 jobs being cut in the public sector, less than one is being created in the private sector. This is the clearest sign yet that his policy isn’t working”.

2) Boundary review-

We say: Our top priority is to serve the communities we live in, whatever the boundaries. It is important that Parliamentary boundaries reflect genuine communities. This will be difficult under the rules imposed by the Tory-led Government but we are committed to engaging constructively with the review. Local Labour Party members in the South East are taking the time to consider the Commission's initial proposals in detail and will develop a detailed response.

3) Vickers report released, recommending that the retail function of banks be ring-fenced from the investment wing. The FT called it the "biggest shake-up" of the City since the "Big-Bang" deregulation of 1986. In the Commons, George Osborne described the reforms as a "decisive moment", although he did announce that the reforms won't be implemented until 2019.

Meanwhile a study from the Institute of Fiscal Studies, published simultaneously, gave a warning that George Osborne’s austerity measures will cut families’ living standards by an average of 10 per cent over three years. The less well off will be worst hit, while the richest will lose just 4 per cent of income as a result of tax and benefit changes.

4) Planning proposals - the plot thickens: Seems the Government mislead Parliament and the public over changes to planning policy. Government Ministers had told Parliament that the new planning policy retains the 'brownfield first' approach (there is enough brownfield sites to build more than 1.2 million homes.). Yet their impact assessment for the National Planning Policy Framework states that it has been removed.

5) Leaked memo on how the Coalition can woo female voters concedes that the Government’s policies to date have disproportionately impacted women.

We say: Yvette Cooper MP, Labour's Shadow Home Secretary and Women & Equalities Minister: "Women don't want more spin and communications professionals, they want fundamental changes to Government policy….Women are bearing twice the burden of paying the deficit down while still earning and owning less than men.

"This panicked reaction shows that once again, the Tories are treating the women of this country as an after-thought. Time and again, David Cameron has shown he has a blind spot on issues affecting women, from childcare support to his handling of the debate on abortion or the treatment of rape cases.”

Local news from the South East:

1) Kent Police Authority 'plans to halve number of PCSOs :

We say: Statement from Tristan Osborne, Medway Councillor for Luton & Wayfield:
"As a former police officer I’ve worked alongside some incredibly talented PCSOs and am very concerned by the proposed cuts to PCSO numbers. Cllr O'Brien, Medway Council Cabinet Member for Community Safety, has not served on the front-line and knows nothing of the hardships faced by officers every day. Cuts to police officer numbers, and PCSOs means taking risks with people’s safety, and flies in the face of Cameron's promise at the last General Election to protect front line services"

2) Want to see the European Parliament in action?

In December Peter Skinner MEP will be hosting a visit to the European Parliament open to all South East residents. Attendees will get to hear how the EU works and how your Labour MEPs are working in the European Parliament. There will also be a visit to the wonderful French city of Reims and the battlefields near Ypres. To learn more visit Peter Skinner’s website: www.peterskinnermep.eu.or email trip@peterskinnermep.eu.

8th September 2011

1) Ed Balls MP, Labour’s Shadow Chancellor, commenting on the 50p tax rate, said:

“Millions of struggling families and pensioners on middle and low incomes will wonder why the only tax rise or spending cut George Osborne is willing to reconsider is the top rate of tax for the very richest.

“If we really are all in this together then the right priority to boost the stalled economy now should be temporarily reversing the VAT rise, which is costing families with children around £450 a year. This temporary tax cut would help to kick-start the recovery and give a much needed boost to millions of people regardless of their income.

“If the Chancellor really wants to know how effective the top rate of tax is he should immediately ask the Office for Budget Responsibility, not just HMRC, to produce a report genuinely independent of government.”

2) Pressure builds on the Government over planning law reforms. The Telegraph reveals today that John Howell, a Tory MP and adviser to the planning minister Greg Clark, told planners last year that changes could lead to a developer being able to "come in and build what he likes, where he likes".

We say: "The consultation on new planning guidelines is increasingly becoming a farce. The Government has acted in an arrogant and reckless way, ignoring legitimate concerns, and trying to force through their reforms to the planning system with no debate or scrutiny. The Government must extend the consultation process, allow time for a debate on the plans and ensure Parliament has a vote on the final document. Anything less is unacceptable.” Caroline Flint MP, Labour’s Shadow Communities and Local Government Secretary

3) NHS big weekend – some great NHS campaigning over the weekend across the region, with stalls and events in several towns and centres, and visits from John Healey in Reading.

We say: John Healey MP, Labour's Shadow Health Secretary, as the Health and Social Care Bill began its report stage debate in the House of Commons: “This is a crucial moment for our NHS, as David Cameron railroads his repackaged Health Bill through Parliament. 65 years on from the legislation that set up our health service, the institution which most people in Britain are proud of is at a crossroads that could see it broken up as a national public service and set up as a full-scale market.

“Having already done a political fix on the Bill with Nick Clegg, the Prime Minister is now rushing the parliamentary process and denying MPs of all parties the time to properly scrutinise and debate his NHS plans. David Cameron is forcing through bad legislation that will lead to more waste, cost and bureaucracy in our health service and leave the NHS less likely to meet the financial and service challenges it faces.”

4) More youth worker strikes planned tomorrow in Cameron's constituency:

Labour's Julie Hilling (MP for Bolton West and former youth worker) will travel to Oxfordshire to take part.

We say: “These [youth worker] cuts are short-sighted and store up problems for the future. Make no mistake, these are damaging cuts to frontline services - exactly the kind of cuts David Cameron told us would be avoided." - Andrew Smith, Oxford East MP

25^th August 2011

1) Fresh questions for PM after reports Andy Coulson received cash payments from NoW publisher until end of 2007:

2) On Libya, Shadow Foreign Secretary Douglas Alexander: “Taking a city is not the same as running a city and the Transitional National Council in the days and weeks ahead will face an important but difficult task of translating a popular uprising into stable government for Libya."

Ed Miliband: "Anybody looking at the scenes from Tripoli will see a people who want to be freed from the repression which has marked Colonel Gaddafi's rule. As we see events unfold in Libya, we should take pride in the role of brave British servicemen and women and the way Britain is working with other countries to enforce the will of the United Nations. The challenge now is to ensure that a transition takes place from popular revolt against Colonel Gaddafi to stable government without him.”

3) Tory councillor in Dover suspended over racial slur

4) Police chiefs in Sussex have called on the county’s MPs to back a campaign to reverse Government policy on budget cuts

5) Oxford youth workers strike over cuts to youth services in the county (the same county in which David Cameron gave his “wake up Britain” speech about our troubled youth and the importance of such services.

This all felt particularly pertinent, given the news the following day that more a million young people are not in school, college or work. One in six 16 to 24-year-olds (16.2%) are now considered ''Neet'' - not in education, employment or training, according to figures published by the Department for Education.

Andy Burnham MP, Labour's Shadow Education Secretary: "The Tory-led Government is being far too complacent about getting young people back to work or into training, and risks leaving the next generation behind. Putting young people on the dole is a waste of money and a waste of their potential. By scrapping Labour's guarantee of an apprenticeship place for young people who want one, scrapping the EMA and cutting careers services, this Government is making it harder for young people to get on - so that for the first time there is a risk that the next generation will do worse than the last."

6) On the same day the figures came out, Labour launched a new plan to boost apprenticeship numbers.

7) Kent Event: Shadow Transport Secretary Maria Eagle will address Kent Young Labour and answer questions on transport issues affecting young people at the Gillingham Labour Club on August 30. So if you’re angry at fare rises and feel that transport has become too expensive, head along to voice your opinions.