LABOUR LEADER REMAINS THE "INVISIBLE MAN"

FEWER THAN 40% OF LABOUR VOTERS WANT “INVISIBLE MAN” FOR FIRST MINISTER

Labour leader Iain Gray has admitted that he has not connected with the public and the voters are not connecting with Labour as polling shows the SNP maintaining a lead in opinion polls and that fewer than 40% of Labour voters think Iain Gray would be a good First Minister.

In an interview with the Scotsman Gray accepts that people do not know who he is, despite having held the leadership of Labour for 12 months - ignoring the fact he was also a minister in the previous Scottish Executive.

His comments support recent polling by YouGov which showed First Minister Alex Salmond was three times as popular as all other Scottish party leaders combined and that Iain Gray was supported by only 12% of those polled – only 1% more than Scotland’s Conservative leader Annabel Goldie.

Even amongst Labour voters the poll shows fewer than 40% want Iain Gray to be First Minister.

In his interview Mr Gray states: “There’s no hiding the fact I need to raise my profile.”

Commenting on Iain Gray’s interview and the poll figures SNP MSP and Convener of the SNP group Gil Paterson said:

“Far from being new Iain Gray has had a year as Labour leader in the Scottish Parliament to get known and to win support. He also had four years as a Government Minister. If he cannot make his mark now, when will he?

“Instead of winning new voters fewer than 40% of his party’s voters want Iain Gray as First Minister.

“It will be deeply disturbing for Labour that their leader is Scotland’s invisible man.

“And as performances and polls in the last week have shown Iain Gray has failed to make a positive impact on Scottish politics. In contrast the Scottish Government has taken tough decisions and set out a forward thinking agenda for Scotland with the continued support of the Scottish people.

“Instead of carping from the sidelines Iain Gray might make more progress with a positive approach to the SNP Government and a willingness to give the Scottish public their constitutional say over Scotland’s future.

“It is a stark contrast for Labour to consider that after a year of Iain Gray’s negative efforts at leadership Alex Salmond’s ratings are three times higher than those of the Labour or Tory leaders in Scotland, and as a poll this weekend shows the SNP is maintaining an 8 point lead over
Labour in the Holyrood polls. "

LABOUR’S EDUCATION CUTS EXPOSED

TALE OF TWO GOVERNMENTS CONTINUES

Commenting on Treasury documents reported in the Telegraph today (Thursday) which reveal that Labour will cut the education budget by £100 million SNP MSP Kenneth Gibson – the vice-convener of the Scottish Parliament’s education committee – said it exposed labour’s cuts agenda as well as highlighting the different approach taken in Scotland which has shown that the amount of money spent by local authorities on education has increased dramatically under the SNP.

Figures released earlier this month in Scotland showed that local authority education budgets have increased by an average of 8.3% or £366 million between 2008 and 2010 under the SNP Government; and the figures for the 2008-09 and 2009-10 financial years also show that the average increase is higher in SNP led councils.

This contrasts with Labour’s largest council in Glasgow which – like their counterparts south of the border - is cutting spending on education (in this case by £7 million).

Commenting Mr Gibson said;

“Today’s report just exposes Labour’s cant about education spending in Scotland. It is their party which cuts spending on educating our children and it is under an SNP government and councils that investment in our children’s education is increasing.

“It is a clear case of a tale of two governments with official statistics showing the SNP’s real commitment to education in Scotland compared to a Labour government’s cuts agenda.

“It is now undeniable that education spending in Scotland has increased under the SNP Government as we invest in Scotland's future generations; and it is also clear that SNP Council’s are leading the way with average increases of over 10%.

“After two years of misinformation and scaremongering from opposition parties we now have clear evidence that education budgets in Scotland are on the up under the SNP with above inflation increases.

“And we also have clear evidence that it is Labour which is cutting education funding in Glasgow with their school closures programme. Something that will not be lost on the voters of Glasgow North East.”

POLLS SHOW SNP AHEAD OF LABOUR FOR WESTMINSTER

"QUADRUPLE WHAMMY" HITTING LABOUR SUPPORT

VOTERS BACK SNP DELIVERY

An updated analysis of results from the latest opinion polls over June and July – adding up to over 2,700 voters, and taking into account a YouGov poll and ComRes poll published on Sunday which both put the SNP ahead – shows the SNP leading Labour in votes for Westminster elections.

Added to the analysis which showed the SNP achieving increasing swings in local authority by-elections, is ahead in Holyrood opinion polls, and on the heels of the SNP’s European election success, it underlines that momentum is with the SNP as the party gears up for the Glasgow North East by-election.

The results of four election and poll analyses show the SNP;

- leading in Westminster opinion polls by 3% over Labour (a 12.5% swing from Labour to SNP from 2005)

- overtaking Labour in Last month’s European elections by 8% (7.5% swing from Labour to SNP since 2004)

- achieving a 5% lead over Labour across June’s local authority by-elections (a 7.3% swing from Labour to SNP from 2007)

- leading Holyrood opinion polls by 10% from Labour (4.5% swing from Labour to SNP from 2007)

Commenting SNP Business Convener Angus Robertson MP said:

"The SNP are working hard to earn people’s trust, and these excellent results show that the people of Scotland support the SNP’s record of delivery.

"There is no doubt that the Westminster election will be a two horse race in Scotland between the SNP and Labour.

“The overall results of all elections and polls are also a quadruple whammy for the SNP with a four way lead over Labour - in Europe, at local level, in Holyrood and at Westminster.

“The SNP have won the support of voters in the European elections and in by-elections across the country with a swing to the SNP in every single election and we are maintaining historic leads in the opinion polls for both Holyrood and Westminster.

“As we pass the midterm point of the first ever SNP Government, our continued and increasing support shows that the SNP are delivering on the priorities of the people of Scotland, while the UK Labour Government and Scottish Labour simply go into reverse.

“Labour has failed to take responsibility for the recession and refuse to face up to the reality of the £500 million of cuts they are forcing on Scotland’s public services.”

SNP Glasgow North East candidate David Kerr said:

"Instead of hiding away, the Labour party need to face voters and call the by-election immediately - it is totally unacceptable for the people of Glasgow North East to be left without an MP for four more months."

Labour's approach to climate change

The UK Climate Projections 2009, released today, will help us plan and prepare for change to our climate in the UK.

By acting now, we can limit the severity of climate change in the future.

Labour’s approach to tackling climate change centres on protecting the public from immediate risk, preparing for the future, leading international efforts to get a global deal in Copenhagen in December, creating a low carbon UK and supporting individuals, communities and businesses to play their part.

Labour's Environment Secretary, Hilary Benn, said:

"There is no doubt about it – climate change is the biggest challenge facing the world today. Climate change is already happening – the hottest ten years on record globally have all been since 1990. This landmark scientific evidence shows not only that we need to tackle the causes of climate change but also that we must deal with the consequences.

"The Projections will allow us to make sure we have a resilient infrastructure to cope – whether it’s the design of school buildings or protection of new power plants, maintaining the supply of drinking water, adjusting ways of farming for drier summers or understanding how our homes and businesses will have to adapt."

Do Labour think the British people are fools?

On a visit to Cardiff, David Cameron accused Labour of not listening to the British people and, instead, treating them like fools.

He attacked the Government for being “desperately weak and divided” and stressed we are seeing a “slow dance of political death” where Gordon Brown isn’t able to reshuffle his Cabinet, but they don’t seem able to get rid off him.

David said “the heart of Labour’s failure” was the fact they “spend all their time treating the British people like fools” - and he slammed Gordon Brown for claiming that the public don’t want a General Election:

“He’s not listening to what the people want: they want a General Election now.”

In the European Elections, the Conservatives topped the poll in Wales for the first time since 1931 - and David stressed we are now a “Party for the whole country”:

"We are a one nation party. Whether you are black or white, rich or poor, from the north or south, straight or gay, you are part of our country and we are proud of you."

David promised that the Conservatives would “redouble our efforts” to prove we’re a modern, compassionate Party that can replace "this tired, discredited, divided and hopeless Government” and create a better Britain.

Sign the Conservatives' petition for a General Election

Geoff Hoon resignation - Greenpeace response

Commenting on Geoff Hoon's resignation, Greenpeace executive director John Sauven said:

"Geoff Hoon's resignation is an ideal opportunity for Labour to ditch its disastrous Heathrow policy and make a clean break from the past. In recent years the fortunes of the third runway have become a metaphor for the Labour Party itself - increasingly unpopular, with most people now wondering what on earth it's for. In one single step Labour could signal that it takes the voting public seriously and is committed to stopping climate change, and it wouldn't cost a penny. In fact as the aviation industry continues to decline a new £13bn runway would be economic folly."

LABOUR PLAN TO TAX FAMILIES REVEALED

"BACK TO THE FUTURE" WITH UNFAIR COUNCIL TAX RISE

SNP MSP Kenneth Gibson today criticised Labour plans to increase the burden of the Council Tax again after two years of a freeze under the SNP Government. Mr Gibson said such a policy meant inflicting tax rises on hard working families across Scotland in the teeth of recession.

Mr Gibson’s comments follow a call by Labour’s finance adviser for the Council Tax Freeze to be abolished.

The SNP MSP for Cunnninghame North Kenneth Gibson said;

“Labour’s true colours have been revealed.

“Iain Gray wants to take Scotland back to the future. Under Labour we saw council tax rises of 60% over 10 years.

“Under the SNP families across Scotland have felt the benefit of a council tax freeze, putting more money into people’s pockets as they fight the recession.

“Whilst the SNP will fight the next election with a plan to scrap the council tax, Labour’s secret plan to raise council tax and hit pensioners and hard working families with this unfair tax has been exposed.”

BROWN MELTDOWN REFLECTED IN HEARTLAND BY-ELECTIONS

LABOUR JUST CLING ON IN SAFEST WESTMINSTER SEAT IN SCOTLAND

The SNP have hailed the result of the Coatbridge North and Glenboig by-election in North Lanarkshire which not only saw a swing of over 5% from Labour to the SNP – from the SNP's high point of 2007 – but also saw the party come within only 63 votes of taking the council seat.

The ward lies in what should be Labour's safest Westminster seat of Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill and the by-election was the subject of a disputed recount.

Commenting on the result Central Scotland SNP MSP John Wilson said:

“Coatbridge should be Labour heartland. For Labour to see their vote collapse to a level where they cling on by only 63 votes is remarkable.

“The 2007 election result was already a high watermark for the SNP. For the SNP to achieve a further swing in what is our midterm is a great result.

“That Labour had to dispute a full recount and just scrape home by 63 votes reflects the depths of Labour's meltdown in contrast to the success of the SNP Government.”

Commenting on the combined results of yesterday's by-elections which show a 7.82% swing from Labour to the SNP from the 2007 election SNP MSP and Minister for Parliament Bruce Crawford said:

“These results are a very positive indication for the SNP Government. With the possibility of a General Election increasing as Gordon Brown's government disintegrates these results put the SNP in a strong position.

"The people of Scotland want a Government which puts jobs and communities at the top of its agenda - not one which still has plans to slash Scottish investment in the teeth of a recession.”

IMF report criticises Labour's economic record

George Osborne has highlighted a new report from the International Monetary Fund which criticises Labour’s economic record and calls on the Government “to put public debt on a firmly downward path”.

The IMF warns that Britain’s recovery will be “subdued and gradual” and attacks the “overheated property markets (and) high household indebtedness” that developed under Labour.

George, the Shadow Chancellor, said, “From a body like the IMF, that chooses its words carefully, this is strong stuff.”

He pointed out the IMF report backs up the Conservative view that Labour’s Budget did not set out a credible plan to deal with rising public debt.

And he warned, "The report confirms the independent view that the Government is ducking the hard decisions and leaving them to the next Government."

Mr Brown...Your time is up!

IT is time to have a general election. 65% of the public think it is time to vote. If things get worse, Im a going to start the revolution myself!!!

We urgently need change

Labour's Government is falling apart in front of our eyes. The scandals behind the scenes. Humiliating defeats in Parliament. U-turn after U-turn. Cabinet Ministers mocking the Prime Minister. And behind this political pantomime there is no policy, no direction, no vision.

We urgently need change. That's why this year's local elections are so important. We launched our campaign this week with a strong, clear message: a vote for the Conservatives won't just get you more for less - a cleaner, greener, safer place to live for fewer taxpayer pounds. It will also give you the chance to show Gordon Brown just how sick, tired and disappointed you are with his Government.

We've been spreading this message all over the country: Newcastle, Derbyshire, Nottingham, Exeter, Plymouth. I love getting on the road and meeting people. It also gives us a chance to do more Cameron Directs - townhall-style events where people can come along, stick up their hand and ask me anything they like. They don't pull their punches and that's just how I like it. You can see what I mean by watching our latest Party Election Broadcast.

The end of the week has been dominated by expenses stories - and I expect there will be many more over the coming months, from all parties. I understand why people are angry about this. That's why as soon as the problems arose I was first out of the blocks, making sure that our MPs and MEPs set out clearly how they spend public money. This is just the first step to a cleaner, more open system. Slowly and surely we're going to re-build the trust between politicians and the people they serve.

Britain cannot afford another five years of Labour

This is a Dishonest Budget. From tonight, Britain’s families are facing higher taxes to pay for Labour's Debt Crisis.

After a decade of economic mistakes, Gordon Brown is saddling this country with over £1 trillion of debt.

Britain cannot afford another five years of Labour.

The Budget revealed today: tax rises of £1000 on every family in Britain; tax rises on everyone earning over £19,000; tax rises on all new jobs; higher taxes for motorists and responsible drinkers.

The Labour Government was also forced to admit that Britain faces:

• The longest recession since the war
• The fastest rise in unemployment on record
• Every child born already owing £22,500 in national debt
• A national debt that will double to £1.4 trillion

Like all Labour governments in history, New Labour has run out of money.

If the Conservatives had given this Budget, we would have got a grip on government spending, and used the savings from cutting waste to introduce real help now for families and pensioners:

• Freezing council tax for two years, worth over £200 for the typical family
• Abolishing income tax on savings for all basic rate taxpayers, worth up to £7,200 a year
• Raising the income tax threshold for pensioners, worth up to £400 a year
• Help for the unemployed to upskill and reskill during the recession - and tax breaks for companies who create new jobs

Conservatives will tackle Labour’s Debt Crisis and deliver economic change for Britain.

Read David Cameron's response to the Budget

Find out more about our plans for the economy

Gibb attacks Labour for making it harder for teachers to keep order

Shadow Schools Minister Nick Gibb has attacked Labour for making it harder to expel disruptive pupils after new figures showed a huge increase in children being repeatedly suspended.

Data obtained under the Freedom of Information Act reveals that at least 867 pupils were suspended from school more than ten times last year.

The number of children repeatedly suspended has therefore nearly trebled in four years, after 310 children were suspended more than ten times in 2003/04.

Nick Gibb warned, “Suspending a child from school over and over again does them no good at all. If a child has been seriously disruptive or violent they should be properly removed so they can get the specialist help they need to return to mainstream education.”

And he stressed, “Teachers want these pupils out of their classroom so other children can learn, but the Government’s restrictions on expulsion have caused this phenomenon of endless suspension.”

Labour slammed after college funding fiasco

David Willetts has criticised the Government for not taking responsibility for the college funding crisis, following the resignation of the Chief Executive of the Learning and Skills Council (LSC).

Mark Haysom has stepped down following problems with the LSC's further education capital programme.

David, the Shadow Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills, highlighted that ministers must have been aware of the funding problems:

"The LSC minutes for last year, published after pressure from us, show officials were informed of the capital crisis six months ago."

He slammed Labour for not "taking the rap" and stressed the need for urgent action to resolve the current problems:

"Now the focus must be on tackling the serious crisis that threatens the viability of colleges and the training prospects of thousands of young people. So far, the Government has made absolutely no practical proposals to tackle the underlying problem. We need them to act."

Broken Silence: Broken Economy

I have been away for a bit which has meant that I have neglected this site to an extent. However I don't think that I have been as negligent as some (in power and in finance) have recently been so I'm going to let myself off and er... what the hell, I'll give myself a sizable pay rise, bonus, fantastic perks and a holiday too!!!

Anyway, I have been going out of my mind with anger and rage recently about all this business to do with the economy and the stock markets. I have to say that I think that a great deal of the problem and the rising lack in confidence in the UK and world wide economy is a result of the constant 24hr jabbering of the media who appear to be in something of a feeding frenzy at the moment. However, irrespective of the media slathering at the prospect of planetary economic meltdown, governments actually seem to be panicking at the thought of recession and are running around like headless chickens trying to be seen to be "prudent" in solving the problem.

All governments including that of the UK who previously and apparently had no money are all bending over backwards to pump money into the banks to remedy the problem. This, I think is a fundamental mistake and should be avoided at all costs. Why? The money will disappear and it will not solve the problem. Regardless of any money old Gordon throws at this, we are going into recession and any attempt to stop the inevitable natural cycle of the economy can only be likened to attempts by King Canute to hold back the tides.

The fact is that the present government has for years, unnaturally prolonged the boom part of the cycle and in so doing have claimed economic mastery and genius. Gordon and Tony revelled in good figures like swine in swill for years and our current incumbent actually believes that he was and is a top economist. In his desperation to keep this reputation in tact he is in danger of pushing the UK into the worst and longest recession in history and instead of dealing with the problem logically and rationally he is addressing the problems from a popularity point of view.

Rather than looking at what caused the problem (and in truth a lot of the problems in our society) he appears to be set on reinforcing and restoring policies and practices that caused the problem in the first place. The problem is greed accompanied with a means. It's wrong to blame bankers for the problem because whilst they have undoubtedly been acting like wolves the whole time, it takes two to Tango and in fact it actually takes three. People without any financial security or appreciation have been exposed to cheap and readily accessible credit and have been allowed to borrow without full understanding of the risks and consequences. This has been encouraged by the banks absolutely and it seems encouraged too by the government who have allowed its people to live beyond their natural means and whose regulatory institution, the FSA has done nothing to fulfil their statutory mission. The fact is that all of the players involved have been blinded by greed and all are equally to blame.

This being so, if the banks are given cash to stimulate more borrowing then nobody will learn any lessons and the problem will crystallise in the future. The solution also goes against the laws of natural selection, capitalism and democracy. If banks have misbehaved then they should go to the wall. If people have irresponsibly over borrowed then they should also face the consequences and learn lessons. Government both central and the FSA should also be made to pay. Gordon and cronies will undoubtedly and finally face the firing squad over the next year and a half depending on how long they manage to stretch things out. The FSA in reality has failed, perhaps even worse than the Child Support Agency and should be scrapped, reinstating the statutory regulatory bodies that existed prior to its inception. We need to realise the extent of the mess that New Labour has left this country in and find a way to unpick the tangle that has been created. Not sure if Dave is the man to do it because he seems to be backing the government in some weird attempt to look as prudent as the PM perhaps (who got us into this mess in the first place).

All things said and done, we have to accept that the recession is coming. Like a snake sheds its skin to grow so too must the economy. What is vital is that we accept the loss of things dead in life. in order to go forward. If we don't then we will become constricted or worse become stagnant and infected. Nature must be allowed to take its course.

The Week's Shiny Bits

Funny things happen in politics every day. Some things make you feel frustrated, some things laeve you confused, some things make you mad and sometimes, only sometimes things really make you smile. This week has presented the whole spectrum of feelings for me.

Frustrated...with the refusal and silence of Thabo Mbeki over the elections and violence in Zimbabwe. Frustrated also by a pittyful show of gesturing and posturing by world leaders. Everyone seems to be very keen to condemn Mugabe but as usual, nobody seems to be in any rush to actually do anything...Quelle surprise!!!

Confused...by the Nelson Mandella concert in London last night. I think the idea was actually brilliant but I was enraged by the decision by the TV channel that aired it to intersperse the music with inane interviews by inane presenters with inane artistes (some of whom could hardly string a sentence together and I would be very surprised if they were even aware of things like the Sowheto uprisings). I was enraged by the fact that every time someone farts on TV on Saturday night, they bring out the same prepubescent looking slip of a lass (Fearn Cotton) to jump all over the place, ask crap questions and oversell the occurrence almost to the point of orgasm. Surely this style of presentation would be better suited to children’s TV, QVC or ITV’s This Morning. Coincidentally I believe that’s where the other presenter of the evening cut his teeth.

I was also perplexed as to why poor Nelson was sat in what appeared to be a darkened tent on his own except for the company of Gordon Brown!!!???.... possibly one of the most boring men on the planet. What I mean to say is that Nelson, 90 years old and celebrating his birthday at a massive rock concert in possibly one of the most exciting places in the world was sat with possibly one of the most boring people in the world, a failing politician who probably only wanted to be there for his own image or to pester him for some kind of overt sign of public support, affection or endorsement. It would be like popping into Macky Dee’s or Thornton’s with your personal trainer or watching sex on TV with your parents; it just isn’t fun.

Disheartened...by stories from Italy that they re proposing to fingerprint every gypsy in the country so that they can keep control over them in some way. I find it a wholly shameful thing that what the Italians are planning to do is absolutely reminiscent of what the Nazis did to the Gypsies and the Jews before they made them wear badges, put them in ghettos and then liquidated them (ghettos then inhabitants). Where’s the condemnation from the leaders of Europe and the rest of the world on this one? Bloody nowhere!!!

Happy...about the resignation by the crook Wendy Alexander. It is bout time she went for the good of the country. Lets hope that her boss takes a positive lesson from her example and does likewise...sooner rather than later.

Attenborough does the Labour Chimps

Watching the political landscape at the moment is a bit like watching a wildlife program. I could probably use any species of animals that have been striped of their privacy for our entertainment over the decades but for the purposes of this article, I am going to use the politicians themselves on location because I think the halls of Westminster have become just as dangerous as the Serengeti plains of Africa.

Gordon Brown, the alfa politician from the red troop looks out over the lands of his territory and stretches. The sun is up and it will be a hot day today before the rains arrive in the afternoon just after PMs question time according to Carol from the BBC. He has enjoyed his dominance over the troop as the old alfa politician's second in command and recently the old alfa retired allowing Gordon to become the king of the plains.

Gordon has a few problems though. The first problem for Gordon and his dominant troop is that for the last couple of years another troop who was feeding at the fringes of his territory has begun to increase its numbers and has been getting bolder and bolder in challenging the new red troop alfa. The old alfa was always quick to crush their attempts for dominance and chase them back to the fringes but Gordon has allowed them establish their footing. Another "yellow" group has also emerged and is beginning to look more and more confident every day. For Gordon, survival has become difficult because he and his troop are constantly under attack from all sides in a struggle for the rich plains of the United Kingdom.

As troops go, this would normally not present such a big risk to his power because they are still numerically superior. The biggest problem that Gordon faces, however is that there is now an increasing number of Betas in the troop who are starting to challenge the authority of their leader. They are young, inexperienced and all highly flattered, if not blinded by the media attention they have been getting over the last couple of months. They are well groomed and turn up on all the right TV shows. They are hungry for the attention and they are absolutely hungry for power which they seem to have been given very quickly. People like the Milliband brothers, Punrel and the two Alexanders find themselves in positions of power way ahead of their time or as it seems ability. They also appear to be politicians of the worst kind because their youth, inexperience and burning ambition turns any kind of political savvy they may have into something that looks like smarm of the highest order.

The fact is that these betas, deliberately or not are undermining their alfa on an alarmingly regular basis and I think some have become more of a liability that Gordon himself. Any one of the other troops vying for power at the moment will be able to use this situation to their advantage and are making their moves for power as we speak. The blue troop is way ahead in the polls. The yellow is not far off the reds at the moment. Either or both alfas are in a position to crush the reds if they are ruthless enough to do so, by exploiting and manipulating the situation as it is.

The new red troop alfa needs to act quickly if he wants to survive the rainy season. He will need to face these betas in a violent showdown to pull his troop together again. Insurgency will only bring them demise. He needs to fight and he needs to win. He then needs to banish the defeated and concentrate on tightening his remaining members for battle in the inevitable showdown with the blues and the yellows whenever it comes and when ever he is ready for it.

Teachers? Solidarity Brothers & Sisters.

I am going to come out on this issue from the start. I am in favour of giving the teachers of the NUT what they want. They are striking today because they find themselves in a position where they cannot afford to live and probably particularly in London. At a starting salary of £20k they are expected to work and live in often extreme conditions for long hours. Now if you look back to my article about poor Leona Lewis who was complaining that she was struggling to survive in London and get a decent home for around the £500k mark, I think it puts things into context.


For a teacher to afford a property, one would need to borrow 25 times that salary in order to find somewhere nice to live; not likely either now or a year ago when the banks were falling over themselves to lend money. So realistically what could a teacher afford? Well based on maybe three and a half times their salary they could afford a property worth c.£66k with a 10% deposit. Now the last time I looked in the paper, in 1996 this was possible, however today for a teacher to buy a property on his/her own, is an impossibility.


The fact is, these striking teachers are not asking for wage hikes allowing them to afford properties worth anywhere near £500k or even really a quarter of that. They are asking for their pay rise to be in line with inflation. What is wrong with that? Do these people not perform a valuable service on societies behalf? Do our children and did not we ourselves (or some of us anyway) give teachers a hard time at school every day and at every opportunity? Their student loans are linked to inflation and I don't understand why their salary cannot be too. I don't understand what anyone would have against someone being paid enough to justify going to work and doing the job they have chosen to do.


I get the impression that as long as you are paid from the public purse, you are expected to work for peanuts. The same can be said about nurses and the armed forces, who have all been utterly exploited and taken for granted for years if not centuries. I think that this is an awful indictment on our society that our public servants are expected to survive on the breadline only for the reason that they have a sense of civic duty which compels them to serve the rest of us and provide services that society cannot do without.


It makes my so angry to hear about the inconvenience that this strike has caused. I think that this is an utterly selfish point of view and amounts to nothing less than emotional blackmail. As far as I am aware, the purpose of a strike, as an action of last resort is in fact to cause disruption. I fail to see the personal inconvenience of having to look after the kids for an extra day. I personally cherish every day I have with my family so from my point of view that argument stinks. I understand that it causes businesses problems because they have to allow for absenteeism. Big deal! if the business hasn't been built to survive minor blips like this then it deserves to go bust because it is a bad business. I understand that it might affect some peoples money if they are forced to take time off work but again, if you haven't planned to deal with blips then I can offer no sympathy. Perhaps an insight into what it is like to have less money will demonstrate to those who do lose out what it is like to be a teacher.


The interesting thing about all of this however is the silence from Downing Street on the issue. The government and Prime Minister who sailed into power with cries of "Education, Education, Education" appear to be a bit quiet on the issue. Is it that they are still recovering from the battering they took in parliament yesterday and in the papers today? Are they sitting back, waiting to see what the popular opinion is on this issue before they commit to a course of action. They need to get it right because the local and mayoral elections are round the corner so I suppose I can understand their hesitation. I would've thought though as the name of the party suggests and the support, both financially and politically that they receive from the trade unions that they have no choice but to support the TUC. However as we've all come to expect from New Labour, they seem to be more worried about the City and economic effects of the strike than its social cause and effects. What really confuses me is why the opposition has failed to come out and take the high ground in Labour's reluctance to do so.

A Political Assassination in the Making

Political assassination is always an interesting thing to watch. I remembered seeing it happen to Thatcher and its effects made long lasting and deep, near fatal wounds on the conservative party. They never recovered even after Major won a general election after Thatcher's departure and it is only now, 18 years after her departure that they are beginning to look like a united party again. The obvious explanation for their sudden and long overdue cohesion is that they are doing well in the polls again. A renaissance is upon them although I think it is more likely as a result of a poor performing government than the brilliant leadership style and innovative ideas of Mr. David Cameron.

Labour has had a rough time lately and is doing what the conservatives did after too long in power; it is imploding. It's seeming invincibility is being crushed by it's own previous success. This was a government which was held together by an uneasy but iron partnership of Blair and Brown who despite all the media waffle about hatred and fighting between them, always backed each other unfalteringly on every occasion. It was in fact a very successful marriage. Now that Blair has left his political wife, the power of the marriage has vanished along with him.

With the power seemingly gone, together with any credibility it held for Gordon, those amongst the party who, drunk with power and full of ambition appear to be sharpening their knives for a bit of old fashioned political back-stabbing and assassination. I think that Lord Desai took the first gouge earlier this week, likening Gordon Brown's leadership style to porridge or haggis and even suggested a replacement, David Milliband. Suddenly, confronted with the prospect of becoming the next leader of his party, Milliband came out in the papers today undermining his leader in the process, calling for unity over the tax debacle and saying that it was important to admit mistakes when mistakes had been made. He obviously believes Lord Desai that he is going to inherit the earth and thinks he's up and ready for it. He also obviously believes that Gordon has made mistakes otherwise he wouldn't be suggesting apologies to the nation.

Gordon is obviously a different man to Blair and certainly much different to Thatcher but he is going to have to be as strong as both of them here if he wants to survive. It is too late to start apologising for things now and I don't believe that he would want to, after all where and when would it ever end. He has a bigger problem though because he has dissent within his ranks to deal with and if he fails to deal with it appropriately he will look feeble and more will follow. I think Milliband young, niaive and ambitious as he is, may have been duped into being offered as a sacrificial lamb here by other yet unseen shadows in the party. Brown really has little alternative than to sack Milliband or at least discipline him publically for his public criticism. If he does he will look like a brute but the vultures will be less keen to descend and feast upon his carcass for the time being. If he lets this go then his party will tear him apart. From the conservative point of view, it looks like things can only get better.