tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2342790754409476741Thu, 19 Dec 2024 03:31:52 +0000ToriesFibDemsLabourWalesTory CutsleadershipGossipElectionDavid MilibandCameronCheryl GillanGideonSleazeCleggDaily FailTory Blogger BashingEd MilibandHuw Irranca-DaviesRecoveryBlairCardiff CentralChilean MinersCoalitionEconomyExpensesPollsGame OnIraq EnquiryJenny WillottLabour LemmingRight Wing PressIsraelTory PressVince CableBig SocietyClassCubaDaily ExpressDanny AlexanderDavid TC DaviesEd BallsGraylingHolier than thouHouse of LordsIranLittle EnglandersLondonMonthly CompetitionOona KingOsbornePalestinePrisoners VotingRacismSNPSmall GovernmentT.I.N.A.ThatcherTridentUKIPWilliam HagueWrexhamKEIR HARDIE"I am an agitator. My work has consisted of trying to stir up a divine discontent with wrong"noreply@blogger.com (Keir Hardie)Blogger160125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2342790754409476741.post-343747616224357083Sun, 30 Jan 2011 15:18:00 +00002011-01-30T16:06:01.943+00:00UK Uncut Needs To Get Serious<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href=" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="; border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568003837952910418" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span">Does anyone at UK Uncut know this man?</span></i></div><div><br /></div><div>Keir's continuing his critique of the UK Uncut movement.</div><div><br /></div><div>Today saw yet more store occupations. It has been a trademark protest from the group, determined that they will make the likes of Sir Philip Green and bosses of Tesco, Vodafone and Boots pay their fair whack of tax.</div><div><br /></div><div>It's a novel idea. Keir understands that the thinking is that if they continue to shut these stores down, infrequently and for short periods of time, then it will affect the profits of these companies enough to say "Ok, we'll pay our tax". It could also act as a tool to embarrass the businesses and their bosses.</div><div><br /></div><div>Now, in the 12 months until August 29 2009 <a href=";, parent company of Topshop, <a href=" class="Apple-style-span"> £213.6m</span> in pre-tax profits. Arcadia owns around <span class="Apple-style-span">2,500</span> stores in the UK. If we work on the basis that each store creates the same profit (which it doesn't, but bear with Keir), we can deduce that every Arcadia-owned store makes <span class="Apple-style-span">£85,440</span> profit every year. </div><div><br /></div><div>There were <span class="Apple-style-span">253</span> business days in 2009. So let's say each store therefore made <span class="Apple-style-span">£377.71</span> profit for Arcadia every day. Today's demo was scheduled on the UK Uncut Facebook event page to run from 1pm until 3pm. Let's assume every store opens from 9am until 6pm; it would make <span class="Apple-style-span">£37.52</span> in profit per hour. So, if UK Uncut successfully shut down stores for the 2-hour duration of their demos, they will stop around <span class="Apple-style-span">£80</span> of profit being made. </div><div><br /></div><div>And frankly, anyone walking by and realising they can't go in because it's been shut will probably pop back later if it's that important.</div><div><br /></div><div>Keir knows that constant, national occupations of this kind will block more profits. And he knows the maths aren't as simple as all that. But the point should be clear; these demos don't really hurt the big businesses. And even if they did, business owners like Sir Philip Green would probably hire more security instead of paying their taxes.</div><div><br /></div><div>These store occupations are nice, novel profile-raisers. And Keir understands that certain people like to think they're making change by <a href="; the numbers of police officers who use pepper spray. But middle-class angst at the police won't change much.</div><div><br /></div><div>UK Uncut needs to move on if it wants to achieve anything. As Keir <a href="2011/01/flames-of-discontent-appeased-by-defeat.html">explained</a> the other day, movements need to win if people are to be kept and drawn in and if the power of the movement is to be respected.</div><div><br /></div><div>David Gauke, pictured above, is the Conservative Party Member of Parliament for Hertfordshire South West. He is not as high-profile as Sir Philip Green, nowhere near as rich and people don't go to his empire for fast-fashion fixes. He is, however, the <a href=" Secretary to the Treasury</a>. And he has the power to change corporate taxation policy. He is also responsible for the "strategic oversight of the UK tax system including direct, indirect, business and personal taxation" and is the "Leader Minister on European and International tax issues."</div><div><br /></div><div>David Gauke can change tax policy. Topshop and Boots store managers cannot. </div><div><br /></div><div>It's time for UK Uncut to get serious if it wants to force change. If it doesn't, then by all means it should keep up the store occupations as some weekend fun to cure boredom and a tool for Laurie Penny's career progression.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>LetUsFaceTheFuture.</div>2011/01/uk-uncut-needs-to-get-serious.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (LetUsFaceTheFuture)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2342790754409476741.post-961133918683767854Wed, 26 Jan 2011 18:50:00 +00002011-01-27T11:07:40.645+00:00Flames Of Discontent Appeased By Defeat<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href=" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 263px;" src="; border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566590726491701122" /></a><div>Keir, like many others, has watched as a movement of people have been stirred into action since the appointment of the slashers in Her Majesty's most recent Government. To say this has been a movement of peaks and troughs is to state the glaringly obvious.</div><div><br /></div><div>It's hard to ascertain when this whole movement started. And it has at times been a broader movement, encompassing other organisations. The nadir of its turnout and exposure was undoubtedly on 10th November 2010 when an estimated 50,000 people <a href="; the streets of London, mobilised by the NUS, the anti-cuts movement, single-issue groups and political parties. Keir <a href="2010/11/students-will-need-resit.html">watched</a> on as an event full of potential descended into chaos.</div><div><br /></div><div>This was followed by another <a href="; 2 weeks later with varying reports of turnout size; "several thousand" appears to be the consensus. After this demo, "kettling" entered mainstream language as something unconnected to a cup of tea and, rightly, the police became the target for a lot of <a href="; from the public. </div><div><br /></div><div>Meanwhile, occupations were taking place at University campuses across the country. Some of these were pretty impressive, especially when NUS President Aaron Porter was held to account for his foot-dragging at an <a href="; at UCL. </div><div><br /></div><div>40,000 people were then expected in the capital on December 9th as people took to the streets to <a href="; the proposed rise in tuition fees that had become the central issue of the broader anti-cuts movement. This was the day of the vote in parliament; a vote that was <a href="; by the Government and the fee increase went into law.</div><div><br /></div><div>Since then, the anti-cuts movement has, arguably, focused on tax-avoidance by large companies such as Vodafone and Topshop. Occupations in branches of these companies have at times <a href=" down</a> stores and have highlighted the cause. But, as with the tuition fees issue, nothing has been won by the movement.</div><div><br /></div><div>A look at the (very good) mapping of actions on the UK Uncut <a href="; gives an idea of the way things have gone since. Turnout at actions around the country have varied. A Saturday <a href="; in London drew 50. Also, 25 people took to the streets in <a href="; on a Saturday afternoon in December, 30-40 got their gloves on in <a href="; and a dozen turned up for an event in <a href="; just a few days ago. </div><div><br /></div><div>And just today, whilst attending another event, Laurie Penny, online mouthpiece for the UK Uncut demos, <a href=" /></div><div><i>"In trafalgar square. There are actually more visiting school groups that [sic] protesters. This SUCKS. Get it together guys!"</i></div><div><br /></div><div>First of all, Keir must commend Penny for her excellent, positive language in her attempt to mobilise people. Frankly, if someone told Keir to "get it together", he'd be straight onto his white horse, sword in sheath, ready to bring down the Establishment. Inspirational stuff.</div><div><br /></div><div>But there's a serious point. Keir wants the same end that these demonstrations seek. He didn't want fees to go up and he wants Philip Green to pay his taxes. Most people probably feel the same. But the decline in turnout during the course of the last few months speaks of the deep problem of this movement.</div><div><br /></div><div>What has been won? Nothing. In fact, some things have been painfully lost as we all saw when the cowardly Liberal Democrats became <a href="; in the rise in tuition fees. </div><div><br /></div><div>Penny and her cohorts need to understand that not everyone is driven by cloudy idealism. People like winning. And consistently picking, and inevitably losing, unwinnable fights just disheartens them. Not only does losing turn people off, but winning will draw people in. </div><div><br /></div><div>That's not to say losing never helps a movement to grow. It of course can. But it only can if your movement is strong, close and powerful; built on an interwoven strand of tight relationships that will last through victories and defeats. This movement though, as is attested to by many involved in it, is built mainly on social network "relationships". Penny herself <a href=";, </div><div><br /></div><div><i>"Solidarity has gone hypertextual. The student movement that made its voice so powerfully audible was largely organised on Twitter."</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>From 50,000 in November, to a dozen in January. It's maybe a slight misrepresentation to compare those two figures, but the point is clear. Turnout, and therefore power, has nose-dived. </div><div><br /></div><div>That lack of power has meant nothing has been won. The Government continues to savagely cuts funding to our most valuable services, meaning we pay more. Meanwhile, the blind eye remains turned to the tax-avoiding billionaires who refuse to pay their bit back to the society that set the conditions for them to flourish, in order that the most vulnerable can put food onto their table.</div><div><br /></div><div>And if the power of the anti-cuts movement keeps sinking at its current trajectory nothing will be won. Before long all that will remain will be Laurie Penny sitting alone at Trafalgar Square, tweeting "This SUCKS" every weekend.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>LetUsFaceTheFuture.</div>2011/01/flames-of-discontent-appeased-by-defeat.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (LetUsFaceTheFuture)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2342790754409476741.post-1819977024115983718Sun, 16 Jan 2011 20:15:00 +00002011-01-16T21:23:46.618+00:00House of LordsLegitimacy Of Appointments Manifested In Glasman<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href=" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 240px;" src="; border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5562897409519867970" /></a><div>Keir couldn't help but <a href="; the <a href="; gush from <a href="; in attendance at the Fabian Conference after hearing Maurice Glasman speak about the future of the party. <a href="; <a href=" href="; continued</a> <a href=" </a>the newly ennobled academic was the feature of an <a href="; in The Observer today.</div><div><br /></div><div>From what Keir knows of Glasman, he seems to be a very knowledgeable guy. He has worked closely with Community Organisers in the UK and has been very influential within the Labour Party to try and guide the organisational culture towards a more relational, more mutualistic and more action-fuelled model. His influence could be felt in Ed Miliband's <a href="; at the same Fabian Conference he attended, just as it could in the famous Gordon Brown <a href="; of May 3rd. </div><div><br /></div><div>A man with considerable expertise, wisdom and knowledge, now appointed to our second chamber to help scrutinise the conduct of Government. Many people would agree with Keir, it seems, that he is an excellent addition to the House of Lords.</div><div><br /></div><div>So, Keir couldn't help but wonder how many of those people, so complimentary of Glasman and his appointment to the House, would also back proposals to make the House an elected chamber.</div><div><br /></div><div>You only need to read the Guardian article to realise that people like Glasman are acutely able to perform the duties of peerage. They are thinkers, they are quiet and they work in the shadows. They are also highly unlikely to run for election. </div><div><br /></div><div>Now, Keir is a democrat. But modern democracy is about more than merely giving people a vote on everything. The House of Lords is meant to scrutinise Government, delay and amend legislation and, on <a href=";, throw policies out. It is also to remain, always, in the shadow of the primacy of the Commons. If we are to elect both Houses, this primacy will be gone. In the 2001 General Election, turnout was below 60%. A Commons, elected by just 60% of the people, scrutinised by a Lords elected by the same amount? Keir doesn't fancy that. </div><div><br /></div><div>Furthermore, some proposals suggest Lords elections at different times to Commons elections. Frankly, that's crazy. What if the election for the Commons gets a 60% turnout and the Lords election gets a 75% turnout? Could the Lords lay claim to being more democratically legitimate? Probably. And if this happened, our Parliament would be finished as we know it.</div><div><br /></div><div>As honourable as many MPs are, we know that politics has become a career these days. That is absolutely fine. Being an MP is a difficult job and the professionalisation of Members of Parliament is, in Keir's opinion, a good thing. But the House of Lords contains people with explicit expertise, abilities and knowledge. They are not careerists; they are selected by our elected representatives (elected representatives who we entrust with the power to govern) to help to scrutinise them. They are from all trades, professions, religions, businesses, cultural institutions, sporting institutions and many other areas of society.</div><div><br /></div><div>We have 650 elected Members of Parliament in Westminster, 60 Welsh Assembly Members in Cardiff Bay, 129 Members of the Scottish Parliament in Holyrood and 108 Members of the Legislative Assembly in Northern Ireland. Add to that some 22,000 elected Councillors throughout the United Kingdom. We have a flourishing democracy in terms of voting. Let us not spoil the functional aspect of our democracy with the lazy symbolism of creating a wholly-elected second chamber.</div><div><br /></div><div>There's even more to the argument, but everyone hates a lengthy blog post.</div><div><br /></div><div>Don't misunderstand; the House of Lords needs reforming. There are too many peers and there are too many unjust peerages dished out. Life peerages are questionable and there needs to be more faith leaders than just Christian leaders. But if we want people with the considerable talent of the likes of Lord Glasman, another elected House is not the way to go. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>LetUsFaceTheFuture.</div>2011/01/legitimacy-of-appointments-manifested.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (LetUsFaceTheFuture)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2342790754409476741.post-532481307997294483Wed, 12 Jan 2011 20:20:00 +00002011-01-12T21:10:32.751+00:00WalesIe Dros Gymru<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href=" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 335px; height: 281px;" src="; border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5561409637909846594" /></a><div>Keir has awoken from his long Christmas slumber. So hello to you all and Happy New Year.</div><div><br /></div><div>Pleasantries out of the way, now to address the first issue of 2011. </div><div><br /></div><div>A few days back, Keir attended the launch for the "<a href=" For Wales</a>" campaign in Cardiff. Both contributors here at Keir Hardie Blogs are wholeheartedly behind the campaign for a "Yes" vote in March's referendum and here's very brief summary of why.</div><div><br /></div><div>Wales has grown in many ways since devolution was voted in so narrowly in 1997. Culturally, economically, politically...even <a href=";. However, arguably the moment when the maturity of the Welsh Assembly Government (WAG) became clear to all was on November 30th, 2010. It was on this day when Wales took the most talked about issue at the time and, hand-in-hand with the progressive political make-up of WAG, showed that there was an alternative to the devastating Tory cuts. Leighton Andrews, the WAG Education Minister, announced that Welsh domiciled students will see no increase to their tuition fees, just days before the UK Government in Westminster gave it's <a href="; to Universities to raise fees to as high as £9,000 per year. Until this moment, Keir was in the "Yes" camp, but not vehemently. But after this display of political direction, that vehemence was attained. </div><div><br /></div><div>The timing of this referendum is perfect for Wales and for "Yes" enthusiasts. Attitudes to devolution have changed massively since the narrow <a href="; in the 1997 referendum. A survey conducted in 2003 showed that whilst only 22.4% of people saw the Assembly as having the most influence over how Wales is run, 56% thought it ought to have the most influence. In the same survey, 43% of people said the Assembly's power over Health had seen services improve whilst only 9% said they thought services had reduced in quality and 31.4% said Education had improved compared to 6.7% saying the opposite. </div><div><br /></div><div>However, most telling, in Keir's point of view, was the impact on the identity and culture in Wales that the survey showed devolution has had. Attendance at Welsh schools is up, the take-up of Welsh GCSE and A Level is up, the number of Welsh speakers is up. And this identity growth is also reflected in the survey. In 1997, 17.2% of people said they felt "Welsh, not British," and 25.7% of people said they felt "more Welsh than British". By 2003, those figures had increased to 22.7% and 28.1% respectively. When broken down into age groups, these attitudes are even more promising. The percentage of 18-24 year olds who said they felt "Welsh, not British", was higher than the national average, at 27.4%. Also higher than the national average was the 36.9% people in that age group that said they felt "more Welsh than British". Keir would hazard a guess that now, in 2010, those percentages are even higher. The fact that the younger you go down the scale, the "more Welsh" people feel shows the impact that devolution has had on identities. </div><div><br /></div><div>For these reasons, and others not outlined here (mainly because of laziness) Keir will be voting "Yes." And for these reasons, Keir is confident of a win for the "Yes" campaign far greater than that famous win in 1997.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>LetUsFaceTheFuture.</div>2011/01/ie-dros-gymru.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (LetUsFaceTheFuture)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2342790754409476741.post-1598201066225521302Mon, 20 Dec 2010 23:17:00 +00002010-12-21T11:36:17.564+00:00Ed MilibandFibDemsPollsToriesVince CableLabour Isn't Winning<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href=" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 240px;" src="; border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5552912347970656146" /></a><p class="MsoNormal">A YouGov <a href="; that showed -18% approval for the Government has sent many Labourites into rapture. Sure, it’s good that people are seemingly taking issue with the Government’s indiscriminate, ideology-inspired cuts. But we need to take this with a pinch of salt the size of which would ensure the whole of the M25 doesn’t freeze over ever again.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Read between the lines. In the same poll, YouGov showed that 40% still said they would vote Conservative, with 43% saying they’d vote Labour and 8%, apparently those living under rocks, still vouching for the LibDems. Does it really make sense that, despite a -18% Government approval rating, 40% would still vote for the main party in that Government?</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Read a bit further. In an IPSOS <a href="; this week, David Cameron received +4% approval to Nick Clegg’s -12%. Ed Miliband, Labour Party leader, received an approval of +4%; but a whopping 30% gave “Don’t Know” as an answer when asked if they were satisfied or dissatisfied with the way Ed was doing his job as leader of the party. To show how big that figure is, Cameron and Clegg received 8% and 11% "Don't Knows" respectively. ComRes showed a worse <a href="; with Ed’s approval at a lowly -16%, very similar to aforementioned Government approval rating that Labourites have been gushing over. Even in that poll, a massive 50% said they “Don’t Know” if Ed is turning out to be a good leader of the Labour Party. Nick Clegg had a dire -23% approval rating in the ComRes poll, with the Prime Minister on just -2%.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">We know that LibDem polling has plummeted. ComRes had them at 23% in the <a href="; of June. Their drop to 8% in the latest YouGov poll shows, Keir thinks, that the Government approval rating of -18% is largely due to anti-LibDem sentiment; not anti-Tory sentiment. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Labour isn’t winning. The Tories are. Government approval may be sinking, but their polling is stable. And we also now have the reason why we do need to act fast, contrary to what many Labourites would argue. Though Keir doubts he would or could, if Uncle Vince pressed his big red <a href="; button, we would not win a snap election. In all likelihood, the Tories would win a majority as Labour are yet to propose an alternative, and the leader’s ratings are not good enough to carry the party in that situation. Now Keir doesn't suddenly think Cable has developed some fortitude and would actually be able to do that, but the point here is that this Coalition is fragile and we need to be ready if they capitulate.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">It's not all gloom though. The amount of “Don’t Knows” in the questions about Ed’s leadership shows there is a vacuum to exploit that would not only make that Government approval sink further, but would make Labour’s polling percentage grow at the expense of the <i>Tories</i>; the real enemy. Labour MPs have been doing a sterling job on certain issues. Stella Creasy's <a href="; against legal loan sharks is the Labour Party as it should be. Jim Murphy's excellent use of the <a href="; and his sterling work with <a href="; new ideas on Defence is offering credible plans. Bob Ainsworth's <a href="; for a new way of looking at drugs policy is laudable if only for his suggestion that we have an intelligent debate. And Ed Balls and Andy Burnham continue to offer stern opposition to their two Cabinet rivals across the dispatch box. Both are expertly exposing two of the most ideologically-driven Tories in the business. </p><p class="MsoNormal">But, on the whole, people don't vote based on their impression of Shadow Cabinet members. They look to the Leader. So now, yes <i>now</i>, nearly 3 months after taking up the post of Leader, Ed Miliband must start converting the “Don’t Knows”.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">LetUsFaceTheFuture.</p>2010/12/labour-isnt-winning.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (LetUsFaceTheFuture)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2342790754409476741.post-9142973382946268559Fri, 10 Dec 2010 15:02:00 +00002010-12-10T15:03:28.515+00:00Nails<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href=" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 240px;" src="; border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549069330291675538" /></a>Keir wouldn't have been able to stay controlled...2010/12/nails.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (LetUsFaceTheFuture)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2342790754409476741.post-5182858099898699598Thu, 09 Dec 2010 19:17:00 +00002010-12-09T20:10:48.296+00:00Habits Die Hard As Left Continues To Lose Winnable ArgumentsKeir's noticed something since the Coalition took control of the State. We on the Left cannot help sticking to habits, some older than others, and losing arguments that are entirely winnable.<div><br /></div><div>I give you two very different cases:</div><div><br /></div><div>Exhibit A: The recent <a href="2010/11/students-will-need-resit.html">protests</a> against the increase in tuition fees.</div><div><br /></div><div>Exhibit B: David Lammy's recent <a href="; about Oxbridge elitism. </div><div><br /></div><div>Keir has discussed Exhibit A before. The national day of demonstration, branded "DEMOlition" by the NUS, was a day of great potential. Here we had over 50,000 people on the streets of London protesting against one issue. And the argument was sound: by increasing tuition fees to £9,000 a year, the Government was ending aspiration for countless young people from poorer backgrounds up and down the country. It was also an argument which most people would sympathise with. Indeed, most people in parliament itself sympathised with it until May. Yet this day of demonstration turned into disorganised chaos as out-of-control protesters proceeded to storm and vandalise Conservative Party headquarters. From my point of view, the argument was lost that afternoon at Milbank. Effort has been made since then and peaceful occupations of University campuses combined with things like <a href="; on NUS President Aaron Porter within those occupations have restored some order and reasonableness to the protest. But it was too late.</div><div><br /></div><div>The fact that the vote was <a href="; in parliament by just 21 votes shows that this was entirely winnable. Abstainers and a few backbench LibDem MPs could have beaten the fee increase. I don't buy the standard, "oh those politicians never listen" response. The fact is the protest, the movement, the lobbying... none of it was organised or powerful enough. The NUS, as Keir has <a href="2010/11/students-will-need-resit.html">argued</a>, missed the opportunity to organise a truly meaningful and effective demonstration. There were methods it could have used but the Union was not organised adequately. This incoherent, disorganised, factional left-wing response is an old habit. It has lost this argument.</div><div><br /></div><div>Exhibit B showed the how another, slightly more modern, habit can also lose us arguments. David Lammy's <a href=";, put simply, argued that Oxford is elitist. Very few people would dispute that. However, because of a sneaky piece of spin, Lammy's argument was forgotten within hours. It turns out Lammy had used what Keir would consider misleading language. The sub-heading of the article reads:</div><div><br /></div><div>"One college has not let in a black student for five years"</div><div><br /></div><div>On the day of the article's publication, Lammy <a href="; a few <a href="; relating to "<a href="; students and teachers. Fine. But then within the article, Lammy says:</div><div><br /></div><div>"The picture on race is no better. Just one British black Caribbean student was admitted to Oxford last year. That is not a misprint: one student."</div><div><br /></div><div>Keir, like many others among the Twittosphere, was livid. One! But we had all been fooled. It was probably our own fault that we didn't think to question that "British black Caribbean" criteria and Keir certainly felt a fool when, just a few hours later, a fellow blog <a href="; the real stats about black entrants to Oxbridge. And it turns out Lammy had also misled when he said the Universities had been "obstructive" when responding to his inquiries about these stats: Oxford University had published the information on its website.</div><div><br /></div><div>Here we see a newer, but still ingrained, habit: spin. And Lammy's point was lost as soon as it became clear he had spun and misled with his language. For the rest of the day, the debate among bloggers and Twitteratti was about the stat spinning and misleading language, not Oxbridge elitism. </div><div><br /></div><div>Two completely winnable arguments, both lost. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>LetUsFaceTheFuture.</div>2010/12/habits-die-hard-as-left-continues-to.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (LetUsFaceTheFuture)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2342790754409476741.post-7080094829803967874Sat, 27 Nov 2010 19:17:00 +00002010-11-27T19:52:11.402+00:00PollsT.I.N.A.ToriesTory CutsIs T.I.N.A. Working?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href=" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="; border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5544319293480512434" /></a><br />More <a href="; from the lovely people at IPSOS. And you know how Keir loves giving his view on what it all means.<div><br /></div><div>It shows that <span class="Apple-style-span">39%</span> of people see the economy as the most important issue facing Britain today. And <span class="Apple-style-span">54%</span> gave the economy as an answer when asked to state which issues other than their chosen "most important" issue were important. </div><div><br /></div><div>We could read this as being obvious given the times we live in.</div><div><br /></div><div>However, Keir found the percentages of the other issues intriguing. Just <span class="Apple-style-span">2%</span> said the NHS was the most important issue. Also, <span class="Apple-style-span">2%</span> said education and <span class="Apple-style-span">2%</span> said housing. These are staggeringly low. Even in the second question, education only got <span class="Apple-style-span">15%</span>, the NHS <span class="Apple-style-span">18%</span> and housing <span class="Apple-style-span">8% </span>when people were asked to state other important issues.</div><div><br /></div><div>What this tells Keir is that the Conservative narrative is working; <span class="Apple-style-span">T.I.N.A.</span> is fooling the nation.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Tory changes are going to hit education hard. The cuts and the barmy "free schools" policy are going to begin the ideological dismantling of the school system. The NHS is looking down a similar barrel. </div><div><br /></div><div>And the cuts to housing benefit alongside changes to social housing tenure rules will, as the Tory Mayor of London <a href=" it</a>, cause "Kosovo-style social cleansing."</div><div><br /></div><div>So why don't these issues poll higher on the IPSOS Issues Index?</div><div><br /></div><div>Keir thinks it's because the Tory line is working due to there being, in Political terms, no alternative. Labour is inactive. Whenever the Tories are challenged on a cut they are making, they respond with;</div><div><br /></div><div>a) T.I.N.A.</div><div>b) "Difficult decisions to cut the deficit"</div><div>c) Big Society bullshit</div><div>d) "We inherited the biggest deficit since Alexander marched into Egypt" </div><div><br /></div><div>Okay so the last one isn't quite accurate. But you get the point. They are smoke-screening all of their savage policies and cuts with these lines that are scaring people into going with the narrative. That is what is leaving issues like the NHS, education and housing so low down on the list of priorities.</div><div><br /></div><div>Until Labour finds its alternative, that smoke will only get thicker.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>LetUsFaceTheFuture.</div>2010/11/is-tina-working.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (LetUsFaceTheFuture)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2342790754409476741.post-8238347608693358270Fri, 26 Nov 2010 17:29:00 +00002010-11-26T18:37:35.369+00:00Cheryl GillanWalesMae Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau Is Not Dear To Cheryl<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href=" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="; border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543920405107921778" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Says it all</span></i></div><div><br />Keir watched from the gallery yesterday as Welsh MPs Huw Irranca-Davies and Chris Bryant became noticeably agitated by the <a href="; made to the House by Transport Secretary Phil Hammond.<div><br /></div><div>Further to Keir's <a href="2010/11/wales-condemned-again.html">last post</a> about the issue of rail electrification, it seems the Government is indeed intent on leaving Wales with a 20th century rail infrastructure as the rest of the UK moves into the 21st. Despite gleefully confirming a wad of investment for England's rail lines, Hammond stalled on committing to electrification from London through to Swansea, all but affirming rumours that the improvements will stop before the border. </div><div><br /></div><div>Hammond tried to fob the issue off onto the Welsh Assembly Government but, as the First Minister <a href="; out, this is not a devolved issue. </div><div><br /></div><div>Now, Hammond is just doing his job. But one person who isn't is Cheryl Gillan. The Welsh Secretary, surely the first Minister who will lose their job in some way or another, has evidently been putting no pressure on her Government on this issue. Gillan is facing increased pressure to resign from her constituents who, as if to highlight the difference between Wales and the place where she resides and represents, are <a href="; at plans to run the new HS2 rail line through the affluent English constituency. According to Irranca-Davies, Mrs. Gillan has now <a href="; she will resign should the HS2 development go ahead; surely she should be making such principled stands on behalf of Wales as well? She isn't. Instead she is making non-committal remarks about how she remains "fully supportive of electrification" and that she "hoped to work with WAG" on the issue. </div><div><br /></div><div>And the Government's suggestion that there needed to be a stronger business case for electrification to extend to Wales was shown to be <a href="; by Rhondda MP Bryant. South Wales and the Valleys needs this development to increase its ability to grow. But it seems the Government is playing stick and stick with Wales; forcing thousands of redundancies from the public sector whilst killing plans like this that would have stimulated private sector growth.</div><div><br /></div><div>Keir's got a suggestion for a carrot the Government could use though: sack this useless Welsh Secretary and appoint someone to the role who can effectively represent the interests of Wales in this Cabinet of millionaires.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>LetUsFaceTheFuture.</div></div>2010/11/mae-hen-wlad-fy-nhadau-is-not-dear-to.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (LetUsFaceTheFuture)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2342790754409476741.post-8477936743901180249Tue, 23 Nov 2010 02:05:00 +00002010-11-23T02:53:30.600+00:00Huw Irranca-DaviesToriesTory CutsWalesWales ConDemned. Again.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href=" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 300px;" src="; border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5542569979741667970" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">"Just get on the Megabus, Katherine"</span></i></div><div><br /></div><div>Was meant to post this about a week ago; forgive Keir's tardiness.<div><br /></div><div>Keir, along with other alert Welsh folk, <a href="2010/05/wales-most-wanted-savagers.html">anticipated</a> the Conservative Government leaving Wales behind as the axe was wielded across the UK.</div><div><br /></div><div>And last week we were given further evidence to support that.</div><div><br /></div><div>Friend of the blog Huw Irranca-Davies MP took yet another concern of the Welsh people to Westminster, <a href="; for clarification from the Government to quash rumours that the planned rail electrification between London and South Wales was going to be halted before it even reached the toll booths of Pont Hafren. The electrification of the rail line would provide jobs and a faster, greener, more reliable service at no extra cost to fare-payers. A Labour initiative from last year, it would keep Wales in line with the rest of the country in terms of infrastructure development. Yet now, as ever, the Conservatives seem to want to leave Wales behind.</div><div><br /></div><div>And this would not merely be a short delay; according to one <a href=";, if it doesn't happen now, it won't happen for a very long time. But then, he is using big theories like "economies of scale" that we can't expect our novice Chancellor to understand. In the same article, we are warned that failure to expand the electrification to Swansea as planned would be an economic "disaster" for South Wales.</div><div><br /></div><div>Keir can't help but <a href="2010/05/open-letter-from-keir-to-cheryl-gillan.html">wonder</a> whether it may help to have a Welsh voice on the Cabinet Committee for, hmmm I dunno, Economic Affairs?</div><div><br /></div><div>Anyway, Keir would like to echo the words of the Ogmore MP:</div><div><br /></div><div><i>"I would urge the Secretary of State for Wales, Cheryl Gillan, to stand up for Wales and ensure that we are not left behind."</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>Maybe we can also call on the Government patsies to help the cause? LibDem Norman Baker wanted to take electrification even further than South Wales when he spoke on the issue <a href=" year</a>, declaring, "The Liberal Democrats want virtually the entire network electrified by 2040."</div><div><br /></div><div>A LibDem promise. Fear the worst.</div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href=" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 286px; height: 400px;" src="; border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5542567258818530962" /></a><br /><br /><div>LetUsFaceTheFuture.<br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div></div>2010/11/wales-condemned-again.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (LetUsFaceTheFuture)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2342790754409476741.post-1027664367113203559Thu, 18 Nov 2010 18:04:00 +00002010-11-18T18:08:02.223+00:00Competition Winner AnnouncementCongratulations to Duncan Bruce who Keir has selected as the winner of the <a href="2010/11/monthly-competition.html">competition</a>. <div><br /></div><div>Duncan's suggestion for the best Prime Minister or American President that we never had was Robert F. Kennedy. A fine choice indeed. And excellent reasoning given too. </div><div><br /></div><div>Kennedy's platform for government would have truly revolutionised America at the time. </div><div><br /></div><div>Despite a number of excellent entries, Keir thought RFK was the stand-out suggestion.</div><div><br /></div><div>Well done Duncan!</div>2010/11/competition-winner-announcement.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (LetUsFaceTheFuture)