Power to the People, Part II

So, Power to the People: what do I think?

Well, personally, I liked that programme a lot. Very good indeed, and the important thing was that Portillo didn't just look at northern towns or London, he looked at southern counties like Dorset and places in the midlands, such as Doncaster. And it doesn't matter what party you are: people want to know they can make a difference, that they can keep the parts of the community they cherish. How does the political system not understand this? It's why politicians are losing touch with my generation: sticking with the elite, because the idea of electing an unwholesome mayor makes true democracy seem unpleasant. Life is unpleasant, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't give ordinary people the chance to make a positive difference. And by difference, I mean a change to the political system as a whole.

Am now watching Clegg's speech from the Lib Dem Spring Conference. Never have I heard a man with a sore throats make such a noise. Liking his rhetoric on Britain's former technical prowess. And cutting the number of MPs by 150? It would at least make it easier to remember them all. You can't have 650 MPs without inviting the stranglehold of beauracracy.

Chris

Power to the People, Part I

Yay, it's my sort of show! Showing on BBC 2 as I write, Michael Portillo is heading around parts of the country, talking to disaffected voters and ordinary people. He even started with Liverpool, which definitely gets ignored by national politicians in my view.

He's in Hartlepool at the moment, where everybody knows Stuart Drummond, the Mayor who used to be Hartlepool United's mascot. He got elected directly, and to be honest, I'd like to see that happen in Falmouth. It would be a good start.

Back to the show: he's in Doncaster now. Peter Davies, Mayor of Doncaster, is incredibly outspoken. Dear me.

More in a bit! Shouldn't type and watch tv at the same time, really.

Chris

Speaking of the 70's...

Just a quick post-update: Billy Wolfe, former leader of the SNP, has died aged 86. He led the SNP during the 1970's, and managed to win 11 seats in the '74 election: he also helped to bring about the collapse of the Callaghan government in '79. You can read more about him, and various tributes, at the SNP website.





RIP Billy.

Chris

Gene Hunt for PM: It's Back To The 70s

Strikes by supposedly militant unions.

The possibility of a hung parliament.

An old Labour stalwart against a Conservative who's never been PM.

Anyone for a round of 70's Nostalgia? It's as if that decade never went away. So much for modernisation, you might say. Though to be honest, I'd be more than happy with Gene Hunt running the place.

"It's my job, Cameron, you Southern nancy! And Gordon: you're nicked! Sam, how'd you like to be Chancellor of the Exchequer?" and so on.

Admittedly, there are differences. The railway and British Airway strikes are undoubtedly a major inconvenience for many people - I felt particularly sorry for a couple on the news who'd booked flights for their honeymoon - but it's not exactly on the same scale as a national coal strike, which reduced us to a three-day week and led to a general election in February.

Still, you do have to wonder: what on earth are Unite doing? Are they trying to get an anti-union party into power? Because, to be honest, that's what it looks like from here. Their motives may be good, but their timing is horrendous.

Elsewhere, BBC News has a decent article on the impacts of the budget.

Oh yeah, and Roy Hodgson rocks. Maybe he should be PM after masterminding a stunning turnaround in the economic performance of a once struggling company? Though presumably he'd need to work on re-building Anglo-Italian relations. Juventus players were not at all happy about last night's refereeing: not that Mr Greg Hands, who's running for the new constituency of Chelsea and Fulham, will be complaining. Is it a good idea to have a Fulham fan as MP for Chelsea? I might have to ask him that: as well as ask him why his site photos aren't working. Ah well, this'll have to do for now.

I may have to do a whole list of MPs sites, though that would take a while. You can always find MPs sites here, if you're interested. I quite like Greg Hands' one, especially as he's against Heathrow expansion! Definitely one of the "good Tories": and yes, they do exist, just as good Labour MPs do. So help me, I'm being vaguely impartial.

Still not quite sure which way to vote. Thinking Lib Dem atm. I am ultimately a Liberal, though like most people I dabble in Conservatism. But only in the amount of tea I consume, honest!

Have a good weekend people,

Chris

PS Budget stuff next week: there shall be focus on that. OF THE MEGA KIND.

If I Sit On This Sofa, Maybe People Will Forget About The War

Here's looking at you, PM.

Honestly. Gordon Brown + Ten years of working for a boss who's a weasel = A Scotsman who's surprisingly good at impersonating a weasel himself.

If you're not sure why I'm so annoyed, you'd do well to read the BBC report on how dear old Gordon's told whacking great fibs about the defence budget, and then listen to this piece by the Guardian about how he's going to make up for that by having a cup of tea wi' ye.

To be fair, tea solves a lot of things. But teacups also have a tendency to get smashed. And be fair, we are talking about a man who's well documented for losing his temper. Maybe we should start calling him Rash Gordon...

Anyhoo, the point is, the only way that the General Election can sort out all the problems in British politics is this:

1) The Conservatives become the largest party at the next election, but don't have a majority.

2) Brown resigns: Cameron becomes Prime Minister, in theory.

3) Conservative MPs refuse to work in a coalition with the Lib Dems.

4) Lib Dems offer to support Labour if a more moderate leader is elected.

5) Alan Johnson gets elected Labour leader.

6) Another general election is called by Cameron.

7) Labour becomes the biggest party, but needs the Lib Dems to form a government.

8) Government formed, voting system reformed.

Ta-da!

Except: that seems very unlikely. Though on the plus side, at this rate, Brown will almost certainly have to resign. Any man who cuts the defence budget during the middle of a war and then lies about it to the public will be seen as a liability to his party: they'll support him now, but come June, he may have to hide behind that sofa of his.

Chris

A Letter From Charles Hendry (MP)

Blergh, curse this cold. Hopefully I shall defeat it yet! In the meantime, here's a bit of correspondence I had with the Conservative MP Charles Hendry last week. Let it never be said I can't do impartiality!

Dear Mr Hendry,

I am neither Conservative nor a member of your constituency, but nevertheless I commend you on a simple and effective website.

I have been conducting a small social experiment at my University in Cornwall to see how many of my friends can actually name their Member of Parliament, as I have been struck by the number of young people who cannot. It is surely no coincidence that a large amount of "voter apathy" amongst young people comes from the fact that they have never communicated with their MP, or if they have, do not know what they stand for.

One of my friends who I asked happens to come from Uckfield, which of course is in your constituency, but was unable to recall exactly who it was (though she knew it was a Conservative). Thus, I did a small bit of research on Wealden, and as a result, came to your site.

I can safely conclude from visiting it that it is not your fault my friend doesn't know who you are!

You seem to be doing a lot for the constituency, and there is a lot of sense in your campaigns. I particularly agree with your point about managing the traffic problems in East Grinstead, having seen them for myself: it is vital that the congestion is not simply "shifted elsewhere". Speeding is also an issue in my home county of Gloucestershire and more needs to be done to highlight just how dangerous it is, especially with regards to my generation.

I am also a supporter of train travel, and believe the Lewes-Uckfield link is badly needed: I have only been from London to Brighton and back twice, but that is more than enough to realise that it is becoming far too congested! An alternative route would certainly help that, and would encourage people to visit a part of the country that I believe at times has been unfairly overlooked.

I may not vote Conservative myself - the Labour MP for Stroud, David Drew, has done an excellent job in the area - but I wish you the best of luck at the election.

Finally, as someone who does have an interest in becoming an MP themselves: what is the most difficult part of your job with regards to serving constituents?

Yours sincerely,

Chris Stanley, 21

This is his reply...

Dear Chris,

Many thanks for your kind email and I am delighted to know that you have found my website easy to use and helpful. If that is the case, it has achieved its objective!

I am grateful too for your support for some of the local campaigns, especially on transport issues. Good luck with your own political aspirations. Perhaps the greatest challenge is trying to get the right balance between being in the Chamber and also handling the increasing volume of constituency casework. Nevertheless, it is the constant variety which is also one of the most fascinating aspects of the job.

Best wishes,

Charles Hendry

Charles Hendry

Member of Parliament for Wealden

Shadow Minister for Energy

House of Commons

LondonSW1A 0AA

www.charleshendry.com

The website is actually very good. And you should visit East Sussex if you get the chance: it's a brilliant county. And Brighton is awesome, of course.

Chris

Not gonna be... a Kingmaker (by Peter Gabriel/Nick Clegg)

Elsewhere in politics, and the left-of-centre papers (ie the Guardian and the Independent) are starting to quietly root for Mr Clegg and his Liberal Democrats.

It's not really surprising. The idea of either paper supporting the Tories seems rather far-fetched to put it mildly, and supporting Labour is a risky option. With the Lib Dems, however, the pressure appears to be off: after all, no-one is expecting the third party to win the election, especially as it would have to gain more than 200 seats. But with almost all forms of media harping on about the possibility of a hung parliament, Clegg is still having to play the difficult balancing act of appearing neither pro-Labour nor pro-Tory, but not to the extent that he's completely averse to a possible coalition. It's one heck of a tightrope act, but so far he's pulling it off, and the increased publicity so far appears to be helping.

Firstly, Clegg has four clear policies: raising the personal tax threshold to £10,000; £2.5bn extra funding for schools; a reform of Westminster after the expenses scandal; and a reform of the City, in particular the banks. Secondly, he's positioned himself cleverly in the middle of the two main parties, mainly through combining their two slogans (which has not gone down well with the Tories especially). And thirdly, in Vince Cable he has an economic adviser who is both popular and seen to be experienced, which is not quite the case for either Darling or Osborne.

If the Lib Dems can keep up this extra publicity - and with the up-and-coming TV debates, it looks like they will - then it could have severe repercussions for the Tories. Labour have very cleverly chosen not to attack the Lib Dems, and have thus made it look as if another Lib-Lab pact might be in the offing: the Conservatives, on the other hand, have made it clear they are not at all comfortable with the idea of allying themselves to a party that is "all over the place".

Maybe the Tories won't need the Lib Dems' help: Cameron showed in last week's PMQ's that he does have some fight in him, and he's said he'd be prepared to sack Osborne if necessary. But distancing themselves so overtly from Clegg n' Cable (it'll catch on) is a risk.

Chris

RIP Ashok Kumar

Welcome back. Unfortunately, my latest post concerns an occurrence that reminds us how unimportant political alignment can be: the Labour MP for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland, Ashok Kumar, has died suddenly aged 53. Tributes to him can be found here: he was the local MP for 13 years, and will be sorely missed.

Not sure what impact that'll have politically: for now, it doesn't matter. A sad loss for both Labour and Middlesbrough.

Chris