We're the embodiment of broken Britain. A generation of yobs, of hoodies and violence. An apathetic generation, not bothered about the world and only interested in the latest celeb gossip, hooked to the tv screens for 'Britain's Got Talent' and the 'X Factor' and busy wasting our lives on facebook and twitter. That's when we're not terrorising old ladies and generally being malicious, hanging round estates in gangs and intimidating passers by with glaring looks. The consensus that this is what the youth of today are like is backed up by a press that loves to spread doom and gloom, but all it does is marginalise young people and illustrates how out of touch adults are with today's teenage culture.
So you would think, that when teenagers found a cause that they passionately believed in, and organised protests and demonstrations to oppose the government's damaging education reforms, that the media would be supportive of teens finally breaking down the stereotypes? Of course not. And it's not just the media, the sneering from the political classes at a bunch of kids thinking they can change things was astounding, and not simply from the tories- why did Ed Miliband feel it acceptable to throw his weight behind a general march against the government, but when it came down a policy that would cripple youngsters with a lifetime of debt did he not support the mobilisation of the 'apathetic generation'? Probably because the 'March for the Alternative' had such vague aims and Miliband knows that although Labour voted against the increase in fees, they commissioned the report and had they been in power they might had to have taken the same decision. (I would talk about how direct action often brings results and compare the battle for university places regardless of income with the suffragettes, but given the widespread ridicule of Ed Miliband when he made similar statements to the TUC march, and given that this government's attitude towards feminism is that it deprives working class men of jobs, it might not be an effective comparison.)
I'm a Labour party member because I believe in the party's message and am dedicated to fighting the tories because I fundamentally disagree with them, but there is really no use winning back power if it's not wielded effectively. Our MPs voted against the bill in the Commons, will it be repealed and another, fairer system for funding education be implemented? We don't need more broken promises and we certainly don't need another Nick Clegg. It is small wonder that friends all around me have no interest in politics because they believe every party is the same and no one is acting in their interests. It's a vicious cycle whereby politicians care less about young people because they are less likely to vote, but then young people don't see the need to vote and be interested because nothing effects them, and it keeps on going until we reach a situation with young people completely marginalised.
Labour should be the natural home for young people, generally more open minded and wanting to better themselves and others less fortunate. The party seems to be making progress and taking steps in the right direction, using social media etc to get the message out to teenagers, but it still has a long way to go. However well intentioned, the 'Join for 1p' initiative is almost as patronising as Cameron's 'Hug a Hoodie' scheme (I'm wearing a hoodie and I live in a middle class suburb, they're not the preserve of deprived kids on estates, they're culturally acceptable and comfortable, which believe it or not is the most important point), people will join the Labour party because they agree with what we're doing and want to get involved, savings of a pound or so aren't going to shape ideology (It's £5 to join Conservative Future, in case you were interested). A story that made me laugh recently (and was the inspiration for this post) was an 18 year old beating the leader of the Lib Dems on Liverpool council. Obviously it was a great win under exceptional circumstances and we cannot constantly run teenagers, but it was the kind of gesture that shows us that the Labour Party is committed to our generation.
The media are never happy discussing teenagers unless they're vilifying them, so I know that Ed Miliband has to tread carefully to avoid possibly offending those all important newspapers or else be labelled 'left wing', (although personally, I think it's good not to have a pseudo-tory as the leader of the Labour Party) but he could at least stand up for his party's record on education whilst they were in government, and not just sit silently whilst they talk about children being dumbed down and exams 'not being as hard as they used to be.' If Paul Dacre and his chums at the Mail want to come and sit my exams for me then they can be my guest, but I sincerely doubt they would just breeze through them without intensive study beforehand.
“The children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise. Children are now tyrants, not the servants of their households. They no longer rise when elders enter the room. They contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble up dainties at the table, cross their legs, and tyrannize their teachers.” -Socrates
It could have come straight out of the Daily Mail but it was written over two thousand years ago, the relationship between one generation and the next is always going to be challenging, especially in the modern world where attitudes have changed radically over the past fifty years and many social norms have been disregarded. But decisions taken now by politicians are going to radically alter our lives in the future, whether it be on universities or economic growth, or the huge threat of climate change bearing down upon us. The Labour Party needs to stand up for young people and make sure our concerns are not sidelined because it is the right thing to do, and not least because otherwise apathy will kick in and the destruction of a future core vote will leave us in ruins.
Sam Bumby is a progressive, left leaning eighteen year old blogger.
Monday, 9 May 2011
Sunday, 17 April 2011
Thoughts on the 'Outdated Ideology'
The very mention of the word socialism sends the media into a feeding frenzy. 'Red Ed' is demonised as a Stalinist, an oppressor of the ordinary 'working man', a control freak and above all else, useless. Simply because the Labour party didn't choose a candidate that was preferred by the right wing press, that would have followed rigidly to the New Labour script (they hoped) and would have served their interests with headline chasing proposals. They would claim that socialism is outdated, that is goes back to the days on the 1970s when the unions had huge control over the Labour party and almost brought the country to a halt fighting for their working conditions etc etc.
Now a country being brought to it's knees by sectional interest groups is not something to aspire too, but fast forward 30 years and that is exactly what has happened, under the apparent neo-liberal solution to everything started by Thatcher and continued under Blair. However this time, it was not bodies of the people fighting for their livelihoods, but a small group of bankers, driven by greed to make huge profits at the expense of the rest of us and operating under little regulation to create vast sums for their firms.
There is often talk that the Thatcherite settlement is inevitable, that socialism is a relic of the past and does not have any place in a 'modern world'. Yet vested interests in the media and politics control the agenda and there is little space for discussion about radical social change, only window dressing. I am not suggesting that the state nationalise every industry and run the nation under Stalinesque five year plans. But the idea that there should be no regulation on industry and slashed taxes, in the vain hope that it will create more money for the taxpayer whilst in actual fact depriving it of revenue is misplaced. So is the coalition's attempts to supposedly give more power to local communities, which in itself is not a bad idea, but in practice in many areas the service will be worse.
The NHS reforms to give GPs more power will create a postcode lottery with good service depending on where you live, and will leave many vulnerable people left with a GP who could decide they weren't a priority. Elected police chiefs is just a daft idea, how do the public know what makes a good police chief? And why should they spend time campaigning when they should be fighting crime? It's ridiculous and expensive, yet a main Tory argument against AV is that it will cost too much. It's total hypocrisy, more powers should be given to local councils, who have a much better relationship with local people that the government does. Power to local people, not to politicians elected on 30% of the vote.
That went off on a tangent of tory bashing. Apologies.
Now a country being brought to it's knees by sectional interest groups is not something to aspire too, but fast forward 30 years and that is exactly what has happened, under the apparent neo-liberal solution to everything started by Thatcher and continued under Blair. However this time, it was not bodies of the people fighting for their livelihoods, but a small group of bankers, driven by greed to make huge profits at the expense of the rest of us and operating under little regulation to create vast sums for their firms.
There is often talk that the Thatcherite settlement is inevitable, that socialism is a relic of the past and does not have any place in a 'modern world'. Yet vested interests in the media and politics control the agenda and there is little space for discussion about radical social change, only window dressing. I am not suggesting that the state nationalise every industry and run the nation under Stalinesque five year plans. But the idea that there should be no regulation on industry and slashed taxes, in the vain hope that it will create more money for the taxpayer whilst in actual fact depriving it of revenue is misplaced. So is the coalition's attempts to supposedly give more power to local communities, which in itself is not a bad idea, but in practice in many areas the service will be worse.
The NHS reforms to give GPs more power will create a postcode lottery with good service depending on where you live, and will leave many vulnerable people left with a GP who could decide they weren't a priority. Elected police chiefs is just a daft idea, how do the public know what makes a good police chief? And why should they spend time campaigning when they should be fighting crime? It's ridiculous and expensive, yet a main Tory argument against AV is that it will cost too much. It's total hypocrisy, more powers should be given to local councils, who have a much better relationship with local people that the government does. Power to local people, not to politicians elected on 30% of the vote.
That went off on a tangent of tory bashing. Apologies.
Wednesday, 26 January 2011
The Labour Party needs to pay more attention to my generation.
In an age of 24 hour news, of spin doctors and press secretaries, it can be easy for politicians to simply chase the headlines and not look at the bigger picture. With relentless scrutiny from the media daily it is understandable that many formulate policy to try win over the hearts and minds of the newspapers and their editors, but there needs to be long term goals in order for any of it to really matter. Big decisions have to be made regarding health, education and defence (etc) and bowing in to media pressure will simply make matters worse. In order to win the next election the Labour party must speak to the general public and those from all walks of life, but personally I believe that one of the most important groups of people to talk to are young people.
I'm 17 and currently in my first year of A level studies at a 6th form and many people I know are getting increasingly angry and disillusioned from politics in general. During the beginnings of the general election campaign many of my friends could not care less about politics, as far as they were concerned anything they did would not make a difference. Parties constantly imposed their policies and without the vote they felt our generation were being ignored, something to a large extent true as parties targeted older voters. Then came the election debates and Cleggmania. We all know about the surge in Lib Dem support, and the right wing counter attack in the press etc etc, but let me tell you that within my age group Nick Clegg was someone who was instantly widely liked and respected. Why? Because he offered something different. He offered a change in the way politics was run and had a comprehensive set of policies that would greatly help young people.
Of course, the dream was swiftly shattered when Clegg abandoned his principles and sold us all out for a chance at power with the Conservatives. To many, it now looked like all three parties were exactly the same. I disagreed, which was why I joined the Labour party as I believe that the party has a strong set of progressive values which I firmly believe in, and the party had been doing a good job for thirteen years before Cameron and his gang of Old Etonians began merrily taking a sledgehammer to the welfare state.
We need to be back on the side of ordinary, hard working people and one way of doing that is by championing the needs of the younger generation. People seem to ignore us because we have no vote and therefore no voice, but the decisions being made by the government are going to affect us for the decades to come, if not the rest of our lives. As the future workforce of this country it is my belief that we should have a say in the direction that the nation is going in or many will become completely disillusioned from politics and will increase the growing problem of voter apathy. Remember, my generation might not be able to vote now but we are the voters of the future, and the electoral prospects of the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats with my generation aren't looking too rosy as they push forward with the marketisation of education at the expense of social mobility and standards.
I understand that this may seem like me just wanting more of a say in issues than I currently do, but looking around me everyday people have no active interest in politics, because they feel they have been let down by all three major parties in the past and there is no alternative. Let's be the alternative. For it's own sake, as well as for the sake of my generation and the future Labour must take an active interest in the opinions and concerns of young people, before they switch off completely.
Sam Bumby
http://twitter.com/#!/sBumby
I'm 17 and currently in my first year of A level studies at a 6th form and many people I know are getting increasingly angry and disillusioned from politics in general. During the beginnings of the general election campaign many of my friends could not care less about politics, as far as they were concerned anything they did would not make a difference. Parties constantly imposed their policies and without the vote they felt our generation were being ignored, something to a large extent true as parties targeted older voters. Then came the election debates and Cleggmania. We all know about the surge in Lib Dem support, and the right wing counter attack in the press etc etc, but let me tell you that within my age group Nick Clegg was someone who was instantly widely liked and respected. Why? Because he offered something different. He offered a change in the way politics was run and had a comprehensive set of policies that would greatly help young people.
Of course, the dream was swiftly shattered when Clegg abandoned his principles and sold us all out for a chance at power with the Conservatives. To many, it now looked like all three parties were exactly the same. I disagreed, which was why I joined the Labour party as I believe that the party has a strong set of progressive values which I firmly believe in, and the party had been doing a good job for thirteen years before Cameron and his gang of Old Etonians began merrily taking a sledgehammer to the welfare state.
We need to be back on the side of ordinary, hard working people and one way of doing that is by championing the needs of the younger generation. People seem to ignore us because we have no vote and therefore no voice, but the decisions being made by the government are going to affect us for the decades to come, if not the rest of our lives. As the future workforce of this country it is my belief that we should have a say in the direction that the nation is going in or many will become completely disillusioned from politics and will increase the growing problem of voter apathy. Remember, my generation might not be able to vote now but we are the voters of the future, and the electoral prospects of the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats with my generation aren't looking too rosy as they push forward with the marketisation of education at the expense of social mobility and standards.
I understand that this may seem like me just wanting more of a say in issues than I currently do, but looking around me everyday people have no active interest in politics, because they feel they have been let down by all three major parties in the past and there is no alternative. Let's be the alternative. For it's own sake, as well as for the sake of my generation and the future Labour must take an active interest in the opinions and concerns of young people, before they switch off completely.
Sam Bumby
http://twitter.com/#!/sBumby
Wednesday, 25 August 2010
Education and Cuts from the eyes of a 16 year old
With so much uncertainty over schools after the government decided to declare war on comprehensive education, the news that exam results are improving is a cause for celebration surely. Then again, I guess not.
So on comes another year, and more people telling us that GCSEs are getting easier and that they should be stopped. The only real difference this year for me is that I was one of the thousands actually sitting the exams. For years everyone has been telling me how they were going to ruin my life and drive me insane but I didn't find them too stressful but they were difficult and challenging so overall I think they did the job they were meant to do.
It always amuses me how papers kick up massive fusses about record results as if the editors don't want pupils to do well, and would rather report on the collapsing standards of schools and how things aren't like they used to be etc. However, I think it's something that should be celebrated and promoted because it's showing the rising standards in both teaching and in pupil commitment, yet we are constantly told this is down to the dumming down of tests to that more youngsters can get better grades.
Has it not occured to these people that simply methods of teaching are getting better? I would much rather learn in the environment I did, with lots of support and extra help on hand, plus access to the biggest encyclopaedia in the world (the internet) at my fingertips from a very early age, allowing me to constantly take in information, than in an old fashioned classroom where lessons were undertaken simply by copying down off a blackboard. Are they so blinded and stuck in their ways that they hate the younger generation simply because we have more opportunities than they did?
The new government also needs to learn lessons from these results, that constant investment in state schools and the promotion of equality of opportunity will lead to rising standards as it has done over the past 10 years. My school and several others in Leeds were rebuilt under the Labour government to provide a safe, comfortable and interactive learning environment in which youngsters could thrive. Can't the government see that by cutting funding to schools in dire need of help all they are doing is suppressing talent and widening the divide between rich and poor, by allowing the wealthy to send their children to private schools and letting the poorer children wallow in mediocrity? It seems the government takes issues such as education and health as chores to be cut down and dealt with, however these should be the focus of the state by improving the lives on its citizens and of young people.
What use is cutting the deficit and having a strong economy if you have a workforce that is unintelligent, has very low job prospects and has been forced out of higher education because of cuts to the budget. By attacking education now, the tories are betraying my generation and making us bear the brunt of something that is not our fault. They claim that the public sector needs to bear the brunt of massive cuts in their ideological war, when in fact the billionaire bankers and huge corporations that constantly avoid paying massive sums of tax are the very people that caused the crisis in the first place.
All a strong economy means is that the people at the top of the chain are getting richer, so I really don't understand how it is fair that thousands will lose their jobs, their homes and their education simply so that the conservatives and their rich friends can make millions on the backs of others. The claim that we are all in it together is ludicrous, and even if it was true that the rich had to pay a fair share in accordance to everyone else, why should the general public have the saddle the pain for the mess that the rich themselves have caused? When the BP oil spill hit America and almost destroyed the gulf of Mexico, did the American government cut funding for the local hospitals, the schools and sack thousands of public sector workers to pay for the clean up? No, the bill was paid by the perpetrator BP because it was their fault and therefore they saddled the blame.
The fact of the matter is that the poorest in society will be hit the worst by this budget, not the richest. That the pay of doctors, nurses and teachers will be slashed whilst bankers get paid millions of pounds in bonuses. That much is obvious and can't understand is why the mainstream media and the general public are ignoring this and letting the tories getting away with what they want. Which is to hack away at my education, my health, my future job prospects and my happiness all in the name of making the rich that little bit richer.
Thanks for reading, and sorry for going off on a tangent. Please follow me on twitter @sbumby .
So on comes another year, and more people telling us that GCSEs are getting easier and that they should be stopped. The only real difference this year for me is that I was one of the thousands actually sitting the exams. For years everyone has been telling me how they were going to ruin my life and drive me insane but I didn't find them too stressful but they were difficult and challenging so overall I think they did the job they were meant to do.
It always amuses me how papers kick up massive fusses about record results as if the editors don't want pupils to do well, and would rather report on the collapsing standards of schools and how things aren't like they used to be etc. However, I think it's something that should be celebrated and promoted because it's showing the rising standards in both teaching and in pupil commitment, yet we are constantly told this is down to the dumming down of tests to that more youngsters can get better grades.
Has it not occured to these people that simply methods of teaching are getting better? I would much rather learn in the environment I did, with lots of support and extra help on hand, plus access to the biggest encyclopaedia in the world (the internet) at my fingertips from a very early age, allowing me to constantly take in information, than in an old fashioned classroom where lessons were undertaken simply by copying down off a blackboard. Are they so blinded and stuck in their ways that they hate the younger generation simply because we have more opportunities than they did?
The new government also needs to learn lessons from these results, that constant investment in state schools and the promotion of equality of opportunity will lead to rising standards as it has done over the past 10 years. My school and several others in Leeds were rebuilt under the Labour government to provide a safe, comfortable and interactive learning environment in which youngsters could thrive. Can't the government see that by cutting funding to schools in dire need of help all they are doing is suppressing talent and widening the divide between rich and poor, by allowing the wealthy to send their children to private schools and letting the poorer children wallow in mediocrity? It seems the government takes issues such as education and health as chores to be cut down and dealt with, however these should be the focus of the state by improving the lives on its citizens and of young people.
What use is cutting the deficit and having a strong economy if you have a workforce that is unintelligent, has very low job prospects and has been forced out of higher education because of cuts to the budget. By attacking education now, the tories are betraying my generation and making us bear the brunt of something that is not our fault. They claim that the public sector needs to bear the brunt of massive cuts in their ideological war, when in fact the billionaire bankers and huge corporations that constantly avoid paying massive sums of tax are the very people that caused the crisis in the first place.
All a strong economy means is that the people at the top of the chain are getting richer, so I really don't understand how it is fair that thousands will lose their jobs, their homes and their education simply so that the conservatives and their rich friends can make millions on the backs of others. The claim that we are all in it together is ludicrous, and even if it was true that the rich had to pay a fair share in accordance to everyone else, why should the general public have the saddle the pain for the mess that the rich themselves have caused? When the BP oil spill hit America and almost destroyed the gulf of Mexico, did the American government cut funding for the local hospitals, the schools and sack thousands of public sector workers to pay for the clean up? No, the bill was paid by the perpetrator BP because it was their fault and therefore they saddled the blame.
The fact of the matter is that the poorest in society will be hit the worst by this budget, not the richest. That the pay of doctors, nurses and teachers will be slashed whilst bankers get paid millions of pounds in bonuses. That much is obvious and can't understand is why the mainstream media and the general public are ignoring this and letting the tories getting away with what they want. Which is to hack away at my education, my health, my future job prospects and my happiness all in the name of making the rich that little bit richer.
Thanks for reading, and sorry for going off on a tangent. Please follow me on twitter @sbumby .
Saturday, 20 March 2010
Radical Swing to the Left for Labour
An article in today’s Guardian talks about a radical new Labour Party manifesto, and the potential promises it might bring. A shift to the left would highlight the differences between Labour and the Conservative Party after years of no real difference between the two parties. Headed up by Ed Miliband, the proposed changes of raising the minimum wage, free school meals and the lowering of the voting age to 16 will certainly turn a few heads in the run up to what looks like one of the closest elections to be held in a long time. Plans like these and also a major revival of the Post Office network to include a people’s bank will show voters that Labour is making a serious commitment at a time when public services are being threatened and job losses and wage cuts are an inevitability for many.
When Miliband talks about the nationalisation of the Post office as“jeopardy of partial privatisations” it is a clear step away from the part privatisation that Peter Mandelson has toyed around with for some time. It is moving towards putting the power back into communities and through the People’s Bank allowing them to move away from putting themselves at risk from greedy bankers.
It is also clearly targeting the younger generation as potential Labour voters through bringing in newer policies that will affect the young. Raising the minimum wage will certainly help lots of those people who are at the very bottom of the job ladder, if causing businesses to raise their prices to balance the new found cost. Whilst those that would benefit from free school meals are not eligible to vote at this election, it would endear them to the party and if Labour manages to push through electoral reform then they’ll sure be voters at the next general election. Personally I am greatly in support of lowering the voting age to 16, if only to get younger people interested in politics. It seems ridiculous that we can marry and sleep with our MPs, have children with our MPs and sign up to fight on their behalf but we are simply not allowed to vote for them? It is an issue that many young people will find themselves supporting. Electoral Reform was recently put on the agenda by Labour but seen as a last ditch attempt to win popularity close to a general election, however I think that there is a genius commitment to change.
Today we also see the Tory party moving back to its roots, with David Cameron praising Thatcher and the way she mercilessly attacked the Unions, something we could expect to see happening if a Conservative government gets elected in May.It is also worth noting that David Cameron appointed Richard Balfe as a Union Envoy two years ago to try and foster relations with the unions. Hypocritical much? Moving to silence the BBC from publishing an investigation into Ashcroft, the Tories think that the BBC has overstepped its limits and we could see massive cuts in the amount of money given to the BBC is they come to power. Why is a program that is intent on uncovering scandal not allowed to publish its findings? I wouldn’t suppose the Tories would mind if they were investigating a Labour peer ( and here they point at Lord Paul, who is also a non-dom but has donated less than a million and made no promises to become to UK citizen.) I think it’s ridiculous how a service that provides great entertainment and coverage for all is being chopped up from the pressure of businessmen, as we saw when Murdoch launched a massive attack at the scale of the BBC, claiming it hurt competition. I don’t see why a government that has been elected to represent the best interests of the British public should have to bow down to the will of big business out to make a profit. Ridiculous.
When Miliband talks about the nationalisation of the Post office as“jeopardy of partial privatisations” it is a clear step away from the part privatisation that Peter Mandelson has toyed around with for some time. It is moving towards putting the power back into communities and through the People’s Bank allowing them to move away from putting themselves at risk from greedy bankers.
It is also clearly targeting the younger generation as potential Labour voters through bringing in newer policies that will affect the young. Raising the minimum wage will certainly help lots of those people who are at the very bottom of the job ladder, if causing businesses to raise their prices to balance the new found cost. Whilst those that would benefit from free school meals are not eligible to vote at this election, it would endear them to the party and if Labour manages to push through electoral reform then they’ll sure be voters at the next general election. Personally I am greatly in support of lowering the voting age to 16, if only to get younger people interested in politics. It seems ridiculous that we can marry and sleep with our MPs, have children with our MPs and sign up to fight on their behalf but we are simply not allowed to vote for them? It is an issue that many young people will find themselves supporting. Electoral Reform was recently put on the agenda by Labour but seen as a last ditch attempt to win popularity close to a general election, however I think that there is a genius commitment to change.
Today we also see the Tory party moving back to its roots, with David Cameron praising Thatcher and the way she mercilessly attacked the Unions, something we could expect to see happening if a Conservative government gets elected in May.It is also worth noting that David Cameron appointed Richard Balfe as a Union Envoy two years ago to try and foster relations with the unions. Hypocritical much? Moving to silence the BBC from publishing an investigation into Ashcroft, the Tories think that the BBC has overstepped its limits and we could see massive cuts in the amount of money given to the BBC is they come to power. Why is a program that is intent on uncovering scandal not allowed to publish its findings? I wouldn’t suppose the Tories would mind if they were investigating a Labour peer ( and here they point at Lord Paul, who is also a non-dom but has donated less than a million and made no promises to become to UK citizen.) I think it’s ridiculous how a service that provides great entertainment and coverage for all is being chopped up from the pressure of businessmen, as we saw when Murdoch launched a massive attack at the scale of the BBC, claiming it hurt competition. I don’t see why a government that has been elected to represent the best interests of the British public should have to bow down to the will of big business out to make a profit. Ridiculous.
Monday, 22 February 2010
The Danger of getting Complacent
A few months ago, defeat for Labour looked certain. The newspapers were attacking them in the wake of the expenses scandal (in which the Tories were the ones who committed the worst crimes, yet Labour came off worse) and people were predicting a total wipe out at the next general elections.
However, all that soon changed with news flooding in about a hung parliament and all the polls which were starting to show it.Then there’s been the massive success of mydavidcameron.com which has basically destroyed a whole Tory advertising campaign poster by poster which seems to have massively boosted spirits amongst the left. The Piers Morgan interview with Gordon Brown seems to have boosted his popularity and it looks like the Tories will have to cede to the Lib Dems if they want any chance of getting a majority government.
However one of the main things to look out for is complacency. The Labour party still needs to do a lot of work before the elections (such as posters and people out on the streets campaigning, which lots of Tories are doing but Labour don’t seem to have mobilised yet. ) The Labour vote needs to be persuaded to go out and vote and sad though it seems the left as a whole needs to unify behind the Labour party because the alternative is a Conservative government.
Another thing that needs to be remembered is the fact that the public have never had a chance to vote for Gordon Brown before, and the new rumours spread about him regarding bullying aren’t going to help. You might recall the Tory poster about the death tax which was specifically aimed at Brown (a bit rich from a party who’s Chancellor has never studied economics) and the fact he is under constant attack from Cameron and the right wing media. Labour need to reclaim the hearts and minds of the population to stand any chance of being re-elected.
Sam Bumby
Twitter @sBumby
However, all that soon changed with news flooding in about a hung parliament and all the polls which were starting to show it.Then there’s been the massive success of mydavidcameron.com which has basically destroyed a whole Tory advertising campaign poster by poster which seems to have massively boosted spirits amongst the left. The Piers Morgan interview with Gordon Brown seems to have boosted his popularity and it looks like the Tories will have to cede to the Lib Dems if they want any chance of getting a majority government.
However one of the main things to look out for is complacency. The Labour party still needs to do a lot of work before the elections (such as posters and people out on the streets campaigning, which lots of Tories are doing but Labour don’t seem to have mobilised yet. ) The Labour vote needs to be persuaded to go out and vote and sad though it seems the left as a whole needs to unify behind the Labour party because the alternative is a Conservative government.
Another thing that needs to be remembered is the fact that the public have never had a chance to vote for Gordon Brown before, and the new rumours spread about him regarding bullying aren’t going to help. You might recall the Tory poster about the death tax which was specifically aimed at Brown (a bit rich from a party who’s Chancellor has never studied economics) and the fact he is under constant attack from Cameron and the right wing media. Labour need to reclaim the hearts and minds of the population to stand any chance of being re-elected.
Sam Bumby
Twitter @sBumby
Friday, 19 February 2010
Climate Change: Something Needs to be Done
That much is certain. There is mounting evidence that the actions of humans are drastically altering the face of the planet, and not in a good way. We see accusations that top firms cost trillions of environmental damage and reports coming in fishing trawlers are destroying habitats in search of profits . This coupled with the fact that CO2 is making the oceans increasingly more acidic cannot be a good thing for a planet which life revolves around water.
And slowly but surely on an international stage, they are being done. The proposed Robin Hood Tax which although strongly opposed by major banks including investment giant Goldman Sachs, (behind the overwhelming collapse of the Greek economy ) has drawn a mass of support from across the globe, including that of the Japanese government and would take a tiny fraction of the bankers transactions and use the billions of dollars to tackle climate change. This minute 0.05% tax (http://robinhoodtax.org.uk/) would take money out of those who exploit the world and the people in it and use the money wisely to take steps to safeguard the future of our planet.
At home however, things are looking a lot different. Cameron’s sudden transformation into an eco warrior is beginning to show cracks as it appears his party is not fully committed behind him. Tory plans to scrap a third runway at Heathrow and build a high speed rail link (plans I suppose as an environmentalist) seem under doubt as the party isn’t keen to lose political seats. An alternative route might end up getting proposed, however the only way this w ill provide cheap affordable high speed rail is if the railways are re-nationalised, something that doesn’t seem likely under a Conservative government.
Scepticism about climate change runs straight to the heart of the Conservative party, in this article which looks at a book written by journalists which exposes that the majority of prospective MPs deny climate change, spurred on by pathetic rumours that a few bits of evidence that appear to ‘contradict’ human involvement in global warming. It looks like, for all Cameron’s attitudes towards tackling climate change, he ultimately doesn’t have the backing of his own party so will therefore be unable to act if he comes to power.
Sam Bumby
Twitter: sBumby
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