http://news.sky.com/home/politics/article/16120010
Chancellor George Osborne's Autumn Statement, as expected, received a scathing response from his Labour shadow, Ed Balls.
The Shadow Chancellor told the Commons that the Coalition's plan to reduce the deficit they inherited from Labour had failed 'colossally'.
And indeed Mr Osborne made no attempt to sugar-coat Britain's economic woes.
The UK was almost certainly heading towards another recession, he said, with the current crisis in the eurozone likely to have a severe knock-on effect on Britain's economy.
Not only did the Chancellor admit that the deficit would not now be eliminated before 2016/7 as opposed to before the next election in 2015 as repeatedly promised. He also predicted that growth for this year would be just 0.9%; significantly less than the 1.7% earlier predicted.
Unemployment is set to rise even further at least into the first quarter of 2012, with the public sector almost certainly the hardest hit.
Most damning of all, the coalition looks set to borrow a whopping £111bn more over the next five years than originally thought - what a stunning turn-around from a government who have made enormous political capital out of slating the previous Labour administration over how much money they borrowed from the public purse and repeatedly accusing them of leaving the country bankrupt.
What a contrast this year's Autumn statement has been with what the Chancellor declared in his first Budget last year. 'Today's the day that we pulled this country back from the brink!", I clearly remember him telling the House of Commons.
Now George Osborne has been well and truly forced to eat those words and admit that Britain's journey back to economic health will be a long and arduous one.
Monday 28 November 2011
Sunday 27 November 2011
Public Sector Strike Should Not Go Ahead
Ed Miliband has struck the right note in suggesting that both the Government and the Unions try to avoid Wednesday's walk-out by public sector workers and continue to negotiate.
This is a far-cry from the sentiments of his Shadow Chancellor, leftwinger Ed Balls, who has declared that he has 'huge sympathy for the strikers'. http://news.sky.com/home/politics/article/16118538
I have always been fully supportive of the principle of a worker's right to take industrial action.
However, I firmly believe on this occasion that this week's walkout should not go ahead. Those employed in the public sector enjoy far more generous pensions than most in the private sector can only dream of.
And given the fact that far less than half the union members eligible actually bothered to vote at all, one has to question the legitimacy of this strike.
One has to remember too, that those very militant trade union leaders who call for industrial action at every opportunity currently receive enormous six-figure salaries and will be the beneficiaries of very generous pensions when they retire.
It is impossible to ignore the hypocrisy here.
The Coalition pulled back this week from their threats to reform strike legislation. I only hope that agreement is reached at the eleventh hour and the lives of millions of people are not unnecessarily disrupted.
This is a far-cry from the sentiments of his Shadow Chancellor, leftwinger Ed Balls, who has declared that he has 'huge sympathy for the strikers'. http://news.sky.com/home/politics/article/16118538
I have always been fully supportive of the principle of a worker's right to take industrial action.
However, I firmly believe on this occasion that this week's walkout should not go ahead. Those employed in the public sector enjoy far more generous pensions than most in the private sector can only dream of.
And given the fact that far less than half the union members eligible actually bothered to vote at all, one has to question the legitimacy of this strike.
One has to remember too, that those very militant trade union leaders who call for industrial action at every opportunity currently receive enormous six-figure salaries and will be the beneficiaries of very generous pensions when they retire.
It is impossible to ignore the hypocrisy here.
The Coalition pulled back this week from their threats to reform strike legislation. I only hope that agreement is reached at the eleventh hour and the lives of millions of people are not unnecessarily disrupted.
Saturday 19 November 2011
GPs Should Not Sign Off Long - Term Sick
Following the Coalition's announcement last week, for once I actually find myself agreeing with them.
GPs are not qualified to comment on or advise patients with complicated conditions.
All too often a patient will approach their friendly GP knowing that they will be able to easily convince them of their inability to work. Most hard-pressed doctors do have the time to really question a patient at length about why they are requesting to be signed off sick.
I have come across people with mild epilepsy that do not work and am aware of organ transplant patients who claim they can't work because of the side-effects of their anti-rejection drugs!
The problem is most visible with those declared unfit to work due to mental health problems. They are just given a sick note and forgotten about.
The Coalition is right to ask that these people are assessed to see if they are able to contribute to the economy in some way. And it is a view that Labour should have taken during their thirteen years in Government. All too often people's claims that they are too sick have been taken at face-value by both doctors and politicians.It is no wonder that welfare spending is so high.
And it must be acknowledged that for every sick or disabled person who can't or won't work there are many more who are willing to contribute. A distinction needs to be made between 'not being able to go out to work' and 'not being able to work at all'. With the existence of the internet and all the employment opportunities that have come with it, there is very little excuse now for most people to say they are too ill to work. It is right that decisions on a person's fitness to work should be taken by someone impartial and they should be not able to twist the arm of a easily-manipulated or stressed-out doctor.
If the new system is a success many people who desperately want to work could be able to, provided they are given the right support to accommodate their condition or circumstances.
And it will get many people who have probably told themselves for years that they've nothing to offer out of the cycle of worthlessness.
GPs are not qualified to comment on or advise patients with complicated conditions.
All too often a patient will approach their friendly GP knowing that they will be able to easily convince them of their inability to work. Most hard-pressed doctors do have the time to really question a patient at length about why they are requesting to be signed off sick.
I have come across people with mild epilepsy that do not work and am aware of organ transplant patients who claim they can't work because of the side-effects of their anti-rejection drugs!
The problem is most visible with those declared unfit to work due to mental health problems. They are just given a sick note and forgotten about.
The Coalition is right to ask that these people are assessed to see if they are able to contribute to the economy in some way. And it is a view that Labour should have taken during their thirteen years in Government. All too often people's claims that they are too sick have been taken at face-value by both doctors and politicians.It is no wonder that welfare spending is so high.
And it must be acknowledged that for every sick or disabled person who can't or won't work there are many more who are willing to contribute. A distinction needs to be made between 'not being able to go out to work' and 'not being able to work at all'. With the existence of the internet and all the employment opportunities that have come with it, there is very little excuse now for most people to say they are too ill to work. It is right that decisions on a person's fitness to work should be taken by someone impartial and they should be not able to twist the arm of a easily-manipulated or stressed-out doctor.
If the new system is a success many people who desperately want to work could be able to, provided they are given the right support to accommodate their condition or circumstances.
And it will get many people who have probably told themselves for years that they've nothing to offer out of the cycle of worthlessness.
Capture Of Saif Brings Final Curtain Down On Gaddafi Regime
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-15804299
The curtain has come down for the final time on Colonel Gaddafi's regime.
His son Saif al-Islam, long considered to be the heir to his father, has now been captured and should soon be taken back to Tripoli. He will now face trial for his part in the murder and torture of the people so brutally oppressed for 42 years.
Saif is already wanted by the ICC in the Hague for alleged crimes against humanity. Had he managed to escape into neighbouring Niger and been captured there, there is no doubt that Saif would very soon be on his way to the Netherlands, as Niger recognises the ICC whereas Libya does not.
Therefore the most probable outcome of Saif Gaddafi's arrest and detention will be a trial in Libya itself.
However this is a country that has hardly started to recover from the brutalities of the late Colonel's regime. Libya's entire infrastructure has to be rebuilt from scratch following the end of 42 years of dictatorship. There is no proper justice system in place to speak of at present.
How, when or where in Libya Saif will be tried in court is at the moment unclear, despite the promises of the NTC that he will receive a fair trial.
What the international community is absolutely unequivocal about is that Saif must face justice through the proper legal channels and must not be subjected to the same kind of mob execution his father was.
One one level, it is very difficult to blame those who have been subjected to decades of the most brutal dictatorship for wanting to exact swift revenge on the man responsible. However, it was widely reported that Colonel Gaddafi was sexually assaulted on his capture. It remains a huge disappointment to many that this dictator was not put on trial, neither in the Hague nor by his own people.http://labourlist.org/2011/10/the-libyan-people-deserved-a-trial/
No matter how brutal a dictator the Colonel may have been, Libya will face enormous international condemnation if it fails to put Saif on trial according to international law.
The new Libya must show the world that it follows the same moral compass as those nations that helped it to overthrow Gaddafi's regime.
Only time will tell if Libya can rise from the ashes and fully embrace democracy.
The curtain has come down for the final time on Colonel Gaddafi's regime.
His son Saif al-Islam, long considered to be the heir to his father, has now been captured and should soon be taken back to Tripoli. He will now face trial for his part in the murder and torture of the people so brutally oppressed for 42 years.
Saif is already wanted by the ICC in the Hague for alleged crimes against humanity. Had he managed to escape into neighbouring Niger and been captured there, there is no doubt that Saif would very soon be on his way to the Netherlands, as Niger recognises the ICC whereas Libya does not.
Therefore the most probable outcome of Saif Gaddafi's arrest and detention will be a trial in Libya itself.
However this is a country that has hardly started to recover from the brutalities of the late Colonel's regime. Libya's entire infrastructure has to be rebuilt from scratch following the end of 42 years of dictatorship. There is no proper justice system in place to speak of at present.
How, when or where in Libya Saif will be tried in court is at the moment unclear, despite the promises of the NTC that he will receive a fair trial.
What the international community is absolutely unequivocal about is that Saif must face justice through the proper legal channels and must not be subjected to the same kind of mob execution his father was.
One one level, it is very difficult to blame those who have been subjected to decades of the most brutal dictatorship for wanting to exact swift revenge on the man responsible. However, it was widely reported that Colonel Gaddafi was sexually assaulted on his capture. It remains a huge disappointment to many that this dictator was not put on trial, neither in the Hague nor by his own people.http://labourlist.org/2011/10/the-libyan-people-deserved-a-trial/
No matter how brutal a dictator the Colonel may have been, Libya will face enormous international condemnation if it fails to put Saif on trial according to international law.
The new Libya must show the world that it follows the same moral compass as those nations that helped it to overthrow Gaddafi's regime.
Only time will tell if Libya can rise from the ashes and fully embrace democracy.
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