Don't bank on Osborne

I find it very difficult to watch the Tory conference, to be honest it makes me want to vomit. So I will make comment if I pick something up that is worth commenting on. Otherwise I will use Labour Party communiques etc which are relevant.

Looks like George Osborne has highlighted why he and his mate Cameron shouldn't be trusted with the economy.Yvette Cooper MP, Labour's Chief Secretary to the Treasury, has said in response to his proposals on banking bailouts:"George Osborne has proved that he doesn't understand how Britain's banking system works. "If we had done what he suggests Bradford & Bingley would havegone under, with significant risks for depositors, confidence and the stability of the banking system. "This is an incoherent and irresponsible approach, with no answers to the current problems in the financial system."Clearly in their inexperience, they do not understand what is at stake."The Tories have called for new powers to deal with the problem - in fact they were introduced in the spring and the Tories voted against them."That's what happens when you pick a Shadow Chancellor with a second class degree in Modern History and no financial experience - apart from a short spell working in Selfridges.And on the Tories' two year Council Tax freeze (forget for a moment that his sums don't make sense to anyone with a basic knowledge of local government finance), ponder this - it's the wealthiest who would benefit most from these Tory proposals, as with Osbourne's million pound inheritance tax threshold last year. In short, the Tories are looking after 'mansion man'.The Times says: "The instant reaction both in the hall and the media was a good deal less positive than in Blackpool as questions over how the policy will work and who will benefit went unanswered. Mr Osborne’s central message is that he intends to protect the poorest while reducing both debt and – over time – the share of national wealth given to public spending. Promising what is in effect a tax cut that will benefit the most wealthy homes could undermine that claim."

TORY U-TURN

First day of the Tory conference and already Cameron is spinning like a top. From the headline grabbing "Britain's a Broken Society" to, "well maybe some bits are broken or maybe they're not very nice". In the words of Boris Johnson PIFFLE!
It's amazing or not as the case maybe that where Boris goes Chameleon Dave is sure to follow.

It'd be laughable, but people must always remember behind every Tory bleeding heart is an evil, which will decimate this country if they are elected to government. It's so cynical to say that they are now the party of the poor.

Never forget the Thatcher years (these modern day Tories would love it to be removed from history). The party is still the right wing horror party of the past who will only help the rich get richer and not give a toss about anyone else.

The sleeze is still with the Tories. A £10 discount voucher in their conference pack for a lap dancing club. Typical.

CONFERENCE DAY 5

The final day of conference and the topics are Transport, Health and Education, but everything has been overshadowed by the sinister leak of Ruth Kelly's resignation from Cabinet.
It seems there are people putting themselves first over and above the party. It disgusts me to think back on how and why the party was formed. To see it being pulled apart by a bunch of quasi upper middle class tossers who are wannabe's.
I WANT MY PARTY BACK!!

Alan Johnson MP Health Secretary came over very professional and as a safe pair of hands.

John Denham MP & Ed Balls MP not the greatest of speakers but got their message over well and showcased just how much the party are investing in Education and Training, plus continuing to raise aspirations.

There was also an NHS 60th birthday presentation, where NHS workers spoke. My son had been invited as he works at Salford Royal, but sad to say he couldn't get the time off.

The conference finished with Deputy Leader Harriet Harman MP(groan) giving the final speech.
Whatever you thought about John Prescott as Deputy Leader his closing speech was always a rallying call and very, very entertaining.

Overall I've enjoyed conference. Manchester is an ideal place for it. Politically it has been overshadowed with the leadership issue, but overall a message was put out there, THERE IS NO ALTERNATIVE TO A LABOUR GOVERNMENT. It may get it wrong at times but heaven help this country if it ever elects a Conservative government again, the working man and women, plus the most vulnerable in society don't know what suffering is until you've lived under Tory control.

Next week I will comment on the Tory conference.

Footnote: I'm not laughing at BIG CLUB City getting knocked out of the Carling Cup By Brighton, honest!!

CONFERENCE DAY 4

So we don't need a congestion charge. Try getting down Bury New Road into Manchester during rush hour, a nightmare. A trip that usually takes 10-15 minutes took me nearly an hour this morning, crazy!!

Managed to catch Andy Burnham MP(who is a rising star and seems to get better each time I see him) and his announcement for free theatre tickets for young people. It may seem a gimick but I see in Salford how young people react and participate in drama, it is very positive. So if this scheme works and sparks something within a young person to get involved, it's got to be a good idea. It will also be a cultural experience for many young people.

Hazel Blears MP closed the debate with the usual passion and payed tribute to her dad, which was a nice moment.

I had to miss the Prime Ministers speech as I had the great pleasure of attending the official opening of Oasis academy media city. Dave Terry, the principal has done a fantastic job of turning the school round and it can only go from strength to strength. Steve Chalke the head of Oasis is very passionate and has a real ethos of every person matters.

I watched Gordon Brown's speech when I got in and was impressed at a speech that was aimed at the party. Below are headlines of the speech from the Labour party website:
In his speech, he gave the British people an unconditional assurance of his commitment to dealing with challenging economic circumstances, and investing in the future to build Labour's enduring aim: the fair society, defined by social mobility, where everyone has a fair chance to succeed.
Of David Cameron's Conservatives he said
"Just think where our country would be if we'd listened to them. No paternity leave, no New Deal, no Bank of England independence, no Sure Start, no devolution, no civil partnerships, no minimum wage, no new investment in the NHS, no new nurses, no new police, no new schools.
"So let's hear no more from the Conservatives - we did fix the roof while the sun was shining."
Measures announced in his speech included a new commitment to put in legislation our commitment to eradicate child poverty by 2020; a new goal of free nursery places for 2 year olds; a new entitlement for primary school pupils to one-to-one tuition if they are behind expectations and are making slow progress in English and/or maths in Key Stage 2; a commitment to get 1 million more families on broadband by 2012 and a commitment to end prescription charges for cancer patients.
I very much liked his "this is no time for a novice" quip which could be aimed at Cameron or young pretenders in the party!!

I then took the evening off to go and see my beloved United beat Middlesborough 3-1 in the Carling Cup.

CONFERENCE DAY 3

Late nights and early mornings, roll on Wednesday I hear my body cry!! Went in for the "Building a Britain of lasting prosperity and fairness". I was not impressed by John Hutton MP Energy Minister. The star of the debate was Tony Woodley of Unite talking about tackling fuel poverty and the missed opportunities the government had had to win back some of its core vote.
Alistair Darling was OK, the Chancellor set out to explain the nature of the financial turmoil here and abroad and spoke of a twin shock to the global economy which has hit every country in the world and "has left families concerned about their jobs, their houses, and how they are going to meet their household bills". The Chancellor said "it's causing real difficulties for families - which is why I am so determined to make sure inflation does not become entrenched here in our economy.""It’s clear we have to put in place measures to stop problems being repeated. It is clearer than ever that markets can’t do this on their own. Nor can individual Governments. In the past it was sufficient to ensure effective domestic regulation. That’s not enough today. And we need to strengthen global supervision. We believe there is a role for government."

Highlight of my conference so far(apart from meeting Robbo) was the fringe meeting Standing at the Cultural Crossroads: Is the digital environment supporting or subverting the rights of creative individuals?
The panelists were Andy Burnham MP, Jazzie B, Mal Peet, Emily Bell and Fergal Sharkey. It was focused on the argument of crative people not getting money for their work as most things are now downloaded(illegaly) from the internet. The arguments for and against were all valid. For me it's the old Salford saying "out for nout". If people can hack into the Pentagon computers, they will always break into encryptions and file share. What needs to happen is that downloads need to be a lot cheaper.

David Milliband(the young pretender) gave a very good speech on Britain in the World. Overheard in a lift though saying he didn't want this to be his Hesiltine moment. Sad to say you can feel it outside the main hall that the party is at odds with itself and the factions are appearing.

Attended a meeting looking transport strategy for the city region. It was great to see Roger Jones there. He looked really well.
The TIF bid was touched upon obviously, but the biggest debate was attacking how bad the bus service in the area was. I actually felt sorry for the First bus rep as she got all the stick. Graham Stringer MP was his usual rebelious self.

Managed to take some time out and catch up with John Merry to discuss some Salford issues and just have a quiet drink before John went to speak at a Media City reception. The speech he gave promoting Salford and the vision for Salford was outstanding. All the Salford delegation agreed.

CONFERENCE DAY 2

The sooner we get the money for the TIF bid the better! I'm using public transport this week and I have to say I'm not impressed. Yesterday morning I stood on Bury New Road for nearly an hour waiting for a bus, ridiculous. I then decided to nip home between fringe meetings, again waiting over half an hour in a massive queue, standing up all the way home, squashed in like a sardine. This was Sunday, heaven knows what it's like in the rush hour. Public transport needs massive investment.

I've always had an interest in Irish politics since school, so today I decided to attend the plenary to hear Shaun Woodward MP, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. He outlined the current position and the difficulties to be faced, but was determined that politics will win out and that the assembly will succeed.

Next I went to a fringe meeting "Towards a United Ireland" organised by Sinn Fein. Raymond McCartney MLA, addressed the meeting and outlined how Sinn Fein would continue to fight for a united Ireland and the political means it would use. A real change from the Armalite politics of yesteryear.

I ended the evening by going to the fringe meeting organised by the Agreed Ireland Forum to discuss Civil Rights in Northern Ireland.

I think as a Labour Party we need to keep Northern Ireland at the forefront of our minds and continue to work to keep the Good Friday and St Andrews agreements moving forward. I fear if the Tories ever get into power the whole thing would collapse due to their Unionist stance.

The leadership issue was still buzzing yesterday, two jabs Prescott was great the way he savaged Charles Clarke as leader of the "Bitterites".

It was also interesting that at the North West reception organised by NWDA a number of NW MP's sidled out before Gordon Brown turned up to speak to us.

CONFERENCE DAY 1

I had a nice stroll through Manchester to get to the Town Hall for my first fringe event. If there's a credit crunch on, it didn't seem to be affecting the shops in the city centre they were very busy.

The meeting was organised by the Fabian Society "Can we give the white working class what they want" The speakers were Hazel Blears MP, Brendan Barber of the TUC, John Cruddas MP, John Denham MP, Sunny Hundal, Blog Journalist, John Trickett MP.

It was a very frank and open discussion with the panel and delegates, and proved the party has to address the needs of D and E core voters. I hope this has set the scene for the week.

Then it was the ring of steel!! You can unserstand the high security, especially when you see what happened later in the day with the car bomb in Pakistan. Horrible.

I spent a couple of hours wandering around the exhibition stalls and catching up with people you usally only see at confernce and of course lots of collegues from Salford. The Salford stand was very good and promotes the city well.

My usual partner in crime at conference for the last few years has been Steve Coen, and I have to admit we do gatecrash a few of the better receptions. Tonight was no exception! We managed to get into the London Party reception. David Milliband, Harriet Harman and Gordon Brown were the guest speakers. A very united front.

Nice to be invited to the Young Labour meeting. This happened as I was Salford's youth officer till I was 45!!

The highlight of the day though was the The Co-operative Street Games launch, where I got to meet one of my all time heroes Brian Robson, one of United's greats.

The last meeting of the night was in Canal Street which was really alive and buzzing. It was to support the Labour Party's LGBT Group.

A good first day.

MAGIC

Nice to wake up on this first day of conference to hear that JK Rowling has donated £1million to the party. In her statement as to why she sais this:

"I believe that poor and vulnerable families will fare much better under the Labour Party than they would under a Cameron-led Conservative Party.
"Gordon Brown has consistently prioritised and introduced measures that will save as many children as possible from a life lacking in opportunity or choice.
"The Labour government has reversed the long-term trend in child poverty, and is one of the leading EU countries in combating child poverty.
"David Cameron's promise of tax perks for the married, on the other hand, is reminiscent of the Conservative government I experienced as a lone parent.
"It sends the message that the Conservatives still believe a childless, dual-income, but married couple is more deserving of a financial pat on the head than those struggling, as I once was, to keep their families afloat in difficult times."

How right she is. The Tories for all their talk of social justice are still a right wing Thatcherite party, who if elected to government would bring real suffering to this country, especially to the most vulnerable.

TIF DEBATE AT COUNCIL

Yesterday we had a marathon Council meeting, 8hrs. Most of it was hot air and nonsense from the Tory and Fib Dem opposition.

The thing that really annoyed me though was the fact that we had a very important debate about the TIF bid and the Community Action Party member Rick Houlton, the now councillor for Irlam failed to turn up.Yet he had campaigned against sitting Councillor Roger Jones on that exact issue.
I find it apalling that the people of Irlam lost such a good hard working person in Roger Jones to this ineffective man who rarely contributes or turns up to meetings to represnt their views. It seems typical of the so called Community Action Party who are a sham.

The Peace Centre

One of the Mayor's charities this year is The Peace Centre which was set up after Tim Parry and Johnathon Ball were killed in a bomb blast in Warrington.
The Centre today invited me to have a look round and explain the type of work that they are doing(some of it with Salford schools).
They work with young people aged 5 -25, dealing with all sorts of conflict issues. I was very impressed and will look to see what further work we can do with them in Salford. For further information go to www.foundation4peace.org

Welcome

Hi, I thought I'd set up a blog as it's the Labour Party Conference in Manchester next week and I'm attending.
It's a very interesting time for the party at the moment to say the least!
The Blog posts will be PERSONAL OBSERVATIONS and not those of Salford City Council Labour Group, Salford Local Government Committee, Langworthy Ward Labour Party, Kersal Ward Labour Party or Broughton and Blackley CLP.
I make this quite clear from the outset as I have landed myself in trouble on more than one occaison!
Some of the entries will be after the event as conference tends to go on to the wee small hours with fringe meetings etc.
I'm looking forward to it as it's an opportunity to catch up with friends and colleagues from around the country, plus some excellent speeches, workshops and fringe meetings.