So as Harriet Harman announces some interim changes to the expenses and allowances MP’s can claim it is clear that the big danger now will be that reform stops there.

Failure to go further,with root and branch reform of the biggest “gentlemans” club in the world would be a further betrayal and cynical attempt to stall progress. Nothing must be allowed to get in the way of progress to a 21st century model of democracy, and open transparent Government.

That means we need to see archaic rituals that serve no purpose scrapped, we need an elected second House instead of the Lords, we need regulation of MP’s and greater Government and ministerial accountability to the House of commons. And yes, we need Fair votes – because everyones vote should count equally whenever and wherever there is an election.

The contract between our Parliament and the people is fractured – if it is to heal and safeguard our democracy we need reforms that spread through the veins of our government and to the very fingertips of democracy. Sooner rather than later.

This Labour Government may not have much time left – it needs to concentrate on the two fundamental problems we currently face on this island. Our economy and restoring the reputation, dignity and honour of our parliament.

David Cameron has once again got his tactics all wrong. He has announced a petition calling for an immediate General Election, and apparently he has “instructed” all campaigners in the European elections to collect petition signatures.

Not only is this a pointless publicity stunt, it’s awful timing.

Under normal circumstances I, along with my party, the Lib Dems would be joining the call for an early GE, however we are embroiled in the expenses row which to put it mildly has overshadowed everything at present.

What needs to happen first is the speaker to go (later today I believe!), followed by reform of the expenses/allowances/second home allowances etc as soon as humanly possible.

We then hopefully can get back to debating the important national and international issues of the day. Any election now would be embroiled in a month long debate (largely negative) about expenses, completely wiping out any meaningful discussion and presentation of party policies. In such an environment an election would be an absolute disaster.

Lets get Parliaments’s house in order, get on with running the country and debating the issues and THEN lets have a General Election. The recession, Employment, the environment et al are too important to be sidelined by this issue.

Manchester City Council and the Organisers of the June OASIS Concerts in Heaton Park have produced a factsheet of FAQ’s with details of a hotline number to be manned for the duration of the concerts.

I have attached the factsheet here oasis-concerts-factsheet.pdf

The present overwhelming media and public pre-occupation with the expense claims of our MP’s though understandable and necessary to a degree, is also in danger of turning into a persecution of politicians that will only serve to damage democracy, undermine the governing of the country (remember we are supposed to be fighting a recession!) and could lead to the rise of extremism and social disorder.

I would urge the Daily Telegraph who have led the media expose’ of expense cheating MP’s to now publish the remainder of their news on this issue rather than dragging it out seemingly forever. We need to reach a point where we can say OK that’s that, lets move forward. Neverending revelations are not helping the process.

It should be clear to vitually everyone now that our steeped in tradition parliament is in a mess, out dated customs and practices need to be swept away and replaced by modern practices. The “gentlemens club” needs to change radically. That means greater public accountability in all things from expenses to voting.  And yes, the speaker should resign.

As for expense cheating MP’s. In order to show public accountability MP expenses need to be scrutinised by an independant body and those that made genuine mistakes should repay their expenses, however those that have made serious breaches (bordering on the criminal in my mind), should resign their seats and either face a by-election or stand aside for someone else. Those that refuse should have the party whip removed.

Only then can the public who put them in Parliament in the first place, pass proper judgement on them.

Frankly its no good MP’s claiming they are going to ”pay it back” and brandishing cheques on national television. It shouldn’t have happened in the first instance.

Finally the Commons Fees Office that deals with expense claims needs to be modernised and  along with a more appropriate and streamlined/simplified allowance code should be run with greater emphasis on rigorous checking.

Perhaps then we can start to rebuild public confidence that our MP’s are true, honest and worthy representatives of the people they are elected to serve.

Congratulations to the Clough Centenary Committee and all those involved in Prestwich Clough Day 2009 at St.Mary’s Flower park, Prestwich.

As is often the case a war of nerves was played out with the weather, which on more than one occasion threatened to ruin the event, but as always everyone battled through and with typical British stiff upper lip stubbornness, people stuck it out.

Once again this event was well attended and hopefully aided by the extra publicity across Prestwich as the opening event in the Prestwich Festival.

Once again I failed miserably to get my hands on a fetish-for-food burger! (despite two attempts).

It was particularly enjoyable to see the enjoyment of the young children getting excited and carried away watching the punch and judy show. It just shows that entertainment doesn’t actually have to be “plugged in” to have fun and traditional entertainments can still be just as much fun  – if not more so.

Congratulations – on to the next event!

This was the week that…

·         Parliament was rocked by revelations about the misuse of MPs expenses [more]

·         One of David Cameron’s closest aides was forced to quit over his ‘unacceptable’ expenses claims [more]

·         Labour suspended a former minister from the parliamentary party [more] and accepted the resignation of the Justice Minister over the expenses scandal [more]

·         Two Labour peers faced suspension from the House of Lords after being found guilty of intending to accept money to amend legislation [more]

·         An opinion poll showed that Labour support has fallen to a record low [more]

·         A poll of Euro-election voting intentions showed a three-way tie for second place, with Labour, the Liberal Democrats and UKIP all on 19% [more]

·         European leaders criticised Cameron’s decision to move his party to the fringes of European politics [more]

·         Nick Clegg’s public approval rating continued to rise [more]

·         An expert on crime reduction said Labour had failed in its pledge to be ‘tough on the causes of crime’ [more]

·         On Burnley Council, Labour and Tory councillors teamed up with 4 BNP councillors to try to unseat the Lib Dem council leader [more]

Over the last week we learnt that…

·         The number of unemployed jumped 244,000 in the first three months of the year [more]

·         BT announced that it is to cut 15,000 jobs, mostly in the UK [more]

·         100 primary schools are closing every year as demand for places looks set to grow [more]

·         Alistair Darling’s economic forecasts are over-optimistic, according to the Bank of England [more]

·         Teenage crime has soared 60% under New Labour [more]

·         The government has cut funding by 25% for five key environmental initiatives [more]

·         Only 13% of terrorism arrests lead to convictions [more]

·         Gordon Brown is “brutal” and has “anything but” a moral compass according to a former aide [more]

Over the last week the Liberal Democrats…

·         Launched their European Election campaign under the slogan ‘Stronger Together Poorer Apart’ [more]

·         Wrote to party leaders urging them to fully accept the recommendations of the investigation into MPs’ expenses [more]

·         Called for intercept evidence to be made admissible in court in terrorism cases [more]

·         Welcomed proposals for a mandatory code on alcohol sales [more]

·         Revealed the environmental impact of the government’s major road schemes [more]

·         Uncovered the fact that over 15,000 farmers earn less than the minimum wage [more]

·         Argued for a shift in focus in crime policy – from punishment to crime prevention [more]

·         Pushed for an investigation into allegations against the police at the G20 protests [more]

All combined for a typically broad ranging Prestwich Area Partnership meeting at Heaton Park School last night.

FESTIVAL

Area Partnership manager Carran O’Grady and Festival Organiser David Curtis gave a joint presentation on arrangements for the 1st Prestwich Festival which kicks off on sunday with the Clough Day in St.Mary’s Flower Park. From an initial hope that we may have about 10 events this inaugural festival has grown to a whopping 50 events. Much credit must go to the efforts of David and Carran amongst others.

OASIS

The Area partnership had requested an update on arrangements for the June Oasis concerts in Heaton Park.  Questioners asked about toilet provision, parking arrangements and security. There were also concerns raised about access to homes and polling stations. A 700 car parking facility will be available at Bowlee ticket holders are being advised that there is no local parking available. In addition there will be a massive security operation, including wheel clamping and monitoring of public drinking etc.

YOUNG PEOPLE

The partnership received a presentation from a representative of the Youth Inclusion Support Panel (YISP). YISP tries to intervene to help young people avoid the slippery slope to crime by intervening through referalls when young people get involved in anti-social behaviour. They help and support young people in meeting acceptable standards, adhering to ascceptable behaviour contracts etc and advising and offering help on youth issues.

HEALTHY EATING 

As opposed to tackling the the obese the NHS has instead launched a massive £75m campaign to encourage healthy eating. I’m sure most will have seen the nationwide TV advertising campaign. Basically it places greater emphasis on encouraging better, healthier eating habits and more exercise. It encourages parents to review what food they provide, portion control etc and develop more exercising for their children and themselves.

POLICE REPORT

PC Andy Ferguson gave a brief report at the end of the meeting informing the partnership that following a sustained campaign on Polefield the gang of young people that had caused much nuisance had been broken up and the estate is now much quieter.

There is to be a further campaign against the illegal use of quad bikes and scooters shortly. The campaign over last bank holiday weekend was a big success with several bikes confiscated. 

Liberal Democrat Leader Nick Clegg has today written to Gordon Brown and David Cameron regarding MPs’ expenses.

In his letter Nick Clegg calls on Gordon Brown and David Cameron to declare that they will accept in full the recommendations of Sir Christopher Kelly’s investigation into MPs’ expenses. The letter says:

Yesterday was the Annual meeting of the Council at Bury Town Hall.

The event attended by most councillors is in two parts. The first part is dominated by a “State of the Borough” speech from the leader of the Council followed by a short debate and the appointment of councillors to committees for the new municipal year.

Traditionally the leader of the Council (and yesterday was no different) takes the opportunity to tell us how wonderful life is under his administration.  Traditionally the opposition use the debate to remind him that we haven’t quite reached a state of nirvana just yet.

The second part is full of pleasantries and warm words. This is the ceremonial voting in and robing of the Mayor and Mayoress for the coming year, followed by a speech from new and outgoing Mayors and presentations etc.

The Mayor for 2009/10 is Cllr Sheila Magnall and I would take this opportunity to wish every success, happiness and goodwill for her term of office. Her daughter will be the Mayoress.

The only thing that bothers me about this ceremony is that it seems to be getting shorter with minor changes each year. And it led me to wonder how it was done say 100 years ago and if he have lost any of the traditions. It may be worth restoring a few of the frills of the event. Make a bit more of the occasion of the installation of the new first citizen.

Private lobbying by an American pharmaceutical company saw government ministers back down from supporting British people who claim one of its failed drugs caused them heart attacks and strokes.

Ivan Lewis MP, then Health a Junior Health Minister promised in parliament that the government would back their campaign against Merck, one of the world’s largest drugs firms. But Whitehall documents obtained by the Guardian reveal Merck immediately put pressure on the minister and helped persuade the government to withdraw its support.

Merck is refusing to compensate hundreds of Britons who say their health was damaged even though the multinational has paid out more than £2bn to 44,000 people in America.

Merck had to stop selling its profitable pain relief drug, Vioxx, in 2004 after scientific data showed the increased risk of heart attacks and strokes with high-dosage use.

Department of Health documents obtained under freedom of information legislation show how on 17 June last year Ivan Lewis came out in support. He told parliament he would tell Merck “to ensure that it fulfils its responsibilities to people who have been affected in the UK”.

Within hours, Merck launched a campaign to head off government support for the alleged victims. At a meeting on 10 July, Merck told Lewis that compensation paid to victims in the US was “not an admission of fault”. Ministers then dropped their support after the meeting, saying: “This is a complex issue…inappropriate for ministers or for government to intervene in”.

Local Lib Dem Vic D’Albert commented, “These documents reveal the sordid dealings and brutal attitude of Merck and also raise concerns about the plight of British victims of the drug, It is disappointing to say the least that our MP abandoned his support for those suffering the consequences of this drug. The Government needs to recognise the victims of this drug and at the very least support their legal aid bid in their campaign for justice.

You can read the full story here http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2009/may/04/merck-vioxx-campaign-parliament