Why I want to vote for a People's Party (and not a Piffle Party !)

Piffle = "Foolish or futile talk or ideas; nonsense" (The Free Dictionary)

One of the main reasons we find ourselves in the state we're in has been the over pre-occupation of the main political parties in Britain, most of all the New Labour Government , but also the Conservatives and to a lesser degree the Liberal Democrats, with piffle, to quote London Mayor Boris Johnson. By piffle, I mean a foolish, and frequently futile, pre-occupation with domestic social issues to the exclusion of serious attention to the economy, geopolitics and the environment.

Personally, for instance, I'm fed up with politicians invoking "hard-working families". What on earth does this mean ? A return to 19th century domestic economy where several generations of the same family labour under one roof, and live in fear of the work house perhaps. What people need is economic stability and a sustainable livelihood, including fair incentives to work, whether they choose to live in a conventional family or some other arrangement.

The main function of government, to differing degrees at the local/regional, national and global levels, is to create the conditions for sustainable economic development through good regulation, and other measures, having regard to the need for environmental conservation and protection. As far as possible, avoidance of violent international and civil conflicts is also a key requirement, as is emergency and disaster management.

The provision of health, education and other social services is also an important role of government, but this is not possible in the absence of good economic management, based on a realistic understanding of the main contributors to the economic cycle at any particular time, something the present government has never possessed. Given their own shortcomings, the role of this and, indeed, other governments is not, therefore, to tell people how to run their own lives.
For New Labour, this has been a fatal distraction from the real work of government.

Power at Any Price

The Prime Minister has been keen to emphasise just how "ordinary" he is during the Labour Party Conference, although he also wants to be seen as a "serious man for serious times". Sounds a bit like Iain Duncan-Smith's "quiet man" stuff to me, so I'm hoping Gordon Brown will be off doing something more suited to his "ordinariness" in the not-too-distant future : adviser to the nuclear industry perhaps, like his brother. Yes, whilst the global economy and our own have been playing havoc, British (nuclear !) Energy is being sold off to the company for whom the Prime Minister's brother works, French government-owned EDF. Quelle Surprise ! However, the economic and financial viability of nuclear power - like so much else just now - still remains very much open to question.

World Exclusive : Chancellor's Cat on Economy

The Chancellor of the Exchequer's cat speaks out on the economy to my own moggie. Her comments have been transcribed by me @ http://janetmackinnon.wordpress.com

My Lessons from the Last Recession

I genuinely "feel" for those people who have lost their jobs recently or suspect they are in danger of doing so. Yes, this even applies to some of those in government.

As someone who was made redundant in early 1990 by the property development and investment company for whom I worked, I know how it feels to suddenly lose a well-paid job when you have a large mortgage to pay. Fortunately, the terms of redundancy were better for most people in those days, and I had little or no credit card debt at that time. However, the situation was no less scary : interest rates were escalating and other companies to whom I might have looked for work - like the then owners of Canary Wharf, Olympia and York - were also going under.

Again fortunately, I found new employment within a few months in the Construction and Property Group of accountants and management consultants Coopers & Lybrand Deloitte (now PriceWaterhouse Coopers) where I remained until 1992. Frankly, I was surprised to have "stuck in" here for so long, as new waves of redundancy continued around me.

All this uncertainty fundamentally changed my attitude to life and, most of all, to work. No matter how how hard you have worked and how successful you may feel you are, remember that in the worlds of business - as in other areas of life - things can change suddenly for the worse, and, also, for the better. Although, the "better" may be something very different from what you are doing now, requiring nothing short of a shift in consciouness or mind-set. The last recession was for me a catalyst for what was ultimately a considerable improvement in my life, although not so much for my material success. In short, it fundamentally changed my values.

However, if all this sounds a bit airy-fairy, then you might consider procuring a "power object" or "fetish" to help you on your way. See my blog @ http://janetstone.wordpress.com/

The Business of Government

Update : see http://limits-2-growth.blogspot.com : 1984 as a "Manual for Government" from www.politics.co.uk

WARNING : What follows will almost certainly be regarded as an offence against political correctness, for which I offer no apologies ! Having reflected on the matter over the weekend, I feel it would be beneficial for this country if the Labour Party were to have a leadership election. The other main political parties almost certainly do not want this, which is precisely why it would be a good thing for the rest of us.

A couple of weeks ago, former London Mayor Ken Livingstone appeared on BBC Radio 4's "Any Questions" having just returned from seeing his friend Hugo Chavez in Venezuela. Chavez, it seemed, had asked Mr Livingstone to submit proposals for providing "technical assistance" on urban planning and development. Let's hope it's sustainable !

Now it sounded to me as if Ken might have been a little jet-lagged, as he managed at one point to confuse David Cameron and David Miliband - a revealing Freudian slip perhaps - before confiding to the audience that he had been invited to appear on Celebrity Wife Swap, although his partner had apparently put the phone down before Ken could take up the offer.

As an admirer (but not that sort !) of Mr Livingstone, I was actually rather sorry to learn that one of the mighty had fallen on such hard times. For Ken (Lord Livingstone, I presume !) would be my obvious choice for a Labour Deputy Prime Minister, and the natural successor of John Prescott in a newly resurrected Department for the Environment, Transport and the Regions.

Why do I propose this ? Quite simply, Ken Livingstone (warts and all) understands the business of government. His quote from The Godfather in the rather good 1987 memoir "If voting changed anything they'd abolish it" in which he distinguishes the personal from "business" reflects this understanding, even if he has sometimes forgotten his own good sense.

I have yet to be convinced that the leadership of the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats really do understand the business of government. For they seem to offer, or so it appears to me, a continuation of the kind of Hello -or GQ - magazine style politics favoured by The Blairs, even if new media channels are their preferred medium of expression.

As for Gordon Brown, his tenure as Prime Minister appears to reflect a classic confusion of the personal and political realms, after the practice of a former Soviet dictator to whom he has been compared. The wave of sackings over the weekend, and the Prime Minister's attempts to undermine the Labour Party constitution regarding the circulation of ballot papers in advance of Conference for a possible leadership contest, only serve to re-inforce such comparisons.

It's the Economy & the Environment, Stupid !

Feeling a little "Do Minimum" today, I've decided to sydicate a post from my Witch of Worcester Blog (see below). In doing this, I'm following the advice of Gerd Gigerenzer in "Gut Feelings -Short Cuts to Better Decision Making" published by Penquin, which I've just picked up in the local library.

Environmental groups in the UK have accused political parties of letting the environment recede as a priority, so it's time to remind ourselves that in sustainable development & regeneration these issues are inextricably linked. Development which is unsustainable economically is, often as not, environmentally unsustainable as well.

The UK could - if our politicians were minded to make this happen - be a global leader in planning for sustainability. We are a small island, with one of the highest population densities in the worlds. We need to reduce our own environmental bootprint, and set an example to other nations. Sustainable land use and area regeneration policies should be a priority for us.

The British Property Federation and the Planning Inspectorate.
A few years ago, I drew the Planning Inspectorate’s attention to an error on their website. This referred to Liz Peace as Chief Executive of the British Property Foundation (instead of Federation). Ms Peace was identified as an non-executive director of the Planning Inspectorate. At that time - and still - I have mixed feelings about this kind of appointment. No environmental interests, as far I can make out, are represented on the board of the Inspectorate, an Executive Agency of government. However, it has to be said that some of the most sensible work on area regeneration and sustainable development has come from the British Property Federation, and, indeed, some property developers are more advanced in their thinking on these matters than most local councillors and officers in an area like South Worcestershire.

It is fair to say that planning in South Worcestershire is dominated by the mass housebuilding industry. Certain places are positively swarming with house-builder’s “agents” wanting to expand their own or their client’s land banks, with a view to obtaining change of use for housing development and planning consents. This in turn drives local authority designations and planning permissions. The argument being that if change of use and actual consents are withheld, developers will win on Appeal.

This kind of practice is going on all over the country and is a contributing factor to the current parlous state of the mass housebuilding industry, for which, incidentally, I have absolutely zero sympathy, although I am sorry for individuals and small businesses who have lost their jobs. The fact is that too much land has been allocated for housebuilding and too many planning consents granted in places like South Worcestershire. Developers have land-banked excessively and the value of their assets have plummeted as a consequence. There is also no market for much completed development, particularly for apartments, notwithstanding the various government initiatives being promoted to convert these into affordable housing.

Perhaps we do really needs a British Property Foundation (as distinct from Federation) to tackle the underlying problems of the mass housebuilding sector, as no one else - least of all central government - is doing this. It has to be said that none of the other main (or minor) political parties have much to offer either. However, in the short term we need the Planning Inspectorate to demonstrate that it has a real grasp of land economy and property market issues, which has not, by and large, been the case to date

Blogging for Charity : A Call for Help !

As a consequence of listing my voluntary work and charitable interests on another Blog (Bloggers please consider doing this !), I have been contacted by an Animal Shelter in Jamaica who are struggling with damage caused by Hurricane Gustav in the Caribbean and urgently need financial support : http://www.theanimalhousejamaica.org/

I've had enough of all this Balls...

It seems to me that Children's Secretary Ed Balls is pushing for the position of Chancellor of the Exchequer. Stop Pushing, That Boy ! I think it's high time you were excluded from government office. You've been the bully of Gordon's Gang for too long, setting up poor Alistair Darling with no forewarning of the Credit Crunch when - clever boy that you are - you'd been the Chancellor's (ie Gordon's) Representative on Earth for all those years. Of course, perhaps you didn't know the Crunch was coming either, in which case, like your wife, you're not so clever as you make out, and perhaps even a little stupid !

Having got that off my chest, I now want to move back to the subject of gender equality. For it seems to me that Mr & Mrs Balls (Schools Secretary Ed Balls and his wife Yvette Cooper, Chief Secretary to the Treasury) epitomise what the New Labour Elite understand by gender equality in the workplace : having a spouse who has a job about as powerful and well paid as one's own, which also enjoys generous allowances and tax breaks etc. Of course if Ed Balls were to become Chancellor and his wife remained Financial Secretary, I'm not sure how they'd manage !

Now, as it happens, this "Golden Couple" are also New Labour's leading lights on "Class". In short, they don't like "Toffs" like David Cameron and George Osborne, respectively Conservative Party Leader and Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer. This in turn brings me back to the US Republicans choice of candidate for Vice-President, Sarah Palin or "Rottweiler Mom", as we don't allow ordinary folk to have Pit Bulls (even with lipstick on) in this country. For it seems to me that if any of Ms Palin's offspring were failed, as children over here have been, by Ed's Balls Ups.....the consequences for him might be not only serious, but painful !

Why Class Politics are Important for Them and Us

Whilst I don't believe Sarah Palin represents the future for Feminism, I do recognise that Patrician John McCain's choice of Republican running-mate reflects his appreciation of the importance of class politics in the United States, as in this country. For many people class identification remains as important as other forms of social affiliation, including ethnic origin, and, however much some politicians may talk of a "Classless Society" this is not the reality. Nor is it without irony, therefore, that both the US Democratic and UK New Labour Parties have are faring less well on the "Class Issue" at the present time than there Conservative counterparts.

Over here, the case of Blackpool is a good example of the failure of New Labour to understand Class Politics with the result that the local council has recently, after many years under Labour control, turned Conservative. Now Blackpoool in a "Political Town" in so far as it has been one of the main Party Conference venues, although it has been the preferred host of the Conservatives, Labour preferring Metropolitan and Southern venues in recent years. Moreover, the Super Casino fiasco also left Blackpool (and a few other places for that matter) in the lurch, as the townhad been positioning itself for some time as the Las Vegas of the North of England.

Blackpool sees itself as a the UK Capital of Entertainment (as distinct from Culture), and its appeal is to the more traditional tastes of the Working Classes. This is a town apparently fuelled by the flow of alcohol, the downside of which is that it has some of the highest rates of alcoholism in England; and some of the worse deprivation because traditional working class pleasures, and pleasure grounds like Blackpool - as well as other sea-side towns - have been out-of-favour with their New Labour "Social Worker". I mean by "Her", Liberal Elite "feminists" like Deputy Party Leader Harriet Harman and former Culture Secretary (now Olympics Minister) Tessa Jowell.

Is Neo-Con Mom the Future for Feminism ?

US Republican Vice Presidential hopeful "Mom" (and soon to be Grand Mother) Sarah Palin has been hailed by certain press commentators in the Mail and Financial Times as a "true feminist". Well, some feminists certainly like the personal to be political, and Ms Palin has rapidly achieved this, or rather her pregnant 17 year old daughter has on her mother's behalf. Bristol is also, or so we are led to believe, shortly to have an "arranged", marriage to her baby-father, a spotty youth of 18 whose Bebo entry proclaims that he doesn't "want kids", nor a "forced" marriage I strongly suspect. All this because Mom's teachings seem to have fallen short on sex education and contraception - or perhaps Creationist's don't go in for these - and abortion is an absolute "NO, NO" for "Conservatives Christians", like Sarah Palin.

This is very strange because I thought "Feminism" was all about a Woman's Right to Choose : whether or not to have children, get married etc. In much of the world, if not in Alaska, these are absolutely key issues for Women's Human Rights, as is the issue of contraception both for birth control and to reduce the spread of sexually transmitted diseases. As the case of Bristol shows, sexual abstinence may neither be the preferred choice (or even an option !) for the majority of women, most of whom are far less fortunate than Sarah Palin's daughter in their economic circumstances, and those of their unborn children. So as far as I'm concerned this Neo-Con Mom is no more the future for feminism than any of the other regressive religious ideologies, including much of what passes for "christianity".