Greater Manchester Fabian Society

Hannah Mitchell Foundation and future local Fabian activity

2012-01-19T22:01:00.001Z

The North needs its own voice: new Northern think-tank formed

2012-01-19T21:55:00.001Z

The North needs its own voice: new Northern think-tank formed

A new think-tank promoting devolved government for the North of England has been formed. The Hannah Mitchell Foundation held its first annual general meeting in Huddersfield on Friday – on the 119th anniversary of the foundation of the Independent Labour Party in nearby Bradford.

Linda Riordan, MP for Halifax, was appointed president. “I’m delighted to be involved in this exciting new venture,” said Linda. “At a time when we the future of the United Kingdom is coming under increasing scrutiny, the North needs its own devolved government within the UK, otherwise we risk being part of an increasingly centralised, Tory-dominated, England.”

Barry Winter, a retired Politics lecturer from Leeds, was elected chair of the Foundation. “A key priority is to influence thinking within the Labour Party,” said Barry. “At a time when any vestige of regional government has been abolished by the Coalition, we need to make the case for regional devolution on economic as well as democratic grounds.”

The Foundation aims to stimulate debate across the North of England on the most appropriate forms of devolution. Vice-chairs from the North-West, Yorkshire and the North-East were elected. Professor Paul Salveson, a railway writer and consultant, was appointed General Secretary to oversee the development of the Foundation. “I’m a strong believer in giving the North of England the sort of powers that regions in Germany and other parts of Europe enjoy,” said Paul. “That would benefit England and the UK as a whole. The alternative is to see a growing economic divide between North and South.”

The Foundation is named in honour of Hannah Mitchell, a Northern grassroots activist in the early socialist movement and for many years a Labour councillor in the Newton Heath ward of Manchester. “She was a great working class socialist and passionate advocate of women’s suffrage,” said Linda Riordan. “She epitomises all that was best in the North of England’s radical traditions – who better to name the Foundation after?”

“We hope the Foundation will make a real impact on English politics”, said Barry. “We’ve already got strong backing from several MPs and John Prescott has agreed to be a patron. Our next step is to organise a launch event in Bradford in early March”.

The Foundation has a website at www.hannahmitchell.org.uk and membership is open to individuals and organisations, both large and small.

2011-07-13T21:42:00.000+01:00

Hi All

A number of people have been in touch saying they are keen to see ongoing Fabian activity in Manchester. I’ve not have enough time to take this forward myself over the last year due to work commitments. I’m keen to know if anyone is interested in helping take things forward (organising meetings, updating the blog, emailing members etc).

I thought we could hold a meeting one evening week beginning 25^th July in central Manchester. Let me know if you’re interested in being involved and also let me know which evening that week suits you best. I can do any day that week except Friday 29^th.

If you’re not able to get into Manchester that week but do want to help out, please drop me a line.

Thanks

Graham

Greater Manchester Fabian Society

Going into opposition - heads held high

2010-05-09T22:19:00.002+01:00

Ok, I recognise that I've stopped using the site for opinion pieces over the last year or so but...below is my take on what should happen. This doesn't attempt to set out the view of other Fabians or the Fabian Society at large but does give my opinion on the position the Labour Party and Gordon Brown finds itself in.

Graham

Going into opposition - heads held high

The very threat of a double dip recession, harsh benefit sanctions on the most vulnerable in our society and cut backs to some of the most progressive elements of the Labour Government's policies (Child Trust Fund, Sure Start etc...) makes this very hard to write. If you truly believe the Labour Party represents the best hope for the poorest and most vulnerable in our country and if you believe only the Labour Party can keep the union of Greater Britain and Northern Ireland together and that only the Labour Party will tackle inequalities then you shouldn't want to risk this by accepting that Brown and his cabinet have to accept defeat and move onto the opposition benches. But that is what needs to happen.

The failure of the Liberals to hold up their side of the bargain, means that the so called progressive alliance of Labour and the Lib Dems is not strong enough to control Parliament. Nick Clegg, the Guardian and all those who consider themselves on the centre left and voted Lib Dem on Thursday have let the poorest and most vulnerable in our society down. The Labour Party represented the best way to stop Cameron gaining power. Some commentary pieces in the last few days of the campaign made this point elegantly - urging people to only vote Lib Dem in the minority of seats where they stood a better chance of defeating the Tories than Labour. But these arguments should have been set out months ago by left thinking commentators if they were have the desired impact. In scores of seats the Tories won by a handful of votes because the anti-Tory majority were duped by the totally unfeasible idea that Clegg could stop Cameron. The perverse result of which may be a joint Cameron-Clegg government.

The truth is, as we are now finding out, that there is no progressive alliance in Britain. Students of the Lib Dems will have long since noted the strong centre-right approach to economics put forward by 'orange bookers', they will have noted the party's more recent willingness to cut back on tax credits or on scrapping the Child Trust Fund. They are a party happy to work closely with the Conservatives in council chambers up and down the country. Happy to see the public sector cut back and sent into retreat. It is now that the great schism in the Liberal Democrats is now coming to the fore, a social democratic support base finds its representatives in Parliament to be the true-centre right liberals many of us had suspicions they were.

Labour should balk at the prospect of doing a deal with such a party. Not because of unhelpful tribal loyalties but because the Liberals have proved themselves unworthy of a progressive alliance. As in the 80s they only serve to divide the centre-left vote and let the Tories in. They have had no significant role in Westminster elections over recent decades other than that.

Despite losing control of Parliament, Thursday appears to be something of a triumph for Labour. The Liberals are now being shown for what they are, allowing for a realignment of the centre-left vote to occur under the one true centre-left party in this country. Labour re-established a position of strength in local government up and down the country and proved itself to be the only party with real strength in all three countries of Britain. Gordon Brown can now takes his Party into opposition with his head held high. Proud in his achievements as chancellor and prime minister and proud of his record over the banking crisis. Fearful in the knowledge that the Conservatives and Liberal are about to put those achievements at risk but recognising the in the long-term, the benefits of the Lib Dems being found for what they are, increases the likelihood that the progressive majority of this country can make their voice heard through the Labour Party.

Graham

Young Fabian Event - Watch the Leader's Debate in Bar 38

2010-04-27T19:18:00.001+01:00

This is the third and last Leaders' Debate this Election and the last chance Brown, Cameron or Clegg will have to 'seal the deal' with the millions of viewers that have been watching these historic debates.

Because of the success of our London Debate Parties we've managed to organise a screening in Manchester. Come and join the Young Fabians, Compass, Labourlist, London Young Labour, Co-op Youth, Progress and LGBT Labour for our final debate party.

Before we settle down to watch the debate proper, we'll be encouraging people at home to watch these important debates and you can help by taking part in telephone canvassing at the Labour Party office in the centre of Manchester.

From there we'll be heading to Bar 38 Pavillion, Great Northern Warehouse,
Peter Street, Manchester, M2 5GP to watch the debate. (Map: http://bit.ly/9MujJs)

Hope you can join us!

For any further information contact Vincenzo Rampulla, Member Development Officer: vrampulla@youngfabians.org.uk, 07900 912 587

Conference follow up

2010-03-15T19:55:00.005Z

Thank you to all our speakers on Saturday - Jessica Asato, Andy Burnham MP, Jim Hancock, Sunder Katwala, Tony Lloyd MP, James Purnell MP, Vincenzo Rampulla, Wes Streeting and Dan Whittle - who gave up their spare time to speak at the event.

Sunder Katwala and Michael Crick have both blogged about the event.

See the previous post for a selection of pictures from the day.

Praise for our event:

"Just a quick note to thank you for putting the whole event togther, which was both enjoyable and stimulating."

"Thanks for your role in organising the conference on the 13th, I met some great people and had a lovely time!"

Selection of photos from 'The Choice for 2010'

2010-03-15T19:26:00.003Z

Health Secretary, Andy Burnham MP, addresses the conference with Sunder Katwala of the Fabian Society and Graham Whitham of Greater Manchester Fabians to his left.

Andy Burnham MP, Richard Currie (Greater Manchester Fabians) and a Newton Heath scarf!

Local MP, Tony Lloyd addresses the conference with (left to right - Dan Whittle, Wes Streeting, Tony and Graham Whitham).

The audience listen to Andy Burnham MP who delivered the opening speech.

Our 'Question Time' panel - James Purnell MP, Jessica Asato (Progress), Jim Hancock (Chair), Sunder Katwala (Fabian Society), Vincenzo Rampulla (Young Fabians).

The Choice for 2010 - Programme now available

2010-02-01T19:50:00.011Z

Greater Manchester Fabian Society and the Fabian Society present a special pre-election event:

"The Choice for 2010"

A one day conference on Saturday 13th March in Manchester

The Conference will be a major staging post for political activists from across the North West ahead of the most important General Election since 1997. The day will be dedicated to discussing the politics of the Election and the challenges facing the left and centre left.

"The Choice for 2010" will include leading Labour Party figures and political thinkers.

To book your place email Graham_Whitham@hotmail.co.uk. The event will cost £5 to attend to cover room and other costs.

PROGRAMME

Registration 11.15am - Mechanics Institute, 103 Princess Street, Manchester, M1 6DD

11.15 – Registration
11.25 – Welcome –Sunder Katwala, Greater Manchester Fabian Society
11.30 – Andy Burnham MP – Progressive politics and Labour

12 – 1 The challenges facing the progressive agenda chaired by the Fabian Society
3 x 10 minute plenaries followed by Q&A for 30 minutes with all three speaker
• Why we still need Labour - Tony Lloyd MP
• Does the Labour movement still matter? - Wes Streeting, National Union of Students
• New campaigns – Dan Whittle, Young Fabians

1 – 2 Lunch (Please note lunch will not be provided but there are a number of places to buy food nearby)

2.00 Have we turned the tide of Thatcherism? – Vincenzo Rampulla, Young Fabians

2.30 – 3.30 Question Time – The Choice in 2010 – Chaired by Jim Hancock
Panelists:
James Purnell MP
Jessica Asato (Progress)
Sunder Katwala (Fabian Society)

3.30 Wrapping up - Graham Whitham, Greater Manchester Fabian Society

Cost: £5
NB: Please note that lunch will not be provided. There are a number of places to get food outside the venue on Princess Street

Post Conference:

Meet the Young Fabian Executive Social

Imediately after the close of the Conference Young Fabians will be meeting in Spirit Bar (upstairs) on Canal Street. Please join them for a post conference chat and discussion of possible future Fabian events in Manchester and the North West.

Book now for our one day conference on 13th March

2010-01-11T19:00:00.002Z

Happy New Year to all.

We are now taking bookings for our one day conference on Saturday 13th March at the Mechanics Institute in Manchester city centre.

The Conference will be a major staging post for political activists from across the North West ahead of the most important General Election since 1997. The day will be dedicated to discussing the politics of the Election and the challenges facing the left and centre left.

"The Choice for 2010" will include leading Labour Party figures and political thinkers.

To book your place email Graham_Whitham@hotmail.co.uk. The event will cost £5 to attend to cover room and other costs.

Speakers confirmed include Andy Burnham MP, James Purnell MP, Jessica Asato and Dan Whittle. Our Question Time session will be hosted by local journalist and TV presenter Jim Hancock.

We are still looking for sponsorship for the event. Please email or telephone 07917644435 to discus further.

The full programme for the day will be released shortly.

Graham
Greater Manchester Fabians

Lack of blog updates

2009-11-30T22:10:00.002Z

Hi all

Just a quick update on the lack of activity lately. Due to work commitments I'm not able to keep the blog updated regularly and I haven't been able to organise any events since September.

I won't be updating the blog until after Christmas. However, we are planning a major one day conference for 13th March and I will be sending details round to those on the email list shortly. If you would like to be added to the list please contact me at graham_whitham@hotmail.co.uk.

If you would like to write a guest article for the blog or organise an event please get in touch.

Regards

Graham

Cotton, Cotton Everywhere so not a Drop to Drink…Part 3/3

2009-10-26T20:17:00.002Z

Here is the third and final part of Louise Selisny's report on the cotton industry in Muynak in Uzbekistan. The second part was published last week.

Graham

Cotton, Cotton Everywhere so not a Drop to Drink…Part 3/3

It was clear to me that the people of Muynak share the fighting spirit of the Karakalpak region and with assistance from the international community they are taking steps to address the environmental problems that have been thrust upon them. One of the most exciting projects is that funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development. They sponsor the German Society for Technical Cooperation to work in conjunction with Uzbek scientists to strategically plant bushes and fodder plants, including the Black Saxaul, Salsola Richteri and Calligonum Caput-Medusae. This dedicated coalition has so far covered 27000 hectares with vegetation. Zinovy Novitsky is the project’s scientific adviser and he explained how, “forests create oxygen, kill microbes, and improve climate and landscape.” The main improvement in the case of the Aral Sea bed is that the roots of the shrubs grow parallel to the ground, thereby binding the mass of sand, dust and salt. The body of the shrub growing above ground helps to prevent erosion and also operates as windbreaker, decreasing wind velocity on the surface by up to 70%. Put simply, these shrubs and trees act as a barrier line of defence against the toxic dust storms and the debilitating diseases they bring with them.

This initiative also brings vital jobs to the area and workers assisting with the planting earn about $80 US dollars a month. It is estimated that to make a lasting difference the team will need to cover about 600,000 hectares – with limited funds the team are currently working at a rate of about 30,000 hectares a year. It is hoped that within 5 years or so the shrubs with produce seeds that will be spread by the wind thereby making the task much easier as man and Mother Nature work together. The project is costing about $150-200 per hectare in monetary terms but will doubtless pay immeasurable dividends on completion.

So it can be seen that the little town of Muynak is not so hopeless, but hoping. Hoping that the international community will follow the German vanguard and pledge assistance where it can before all is consumed by and lost to the desert forever. Its hope is shared by other towns and villages in the Karakalpak region of Uzbekistan. There is so much that can be done to help such as assisting the government to create a national strategy to repair and replace outmoded irrigation systems. We could also work with the government to encourage the production of organic and fair trade standard cotton thereby reducing the use of agrochemicals and improving labour standards – but this includes all of us playing our part by voting with our wallet and purchasing cotton products that are organic and fair-trade where we can and demanding our shops supply us where we can’t. It is a simple case of being part of the problem or part of the solution – it really is that black and white – there is just some dirt that even Daz can’t clean.

Louise Selisny

Cotton, Cotton Everywhere so not a Drop to Drink…Part 2/3

2009-10-16T22:03:00.002+01:00

Here is the second part of Louise Selisny's report on the cotton industry in Muynak in Uzbekistan. Part 1 was published on Saturday.

Graham

Cotton, Cotton Everywhere so not a Drop to Drink…Part 2/3

Perhaps one of the most poignant facets to this crisis is that it was man-made. Unlike most countries which have rivers that lead to the sea, Uzbekistan has rivers that flow towards and drain into the interior. The Syr Dar’ya and Amu Dar’ya Rivers feed into the Aral Sea - which is not in fact a sea but a large freshwater lake. In the 1960s Soviet Planners began to divert these watercourses in order to irrigate cotton crops. The Environmental Justice Foundation estimates that on average 20,000 litres of water is extracted to produce 1 kilogram of cotton – or 14,000m3 per harvested hectare. The effect of the diversions has been catastrophic, causing the once world’s forth largest body of water to haemorrhage 90% of its volume and nearly 75% of its surface area. The Aral Sea now covers fewer than 18,000 square kilometres - less than a tenth of its original size. The water that does remain is both hyper-saline and heavily polluted by toxic agricultural chemicals used in cotton cultivation. The World Bank also highlighted the bitter irony which sees almost 60% of the diverted water lost in the maze of inefficient, decrepit and broken irrigation systems – neither reaching its intended destination or the thirsty plains of the Aral desert.

This ecological disaster is particularly affecting the people of Muynak and the Karakalpak region as a whole as the Aral Sea once tempered the climate in the area. Due to the massive reduction in the Aral Sea the local climate has been dramatically altered. Today the crop growing season has reduced by two whole months, the winters are much colder and the summers much hotter and drier. This has created a negative feed-back cycle. Hotter summers create more heat that evaporates more of the remaining water. What’s more, the waters have begun to stagnate, with deeper saltier water being unable to mix the less salty top water. Consequently, the top water is bearing the brunt of the sun’s heat and thus being evaporated even more quickly. So the climate gets even hotter and growing seasons further reduce. This has led to an increase in the number of cattle in the region as local farmers attempt to mitigate the situation they find themselves in. This is increasing soil erosion as the already sparse vegetation is being overgrazed and consumed. This both reduces soil productivity and increases the amount of toxic dust that is blown over the region as there is less vegetation left to bind the fragile earth. People get sicker and the land more degraded. And, lest we forget, this is all a man-made problem – the rivers upstream are being diverted to irrigate thirsty cotton crops. Cotton that is then sold cheaply to make low-cost products for sale in countries like the UK. So how is that cotton shirt you a wearing feeling now? A little dirtier perhaps?

However, although there is much destruction and disease in the region there is also much hope. The little town of Muynak is not dead and nor have its inhabitants given up, quite the contrary in fact. I was lucky enough to be invited to the annual Independence Day celebration. My day began with an offering of peace and a handshake from a three year boy who was intrigued by my fair skin and western clothes. The whole community was congregated in the banner bedecked town square. Women dressed in their finest attire with golden thread that glistened in the sun chattered in groups as children flew kites and ate ice-cream. Everyone took their turn to dance in splendid traditional costume – particularly striking were the little girls who stole the show with their charming choreography and outfits fashioned from the Uzbek flag. Children teemed around me in order to practise the English they were learning in school as well as laugh at my flailing Uzbek. It was a wonderful day completed with a visit to the Nukus Museum of Art, a veritable treasure trove, containing a spectacular assortment of 1920s and 1930s avant-garde Russian and Uzbek art. Wondrous antidotes to the Communist inspired School of Socialist Realism grace every inch of space and reflect a people of passion, vibrancy and expressionism.

Louise Selisny

Cotton, Cotton Everywhere so not a Drop to Drink…by Louise Selisny

2009-10-10T12:36:00.003+01:00

Over the next couple of weeks we'll be presenting a 3 part report from Louise Selisny looking at the cotton industry in Muynak in Uzbekistan. Part 1 is below.

Graham

Cotton, Cotton Everywhere so not a Drop to Drink…Part 1/3

What are you wearing right now? If it’s a cotton garment then there is a strong chance that it was produced using cotton grown and picked in Uzbekistan. Uzbekistan is the world’s second largest exporter of raw cotton and the picking season is now well underway. Most people will associate the Uzbek cotton industry with forced child labour and unfair monopoly practises – important issues both – but often under reported is the enormous environmental impact our quest for ever cheaper cotton is having.

Karakalpakstan is an autonomous region in the west of Uzbekistan and is home to the Aral Sea. The Aral Sea was once heralded as the ‘fish basket of Central Asia’ and could reliably account for 20% of the annual catch of the Soviet Union. The now dusty little town of Muynak was formerly the proud focal point of this great epicentre. As well as being a strategically important launching post for Soviet Union Allied Forces in the Second World War, Muynak was also once a thriving fishing port. It harboured an active fleet of 300 fishing vessels and supported the employment of around 10,000 workers in one fish canning factory alone. What’s more, the inspirational beauty of Muynak constituted a mecca for many significant Soviet Union artists and writers, including the Ukrainian rebel poet Taras Shevchenko who crafted some of his most important works whilst overlooking its bountiful shore.

Now, whilst many fishing centres across the world have witnessed a decline or loss in fish, Muynak has witnessed a loss of its sea. The Aral Sea has quite literally fled its shore and has left a sad twisted row of metal giants slowly rusting in a ships graveyard. To get a glimpse of the Aral now you have to use a ‘good strong Russian’ jeep and drive nearly 160km over sun scorched sea-bed. The only signs to evidence the once mighty waves are tiny sea-shells that now lie scattered and stranded across the yawning desert gulf. This pained earth belches forward over 43 million tonnes of dust each year and is responsible for a raft of respiratory related illnesses in the region including drug resistant Tuberculosis.

As well as the dust from the sea-bed, toxic chemicals make their way to Muynak via what’s left of the incoming waterways. Leached agrochemicals, including those banned in most other countries, washes into Muynak every day. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has found significant levels of organochlorines, including PCBs, dioxins and DDT in everyday samples of beef, fish, eggs, milk, potato and rice. The NATO Science Programme found that this toxicity has led Karakalpaks to have DNA mutations 3.5 times the average as well as the highest rate of oesophagus cancer in the world. The people of Muynak have a life expectancy over ten years lower than the national average. The Secretariat for the Complex Social Protection of Family, Mothers and Children states that the region has the highest rate of infant mortality in the country and a Médecins sans Frontières (MSF) report highlighted direct links with the environmental pollution and escalating cases of people suffering with hypertension, heart disease, anaemia, various cancers and kidney disease. It can be seen that both internal and external independent bodies concur that pollution caused by the cotton industry is literally killing Karakalpaks.

Lousie Selisny

Why the Lib Dems were mostly right

2009-09-28T17:45:00.002+01:00

Last week the Lib Dems proposed a tax on £1million homes plus and a rise at the rate at which people start paying income tax to £10,000.

It is difficult to argue that a tax based on property value is ever truly fair but the outpouring of angst from the media and others over the Lib Dems proposal is an indicator of how wrong our priorities are. What should have grabbed the headlines was the proposal to lift around 4 million of the poorest people out of paying tax altogether, ending the ridiculously unfair situation in this country whereby people barely struggling to survive on low incomes and relying on tax credits, find a large slice of their income being swallowed up by income tax.

The benefits seem obvious to me. We know that less well off people spend disposable income locally (whereas the richer someone is the less likely they are to spend their money locally and the greater the likelihood they will spend it abroad). Most of all we know the massive impact inequality and poverty has on life chances and a whole range of poverty indicators. Raising the income tax threshold would presumably lift a big chunk of people out of poverty and go someway to narrowing the gap between the top 20 per cent and bottom 20 per cent in our country.

Despite this, rather than focus on the 4 million people who are amongst those that need help most in our country the focus was predominantly on the 250,000 or so people in the UK (largely in the South East and London) who would be affected by a tax on £1million properties. Yes some of these people may be unfairly punished because they’ve seen the value of their house rocket over the last ten years, but are we really saying that many of these people desperately can’t afford to pay a bit more tax? Are we really suggesting that some of these people fall into the same category as the 4 million, the same category as those working on a minimum wage that is blatantly too low. One of the arguments against the ‘mansion tax’ proposal put forward by the Tories and many in the media was that it would disproportionately affect London and the South East. Good. Most of the well off people in this country live in that part of the UK so any tax that disproportionally affects better off people in that part of the UK is ticking a progressive box as far as I’m concerned. A harsh conclusion maybe, but not as harsh as a media who all too readily forget the interests of the poorest and remember those of the richest time and again.

Graham

www.martynsibley.com

2009-09-28T17:43:00.000+01:00

My friend Martyn Sibley works for one of the big disability charities, is active in the disability world and most important of all, is a very nice chap! He’s recently started his own blog. Martyn is mostly blogging about his experiences as a wheelchair user but his videos offer a thought provoking insight into what being in a wheelchair can mean if you are a social, active and outgoing person. He is even braving the odd political post !

Please do have a look at Martyn’s blog. It is extremely well presented and designed and provides a number of resources for people interested in disability issues.

Graham

Not in Brighton

2009-09-28T17:40:00.001+01:00

I’ve had a few texts and emails over the last few days from people asking if I am in Brighton. No I’m not. I’m in Manchester and mostly in my office in Burnage.

Having never got into the habit of attending conference (I’ve had a pass twice), I’m always surprised that people manage to find the money/time to get there year after year. I suppose it’s about your work situation and your priorities.

If I was desperate to go I’d find a way but I’m not that enthused by a week discussing the internal machinations of the Labour Party. I know that isn’t all the Labour Party Conference is about and when I have been I’ve loved the fringe (and the drinking) opportunities - debates on a range of issues with impressive speakers and much informed opinion. So let’s hope for more of the latter and less of the former when the Party is in Liverpool and Manchester over the coming years. I’m sure I’ll find a way to attend when the conference is on my doorstep !

Graham

Omar Salem for Fabian Exec

2009-09-25T20:11:00.002+01:00

Message from Omar below.

Graham

Dear Manchester Fabian Meber, As Fabian members, I know we share a pride in the Fabian contribution to the Labour movement: - idealistic yet practical responses to challenging social problems which resulted in the founding of the welfare state.

Today, Britain and Labour face new challenges—and the Fabians have a vital contribution to make. I am standing for the Fabian Executive because I am passionate about making sure we rise to this challenge. My manifesto is available online here: http://www.scribd.com/doc/20186485/Elect-Omar-to-the-Fabians

Fabian members like us should be at the heart of the society’s efforts. The Fabians should provide a platform for ideas developed, and argued for, by a progressive movement of people. In short, the Fabians should be a movement, not just a think tank.

If elected to the Fabian executive I will push for:

-Involving members More participatory approaches to Fabian events, with space for members to develop ideas. I will push for a national Fabian discussion network based around monthly themes or publications, supported through the Fabian website and toolkits in every Fabian publication.

-Supporting local societies, the Fabian Women's Network and Young Fabians Promote local societies, the Fabian Women’s Network, and the Young Fabians, including developing the Fabian website to help local groups promote their activities. I’ll also consult local societies, the Fabian Women’s Network, and the Young Fabians on what they want done.

-Practical ideas for a progressive future Developing practical ideas for national and local government and research how to get more people involved in Labour’s activities—including a hard and detailed look at the pros and cons of primaries.

-Openness and transparencyTo promote greater openness around the work of the Executive and the Society as a whole, including the financing of the Fabians, I will personally send out regular reports of Executive meetings, so you are kept informed.

-Reaching out Push for the Fabians to reach out beyond the ‘Westminster bubble’, drawing new members into progressive politics, and building on the excellent example of the Young Fabians’ Schools project. I stood for election last year and got 166 votes - as whisker from being elected.

I hope that this year with your support I can get elected and start bringing the above changes
about.

I will be an energetic and hard working executive member- keeping in touch with you. You can get in touch now at omarsalem@gmail.com.

Best wishes,

Omar Salem

Dan Whittle for Senior Fabian Exec

2009-09-23T19:15:00.001+01:00

Message from Dan Whittle below.

Graham

I’m contacting you to ask you to cast one of your votes in the senior Fabian Executive elections for me, and/or pass this message on to friends who are Fabian members. Ballots come out around the end of the month.

I am Director of Unions 21, and have been a member of the Young Fabians executive for three years, in which time I have organised over 10 events. Have a look: http://danwhittle.wordpress.com/fabian-society/

In this, my final year on the executive, I’ve spoken to local societies about the two Young Fabians online publications I’ve collaborated on. One on the role of trade unions in the Obama campaign, and the other on what we can do to stop the momentum of the BNP.

I will be speaking at local Fabian Societies in West and South East London, Havering, Peterborough, Tunbridge Wells, Canterbury, and Brighton & Hove amongst others, over the next two months. I hope to talk to members about how they want to see the Fabian Society evolve. I look forward to seeing you there, but if I’m not coming to your local society in the immediate future I’d welcome an exchange of views via email instead.

I believe the Society draws its strength from the knowledge and experience of its members, that’s where we get our edge as an intellectual force in politics. We need to draw more widely and deeply on the capability of members in developing our ideas and policy over the crucial next 6 months.

To find out more have a look at my website: http://danwhittle.wordpress.com/fabian-society/

Best, Dan Whittle

Green Paper on Social Care – Disabled Activism

2009-09-23T18:16:00.002+01:00

Below is the latest guest article, this time from disability activist Rupy Kaur. Thank you Rupy.

If you want to submit an article please email me at Graham_whitham@hotmail.co.uk.

Thanks

Graham

Green Paper on Social Care – Disabled Activism

I remember sitting in a school assembly when I was about 14 and my old head teacher, Mr Kapur, got on stage and started reiterating Tony Blair’s famous mantra – ‘education, education, education.’ Mr Kapur spoke about how privileged we were in getting an education and how none of us should take school for granted. I certainly took his message on board. My family have always focussed on the importance of education and how ‘education is one’s ticket to freedom.’

I come from a very ambitious family. This was demonstrated by my grandfather who began life in the UK as ragman who had to fight prejudice and racism on his way to becoming a successful businessman.

This ambition and willingness to break down barriers manifested itself in my uncle becoming the first Sikh to be admitted into a grammar school in Birmingham, in 1964.

My uncle and auntie are my heroes as they have brought me up since the age of 4 and have always encouraged me to be my best. I admire their kindness in doing such a thing - bringing up somebody else’s child is hard enough, but it can be even harder when they have a disability.

I was born with Cerebral Palsy and use an electric wheelchair due to my limited mobility. I started off in a special needs school but my uncle fought for me to go to a mainstream school and we finally succeeded at the age of 10. Since then, I went from strength to strength in terms of education and finally graduated from The University of Manchester with my 2:1 Psychology (BSc) degree in 2008 – education was, and still is, my ticket to freedom and without it I don’t think my future career would seem as bright.

I must admit I have never really struggled academically in terms of understanding ideas, but I have in terms of my access needs being met. During high school I was always catching up on making notes as I did not have a note taker in lessons. At 6th form I was considered to be a ‘health and safety hazard’ and could not stay on site without a support worker. This meant that I had to go home during my free periods whilst my other peers could sit in the library at school.
However, I have adopted my uncle’s stubbornness and ambition and eventually got my 3 As at A-levels.

You would think that achieving such results would make it easy to choose what university I wanted to go to…it was far from easy. Social services made it immensely difficult and even advised me to stay at home to do a ‘Learn Direct’ course because funding my care package was going to be extremely complicated and very difficult. My uncle’s daughter helped me battle with them in order for me to study at Manchester.

My educational support at university was fantastic. It was funded through the Local Educational Authority and my needs were met. I still had a lot of problems with my personal support care package which made things difficult especially in my 3rd year.

I did it though! I succeeded. I was extremely lucky to have support from all my family and friends when the time came.

Unfortunately my story is far from unique. A lot of disabled people have to struggle with getting what they need in order to carry out simple every day tasks. Disability cannot be mistaken as that only belonging to the elderly, it is across the board. There are many types of disabilities some being physical, but a majority being hidden – mental health issues being a prime example – it is widely known that 1 in 4 people will experience a mental health issue during the course of a year. It saddens me to think that some disabled people may give up their hopes and aspirations as the ‘system’ can just be too much of a hurdle to overcome both physically and mentally.

The exciting news is that disabled people are beginning to come together in the political arena to challenge the issues faced by them. I myself am heavily involved with the Disabled Students Campaign within the National Union of Students’. I have also been elected on Compass Youth’s committee – which I am very excited about. Like Gandhi once said, I believe ‘we are the change that we seek in the world’ and one day I do believe that the world will be more accessible for all.

If disabled people want to see a change and can get involved with politics and the law in anyway, shape, or form, they should grab the opportunity to do so. However, political parties and the world of politics in general need to involve disabled people as much as possible too.

This leads me to my final message. I’ve already made it clear that disabled people struggle in receiving adequate personal care support. In fact, when social services come to assess what personal care support is needed the normal threshold is decided at 21 hours per week, this breaks down to 3 hours per day. For a majority of physically disabled people a good 2 hours of personal care is needed in the morning and a good 1 hour at night, leaving disabled people struggling during the day. If that disabled person cannot rely on friends and family then this is certainly ‘a recipe for disaster.’ More importantly though, a disabled person may have the help of friends and family but this does not necessarily mean that they want it – disabled people have a right to choose how they want to be assisted. You can of course get more than 21 hours, but ‘proving’ your need and fighting for it is extremely difficult. Often care staff are inadequately trained to meet specific needs which in turn can make disabled people extremely vulnerable – physically and mentally.

AA Threat

On the 14th July the Future of Care Green paper was published by the Department of Health and the Department of Work and Pensions – it will aim to remove Attendance Allowance. The benefits would go straight to social services and it will be up to them as to how to spend the money. The consultation period will finish on the 13th November. Some organisations have speculated that there could even be a chance of Disability Living Allowance being removed in the same manner depending how the public respond to the above.

If this happens I believe it would certainly impact a disabled person’s liberty. Disabled people would lose the personal choice as to how they want to spend their benefits and I do not think that this liberty should be taken away. Often these benefits are used on things like funding a suitable carer/Personal Assistant, or transport (taxis if people can’t use buses) and many other things. If this is to be taken away from the individual and given to agencies such as social services, it would truly be a sad day.

Finally, the time has come where disabled people are working together politically to change the world. It has taken us too long to gain this control, and it must not be threatened by such backward looking measures.

You can help by responding to the consultation direct or supporting campaigns to protect attendance allowance by organisations such as Benefits and Work and RNIB.

Rupy Kaur

Vote for a Change Event in Manchester - 4th October

2009-09-21T22:54:00.001+01:00

Dear Friend

Do you want to challenge the politicians about their plans to fix the system? Want to know what the parties have up its sleeve for the future our democracy?

Vote for a Change – the campaign for a referendum on how we elect our MPs – would like to invite you to

“Have the Conservatives got what it takes to clean up politics?”Hosted by former MP Martin Bell

Speakers including Daniel Hannan MEP and John Harris (The Guardian)

Sunday 4th October 15.15 – 16.45

Friends Meeting House
Mount Street
Manchester
M2 5NS

On the eve of the Conservative Party conference in Manchester, this is an ideal opportunity for voters in the North West to demand a different kind of politics.

You can register for free tickets to the event here.

Ideas and support for future events needed

2009-09-13T12:06:00.004+01:00

After our successful event with Stephen Twigg et al last week we need ideas for and support with planning future events. Any ideas or offers of help please email me at Graham_whitham@hotmail.co.uk.

Graham

Equality and the Recession Summit – Review

2009-09-08T17:25:00.003+01:00

On Saturday (5th September) around 45 people came together to hear leading figures speak on the equalities agenda in the context of the current recession/recovery.

Chair Neil McInroy from the Centre for Local Economic Strategies stressed the need to tackle inequality, particularly in the bad times. Equality and diversity are vital for economic recovery and a recession also provides an opportunity to reassess and reinvigorate efforts to address inequality.

Former government minister Stephen Twigg, and now candidate for the Liverpool West Derby constituency delivered the keynote speech. Addressing the audience he encouraged the Labour Party and Government to shout about it’s achievement in respect of equality but to also recognise that the new social movements of the last 40 years mean that the language of equality has changed greatly from the traditional Labour Party narrative. Stephen cited education as the greatest tool in achieving equality. In response to questions from the audience Stephen argued that the equalities agenda underpins much of the Labour Government’s actions but that this doesn’t always come across.

Andrew Meads is Head of Economics and Statistics at the Equality and Human Rights Commission and gave the second talk. Andrew talked about understanding the recession and the impact it has had and is having on the equalities agenda. Andrew stressed the view that equality isn’t just economic or social or moral but all of these things.

Anna Turley (Deputy Director of the New Local Government Network) argued that the real different on inequality can be made at the local level. By having greater flexibility local government can provide local responses to local issues. Personalisation in social care and individual budgets were cited as good examples but people and localities need more powers and more control.

Ian MacArthur (Regional Director of Groundwork North West) gave the final talk. Ian ran through the recent Spirit Level work (cheapish copies on Amazon) produced by Wilkinson and Pickett. Having heard Richard Wilkinson deliver a seminar at work recently, it was great that Ian highlighted the Spirit Level which places inequality at the centre of a whole host of wellbeing and social indicators. Ian sees real resonance for the North West in Wilkinson’s and Pickett’s conclusion. A region with so much to offer, inequality lets the North West down time and again.

A Q&A with Anna, Andrew and Ian followed which reflected just what a broad topic we’d been covering. Excellently chaired by Neil, we could no doubt have gone on for a few more hours!

Graham

Note: Andrew Meads kindly provided the script of his presentation. If anyone wants a version in Word please email on graham_whitham@hotmail.co.uk

Thank you for coming along on Saturday

2009-09-06T22:37:00.004+01:00

Thank you to everyone who came along to our Equality and the Recession Summit on Saturday. Not a bad turn out for a Saturday morning and, despite the early start, some lively questions and debate.

Thank you to Andrew Meads, Anna Turley, Stephen Twigg and Ian MacArthur for agreeing to speak. Both Andrew and Anna are based in London so it is particulalry good of them to agree to give up their spare time. And perhaps suggests the viability of similar events and debates in the North West?

Neil McInroy from the Centre for Local Economic Strategies was a brilliant chair and was rewarded with a win for Scotland in the football later in the day !

If I have time to do a write up of the event in the next few days (work is taking over my life!) I will post something on the blog and send round to the email list. In the meantime, if anyone has any further comments or thoughts about the event feel free to email me or leave a comment on here.

Graham

We're all doomed!

2009-09-01T11:20:00.003+01:00

So conventional wisdom dictates when discussing the current economic plight, however Robert Reich author of the very readable book "Supercapitalism" argues forcefully for the implementation of good old fashioned Keynesian polices in order for the US (and I would argue the UK) to breathe life into our stagnant economies read the full article here .

rich

Labour 16 points behind

2009-08-24T23:39:00.004+01:00

Labour's summer fightback hopes dashed by new Guardian/ICM poll.

Chance for an autumn leadership election afterall?

Less than two weeks until Equality and the Recession Summit

2009-08-22T20:55:00.002+01:00

Our Equality and the Recession Summit on Saturday 5th September is less than two weeks ago.

To book a place please email me on graham_whitham@hotmail.co.uk.

Full details here.

Graham

Manchester to get an elected mayor?

2009-08-22T20:53:00.001+01:00

If the previous post meant nothing to you...the MEN tells the wider story.

Terry Christian for Mayor of Manchester!

2009-08-22T20:50:00.000+01:00

More here.

Cameron likes his pix and mix

2009-08-21T09:49:00.002+01:00

Larry Elliott is right to point out the say anything to get in power approach that has been the cornerstone of Tory thinking on public policy under DC. But after the indisive leadership of brown in the recent past I for one am skeptical as to are ability to turn thing around and win the next election

Rich

Sponsorship sought for North West Conference

2009-08-11T22:05:00.004+01:00

We are hoping to hold a North West Conference on 21st November looking at the 'Future for Progressive Politics'.

We have agreement from a number of influential political figures to come and speak and plan to hold sessions on the following:

The Labour movement today
Political reform
Securing workers rights
New campaigning
Tory versus Labour – the community agenda
Building on the Labour movement
Get the rich not the poor
The housing crisis can be solved
The environment and progressive politics

To hold this event we must secure sponsorship to cover venue and other costs and therefore are looking for the following:

Event main sponsor:
Main sponsors will have their name included in the title of the event. Logo and contact details will be included in any literature or advertising related to the event. The main sponsor would also be able to bring a stand and/or banners to the event.

Event associates/supporters:
Events associates and supporters of the event will have their logo on materials/literature relating to the event and will have the chance to distribute literature to delegates on the day of the conference.

Breakout session sponsors:
Breakout session sponsors would have their name associated with a particular breakout session and would be able to distribute literature at the conference.

The event will be advertised directly to our email list of over 1500 contacts which includes keys decisions makers, leader figures in the Labour Party, Labour Party activists, a number of think tanks from across the political spectrum, a wide range of community and voluntary sector organisations based in Greater Manchester and the wider North West. We expect to event to attract over 60 delegates.

If you are interested in taking up this opportunity and discuss the opportunities outlined above please contact Graham Whitham on graham_whitham@hotmail.co.uk or 07917644435. We hope to launch the event on 5th September and would therefore like to hear from organisations before that date.

Graham

Fabian Pamphlets

2009-08-11T21:55:00.002+01:00

As usual I've got a number of spare copies the latest Fabian Review and the latest pamphlet - In the Mix by James Gregory. Email me on graham_whitham@hotmail.co.uk with your postal address and I'll send you a copy of each.

Graham

From Wigan to VSO in Uganda - Part 4/4

2009-08-03T19:02:00.001+01:00

Here is the final part from Ira Whiteley.

Graham

Salvation for Uganda

Hundreds of NGOs drive around in shiny imposing 4X4s. Bus loads of Mzungus arrive on a weekly basis to hoping to bring light and salvation to the people of Uganda .Teachers from all over Britain bring chalk, inflatable globes, and maps of the world ,wall charts etc. They hold fleeting workshops to help teachers to develop their teaching skills. They appear for a week and disappear just as quickly. They come back a year later to see their wall charts in tatters, their wonderful worksheets grubbily lying in a pile of dust on the floor, being eaten by termites. They throw up their hands and complain about the inability of Ugandans to organise their stuff. What!! in dirt floored classrooms with no cupboards and classes of 100-150 at a time, with orange dust blowing through the glassless windows, the endless termites, the lack of water to wash hands, the lack of electricity to prepare any work for the next day. Put like this it doesn’t seem so easy!!!

Health folks drop in from time to time with erratic supplies of drugs Builders and engineers help with housing projects.

I have to say that I still maintain my doubts about ‘perpetuating a dependency culture’, ‘depriving people of initiative and creativity’,’ relieving government of responsibility’. People do wait for Mzungus to solve their problems. But perhaps I also feel now that a Western presence engenders a balance without which Uganda may be less stable and the poorer people much less catered for. In an ideal world all this charitable 4X4 goodwill would be coordinated and made more efficient. But meanwhile, perhaps the simple interaction between people, that elusive spirit thing that goes on simply when you talk with the girl who cleans or the shop keepers, the exchange of a joke with boda-boda boys; all this is on balance a force for good. May be ‘Mpola Mpola ‘Slowly slowly!!!’

Ira and John Whiteley

John Wiseman for Fabian Executive

2009-08-03T13:26:00.001+01:00

Statement for the nomination to the Fabian Executive from John Wiseman below.

Rich

As a Labour party progressive, I feel we need to change society. We must make it more equal, so more inclusive than exclusive. As part of this change we must close the poverty gap. As a member of the co-operative party NEC, National Political Committee of Unite, and the Manchester society, as well as being a democratic socialist, I feel we must debate key issues around us including the environment and economic instability.

All the best

John Wiseman

Equality and the Recession Summit on 5th September now open for bookings

2009-07-27T22:23:00.011+01:00

Greater Manchester Fabian Society and the Centre for Local Economic Strategies present a half day summit on:
Equality and the Recession
Sponsored by Groundwork in the Northwest

On Saturday 5th September the Equality and the Recession Policy Summit will bring together leading policy and political figures to look at the impact the recession is having on the equalities agenda. The event is an excellent chance to hear leading thinkers with expertise and knowledge in current and future policy direction and to advance the debate around social justice, fairness and equality during an economic downturn.

The event will take place at the Mechanics Institute (103 Princess Street, Manchester, M1 6DD) starting at 10am. To book a place please email me with your name and the number of places you'd like at graham_whitham@hotmail.co.uk. The event is being sponsored by Groundwork in the North West.

We will be asking attendees to contribute £5 on the day to help us cover costs.

Graham

FULL DETAILS AND PROGRAMME - Saturday 5th September (timings and details subject to change)

Registration 10am - Mechanics Institute, 103 Princess Street, Manchester, M1 6DD

10.15: Welcome: Graham Whitham (Greater Manchester Fabian Society)
10.20: Chair’s introduction: Neil McInroy (Centre for Local Economic Strategies)

10.30: Keynote address: Stephen Twigg - ‘Tackling inequality during and after recession’
10.50: Plenary 2: Andrew Meads, Equality and Human Rights Commission – ‘Impact of the recession on the equality agenda’

11.10: Tea and coffee

11.30: Plenary 3: Anna Turley, New Local Government Network – ‘Community response to social exclusion’
11.50: Plenary 4: Ian MacArthur, Groundwork – 'Quality Streets - why equality matters'

12.10 till 12.45: Q&A Session ‘Stopping the poorest being hit hardest’
12.45 Closing remarks: Neil McInroy

Attendees will be asked to contribute £5 on the day to cover costs. To register your attendance please email graham_whitham@hotmail.co.uk.

From Wigan to VSO in Uganda - Part 3/4

2009-07-27T13:27:00.002+01:00

Here is part three.
You can also read parts one and two.

Rich

Our personal circumstances have improved dramatically. Our original accommodation with its indigenous population of mice, toads, showers of black ants, cobras under the bed and chickens laying eggs in the loo, has been replaced by a western type villa ,inside its own compound. It comes with its own cottage industry: a night-watchman who guards us with a bow and arrow, a gardener who cuts the grass with machete, and a girl who helps me with washing and cleaning.

This situation brings with it huge amounts of Western guilt. I find myself piling random gifts of clothes and food on the cleaning lady. I cook for the askari (night watchman), despite his sometimes threatening often erratic behaviour; for instance his demand for his mother to be taken to see a witchdoctor. Instead we arranged for her to see the VSO doctor in the Masindi clinic. I send the gardener home with boxes of milk and food. This behaviour itself brings an uneasy sense of acting in a patronizing manner.. But what to do about it is more difficult. We have bought a bed for the ex-cleaner and her baby. They will not now have to sleep on the floor among the ants and cockroaches. ,In exchange she teaches me some Runyoro. She has limited English but is amazingly able to convey clearly the essentials of the language.

Our new cleaning lady is also poor. She shops once a month for soap, candles, rice, beans, cassava. Her daughter is now at secondary school and she must pay school fees etc. She even takes the old newspapers to sell—you can get a few ‘sente’ (coins) for an old newspaper. She and her children also sleep on the floor!!! But this is hardship rather than true poverty.

For absolute poverty you need to go out into the villages where children suffer from malnutrition or have been disfigured by malaria in early childhood. The results can be horrific, blindness, deafness, paraplegia, spinabifida, encephalitis. Some have suffered terrible burns by cooking on open charcoal fires. Often these children are abandoned by their parents as omens of the devil. VSO Dr Chris gets depressed. The right drugs would make their conditions easily treatable. Meanwhile piles of drugs are stacked in government warehouses quietly going out of date. If one asks why, people shrug: corruption? bureaucracy?

I admire the work done by Pamela the VSO community nurse. With a group of local volunteers she goes out into the villages and holds workshops on malaria, dysentery, Aids, and other diseases. Using a loud hailer they call the people in from the fields ‘Leave your crops come and learn about a healthy life etc’ .Malaria is the biggest killer here. Often the causes are not understood. People blame the mango fly. With diagrams and songs, Pamela and her group explain the life cycle of the mosquito and its effect on the body; persuades them of the need for mosquito nets. She buys the nets at £10 each and sells them for the equivalent of £1.00. The songs they sing to help people remember are hilarious eg the diarrhoea song sung to the tune of Love Divine all Loves Excelling. There is a Just Giving Website especially set up for this project. The money goes directly to Pamela and Dr’ Chris and directly towards mosquito nets. As a fund raising project this is a good one. www.justgiving.com/myriiaproject

Ira and John Whiteley

Reaction to by-election defeat

2009-07-27T09:58:00.002+01:00

Compass: http://www.compassonline.org.uk/news/item.asp?n=5114

Next Left: http://www.nextleft.org/2009/07/bring-back-gibbo.html

Grimmer up North: http://grimmerupnorth.blogspot.com/2009/07/scapegoatwell-done-not-nec.html

Rich

Farewell to Social Democracy by Denis MacShane MP

2009-07-22T13:58:00.003+01:00

Denis MacShane, MP for Rotherham and former Minister of State for Europe has provided us with the following guest article.

Rich

Farewell to Social Democracy

Is the game over for social democracy? Born out of the struggles against 19th century capitalism social democracy in its different forms – Labour in Britain, socialisme in France, social democracy in Germany and Nordic nations – conquered state power in the 20th century. But today? The democratic left is challenged by other parties claiming to represent its values or its electorate. The national-populism of the anti-European parties of the xenophobic right attract many of its white voters from the working class. The anti-capitalist parties of the populist left attract some of the proletariat and workers protected in public service unions. The anti-industry parties of the greens also steal many progressive votes.

What’s left? The most recent elections show the democratic left pushed back to representing at best a quarter often less than one in five of voters. Labour in power in Britain scores 15 per cent in the European elections. The Socialist Party in France, out of power since 2002, does scarcely better. Mrs Merkel and Mr Berlusconi trounce the social democrats in Germany or the democratic party in Italy.

So why is social democracy currently in crisis? Firstly, it has always been an error to assume economic crisis is good for the left. When citizens are scared for their jobs and salaries, or the future of their children they vote defensively and stay with conservatives. So the left must have a more sophisticated analysis of the new economy. Denunciation of neo-liberalism or the rich or capitalism sounds good on a platform but does not offer a way forward. Without a deep understanding of the new materiality which people experience in different ways the left just repeats the slogans of the last century which are not relevant today

Secondly, social democracy talks global but behaves nationally. While capital and culture and communications are now transnational the organisation of left politics is unable to escape the prison of the nation. The democratic left must have a theory of the nation and its relation to geo-economic, geo-ecological and geo-political upheavals. The European Union, for example, must be the servant of the national citizens of Europe, not the replacement or grave-digger of the nation.

Third, social democracy must decide if it likes protest and propositions or if it desires power. 20th century social democracy has many achievements. But too many of its ideas were put into practice by the right. The statisation of the economy and the creation of the welfare-state during the three decades of mixed economy and social state shaped after the war arose from ideas of the left but were implemented by de Gaulle in France, Adenaur in Germany, the Christian Democrats in Italy, and the Conservatives in Britain. Today the left is full of ideas and conferences but seems uninterested in the supreme task of politics – the conquest of power. That requires historic compromises with market economics, with the nation, and with voters. Instead the democratic left in Europe preaches protest while the democratic right has a practice of power. Changes in voting systems may be desirable but they neither produce good government, good policies, or clean politicians as European nations which use PR, or have written constitutions, or citizens’ referendums demonstrate.

The democratic left needs policies that connect to people not metropolitan elites organising endless conferences. As parties of workers, an answer must be found to the trade union question. European unions are no longer major players in the capitalist labour market. They operate in the public sector. For the wage of the public sector worker to go up more taxes must be paid. This means the income of the citizen goes down. There are more small businesses in Britain and France than unionised workers in private companies. Reform, indeed the rebirth of trade unions should be a priority.

One cannot divorce politics and personality. The left lacks convincing leaders but leaders must be convinced and confident themselves. This is not the case in many countries. There may be some hope in Nordic nations where a new generation of younger women leaders are shaping a 21st century social democracy in place of 20th century statist socialists who are not really convinced by the historic compromises of social democracy in the style of a Willy Brandt or Felipe Gonzalez. Good leaders arise from a party ready to change. Labour, for example, has to move beyond the Third Way pieties of the early 1990s. Until the parties of social democracy are ready for change the leaders will not appear. Europe’s social democratic parties, including Labour, need to change for the 21st century. But repeating the incantations of the past is so much easier.

Denis MacShane MP

Denis MacShane is a labour MP and is working on a book about the future of the democratic left in Europe.

From Wigan to VSO in Uganda - Part 2/4

2009-07-22T13:53:00.003+01:00

Following on from the first installment of Ira Whiteley's experiences in Uganda Graham published last week, here is part 2.

Rich

From Wigan to VSO in Uganda - Part 2/4

Masindi is a lively if ramshackle country town.

After 3 months we are used to the dust and the heat, the ramshackle streets and shops .We have braved the market with its fly covered meat and fish. We are used to the haphazard traffic as boda- boda taxi boys on motorbikes swerve through the town, dodging bicycles carrying beds and sofas. We are used to the lovely children walking barefoot to school and calling out their litanies of ‘Mzungu! How are you? I’m fine!’ We can cope with the loss of power at 7.pm most evenings. We can cook by torchlight. Life is at last settling a little.

John is getting to grips with the problems of the Masindi Inspectorate: the low budget, the lack of communication, shortage of classrooms and poor sanitation, the low status and low salaries of teachers; (£70)per month : less than nurses, even less than the boda-boda taxi-boys. Sometimes teachers do not get paid at all.

Not surprisingly teacher morale is often low and teacher absenteeism high. Many have to leave their villages, children and families, to live in horrendous teacher accommodation on school premises. Inevitably they feel that cultivating their gardens back in the village will at least provide a secure, dependable source of food for the family.

The impact of all of this on headteachers, students and buildings is part of John’s brief. He has been issued with a motorbike by VSO. This makes it easier for him to get to schools deep in the bush, to meet and discuss problems with headteachers. Finding ways to solve problems of school drop-out, revising the highly academic curriculum, holding workshops to encourage and share best practice are some of the ways in which he feels he can help.

The school curriculum is academic in the extreme. I watched an English lesson in which a packed classroom of primary children, barefoot in a dingy shed were expected to compose sentences in English containing an adverb of time, an adverb of manner and an adverb of place. You try it!!!. Children behave impeccably. (There is corporal punishment!).

Things are different here; often shocking. There was a recent meeting of education officers and government officials with local witchdoctors. The agenda centred on the inadvisability of child sacrifice.

Ira and John Whiteley

From Wigan to VSO in Uganda - Part 1/4

2009-07-16T19:50:00.002+01:00

Ira and John Whiteley are both retired teachers from Wigan who have gone to Uganda to carry out VSO work. I'll be publishing four updates from Ira over the next couple of weeks and this is the first.

If you want to write a guest article please email me at graham_whitham@hotmail.co.uk.

Graham

From Wigan to VSO in Uganda - Part 1/4

What! leave Wigan and go off to Uganda, for two years, at our age!! Are you mad? Two retired teachers both on the wrong side of 60. What about the house, the caravan, the garden….the injections, diarrhoea, malaria, rats!! Hmm!! It will be a, a challenge, a project and we could perhaps help.

Six months later, February 2009, we arrive at Entebbe airport .At eight in the morning the air is warm, the sky blue and full of squealing weaver birds building nests. The nests hang like great seed pods from the trees. Lake Victoria glints in the sun. The source of the Nile at Jinja is just a few kilometres away. The Equator is a few kilometres north.Africa shock hits as we drive through Kampala. .Minibuses packed with sweating people; lorry loads of charcoal or sugar cane or logs; the roadway lined with sofas, beds, bananas and piles of rubbish. The noise of horns and the tin shacks that people call shops or homes and then suddenly the incredible pouring rain and the mud and the fumes and the terrible polite resignation with which everybody deals with it!!!

John will be working with the Education Inspectorate in Masindi District, in western Uganda,. Masindi is about 100 miles north of the Equator .It is separated from Rwanda and the Congo by Lake Albert. To the north is the border with Sudan It is mostly rural. Most of the population live as subsistence farmers growing cassava, matoke and beans, and keeping a few goats and chickens.

In Uganda education is universal and free. Go deep in to the bush and there next to the ring of mud huts is a dilapidated concrete structure; a Primary school. The schools however are insanitary. Simple dirt floors, grubby walls. There are no charts or displays of any kind. No books. The chief resource is a concrete blackboard often pitted and unreadable. Often there is no water on site. Latrines are a dangerous, extremely unpleasant hole in the ground. Overcrowding means that many children have their lessons under the school mango tree. Classes of 120 to 150 are common. There is an acute shortage of classrooms and teachers, and of basic resources. Children write and draw in the dust with twigs. Often there is no money even for chalk.

Ira and John Whiteley

Bournemouth & District Fabian Society Events

2009-07-15T20:39:00.002+01:00

Always happy to advertise other local society events on here, especially given that we receive hits from Fabians across the country. Ian Taylor from the Bournemouth society has sent me details of their upcoming events.

Graham

FRIDAY 17th – 19th JULY 2009 – ‘TOLPUDDLE MARTYRS’ 175th ANNIVERSARY COMMEMORATION FESTIVAL’
GUEST SPEAKERS INCLUDE: Rt Hon Tony Benn, Rt Hon Jim Knight MP (South Dorset), Brendan Barber (TUC General Secretary), Billy Bragg etc

FRIDAY 30th OCTOBER 2009 – GUEST SPEAKER: MARTIN SALTER MP
Martin has represented Reading West since 1997 when he overturned a 12,500 Tory majority. Martin is Vice-Chair of the Labour Party. From 1987-1996 he was Deputy Leader of Reading Council and Regional Manager of a co-operative housing association. Martin has announced he will not be seeking re-election in 2010. The title of this address will be announced in our next programme.

FRIDAY 27th NOVEMBER 2009 – GUEST SPEAKER: PROFESSOR ALAN WHITEHEAD MP Alan is former Professor of Public Policy at Southampton Institute. He currently heads the Prime Minister’s Manifesto Group on Local Government and was Transport Minister during Tony Blair’s second administration. Before election to Parliament as MP for Southampton Test in 1997 he was Leader of the City Council. Subject of talk: To be announced.

For further details contact Ian Taylor on taylori@bpc.ac.uk.

Partnership to help older people enjoy city’s culture

2009-07-15T20:33:00.003+01:00

MANCHESTER CITY COUNCIL

NEWS RELEASE

15 July 2009

Partnership to help older people enjoy city’s culture

A new partnership to help older people enjoy Manchester’s world-class galleries, theatres and museums has been formed in the city.

The move is part of Manchester City Council’s Valuing Older People programme and brings together cultural organisations and venues including Manchester Art Gallery, the Library Theatre Company, MOSI, the Royal Exchange, the Hallé, the Bridgewater Hall, the Whitworth Art Gallery, the Manchester Museum, Urbis and the soon-to-reopen Band on the Wall .

Councillor Val Stevens, Deputy Leader of the City Council, said: “The partners want to improve the opportunities for older people to get involved in the rich cultural life of the city because art and culture can improve people’s lives, create friendships and instigate new experiences.

“Our research shows that although lots of older people already enjoy the many cultural experiences the city has to offer, many are from outside the city. This new partnership aims to encourage and enable more older people from a wider range of backgrounds to enjoy arts and culture.”

Partners in creating A Cultural Offer for Older People have signed a pledge to work with other venues and the City Council to deliver an improved cultural offer for older people with particular focus on those who do not currently access the great cultural resources that the city has to offer to people of all ages.

Councillor Mike Amesbury, Manchester City Council’s Executive Member for Culture and Leisure, said: “Manchester has a feast of arts, theatre, music and other cultural experiences to offer people of all ages.

“This new partnership will help improve the way cultural organisations and venues cater for older people and work together to make themselves accessible and attractive to them. It will also open up even more opportunities for more older people to participate in the cultural life of the city directly by working with arts organisations as a volunteer or part of a friends group.”

ENDS

Programme for Equality and the Recession Summit*

2009-07-14T20:47:00.004+01:00

Equality and the Recession Summit
5th September
Mechanics Institute, Manchester

10am: Registration:
10.15: Welcome: Graham Whitham (Greater Manchester Fabian Society)
10.20: Chair’s introduction: Neil McInroy (Centre for Local Economic Strategies)

10.30: Keynote address: Stephen Twigg - ‘Tackling inequality during and after recession’
10.50: Plenary 2: Andrew Meads, Equality and Human Rights Commission – ‘Impact of the recession on the equality agenda’

11.10: Tea and coffee

11.30: Plenary 3: Anna Turley, New Local Government Network – ‘Community response to social exclusion’
11.50: Plenary 4: Slot for main sponsor
12.10 till 12.45: Panel debate: ‘Stopping the poorest being hit hardest’

12.45 Closing remarks: Neil McIlnroy

* Timings subject to change

Culture and Leisure Policy Forum

2009-07-14T20:42:00.002+01:00

Thank you to everyone who came along to the Culture and Leisure Policy Forum last week. We received some really good feedback on the event.

Our Policy forum on 8th July with Councillors Mike Amesbury and Rosa Battle was held to discuss Manchester’s approach to culture and leisure policy. The Party in Manchester is very keen to broaden out the way political priorities are discussed and developed and the meeting was part of that process, especially in terms of informing Manchester Labour Party’s 2010 local election manifesto.

The forum started with an overview from Mike about the successes Manchester has had through the Commonwealth Games, Manchester International Festival, Urbis and the Bridgewater Hall. All cited as deliberate projects that required an received the political will and drive necessary to be a success.

The open discussion, on such a wide ranging topic, prompted a broad debate about future direction but drew out a number of overarching themes and priorities for culture and leisure policy:

Engagement with the community of Manchester as a whole is crucial, and technology (social networking etc) and a ‘bottom up’ approach are both important elements to achieving this.
The Labour approach to culture and leisure, both nationally and in Manchester, is a classis example of successful democratic socialism in contrast to a Tory ‘leave it to the market’ approach. The state needs to and should intervene to ensure access to arts, sports and other leisure services.
Barriers to services remain particularly along class and geographical lines. The city centre shouldn’t always be the focal point.
It is possible to make a case for investment in leisure and culture services, even when public finances are tight.
Manchester needs to do more to harness and retain the talent that exists within the city.
Manchester can do even more to sell its heritage, particularly musical heritage.

Having uncovered a number of key themes, priorities and concerns during the discussion, the next step will be to survey attendees and others with specific questions. Working with Mike and Rosa I’ll send out a survey in the coming weeks and ask for response. If you are not on our email list and wish to be added please email me at graham_whitham@hotmail.co.uk.

Graham Whitham

Lucy Powell - Standing up for South Manchester

2009-07-07T20:54:00.001+01:00

Now I'm based in Burnage for work I feel I must bring your attention to Lucy Powell's website:
http://www.lucypowell.net/

Graham

Arguing against prejudice

2009-07-07T20:50:00.001+01:00

IPPR have launched a report written for the Equality and Human Rights Commission making the case that immigrants aren't favoured when it comes to social housing.

Sponsorship sought for Equality and the Recession Seminar

2009-07-01T20:56:00.002+01:00

On 5th September we are hosting a half day seminar looking at equality and the recession. The event is being run in conjunction with the Centre for Local Economic Strategies.

We are looking for a sponsor for the event and are open to offers from organisations to either be the sole sponsor or a supporter of the event.

This is a great opportunity to put your organisation at the forefront of a crucial debate as the recession and impending general election shapes approaches to equality. As you'll see from the programme below, the event will involve an exciting set of speakers.

For a discussion about sponsorship phone me on 07917644435 or email me at graham_whitham@hotmail.co.uk

Graham

Programme for Equality and the Recession Seminar*

10: Registration:
10.15: Welcome: Graham Whitham (Greater Manchester Fabian Society)
10.20: Chair’s introduction: Neil McInroy (Centre for Local Economic Strategies)

10.30: Keynote address: Stephen Twigg - ‘Tackling inequality during and after recession’
10.50: Plenary 2: Andrew Meads, Equality and Human Rights Commission – ‘Impact of the recession on the equality agenda’

11.10am: Tea and coffee

11.30am: Plenary 3: Anna Turley, New Local Government Network – ‘Community response to social exclusion’
11.50am: Plenary 4: Speaker TBC ‘The future for equality and working conditions’
12.10 till 12.45: Panel debate: ‘Stopping the poorest being hit hardest’
12.45 Closing remarks: Neil McIlnroy

* Timings subject to change

The Noughtie Girl's Guide to Feminism - By Ellie Levenson

2009-07-01T20:39:00.001+01:00

Ellie Levenson has sent this message re her latest publication.

Graham

Hello

I just wanted to let you know that my book The Noughtie Girl's Guide to Feminism is published today. It's an accessible look at feminism in the noughties and why women (and men) should be confident enough to call themselves feminist.

No obligation to buy it of course, but if you did want to you can get it on Amazon here:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Noughtie-Girls-Guide-Feminism/dp/1851686835

Or buy it in July on the 3 for 2 offer at Waterstones (buy 30 for the price of 20!), or buy it in other good bookshops or get it from the library.

Ellie

Twenty Questions on the Mars Hill blog

2009-07-01T18:05:00.002+01:00

Paul Burgin from the Mars Hill blog recently asked me to answer twenty questions about myself and the GMFS blog. You can read the answers here.

Graham

Culture and Leisure Policy Forum

2009-06-17T20:06:00.002+01:00

We can now confirm details for our Culture and Leisure Policy Forum on Wednesday 8th July at Manchester Town Hall. The event will start at 5pm and last for about an hour.

Councillors Mike Amesbury (exec member for culture and leisure) and Rosa Battle will be at the meeting asking for your perspectives on how the cultural and creative economy can be develop in Manchester.

The discussion will influence the city wide manifesto for the local elections 2010. The discussion will lead to follow up opportunities to contribute to culture and leisure policy in Manchester.

To indicate your attendance please email me on Graham_Whitham@hotmail.co.uk. The event is free to attend.

Graham

Stall at SERA AGM

2009-06-17T19:53:00.003+01:00

Greater Manchester Fabian Society will be manning a stall at the SERA AGM this Saturday in Manchester.

If you are attending please say hello to Keith, Hannah and Rich who are manning the stall.

Graham

Latest programme for 5th September 'Equality and the recession' seminar

2009-06-17T19:42:00.005+01:00

Plans for our half day seminar on 'Equality and the recession' event are almost finalised. The programme so far is:

Chair’s introduction: Neil McInroy (Centre for Local Economic Strategies)
Keynote address: Stephen Twigg - ‘Tackling inequality during and after recession’

Plenary 2: Andrew Meads, Equality and Human Rights Commission – ‘Impact of the recession on the equality agenda’
Plenary 3: Anna Turley, New Local Government Network – ‘Community response to social exclusion’

Plenary 4: Speaker TBC - ‘The future for equality and working conditions’
Panel debate: ‘Stopping the poorest being hit hardest’

The event will take place between 10am and 1pm at the Mechanics Institute in the centre of Manchester. Please keep checking the blog for further details as and when they are confirmed.

Graham

Summary of European Election Results Talk 11 June.

2009-06-15T22:46:00.007+01:00

On 11 June, one week after the European Elections had taken place, The Greater Manchester Fabians gathered to hear Dr Dimitris Papadimitriou of the University of Manchester provide a thought provoking analysis of the results.

Whilst most media attention in Britain has focused upon the shock caused by the far right British National Party gaining two MEPs Dr Papadimitriou saw greater cause for concern in the Europe wide success of the centre right and the lack of voter engagement which led to a record low turnout. Dr Papadimitriou concluded the potential worst case scenario for Britain and Europe would be if the Labour government were to collapse before the Lisbon treaty had been ratified. The tories are opposed to the policy and committed to holding a referendum on whether Britain should accept it. As any such referendum would almost certainly reject the treaty this would destroy ambitious plans for the creation of an EU President and institutional reform that would make Europe more visible and engaging to voters.

Dr Papadimitriou felt that perhaps the reason for the low turnout and lack of voter engagement across Europe was the absence in European politics of a real ideological struggle between left and right of the kind that we are used to seeing in our domestic party political systems. Because the European Union does not have much money to spend (1% of GDP - half of which goes on the Common Agricultural Policy - in comparison most domestic governments spend 50-60% of GDP) it is unable to offer much in the way of social policy or discernible benefits and offers nothing to engage with. Consequently European elections are simply fought on domestic issues, the right oppose the idea of giving up national sovereignty and the left have little to persuade people to vote for. This is why it is so important that the Lisbon treaty be ratified and a more visible and accountable EU with its own president be created.

After concluding his talk Dr Papadimitriou opened the debate up to the group and a wide range of questions were asked and discussed. Greater Manchester Fabians would like once again to thank Dr Papadimitriou for his contribution and would welcome any further comments people wish to make.

Keith Foster

Beyond Labour?

2009-06-15T11:32:00.002+01:00

John Hilary is correct when he argues its time to tear down the old ways of doing politics. I think the Labour party in its currant form is a relic of the past and to cumbersome to cope with the demands of modern politics its time for the party to once again be outward looking willing to co operate with liberals and greens to advance the cause of social justice only then will we be a vibrant political force again.

Rich

What is the way foreward for Labour

2009-06-14T12:47:00.003+01:00

Demos have published an interesting collection of essays on how the party could move foreward.

Rich

I agree with Polly

2009-06-14T11:40:00.008+01:00

Polly Toynbee has got it right in her recent piece, although it goes against conventional wisdom about the convergence between the two main political parties, it matters who wins the next election. That is why the party needs a leader who can win the election or more realistically stave off electoral meltdown.

Rich

Reflection on the entire left and not just Labour

2009-06-08T19:05:00.002+01:00

A difficult night for the left across Europe. In particular the left in the UK, where it appears to have lost any relevance. At an election where people appeared willing to desert the three main parties in record numbers, the left appears to have failed to offer voters an alternative to the BNP and UKIP.

Socialist Labour is a one man band, poorly funded and stuck in the 1980s and Respect/SWP increasingly appear to be a pressure group, picking and choosing when it wants to partake in the democratic process.

The 'No2EU' coalition brought together people from across the left that might have been able to offer an alternative for disenfranchised voters but wrongly focused on a single issue.

Graham

European Election results talk 11 June 7.30pm

2009-06-01T17:20:00.008+01:00

Dr Dimitris Papadimitriou, Senior Lecturer in European Politics at Manchester University has kindly agreed to take up the challenge of analysing the European election results, exactly one week are polling day.

Dr Papadimitriou will give his view on what the election results mean for the future of the EU and take questions.

The talk is being held at Manchester Town Hall (Committee Room 4, enter through the Lloyd Street entrance) and starts at 7.30pm.

The event is free to attend but you need to confirm attendance by emailing Graham on Graham_Whitham@hotmail.co.uk.

See you there.

Rich

Equality and the Recession Conference - 5th September

2009-05-28T14:00:00.002+01:00

On 5th September we will be running a one day event looking at Equality and the Recession. Stephen Twigg will be the keynote speaker and the event will be chaired by Neil McInroy, Director of the Centre for Local Economic Strategies.

The event will look at the impact the recession is having on particular issues and sections of society and will include a debate on how we can stop the economic downturn hitting the poorest hardest.

The event will be held at the Mechanics Institute.

More details to follow over the summer.

Greater Manchester Fabian North West Conference - Saturday 7th November

2009-05-28T13:52:00.002+01:00

We are now planning a North West conference for Saturday 7th November. The conference will look to the future, asking what lies ahead for the Labour movement and public policy beyond the New Labour project.

We can confirm that Andy Burnham MP will be our keynote speaker. Further details will be confirmed over the summer.

Cameron clearing the decks and making a case for small change

2009-05-26T12:33:00.003+01:00

Six Tory MPs embroiled in the expenses story have now said they won't be standing at the next election. So far they have mostly been older MPs and Cameron is taking this opportunity to clear the decks as it were.

Cameron is also using the issue to make the case for what he calls major reform, but are in fact piece meal measures that will only put off and placate calls for proper electoral and parliamentary reform.

The Guardian may be taken in by Cameron (time and time again) but a Conservative government will not deliver the electoral reform and written constitution we so desperately need. For the Guardian to describe Cameron's pledges as "the most dramatic redistribution of power in living memory" given that we've seen devolution of power to London, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland in the last ten years is either lazy journalism or grave naivety from a newspaper which you'd expect to see through him.

Graham

Nick Cohen gets it wrong

2009-05-26T12:19:00.002+01:00

If the BNP win any seats on 4th June, the media will use it as a stick to beat the main parties, in particular Labour with. Signs of this already with Nick Cohen's article in the Observer on Sunday.

The BNP are on the rise, both in terms of electoral positions held (approx 60 councillors and representation on the London Assembly) and popularity. Those vehemently opposed to the BNP cannot be split between those advocating greater devolution of power from the centre and those who aren't. And yet Nick claims that the rise of the BNP is being exaggerated by those arguing against electoral and political reforrm. I just don't know where he gets his evidence for this from.

I'm not saying anyone in the mainstream media wants BNP success, certainly not Nick Cohen. But I do get the impression from certain quarters, that they see this (BNP success) as a news story, something to grab the headlines.

Graham

Ian McCartney MP to stand down

2009-05-23T19:30:00.002+01:00

Former Party Chair Ian McCartney is to stand down from his Makerfield seat at the next election due to poor health. An MP who will certainly be missed, unlike this chap.

Graham

Time for a new politics?

2009-05-21T13:52:00.006+01:00

An interesting debate is taking place on the guardian website on political reform 'A new politics'. There are with some great ideas on how to move on from the current mess and how to restore faith in democracy and the political process.

Whilst agreeing with many of the points raised by the contributors particularly Timothy Garton Ash's piece on the constitution and Freedland's idea on an elected second chamber, I am less supportive of Polly T's comment on reforms for the number of MPs. It has been fashionable amongst commentators and academics alike to gaze longingly at our American friends for solutions to our political problems. Indeed the American system rightly gains plaudits for it's adherence to the doctrine of the separation of powers and lauded for the powers of oversight that the political system confers on both senate and congress that many call for a political system like the one in the U.S to be adopted here. However this I believe cannot be done. In order for a constitution to be imbued in the political culture it must reflect it. simply copying the US will not do. There needs to be a great national debate using the new media and more traditional methods i.e hustings political meetings etc to asserting the shape of our political system and culture for the future.

In politics there always seems to be opportunity for change in a crisis, I think if we were to reform the political system we would reconnect the public with there roll in the decision making process, I am skeptical as to the likelihood of radical reform being implemented. being that the Tories are likely to gain power and history tells us that they did not build there political reputation on reform .

rich

More good news for Manchester?

2009-05-21T13:13:00.003+01:00

There is a recession and yet not a week seems to go by without an announcement of some sort of development in Manchester. The latest is news that the Co-op are planning a new 16 storey HQ on Miller Street. The only question is whether Manchester really needs more office space?

Graham

A letter to my Constituents - David Chaytor MP

2009-05-20T16:25:00.001+01:00

David Chaytor MP has published this letter of apology to his constituents.

Cameron sowing the seeds of his demise...

2009-05-18T18:45:00.002+01:00

I think it was Enoch Powell that said "all political careers end in failure". And I can't imagine that Enoch's words won't be any different for David Cameron. Given that there seems to be an almost universal acceptance that the Tories will win the next election it is interesting to spot the areas where Cameron is digging himself into a hole.

The first is his reiterated pledge to leave the main centre-right group in the European Parliament, which came under attack over the weekend. Surely even Cameron can see the folly and danger of aligning the Tories to an ad hoc group of right wingers and nationalists in the European Parliament?

The second stems back some time and only slightly resurfaced on the media agenda in the wake of the endless expenses stories. Not long after he became leader Cameron asked his shadow cabinet to give up their outside interests and other jobs. They didn't. He backtracked. Now William Hague has said he will give up his outside interests in September, presumably to act as a lead to other members of the shadow cabinet. They won't and at some point in the future, when the media narrative is anti-Tory rather than anti-Labour this will come back to bite Cameron.

Graham

Charlie Brooker piece on BNP

2009-05-18T09:18:00.004+01:00

Made me chuckle, worth a read.

Rich

Voters turning to UKIP rather than BNP?

2009-05-17T17:36:00.002+01:00

UKIP always get a surge around European election time and now is no different. What I haven't found yet is the rating for the Greens and BNP.

Rich

PHDstudentship available on Co-op and Labour Party

2009-05-17T17:20:00.002+01:00

PhD Studentship - AHRC Collaborative Doctoral Award in History (with Co-operative College, Manchester)

Reference No RS/08/18

A full-time MPhil/PhD AHRC Collaborative Award is available for three years at the University of Central Lancashire. The studentship is subject to AHRC terms and conditions and is open to UK/EU applicants only. The scheme provides funding for tuition fees (£3390 for 2009/10) and a student’s stipend at AHRC rates (approximately £13,290 in 2009/10) for UK residents, EU residents may be eligible and should seek confirmation from the Graduate Research Office. The successful applicant will start on 1st October 2009.

Project title: Co-operative Commonwealth, New Jerusalem or Third Way? The Co-operative Party and the Labour Party.

The aim of the project is to enhance understanding of the Co-operative Party’s influence on the Labour Party’s policy-making and ideological development. It will address this situation in distinctive and original ways by drawing on a wealth of relevant and under utilised archival and visual material at the National Co-operative College Archive and the Labour History Archive and Study Centre at the People’s History Museum, both located in Manchester.

Applications from candidates with an MA in History/Politics or related discipline, with a relevant methods element, and an interest in the broad area of labour/co-operative history and wider social movements are invited to apply.

Applicants should have, or expect to receive, a second class (upper division) honours degree or above (or equivalent qualification) in a related discipline.

Informal queries about the project may be directed to Dr Stephen Meredith (+44 1772 892864, or email scmeredith@uclan.ac.uk)

Requests for an application pack (quoting the reference number RS/08/18) should be directed to the Graduate Research Office. Tel +44 (0)1772 895082 or e-mail researchdegrees@uclan.ac.uk .

Provisional date for interviews: week commencing Monday 6th July. Closing Date for Applications to the Graduate Research Office: Friday 19th June 2009

A sign of things to come?

2009-05-16T13:59:00.002+01:00

Back in the world of politics, as opposed to expenses hysteria, Christopher Chope has withdrawn his bill to get rid of the minimum wage. I can only think the Tory MP had been told to test the water by those hight up in the Conservative Party.

The campaign against the bill must continue to ensure that when/if the Tories do get in, they don't have the confidence to scrap the minimum wage.

Graham

Expenses, Lord Foulkes and David Cameron

2009-05-13T23:02:00.004+01:00

I'm loathe to say anything about the expenses story given the incredibly one sided reporting of the issue, but what I will say is this:

1) MPs basic salary should be higher
2) the staffing allowance for MPs should be higher
3) the second homes allowance should be scrapped
4) the number of different expenses obtainable should be reduced considerably.

Taking all of the above into account would probably mean the total cost of MPs to the state would increase. Nothing wrong with that. But do the media really want a sensible debate about this or sensational headlines?

Lord Foulkes nailed the hypocrisy of the media on the head on the BBC the other day. Thanks to Chris Paul at LOL for highlighting this one.

And yet the biggest problem of all - a shadow cabinet full of MPs with second jobs, doesn't get a mention.

Graham

Major transport improvement to go ahead

2009-05-13T22:37:00.002+01:00

Great news for Greater Manchester today with the announcement that a large number of transport improvements (many of them included in the TIF package) will go ahead.

This is yet a further sign that the political leaders of Greater Manchester are determined to take forward efforts to regenerate and develop the area's economy despite the recession.

One of the audience members at our regeneration debate commented that the TIF vote had been a classic example of elected politicians not showing the political will needed to take things forward. It appears they've shown it today.

Graham

Equality and the Recession

2009-05-13T14:17:00.001+01:00

On Saturday 5th September Greater Manchester Fabians will be holding a half day conference - Equality and the Recession.

Please make a note of this in your diary. Full details to be confirmed.

Rich

Culture and Leisure Policy Forum

2009-05-13T13:54:00.003+01:00

On Wednesday 8th July we will be hosting an invite only policy forum Councillor Mike Amesbury and Councillor Rosa Battle to discuss culture and leisure policy in the city. The forum will start at 5pm.

To register your interest in attending please email me at graham_whitham@hotmail.co.uk.

Graham

Guest articles needed

2009-05-13T13:52:00.001+01:00

Just a reminder that anyone who wants to submit a guest article for publication on this blog can do so. Send me your article/idea to graham_whitham@hotmail.co.uk and we'll take it from there.

Graham

Progress 'Speaker List'

2009-05-13T13:49:00.001+01:00

Progress have published a list of MPs, PPCs and other notables willing to speak at local CLP meetings and similar events. The list if here.

Graham

Fairtrade coffee morning - Glossop

2009-05-13T13:42:00.003+01:00

A former colleague of mine (now working for the Lorna Young Foundation) has sent me details of a new a fairtrade coffee company.

If you are out towards Glossop you can go and taste the stuff on Saturday morning. Full details below. Apparently James Purnell is a big fan!

Graham

FIRST CHANCE TO TASTE A UNIQUE AND BRAND NEW COFFEE!

Oromo Coffee Company in partnership with Glossop Central Methodist Church present the first ever UK ‘community to community’ Fairtrade certified coffee!

Oromo Coffee Morning

10.00 - 11.45 am
Saturday 16th May

Glossop Central Methodist Church, Chapel St, Glossop, SK13 8AT

Stalls: Cakes, plants, books, Fair Trade etc.
(Toys, playroom and games room available for use of kids of all ages)

Come along and meet the team who made it all happen….and support this amazing local venture by purchasing some of the beautiful black stuff!

Summary of 'What now for regeneration?' debate

2009-05-04T18:32:00.006+01:00

The latest Greater Manchester Fabian Society event – ‘What now for regeneration?’ - took place on the 30th of April and was successful in establishing exactly how the regeneration we have seen in Manchester may continue in light of the financial recession and the rejection of the congestion charging bill. The event was well attended and proceeded to allow each panellist the ability to put their view across, as well as to answer questions from audience members and engage in some debate.

The panel was made up of:

Mike Amesbury, Executive Member for Culture and Leisure and Labour councillor for Fallowfield
Chris Farrow, Chief Executive of the Central Salford Urban Regeneration Company
Neil McInroy, Chief Executive of the Centre for Local Economic Strategies
Ben Williams, Head of Regional Development at Groundwork Northwest.

The meeting was chaired by Jonathan Schofield, writer, broadcaster and guide.

There seemed to be a strict consensus across the panel, that in order for regeneration to continue, there needed to be, as Neil McInroy said, a “paradigm shift” in the way we approach the topic. We need now to think of regeneration not as spatio-centric, but as an activity that involves people, and indeed focuses upon their needs. This requires further partnership between the private and the public sectors in order to deliver the services people require, as well as allow for continued investment not only in regeneration but in people themselves to allow regeneration to be possible. There also requires a focus upon green-regeneration that attracts people to the city, as well as keeps carbon emissions down. Greener areas are often the product of regeneration and of course given our current climate, this is still necessary.

The subject that Manchester and Leeds will receive city-region status, like London, was a prominent issue. This city-region status, while overlooked by the press, does allow local authorities in Greater Manchester to have more power to integrate planning, housing, transport, employment, skills, regeneration and economic growth in order to produce interdependence between all areas.

There were a number of questions by the audience, one in particular focused on how regeneration is possible after the rejection vote to congestion charging, this question is obviously difficult to answer, as the problem occurs when people wonder where regeneration should begin, the answer should be in all sectors. In order to have regeneration in one area, it depends upon regeneration within another. Transport between areas for people is clearly a big issue and one that is needed to be dealt with through the regeneration of all areas.

We would like to thank all the people who attended, the panellists and Jonathan Schofield and we are glad everyone was able to offer their insight into this issue. Please continue to follow this blog for updates on various issues as well as on further events.

Stephen Thomas Hall

Contribute to culture and leisure policy

2009-05-04T12:56:00.002+01:00

Councillor Mike Amesbury, Exec Member for Culture and Leisure on Manchester City Council and councillor for Fallowfield is asking local Fabians to give their thoughts on culture and leisure policy in the city.

Thinking about culture and leisure policy, you might want to address the following questions:

What has Manchester done well over the last 10 years?
How can culture and leisure policy contribute to regeneration?
What leisure services does Manchester need?
How can Manchester City Council work to advance new culture ideas and initiatives in the city?

Please send your responses to me at graham_whitham@hotmail.co.uk and I will collate a response to send to the councillor.

Graham

Pub night this Thursday!

2009-05-03T13:14:00.001+01:00

Thank you to everyone who came to our 'What now for regeneration' debate on Thursday. We are meeting in the upstairs bar of the Cornerhouse (by Oxford Road Station) this Thursday evening (7th May) from 8pm.

Please come along.

Graham

Regeneration continuing in Manchester

2009-05-01T21:56:00.004+01:00

The area around the former Mayfield Station is set to become Manchester's Whitehall, the BBC reports.

The announcement conincides nicely with the themes addressed at our regeneration panel debate last night. We'll have a write up on the debate available on here in due course.

Graham

Gurkhas - a message from Tom Levitt‏ MP

2009-05-01T20:37:00.003+01:00

The Government’s defeat on the issue of the Gurkhas raises obvious political problems. I want to take this opportunity to explain why I voted as I did, in favour of the Government’s position. That position was certainly NOT, as the media would have you believe, anti-Gurkha.

This situation is far more complex than the newspaper headlines (and, dare I say it, Joanna Lumley) would have you believe. The question of what is ‘fair’ is certainly not black and white, right or wrong and nobody (other than an overt racist) would argue that we should be anything other than fair to the Gurkhas.

I had around 30 emails on this subject, all styling themselves ‘Pro-Gurkha’. By far the majority of these were brief variations on a round robin and sent within the last 24 hours before the vote. Very few gave the impression of reflecting an understanding either of the present situation or of the Lumley demands. One of those demands, for a review of the 1997 ruling, was first made only about a week ago, as I understand it.

I have met ex-Gurkhas in their native Nepal. I have seen how they live and what facilities they have. I greatly respect their reputation as soldiers and their commitment to Britain’s military forces over many years. It is for this reason that I praise the Government’s record on supporting Gurkhas:

- we granted automatic right of residence in Britain for all Gurkhas who have served in our army since 1997 (the year that Gurkha HQ transferred from Hong Kong to Britain). Those Gurkhas receive British army pensions
- in 2004 we published guidelines for settlement rights in UK for Gurkha soldiers with pre-1997 service, in line with those of members of the British armed forces from other Commonwealth countries (this is a crucial point!)
- we spend as much money each year on Gurkha welfare in Nepal (£54M) as on development aid for the whole of the rest of that country (£56M)
- in 2000 we doubled the value of the pension for Nepal-based Gurkhas. Those pensions rise in line with Nepalese inflation, making Gurkha pensioners wealthy by Nepalese standards.

Throughout their service in the British army, Gurkhas remain Nepalese citizens. None of them, pre-1997, entered the army with any suggestion that this would earn them the right of residence here. Indeed, between 1948 and 1997 only 5 Gurkhas were granted UK citizenship. No Gurkha has ever been deported from Britain and there is no prospect of this happening in the future.

This list is a proud list of the benefits that a Labour government has brought to Gurkhas.

Last September the High Court asked the Government to clarify the 2004 criteria for pre-1997 settlement rights, as there were some 1,500 cases in the pipeline for consideration. That clarification was given and is reiterated in a letter to MPs from the Minister, Phil Woolas.

On 29 April a motion proposed by the Liberal Democrats, supported by the Conservatives and a handful of Labour MPs, called upon the Government to withdraw the guidelines completely and “extend equal right of residence to all Gurkhas”.

This goes very much further than the High Court demanded. The Conservative support was cynical because they did nothing to assist Gurkhas during their period in power. The Liberals support ‘open door’ migration. They did not deny that the figure for all Gurkhas and their dependents could potentially be 100,000; nor that the courts would inevitably determine that the same right of abode in UK would have to be given to all Commonwealth ex-soldiers as well. The cost to the British taxpayer would be about £1.5 billion if the policy were restricted to Gurkhas. If other Commonwealth soldiers were involved it would be much more expensive. I do not believe that this should be our spending priority at this difficult time.

It has been alleged that the government’s relaxation of the guidelines would only benefit 100 families. This assumes it would only apply to those families already in UK and already applying for residence. The government estimates that the true figure is 4,000 ex-soldiers plus perhaps 6,000 dependents.

The nation of Nepal would suffer badly from the loss of so many of its most wealthy residents. In the light of the vote, the Government has undertaken to clear the backlog of cases under the existing rules within six weeks and to review the guidelines in the light of the outcome of those cases.

In addition, the Home Affairs select committee will consider what further changes are necessary.
It is right to recognise the special contribution Gurkhas have made over the last 60 years. It is right to have a fair but managed system of migration for former members of the British army and to review the system from time to time. But it is also right to maintain a sense of proportion and not to let sentimentality drive policy, especially at a time of financial stringency.

I regret the vote the Commons took on 29 April. I hope the situation is restored quickly to one of fair and reasonable balance – as it was before.

Yours sincerely,

Tom Levitt

Hazel Blears agrees with the panellists at our regeneration debate...

2009-05-01T20:15:00.001+01:00

...or did they agree with her? For those of you who attended some of what Hazel Blears said earlier in the week will sound familiar.

Graham

Regeneration debate Open thread

2009-04-30T13:49:00.003+01:00

I'm going to leave this thread open for comments on tonight's regeneration debate. If you have any comments ahead of or after the debate, or couldn't come along but have something you want to say please use this thread to do so.

Rich

Ps Details of the event are here.

Tonight

2009-04-30T12:35:00.002+01:00

Tonight is our special 'Question Time' style debate:'What now for regeneration?' at the Mechanics Institute, 103 Princess Street, Manchester, M1 6DD.

The event will start at 7.30pm. This event is open to all but you will need to book a place in advance. To book a place please email Graham Whitham on graham_whitham@hotmail.co.uk or call 07917644435.

To cover room costs attendees will be asked to pay a £5 entrance fee.

The event will be chaired by:

Jonathan Schofield, writer, broadcaster and guide

The panel will consist of:
Councillor Mike Amesbury, Executive Member for Culture and Leisure and Labour councillor for Fallowfield
Chris Farrow, Chief Executive of the Central Salford Urban Regeneration Company
Neil McInroy, Chief Executive of the Centre for Local Economic Strategies
Ben Williams, Head of Regional Development at Groundwork Northwest.

Rich

A message from the Labour Euro Election team

2009-04-27T22:43:00.003+01:00

On June 4th in the North West Region – Every Vote Counts

Please encourage your friends and family to use their vote, to stop the BNP winning a seat and to return committed Trade Unionists to the European Parliament. Every Vote Cast makes it harder for the BNP to win a seat.

Labour’s record in Europe……
Four weeks paid annual holidays, longer rest breaks and shorter working hours.
Vital rights and protection for Temporary Agency Workers.
An end to rip off mobile phone roaming charges abroad.
Compensation for airline and rail passengers who suffer cancellations or long delays.
New food safety measures and clearer labelling.
Right to return to work, discrimination against pregnant women outlawed.
A European Arrest Warrant to speed up extraditions and make it easier to bring suspects to justice.
Full time rights for part-time and fixed term workers.
Better health & safety rights and more protection from hazards in the workplace.
Stronger information and consultation rights.
Climate change package to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 20% and set a 20% renewable energy target, all by 2020.

…and what Labour will continue to fight for…

Tighter regulation of European and global financial markets.
Support for the car industry and manufacturing.
Strengthening of EU law against discrimination.
Healthier and safer workplaces.
More cross-border cooperation, fighting crime and people trafficking, especially children.
Recovery programme to help jobless people get back to work.
Further action to tackle climate change and promote green jobs.
Reform of the EU energy market to give consumers a better deal.
Respect of rights to collective bargaining and industrial action.
Proper balance between Europe’s social and economic goals.
Greater protection for customers against dodgy goods and more rights for consumers.
Action to combat illegal migration.
Measures to end maternal mortality.
Renewal of EU efforts to tackle global poverty.
Measures to close the gender pay gap.

In this election Every Vote Counts, Your Vote can stop the BNP winning a seat in the North West

Co-operatives and Trade Unions in the UK - A social dialogue between the co-operative and trade union movements

2009-04-27T22:11:00.002+01:00

Co-operativesUK, Unions21 and Ruskin College are jointly hosting this event on Friday 22 May 2009. It aims to provide trade union officials and activists with an opportunity to assess the contemporary relevance of co-operatives during a period of change in the economy, workplace and employment.

With a keynote speech by Rt Hon Hazel Blears and key speakers from both movements, this is a rare chance to debate and explore how trade unions and co-operatives can work together.

Full details:

Friday 22 May 2009, 10.00am - 3.00pm, Mechanics Institute, Princess Street, Manchester, M1 6DD

Programme

10.00 Tea/coffee and registration

AM Chair: Sue Ferns (Chair, Unions21)

10.30 Welcome Dame Pauline Green, Chief Executive, Co-operativesUK

10.40 Opening comments, seminar programme Sue Ferns

10:45 Setting the scene: trade union challenges in a changing economyRt Hon Hazel Blears MP, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government

11.15 Co-operative responses to change: how it can work Dame Pauline Green

11:30 Co-operatives & health and social care: mutually exclusive?Health Union representative (TBC) and Mick Taylor, Mutual Advantage

12:00 Questions to the speakers

12:45 Lunch

PM Chair: Ian Manborde, Thompsons Tutor in Trade Union Studies, Ruskin College, Oxford

1.30 How can the co-operative and trade union movements work together? Exploring common ground Neil Buist, General Secretary, NACODavid Jenkins, Chair of Wales Co-operative Centre and former General Secretary of Wales TUC 2.00 Open debate

2.50 Concluding comments by Dame Pauline Green

To book your place at this free event please contact Laura Chillag on laura.chillag@cooperatives-uk.coop or 0161 246 2953

Austirity No Thanks

2009-04-27T11:21:00.003+01:00

In his recent Speech to the converted David Cameron invoked a new age of Austerity. But is this frugal doctrine what is needed for this country of ours to remerge form our current economic downturn, I say NO, now being a young man of 28 whose understanding of the concept is through David Kynaston fine book (worth a read) and what ive manged to glean from articles and t.v programs my overiding view of the era is not that favourable, for me when I think of austerity it cunjours up images of uniformity a time when people new their place a time of conservitism in terms of our culture and social attitudes. A time when going to univerisity or even going on a foreign holiday was the preserve of the few not the many. In terms of what Austerity meant politically then as now is massive cuts in investment on the Infrastructure of the country at a time when what is need to be investing in our future. What the country needed then as now is political boldness as demonstrated by Bevan and Atlee at home and FDR in the US not the meekness of Cameron's poll driven put the rich first polices.

Rich

Week to go till regeneration debate - book your place now !

2009-04-23T12:21:00.002+01:00

The announcement that economic and political powers are to be devolved to Greater Manchester chimes nicely with our regeneration debate next week. There is a limit to the number of places at the event so please book your place ASAP. Full details here.

Budget response on behalf of the Association of Greater Manchester - re city region status

2009-04-23T12:13:00.002+01:00

It looks increasingly like our regeneration debate next week is very timely!

In response to the Chancellor's announcement in the Budget today that Manchester is to be given city region status, the following statement was issued on behalf of the Association of Greater Manchester Authorities (AGMA):

Lord Peter Smith, Leader of AGMA. said:

"The Association of Greater Manchester Authorities (AGMA) welcomes the city-region new pilot scheme announced today in the Budget, which recognises the substantial contribution made by the Greater Manchester economy to national and regional prosperity.

"We echo that successful regions, such as Manchester, should be given an opportunity to agree priorities, investment direction and pilot innovative programmes tailor-made for the needs of our people and our businesses that support further economic growth and regeneration.

"Together, the local authorities across Greater Manchester can continue to make a difference and build on the recent Manchester Independent Economic Review (MIER) findings and shape our growth at a time when we need to be more focused than ever during these difficult economic conditions.

"A Greater Manchester Strategic Plan with agreed regional priorities focusing on accelerating growth will now develop with support from ministers and the Chancellor. Over the next few months we have a lot of work to do but we hope to get an action plan agreed so that this opportunity can be realised immediately."

Has Channel 4 put IPCC inquiry at risk?

2009-04-22T20:50:00.004+01:00

Yet more footage has been released of run up to Ian Tomlinson's death. Channel 4 News aired the footage tonight acknowledging that the IPCC had tried to block them doing so because of concerns it may prejudice the inquiry. A thought, but was it worth Channel 4 showing the footage?

A step in the right direction

2009-04-22T20:39:00.002+01:00

Amidst all the doom, gloom, spin and counter spin around the budget is this gem of an idea to devolve economic and political powers to Greater Manchester. The first step in the direction of a directly elected mayor for Greater Manchester and executive?

A one sided view of the budget

2009-04-22T20:30:00.003+01:00

Why does the media insist on reporting the budget along the lines of 'what does it mean for you?' It lends itself to an anti tax, individualistic approach to society and economics and when even the Guardian is up to it, I can't help despair.

I've thought this every year around budget time for a few years now but it has been brought home today with the announcement of a 50% tax rate for those earning over £150,000.

Graham

Why we blog - Our ethic of progressive activism

2009-04-20T12:40:00.002+01:00

I have signed this blog up to a statement of purpose and intent that has been agreed amongst a group of Labour supporting bloggers. I've reproduced the full text of the statement below. You can find details of the initial signatories on the Change We Need website.

Graham Whitham

Why we blog - Our ethic of progressive activism

We are a group of Labour party members and supporters who believe that blogging can play an increasingly important contribution to progressive politics. We are seeking, in different ways, to make our own individual contributions to that, and wish to set out the ethic which informs our blogging and the broader politics we are working for within the Labour Party and beyond it.

Many of these are truths which should be self-evident. We are well aware that the broad spirit which we seek to articulate has long informed what most Labour bloggers do, as it also does most of those who blog in other parties and in non-partisan civic activism. So we do not claim any particular originality; still less do we seek to impose our views as a new regulatory code, or to attempt to police others.

Our purpose is simple. We do not believe that new technology leads to inevitable outcomes, but rather that we must all make choices about how we use it and for what purposes.

So we wish to set out why we blog and how we want the party which we support to change so that it can connect to new progressive energy for the causes we support.

1. Ethical and value-based
We believe we must act as ambassadors for the political values we profess.This applies to all politics, online or not. The Obama campaign's power to mobilise was rooted in supporters living its ethic of 'respect, empower and include'. As Labour supporters, we wish to ensure that our values of solidarity, tolerance and respect are reflected in how we do politics as well as the causes we seek to serve.

So we oppose the politics of personal destruction. We believe that the personal can be political, where it reveals the hypocrisy of public statements, the wilful misuse of evidence, or breaches proper ethical standards in public life. Where it doesn't do that, it should be off limits. Politicians should be able to have a family and private life too. A politics of personal destruction violates progressive values and brings all politics into disrepute.

2. Positive about political engagement
We do not believe that the internet is inevitably a force for anti-politics. We reject the mythology of the internet as a lawless and ethics-free zone. Bloggers are subject to law, as well as to the ethical and civic pressures of our online and offline communities. We are clear that the left can never win a politics of loathing and mutual destruction, because the faith in politics that we need will inevitably be a casualty of war. The nihilistic approach practiced by a few online should not overshadow the greater energy and numbers engaged in constructive civic advocacy.

We believe that we can challenge our political opponents without always questioning their integrity. We believe that there are big political arguments to be had between the left and the right of politics, and the left has every reason to be confident about our values and ideas, which have done much to change Britain for the better over the last century and which are in the ascendancy internationally after three decades in which anti-government arguments have often dominated.

We also believe that what is pejoratively called 'negative campaigning' has a legitimate place in politics. Scrutinising the principles, ideas and policies of political opponents is an important part of offering a democratic choice. We should challenge the ideas, claims and sometimes the misrepresentations of our political opponents, just as we would expect them to challenge us. We believe that this is effective when it is done accurately, and that this will become ever more important as the internet makes politics more transparent. So we will point out where there is a mismatch between professed principles and policies, or where the evidence does not back up what is claimed, but we will try not to assume our opponents are in bad faith where we do not have evidence to support that.

3. Pluralist and open
We believe that pluralism must be at the heart of the progressive blogosphere.We believe that debate and argument are what brings life to politics. We want to promote a cultural 'glasnost' of open discussion within our party, to show that we understand that the confidence to debate, and disagree, in an atmosphere of mutual respect helps us to bring people together to make change possible.

We believe we must change the culture of Labour's engagement with those outside the party too, including those who were once our supporters but who are disillusioned, and new generations forming their political opinions. For us, democratic politics is about individuals working together to create collective pressure for change, but also about the need to continue to talk even when we disagree deeply. We believe in engaging with all reasonable critics of the Labour government and Labour Party, wherever we can establish the possibility of taking part in democratic arguments in a spirit of mutual respect.

4. Independent spaces
Attempts to transfer 'command and control' models to online politics will inevitably fail. Labour must show that it gets that - in practice as well as theory - if we are make our contribution to the progressive movements on which our causes depend.

The government and the political parties should use their official spaces to contribute to and enable these conversations. We also want to see Ministers and MPs having the confidence to engage in political debate and argument elsewhere, while being clear that there is no value for anybody in seeking to control independent spaces for discussion.

5. Participatory and cooperative
We believe in a cooperative ethic of blogging, because the internet is most potent when it harnesses the creativity, ideas and expertise of many people. The internet is a powerful tool for individual expression. We believe it also enables citizens to interact and collaborate in ways that were never previously possible, and catalyse new forces for participation and activism. As citizens, and as bloggers, we believe in asking not only what is wrong with the world but how we can work together to improve it.

We hope that others will offer ideas and responses - supportive and critical - about these ideas and how they can help to inform the future of our politics.

We know that the outcomes of politics matter deeply, that politics is about passion and argument, and that we may ourselves sometimes fall short of the values and standards that we aspire to.

But this is why we blog - and what we hope to achieve for our politics by doing so.

Stockport's Hope not Hate motion

2009-04-17T13:00:00.001+01:00

Stockport Council's Hope not Hate motion was approved unanimously last night and received strong cross part support. The text of the motion is below.

Graham

(i) “Hope not Hate”

This Council Meeting notes:

· that the racist and fascist British National Party (BNP) is currently concentrating all its resources into campaigning for the forthcoming European elections, in the hope of getting its Leader elected as an MEP for the North West;
· the establishment of the cross-party “Hope Not Hate” campaign, which aims to increase turnout at the European elections, and to expose the truth about the BNP’s true beliefs; and
· the recent intervention of the Bishop of Manchester, who warned that the BNP “will exploit the difficult times which presently face our country, trying to turn one community against the other…offers only division, fear and hatred… [and] will use difference as a scapegoat, because they have nothing else to offer in response to the issues we face.”

This Council Meeting believes that:

· Stockport is a vibrant, tolerant, friendly and successful borough, which is home to, and place of work of, people from many races, cultures, beliefs and backgrounds;
· this diversity is a great strength, which should be promoted and supported, and is not a weakness to be exploited;
· racism in any form has no place here; and
· we must unite to oppose those who would promote divisions and tension within our community, and whip up intolerance and hatred for their own ends.

This Council Meeting resolves:

· to restate our commitment, both as individuals and as a Council, to promoting community cohesion, tolerance and mutual understanding across our Borough, in partnership with other local agencies, groups and organisations, and with the people of Stockport;
· to support the aims and message of the ‘Hope not Hate’ campaign and of the ‘Manchester Pledge,’ and to inform the campaign organisers of this support; and
· to actively challenge and oppose, at every opportunity, those who seek to spread fear, intolerance and division in our Borough.

Moved by: Councillor Peter Scott
Seconded by: Councillor Dave Goddard

Full details of 'What now for regeneration?' debate on 30th April

2009-04-13T11:10:00.003+01:00

Manchester has been one of the UK's greatest successes over the last ten years. Rebuilding the city centre following the IRA bomb in 1996 and developing a city centre that is lived in, has lead to Manchester being hailed as one of the success stories of recent regeneration in British cities.

But Manchester is now at a crossroads. With the 'no vote' in the congestion charge referendum limiting transport development and with the housing market weakening in the face of the global recession what should Manchester now do to ensure regeneration continues and economic success is sustained?

On Thursday 30th April 2009, Greater Manchester Fabian Society presents a special debate:

'What now for regeneration?' at the Mechanics Institute, 103 Princess Street, Manchester, M1 6DD.

The event will start at 7.30pm.

This event is open to all but you will need to book a place in advance. To book a place please email Graham Whitham on graham_whitham@hotmail.co.uk or call 07917644435. To cover room costs attendees will be asked to pay a £5 entrance fee.

The event will be chaired by:

Jonathan Schofield, writer, broadcaster and guide

The panel will consist of:

Councillor Mike Amesbury, Executive Member for Culture and Leisure and Labour councillor for Fallowfield
Chris Farrow, Chief Executive of the Central Salford Urban Regeneration Company
Neil McInroy, Chief Executive of the Centre for Local Economic Strategies
Ben Williams, Head of Regional Development at Groundwork Northwest.

Political cliches: Number 85

2009-04-12T12:16:00.002+01:00

'If a spin doctor becomes the story, they have to resign (unless they are Alistair Campbell)'

Community must stick together

2009-04-12T12:13:00.003+01:00

Manchester has become the focal point this week for the fight against terrorism this week. The national media will soon move on but as the media focus turns elsewhere the local community must stay united. People will try and exploit the situation to their own ends, particularly the BNP. A message of unity is key.

Graham

Greatest Orator

2009-04-06T19:38:00.002+01:00

The BBC are currently running a series on rhetoric and speech and aired an excellent Alan Yentob documentary last night. Interesting that Labour orators from the past featured more prominently than Conservative ones.

On this theme, who do you think is Labour's greatest orator of all time? And thinking beyond the Labour Party, who is the lefts?

Graham

Put the local community and your children first

2009-04-06T19:36:00.001+01:00

It is good to see that Barry Sheerman MP is addressing the issue of private schooling in a forthcoming issue of the Fabian Review. For more, visit the national Fabian Society blog - Next Left.

Graham