Labour’s tragedy is Britain’s tragedy, said The Spectator.

The headline is right, but not in the way that The Spectator article by Nick Cohen states. But then The Spectator is no friend of democratic socialism. Its articles seem to spend a lot of time bashing anyone politically on the left.

Britain's tragedy is the current Tory austerity government propped up by the DUP after being promised £1.5bn, following on from 5 years of Tory/LibDem austerity government that systematically slashed budgets nationally and to councils.

It is their insistence on massive "savings" which in reality meant local services being cut: police, fire, social care and health, public sector pay freezes that have led to health service workers and police officers having to apply for food help at food banks to feed their families.  In 2017 over 67,100 were identified as being lost due to government cuts since 2010. 

It is the increase in the use of zero hours contracts to avoid providing proper workers' rights and employment protection, sickness and holiday pay, and pensions. 

It is the atrocious treatment of sick and disabled people under the benefits system, so bad that even the UN has declared the UK govt to be at fault, its report said that UK legislation has “failed to recognise living independently and being included in the community as a human right,” citing cuts to social protection schemes related to housing and budgets for independent living.

It is the appalling news that 78 homeless people died on the streets and in temporary accommodation this winter, and that rough sleeping has increased by 169% nationally since 2010. "An estimated 4,751 people bedded down outside in 2017, but charities say the official statistics fail to capture the true level of street homelessness."

It is the current situation with the #Windrush generation and the government's attempts to create a “hostile environment” for illegal immigrants which has spilled over to encompass immigrants who are here legally and who were invited to come here after WW2 to help rebuild this country and who are now facing deportation due to the Home Office and govt. maladministration of their records. It is also having an impact on EU citizens who are living here, who have felt increasingly unwelcome after the BREXIT Referendum result in June 2016. 

So yes, Labour's tragedy is Britain's tragedy and the tragedy of everyone in Britain who is suffering under the current Tory government. The answer is #VoteLabour.

Voting... why bother?

If you don't vote in elections because you feel that your vote won't make a difference, please think again!

In the 2017 General Election (GE) some 12,878,460 people (40% of the vote) supported Labour candidates, whilst the Conservatives gained 13,669,883 votes - just 791,423 more than did Labour - which, due to the FPPT voting system in the UK, resulted in 55 more Tory MPs (317) than Labour MPs (262).

Stats chart by Awake the Dragon

Interestingly, at least for numbers geeks like me, if you divide the total number of votes for each of the two main parties by the number of MPs elected for each of the two main parties this is the result:

• Tory 13,669,883 votes / 317 seats = 43,122 average votes per elected MP
• Labour 12,878,460 votes / 262 seats = 49,154 average votes per elected MP

So, nationally, it could be said that each Labour MP speaks for more Labour voters than does each Tory MP for Tory voters!

However, the turnout for the 2017 GE was 32,203,481 voters, equating to 68.8% of the registered electorate of 46,807,385. This means that 14,603,904 people on the electoral register did not vote. That non-voting figure is larger than the number of voters who voted for either the Tory or the Labour party, so those votes can and would make a difference.  Add onto that the number of people eligible to vote but who are not on the electoral register, which is thought to be around a further 4 million people, and you see a different picture of voter power.

Stats chart by Awake the Dragon

What conclusion might we draw from the figures above? Clearly, that governments are elected not by a majority of the voting age population, but by a majority of the population who bothers to vote. For those who say that voting changes nothing, the figures would indicate otherwise, as if the 20 million people who were eligible to vote on 8th June 2017 had done so, the country might not be enduring yet another austerity driven government benefiting the privileged few and causing hardship and harm to many. The message really is, "EVERY VOTE COUNTS!"

To make sure that you have and keep your eligibility to vote at future elections, please make sure you are on the electoral register. See here for how: https://www.gov.uk/browse/citizenship/voting - don't put it off. There is supposed to be a fixed five year term between General Elections but, as we saw in June 2017, things can change resulting in an early GE, especially with the uncertainty of the DUP continuing to prop up the Tory government if the Irish border / BREXIT issue causes a rift.

The rise of food banks: a proper British scandal

Did you know that the first food banks in the UK started in 2004 (there were two of them), but that their use did not start to rise much until the 2008 global financial crisis and the election of the coalition Tory/LibDem government in 2010? Since 2010 their use has sky-rocketed, as the Tory austerity measures have hit hard those who are least able to manage. Things have become so bad that now, in 2017 in the sixth richest country in the world, food banks are the only way in which some families are able to survive. That is a damning indictment of our so-called civilised society.

The Trussell Trust, the charity which runs the majority of the UK's food banks, gives these statistics:

"Between 1st April 2016 and 31st March 2017, The Trussell Trust’s Foodbank Network provided 1,182,954 three day emergency food supplies to people in crisis compared to 1,109,309 in 2015-16. Of this number, 436,938 went to children."

And it's not just people going along to get something for free because they can. You can't just walk in and ask or help yourself, you have to be referred to a food bank by one of a number of authorised organisations. Need is proven, and support is given, by way of sufficient food to provide meals for three days at a time.

But you can't just go back every fourth day and ask for more...  you have to be referred.  For instance, the Milton Keynes food bank, which is independent of the Trussell Trust, limits its help (although adds a rider that they can be flexible if clients need extra help), 

"Clients can receive a food parcel x5 times within a rolling 12 month period."

So why are so many families being forced to ask for help? The Trussell Trust states that delays to benefits payments were the most common reason for the rising number of referrals to foodbanks. Labour's Richard Burden (Parliamentary Candidate for Birmingham Northfield) said in an article in the Huff Post in Dec 2016 that,

"There is a wide spectrum of people who are running out of the money they need to buy food, toilet rolls and other family essentials these days. Quite a few different reasons too. However, a common factor in so many cases is the way the tax benefits and tax credits systems operate. People facing sanctions; people moving from one benefit to another with delays in the meantime; people falling between one part of the benefit or tax credit system and another. And please don’t think I am simply talking about people without jobs. A lot of people who turn for help to B30 and other foodbanks across the country are in work. It’s just that they are on poverty pay."

Low pay is a big factor: public sector has been subject to a pay freeze for several years, which means that in real terms most workers are now earning less than they were in 2010, with no prospect of a change, unless we see a change of government on 8th June.

The Mirror reported in March 2017 that,

"Public sector workers, including midwives, teaching assistants and refuse collectors, face a real terms pay cut of £4,000 on average by 2020 because of the government’s wages’ freeze,"

If people earn less, but costs of housing, heating, travel, food all continue to rise it is common sense that people will struggle to make ends meet and will need help with basics, especially as thresholds for in-work benefits are lowered, an impact that The Trussell Trust warned about in November 2015.

In another Huff Post article, Chris Mould the Chairman of the Trussell Trust, mentioned the publication of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation’s latest Destitution Report. It reports that in 2015 1.25 million people were unable to afford the absolute essentials needed to eat, stay warm and dry, and keep clean. This is 1.25 million people living in the UK; four in five of them born here. In the sixth richest country in the world, 1.25 million people are living in poverty and cannot afford food, heating or even toilet rolls!  I bet that is never a problem for those at 10 Downing Street!

So, having pointed out the problem, what is the solution to it? How do we reduce the demand, and remove the need, for food banks?  It's all down to the austerity economy which governments in power since 2010 have pursued.  Austerity is not a financial requirement, it is a political choice. It is a measure by which governments control the population without the population realising it is being controlled. It is gradual, it is insidious, it is destructive, and it is unnecessary.   

On 8th June we have the chance to make a change for the better, by not voting for more of the same. We can vote for a real alternative, for an economy that invests to make it grow, for a government that will bring in a real living wage of £10 an hour for all adults.  A government that will protect human rights and workers' rights, that will restore dignity to those whose lives have been blighted by benefit cuts, sanctions, food banks and homelessness. A government that will protect and invest in our NHS and social care systems. A government that will build homes that people can afford to buy or rent, and ensure proper rent controls and decent homes standards. A government that will invest in our schools and make good education available to everyone. A government that will help create quality jobs. A government that will take good care of its people and the environment in which we all live. 

Labour's 10 Pledges

The choice is simple, use your vote on 8th June. 

County council election turnout: apathy or idleness?

Are people in Cumbria completely apathetic about their votes?

Do you not want to vote for your county council?

4th May County Council Election Results

Conservatives 37
Labour 26
Liberal Democrats 16
Independents 5
TOTAL SEATS 84

Electorate 380,797, turnout 141,500 (37.2%)

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37.2% turnout!

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It wasn't even raining for goodness sake. Was there something better on the telly? Or could you just not be bothered to go and vote?

"It's not like it's important is it?"

The county council only makes decisions about a few things, so it's not like it's important is it?

Just so that you know, these are the services the county council funds, provides or administers:

• State Schools and Children's Services, including Foster Placement and Education Welfare
• Adult Social Care Services
• Fire and Rescue Service (advice for emergencies here)
• Trading Standards
• Roads, footpaths and street lights (report a fault here)
• Libraries and Archives
• Blue Badge Scheme
• Public Health
• Public Safety
• Registration of Births, Marriages and Deaths
• Civil Marriage Services
• Coroner Service
• Transportation
• Waste Management

Still think not voting for county councillors is not worth doing? 

So how many of you did vote?

Here in South Lakeland more of us did bother, the turnout here was 47%. Still not brilliant, but a darn sight better than 37.2%!  Barrow-in-Furness turnout was only 27.3% which is just dire! 

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I do hope that come 8th June more people will both to vote in the General Election, otherwise the next five years will see the UK governed by a right-wing group hell-bent on destroying everything that is good about the UK, a group which will have been elected by a small percentage of the total voting age population.

If you need further convincing that the right-wing vote has gone to the Tories, this comparison graphic of the 2017 and 2013 party voting percentages in Cumbria shows only too clearly where the Tory vote increase came from!

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So, if you want to live in a fascist state vote Tory and suffer the consequences (1930s repeated), but if you want to live in a country which cares for everyone irrespective of age, ability, debility, race, gender, etc, then do the proper thing, and #VoteLabour on 8th June. 

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21 Reasons to #VoteLabour on 4th May & 8th June

Join our fight for a fairer country

#ImVotingLabour on 4th May and 8th June and here's why:

1. For a properly funded and free at the point of use NHS

2. For appropriately funded safe and secure social care

3. For good education for every child irrespective of background or parental income

4. For good quality jobs across the country

5. For renationalised railway services that passengers can afford to use

6. For funding for rural bus services

7. For funding for repairs to roads and pavements

8. For funding for libraries, archives, and the arts to ensure good quality of life experiences for everyone

9. For environmental protection including air quality standards

10. For equality of everyone under the law

11. For a £10 hour National Living Wage

12. For affordable homes to buy or rent

13. For decent property standards and protection against landlord abuse of tenants

14. For the end of homelessness and people sleeping on our streets

15. For the proper financial support of those who are unable to earn an income

16. For the protection of children from harm and abuse

17. For the safety of those in domestic violence situations

18. For animal welfare standards & a continued ban on hunting

19. For the protection of women and girls threatened with FGM

20. For the retention of human rights and employment protections

21. For a sensible negotiated settlement with the EU re BREXIT that protects workers' rights and maintains the right of EU citizens already living and working in the UK

If you agree these are important to you too, then the obvious, indeed the only sensible, option is to #VoteLabour on 4th May and 8th June. 

Don't forget the local council elections on 4th May!

As a resident of the county of Cumbria this is written from a local perspective, but the same issues apply wherever you live in the UK! 

Although our attention is now focused on the General Election in June, the local council elections are very important too, as our county council set the budgets for many of the services provided in Cumbria.

Just so that you know, these are the services the county council funds, provides or administers:

• State Schools and Children's Services, including Foster placement and Education Welfare
• Adult Social Care Services
• Fire and Rescue Service (advice for emergencies here)
• Trading Standards
• Roads, footpaths and street lights (report a fault here)
• Libraries and Archives
• Blue Badge Scheme
• Public Health
• Public Safety
• Registration of Births, Marriages and Deaths
• Civil Marriage Services
• Coroner Service
• Transportation
• Waste Management

I doubt there is a person in the county who is not a user of one or more of these services, yet we tend to overlook local council elections, especially when a General Election is looming as now. 

So, why should you vote on 4th May?

Currently here in Cumbria there are 84 county councillors - one each for the 84 electoral divisions the county is divided into geographically. 

The current make-up of the county council is as follows: 

Labour:  36

Liberal Democrats: 15

Conservatives: 25

Independents: 8

In the last county council election Labour won the most seats but did not have an overall majority (43 required) on the county council, so needed to form an alliance with another group, which after the 2013 county council elections was the LibDem group (presumably considered the lesser of two evils!)  

Currently county council funding is provided by a combination of central government grants, Council Tax (a locally set tax based on house value), Business Rates, and fees and charges from certain services such as "decriminalised parking enforcement."

The government's website gives the information that,

"At the start of the 2010 Parliament, almost 80% of council expenditure was financed by central government grant; by next year Revenue Support Grant will account for only 16% of spending power; by 2019 to 2020 only 5%."

A current example on the East Sussex council website gives the following proportions for funding: 

Overall, local government spending is paid for by three main sources:

• Central Government − 61%
• Business rates − 17%
• Council tax − 22%

Some of the money is what is classed as hypothecated (i.e. ring-fenced) meaning that it can only be spent in a very specific manner - in essence, it merely passes through a council's accounts on its way from the funding source to its intended destination, e.g. Dedicated Schools Grant, Health and Wellbeing grants, fines and charges related to vehicle parking and local road restrictions; whilst the other main central government grant - the Revenue Support Grant - is not hypothecated, and can be spent as the council wishes.

Additionally revenue is raised by means of the Council Tax levied on every household in the county. The level of Council Tax is determined by county councillors after consideration of funding needs but they cannot just set it to any level they choose. The county's portion forms part of the annual Council Tax bill sent out by the district councils before the start of each financial year. Currently Council Tax contributes only a small proportion (25%, on average) of local government revenue.

As to increases in Council Tax, historically, central government retained the right to cap an increase in Council Tax, if it deemed the council to be increasing it too much. During the Conservative - Liberal Democrat coalition govt of 2010-15 a change was made so that councils can raise the level of council tax as they wish, but must gain permission from their electorate in a local referendum on the matter, if they wish to raise it above a certain threshold set by central government, currently this is set at 2%. However, some councils such as Swindon in Wiltshire have found a legal loophole and have announced increases that will mean some residents paying 7.2% more in Council Tax without holding a local referendum!

Under plans put forward by the current government's Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government the amount of money raised locally rather than provided by national government grants will rise in the period up until 2020, when it is intended that the Revenue Support Grant will disappear and all money spent by a local authority will need to be raised by the council via Council Tax, local business rates, and the payment for other services, e.g. parking etc.

In counties such as Cumbria this presents huge problems, as despite having a massive geographical area (6,768 km2 or 2,613 sq miles for pre-metric thinkers) the county's population is comparatively small (498,000 as at 2015.)   Consequently the amount of revenue that can be raised in the county is considerably smaller than a smaller, more densely populated, area. In a rural county where roads are vital, bridges are many, and funds are low, we inevitably see potholes, poor footpaths and pavements. We have seen closures of a whole array of public services, from libraries to police stations, care homes to hospital units. We have poor public transport links at high costs to passengers. We have housing that is unaffordable to first time buyers, and rental accommodation that is either inadequate or that locals cannot afford to rent.  Wages are relatively low for many in employment whilst, due to the low numbers of big employers in the area, there are many people who have become sole traders or set up small businesses  of their own, to try and keep earning an income.  We simply do not have a wealthy electorate to tax to pay for council services, so the central government grants which are funded through taxation are vital for the county.

Labour councillors will continue to their utmost to protect key services despite budgetary restraints imposed on it by central government, but you can help too by voting for your Labour candidate in your ward. By having a majority on the county council it means Labour can continue to honour its manifesto commitments.  Our best hope for the county and the country as a whole is for a Labour government to be elected in the #GE2017 on 8th June, but in the meanwhile please do not neglect the county council elections.

#VoteLabour on 4th May

Polling Day is Thursday 4 May 2017

Polling stations open at 7am and close at 10pm. Use your vote - #VoteLabour for a society that works for everyone not just the privileged and richest few.