Opposing fee's. Opposing violence

UMSA students with Medway Labour Council candidates

Medway Labour activists stood with the Universities at Medway Students Association (UMSA) today in support of the NUS campaign to oppose the Conservative and Liberal Democrat hike in fee's to £9,000 per year.

A hike in fee's that will leave a middle-class grammar school child in Medway a debt of £25,000 and a medical student a debt of £50,000

This blog believe it is grossly unfair that intelligent people should be penalised at the earliest point in their professional lives with unmanageable levels of debt. This blog does not believe that a 17 year old should face a financial burden which will weigh him/her down for close to two decades, and at a time when leaving University, they are joining an unstable employment market and thinking about housing and perhaps marriage.

The Conservatives opposed tuition fee's in 2003 under Howard and Ian Duncan-Smith. They have undertaken a change in stance, blaming the deficit, knowing full well that the deficit reduction period is driven on an electoral cycle (four years) and not an economic cycle. They have made a political choice out of ideology - marketisation of the University sector, marketisation of trains, marketisation of schools. These are all choices.

Around 50,000 students, lecturers and members of the general public took part in what is being labelled as the biggest student demonstration in a generation, jointly organised by NUS and the University and College Union (UCU). The majority marching were doing so peacefully.

The march covered a route pre-approved by police from Horse Guards Avenue to a rally outside the Tate Britain where protestors heard from UCU General Secretary Sally Hunt, NUS president Aaron Porter and TUC deputy general secretary Frances O'Grady.

The rally focused on the Liberal Democrats who opposed tuition fee's for the General Election in May. They pledged to students they would never support an increase. They pledged to student families that any increase in fee's would be regressive. They have betrayed their voters and for that in May 2011 they face decimation in Medway.

NUS will target Liberal Democrat MPs for a recall ballot if they betray voters trust and vote for fee hikes.

NUS and not one member of its executive team support violent action. It was a minority of individuals who hijacked a just cause for personal ends.

The Tory spinners tonight are making out that the entire NUS protest was violent and was hell-bent on disorder. They can casually sneer at the hard-pressed middle class families of Medway but the fact is Mark Reckless, Tracey Crouch and Rehman Chisthi will leave an average grammar school pupil from Medway a £25,000 legacy of debt, before he/she starts working. If you become a medic, and help save peoples lives, you will have a £50,000 debt. It is the wrong values. It is Tory values.

Next week the windows will be be replaced, the glass cleared, the signs removed - but young people will still have the threat of Tory debt. Parents, pupils, teachers and lecturers all oppose a rise in fee's.

Today, they made that point.

A £9,000 fee is regressive. It is wrong. It is Conservative Party ideology against the interests of the majority of people in this Country.

Save the Educational Maintenance Allowance

This blog and the Rochester & Strood Labour Party is backing the Save the EMA campaign which is opposing the Coalition government proposal to scrap the allowance to the poorest students.

It is challenging local Conservative MPs; Tracey Crouch, Mark Reckless and Rehman Chisthi to oppose any measure which would cut a key allowance to the most vulnerable students. The Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) is a means-tested allowance of between £10 and £30, paid to 16- to 19-year-olds who stay on in education.

Rolled out nationally in September 2004, EMA is intended to help with the cost of books, travel, equipment or anything useful to the continuation of learning. It’s paid straight into the pupil’s bank account, not their parents or their college, giving them independence and forcing them to take charge of a small weekly budget. The payments are under the condition that they attend classes regularly. If the pupil works hard or achieves good grades, there is the opportunity to earn bonuses.

EMA is available to 16-19 year olds who come from low income families and whose household’s net income is below £30,000 pa. There is an additional grant for those students from families household income is up to and below £20,000 pa. EMA currently exists all across the UK although the administering of it is devolved to the regional parliaments of Scotland and Northern Ireland.

The allowance is not only a financial life-line for poorer students - in terms of purchasing stationary and academic textbooks. It is also a hook with which to keep pupils in attendance over the duration of their academic course.

The worrying fact coming out of this Coalition government is that the Tories do not believe in educational opportunity for all. They are targeting the poorest students in scrapping the Educational Maintenance Allowance and are raising tuition fees to an eye-watering £9,000 per year. This could leave the average student (at both a grammar, private, college or comprehensive) with a massive debt burden on entering the unstable world of work. The Tories are gerrymandering funding from state funded schools into the pet 'free schools' which is privatisation in all but name. Youth services across Medway have been cut.

Medway Labour MPs made it a cornerstone of there legacy to invest in education for our young people.

Under the last Labour government we saw significant investment in improved primary schools, new academies and several university campuses across the towns. We embedded educational attainment so that all our people could fulfil their potential as human beings. It is time for the Tories to put education first, for the future of Medway

Moment of Madness, Nick?

Yes, it really has to be read to be believed...

Disgraced (ex) Conservative Nick Brice has today come out in the press with a reason for being caught with a prostitute in his vehicle in the Medway red light district, days after the Standard's Board sub-committee decided the matter should be considered at a further hearing.

The politician, who did not have the decency to quit after being charged with kerb-crawling, remains on the Council pay-roll pocketing thousands of pounds of public money.

Cllr Brice was considered a senior Conservative prior to his 'spontaneous action' and had stood in the leadership elections for the Conservative Group. He also had been given responsibility for Council audit. He was not just a backbencher. He had influence.

According to Cllr Brice, now an Independent, he was on business along the New Road after attending a Tory fundraising event where he was socialising, before being caught in a sting operation.

He was caught by Kent Police with a prostitute in his car after driving through the Red light district to collect and return people home. According to his account (read above) after driving past not once, twice but um, four times, Cllr Brice 'spontaneously' stopped to do a u-turn in the road and allowed a prostitute into his vehicle before being caught by the Police. According to Cllr Brice, 'as the car stopped, a girl appeared ... and proceeded to open and the door and sit in the passenger seat'

After months of delays, we now have a full account of his activity which has some similarity with former Labour MP Ron Davies. It has to be read to be believed and then read again. The difference of course Ron Davies, actually, resigned.

This blog is not seeking to moralise the conduct of law-abiding citizens and what they consent or otherwise in their own personal space.

This case however highlights a public servant who broke the law and was charged.

Ordinarily this is a shut book case in other areas. Councillor apologises, stands down, by-election.

However, the response by Cllr Brice and Medway Conservatives has and continues to be totally shocking. He and they simply don't get it.

Instead of standing up at the time and resigning, as was demanded by public, press and opposition, he indicated to the press that he was 'down but not out' before continuing to be paid for his services as a Councillor.

As is usual over a Tory scandal, we have yet had no statement at all from Medway Conservatives. They have had almost 12 months to call for his resignation.

Medway Conservatives need to take responsibility. This man was selected by Rochester & Strood Conservative Association, he campaigned and still campaigns for the Conservatives. He wears blue rosettes to every election and by-election. He is, in every sense, an active Conservative.

This blog has attacked Medway Conservatives for the casual disregard for basic public decency and its failure to call for Cllr Brice's resignation. It believes the attitude of Medway Conservatives is symbolic of decay at Gun Wharf.

Not one Tory Councillor has had the moral courage or human decency (and it is basic manners), including ward colleagues, to apologise and call for a resignation. Not one Parliamentary spokesperson, not one member, no one at all.

Simply trying to hide dirty laundry may be a political strategy but it is a coward's one.

The fact the Rochester & Strood Conservatives were foolish enough to pick not one, but two, Councillors who have brought Rochester South & Horsted ward into disrepute, serves to highlight why this Association needs to be closely watched by CCHQ.

They have simply failed to stand up to expectations, time, time and time again.

Rochester & Strood Conservatives are arguably a total mess politically. We continue to have an ongoing complaint over attacks on the Police from a Councillor, who stood to be leader of the group. The area has suffered international converge and embarrassment after our MP was so drunk he collapsed in the Commons bar on the crucial budget vote. A vote he did not attend, but in hindsight, though not in attendance, can claim Labour were 'irresponsible' with the economy. Just a tad ironic.

When VAT goes up to 20% next year, that excuse wont wash with the public.

We have had open warfare with Councillors backstabbed out of office. We have even seen an Association which has tried to cover up getting its River ward candidate's name wrong. We have incompetence over eligibility and the £11,500 by-election cost still not refunded.

This is but the shortlist of errors in one year. We can go back to sterilisation comments, lost membership lists... its endless.

It is incompetence as standard.

What is more worrying to political insiders is that this is a one year record of the Conservative faction that are actively seeking the leadership of the entire Medway Conservative Group. It is damning, if it was not so scary!!

Alternatively, next year people can vote for a centrist Labour Party, that will stand up for hard working people. A new generation is ready to take lead that, whilst not perfect, has the right values of public decency.

The values of standing up for the poorest and most vulnerable.

It is time to kick this lot out of office once and for all. Their record is on public record.

Read it in the papers, judge it in May

CCTV Car: Your vote counts!

Medway Labour are interested to hear your thoughts on the Medway Council CCTV Car. It is currently an issue of much debate in households across Medway and has been widely commented upon in the press.

Medway Labour are keen to know what you think, and the result will be useful in setting policy for the Labour Group going forward and potentially for the manifesto in 2011.

The options

* Positive - they do a good job and should stay
* Negative - they do a bad job and they should be scrapped
* Keep them - but review how they should operate (e.g. where they can park, offences they record)
* I have not heard of the CCTV Smart Car

Please do follow the link and vote.

No to Censorship

Says it all.

UKIP Voter? Got what you wanted?

You may remember from May 2010 this pledge by your Rochester & Strood MP, Mark Reckless.

A pledge to hold a referendum on Europe.

In the speech Mark Reckless stated

“We want an independent Britain with its own taxes, its own borders and its own laws.

“But we don’t want this EU racket. At every election I have pledged to fight to get back our country’s independence.

“I repeat that pledge tonight.

“We are a free people and a free nation and we should chart our own path.

“No-one under the age of 55 has had the opportunity to vote on how our country is governed.

“It’s time to have an in our out referendum on Europe.”

So lets look at the Conservative record on Europe since May 2010

- Agreed to move governance of financial regulation to the European Commission so undermining the City of London and power of UK regulator

- Agreed to give prisoners the vote

- Agreed to increase the budget of the EU by 2.9% despite Cameron pledge to cut the budget. No budget rebate secured.

- Agreed to a Rome treaty change on fiscal compliance of the nation state with no trigger referendum

- Agreed to further consolidation of defence policy with the European Union, including a shared policy on defence with France. Shared nuclear testing and carrier capability in a binding treaty with no Parliamentary vote

- Agreed to increase budget to European Foreign Department

It has to be said, as a 'New Labourite' this is an impressive list and more than Gordon Brown could ever have achieved.

Cameron has even silenced the pro-European suspects by giving Europe everything they could have wanted!

Not only have the Tories ceded more power to Europe to regulate the City of London but also the principle of sovereign defence, the treaty lock on the Rome agreement and have agreed to increase the budget to the EU.

The Conservative leadership have also scotched any idea of a European referendum on membership. There will be no referendum.

Glad you got what you voted for? I doubt it.

Tories Jumping the Gun

A bit insensitive for Medway Conservatives to be snubbing Her Majesty in this matter.

This blog supports the campaign for City status but it is inappropriate for the Council to re-brand as something which it is not currently, and which is still being considered by the Queen.

Cllr Jarrett's response that 'we can call ourselves what we like' is simply a baffling response. A town can not just suddenly decide to call itself a city, or a city a metropolis. Perhaps Maidstone Council will re-brand to City of Maidstone or Faversham or Dartford. That is a ridiculous response.

With £50m of cuts identified over the next four years, it is simply concerning that 'Ivory towered' Tories are squandering money on publicity schemes whilst people are loosing their jobs.

If the Queen does not award City status to Medway then this is an expensive mistake.

It is appropriate to wait until you know you have won something before undertaking, at great cost, such re-branding.