The AV vote - Making the right call

NEXT week, Britain goes to the polls again.  This time, it could well decide how the country votes in future elections.  Thanks to Nick Clegg and his failing party – we have to decide whether we want to keep the current voting system, or go for the ridiculous idea of numbering party candidates by first choice, second choice and so on.  Are you confused by the AV system, do you even care?  I don’t think people do to be honest, but all the same – it gives me the chance to express my thoughts on such a crucial system.

LISTENING: Cameron looks on as Reid gives his reasons

     Last week was a funny one, to see political rebels on the same platform as one another, promoting their views on AV.  Prime Minister David Cameron shared a stage with former Labour Home Secretary John Reid.  When Cameron said; ‘There aren’t many things me and John agree on,’ can you imagine what must have been going through Reid’s head.  Talk about stating the bloody obvious!  Cameron, Reid and the BNP leader, Nick Griffin are in the ‘No to AV’ camp.  I must admit – I’m in the same camp.  Yes, you heard it here first – I actually agree with something that Nick Griffin says and that makes me feel dirty inside!

     The current voting system works fine.  Okay, it doesn’t favour minority parties such as UKIP, the BNP, Green Party and others and it would mean another century of either ‘hung parliaments,’ or Conservative and Labour majority governments.  However, what’s so bad about that and I think, after the Liberal Democrats dramatic fall from grace in the past twelve months, many feel its bad enough they are part of a coalition at the moment, let alone if they governed the country solely.

     This referendum on the voting system was agreed in the coalition package last May, and was one of Nick Clegg’s critical reforms in his party manifesto.  So, he stuck to one of his pledges in pushing for something.  Such a shame he didn’t think the same way, when it came to tuition fees.  Students always saw the Liberal Democrats as their ‘natural’ party.  They were the only party that seemed interested in making higher education and University tuition fees a thing of the past.  Labour introduced them and the Tories were only interested in raising them.  So, when Clegg and current Business Secretary Vince Cable had their chance to rebel their point, they blew it and lost a load of staunch supporters.  Clegg doesn’t seem to regret it, but he should.  Last year, the Lib Dems were the crème of the crop and could have forged a major surprise in the General Election.  Fast-forward twelve months and the party has been battered at numerous by-elections, looks set to be thrashed at next week’s local and council elections and isn’t very liked within society.  Maybe ‘Yes to AV’ is a fairer voting system – but is it necessary?  Politics might be in a complete mess nowadays, but I think it would be in a worse state should ‘Yes to AV’ be passed. 

UNPOPULAR: Ed Miliband will do well to turn around his fortunes

     Plus, if you didn’t need any more convincing about the ‘Yes to AV’ being the wrong idea, Clegg’s biggest supporter is the Labour leader Ed Miliband.  Ed Miliband seems to be about as popular as a micro chip!  His party doesn’t seem to like him already and let’s be honest – what has he done since he was elected leader of the opposition last September, absolutely nothing!  If Miliband ever got into Downing Street, the consequences could be unimaginable.  What were the Trade Unions thinking when they backed Ed over David in the leadership contest last autumn!  David Miliband would have given Labour a more positive future, after the backwards steps it took in Gordon Brown’s later days.  In Ed Miliband, they have the wrong man in the job, when Labour could make big steps forward – especially when the coalition’s popularity is not very high in society.  Miliband backing Clegg doesn’t surprise me and it convinces me enough that ‘Yes to AV’ is the wrong way to go.

     In summary, the AV vote is not the most exciting thing to have ever gripped the country, but it is still valuable, especially with future elections in the balance on what happens at the ballot box next Thursday.  Whatever the nation ends up deciding, it will and with good grace.  I just hope you use your vote wisely and think of the possible outcomes before making your mind up.    

2010: A year in politics

CHANGING times in politics and 2010 has been a very busy and chaotic year.  Demonstrations, recriminations, ramifications, blunders – it has had as much drama as a typical episode of Holby City.  A new coalition government, a new era or the same old story for some, this year has been the most dramatic in politics for some time.

DOOMED: Darling's budget bought grim news

It all began in January when Geoffrey Hoon and Patricia Hewitt tried to start a rebellion to usurp Gordon Brown from his position as leader of the Labour party.  This failed miserably, but it summed up the frustrations of some within the Labour government.  They were convinced that they were going to lose the General Election.  The bad press continued as three Labour MP’s were charged over their use of expenses from the devastating political scandal that ripped through the system in 2009.  Alistair Darling’s final budget as Chancellor of the Exchequer in March bought the predictable grim news that we were all fearing.  However, these fears would be briefly replaced by a sense of election fever.

TWIST: The leadership debates bought more intrigue

Gordon Brown, David Cameron and Nick Clegg went onto the campaign trail across the country.  Power swayed between the three political parties, which included live televised leadership debates.  Held on ITV, Sky and BBC for three consecutive Thursdays in April, the debates sparked a new form of interest to many, especially as these were held in primetime form.  Brown’s chances of staying in Downing Street took a significant blow, when he had a fateful meeting on immigration with long-time Labour supporter Gillian Duffy in Rochdale.  “That was a disaster, everything; she’s some sort of bigoted woman that said she used to be Labour. I mean it’s just ridiculous.”

FISTCUFFS: Adam Boulton vs Alistair Campbell live on Sky

Whilst UKIP leader Nigel Farage was lucky to escape with his life, after a plane crash in a final bid for campaigning votes on Election Day, the election went through with minimal fuss.  The country spoke and a ‘hung parliament’ was the outcome.  The Conservatives won the most amounts of seats, but not the magical number needed for a majority.  Coalition negotiations began between the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats, whilst Brown sat and waited in No.10, hoping for a miracle to survive.  To keep the election headlines going, Sky News political editor Adam Boulton and ex-Labour spin doctor Alistair Campbell had a near punch-up live on Sky’s Live at Five. 

On May 10, Brown announced he was stepping down as leader of the Labour party.  24 hours later, he decided to quit Downing Street.  As he walked away with wife Sarah and their two children, Brown’s final graceful words were; “As I leave the second most important job I hold, I cherish more the first I have, as a husband and father.  Thank you and goodbye.”

A few hours later, David Cameron rolled into Downing Street with wife Samantha to take the role as Prime Minister.  Nick Clegg took the Deputy Leader role and speculation began on his appointment; would it seem like a bad romance or a match made in heaven. . .

JOY: David Cameron cradles his new bundle of joy

Later that month, David Laws resigned from the new cabinet after claiming expenses to pay rent for his partner.  George Osbourne, the new chancellor delivered an emergency budget in June, stating; “This helps deal the country with its growing massive debts.”  “It pays for the past and plans for the future.”

The summer went past a little quieter, but for the Prime Minister, it bought a mixture of celebration and tragedy.  His father passed away after illness, but David Cameron’s wife Samantha gave birth to a beautiful baby girl whilst on a family holiday.  Florence Rose Endellion Cameron was born into the world at the Royal Cornwall Hospital. 

COMPETITION: Ed beat David to Labour leadership power

In September, Ed Miliband beat stiff competition from Ed Balls, Andy Burnham, Diane Abbott and crucially, his brother David, to leadership of the Labour party at its annual conference in Manchester.  Ed got the nod, as he was backed significantly by the trade unions.  Four days later, David Miliband elected to quit frontline politics to spend more time with his family... 

As the clocks changed, times changed for the coalition government too.  With Ireland in trouble financially, George Osbourne agreed to lend them a massive bailout.  The figure of £7billion was stupid, to help ‘a friend in need.’  Ugly demonstrations soon followed, when MP’s recently decided to increase University tuition fees.  Scenes in London not seen for twenty years horrified many, but bought the popularity of the government significantly down.

2010 has had a load of interesting political stories, far more happened than in the ‘boring’ old days of the 90’s.  Will 2011 bring even more?  What can be said is that 2010’s year in politics will never be forgotten.

Ed Gets The Labour Nod of Approval

Ed Miliband has been chosen as Gordon Brown’s long-term successor to lead the Labour party into the next General Election and maybe beyond.  After months of hard campaigning, Ed surprised many by just getting enough votes to edge out his brother and favourite with many bookmakers, David Miliband.  The news was announced at the weekend, at the start of Labour’s annual party conference.  He will take over from Harriet Harman, who has been standing as acting deputy leader during the transitional period in British politics.

After four rounds of vote counting, Ed received a 1.3% bigger majority share to win the role and become the figurehead into challenging the coalition government for the next testing period that politics has to deal with, which is the inevitable spending cuts.  Fellow candidates Ed Balls, Andy Burnham and Diane Abbott were a distant third, fourth and fifth in the final votes, with the leadership already looking like it was heading to one of the Miliband brothers.

In his acceptance speech, Ed was full of praise for his brother:

“David, I love you so much.”  “To the country, I know we lost touch, I know we need to change.”  “Today begins a new generation for Labour.”

There is now intense speculation about the future of David Miliband political career.  Many insiders are expecting him to quit frontline politics to spend more time with his family.  Whatever he decides, his support for the Labour party must remain strong if the party is going to recover from the devastating blow of losing power in Downing Street when we went to vote back in May. 

Can Ed Miliband turn around the fortunes of the Labour party….he certainly has a tough and challenging job on his hands…..

The Labour Leadership Contest Gets All Brotherly

   

He may have only vacated Downing Street and the most important job in politics one week ago, but the race is already underway to become Gordon Brown’s long-term successor of the Labour party.  Whilst Harriet Harman is standing in for now, whilst the party attempts to rebuild itself as an opposition force, it is the forthcoming battle between the Miliband brothers that could be the new storm in British politics.

As the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats settle into their coalition partnership, and sorting out pressing issues, such as the economy, our troops in Afghanistan and taxes, Labour gets ready to become an opposition force after thirteen years in power.  As MP’s return to duty on Wednesday, following the six week election campaign, it will be interesting to see who can lead Labour out of the doldrums on a long-term basis.  Already, former Chancellor Alistair Darling and Peter Mandelson have ruled themselves out of the race, whilst Harman has insisted she will not run long term, only interested in providing the much-needed stability that the party requires now.  However, fellow Labour MP’s, particular from the female side, want Harman to stand to prevent an all-male leadership contest.  Ex Schools-Secretary Ed Balls, an outspoken figure is expected to launch his bid this week, whilst there have been outside mentions for fellow MP’s Andy Burnham and Yvette Cooper.

However, the frontrunners appear to be the Miliband brothers.  On Saturday, the outgoing Energy Minister Ed Miliband announced his intention to stand for Brown’s vacant position.  The MP for Doncaster North, who launched his campaign in London, has insisted that there is no rivalry with his brother, David Miliband.  He also claimed he would support David, should he win and went out with the comment ‘Win or Lose, we will still be the best of friends.’  Whether that will happen, remains to be seen….For David Miliband, this is his chance to take control of the party.  Twice before, he could have challenged Gordon Brown for the leadership, but elected to support him rather than stand against him, and now with the vacant position open, he is the bookmakers favourite to land the Labour role.  A recent YouGov poll showed him coming out with 32% of the vote, more than half the percentage of the next closest, Harriet Harman with 11%.  The former Foreign Secretary, an MP for South Shields since 2001 and having served Labour on the Cabinet for eight years, is known to have some wide support from many sectors of the Labour fraternity.  Many already see him as the figurehead for the fightback to Downing Street.

There is unlikely to be such a complex deal, as there was with Gordon Brown and Tony Blair in 1994, after the untimely death of the popular John Smith, but there could well be many more twists, before the expected announcement, Labour’s annual party conference in September.  The race to be Gordon Brown’s long-term successor is well and truly on and it is really more closer than home than many may have anticipated.  

Gordon Brown - A Likeable Guy, But Is It Too Late?

This blog was first published on February 15th at http://happydude88.livejournal.com/

 

Last night, Prime Minister Gordon Brown opened his heart out to millions of television viewers, but is it going to be too late for his future, with the General Election only a matter of months away. If we believe Sky sources, it could be as early as May 6th. Did it have any effect on his personality with the voters, or was it just a media-management exercise?

Politically, Gordon Brown certainly has his critics, both from inside and outside the political circle. In fact, he barely raises a smile for the cameras, and is often made an easy target when things go wrong within the Labour party. He is an independent man, who loves his job of leading our country and is determined to do the right things that he believes in. Let’s face it, he hasn’t had it easy in the tenure as Prime Minister: A global recession, war conflict in Iraq and Afghanistan and having to overcome numerous party opposition challengers to remain top dog. On ITV’s ‘Piers Morgan’s Life Stories’ last night, many of us got to see Gordon Brown the man, Gordon Brown the normal bloke, rather than the perception to many, Gordon Brown the clueless Scottish Prime Minister.

The way he was talking to Piers, it was clear that he hasn’t had an easy time of it, from the numerous operations required to save the sight in both his eyes, to the day he finally got the keys to No.10 Downing Street. 1994 turned out to be a key year for our country. Labour leader John Smith died from a heart attack, and Brown was many people’s favourite to succeed Smith as leader. However, after a series of discussions, it was decided that Brown would step aside for Tony Blair, a decision that changed the way Labour thought in their desperation to win back the country. Three years later, Blair was swept into office with a landslide vote and Brown had to bite his lip for a whole decade, watching Blair achieve his aims that deep down, he must have thought he could have done too. Last night, he admitted a deal was struck with Blair over the leadership decision in 1994, and admitted that the strain on his friendship with the former Prime Minister was fairly strong. However, he conceded it was the right decision at the time, and that’s something I fully agree with.

The most emotional part of the whole interview was Gordon opening up to the public about the tragic death of his and wife Sarah’s first child, Jennifer. This happened nine years ago and for someone, still clearly affected by the pain of this horrific event, to open up to the British public this sad tale was an act of courage and bravery. Watching it, I really felt sorry for him, nearly being reduced to tears. Some will say it would be for the symphony vote, but I wholeheartedly disagree with that viewpoint. At least he held it together, unlike Alistair Campbell’s shameful attempts at waterworks over the Iraq enquiry last week, when interviewed by Andrew Marr.

Whoever asked Gordon Brown to do this, whether it was Sarah, Peter Mandelson or just his advisors, the interview went across really well and was a very creditable performance. Piers Morgan was the right man for the interview too. Piers is a close friend of the Brown’s, he knows what they have been through and he didn’t make it hard for Gordon to speak – better than Jeremy Paxman, who might be a stronger interviewer face-to-face, but would have ripped the Prime Minister to pieces in the same scenario, with his interrogative question.

The final outcome of the General Election shouldn’t be affected by this, but for me, Gordon Brown has won a few more friends and a load of respect for his dignified and gracious appearance and accounts last night. The leadership debates will be his next big test, to see if he really has a future in running the country. Though maybe we need a change for the better in this country, Gordon Brown is a likeable, nice guy and nothing should be drawn personally against him. It could be worse; you could be a BNP member, supporting the coward that is Nick Griffin! Thumbs up Gordon, you deserve a lot of credit!