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: My reflection on the big stories

WE MAY be five days already into the new year and whilst 2011 offers most the chance of a fresh start, the year 2010 gave us some dramatic stories in one of the most spectacular years of recent modern times.  Here are my own personal reflections of ten of the top stories that made the headlines last year.

The Chilean miners’ miracle

For me, the story of the year was the miraculous rescue of the Chilean miners.  When the 33 miners were first reported missing on August 6, there seemed to be little hope of survival.  However, they sent messages at the end of the month which confirmed they were still alive, and on one emotional October day, the 33 men were bought to surface for the first time since the mine they were working on collapsed.  Mining is a dangerous business, as was tragically shown by the events in New Zealand at the end of the year, but this was the miracle of all miracles.  All the miners seem to be relatively uninjured, despite being underground for over two months and now are experiencing fame for the outcome.  The whole rescue was amazing and gave me such a positive vibe, to have a happy story dominate the headlines, rather than the usual depressing gloom of political strife or our brave soldiers perishing in conflicts abroad.

Haiti’s devastating earthquake

In the late hours of Tuesday January 12, the lives of thousands of people in Haiti changed forever, when a devastating earthquake hit the country.  Measuring 7.0 on the Richter scale, it bought scenes of tragedy, carnage and devastation to a nation already suffering as one of the poorest in the world.  With the cholera outbreak at the end of the year, the people of Haiti will want to forget 2010 in a hurry.  If you weren’t moved by this story, then you have serious mental issues!  The pictures on the news shook me up totally.  Seeing the stories of broken families, tales of staggering survival brought tears to my eyes.  The aid appeal was unbelievable, something not seen around for over 25 years.  I donated some of my own money and it makes you stop and think ‘How lucky we are,’ when others are so less fortunate.

 

The General Election

DEBATE: The leadership televised contests were intriguing

Traditionally, the General Election has been nothing more than a damp squib, certainly in my generation.  It was so different in 2010, with a stuttering Gordon Brown, a confident David Cameron and the underdog, Nick Clegg all fighting for supremacy.  The televised leadership debates put a new dimension on the election campaign and when Brown uttered his ‘bigoted woman’ comment after a confrontation with Gillian Duffy in Rochdale, his fate was sealed.  A ‘hung parliament’ for the first time since the 1970’s put the country on tenterhooks.  Eventually, Brown did the dignified thing and stepped down and a new coalition government was formed, with Cameron at the head of it.  The election campaign was spectacular and 2010 was the most interesting race for a long time.  Even though I’m not a politics fan, it was a great campaign and I enjoyed every minute of it. 

England’s superstars flop in South Africa

FLOP: Gerrard was one of many to under-perform in South Africa

The World Cup went to Africa for the first time ever last summer, and whilst the ‘vuvuzela’ took a lot of the colourful atmosphere, England’s failure to perform was maybe not a total surprise, but certainly, an unexpected shock.  Once Robert Green made his catastrophic mistake against the United States in Rustenberg, England’s campaign went downhill from there.  Fabio Capello failed to manage the players, former captain John Terry led a player rebellion which went nowhere and Wayne Rooney’s lack of performance was startling.  Forget the ‘goal’ in Bloemfontein against the younger and stronger German side; we still would have lost the game anyway.  England arrived in South Africa full of pride of confidence.  When they left, that had turned into shattered dreams of epic failure.  It was a crushing disappointment and made me ashamed to support the national team, so much so, I’m not interested in their Euro 2012 campaign.  The superstars flopped in spectacular fashion.

Cheryl Cole’s miserable year

If any celebrity had the worst year in 2010, it had to be Cheryl Cole.  The Girls Aloud singer and X-Factor judge broke up from Chelsea footballer Ashley Cole, after allegations of Ashley sleeping around with women were published in the tabloids again.  In the summer, a mosquito bite she picked up whilst on holiday with good friend Derek Hough in Tanzania led to Cheryl picking up a deadly case of malaria.  She was close to death, but pulled through and began work on the X-Factor.  Her judging decisions in not selecting Gamu Nhengu for the final stages and for not choosing between her acts Treyc Cohen and Katie Waissel during a live elimination also led to a barrage of criticism in her direction.  For me, Cheryl is the nation’s sweetheart and she had no choice to end her marriage and the malaria was a real shock to many in general.  She didn’t have the greatest X-Factor ever, but I’m confident that Cheryl will be back to her best this year.

Tragic mass shootings in Cumbria

The tragic mass shootings in Cumbria bought a community together and placed a nation into grieving shock.  The actions of taxi driver Derrick Bird were despicable and left twelve innocent people dead and twenty-five seriously wounded.  Whitehaven may be able to recover in the future, but it will sadly have a place in the history books for being Britain’s biggest massacre since the Dunblane tragedy of 1996.  Like everyone else, thoughts were with the friends and family of the dead and I was at a loss to sum it all up.

Volcanic ash cloud

Air travel was left in shutdown mode by the massive volcanic eruption in Iceland.  Large amounts of ash were thrown into the skyline, which left many passengers stranded across airports in Europe for safety reasons.  Organisation could have been improved, but what can you do when Mother Nature decides to take control?  It was a unique event, as I can’t remember a time when air travel had completely been shut for this kind of reason and for those close to the volcano, made for a lovely picture sight.  

The travel chaos & the BA cabin crew strikes

TOUGH: It was a year to forget for the travel industry.

The Icelandic volcanic eruption added to the troubles for the travel industry, which endured a bleak 2010.  Chaos by snow in the UK throughout January and December created misery for many and the British Airways cabin crew strikes of the spring were to me, seen as poor, unnecessary and silly.  BA’s fortunes recovered slightly in the second half of the year, but their reputation took some daft knocks at the start of the year.

The hunt for Raoul Moat

Less than a month after the Cumbria shootings, news headlines were dominated by more shootings, this time the hunt of Raoul Moat.  Moat was released from prison after an 18-week sentence and ended up shooting his ex-girlfriend, killed her new lover and blinded an innocent police officer.  After a tense six hour stand-off with police in Rothbury on Friday July 9, Moat shot himself dead, bringing an unsavoury conclusion to a drama that gripped the nation.  My feelings were of a mixed feeling.  Moat’s actions can’t be condoned and the police were placed in a very difficult position when it came to the final stand-off.

Tuition fees violence

UNSAVOURY: The tuition fees violence bought dark days back

The decision to raise tuition fees at University for upto £9,000 a year from 2012 onwards was a drastic measure by the coalition government, and bought scenes of violence in the capital that hadn’t been seen since the Poll Tax Riots of 1990.  The actions of those who decided just to destroy things, such as smash windows in the Treasury, throw a fire extinguisher off Tory HQ and attack the car of the Prince of Wales bought the good name in ‘student’ down.  However, Nick Clegg’s u-turn couldn’t be ignored and he was a deserved target for students who felt that their promises had been broken and vote in the election wasted.  Although the rise has gone through in both the House of Commons and House of Lords, there are many unhappy with the situation and I don’t predict an end to the unsavoury scenes we saw in the final two months of 2010.

Royals caught up in tuition fees violence

SHOCKED: Charles and Camilla were caught up in the riots

PRINCE Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall were lucky to escape injury, when their car was attacked by student protestors on Thursday evening.  Paint was thrown and windows were smashed by the demonstrators, as they arrived at London’s West End to watch the Royal Variety show at the London Palladium.  Clarence House soon confirmed that both were unhurt, but clearly shaken up by what had just happened.  Ten police officers were injured and around 30 protestors needed hospital treatment, on the bloodiest day of violence in the capital since the controversial Poll Tax was passed through by Margaret Thatcher’s administration in 1990.

All the trouble came on the day when the crucial vote was held on tuition fees.  After a five hour debate in the House of Commons, parliament approved the increase from 2012, which can allow higher institutions to charge student’s upto £9,000 a year to continue their studies.  Despite a late rebellion from some Liberal Democrats, the coalition majority passed by just 21 votes (323 to 302), far closer than what many anticipated.  Simon Hughes, the Deputy Leader for the Lib Dems elected to abstain from voting, whilst former leaders of the party, Charles Kennedy and Menzies Campbell were amongst those against the increase.  Crucially, the under-fire deputy leader of the coalition, Nick Clegg and Business Secretary Vince Cable, voted for the proposal to go through.

RIGHTFUL: Demonstrators turn their anger on Nick Clegg

Outside, ‘Shame on you’ was the chant used by the peaceful protestors.  Clegg’s broken promises that he made at the General Election have angered many, but there could be no excuse for the violence throughout Thursday.  Some complained about the excessive police tactics, charging at some with horses.  Once again, although they can’t take the whole blame, the Metropolitan Police lost complete control of the situation, which will fill no-one with much confidence, should Britain come under attack again from international terrorist organisations.  Nevertheless, the head of the Metropolitan Police, Sir Paul Stephenson defended his force for their actions; “The police have done as well as they could today, and we were appalled with the significant number of people who behaved very badly today.” 

INFERNO: Protesters set off a fire in Parliament Square

Most of the blame though must run with those who turned up in London, determined to cause trouble.  Whether they were students really doesn’t matter, because it still is simply unacceptable.  By the end of the evening, some were trying to smash into The Treasury and windows were smashed at The Supreme Court.  Others disembarked from parliament square, attacking Christmas shoppers in Oxford Street and smashing windows at the TopShop building on the same road.  Many just seemed intent on causing destruction; far more than those who stormed Conservative party headquarters in the first set of riots on November 10.  The Home Secretary, Theresa May was quick to condone the actions of the rioters; “What we have seen today has nothing to do with peaceful protests.”    

The attack on the Royal car must put into serious question; the amount of Royal Security present at the time.  The Duchess of Cornwall brushed off the incident afterwards; “We are both okay, and there’s a first time for everything!”  Major investigations have already been announced into the disturbing trouble.

ITN’s political editor Tom Bradby summed up the general consensus of Thursday’s events on News at Ten; “There were shocking pictures of officers being set upon and it was clear that although many came to make their point fairly, the hardcore minority became intent on causing trouble.”

The coalition government have done something many don’t like; and Nick Clegg has proven for many students, that he is a dirty, shameful liar.  However, when the Winston Churchill statue was defaced by protestors, you know just what a dark day it was for our country.  The violence was destructive, unacceptable and those responsible should be brought to justice.

However, on London’s worst day since the 7/7 attacks in 2005, some will wonder whether this is just the start of a frequent event to dominate the headlines.

Browne's Report Shakes-Up University Fees

TUESDAY morning saw the highly-anticipated news of Lord Browne’s report into higher education fees.  With it, there is very grim news for all students, both current and prospective who are thinking of university in their future careers.

If the coalition government goes ahead with Browne’s recommendation, students will be paying upto £6,000 a year to study at university.  Currently, the fee is capped at £3,290 a year.  Browne, a former chief executive of BP wants the current system to be replaced with a much easier format.  However, it now means that students could be finishing their degree in debt of more than £30,000.  The interest rates on student loans are also set to rise, from 1.5% to 2.2%.  To compensate these changes, Browne also wants to increase the salary threshold, so students begin paying back their loans, when they start earning £21,000 a year, rather than the current £15,000 scheme which is in place now.  It is by far the biggest shake-up in education policies for over two decades.

His report could cause a major rift in the current coalition partnership.  The Conservative party are certainly for the idea, but David Cameron will be desperate for the Liberal Democrats to back the proposal through parliament.  In the lead-up to the General Election, both Nick Clegg and Vince Cable were totally against a rise in tuition fees, making it one of their key pledges in their election manifesto.  The news has angered the president of the NUS (National Union of Students), Aaron Porter; "Lord Browne is clearly dangerously out of touch with the pressures faced by students and their families.  "The Government must reject proposals that would recklessly undermine our future by ending the notion of public higher education."

Compromises need to be made by all parties; even David Cameron said that in his first Downing Street media conference on Monday.  However, students are bound to rally around the expected rises, and many will question the point of university, especially if they become saddled in thousands of pounds of debt and with no guarantee of a decent job after graduation, especially in the tighter economic climate we live in today.  Plus, universities may struggle to get the intake required, especially if students start becoming scared to pay such ridiculous amounts of money.  Standards will need to rise in all universities; otherwise these changes simply can’t go through. 

This isn’t the last we’ve heard of tuition fees.  It is bound to be a major topic point throughout the autumn.