In praise of the New Government
31 Jul 2010
I was talking to a friend about feelings to the new Government. I told him how impressed I was with the vigour in which a coalition Government had set about its task although having my ideological doubts about some aspects of the administration.
He agreed with me. It is the speed and the confidence with which they seem to move that is breath taking. Take one issue, which appeared in the news this week, the question of removing the age barrier of 65 for workers. The Government did this in the face of groups such as Institute of Director’s and the Confederation of British Industry. They did it within a few months. Like that sorted.
When one looks at the way in which New Labour dealt with age discrimination in the work place with voluntary codes before deciding on legislation which came into force in the autumn of 2006, 9 years after they came to power. The pace was leisurely. I have to admit that I have a particular interest in the issue because I suffered from difficulty in finding work since I hit my 40s. I was interested in seeing the social injustice of people being thrown on the scrap heap when they reached a certain age addressed. I had hoped the Labour Government would approach it with some dispatch. I was to be disappointed. If there seems to be one thing that characterised New Labour was its hesitancy and is unwillingness to upset powerful interests such as the CBI. unless one counts the Trade Union Movement.
This directness of the new Government of is refreshing and already the list promised for new acts and legislation is impressive especially when one considers this is a minority government dependent on Liberal Democrat support.
In Education they have already have legislation in place.
In Health the proposed changes are far more sweeping than was ever envisaged by Mrs Thatcher in her pomp when she took on the reform of the Health Service in the late 1980s.
In Law and Order ASBOs have been done away and the Government is pressing ahead with a root and branch review of the Police service. It has also put forward rather pungent changes to the prison service.
A referendum is promised on voting reform for next May when all we had from Labour was the drawn out Jenkins Review on PR of the late 90s before New Labour had a death bed conversion to the principle in the dying days of the Brown Government.
The new Government has successfully sold the idea that wholesale cuts will be required.
Today the Government is setting out its proposal to reform the benefit system making it more simplified and attempting to remove the poverty trap that bites when people move from benefit to work
And in the Big Society the Government seems to have hit a nerve in that people were generally irritated by the “nanny state” approach of the last administration. I experienced myself when I took my 3 month old daughter to a Sure Start Centre in Ellesmere Port in the spring of 2004 to a baby massage treatment to be told by some health visitor that white men do not know how to look after their children. I think the Big Society idea reflects that unfortunately that there were too many agents of the sate who took the view that ordinary people could not be trusted to organise their own lives. And of course it was all backed up with the target culture.
The problem with the Labour Party that all too frequently it helped to put in place some of the structures on which the new Government will build. I signed up to a facebook page that wanted to build a national protest against the new Government’s changes to the NHS. But did not Labour encourage greater use of the private sector into the NHS? Which Government pushed through Foundation status for Hospitals? Who weakened patient rights by abolishing the Community Health Council’s? Was it not Labour who continued the use of the Private Finance Initiative when they came to power in 1997? I seemed to recall Frank Dobson the first Health Secretary quietening critics by saying that PFI “was the only show in town”.
It cannot be helped that Labour has yet to choose its leader, but I consider the choice to be less than overwhelming and all with the exception of Abbot are deeply implicated in the policy decisions of the Labour administration. And in terms of personality the senior figures of the new Government seem to work well together and we do not have the grotesque farce of the eternal triangle of Blair-Brown-Mandelson continually played out consuming so much energy and time.
At the head of the Government we have David Cameron and I feel that his performance on the whole has been superlative. There was his impressive response to the findings of the Saville Inquiry on Bloody Sunday. His more reasoned approach to Britain’s relationship with the US so refreshing compared to the fawning attitude of Blair. His condemnation of the Israeli action against the Palestinians again to Blair’s apologist response to the disproportionate military action in the Lebanon in 2006. I also think that Cameron is right about the Turkish membership of the EU.
I am not a Tory supporter or am I likely to vote Tory but I am pointing out one unvarnished truth to the Labour Party that you use power to get things done and done quickly. The time and energy that New Labour spent in trying to win over the Daily Mail readership in the end was wasted effort. In the end it is about class and promoting your class interest. Labour left office with an indifferent record made the more miserable when one realises that poverty increased to levels last seen in the 1920s despite the much vaunted target on Child Poverty.
The new Government has presented a test example of the Churchillian adage of “action this day”
Some very good observations
Some very good observations there Bill, many of which I'd be inclined to agree with. I'm not a tory voter either, never have been (although I did vote libdem once).
Whether you agree or not with the changes they make, at least they refrain from incessant f*nnying around for a long while at great expense and complexity and just get on with it.
On age for work, I agree older people should not be discriminated against. But with rising unemployement it would be good if they could also find a way for people who want to retire early to access their work pension (not the state one) so they can live on that and make more jobs available for young and old who want the work. Don't understand enough about it to know how they'd do it specifically though.
Don't know that I agree with everything they are doing; e.g. academies, PFIs, rampant privatisation, but like you say we can't easily blame the nasty tories for it because labour started it! Or rather Tory Blair did.
Referendum on voting reform is welcome, though unfortunately it doesn't include PR and I strongly object to having it on local election day! Labour have shown how fickle and not to be trusted they are with all their changing their tune on that issue.
Totally agree with you about health visitors, I've had those sort of irritating experiences with them too. And I'm a woman, white though, but for whatever reason they thought they knew better how I should parent my children - the cheek of it.
"The new Government has successfully sold the idea that wholesale cuts will be required." I don't completely agree. Yes cuts are better than wasting money on massive debt costs that labour gave us. But I also favour taxation for sensible state provisions. Not VAT and the like that are less fair, income tax is better.
"reform the benefit system making it more simplified and attempting to remove the poverty trap that bites when people move from benefit to work" Hope they manage that, but there's still the issue of lack of jobs. The tax and benefit systems are complicated. You think you understand when you need to hop in and out of PAYE and self assessment and you try to inform the tax office and they seem to have changed the rules so as you don't really understand. The child tax credit forms are unnecessarily lengthly. Why do I need to tell them all my income all over again, they should know it already as they've worked out my taxes. Looks like it may be the same with means testing for student loans, put the info in all over again, that's of course if there is any chance of a maintenance loan for my kids after the next budget. They could do with simplifying it all.
"triangle of Blair-Brown-Mandelson" - that gruesome thought should be enough to stop anyone voting labour ever again, not in our city though.
Nicky Davis - non-party political activist - a firm believer in grass roots democracy and strong local communities.
An interesting article in the
An interesting article in the Observer today Bill, it seems a women's rights group are mounting a legal challenge to Osbourne's budget. The first time such a challenge has been made to a British budget. They may be moving at break-neck speed, but why let annoying technicalities like the law get in the way?
Cameron seems incapable of opening his mouth without putting his foot in it... junior partners... prison camp Gaza... Pakistani terrorism. He's rapidly becoming our own George dubya.
This government are men in a hurry. They are desperate to push their agenda before any effective opposition emerges. The honeymoon will end when the cuts begin to bite.
If you, of all people, ever consider voting Tory I may very well hang myself.
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"The skeleton of our complete freedom is already formed.
The flesh and the clothing are lacking".
Yes I read the Observer and
Yes I read the Observer and also a good piece by John Harris in the Guardian on Saturday. I sometimes feel that Labour are hog tied by the past and as I and Harris reiterated they cannot really challenge the NHS changes because they put in place mechanisms for the Tories to develop. I have watched some of the debates on line between the various candidates and with the exception of Abbot all are implicated. New Labour have done their bit to undermine the progressive direction since the beginning of the 20th century
Idealists...foolish enough to throw caution to the winds...have advanced mankind and have enriched the world
www.billcawleyresearch.co.uk
You must forgive me Bill, but
You must forgive me Bill, but I can't get excited by any of the Labour leadership candidates. We are destined to years in opposition.
Maybe we deserve it.
Keep developing the REAL Big Society bud, I trust the likes of you and Nicky Davis to do this.
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"The skeleton of our complete freedom is already formed.
The flesh and the clothing are lacking".
Totaly agree with the speed
Totaly agree with the speed at which they work.
Backwards.
After all the u-turns the Blair clone Cameroon is making I'm surprised he has not fallen over with dizzyness.
This is a car crash waiting to happen, and the sooner the better.
Which u-turns are these
Which u-turns are these Terry? Seems to me, that even with Lib Dem support we have the most right wing administration since the 80's. A friend of mine pointed out at the weekend, an Eton education proves you're wealthy - not clever.
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"The skeleton of our complete freedom is already formed.
The flesh and the clothing are lacking".
Tonyjohnt, Now I know you are
Tonyjohnt, Now I know you are taking the p.
He is like a top.
Wooden and useless.
Sorry Terry... like John, I
Sorry Terry... like John, I play the fool (especially at weekends).
You think you're so clever, classless and free
But you're still terry turbo - as far as I can see!
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"The skeleton of our complete freedom is already formed.
The flesh and the clothing are lacking".
Frances Maude the Cabinet
Frances Maude the Cabinet Minister felt that the Government was more radical than Thatcher. I think he is right
Idealists...foolish enough to throw caution to the winds...have advanced mankind and have enriched the world
www.billcawleyresearch.co.uk
I like how many contributors,
I like how many contributors, on recognising sensible ideas are often prepared to "brave it out" and acknowledge that they are good ideas, then go on to say that they are not going to vote tory, and have never voted tory, as if they are being suspected of being pedophiles.
This is one of the main problems with "Joke-on-Trent" people indoctrinated from an early age, like Pavlovs dogs,to do what their fathers did. It is common sense to follow, what remains of your "free choice" brain cells, and make a change. You don't have to do what your dad did, you don't have to tell your neighbour who you voted for, if you are a little scared, eventually when sufficient people have the sense, or the guts to make a change we will have shot of the "worthies" who are 'in it" for themselves ,and get someone who is concerned for the city and its residents.
Has anyone noticed if the four Sodium Vapour lamps that overlook the "filthy' 'bus station have been switched off yet? They have been on continuously for many months now, the council have been told several times, the P.F.I. Lighting Portal have been apprised, "first have been told, and a local councillor has been made aware. In spite of this , and after being told over a month ago that they would be dealt with as an emergency, I think they will be still on. ARE THEY?
Mikefire, my politics are
Mikefire, my politics are born from conviction. My father was a silly, tedious man and I took very little from him. I oppose the Tories because they are divisive and selfish and see no reason why all should enjoy the benefits of a modern, civilised nation.
Try to calm down mate, you're obsessed with those bus station lights!
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"The skeleton of our complete freedom is already formed.
The flesh and the clothing are lacking".
I have always prided myself
I have always prided myself on my independence of thought, but I could not vote Tory. I cannot buy into an ideology and its to the credit of Cameron that he has cleansed it of its toxicity. However its still a party deep down that believes in authority, deference and people knowing their place
Idealists...foolish enough to throw caution to the winds...have advanced mankind and have enriched the world
www.billcawleyresearch.co.uk
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