Looks like when local Tory MPs jump on bandwagons...
Unlike Tory MPs; including Tracey Crouch and Mark Reckless who are putting right wing dogma and ideology before jobs. Medway Labour has a clear and consistent position; high-end engineering and manufacturing jobs are needed.
Just returned from a packed hall of 60-70 people on the cuts to Medway care homes which was organised at short notice last week.
We will hopefully get videos up shortly highlighting how our MPs - Mark Reckless and Tracey Crouch - can not just sit on the fence and pretend this issue does not concern them.
Care home and adult social care is arguably the most important local issue facing residents at the present time and will vex the Council for future months.
I have tonight asked both Mark and Tracey on twitter what they think of the cuts.
I hope they will perhaps have opinions on local issues which matter to thousands of residents, vulnerable adults, staff and families
Any delay would show that they are either unclear or are intending to oppose the campaign to safeguard these services from £1m of Medway Council cuts.
Unfortunately our MP ignored the advice of these campaigners and supported the Conservative NHS bill which will now see parts of our public NHS privatised.
No matter - under the boundary changes - Tracey is almost guaranteed a career for life. She is very likely to loose the Labour voting wards to neighbouring MPs and gain several solid blue wards from the weald of Kent.
Odd therefore it was Rehman who appeared on the Top 20 rising stars in the New Statesman recently.
If I were to put a wager down, Tracey is the one that is going places.
Credit where its due for meeting representatives of the opposition. Next time though; probably best to smile at the camera.
Another day goes by and another Conservative promise broken. First it was train fares, then the Estuary Airport proposal [which is still being considered], and now the transport triple whammy; the Dartford Toll.
Motorists in Medway are currently being hit. Not only has the Tory increase to VAT led to a hike in the price of fuel,but this year will see the charge to use the Dartford Crossing increase to £2 and then go up further to £2.50 in 2012. This increase will hit thousands of motorists and businesses which use the Dartford Crossing daily.
We all know Conservative PPCs jumped on a number of bandwagons before the General Election, but to the extent that nearly every campaign on transport has resulted in the exact opposite once in government simply beggars belief. It has been one u-turn after another.
Convenient also that the Dartford Toll announcement came on the same day that strikes were dominating the local media.
Tory CCHQ has learnt a few things on media managemet.
A few constituents will be interested to read what Tracey Crouch MP said about the Dartford Toll before her election, and given this was a major campaign issue I hope that the MP stands up with some vigour and tone, against this toll increase; after all in her own words and on multiple occassions
The very major fear of Medway residents is that we now have a Conservative government hell-bent on tolls and local Medway Conservative Councillors saddled with huge costs for the Medway Tunnel, with a miserely contribution from the Rochester Bridge Trust
We all know Tories will be looking at the potential for a toll on the Medway Tunnel and the fear is that with Cllr Jarrett citing 'other income sources' that this issue is on the table
How long before the Tories introduce a toll on the Medway Tunnel because of the botched purchase?
Kamis, 09 Desember 2010
Medway Labour Group calls on local MP's to vote against
Student Fees Increases
Today sees Parliament vote on the issue of Student Fees.
The Medway Labour Group has consistently spoken out against the proposals, supporting Universities of Medway Student Union (UMSA) in participating in the recent national demonstration, raising questions and a moving a motion on the issue at full council. In contiuing this position, Medway Labour Group are urging the three Medway MP's to vote against the proposed increases in tuition fees.
Cllr Vince Maple, Labour Spokesperson for Children and Young People's Services, said
"The Tories and Lib Dems seem hell bent on attacking young people, whether it is the scrapping of Child Trust Funds, the abolishing of Educational Maintenance Allowance, the axe coming to school sports partnerships funding, the negative impacts on youth employment by stopping the Future Jobs Fund or the trebling of tuition fees whilst seeing an 80% cut in funding.
The Medway Labour Group are calling on the local MP's to listen to the views of the community and vote against fees increases to allow the talent we have here in Medway to florish and not be halted because of financial pressures."
Steve Topazio, UMSA Representation co-ordinator, added
"The UMSA Student executive recently delivered a petition of 500 Students to Mark Reckless MP calling on him to support students and vote against a rise in tuition fees. Students also call on the other local Medway MP's to consider the impact a trebling of fees will have on their constituents and students alike and urge them to vote against the proposals in the Commons vote"
Press Notes
For Interview or Further Comment please contact Vince Maple on 07981 661 451
This blog raised the matter of expenses last week and highlighted it to local residents, but has since received a few interesting remarks from people who seem unhappy the issue has been raised.
Given this blogger was not an MP in the last parliament, nor did it makes excuses for those that exploited the previous system, surely readers can allow a mere member of the public to pass comment on the expenses of public representatives who 'toil' at the public behest without a charge of hypocrisy.
Chatham and Aylesford representative Tracey Crouch led the way with £6,319.27, with Gillingham and Rainham's Rehman Chishti receiving £4,758.05.
The figure would almost certainly have been higher had Mark Reckless MP submitted his claims as well. Though by how much, we will not know quite yet, because he has been 'getting on top' of constituency work. As opposed to enjoying the delights and discounts of the Palace of Westminster of course...
Mr Reckless said of his £0 expenses:
"They (sic) are zero for the period because I thought getting on top of constituency work was more important than learning how to navigate a rather complex expenses system."
So by implication, anyone who has submitted for expenses, which includes most of his Conservative MP colleagues incidentally, have not been getting able to get on top of constituency work as well as considering it important to um, well pay for staff, stationary, office costs and associated logistics.
For a full and quite comprehensive list of those MPs who were and are able to get their head around the 'rather complex' expenses system please take a look at the Guardian List.
The subject wasn't even on the agenda, but MPs started expressing their anger almost spontaneously.
Their fire was directed at the leader of the House Sir George Young, from MPs complaining that they are losing thousands of pounds, many of them from the 2010 intake.'
Among the two dozen or so who voiced their anger were Adam Afriyie and Nadine Dorries.'
The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority today published the expenses for all MPs from May-August 2010 as part of a drive by Parliament to make our representatives more accountable to their constituents. It was established after the expenses scandal which undermined Parliament in 2009.
IPSA is an independent body which oversee the system and salaries for Members of Parliament. It is accountable to Parliament but is independently monitored.
The full report on each of the Medway MPs can be accessed at the MP Expenses website
From May 2010 - November 2010 the expenses of our MPs are as follows:
Chatham & Aylesford - Tracey Crouch MP - £6,319
Gillingham & Rainham - Rehman Chisthi - £4,758
Rochester & Strood - Mark Reckless MP - £0
It is surprising to see that Mark Reckless MP is one of a very small number of MPs who have not claimed for any expenses. It raises the question about how he is funding his office, given the fact that he has not submitted any receipt for stationary, staffing or office space.
Tracey Crouch MP on the other hand seems to be more expensive than the average Conservative MP, who claimed £6,074. Her largest expense was noted on shared staffing. Would be interesting to note if this was contracted out staffing or whether these are permanent employee costs.
Overall, MPs claimed £3.1m in expenses in the first four months after the general election, including £172,709 on hotels
The highest claimer overall was Keith Simpson, the Conservative MP for Mid Norfolk, who was reimbursed £20,752, followed by Craig Whittaker, the Tory MP for Calder Valley (£18,297.71), and Andrew Bingham, the Conservative MP for High Peak in Derbyshire (£17,348.24)
The smallest individual claim lodged was by Pete Wishart, the SNP MP for Perth & North Perthshire, who claimed 14p mileage, while the biggest single claim published today was made by Labour MP and former government whip Siobhain McDonagh, who spent £9,003 on "bought in office management".
Today's published expenses also show David Cameron claimed £2,408.75 for research services, Bob Russell claimed £82.13 for toilet paper for his constituency office, and the Labour MP Gloria De Piero, an ex-GMTV presenter, claimed £1 for some cleaning gloves from Netto.
Today's figures show the bill for MPs to run constituency and Westminster offices, and for many to run second homes, appears to have shrunk significantly compared with the previous system. A welcome development.
The £3.1m cost for the first four months, which includes the summer break and excludes the biggest bill covering staff salaries, compares with a £96m bill for the whole of last year. It is clear that despite the moans from MPs, the system is cutting costs, and at a time of austerity you will not see any members of the public complaining.
£1,200 which is a tax on middle class commuters who will now have to pay an increase in fare's that will impact family budgets, holiday plans and shopping bills.
Instead of fares going up by one per cent more than the rate of inflation — the formula since British Rail's privatisation in 1995 — they will rise by three per cent over the cost of living from 2012 in every region across the UK.
It means that an annual season ticket from Milton Keynes will rise by £1,194 to £5,026 by 2014.
A Gillingham commuter will have to pay £4,995, a rise of £1,187.
In an attempt to mitigate the potential charges of hypocrisy Medway and Kent Conservatives led a pre-emptive strike by tabling an Early Day Motion 838 in Parliament which was dutifully picked up by the YourMedway paper.
The motion states
"Southeastern's franchise agreement with the Department of Transport has allowed increases on regulated fares of RPI + three per cent. as opposed to RPI + one per cent. for other rail franchises which has resulted in a recently proposed fare rise of seven per cent. from January 2011; understands that franchise agreements with train operating companies are to be considered as part of the Comprehensive Spending Review; and calls on the Government to apply a cap on fare rises for Southeastern that is henceforth no greater than for other franchise"
The EDM, which conveniently fits straight into the coalition narrative, is nothing but a diversionary tactic which gives no help to the average Medway commuter.
The justification for that fare premium during the Labour period in office was increased investment in the railways. However the government increase is to mitigate government subsidy. This is a major difference because money on fares will not be invested in stock or safer stations. It will go to the government.
YourMedway did not mention that Kent and Medway Conservatives have shown brazen hypocrisy in relation to train fares.
Over the last two years Tories have been actively campaigning for a reduction in the +3% RPI increase in train fares.
The Kent Conservatives ran a 'Fare's Fair' campaign, still fully visible on their website stating that
'The Government has imposed upon South Eastern Trains a condition to run a subsidy-free network by 2014, resulting in an average increase of 3% above the rate of inflation. The Government’s imposition of year-on-year extortionate increases in rail fares for Kent’s commuters threatens to damage the Kent economy, deterring visitors and businesses from coming here. This will do nothing to get people out of their cars and onto public transport.'
Kent Conservatives campaigned in 2009, during the recession, claiming that a 3% + RPI increase was a disgrace and would damage the economy. Yet now they remain silent.
Hundreds of commuters voted Conservative in May 2010 to keep train fares low. Organisations across Kent were backed by Conservatives to channel commuter anger and potentially harvest key anti-fare votes for the election this year.
Mark Reckless MP campaigned in March 2009, with the 'independent' Medway Fares Fair champion to reduce standard fares. The independent champion for Medway commuters, who is also an announced candidate for the Rochester & Strood Conservatives for election in 2011, refuted any bias at the time stating that the campaign had sought 'cross-party support.'
The organisation which was backed by Mark Reckless MP and Tracey Crouch MP stated in its objectives statement that:
'We are calling for Southeastern Trains to suspend their planned increases with immediate effect and bring them more into line with the current RPI, although even that will be on the high side for many. The +3% should be dropped immediately as we think it is discriminatory and unfair.'
The campaign championed the cause of a small increase in train fares on the 6th January 2009. Both Tracey and Mark backed the campaign wholeheartedly. The campaign even congratulated the two PPCs for having 'an excellent track record in campaigning on local issues for Medway residents'
Yet it now appears that the campaign remains dormant and the position of the Conservative MPs is silent. It is noted however that since the election of a Conservative Government the 'independent' group has made no public statement, including today, on the most important statement for a decade on the next 5 years of fare increases.
Another case which raises commuter eyebrows is the campaign by Tracey Crouch MP from the 27th March 2009 and 18th December 2008 on the scrapping of 'my campaign to scrap the stealth tax' Dartford Toll.
'I am today announcing my support for the campaign to scrap the Dartford Crossing charges. Local residents who use the Crossing for work have been in touch and are fed up, not least because the charges were supposed to be scrapped once the Crossing had been paid for - which happened five years ago!!'
The Conservative Government has now not only kept the toll but it has been hit by a rise in the Dartford Crossing charge, which will go up from £1.50 to £2.50 by 2012
Kent Conservatives have also shown rank duplicty. Kent County Council Keith Ferrin said in 2006, that drivers are already being penalised with little benefit for Kent, and to ramp up the daily charge by 50 per cent to £1.50 would “just add insult to injury”.
Perhaps Kent Conservatives can clarify why they have quietly changed their minds. It is dishonest.
The double-standards of Tories will now be highlighted by Medway Labour. We all believe that elected Members of Parliament should stand by their promises before being elected and held to account.
This Kent Fare's Fair campaign, its independent sister group in Medway, and the Dartford Toll campaign are three campaigns which independent voters can link to online. Make your own judgement
We all accept that government has to make tough decisions in government as opposed to opposition. People would however give more credibility to honesty and when candidates have to undertake a u-turn for them to explain the reasons.
Commuters have been let down by Tories who are now back-tracking on campaign promises across Medway and Kent.
