Mark's Edinburgh North & Leith blog

My comments on Edinburgh Council's new local plan

2012-01-18T10:19:00.006Z

Edinburgh City Council is currently drawing up a new 'Local Development Plan' for the city. As a local elected representative, I've been invited to submit my views.

The plan will have long term implications for the whole of Edinburgh. I've prepared some initial thoughts which naturally centre on the implications for Edinburgh North & Leith. I'll be finalising my submission to the Council in the next few days - any views from local residents would be welcome! You can find out more about the plans, and how to submit comments directly to the Council, on the Council website at http://bit.ly/tdeTBD

Draft comments from Mark Lazarowicz on Edinburgh Council proposals for new 'Local Development Plan':

1. The proposals would allow further major infringement of Edinburgh's Green Belt, particularly on the West side of the city near the airport. I am concerned at the way in which the Green Belt is being 'eaten away' by these proposals. Firstly, because of the loss of green belt in itself, and secondly because development in the green belt on the West side could jeopardise redevelopment of 'brownfield' sites elsewhere, including along the Waterfront at Granton and Leith. This could leave existing redevelopments 'marooned' in derelict land for decades to come. I believe we should be regenerating brownfield and derelict sites in preference to using up precious green belt land.

2. The proposal for a renewable energy focus at Leith docks is welcome as long as that means activities like manufacturing and marine activities, not large biomass plants. Edinburgh, like the rest of the country, needs more jobs in industry, and the renewable sector is one which offers potential for manufacturing alongside research, development, and support services. However, any developments would have to be compatible with existing residential and other existing uses in the area. Setting up such a renewable energy focus would also require access improvements of a type which would not put extra pressure on the already busy road network in Leith. Where possible, heavy goods and large loads should be transported to the docks area by sea, or by using the existing rail access which could be further extended into the docks area to serve the proposed renewable energy activities. There should also be an examination of the feasability of using this line to provide a passenger rail service, particularly in the absence of the proposed tram line extension to Leith.

3. The proposals to support local shopping centres such as those in Central Leith and Leith Walk are welcomed, but need to be accompanied by measures to improve the shopping environment and to support small shops. Streets and pavements need to be kept in good repair.

4. As stated above, 'brownfield' sites should be preferred to 'Green belt' land for development. This should include social and affordable housing, for which there is still considerable demand in Edinburgh North and Leith. Development of 'brownfield' sites should also include a reasonable proportion of public open space, including parks, playgrounds, and allotments. Where 'brownfield' sites are likely to remain undeveloped and/or derelict for some time, consideration should be given to using them meantime for green space - parks, open space, 'wildlife meadows', and similar. Even if there is a renewable energy hub in part of Leith docks, some of the remaining area in the docks should continue be available for housing.

Peace One Day - Global Truce 2012

2012-01-04T11:01:00.003Z

It's fair to say that most of the predictions and prognostications from experts, commentators, and the like for 2012 have been pretty gloomy, and there's lots of good reasons for that.

That's why initiatives which can actually point a positive way forward should be welcomed! One that I'm backing which I hope gets a lot of support is the campaign by Peace One Day for a Global Truce on 21 September 2012. It's a campaign with international support from UN, NGOs and governments - it's got all party support here in the UK Parliament - have a look at their website here and pass it on!

Community wind turbine in race to win funds

2011-11-21T16:33:00.001Z

Local community energy group PEDAL is now neck-and-neck to win a race for £100,000 of funding for their bid to establish a community owned wind turbine. Click here for the latest news and how the local community can support the bid!

Leith says farewell to Stewart Blaik

2011-11-18T14:52:00.004Z

Hundreds of mourners from Leith and further afield were at Seafield crematorium this morning to say farewell to Stewart Blaik. Stewart, who died last week at the age of 75, had been a very active member of the CWU, Leith Labour Party, and the Leith Central Community Council. A family man, at the core of his community, a good neighbour - and the turnout reflected that broad life he had led. I'm glad to have counted him as a friend and comrade.

I knew him of course mainly through the Labour Party and his work in the community - he was one of those people who kept local community activity going - someone firmly rooted in his community, but someone who always saw, understood, and analysed the wider picture, contributing to our international and national debates and politics as well. I will miss him very much.

Labour's 5-point plan for jobs and growth

2011-11-13T18:45:00.005Z

There IS an alternative!

Europe - and Edinburgh City Council

2011-10-30T09:09:00.002Z

The big focus in Westminster last week was of course Europe - starting off with the debate on the proposal for a referendum on UK membership of the EU. I opposed that, and spoke brirefly in the debte explaining why (we all had to be brief, as so many MPs wanted to speak!). I was also able, however, to raise an issue about the difficulty which can be experienced by some disabled people with visual impairment when seeking to claim benefit.

However, this week I came back earlier to take part and speak in an important event here in Edinburgh - a lobby of the City Council against its proposals to privatise a number of council services. I'm glad that the public pressure meant that the controlling LibDem/SNP councillors decided to think again, although of course the final decision is still not certain.

Coming back early allowed me to visit a number of local organisations - to West Pilton for the inaugural meeting of the 'Living Well' project, bringing together the PROP stress centre in West Pilton, with a similar group in Clermiston. I was able to attend the AGM of Dr Bells Family Centre in Leith, including a performance about the difficulties trying to cope with bureaucracy when jobseeking. A powerful message - and a reminder of how unemployment/jobs/financial issues are now a theme of almost every single community meeting I'm attending at the moment. Surgeries were busy as well this week, with a lot of issues about unemployment and benefits coming up.

More local visits

2011-10-10T10:16:00.006+01:00

Wednesday saw me visit Blackhall Bowling Club to give a talk to the Craigleith Probus Club, on 'The Work of an MP' - lots of probing questions. In the afternoon, I called in at the open evening at The Junction, Great Junction Street, a centre which does a lot of good work on health related issues with young people. Like many of my visits over the last few months, worries about unemployment and the economic climate are being to affect more and more local people, including some of the young people who visit the Junction. And later, a brief visit to a lively party in the Stand Club for the launch of a book by long standing trade unionist, and Labour Party member in my constituency, Pat Kelly: 'Scotland's Radical Exports' - a history of the influence and role of Scots left wingers and trade unionists outside Scotland.

Later in the week, I visited the Edinburgh Remploy factory whose workers are understandably very worried about their future given the government's current consultation suggesting their closure. Unemployment and cuts was understandably a major concern of the local Leith Labour Party meeting this week - and there were a lot of issues relating to benefits and poverty issues at my surgeries this week.

However, the sun came out for the unfurling of another Green Flag in a local park this week - this time at Victoria Park, where we were joined by keen school children from Trinity Primary School.

I was also glad to meet with two local organisations who have a concern with wider international issues - the new HQ of the Vine Trust for Global Citizenship, on a barge in Leith docks! - and combining domestic and international concerns, I spoke at the beginning and then stayed to listen to two moving speakers, one from South Africa, and one from the UK at a meeting organised by the Edinburgh University Stop AIDS group.

Good triumphs over evil...on Calton Hill

2011-10-04T14:36:00.001+01:00

The wind and rain which took over from last week's heatwave didn't dampen the enthusiasm of those taking part in this year's Dusherra festival on Calton Hill last Sunday. The traditional dance, music and finale celebrating the victory of good over evil was very well attended again, and I was glad to be able to attend as I have done most years. All credit to the Scottish Indian Arts Forum for a great success, particularly after the 60% cut in public funding they suffered this year had forced the cancellation of the traditional parade up to the Hill.Earlier in the day I'd been to another event focussing on public space, the AGM of the Friends of Hopetoun Crescent Garden, followed by the unveiling for the 3rd year running of the garden's Green Flag award. More celebration on Tuesday, when I joined a lobby by locals campaigning against the planned sell off by Edinburgh City Council of part of Inverleith Park. I'm glad to say that the proposal was rejected, on the motion of my Labour colleague, Inverleith councillor Lesley Hinds. Monday I joined dozens of parents and friends at a charity lunch organised by pupils and staff at Victoria Primary School, Newhaven, in aid of St Columba's Hospice, which is currently undertaking a major fund raising appeal for their new development. I also took part in a meeting of the Leith Museum campaign - a campaign which has stalled a bit following the City Council's refusal to help with a study into the possible conversion of Leith's Custom House into a museum and centre, but we've now some new ideas of how the campaign might be taken forward again which hopefully will be followed up soon.

Local worries over cuts

2011-10-02T12:37:00.003+01:00

Came back day early from Labour Party conference last week as I wanted to attend a local protest meeting, organised by Greater Leith Against the Cuts. The focus of their concern are the proposals from the SNP/LibDem Edinburgh City Council to privatise a wide range of services which are currently run in-house. Council workers are very worried about these, and there is growing public concern about what this might mean for public services. There will be a crucial Council vote on the plans at the end of October.

Funding, or lack of it, was a concern at another local meeting I attended this week, the AGM of the Pilton Youth and Children's Project. Like most local organisations, they've had funding cutbacks and have had to lay off staff. Fortunately, they've managed to keep going, and still undertake an impressive range of activities.

So too does the Granton Youth Project, whose AGM I also went to this week. Held in the open air as the weather was so good, and preceded by a short sketch from a play produced by the project about growing up in West Granton in the early 90s. There's been a lot of changes for the better since then - and it's worrying that current local and central government policies could turn the clock back to those times.

Voluntary organisations and charities like these are going to come under more and pressure in the current economic situation - which makes the role of volunteers even more crucial, as I saw when I dropped in briefly at the this week, held at St Pauls and St Georges church.

Local groups doing good work but unemployment shadow growing

2011-09-22T15:25:00.008+01:00

We’ve just had a two week September sitting in the House of Commons – always seems a bit odd, as just as we get into the swing of things, we break up again for the ‘conference recess’ which allows MPs to attend their respective party conferences.

As Labour’s conference is next week, I’ve been able to use the recess week to visit a lot of local organisations here in Edinburgh North and Leith to keep up with their activities and their concerns. Earlier this week, I called in at a number of Leith organisations - the Duncan Place Resource Centre, the Pilmeny Development Project, and ‘Out of the Blue’. All doing good work, although with varying concerns about future funding. Also a common theme that the effects of economic downturn and unemployment are now becoming more apparent in Leith – both in the effect on individuals and visual signs such as more and more empty shops, making the area look run-down. It’s a concern I share, both through what I hear at my surgeries and see in the streets. Local reasons for the Coalition government to change course – I’m sure that’ll be a major theme of our conference next week.

Edinburgh North & Leith also has the HQ of a number of a Scottish organisations, who also have local contacts and activities in the area. This week, I’ve visited NIDOS (the 'Network of International Development Organisations in Scotland), VSO, Living Streets, and Transform Scotland. I also met with the new Elizabeth Finn Trust, which provides grants to individuals in Edinburgh in financial hardship.
Friday there are my normal MP surgeries, and a meeting with some of the local Labour councillors – and Saturday I hope to visit the Leith Neighbourhood Partnership Public Meeting, Summerfest at Broughton High School and the North Edinburgh Community Festival at the Forthquarter park by Telford College.

Trams - practical action needed now

2011-09-06T16:46:00.003+01:00

So the trams are to go to St Andrews Square after all. This decision became inevitable after John Swinney’s dramatic intervention in the debate by holding back Scottish Government cash if the Council stuck to the option to terminate the route at Haymarket.

It would undoubtedly have been more helpful if the Scottish Government had shown itself ready to actively engage with the tram project at an earlier stage, instead of taking decisive action only at the last minute. However, now that it has done so, it is absolutely essential that the Scottish Government and its agency Transport Scotland, along with all parties on Edinburgh City Council, now work together to get the best possible result for the people of Edinburgh – and for Scotland.

The Scottish Government could help, for example, by confirming that concessionary bus passes can be used on the tram – that is a potential significant source of revenue, and is also important if the full benefits of an integrated transport system are to be obtained. It could also provide financial flexibility to help meet the funding gap. And given that the Scottish Government has been prepared to provide additional funding for transport projects elsewhere in Scotland, it is unsustainable for them to maintain their position of ‘not a penny more’ for the trams.

And although the St Andrews Square decision will obviously bring the trams to more people and bring in more revenue than the Haymarket option, let’s not forget the people of North Edinburgh and Leith where the tram was originally meant to have gone. Traders and residents along Leith Walk and Constitution Street in particular have suffered years of disruption – it’s been ‘all pain, no gain’. Apparently the St Andrews Square option does keep open the possibility of the line eventually going to Leith and Newhaven, and that’s an example of something that the Scottish Government/Transport Scotland should work on with the Council. If continuing the line to Newhaven does become a real possibility again, then Leithers in particular will want to be assured that the lessons of the tram project so far will be learnt, and that is finished on time and on budget. Leith Walk could not survive even more years of disruption – if it did, then there would be a lot less businesses left to gain from the eventual economic benefits of bringing the tram down Leith Walk.

So whatever happens in the future, there needs to be much more substantial help now to support businesses and economic activity in Leith Walk and Leith. The £445,000 which the Council has agreed to help businesses is a start, but it won’t go that far. And providing a better environment for local residents and business alike is important. Simply tidying up the mess from tram works, repairing pavements, would be a good start, but there’s a lot more that could be done as many local groups have recognised.

A week in Westminster - and beyond!

2011-07-10T11:41:00.004+01:00

And what a week! There’s been so much happening at Westminster over the last few weeks that it’s been hard to find time to get down to the blog, before there are new developments! A couple of weeks ago we had some late night debates on the finance bill – and this week obviously the big domestic news has been the News of the World scandal – there’s clearly going to be much more to come – Ed Miliband has shown real leadership on the issue and I think he has shown that he recognises the public concerns on the whole issue – not just the phone hacking, but also the whole question of media ownership and the way the government has been handling the proposed BSkyB takeover.

But that’s not been the only issue out there. The big international news has to be the drought and return of famine in East Africa. 10 million people are already at risk, and millions of more may be over the next few months. In my role as a Shadow Minister for International Development, I’ve been involved this week in a number of meetings with international development NGOs, including Islamic Relief, CAFOD and the African Development Forum, and this has been a major theme. I also spoke for Labour at a Commons committee meeting to approve more UK funding for the Caribbean Development Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank – the extra funds for the former being a grant for Haiti to help pay for the ongoing reconstruction after the earthquake in that country.

The earthquake in Haiti could not have been prevented. Nor of couhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifrse, could the drought in East Africa. But there have been plenty of warnings about the likelihood of famine, and there is no doubt that much more could have been done to limit the effects of the drought – the world community has failed here, and without proper reforms and action, this crisis will undoubtedly recur again. At least the UK public has responded to the emergency appeal, and we are looking at radical ways of improving our response to humanitarian and emergency crises.

Another area where the world needs to do more, but where there have also been successes, is in tackling the challenge of HIV and AIDS. This is an issue affecting both developing countries, and our community here in Scotland. I’m taking part in an event in Edinburgh later today organised by Waverley Care on that very theme – I’ll be putting my full speech up on the web in a day or so. (Another link between our community and the wider world has been the CORE group in North Edinburgh – and I was at their event a couple of weeks ago to bid farewell to their Director Tesfu Gefesse who is off to run an international project for Save the Children in Ethiopia.

A different type of challenge, but an ongoing one at home, is thhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gife shortage of affordable housing in our communities, and I’ve joined with my local Labour colleagues Malcolm Chisholm MSP and Leith councillor Gordon Munro in backing a bid by Port of Leith Housing Association for two housing projects in Leith.

Along with that, I’ve still been getting the regular turn-out at MP surgeries – not surprisingly, there’s been a steady increase in people coming along with various problems associated with benefits and unemployment. I’ve also, of course, been out on the streets supporting Labour’s campaign to win the crucial by-election for the City Centre ward on Edinburgh City Council.

Finally, a word to those sending me emails in support of various campaigns – I seem to be getting hundreds each week at the moment. I do read them all, and will reply to them all – but if my replies are relatively brief, I hope you will understand!

Welfare Reform and Student Visas up for debate this week

2011-06-13T10:29:00.001+01:00

There'll be debates in the House of Commons on the coalition government's Welfare Reform Bill this week, and also on Student Visas. I'm going to try to speak on both of these, although the Welfare Reform Bill conflicts with one of my committee meetings, and there'll probably be a lot of demand for speakers.

I've put this post mainly to invite constituents with views or experiences on either of these issues to post their comments below.

I'm also on the list for Foreign Office questions on Tuesday, and Prime Minister questions on Wednesday.

Good news from our schools and colleges

2011-06-02T08:23:00.003+01:00

At a time when they face a lot of problems, I thought it would be good to report some positive news from some of our local schools and colleges! First, congratulations to Telford College for winning a UK 'Beacon award' as the top college for the way they support international students. International students have always been very important for Telford - currently 400 out of 20000 students - and it was good to meet some of the students at the award ceremony on Tuesday. (Not everything is positive, I'm afraid - I was told about the problems caused by the government changes to the student visa system, which I've already raised in Parliament; and I also spoke to the College Principal about the issue of school leavers not going into education, employment, and training, which I blogged about earlier this week).

The same day I went along to the AGM of the Drummond High School Parent Council - again, a positive atmosphere, and I was particularly impressed by the school's new project to encourage links and understanding between parents and children from different cultures and ethnic backgrounds.

And on Wednesday, always enjoyable to go along to the Broughton area Primary Schools strings concert, lot of keen players, parents, and hard working staff - and I was glad to hear that, as a result of a voluntary initiative, there would now be a rehearsal programme in the autumn which would go some way towards making up for the closure of the primary schools orchestra by the city council as part of their budget cuts last year.

Edinburgh's unenviable record on 16 school year leavers

2011-06-01T08:39:00.003+01:00

I was at one of Edinburgh City Council regular briefings for MP and MSPs on Monday. It included information about the general economic/employment position in the city. One piece of information was the fact that Edinburgh appears to have the worst record of any Scottish local authority for 16 year old school leavers who aren't going into education, employment or training. Given Edinburgh's relatively low unemployment rate generally, this is both surprising and shocking.

I asked if there was any explanation for this, and the Council admitted they didn't fully understand why this was the case, but were trying to do so as they recognised this was really worrying. One possibility might be that unlike other councils with traditionally higher levels of unemployment who had as a result developed schemes and projects for 16 year old leavers in this category, Edinburgh hadn't done this to the same extent - but even so, for Edinburgh to have more young people (600+) not going into education, employment or training, than Glasgow, with its higher population is staggering.

I'm certainly going to take up this issue, and will come back to it in future posts.

Summertime (?) in the community

2011-05-29T16:11:00.003+01:00

Sympathies to all the community organisations who have started holding summer galas, and similar events, on this windy and (yesterday) wet Edinburgh weekend! However, it didn't spoil the enthusiasm at the two I went to yesterday - the Newhaven Children's Gala, very good turn-out, and a great 'revival' of an old tradition; and in spite of lots of rain at times, the Friends of Montgomery Street Park and Leith Walk Primary Parent Council, organised a good 'Picnic in the Park'.

And in just over a week, it'll be the start of the 'big' community festival in our area, Leith Festival, from 10 - 19 June.

Japan's tragedy

2011-03-13T12:13:00.003Z

It's difficult to find words to express your feelings when you watch the TV pictures of the tsunami wave and its continuing aftermath. Seeing the giant wave inexorably moving towards buildings and vehicles, knowing that people will be about to be swept up in its power, is a horrible sight. Of course, there are other horrors taking place in the world every day - and there will no doubt be renewed concerns about civil nuclear power and a wide range of other issues - but today I just want to put on record my deepest sympathy for the people of Japan and what they have been and are going through.

Con/Dem Welfare Reform Bill up for debate on Wednesday

2011-03-06T14:22:00.005Z

The Con/LibDem coalition Welfare Reform Bill is up for its first full debate in the House of Commons on Wednesday (9 March). It's certain to be controversial, and I've already had a lot of people and organisations contacting me with their concerns. I hope to be able to speak in the debate, although I suspect there will be a lot of demand from MPs to take part.

I've set out some of my views and concerns in other posts on my blog, here, and on my website, here. My website also contains information about some of the government's proposals (not just those in the Welfare Reform Bill, but other government proposals as well). I would be very interested in any more comments, views or questions, from people living in Edinburgh North & Leith - please post your comments below!

Keep the Promise!

2011-02-16T22:35:00.004Z

Labour has launched a new campaign to ensure that the Coalition government keeps its promise to lift UK overseas aid to 0.7% of GDP by 2013. Click here for more details.

Community concern about cuts in disability support

2011-02-08T16:35:00.017Z

Last night, I met a group of parents of children with disabilities who were very concerned about the government's consultation on changes to the DLA. They are right to be concerned. The Disability Alliance has a good website highlighting the changes and the effects. I've also received details of a new campaign covering cuts in disability support but also benefit cuts more widely. (UPDATE: Also new report on this from Capability Scotland).

These are only some of the individuals and organisations who have contacted me who are worried about changes to DLA, and other cutbacks affecting people with disabilities, eg the Independent Living Fund. I've some comments and information about these issuses on my MP website - on disability benefits here, on the independent living fund here, and on changes to tax credits and the benefits system more generally here.

I've made my own submission to the government consultation on Disability Living Allowance, as follows:

I am writing in response to the consultation on reforms of the Disability Living Allowance. I have been contacted by a large number of constituents with strong concerns about the proposed changes which I share. There are several aspects of the proposed reforms to DLA that I wish to discuss further in this letter.

Firstly, I have reservations about the intention to reassess everyone who claims DLA. Even those who have life-long conditions and receive the higher DLA rate for Care and Mobility will be subjected to new medical tests. Repeat assessments can be very stressful for those who undergo them. The Government is intent on reducing costs for the administration of the DLA but reassessing all current claimants of the benefit would be a significant administrative cost.

Furthermore, reassessing those in receipt of the higher rate of the benefit is not just stressful for the recipient, but unlikely to result in a change in status as a higher rate recipient. It is often exhausting for disabled people to repeatedly validate their disability. This can become an arduous task in itself on top of having to cope with a disability.

The focus of the new medical test for the Disability Living Allowance is also of concern. It concentrates not on specific conditions and disabilities, but the ability of the applicant to carry out everyday tasks with the use of aids - in line with the Government’s intention to change the Care component to the ‘Daily Living’ component.

I have received letters from constituents questioning this. Disability is something that should be assessed without the use of aids, as the allowance should be tailored towards specific conditions that have different costs associated with them. It is questionable whether the costs associated with living with a disability can be accurately measured in this way. Disability costs affect people in a variety of ways such as employment, housing and transport. Many disabled people with less complex needs but very high disability-costs will be left without vital support.

The new medical assessment for DLA is to be closely modelled on that of the Work Capability Assessment (WCA) which has been criticised by a number of organisations working in this field and also in the Harrington Review which was set up by the last Government. It therefore becomes difficult to see the justification for using it as a template for the reforms to DLA. Work by Citizens’ Advice analysis suggests that the WCA frequently fails to accurately measure fitness for work. However, using a medical test based on the ability to work as a basis for the reforms to DLA is also concerning as it represents a trend in referring to the DLA as an out-of-work benefit. One of the stated aims of the reforms to the Disability Living Allowance is to reduce costs and to ‘reduce dependency and promote work’ (Budget 2010). Disability Living Allowance is not an out-of-work benefit but assesses the need for additional benefits associated with specific disabilities.

In addition to the medical test, the government’s intention to alter the Care component of Disability Living Allowance to become the Daily Living component also has consequences for in the levels of support available to disabled people. Currently, there are three rates to the Care component but the Government intends only to have two rates in its Daily Living component. I have received correspondence from constituents who are concerned that this simplification of the system will affect the support that they receive. Often the complexities of the costs associated with disability are so severe that to simplify the system in such an arbitrary manner fails to take in consideration the vastly varying severity of conditions.

The abolition of the mobility aspect of the Disability Living Allowance, as part of the changes that will see DLA being replaced by the Personal Independence Payment, is also of concern. The mobility aspect of the DLA is something relied upon by many disabled people to remain as independent as possible. It makes a vital difference in ensuring that disabled people can participate in everyday activities that non-disabled people take for granted. I am concerned by the intention to remove this aspect of the Disability Living Allowance and do not want to see disabled residents of care homes restricted in leading as independent a life as possible.

The Government has argued that the mobility aspect of the Disability Living Allowance is something that is catered for in agreements between Local Authorities and Care Providers. However, the charity Mencap recently surveyed thirty of the leading national Care Providers in the UK. None of those contacted had an agreement with a Local Authority to provide a mobility allowance for their residents. It is also highly concerning that local authorities will be expected to cover the cost of the removal of the mobility aspect of the Disability Living Allowance at a time when they are facing budget cuts of up to 28%.

I hope that you will give careful consideration to the points I have made. In previous years, there has been significant progress in helping disabled people to live as independent a life as possible, with improving access to many of the things that non-disabled people enjoy. It would be tragic if that progress were to be set back as a result of the changes being proposed to the benefit system.

Yours faithfully,

Mark Lazarowicz MP

UPDATE: Apparently the DWP have been having 'IT problems' with their consultation on changes to DLA. As a result they have extended the deadline for submissions by 1 week (!), until 18 February. See here for details. (Of course, if the government had allowed the 12 week consultation period they are meant to, instead of 9, now 10, weeks, including the Christmas/New Year break, it would have been even better!)

Forests vote - what next?

2011-02-05T10:53:00.005Z

I had a big postbag (almost 200 emails!) on the vote last Wednesday in the House of Commons on the Coalition government's proposals to allow it to sell off as much as it wants of the Forestry Commission forests in England. Worthwhile mentioning this is not just an 'English' issue - apart from the many people in Scotland who enjoy Forestry Commission properties in England, there are several hundred people who work at the Forestry Commission offices in Edinburgh whose jobs depend to a major extent on work/contracts etc from the Forestry Commission in England.

The vote was on a Labour motion calling for a rethink of the proposals, and obviously I supported that call for a rethink. You can see details of the debate here. The coalition government defeated the motion, but about 10 Tory and Lib Dems voted with Labour, and about 15 or so abstained. This cut the government majority to 50. Sounds quite big, but in fact there were clearly a lot more Tory and LibDem MPs who were unhappy even though they backed the government.

Although the Labour motion was defeated, the actual proposals from the government will come back for further votes in the Public Bodies Bill, and I expect the votes will be close here also. In fact, given the campaign against a sell-off gained so much support in just a few days, if the public campaign continues to intensify, I can't believe that the Con/LibDem will be able to avoid making at least some major concessions. But obviously the best outcome would be to drop the proposals altogether!

Quite a few constituents have asked me how they can support campaigns against the sell-off. There are a number of organisations who have concerns about the proposals - two are the Wildlife Trusts and the Campaign to Protect Rural England (the sell off plan only involves forests in England).

Is the 'double dip' recession under way?

2011-01-25T13:34:00.003Z

Like many others, I warned last year about the danger of a 'double dip' recession. Today's figures suggest that, unfortunately, our fears were well-founded. Ed Balls, in his first major statement as Labour’s shadow chancellor, as highlighted the dangers:

“It is clearly a matter of great concern that Britain’s economic recovery has now ground to a halt. As the independent Office of National Statistics has confirmed, even after the effects of December’s bad weather, the UK economy saw no economic growth in the final quarter of 2010.
“With families and businesses already facing both rising unemployment and rising inflation, the fact that the economy is now shrinking means the Conservative-led Government’s claims to have saved the economy and secured the recovery will ring very hollow indeed.
“With consumer confidence low and public spending starting to be cut at the end of last year, it is no surprise that construction and services are the sectors hit hardest in these figures. But they are all the more worrying because they cover the period before the Government’s VAT rise and sharp public spending cuts have even begun.
“It is now becoming even clearer that when David Cameron and George Osborne complacently congratulated themselves in the autumn for securing economic recovery, this was in fact the result of decisions taken by the Labour government to get the economy moving again.
“The Government inherited an economy that was strengthening, with growth of 1.1% in the second quarter - thanks to decisions we took to support jobs and get the economy moving. It also meant last year’s deficit came in £20 billion lower than previously forecast.
“Now we are seeing the first signs of what the Conservative-led government’s decisions are having on the economy. The fact is cuts which go too far and too fast will damage our economy. And shrinking growth and rising unemployment is not only bad news for families but will actually make it more difficult to get the deficit down.
“As the head of the CBI said only yesterday, this Government has no plan for growth and it is taking political decisions regardless of the damage they will cause to job creation and business. Simply slamming on the brakes is not a credible economic policy.
“It is not too late - George Osborne and the Treasury must urgently re-think their reckless plan to cut the deficit too far and too fast and start putting growth and jobs first.”

ENDS
Notes to Editors
David Cameron claimed the British economy was out of the danger zone and recovering
“Britain's economy is out of the danger zone and recovering.”
PMQs, 15 December http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201011/cmhansrd/cm101215/debtext/101215-0001.htm#10121530000010

Borrowing came in £20bn lower than forecast in 2009.
PBR 2009 forecast 2009/10 borrowing at £177.6bn. The latest HMT figures puts outturn borrowing at £156.3bn and is available at http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/psf_statistics.htm

Save Edinburgh's services for the unemployed!

2011-01-23T12:48:00.002Z

I've just received this letter from Edinburgh Council UNISON branch about their campaign to keep funding for employment programmes in Edinburgh. It looks like an important campaign to support, and you can find out how in the letter.

SAVE EDINBURGH’S SERVICES FOR THE UNEMPLOYED!!

The Scottish Government is planning to cut nearly half of its budget for employment programmes in Edinburgh. This is funding which historically has come to the Edinburgh Partnership and is used to support the Joined Up For Jobs strategy and to fund specialist programmes designed to fit the needs of local communities and priority groups.

Alex Neil MSP, Minister for Housing and Communities, has confirmed that this funding from the Scottish Government (£2.25 million this year) is being cut. This cut will be in addition to the budget reductions already suffered by the City Council. This huge loss will remove local services which would help 3,500 people.

• These losses will be concentrated in the most disadvantaged areas of the city – Craigmillar, Muirhouse and Pilton, Wester Hailes and Sighthill – and on specialist programmes which help people with multiple problems.
• The impact on opportunities for unemployed young people will be severe.
• Also threatened is the Joined Up For Jobs strategy and its pioneering ways of getting public agencies to work together effectively to reduce unemployment.

Of all Scotland’s cities it’s only Edinburgh which is receiving this treatment.

Mr. Neil has suggested that there may be other sources of government funding and these are being pursued with the Cabinet Secretary for Finance, John Swinney MSP, so it’s vital that they get the message now that this is wrong and unacceptable.

So Please Act Now:
Let's get the Scottish Government to stop picking on Edinburgh, see sense and restore this funding for those who need it most.

WHAT YOU SHOULD DO:

1. Sign the e-petition at http://www.petition.co.uk/save-edinburgh-jobless-services. This will be sent to Scottish Ministers Alex Neil and John Swinney.

2. Contact your MSPs. Please send a message urgently to your constituency MSP (you can get the address from the following website: www.theyworkforyou.com ). Send the same message to each of the List MSPs for Lothian. Their email addresses are given below, along with text you can use for your message.

3. Ask your councillors to support this campaign. Whatever the final decision from the Scottish Government the City of Edinburgh Council will have to decide what can be funded next year. You can find your councillors from this webpage: http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/councillors/search

4. Widen support for the campaign. Please send this on to everyone you know who may be interested. Ask organisations you belong to or work for to support it and to write to ministers and MSPs.

5. Keep in touch with the campaign. We welcome all interested organisations and individuals to join us. We can be contacted at SaveEdinburghJoblessServices@hotmail.co.uk.

6. Come to a campaign meeting – the first open campaign meeting will be at 12.30 pm on Thursday 27 January at the Quaker Meeting House on Victoria Terrace (off George IV Bridge).

THE CAMPAIGN TO SAVE
EDINBURGH’S JOBLESS SERVICES
A briefing pack is available.
For further information email SaveEdinburghJoblessServices@hotmail.co.uk
or contact Matthew Crighton, UNISON representative at CCP, on 07851 348426

Suggested core message for MSPs:

“I am writing to tell you of my grave concern about the decision of Alex Neil, Minister for Housing and Communities, to cut funding for employment programmes in Edinburgh. This loss of £2.3 million next year will remove local services which would help 3,500 people, unless it is reinstated. It will disproportionately hit the most disadvantaged communities in the city and those with most difficulties in getting work, including unemployed school-leavers.

It’s incomprehensible that the Scottish Government should do this at a time of high unemployment and rising hardship. Please use all your influence with Alex Neil and John Swinney to get them to reverse this decision”

E-mail addresses of Lothian list MSPs:

gavin.brown.msp@scottish.parliament.uk
george.foulkes.msp@scottish.parliament.uk
robin.harper.msp@scottish.parliament.uk
fiona.hyslop.msp@scottishparliament.uk
margo.macdonald.msp@scottish.parliament.uk
ian.mckee.msp@scottish.parliament.uk
shirley-anne.somerville.msp@scottish.parliament.uk

E-mail addresses of Edinburgh constituency MSPs:

sarah.boyack.msp@scottish.parliament.uk
malcolm.chisholm.msp@scottish.parliament.uk
kenny.macaskill.msp@scottish.parliament.uk
david.mcletchie.msp@scottish.parliament.uk
mike.pringle.msp@scottish.parliament.uk
margaret.smith.msp@scottish.parliament.uk

Background Information

Historically, in Edinburgh, a share of the budget for tackling unemployment and poverty in Scotland has come through the Edinburgh Partnership to CCP, and is used to support the Joined Up For Jobs strategy and to fund specialist programmes designed to fit the needs of local communities and priority groups .

In this financial year this amounts to £2.3 m which is 43% of the city's Fairer Scotland Fund allocation for improving employability and getting people into work.

The budget supports the dedicated employment projects in the three most disadvantaged areas of the city and also programmes for specific disadvantaged groups, for example the award-winning Passport project for people who are homeless, leaving prison or recovering from addictions.

On 23 December Alex Neil MSP, Minister for Housing and Communities, wrote to Cllr Tom Buchanan at City of Edinburgh Council saying that this funding would not be continued. This was entirely unexpected.

Since then Alex Neil has confirmed the cut from his department but is asking Finance Minister John Swinney to try to find other sources to replace this.

Projects for young people, which will be hit at the moment that we hear that Edinburgh has the worst school-leaver destinations (highest number going into employment) in Scotland, include Youthbuild in Craigmillar, Barnardo's NETworks, Fairbridge and six others.

These services are provided by local voluntary sector projects which are effective because they are working close to the ground and rooted in local communities. They are an asset to the city but their survival is at stake.

Leith Academy remembers

2011-01-17T21:30:00.002Z

On Friday, I paid a visit to Leith Academy. Although the school is just outside the boundaries of my constituency, it is one where many of the students (and staff) live in Edinburgh North & Leith, so it was good to get an update from the head teacher and a visit to some of the classrooms. I was particularly interested in seeing the newly installed Board of Remembrance which honours all pupils from Leith Academy who lost their lives in the Second World War, as I had been in Parliament in Westminster on the day of its official unveiling.

The Board was made possible through the research of pupil Glynn Mullen who, along with youth worker Robbie Huxtable, researched the details of all former Leith Academy pupils who lost their lives during the conflict. Glynn was inspired to undertake the research after noticing the names of those who had died in the First World War were remembered, yet only a plaque with no names stood in honour of those who died in the later conflict.

It was fantastic to meet a young man who has committed so much time to researching the history of Leith and his school. Over the centuries, many Leithers have served in the forces, and whilst it is always humbling to remember those who gave their lives for their country, it is reassuring to know that they will not be forgotten by the next generation. Here and here are links with more details of Glynn’s work.

Congratulations to locals honoured

2010-12-31T15:47:00.003Z

At least three local residents have been honoured in today's announcement of the New Years Honours List. 'Tracker', (Tom Attenburgh), known to thousands of Scouts and cubs and their families through his work with the Scouting movement; George Kerr, for his work with judo, currently with the Junior Judo Club in West Bowling Street; and Stephen Blackmore, Keeper of the Botanics.

Different areas of contribution to society - but all richly deserving the recognition they have received. (And if I have missed any other North & Leith residents who have been honoured today as well, my apologies!).

Inverleith Park sell-off opposed

2010-12-17T09:30:00.004Z

I've received a copy of the latest submission from Friends of Inverleith Park against the proposed sell-off of part of the park for housing. It certainly seems a retrograde step to me - Inverleith Park is enjoyed by thousands of people from many parts of the city. I know that the sell-off is planned for an area which is not part of the main park, but it could still be the thin end of the wedge for what in better times could be seen by the Council as a very lucrative development opportunity. I'd be very interested in local views about this.

Time change passes first stage in Parliament

2010-12-03T10:33:00.012Z

The House of Commons on Friday took the first steps towards changing the clocks, when it gave initial approval ('2nd reading') to a Private Members' Bill on the issue. The proposal if it goes ahead would mean that clocks will go forward so there is an extra hour of daylight in the afternoon (of course, meaning also it will stay dark an hour longer in the morning).

If the Bill eventually goes through all its stages in the Commons and the Lords, it doesn't automatically mean that the change will take place, as the Bill proposes that an independent Commission will be set up to look at all the evidence. The change could only take place if the Commission recommends a go ahead for a trial period - and there will still need to be a final vote in Parliament before the change could be introduced.

I conducted a survey of views in the constituency on the issue. The majority opinion certainly seemed to be in favour, although there were quite a few strongly against. As today's vote is not the final word on the issue, I thought it would make sense for the Bill to go forward to the next stage, but I made the point in the discussion that there has to be a proper examination of the arguments and evidence before any change goes ahead.

The tone of the speech of the Minister replying to the debate suggests that the government is not enthusiastic about the proposal, and although it was prepared to examine the issue further, it wouldn't be supporting the Bill. Governments that aren't enthusiastic have ways of 'killing off' private members' Bills like this! Nevertheless, I am still interested in constituents' views on the issue, as there will be further votes in Parliament on it. For more background information on the arguments for and against, click here.

Leith and World War I - an important new historical record

2010-11-20T10:30:00.005Z

I recently received this email from local historian Andrew Grant about Leith and the First World War, which I thought many Leithers (and others) might be interested in.

"After more than 2000 hours of research, collating evidence and editing images and other materials I have now handed over my portfolios relating to Leith casualties (and others associated with Leith) of the Great War to the Library Service. This contains details and analysis of the 2206 casualties noted in the Leith Roll of Honour and of an additional 351 others whom I tracked from other sources. In addition there is something like 5000 photographs and images. These include photographic obituaries noted in the 'Leith Observer', local and international memorials and individual panels; headstones of casualties here in Leith cemeteries and overseas (e.g. Flanders, Dardanelles, Jerusalem, Gaza). This information is now available for individuals researching family members who died in the conflict.

As Leith Library is undergoing alterations the material is meanwhile being held in the Edinburgh Room of the Central Library. In time it will be lodged in Leith Library.

In addition I have collated 151 poems from the Leith Observer written by Leithers and others on the home front or in the trenches. This is available from me on CD for £5.00 + postage. All proceeds are being donated to the Merchant Navy Memorial Trust (Scotland). This memorial is to be unveiled on the Shore on 16th. November 2010 by the Princess Royal following a service in South Leith Parish Church.

Anyone with particular interest or specific enquiries on Leith casualties or wishes a copy of the CD can contact me by email.:- aandmat72ew@blueyonder.co.uk "

There's also information on the Lothian Health Service archives website.

(Above from Andrew Grant)

I thought I would also post this link about the unveiling of the Merchant Navy memorial at Leith, last week, a very moving event.

And also some information about the Granton War Memorial from the Granton Local History Society, here.

Remembrance Sunday

2010-11-14T16:16:00.002Z

Like most MPs, and no doubt hundreds of thousands others, up and down the country, I attended two remembrance day services this Sunday morning. First, at South Leith Parish Church, a well attended and moving service - and in the afternoon, the annual Remembrance commemoration in the Leith NHS Community Treatment Centre - held there because the Children's Wing of the old Leith Hospital was built as war memorial for those who died in the 1st world war.

Both reminders of those who died in the wars - and also their effects on those who at home and left behind. Reminders also of the horrors of war for all nations and peoples involved, and the need for the world community - and political leaders - to try and work for a more peaceful world.

History relaunched at Newhaven

2010-11-14T16:14:00.002Z

At the launch of the Newhaven Skiff today - 200 turned out in pouring rain - see here to find out what it's about!

Burma 'elections' - Edinburgh support for democracy campaigners

2010-11-07T08:43:00.005Z

Today being the day of the sham 'elections' in Burma, I thought it would be useful to remember that Edinburgh is one of the many cities throughout the world that has marked its support for democracy campaigners, by giving the freedom of the city to Aung San Suu Kyi. I took part in an initiative at Westminster to highlight the situation in Burma, see here.

And I thought I would also mention the long-running link between a number of Lothian schools and refugees from Burma in Thailand, which I have been honoured to have supported over the years.
UPDATE Aung San Suu Kyi has been released. Let's hope this is a move towards real democracy.

Changing the clocks?

2010-10-27T11:11:00.003+01:00

The House of Commons will shortly be discussing a Private Members' Bill on introducing 'Single Double Summer Time', i.e. changing the clocks year round to provide one hour extra light in the afternoon/evening, with one hour extra dark in the morning as a consequence. There's more information on my website here.

I'm interested in the views of constituents on the topic.You can email me at mark@marklazarowicz.org.uk, post a comment here on my blog, and you can cast your vote in my poll on the issue as well, on the home page of my website.

Hitting the poor hardest

2010-10-22T11:30:00.005+01:00

The Coalition government denies it, but the independent think-tank the IFS confirms it - the poor will be hardest hit by the massive cuts announced by the Con/Dem government.

I've said in an earlier post how worried I am that these cuts are going to trigger off a severe economic downturn, and I'm even more concerned now that this may happen. There is an alternative to these cuts, set out by Labour's new Shadow Chancellor in a speech earlier this week.

I am keen to know how the cuts will affect local people and community groups - you can post details here as a comment to this post if you like, or write or email me directly.

Meanwhile, even more reason to support the demonstration in Edinburgh against the cuts this Saturday 23 October.

For some more of my comments on the cuts, click here.

Are we about to 'double-dip'?

2010-10-03T10:34:00.003+01:00

I see Ken Clarke appears to be warning this morning about the dangers of a 'double-dip' recession, so we now have even senior Tories warning of the danger. I think he's right to be worried - it's something Labour has been warning about since before the election - as did the LibDems before they got sucked into 'power' (or at least a bit of it). You can see the signs of what is happening on the ground - feedback from surgeries, friends, and just chatting on the bus. Ireland's fate is a stark warning for where the Coalition government could be taking us - and because we're a bigger economy, a 'double dip' here would have knock-on effects throughout Europe.

We'll know the worst when the LibDem/cons announce their cuts on 20 October. I am really worried about the effect these are going to have on the fabric of our society. Moreover, I suspect the message that will come out will be so damaging to business confidence that the negative effects on the economy will magnify the effect of the cuts themselves. Labour's got to put our alternative strongly, as well - but I hope the public will let the LibDem/Cons know what they think about what we are promised to be savage cuts, and force them to change direction - not just for this country, but at European level as well. Ken Clarke has spoken out - what about some top LibDems? Surely people like Vince Cable, Menzies Campbell, and Simon Hughes believe what is happening is right?
UPDATE. I see some of the news this morning suggests people like Cable and Hughes are expressing concerns - if they are, I hope it has an effect!

Best comment I've read on the LibDems and AV

2010-09-28T07:35:00.002+01:00

I'll support AV in the referendum even though it's not my preference for reform, but this comment by Nick Cohen says it all.

Ed was the right choice

2010-09-26T11:59:00.002+01:00

We now have our new Labour leader, Ed Miliband, elected by a whisker. I was one of those who supported Ed right from the start, and I think he is going to be a very good leader for Labour. I say that not just because of his policies, but also because I know from having seen Ed at meetings with all sorts of local groups and communities - Labour Party members, environmental activists, general members of the public - that he is an incredibly good communicator. I think that will come through over the next few years up until the UK general election, and could well be an important factor in that vote.

It's good to be inspired...

2010-09-19T08:40:00.001+01:00

...and this weekend I’ve been privileged to have been really inspired by a number of events in and around Edinburgh North & Leith. On Thursday, a fantastic graduation ceremony at Telford College’s great new campus at West Granton – great to see real enthusiasm from everyone there – students, the new principal and the rest of the staff, and parents.

Friday evening, inspired in a different way by an event in Dynamic Earth organised as part of the international campaign on oil extraction from ‘tar sands’ in Alberta – a really moving and powerful address by a chief from one of the native peoples affected – and lots of other good speakers in what seems a really important campaign – a campaign heavily backed in Britain by the Cooperative Group, which as a Labour & Cooperative MP I’m really pleased to see. (The meeting in Edinburgh was also organised by a wide range of NGOs, led by Friends of the Earth Scotland)

And on Saturday afternoon, different type of inspiration when I went to Malta House in Stockbridge for their annual patient reunion of LEAP (Lothians & Edinburgh Abstinence Programme) where I heard some really powerful testimony from people’s whose lives had been transformed by their experience on LEAP’s treatment programme. And some inspirational leadership from the medical team as well.

Commons vote on Afghanistan

2010-09-08T09:57:00.003+01:00

In a major first, the new House of Commons committee which aims to give back bench MPs more of a say in Parliamentary business has scheduled a debate this Thursday (9 September) on the subject of British military involvement in Afghanistan - and there will be a 'free vote' for MPs at the end of the debate. I'll be attending for the debate and vote - and I'd be very interested in constituents' views on the issue. So please give me your comments!

The debate will be on a motion, with two amendments, and I've listed these below.

The motion and amendments:

UK ARMED FORCES IN AFGHANISTAN

That this House supports the continued deployment of UK armed forces in Afghanistan.

As Amendments to Natascha Engel’s proposed Motion (UK Armed Forces in Afghanistan):
Dr Julian Huppert

(b)
Line 1, leave out from ‘supports’ to end and add ‘the UK armed forces; recognises the hard and dangerous work they are performing in Afghanistan; and requests that the Government ensure that they are brought back to safety as soon as possible.’.

Dr Julian Lewis

(a)
Line 2, at end add ‘provided that a more realistic military strategy is adopted designed to fulfil the United Kingdom’s long-term interests in the region at lesser cost in life, limb and financial resources.’.

What kind of recession in Edinburgh?

2010-08-30T16:13:00.001+01:00

I came across a very interesting article by Iain MacWhirter today. The drift of his article, that Edinburgh is living in something of a fool’s paradise, because its dependence on public sector employment means that although the city appears to have been relatively unscarred by the recession so far, when the threatened ‘savage cuts’ do materialise, Edinburgh will be particularly badly hit, is very persuasive and for that reason very worrying.

My own impression is that the impact of the recession in Edinburgh has already been much more serious in some sectors than his article suggests. Being at home in Edinburgh during the Parliamentary recess allows me to meet many more local people on a casual as well as an organised basis, and this summer I have been making a particular point of asking people how they have been affected by the recession. The picture is certainly mixed. Builders, joiners, architects, property lawyers – anyone involved in construction has certainly been hit very seriously. Financial services, though, do not seem to have been as badly affected as most people feared. The tourism and leisure sector seems to be more varied – and some businesses find unexpected benefit from the recession. And although I know many IT workers have been hit, one freelance IT worker I met said it was a very busy August – but that’s because people weren’t away on holiday so were using his services at a time when they normally don’t.

And I’ve certainly noticed many more people coming to my surgeries who have become recently unemployed, with benefits and other problems as a result, even though unemployment in Edinburgh is still much lower than in many other cities. But if Iain McWhirter is right, then that could certainly change if we do end up with a ‘double-dip’ recession as many predict, and which I fear will happen as a result of the Europe-wide rush to cut budgets quickly.

This Friday, I will be having one of my regular meetings with Jobcentreplus where I will be able to get a detailed picture of the current unemployment picture in Edinburgh. I’d be very interested in any views or information of how the recession is affecting particular businesses or sectors of the local economy to inform me for that meeting. You can post your views here, or send me an email or write to me if you prefer.

Leith aid for floods crisis

2010-08-29T08:09:00.004+01:00

I thought I would give a mention to a local organisation which is helping at the heart of the areas hit by the recent flooding. Newhaven based Edinburgh Direct Aid happen to have a direct involvement in some of in one the most affected areas, in Kashmir. They've launched an emergency appeal, and you can find details here

Please give generously to this and the other appeals - the public in this country have already done so, but much more is clearly going to be needed.

Back to the blog

2010-08-15T08:03:00.002+01:00

I hadn't realised it was so long since I had lasted posted on this blog - we were busy in Westminster up to the end of July, and then I had a couple of weeks holiday, and I never got round to posting. But back to the blog now!

For the first time in a few years, we are back at Westminster for a couple of weeks this September. The main item on the first day back (6 September)will be the first stage in the new government's plans to introduce the 'Alternative Vote'(AV)combined with a reduction in number of parliamentary constituencies.

The government has been criticised, rightly in my view, for the way it has combined these two issues in one Bill, and has also refused to allow proper 'pre-legsilative' scrutiny of the Bill - something the LibDems in particular were very keen on before they became part of the government. The only real reason for rushing the legislation through and linking these in this way is because of the deal between the Tories and LibDems (the LibDems want AV, and the Tories want to change constituency sizes).

I, and Labour (and I suspect many of the smaller parties) won't support the way this is being handled. I am in favour of electoral reform, have been for many years, so I don't see why taking a few more months to do this properly can't be found. After all, that would allow a proper debate on other forms of electoral reform. AV is not proper proportional representation - it is (marginally) better than the present system, in my view, but I would like to see Parliament having a chance to at least debate proper proportional representation, and having a chance to vote on such alternatives rather than being presented, in effect, with AV or nothing.

I'll be coming back to this subject later, I'm sure.

In Memoriam John Crichton - a proud Leither

2010-06-22T19:08:00.002+01:00

News has come in today about the sad death of John Crichton. John was the oldest member of Edinburgh North & Leith Party, with a long history of political activity, on the old Edinburgh City Council before 1974 and then on Lothian Region, where he served as Convener. Although John was in his 90s, he continued to be active in the Labour Party until the last year or so, and still came along occasionally to meetings and events, most recently to wish us well in the general election campaign.

I had immense respect for John - he kept on going sometimes in difficult circumstances - he was a man of great integrity - and always a proud Leither!

His family can be proud of him, and we in the local Labour Party have lost a great friend and comrade.

Democratic reform is not just a Westminster issue

2010-05-18T19:10:00.002+01:00

Had an email from a constituent who complained that the recent blogposts hadn't said much about Leith, so just to reassure him I'm happy to report that I spent much of the weekend on constituency business.

Friday saw the restart of my weekly surgeries - as I suspected, they were very busy as it had been 4 weeks since my last ones before the election campaign. On Saturday morning, a stall with the local Labour Party in Raeburn Place, to meet people after the election and to say 'thanks!'.

After that a visit to the launch of a new project by the Edinburgh Community Backgreens Association in Leith - bringing backgreens into use, and encouraging people to 'grow their own' vegetables. A really good project, which has the potential not just to make better use of backgreens which have often fallen into disuse and sometimes the location for various types of anti-social behaviour - but also can help promote community spirit. I am sure there are many other places in Leith and North Edinburgh that could benefit from a similar project - here's a link with more details of this one - if you're interested in something in your area, I am sure the association would be happy to hear from you.

And after that, just to underline that concern about the way that Parliament and democracy operates isn't just restricted to a few people in Westminster, I was most impressed by the gathering organised at very short notice by the Edinburgh group supporting the 'Take Parliament Back' campaign. Young, enthusiastic and determined. I'd only intended to go along to show my support - but I was asked to join in and speak at the end, which I was glad to do.

And now we know....

2010-05-13T14:01:00.004+01:00

So the answer to the last question was 'No'! I still think that the Lab/LibDem coalition would have been worth trying, although the speed with which the Tory/LibDem coalition details were announced does indeed suggest that this may have been the planned outcome from the start - and that the LibDem talks with Labour just a device to extract more from the Tories. No doubt the full story will emerge in someone's memoirs eventually - meantime, I will get down to the business of speaking up for local people in what will be a difficult period.

For the disillusioned LibDem voter, here's a link you may find interesting.

And without comment, when searching the web for Compass, the left-wing pressure group, I accidentally came across this piece about Compass, the catering giant, which apparently is expecting big things from the Con/LibDem alliance - says it all really! Have a look!

So there might be a 'progressive alliance' after all?

2010-05-11T10:01:00.003+01:00

My post (below) two days ago was obviously a bit premature. It appears as if a Lab-LibDem agreement might be possible. It seems pretty clear that LibDem MPs, understandably frightened by the reaction from their voters to a deal with the Tories, baulked at what was being offered to them by their leaders and negotiators.

Not surprisingly, we're now seeing an outraged response from the metropolitan media who have been waiting to usher in to power David Cameron and his entourage. But the fact is that just as the electorate did not deliver a mandate to Labour, nor did it do so to the Tories - and if 60% of the electorate broadly speaking would define themselves on the 'centre-left' (although I know that terms like this drastically over-simplify the complex political make up of the country), then it is right that should be reflected in the government that is formed. That doesn't mean that the 36% who voted Tory should be ignored - their views and votes and MPs should be heard in Parliament as well - but nor does it give them a right to take power alone also.

Finally, I want to put on record my great respect and admiration for Gordon Brown. I don't think there is any politician in this country who has had to face such a campaign of vilification as he has. I have no idea what he intends to do in the future - but I hope and am sure that his immense talents, and in particular his commitment to international justice and cooperation, will be applied in another role.

PS Here's a link showing the full results in Edinburgh North & Leith, and my comments.

Is a 'progressive coalition' possible?

2010-05-09T19:46:00.001+01:00

Two days after the general election, and it looks as if the Tories and LibDems may be coming closer to a deal on a new government. But that’s certainly not what should be happening. Although there are clearly lots of differences between Labour and the LibDems, the fact is that the stated policy positions (and more importantly, the views of many of their supporters) are much closer to Labour than the Tories. So a Lab-LibDem coalition would certainly make a lot of political sense.

I know that such an outcome would be hard for many supporters and more particularly MPs of both parties to accept. I’ve certainly no reason to be friendly to the LibDems, having been the subject of a particularly vicious and negative campaign by the LibDems in my constituency. But MPs and parties have to look to the wider interests of the country, not just their own personal interests. And the fact is that while it might be interesting to watch the LibDems tear themselves to pieces over a deal with the Tories, I am sure that what most Labour AND LibDem voters would prefer would indeed be a ‘progressive coalition’, as opposed to one led by David Cameron.

And the numbers in the Commons actually add up more favourably to achieve that than might seem the case at first sight. Of the 650 seats in the Commons, you can take away the 5 Sinn Fein MPs who do not take their seats. That means a governing coalition would require 323 for an effective majority. Labour and LibDems together have 315. Add to that the 3 SDLP MPs and 1 Alliance MP, who have links with Labour and LibDems respectively, and that makes 319 to the Tories’ 307 (if they hold the one constituency where the election has been postponed). It’s hard to see the SNP and PC – or the Green MP or Sylvia Hermon (the independent Unionist who left her party because she opposed their links to the Tories) – swinging their 11 votes behind the Tories, even if the DUP were to do so, which is by no means certain.

So there is a possibility of a Lab-LibDem coalition governing. I’m glad that Gordon Brown has recognised this and offered legislation on electoral reform. I certainly welcome that – and I hope that the LibDem leadership does not turn down an historic and perhaps never to be repeated opportunity to bring about a fairer voter system. If they do, they will be betraying not only their supporters but many others who would like to see real reforms of our outmoded political system.

And just who is it that runs Edinburgh?

2010-04-27T11:18:00.002+01:00

As most readers of my blog and website will hopefully acknowledge (even my opponents) I've tried to be positive in my campaigning. But I didn't feel I could stand by when Nick Clegg visited Edinburgh yesterday and had the cheek to complain about 'unfairness'. Has he not realised that his party now leads the City Council?!

Can the election debates address the issues?

2010-04-23T11:09:00.003+01:00

Like millions, I have been following the televised leaders debates. And we've also had our local debates as well - the Broughton Spurtle (local community newssheet) held theirs on Wednesday - and the 200+ turnout showed clearly that people are interested in this election.

I beginning to wonder, however, if the format of the televised debates allows issues to be really probed in depth? To take one issue (and I am choosing this as it is one where I actually disagree with my party's line), namely that of renewing Trident, which of course I and many other Labour MPs voted against in the last Parliament. The LibDem line of course is that they are 'against a like-for-like replacement for Trident' - but that is entirely woolly - does that mean they are in favour of another system (their official line seems to be yes), and if so what type, how much would it cost? Their policy would seem to allow them to spend even more if they wanted. Does it mean nuclear missiles launched from planes - a shared nuclear missile system with the French - land or sea based cruise missiles - all of these options have been suggested as 'cheaper' versions of the nuclear bomb.

Or are they against replacing it entirely, which certainly seems to be the impression some of their candidates are giving?

These are important questions, but obviously not the ones which either David Cameron or Gordon Brown are going to focus on seeing as they both support Trident replacement.

Maybe the final debates should allow for some pointed questions from the TV 'chair' - I'm not always the greatest fan of Jeremy Paxman's style, but perhaps he should be let loose for the last one!?

Digital Economy Bill raises big questions for Parliament

2010-04-10T22:46:00.003+01:00

After the long-awaited announcement last Tuesday of the election date, Parliament spent two days in tidying up outstanding business, the so-called 'wash-up'. The idea is that any business on which there is general agreement is passed through into law quickly, without the normal full scrutiny that legislation gets. The 'wash-up' doesn't normally get much attention, because proposed laws which get all-party agreement is by definition likely to be uncontroversial.

But this year, the 'wash-up' period saw one of the most controversial pieces of legislation in the last few years going through, the Digital Economy Bill. And I found myself amongst 23 Labour 'rebels' voting against that Bill. The issue wasn't just that there were big question-marks over some of the measures in the Bill, but the fact that MPs weren't given any chance to properly examine the controversial and complex parts of the Bill. As one of the Labour MPs pointed out in the debate, the Bill had indeed been given extensive scrutiny in the House of Lords - but the Lords aren't elected - it is MPs who are, and who the public expect to raise their concerns in Parliament.

And there's no doubt that there were a lot of people who were concerned at parts of the Bill. Certainly I got one of the biggest email 'post bags' on an issue I've had. Of course, some of these responded to organised campaigns - but in my view there's nothing wrong with people organising on issues they're concerned about. It doesn't devalue their arguments.

There were of course some people in favour of the Bill, and I know there were some performers and trade unions who were keen on it - one of the strongest speeches in favour of the Bill was the SNP MP Pete Wishart (ex-Runrig). But that's not the real point - it was the fact that MPs weren't given a proper chance to listen to the arguments, both for and against.

To be fair to the government, until the day of the final vote, I understand it had been told that both the Tory and LibDem leadership were supporting the Bill, which they did at 'Second Reading' - but equally, the government knew that many Labour MPs were very unhappy. (One of the Labour 'rebels' had never voted against the government in 10 years as an MP).

Thinking since then about the events of last week, I've drawn a number of conclusions about what they mean - both for the Bill, and for the way Parliament works. In brief:

1. The campaign against the Bill might not have stopped it, but I don't think there was a single MP who wasn't aware of it. Although I can't see any likelihood of the Bill (now Act of course) being repealed or amended in the near future, whatever else happens, I think that any future government will be very wary indeed about how it uses the new powers the Bill granted it, as long attention is still focussed on it - and maybe an amendment to the new law might be possible in due course.

2. Having said that, I think that many MPs didn't appreciate how genuine and widespread was the opposition to the Bill. I was told by one MP that 97% of the emails she had had on the subject were from men, and that the whole campaign against the Bill had been got up by 'big American internet companies'. I have to say that wasn't my experience - the emails I got were from all sorts of people (male & female!), of varying ages, everything from students to quite large businesses. Tweeting and having a website doesn't by itself create an on-line political community - it means a lot more than that - listening to people as well as talking to them!

3. The 'wash-up' period is a big defect in Parliamentary scrutiny. I didn't think that the controversial bits of the Bill would get through - but clearly I had not appreciated the way in which the decisions about what goes through are even more than normal ones taken by the party front-benches, rather than MPs as a whole. That's an argument for all the proposed reforms to strengthen the role of back-bench MPs, which I support - but also for fixed term Parliaments - there wouldn't need to be a rushed few days getting laws through if we knew when Parliaments were going to end anyway.

4. I also suspect the DEB experience might see a change, for the better, in the way Parliamentary debates are organised. There was a lot of anger about how few MPs were in the chamber for the 2nd reading debate last Tuesday (I was there for the end of the debate). In fact, that's not unusual - because a lot of time is spent elsewhere on committees, meetings, and the like - but I think one result of this campaign might be we see more effective use of debating time in the House of Commons, where there is more real live debate, with shorter speeches actually focussed on the issues which the public want to see discussed, and which MPs want to talk about, instead of 6-7 hours or so spent in debates attended by only a few MPs.

A quiet revolution?

2010-03-05T07:32:00.002Z

'A lot quieter than 1789', I remarked to another Labour MP after we had voted through a whole batch of reforms to House of Commons procedures today. And while the changes were not as bloody or as far-reaching as those in Paris in 1789, the general feeling amongst MPs was one where we couldn't quite believe we had voted through, with big majorities, some of the most radical changes in the way the Commons operates for decades.

The two most significant in my view were, firstly, the decision that the chairs of select committees be elected by MPs in a secret ballot and not as at present nominated by a committee where the party managers, the whips and others, have a great deal of influence. What this means is that chairs will have to get support from across the parties in the commons to be elected. And that will mean that independence will be at a premium for the successful candidate.

The second significant change was the decision that backbenchers will be able to decide the way in which much of the time for business in the Commons will be allocated. That may not sound much, but in practice that could have profound consequences by making it impossible for any government to choose issues it wants to debate, and avoid those it doesn't.

By themselves, these changes will not transform the culture of Parliament - but I suspect they may trigger off a whole series of shifts in the way the system operates, bringing about (I hope) a fundamental shift in the balance of power between the Executive and those responsible for scrutinising and controlling it.

Now on to the election of the House of Lords, and a fair election system for both houses of Parliament!

It's a 2, 3, 4...horse race

2010-03-03T21:28:00.004Z

I see that my local LibDem opponent for the UK General Election is still pushing out material claiming it's a "two horse race" in Edinburgh North & Leith. And this has stimulated my SNP opponent to put out his leaflet saying 'oh no it's not, it's a two-horse race between SNP and Labour'! The fact is that almost all the opposition parties to Labour could choose statistics to 'prove' they are second to Labour - it was between SNP and Labour in the last Council and European elections, between Labour and LibDem at other times - the latest Scottish opinion poll puts the Tories in second place - and in the 2004 European elections it was the Greens who were second in the constituency.

While personally speaking I'm happy if my local opponents want to dispute who is really in 2nd place (!), what this shows is `that the best course of action for anyone in Edinburgh North & Leith is to vote for what you believe in - and it also underlines in my view the case for electoral reform so that electors can vote for their first choice, without having to vote 'tactically' - one of the reasons I have backed proportional representation for more than 20 years.

Ed Miliband speaks in Edinburgh North & Leith

2010-02-26T12:09:00.003Z

Ed Miliband MP, UK Secretary of State for Energy & Climate Change, will be speaking in Leith on Friday 5th March, at 7 pm. He will be taking part in a Q & A session, along with myself.

Ed took the lead in many of the international negotiations prior to the Copenhagen summit, and can give his view on where international efforts on tackling climate change now stand. He has also been involved in bringing forward many key items of legislation in the energy field as well.

This is an opportunity to put your points to the UK's leading politician on climate change and energy policy. To book a place at this event, please email Scotland@new.labour.org.uk with your name(s) and address.

So what happened at Copenhagen?

2009-12-19T16:01:00.002Z

I said in my last post I would blog about my impression of the Copenhagen conference. I was there as I had been invited to speak at one of the many 'side meetings', (a European Parliament event on 'carbon trading), but as it was taking place inside the main venue, I was able to get a good 'feel' for the way negotiations were going. And what strikes me most was the way that the fairly positive attitude on Thursday that a reasonably 'far-reaching' agreement was achievable did not actually result in that type of agreement at the end of the day.

There's no doubt that the outcome of Copenhagen is extremely disappointing - it is not what tackling climate change needed, and the agreement (or rather 'accord') is a lot less than seemed possible earlier in the week. I can certainly understand why some have argued that the EU should have refused to go along with the final deal.
However, there are some positive outcomes from Copenhagen, and at the end of the day I can't see that there is any alternative to trying to build on what the progress that has been made, limited though that has been.

What the Copenhagen experience emphasises for me is the even greater need for a genuinely international citizen's movement to put pressure on the governments of the world to deliver meaningful action on climate change. I'm glad, at least, that our goverment, under Gordon Brown's leadership, was at the forefront of seeking a strong deal at Copenhagen - I'm in no doubt that without that leadership, there would have been a lot less in the deal (particularly on the issue of finance for developing countries)than there was at the end of the day).

Crunch time at Copenhagen...

2009-12-15T17:06:00.002Z

The climate change conference at Copenhagen is now reaching its final stages, and I was one of a group of Labour MPs with a special issue on climate change issues who were briefed by Gordon Brown yesterday. There's no doubt that his, and the British government's, leadership efforts to forge a deal are making an impact. I'm going to be in Copenhagen myself on Thursday, speaking at a European Parliament meeting about the report to the Prime Minister on carbon trading which I headed up. If time permits, I'll try and blog about that event briefly on here on Thursday, and to give my perspective on how the negotiations are going.

The banks - local and national issues

2009-10-28T08:54:00.002Z

A whole range of issues concerning the banks and financial institutions have been a major focus of my activity here in Westminster over the last few days.
(1) The takeover of Standard Life Bank by Barclays, announced this week, although not unexpected, will affect almost 300 jobs in Edinburgh. There doesn't seem to be any suggeston of job losses - indeed, the tie-up with Barclays might lead to more work for Edinburgh - but I want to know more about the company's plans for the future, and I'm talking with Barclays Head of UK Retail Operations about that later today.
(2) The dispute which has arisen between Lloyds TSB Foundation for Scotland, and the Lloyds bank which funds it, is deeply worrying to the many charities who receieve funding from the foundation. There's an obvious UK dimension, because of the big government shareholding in the bank - so I've asked the Treasury to intervene, and also raised the issue directly with Chancellor Alistair Darling earlier this week.
(3) Complaints have come in about the Bank of Scotland's changes to its overdraft charges, which could lead to people who overdraw by even just a few pounds, even an authorised one, having to pay £31 a month in charges. BoS of course is now owed by Lloyds TSB, so again there is a government interest, and a lot of MPs have raised this issue with the government as well;
(4) Lastly, but by no means least, there is a growing debate about the future structure of UK banking now that they appear to be coming out of the crisis. A current hot topic is whether banks should be broken up, and linked to that is the immediate future of Northern Rock. I have strongly supported the idea that Northern Rock should be brought back into the 'mutual' sector, to provide a real alternative for the consumer, and I'll be pushing for that today if I get a chance to do so.

On a different issue, I also see that the 'Kelly' report on MPs expenses and allowances has been widely leaked today. My view is clear - given all that has been revealed over the last few months, MPs should accept Kelly's recommendations in their entirety, and put them into effect as soon as possible. I'll probably comment in more detail once the actual report is published (which was meant to be next week, but as they have been leaked so widely, I think it would be best if the report was published now).

After Question Time..

2009-10-25T15:38:00.002Z

The decision by the BBC to invite the BNP leader Nick Griffin on to Question Time has been pretty big in the news over the last week, of course. I was one of those who felt that he shouldn't have been invited on the programme - the BNP have a perfect right to free speech, but that doesn't also give them an automatic right to appear on a particular TV programme. Like many others who have commented on the programme, I felt that Griffin performed poorly - but I still feel that the very act of inviting him gave him and his views a credibility which they didn't previously have. It's also a wake-up call to the mainstream political parties - address the issues which lead people to vote for the BNP, or they will gain support - and that I am sure applies just as just as much in Scotland as in the rest of theU.

The right to free expression..

2009-10-20T19:20:00.002+01:00

Sometimes you get a reminder, close to home, of how dangerous political activity can be in some countries. At my surgery last week, a woman from Leith came along desperate for action to help her brother who she told me had been seized by the security services in Morocco. He is a human rights activist from the Western Sahara community, and he and six of his colleagues were returning from a human right conference when they were taken. My constituent is very worried about their well-being; she has been told they may even face the death penalty. I had a brief word with UK Foreign Secretary David Miliband in the Commons chamber last night, and raised it in a question at Foreign Office questions today. I've also raised it with some of the media. Hopefully this will help to publicise the case, and put pressure on the Moroccan authorities to release those they have detained.

From Berlin to Leith - the same issues!

2009-10-16T11:37:00.004+01:00

It's less than two months until the big UN conference in Copenhagen which will seek to get a new international agreement on climate change. The UK government has been at the forefront of efforts to try and get an agreement on the big reductions in emissions which is needed if we are going to avoid catastrophic climate change, and Ministers like Ed Miliband and his deputy Joan Ruddock have been working hard to win support from other countries. I've been doing my bit to help through the work I've done on 'carbon trading', where I published a report at the end of July (the link is here, but briefly the argument is carbon trading, IF caps on emissions are toughened, can play an important part in cutting emissions, but is only part of the solution). The report has been sent to governments round the world, and its recommendations have been broadly accepted by the UK government as one of its objectives for Copenhagen. I haven't been travelling round the world myself, though! - apart from visits in London, my only visit overseas has been this week to Germany where I was promoting the report as the main speaker at a conference in Berlin.

I was pleased to say there was a considerable degree of consensus, not just about the type of ideas in my report, but also on the need for a tough new international agreement. It made me think there is a much higher chance of an agreement at Copenhagen than some people think, although a lot of course will depend on the final US position, where many in Congress do not support the position taken by the Obama administration.

And what my short visit to Berlin also highlighted for me was the way that some of the difficulties to tackling climate change in a practical way are not financial, but bureaucratic and organisational e.g. the planning difficulties many people face when they try and instal energy efficiency measures in older houses. This was brought home to me when, having come back overnight from London on the sleeper, I went to a 'meet the public' event in the Redbraes area in my constituency. It was mainly about housing and park maintenance issues, but there was a short presentation at the meeting from the excellent community based Greener Leith organisation, who are working on the idea of bringing water power back to the Water of Leith, with one of the sites at Redbraes. They've just got cash for a feasibility study, but it's more than 5 years since an expert report for the Council highlighted the possibilities for this. Anyhow, hopefully it will now move forward under the leadership of Greener Leith - from which I draw the conclusion that locally based community energy initiatives may be more likely to get somewhere than ideas which depend on support from traditional bureaucracies. (Redbraes, not Berlin, above - along with Malcolm Chisholm and Angela Blacklock!).

Legg over....

2009-10-12T21:40:00.003+01:00

It's been a difficult few months for MPs with the enquiry into MP 'second home' expenses. Like many MPs, I had checked all my expenses claims - I thought I was ok, but there was always the nightmare that maybe I had overlooked something. So I was delighted when the inquiry led by Sir Thomas Legg confirmed my 'second home' Parliamentary expenses were 100% OK. It was good to have this confirmation, particularly as Legg's team had gone into MP expenses with a fine toothcomb and scrutinised us all in great detail - as is only right and proper given the exposures about what some MPs had been up to.

I have to say, though, the way that the publication of the 'Legg findings' were dealt with was far from satisfactory. First of all, material has been all over the papers over the last few days, but back bench MPs, at least, had no idea what was going on. Then today we were told we would get letters about 9 am - then 12 noon - then later - and it was only at 7 pm that the letters were handed out. Many MPs not surprisingly were getting very distressed at the delay - I was on the train from Edinburgh, so I didn't have the same problem - but it was certainly not handled well. Anyhow, hopefully we can now move forward and begin to restore the trust in Parliament which this whole expenses episode has severely undermined.

No reason to run from debate

2009-10-05T11:53:00.003+01:00

I see that there's been quite a bit of media coverage today and over the last few days about the issue of whether or not Alex Salmond should be given equal billing as the three other main party leaders in the leadership debates which are likely to be held in the run up to the UK General Election.

To me, the issue is pretty clear cut. Like it or not (and I don't!), the SNP is a major party in Scotland and there really is no sustainable excuse for leaving their leader out of any leadership 'head-to-head'. I think that to try and do so might indeed lead to a successful legal challenge - and also encourage the SNP in its 'victimhood' complex.

On this at least, I tend to agree with Alan Cochrane in the Daily Telegraph (!); the SNP can't reasonably be kept out of at least the Scottish debates - and let them in there so their arguments can be met head on.

The Leader's speech

2009-09-30T11:54:00.002+01:00

It's always the high point of the conference of course - and it's difficult for an MP to blog about - having to avoid the twin minefields of excessive praise or saying another even mildly critical which is then picked up and exaggerated by the media as an example of party disarray. So I thought I'd just report the reaction I've picked up. Party members seem genuinely quite encouraged by the speech - I've spoken to a few local members since yesterday, and even those who are frequently critical of the leadership (any leadership) were positive. And my office reports a constituent phoned up this morning, said she was a life-long LibDem supporter but felt that Gordon Brown had been treated very badly, was impressed by what he said, and she would now be backing Labour (and wanted to make a donation as well!). I do get the feeling that it has gone down well - certainly in Scotland - although the key for the election is how it will play across the UK, of course.

For my part, I genuinely thought it was good - very strong at the start in particular with a reminder of what we have achieved. Some good ideas for the future as well. Hesitations? - perhaps biggest of all the promised referendum on the voting system. I'm a strong supporter of a fairer voter system - and that's the problem with the alternative vote system. There is evidence that what it can do is actually exaggerate the support for popular parties at the expense of those who are less popular at any particular time. Labour would have undoubtedly gained under AV in 1997 from LibDems and others who would have transferred their second votes to us - but in 2010 what would happen? And AV tends to magnify the support for the biggest parties, at the expense of smaller parties, as Australia has shown.

So, without getting in to arcane debate about voting systems, I would prefer the so-called 'AV plus' proposed a few years ago by the Jenkins Commission - and I'll be urguing we allow that option in any referendum.

Bill Speirs - a sad loss

2009-09-23T17:42:00.004+01:00

The news has come in today about the death of Bill Speirs. He'd been ill for some time, but it's still a shock. I knew Bill very well in the 80s and 90s, through the Scottish Labour Party Executive, and a whole lot of Labour and trade union campaigns. I see the TV report describes him as a 'giant', and that's a fair description. He was one of those people who campaigned for Labour, for the trade unions, and for Scottish devolution, at times when these didn't seem like likely winners - he can certainly be regarded as one of those who made the Scottish Parliament possible.

Here's a link to some tributes about Bill and his work.
http://video.stv.tv/bc/news-090923speirsfull/

Schools under threat

2009-09-23T17:29:00.003+01:00

This week and next week will be busy for me and the other local elected reps with meeting for both Fort and Royston about the plans by Edinburgh's SNP/LibDem council to close these schools. In a comment below, someone has made a point contrasting the situation in Edinburgh and Glasgow. It's a reasonable question - but there is quite a significant difference between the two cities (in this way as in so many others!). In Glasgow, pupil numbers and the population is predicted to go down - but in Edinburgh, the Council's own predictions are that both will go up over the next 10 years - and that's city wide, without considering the position in detail in particular areas, like North Edinburgh where all the predictions are for a population increase.

Here's a statement I made today which makes this point at more length:

CITY WIDE NUMBERS NO BASIS FOR DIFFERENT COMMUNITIES

Edinburgh North & Leith Labour MP, Mark Lazarowicz, has urged the City
Council to look again at the calculations the City Council has used as a
basis for proposing school closures as part of its current programme. Mr
Lazarowicz, whose Edinburgh North & Leith constituency is threatened with
two school closures – at Royston and at Fort – has said that it has been
confirmed this week that the population projections being used by the
Council are city-wide, and do not cater for the possibility of the rates
of population change varying in different parts of the city.

Over the next two weeks, there will be a total of four meetings in Mark’s
constituency where the Council is explaining its plans to the local
parents and the local community. Mark raised his concerns at a meeting
about Fort Primary School earlier this week (Tuesday) where the Council
officials confirmed that their projections for future population growth
were city-wide figures, rather than ones for the areas in which school
closures were planned.

Mark Lazarowicz said: “The Council have said in the documents backing
their plans that they expect pupil numbers in primary schools to rise over
the next ten years as a result of an increase in Edinburgh’s population.
They also accept that the changes in population will be likely to be
different throughout the city.
However, they do not seem to have worked out even rough figures for what
the changes in population in different parts of the city will be. They
certainly do not seem to have any projections for population changes in
the areas affected”.

“This is a particularly important issue for the schools in my constituency
at Royston and Fort, as they both serve the north and the waterfront areas
of the city. Although a lot of the building and redevelopment work in this
area has slowed down at the moment, it is likely to start up again in the
next few years, and North Edinburgh is likely to be one of the big areas
of population growth in Edinburgh in the future. Using city wide pupil and
population projections as a way of planning for the numbers likely to be
going to school in this area is ridiculous”.

He continued: “It also seemed clear to me at the meeting this week that
the Council was making some very bland assumptions about the impact of
future trends on population as well. I was told that the figures for
population and pupil growth might be on the high side because of the
current economic recession – and yet there no information or arguments
were given to show why this might lead to pupil and population numbers
being less than predicted. In fact, there has been some evidence that the
recession has led to more pupils being sent to state schools instead of
fee-paying schools. And, on the other hand, there now seems to be plenty
of evidence that the recession is ending!

“The whole basis for the calculations that the Council is using seems to
me to be very questionable. Instead of city wide calculations about pupil
numbers which don’t apply to different communities, and questionable
assumptions about the impacts of economic trends on the size of the
population, the Council needs to look again at the figures it is using and
look at the impact on real schools and real communities.”

Campaigning in the community!

2009-09-04T08:12:00.003+01:00

Last week I attended a public meeting on the future of Royston School. There was a good turn out though local SNP councillors were conspicuous by their absence. Parents and staff made impassioned speeches against the planned closure. A number were proudly wearing T-shirts saying ‘Give Mr Hunter [the Headteacher] a chance’ which had been sponsored by local businesses. I am strongly supporting the campaign. Small schools have a lot of advantages to offer in particular when it comes to pupils with special needs. I was really impressed by the strength of feeling expressed by parents, staff and members of the local community for their school.

Malcolm Chisholm, MSP and local councillor, Cammy Day, also made strong speeches in support. Malcolm pointed out that much of Edinburgh’s population growth over the next few years would be in the local area and given the difficulty that there might be in selling off the land this seems a very short-sighted move on the part of the council.

There will be an opportunity to make the case directly to the Council’s Education, Children & Families Committee at 9am on Tuesday, 8th September at the City Chambers. This is hardly the best time for parents who have to take their children to school as the Councillors taking the decision well know but I hope that as many people as possible will be able to make it.

The following day I attended a meeting in support of a living wage organised by the Poverty Alliance at the Prentice Centre in Granton. The Government has increased the minimum wage, extended it to younger workers and is now intending to extend it still further to apprentices.

Nevertheless, I have been shocked by cases that that I have seen where people have been victimised by employers after complaining of being paid less than the minimum wage. In April the Government introduced much tougher enforcement which is very welcome news but we still have a way to go. In the short term, the campaign is focusing on trying to convince employers to pay their lowest paid staff like cleaners a living wage of £7 an hour. It would make a significant difference to people’s ability to meet just basic bills but actually very little difference to the employers’ overall wage costs.

At the weekend, I spoke at a meeting on reform of the UK Parliament at Holyrood. Sarah Boyack MSP was also on the panel. I am a longstanding supporter of electoral reform and I want to see changes to the way Parliament works to bring greater openness and accountability. I don’t want to downplay the issue of MPs’ allowances but the real issue for the future is how we reconnect politicians at Westminster with the public and revive our democracy. Holyrood was a good place to hold the meeting because there is a lot that Westminster can learn from the way that the Scottish Parliament works.

On Sunday I held a public meeting on climate change at Macdonald Road library. I talked about the UN Conference on Climate Change at Copenhagen in December as well as my own recent report on carbon trading. The UK Government has recently published a new plan to radically increase the amount of our energy that comes from renewable sources. The audience was well-informed and people made some good points about how to move forward. I have signed up to the 10:10 campaign for everyone to cut their carbon footprint by 10% in 2010 by just doing simple things like making sure you put a full load in the washing machine each time or switching off lights when you leave a room.

I kicked off the new week at the Scottish Parliament again when I attended a meeting of the meeting of the Cross Party Group on tackling debt. We heard an impressive presentation from the North Edinburgh Fuel Poverty Action Group which has produced a DVD featuring local people talking about the problems of prepayment meters. I have been working closely with the North Edinburgh group and I also chair an All Party Group on Debt and Personal Finance at Westminster which is holding a meeting in October on fuel poverty. The UK Government is going to make it compulsory for energy companies to offer social tariffs but we need to keep up the pressure. Watch this space!

East Coast trains need change

2009-07-06T21:00:00.002+01:00

I came down this week to London, as I normally do, by train. Once again, although the train was on time, the service let the passenger down badly. Not because of the staff, who I think do a really good job given the conditions, but because of the way that clearly staffing shortages are affecting the cleanliness of the train. On the journey I was on, for example, every toilet was either closed, or in a filthy condition - and not just by the end of the journey, but after a couple of hours. Obviously staff to clean up had just not been allocated. Not good enough - and I hope that the transfer of services to the public sector will lead to an improvement. I have certainly been pressing for this - see my statements on this on my website http://www.marklazarowicz.org.uk/

Farewell to Sheila Laing

2009-05-25T15:27:00.003+01:00

One of the most inspiring people I've been fortunate to work with during my time as an MP has been Sheila Laing, Headteacher of Forthview Primary School. After more than 20 years there, she is finally moving, to take up a new post in East Lothian.

As well as her wonderful leadership of the school, she's been very active in supporting Burmese refugees and the cause for human rights in that country. Through her interest, first her school and now another five elsewhere in Edinburgh have got involved in finding out more about Burma and refugees from that country in Thailand.

Last week, along with Sarah Boyack MSP and Councillor David Beckett, I took part in the launch of the Burma Book and Exhibition, with art from children both here in Edinburgh and in the refugee settlements in Thailand. Try and go and see the exhibition, at Ocean Terminal. And have a look here for more information about the book and exhibition.

The expenses fiasco

2009-05-21T14:57:00.004+01:00

I've been slow in making a comment about the expenses issue. That's for a number of reasons - partly because I've been responding to a lot of correspondence about the statement I made on my position (and for the record, having had the chance to look more closely at the files, I'm remain convinced that the claim for legal and professional fees which I made was entirely within the rules and justified - but I said that in the present climate I would pay back 50% of these fees; I have never said I would draw back from that - in spite of some media comment; and the cheque was sent off last week) - and partly because I have been wondering what is the way forward out of the current terrible mess.

The fact is that Parliament has let down the public in a big way. We can at least try and make amends whilst this Parliament is in existence - and that means massive and fundamental reforms in the expenses system. But it also means a much more fundamental change in our democratic system as well - and a first step needs to be electoral reform for a fair election system. I've always been in favour of that - but I promise I will now try and do what I can to make sure that happens sooner rather than later.

MP pay & allowances - action now please!

2009-04-21T17:02:00.003+01:00

I'm glad that Gordon Brown has announced that he is pushing ahead with major reforms to the system for MP and allowances, and that he will be asking Parliament to vote on them next week. I haven't seen all the details, but they seem very similar to the ones I called for on my website a few weeks ago. Here's a link to the full proposals from the government. (I see that the Chairman of the Committee on Standards in Public Life has warned against a 'quick fix' - I beg to disagree - the issues are really quite simple, and they do need to dealt with asap to repair the damage done not just to MPs but the whole political process). I don't think the public will want to wait too long.

Around the constituency - and remembering a leading Nationalist

2009-04-20T16:58:00.005+01:00

Parliament is back in session this week, but I thought I would just give a brief update on some of the things I've been up to over the last few days. Friday was a busy day - I didn't have surgeries the previous week because of Easter, and I was expecting a fairly busy caseload, but in fact it wasn't much more than normal, about 15 cases in all. However, the day had been busy - starting at 8.30 am with a meeting with the press about the new plans for a Leith Museum which were announcing that evening, 9.30 am a visit organised by the Scottish Social Enterprise Coalition to Six Marys Place in Stockbridge in my constituency - a very successful guest house which is run as a 'social firm'.

Thereafter I went to the service of thanksgiving in memory of Neil McCormick, who had died after a long fight with cancer. I had known Neil in a number of ways - as one of the many thousands of students who had been taught by him over the years, as someone who, although a long-standing leading member of the SNP, was nevertheless happy to work with those in other parties on issues of common concern - and as a political opponent (we had both stood - unsuccessfully! - in past general elections in Edinburgh Pentlands consituency). I had a great deal of respect for him.

Later on, I met with a group of officers from the City Council, Tie (the tram company), and the tram contractors to raise issues of concern about pedestrian safety along the tram routes - covered at more length on my website here - and then it was four hours of surgeries! And finally, the Leith museum presentation.

Saturday I took off for a family day out - and Sunday morning first thing was family as well, at one of my children's football games (but I won't say much about that as I have a megagrumpy reader of this blog who complains when I do!) - but after that a very enjoyable constituency engagement when I joined several hundred members of Edinburgh's Sikh community for their now traditional Vaisakhi celebration march through the streets of Leith to and from their Gurdwara (temple).

Finally, I used the good weather for a few hours campaigning in West Pilton along with Malcolm Chisholm and some of our Labour team. Quite a good response considering this has not been too good a couple of weeks for Labour!

After the G20 - and emails

2009-04-14T17:33:00.014+01:00

As I mentioned below, I had planned to say something about the significance of the G20 meeting (and I think it was very significant). I will still do that, but I don't think it's possible to do that without first mentioning the event that has overshadowed the G20 in London, the death of Ian Tomlinson, the passer-by who was shown on a video which has gone round the world being struck by a policeman. He later died. I've backed the calls for an independent inquiry - more details on my website.

I've had a lot of emails about this, and one of those which made the most impact was from someone who themselves had 3 close relatives who are police officers. She felt that it was in the interests of the police service themselves that this incident is properly investigated - I agree - I know how much our local police officers do for our community. I also realise that policing large demonstrations isn't easy, but there can be no excuse for unprovoked violence, which the video strongly suggests was the case. And that's why we need a proper investigation, and appropriate action to follow - for the good name of the police, the public, and of course, and not least, for the family of Mr Tomlinson.

The other news over the last few days, of course, has been the emails from the sacked No 10 adviser. Like everyone else I know in the Labour Party, I am utterly shocked by what has emerged - these actions are totally reprehensible, and there's nothing that can be said to defend those responsible. The Labour Party should keep well away from those who have done this.

MP allowances - and the G20

2009-04-01T15:26:00.008+01:00

Last week, we had a family bereavement, and I've not been blogging for the last few days. Coming back to Westminster, there are two issues dominating the news - the
G20, and 'MPs expenses'. I'll be saying something about G20 later, but I thought I should say something about the issue of 'MP expenses' as clearly it does raise important issues about the way MPs behave, and how they are accountable to the public for the money we receive.

I haven't done much on the blog before on the issue of MP allowances (and it is 'allowances' of course, not expenses - like most MPs, most of the money I receive goes on the costs of running an office and paying my staff - there's a breakdown on my main website), because I spend most of my time on either constituency issues or the various policy issues in which I am interested. But given some of the recent well publicised cases, I thought I should put down my views, and also say something about my own allowances, because I know they've gone up in the year for which figures have just reported.

On the wider issue, I think there is no doubt that MPs have got to sort out the rules and make sure we have a set of rules which the public find acceptable and stop any excesses. I've been in favour for a long time of publishing details of our allowances, and I also voted to scrap the entitlement of MPs from outer London to claim a 'second home' allowance the last time we had a vote on the issue. In my website, I give details of my views on how the system should be reformed.

As far as my own allowances and expenses are concerned, the main reason why my claim for allowances went up was that one of my staff was off on sick leave for a considerable period, which was why I claimed an extra £5300 or so for staff cover. And as anyone in the constituency will know, I opened a new office at the beginning of 2008, and there were a lot of fitting out costs involved in converting what was basically a 'shell'. Overall, about 80% of the sums which the media describe as 'expenses' were spent directly on staff (I have three full-time and one part-time), office costs, and communication costs.

As far as the expenses which personally affect me, my travel claim was one of the lowest in Scotland, mainly because most of my journeys round the constituency are made by bus, bike or on foot. In keeping with my efforts to keep down my 'carbon footprint', about 70% of my journeys to and from London were made by train, and 30% by air.

My claim for a 'second home' did go up, although still some way off the maximum, because I incurred an unexpectedly high legal bill in connection with the the ground lease for my London flat (which is the one for which I reclaim the cost of mortgage interest).

I realise this won't satisfy those who think all MPs should travel to London by overnight bus and stay in hostels when we are here, but hopefully it will satisfy more reasonable enquirers!

North Edinburgh's latest asset!

2009-03-23T18:35:00.005Z

Amongst the gloom of most of the news pages, it's good to be able to say something positive! I was up this morning again at the new Community Football Academy opened a few months ago by local football club Spartans FC. Going along there at the weekend and seeing the hundreds of children (and some older!) playing football at what is one of the best community football facilities in Scotland restores your faith in what can be achieved if a few people with vision and leadership are determined to do something. I know that Spartans - a club, not a business - promised they would make the Academy a real asset for the community - and they have certainly done that, and I know that hundreds more young people from the local North Edinburgh community have been taking advantage of the new facilities. And in return, Spartans are now seen by more and more people in North Edinburgh as 'their' local team.

Unfortunately, my son's team didn't do so well - again! - but it didn't seem so bad, when you have a good pitch, decent changing rooms and facilities, instead of the awful pitches, uncut grass, and disgusting huts which too many youth (and older) football teams in Edinburgh have to cope with.

Edinburgh TV?

2009-03-20T12:23:00.002Z

A year or so ago, Harriet Harman (in her role as 'Leader of the House of Commons') introduced the idea of having a weekly 'topical debate' - a short (90 minute) debate, without a vote at the end, but allowing members to debate issues as they came up, without having to wait until issues are no longer topical. I think it's been quite a success, and this week we had what I thought was a very interesting debate on 'Local and Regional News'. I took part, speaking mainly about the opportunities for local TV (although also referring to the difficulties facing the local press - briefly, because we were restricted to 5 minutes!). The link to the debate is here (my speech is the first one after the opening Ministerial speeches). Some MPs think the idea of local TV is a good one - others, although they didn't say so in the debate, clearly felt from what they told me afterwards that it wasn't.

As I pointed out, this means we could actually have an Edinburgh TV station - just like we have Leith FM community radio at the moment. I'd be interested in views - because a lot of important decisions about the future of TV and broadcasting are likely to be made fairly soon at Westminster.

Question time in the Commons

2009-03-18T17:40:00.002Z

I've been spending a lot time on Parliamentary Committees and other work outside the Commons Chamber over the last few days, so I was quite keen to get into Question Time today. I was no.7 on the list for Scottish Questions, and made the point that there were many people in my constituency who worked in banks and financial services, some of whom were now losing their jobs and many more were frightened of doing so - and unlike some prominent bankers, they didn't have big bonuses or massive pensions. I am glad to say that Scotish Secretary Jim Murphy recognised this in his answer.

I tried a few minutes later to get into Prime Minister's Questions, but this time as I wasn't on the list of MPs who had been drawn from the ballot, I wasn't too surprised not to have got in. I had wanted to say something about the announcement from Gordon Brown yesterday about banning unsolicited 'credit card cheques' - it's something I've been calling for some time in my work as Chair of the All Party Group on Debt and Personal Finance, and in fact had called on the Prime Minister to do this only a few weeks ago! I won't claim all the credit! - but it's good to see issues raised like this getting a result.

Climate change - action even more urgent

2009-03-17T19:07:00.002Z

As readers of my website and blog will know, tackling climate change is one of the issues in which I'm most involved at Parliament in Westminster. I know that sometimes I've heard a few whispers that I'm a little bit obsessed with the issue, but today I've taken part in four meetings which have for me underlined why it is the top issue (along, I believe, with nuclear proliferation, an issue I will try and say something about in a post shortly).

Four very different meetings, but with a common theme. First up at breakfast was a briefing at the Institute of Mechanical Engineering; they were looking at what needed to be done to adapt to climate change; and their view was that on current trends it might take 75 years or more to 'decarbonise' our society (if I understood them correctly). Sometimes looking at adaptation to climate change has been criticised as leading people to think we don't need to do as much to 'mitigate' cliamte change (i.e. try and stop it happening as far as we can), but that is a false choice, as was apparent from my next meeting that day. That was a meeting of the Environmental Audit Committee where we heard from the Tyndall Centre whose projections on climate change were some of the direst I have yet heard. They argued strongly that we still needed to aim for a maximum 2 degree rise in temperature, but should also adapt our societies to allow for a 4 degree rise as that might well be what happebns. What was scary was the fact that they felt the 4 degree rise could only be achieved with policies far more radical than anything done so far - and would probably need an economic 'contraction' on the scale of the Soviet Union's economic collpase; and even a 4 degree rise might have - almost certainly would have - catastrophic consequences.

The same themes came out at a meeting at No 10 Downing Street covering these issues which I chaired later in the day, and in a Friends of the Earth briefing for MPs later in the evening. None of these means we just give up - but it does highlight the nature of the crisis that faces us.

(But just to make clear, these weren't the only issues I was involved in today - I was also at meetings about the state of the mortgage housing market, the proposal from the Post Office union and others for a 'People's Bank' at the post office, and finally a presentation on the state of the Scottish economy. As well, of course, as the Welfare Reform Bill which is going through its final stages here in the House of Commons tonight.

Keeping it local!

2009-03-17T18:39:00.004Z

One of the big issues in the constituency at the moment is the plan by two of the big supermarket chains to open up new stores - Sainsburys in Stockbridge, and Tescos on Picardy Place in Broughton. These proposals have caused a lot of concern, particularly to local food shops and off-licences who rightly fear the effect of these developments if they go ahead.

There are big campaigns against these proposed new supermarkets in both Stockbridge and in Broughton Street, and I've supported these. I've written to Saisnburys to support the local community council campaign, and I'll be doing the same to Tesco in the case of the Broughton Street plans.

One of the difficulties in both these cases is that both proposed stores will be on sites which already have retail planning permission, and that may make it difficult for the Council to turn down these plans even if they want to. I still think it is worthwhile to campaign as strongly as possible on these issues, and the local community in both places has been doing a good job. You can find more details about the Stockbridge community campaign here. Please give it your support!

What this episode shows to me, however, is the need for a real strategy to support our local shopping centres (important both to protect jobs, but also now to back up the increasing concern about climate change - because using local shops, as opposed to regular trips by the car to big supermarkets is normally a good way of reducing the carbon footprint; and vibrant local shopping centres also help make local communities stronger as well).

The issues are complex, but the growing dominance of the market by a few supermarkets - one (Tesco) in particular - is in my view wrong.

Perhaps it's time for Scotland to have legislation like the 'Sustainable Communities Act' which now applies in England - and as planning is an issue where the law is devolved to the Scottish Parliament and Government, our MSPs have the chance to change the planning laws. (And of course, these examples from here in the heart of Edinburgh have their parallels in many parts of England as well).
LATEST: public meeting about Stockbridge Sainsburys, Thursday 26 March, Edinburgh Academy Senior School, Henderson Row, at 7 pm. I'm one of the speakers.

Back from Scottish Labour conference

2009-03-09T20:45:00.004Z

Like many political animals, I enjoy going to Party conferences - not so much for the formal business in the hall, as for all the political gossip ('networking' as we now call) and the social side - and when you have been in an organisation as long as I've been in the Labour Party, you meet up again with people you maybe haven't met all year, and sometimes longer. And that was true for me in Dundee this year, particularly as I wasn't able to get up to Dundee on Friday as I had some really busy MP advice surgeries, and didn't finish until well after 8 pm.

But I was able to get there first thing Saturday, and the highpoint was Iain Gray's speech. Of course, you'd expect me to say it, but I genuinely thought it was a major success. Iain needed to make his first big speech to confrence as party leader work, and this one did. Inevitably, this one had to concentrate quite a lot on Iain as a person, because as a new leader he has to get the Labour member as well as the public to know him, but for those who prepared to look, it also gave a lot of pointers to the direction he wants to see Scottish Labour go as a party. (Good atmosphere as well provided by the film introducing his speech - I see that it has annoyed some of the Nationalist bloggers because it ended with the Saltire - good! - about time we challenged the SNP claim that they speak for Scotland!)

Here's a link to another blog with more about Iain's speech and also the Youtube site with the film.
And also glad I was able to get into the debate myself to speak on the climate change issue - highlighting the way amongst other things in which the SNP Scottish Government is currently watering down the Scottish Climate Change Bill (first proposed by Labour 2 years ago before the Scottish elections), and the slow speed at which it is being taken forward. It will almost certainly not become law until 2010, two years later than the Labour Government's Climate Change Act became law.

P.S. On the issue of flags, I was at a meeting in Commercial Street in Leith this morning, and I noticed that the Scottish Government HQ was, for the first time I've seen it, flying the Saltire and the Union Jack - the SNP stopped flying the Union Jack as well after they took over the Scottish government. Is this significant?!

Leith saved - again!

2009-03-04T13:18:00.001Z

The news came through recently that Forth Ports had decided to drop their plans to use the name ‘Edinburgh Harbour’ to market their proposed development in Leith Docks. This came as good news to the thousands who signed a petition protesting at the change, and to the local elected representatives like myself who joined in the campaign to save the name of Leith.

It’s not the first time we’ve had to fight to save the name of Leith – only a few years ago I launched a campaign to stop the name of Leith being removed from the parliamentary constituency which covers the port. We were successful then as well, and I am sure that if anyone tries to do the same in the future, we will fight that as well!

To be honest, I thought that the choice of Edinburgh Harbour was a mistake even for the marketing people at Forth Ports. The name is nothing special, and sounds like just another of the waterfront developments that have grown up in every part of the world – with not much to tell them apart. ‘Leith’, by contrast, immediately puts the development as part of a vibrant, special community.

And that’s something which business and those concerned with economic development in the current tough times should use to their advantage!

I saw a good example of that recently. A few days ago, I attended the launch of the Leith Business Exchange, designed as the name suggests to provide, amongst other things, a place for local businesses to make contact with each other. I met a lot of people with businesses they were keen to grow and develop – and for many of them, the fact that Leith had a strong sense of community was very important for them. They felt it made it easier for them to build up business contacts, get to know potential customers, and also made it an enjoyable place to do business in. So, for this reason and for so many others, let’s speak up for Leith!

Why the secrecy?

2009-03-03T20:18:00.002Z

Odd happenings last night in the House. We were just finishing the debate on the Political Parties & Elections Bill, when up popped Tory MP Julian Lewis to demand a vote on his amendment to the Bill, which would make it possible for candidates to choose not to have their home address on election ballot papers. To the surprise of most of us, the Deputy Speaker put his amendment to the vote, and thanks to a lot of cross-party support, his amendment was carried by quite a big majority. I voted against the amendment, and found myself at the front of the queue in the voting lobby with LibDem Vince Cable and Tory Nigel Waterson - with Jack Staw's deputy just behind!

I suspect that very few candidates will make use of this new provision - most would-be MPs are desperate to show off links to their constituencies, even if somewhat tenuous, but nevertheless I don't see there is any need for this extra secrecy. I do worry that some of my colleagues seem to have a 'default position' of opposing greater openness. If we don't require MPs to show where they come from when they stand for election, then for all we know a candidate might be a tax exile in the South of Spain or Belize, or somewhere else.

Bankers and business

2009-02-26T22:09:00.002Z

Not surprisingly, big news this morning was revelation that former RBS boss, Fred 'The Shred' Goodwin doesn't want to and won't give back his £650,000 pension. I think his bluff should be called - it was bad enough letting him have this when RBS needed 'only' £20 billion or so in government loans; but now the full extent of the disastrous mistakes by RBS under his leadership have become clearer, how can anyone say that this type of reward is justified.

Back in Leith tonight, a good example of the type of businesses that OUGHT to be supported. Went to the opening of the Leith Business Exchange - I met a lot of small and medium business people who are working really hard to get through the current economic downturn, and to make sure they get out in a better position at the end. They're the ones that need to be encouraged - people working their guts out to make a success; some will do well, others won't - but none of them will be getting or will expect to get the multi-million rewards, for failure, which some of the big bank bosses enjoyed.

Bashing the bankers?

2009-02-10T18:45:00.002Z

There's been a lot of interest here in Westminster today about the appearance by the 4 leading (ex-) bankers in front of the Treasury Select Committee today. It's not surprising - I've been inundated with emails from very angry constituents on the issue over the last few days. I've supported John Prescott's excellent campaign demanding the repayment of bonuses (see here for a link) but this really has to be only the start of a fundamental change in the way that our whole banking system is run - a point I was making in fact in one of my speeches in Parliament about the issue almost six months ago.

Fighting Fuel Poverty: North Edinburgh shows the way

2009-02-10T18:41:00.003Z

I made some not entirely serious comments about the weather in my last post on this blog (and to be fair, I know that the situation has got a lot worse in some parts of the country over the last few days). But that does allow me to highlight one important campaign which I am glad I have been able to support - the new campaign launched by North Edinburgh organisations on fuel poverty. There are more details on my main website here, and this is a campaign which I am going to try to support as strongly as I can.

Wrong type of snow?

2009-02-05T20:44:00.001Z

Just back from London, to find Edinburgh cold, but no snow! I mention that because of course the big story in London this week hasn't been the credit crunch, or the big international stories - but the weather! The normal media headlines about crisis, chaos etc. To be fair, before us hardy folk from the north start sounding off about wimpish southerners, it was pretty difficult for many people in London to get around on Monday, and to some extent on Tuesday, because so many buses and trains were taken off.

The question is, why did a relatively limited amount of snow (or a 'snow event' as we must now call it, apparently), lead to such disruption of the transport system. I accept that there is no point in the south of Britain spending vast sums of money on snowploughs etc for a once in twenty years event - but from what I could see, a lot could have been done by getting out gritters in time, and sending out teams of workers with shovels. I wonder if the political lesson is that as a result of decades of staff reductions in council direct labour organisations, many councils just don't have the staff resources they can redeploy for unusual 'events' be it snow or flooding or anything else.

Gaza in Parliament

2009-01-14T15:05:00.003Z

The situation in Gaza has attracted a lot of attention in Parliament, not surprisingly. There were a large number of MPs trying to get in to ask questions of the Foreign Secretary on Monday and Tuesday. We'll be having a full day debate here in the Commons on Thursday. I've put in to speak, and hopefully will be able to get in as there will be a few hours for debate.

Yesterday, I went to the Parliamentary launch of Labour Friends of Palestine and the Middle East, of which I was one of the first MP supporters. This link gives more details.

I'm also keen to publicise an event being organised in my constituency on Saturday 7th February by a local resident who spent his holiday picking olives in the West Bank, details here.

Edinburgh North & Leith is also the home to the Palestinian Fair Trade shop Hadeel, who I have supported on a number of occasions. They have just sent this report from their partners in Gaza, which deserves wide publicity:

Friends, we at Hadeel have been trying to put together some information about our Gaza partners: Sulafa Embroidery Project, Atfaluna Society for Deaf Children and Near East Council of Churches (NECC). It was obvious that it would take some time, as of course staff are not getting to work; many people do not get out of their own homes or are in shelters, as you know. However, the new Executive Director of Atfaluna (www.atfaluna.net) has managed to receive and send some emails from a local cafe. There has been no word from Sulafa but being part of UNRWA (www.un.org/unrwa) their spokespeople have been very busy with relief and emergency distribution of course. NECC (www.neccgaza.org) has been involved in food distribution programs. Atfaluna is the only one to have suffered damage to property as far as we know (see below) but as the school was closed, no staff or children were injured then. Of course it is likely that some, or their families, would have been during this terrible onslaught.

1. Atfaluna Society for Deaf Children, Gaza City/ Gaza Strip

Email sent on 30 December 2008 by Nabil El Sharif (Director ASDC)
Thank you for your email and your support. You probably have been watching the news; it has been extremely difficult and terrifying situation. Gaza has never been under such heavy air strikes since 1967. For the fourth night in a row, we could not sleep because of the continues bombing all over the city. It is really a terrifying experience. The streets are near empty of any cars or people. Food is available, but the electricity got cut off last night after a big explosion.

We decided to shut down our operation until next Sunday; it is really unsafe to bring the children or the employees to work. We just have to wait and see how this situation is going to develop.

When we go back to work, I am sure we will be able to assess the situation of our children and their families. In the time being, we just need you emotional support and prayers.

from 7 Jan.
Yesterday night, the buildings of the Atfaluna Society for Deaf Children were damaged due to a nearby bombing. As ASDC suspended its services, no one was injured. Almost all windows and window frames facing the street were shattered and destroyed (class rooms and administrations). Luckily enough, there was no fire.

The situation seems to be generally more quiet in some areas; however, there is heavy bombing in the northern and eastern part of the Gaza Strip. Yesterdays bombing of an UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency) School in Gaza that led to a high number of civilian deaths, however, was a big shock to the management of ASDC.
According to Nabil El Sharif, the Executive Director of Atfaluna Society for Deaf Children, the UNRWA Blind School has not been damaged so far. [ed. The Blind School is adjacent to the Sulafa shop our group visited in July, so hopefully Sulafa property is all right too]

The following is from the former ED, Gerry Shawa, whom the group met in July. She has moved permanently away from Gaza now.

"I am so fortunate that I got out just in time - in fact only the day before the cease fire ended."

"Gaza is weighing so heavily on my heart and I am so deeply agonized by what is going on. I pray continually for so many innocent people caught up in all of this. Sadly there is simply no place for the people of Gaza to hide: no aid raid shelters, no safe havens, and no fleeing to another country as the borders are closed. The UN tried to help by offering their schools and giving the coordinates to the IDF, but I guess you know what happened there. Atfaluna has sustained a lot of damage - no doubt in the tens of thousands of dollars - but I am thankful that no one was in the building at the time. With the embargo still in place, it will be extremely difficult to repair things. I am sure that the children and staff will need a great deal of help once things have calmed down. I do not think anyone knows yet of the injuries and deaths amongst staff and students and their families, but I am sure there must be some since many of the children live in the very marginalized areas that were hardest hit. No doubt everyone has been very traumatized by this - but children, in particular, are the most vulnerable and will need the most help."

2. The Near Council Of Churches (NECC)

There are abour 2000 Christians amongst the 1.5 million Palestinians in Gaza. NECC runs drop-in primary care clinics (supported by Christian Aid). During the crisis the clinics had been operating as emergency medical centres, but at times have had to suspend activities because staff can’t travel to work in safety and patients who need care can’t get to the health centres because they are situated in areas which have been evacuated due to Israeli operations.

NECC say if the security situation changed - if the fighting stopped - the clinics could operate and provide essential medical care straight away.

One NECC staff member, who is available for interview, but doesn’t wish to be named for fear of reprisal, said:

“The weather is cold, and there has been no electricity for 3 days: 'All Gaza is dark'. No electricity, therefore no heating. It is the coldest time of year and after 4:30pm it is dark. It is frightening and it is not safe to walk outside. Can you imagine 1.5 million people living in the dark and cold?”

“You have to wait three hours to buy bread at the ovens in the shops. There are queues of 700 people for bread. I can't remember a time like this. We are human beings - children and women are under the bombing; we don't have any defences. We are in a hopeless situation; we need anyone to help us. “

“My family had a permit to celebrate Christmas in Bethlehem. I had to return home on Friday so didn't make it to join my wife in the West Bank, and we are apart for Christmas and New Year for the first time ever. She is not able to join me now and I cannot leave Gaza, all because of the bombing.”

----

Hadeel has a special section of goods from Gaza for sale in the shop. Attached is a list of things available in case mail order customers want to show solidarity in this way (normal terms apply). A wider range of products from these suppliers and from other community groups from Gaza is available in the shop, or phone for further information.
The ironic unfortunate surety, however, is that we will not be able to replace this stock in the near future. Even before the current crisis, Israel was making the export of Palestinian goods from Gaza almost impossible.

Some of us may want to contribute to the many emergency appeals - especially perhaps those of our sister organisations in Rediscovering Palestine or the Scottish Palestinian Forum - e.g. BibleLands, Christian Aid, Medical Aid for Palestine. We can also, through Palcrafts, claim gift aid on individuals' donations and forward the augmented amount to organisations like NECC.

With all possible good wishes,
Hannah, Ross and Carol

Charity No. 033983
www.hadeel.org

Bring back our buses!

2009-01-12T19:07:00.002Z

Amongst all the other bad news around, news has come in of even more cutbacks in local bus services. Along with my MSP colleague Malcolm Chisholm, we've taken up with the Council and Lothian buses the cuts in a number of bus services which were announced a few months ago. And, slipped out just before Christmas is the news that there is to be another big round of bus cutbacks - and they will be coming into force as early as this Sunday. In the Edinburgh North & Leith area, the 17 and X12 are to be taken off completely - and services are to be cut on the 7, 10, 23, 26, 42 and 44 (there may be others which haven't been publicised).

The line coming from the City Council is that these cuts, along with the fare increases, are due to the economic downturn and cost increases. I find that hard to accept - after all, people have still to get around, and if anything I would have thought it people might be MORE likely to leave the car at home and take the bus. And as far as putting it down to cost increases, I thought that the cost of fuel had gone down again sharply

Gaza attacks must stop

2008-12-30T12:34:00.003Z

I've been contacted by many constituents who have been horrified, like me, by what we have seen happening in Gaza. I've signed a joint letter, along with a number of other Scottish Labour MPs, to the UK Foreign Secretary, calling for action, as follows:

Dear The Rt Hon David Milliband,

We, the undersigned, are writing to express our disgust, condemnation and concern at the current attacks being carried out by Israel on the Gaza strip killing over 200 people – including women and children. There is little doubt that the number of civilian deaths will rise in the next few days and weeks as Israel shows no signs of stopping its offensive on the people of Gaza.

The situation is bleak with hospitals running out of medical supplies as the Israeli blockade continues to suffocate the people of Gaza. The region’s power and infrastructure networks are on the verge of collapse with over 85% of Gazans depending on UN food aid – which is at critically low levels.

We, the undersigned, call on you to do all you can in your power to pressure the Israeli Government to halt attacks on the Gazan people who are being collectively punished for the actions of a minority. While we believe that Israel has the right to defend itself and its civilians from rocket attacks it cannot be allowed to collectively punish, maim and kill innocent Palestinian civilians in the process.

In the past 24-hours we have heard from the Israeli Defence Minister, Ehud Barak, that the attacks will not be short and will become increasingly intense. We believe that a strong statement of condemnation, of Israel’s actions, must be forthcoming from world leaders and political institutions before the attacks escalate and further air attacks are intensified and ground troops sent to the region.

Please, we urge you to do all you can to halt the killing of innocent lives and send a strong message of condemnation to the Israeli’s for their current attacks.

I also put out my own statement soon after the Israeli attacks began:

“While the rocket attacks from Gaza on Israel are wrong, and should stop immediately, they do not justify these massive and indiscriminate reprisals by the Israeli forces. The Israeli attacks are bound to lead to heavy civilian
casualties, and if they are continued as the Israeli government threatens
the toll of dead and wounded innocent civilians could well be in the
hundreds and even thousands. These attacks, which appear to have been
motivated at last partly by the electoral weakness of the current Israeli
government as it faces elections, are indefensible and are a crime under
international law. They must stop, and the international community needs
to make loud and clear its condemnation of these attacks.”

The current events give added impetus to an event in Edinburgh organised by the Scottish Palestinian Forum, on 31 January, at which I am one of the speakers.

- details below:

Working for a Just Peace for Palestine and Israel
- how to become more effective advocates

One day conference 31st January 2009
0930 hours – 1600 hours
St George’s West Church, Shandwick Place, Edinburgh.

Keynote Speaker The Very Rev Dr Andrew McLellan

Advocacy and Parliamentarians Mark Lazarowicz MP : David Martin MEP : Robin Harper MSP

Advocacy with the Jewish and Muslim Communities
Barrie Levine Scottish Jews for a Just Peace
Humza Yousaf Scottish Islamic Foundation

Advocacy and the Media Lesley Riddoch, Journalist

Experience of Advocacy William Bell, Christian Aid

______________________________________________________
Cost : £10 per person (includes a light lunch)

Register with and send payment to: Alison Phillips, Muiredge, Rannoch, Pitlochry, PH17 2QW
Cheques payable to Scottish Palestinian Forum
e:mail : phillipsrannoch@hotmail.com

The police and the Commons

2008-11-30T10:53:00.004Z

Like many MPs, I am very concerned at the arrest of Tory front-bencher Damian Green. The issue will no doubt be raised in Parliament when we return after the few days recess on Wednesday (and the fact that the 'raid' on his Commons office took place last Thursday, the morning after we had broken up at the end of the session). Meanwhile I am writing to the Speaker and the Leader of the House of Commons underlining my concerns.

MPs should not, of course, in general be exempt from the law and treated differently from any other citizens - but they and their offices and correspondence should not be subject to police searches and raids when it comes to their Parliamentary duties - not for the purpose of protecting MPs, but to protect their ability to do their job of representing constituents and scrutinising government. It is time to assert and set down clearly the rules that should allow MPs to do this.

PS I have just had a look on the BBC at what the Home Secretary said on the issue today. She was right to say that Minsters should not be involved in decisions about specific police investigations. The issue, though, is how far MPs (and their offices etc) should be subject to such investigations - and it should only really be in exceptional circumstances that should be allowed, and as I say above there should be clear rules, specifically including about how and when any such action should be authorised. The issue is not about Ministers interfering in police enquiries - it is about the extent of Parliamentary 'privilege' - and that's there as I say for the benefit not of MPs but of the public and ultimately our democratic system.

Still no answers from the Tories

2008-11-26T12:48:00.007Z

Just back from a lively PMQs (Prime Ministers' Questions today). The Tories still seem not to have worked out their own strategy to deal with the downturn.

I was able to get in with a question just before the end on credit card cheques, an issue I have been raising for some time. It seemed appropriate to do so given the Credit Card summit the government was holding today. The PM agreed to follow it up, and I will send him more details. I have had a lot of correspondence on this issue over the years. Anyone who has a particular story about credit card checks is welcome to send it to me so I can pass it on.

Did Alistair Darling get it right?

2008-11-25T19:10:00.002Z

The big talk in the Commons today, and also in the media, was yesterday's Pre-Budget statement - in fact a budget in itself - from Alistair Darling. Predictably enough, media reaction depended very much on the perspective of the media outlet concerned - the right wing press like the Telegraph were very hostile; but it got a much more positive response in papers like the Record, the Independent and the Guardian. (Indeed, in the last named, Will Hutton described it as 'almost a great economic statement' - I don't think even the Chancellor would have gone that far, but I am sure Will Hutton's comments will be added to the collections on the wall of No 11 Downing Street).

Will it work? The defining factor will probably be whether or not other countries do take similar action in a coordinated fashion, as the UK government clearly is trying to encourage. If there is a real stimulus to the US economy, along the lines that Barack Obama is talking about, then its effects will spread to the UK. If the USA doesn't do that, then that failure it is going to have serious effects throughout the world anyway. At the moment, Obama is clearly going for a big 'kick-start' to his economy - so taken together with our own measures here at home, that is a reason to be a bit more positive than some are suggesting. But it's going to be a tough and unpredictable year or two ahead, of that there's no doubt.

In the Commons itself yesterday, George Osborne gave what the papers call a "rumbustious" performance - a lot of sound and fury, and to be fair some good points. It will certainly have improved his standing with Tory MPs - which he certainly needed! It didn't, however, give any clue at all of what he thought should be done, and I suspect that he will be pressed very hard to tell us his strategy during the extra debate on the pre-budget review which the Tories have called for today(and which I have just heard the Speaker has granted - which is fair enough given the importance of the issue).

A lot of MPs tried to get in to ask questions of the Chancellor, and I was fortunate to be the last one to be called. I used the opportunity to highlight the need for the SNP Scottish Government to use the flexibility to bring forward spending which for some reason it hadn't been doing. Yes, I was a bit partisan (I am a politician, after all), but it may have done the trick, as I hear the Scottish Government has announced some extra help for housing today.

Three in a row!

2008-11-07T21:26:00.004Z

Last night - this morning - saw the best election results for Scottish Labour for some time. Obviously there was Glenrothes, but also the local by-elections in both Glasgow and Edinburgh where Labour held seats. The Edinbugh election was for the Forth Ward, and was caused by the sad death of Elizabeth Maginnis (see below).

This one was particularly important for me as the vast majority of the Forth Ward is in the Edinburgh North & Leith constituency, so I spent a lot of time campaigning in that ward (although I did visit Glenrothes as well). It wasn't the easiest election to campaign in - many of the people who might normally have helped in a byelection were off to Glenrothes as well, so it was a pretty small team at times. And by the end of the campaign, it was getting pretty dark by the time people were back home from work - so the 'window of opportunity' for actually meeting voters (which I prefer to the more anonymous telephone canvassing) was fairly limited during the week.

But we stuck at it - and got a good result, with Labour's candidate Cammy Day winning, with even a slight increase in our vote. The full figures are here.

The SNP were in a good second place, which wasn't surprising, but the real revelation was the plunge in support for the LibDems, who dropped from fourth place to a poor fourth. They had run a massive campaign (presumably because they weren't that bothered by Glenrothes); one friend of mine who lives in Forth Ward had actually received 11 LibDem leaflets! And yet their vote went down significantly. Perhaps this is partly because more and more people are seeing through the bogus byelection campaigns produced by the LibDems - which included in the Forth ward misleading claims such as that the election was a "two horse race" - when it clearly wasn't; misleading graphs; and demanding action by the Council on various issues while seeming to forget that the Council Leader for the last year and a half has actually been a LibDem. And another friend got a phone call urging a LibDem vote as a way of demanding lower food prices! (On enquiring as to how one more LibDem Edinburgh councillor could do anything about that, he was told the Council could pass a resolution calling for lower food prices......

Good comments on the election from Cammy Day and Andrew Burns.

Elm Row Post Office saved

2008-10-21T20:36:00.002+01:00

Welcome news from Post Office today that the Elm Row post office has been saved. From the petitions and letters I had received, this was the proposed closure which drew the biggest opposition, and there were some particularly strong arguments put forward to keep this one open. I'm glad the campaign which I led, with a lot of community support, to keep this open was successful.

Unlike some politicians who have taken what I think is the opportunist view that no post office anywhere should ever close, I have recognised the changing business patterns which have led to the post office doubling its losses, and that is why I have campaigned for the £1.7 billion subsidy which will keep an extra 8500 local post offices open, on top of the 4000 which are commercially viable.

But where there was a good case to keep a local post office open, MPs should make that case and represent their constituents - that's what I did in this case, and I am glad we were successful. I hope that everyone who backed the campaign will now give more business to Elm Row Post Office, to ensure its long term viability.

Anger over the bank bail-out

2008-10-11T18:26:00.003+01:00

I had someone at my MP advice surgery this week who was very angry about the bank bail-out - and it was a subject that was raised again at one of my Q & A "meet the public" sessions this weekend (and had also come up in emails during the week). I'm not surprised - the public have a right to be angry. I made this point in my speech in the debate on "Financial Stability" in the House of Commons this week - click here for the text (my speech starts a few paragraphs down.

I think most people realise that the government had to take action to stop a melt-down in the banking system; as I pointed out in my speech, it would be ordinary people, not 'fat cats' who would lose out. But it's also fair to demand that those who pocketed millions as a result of the way they ran their banks over the last few years shouldn't be able to benefit from the recovery plans - and if big bonus payments are the reward for success, isn't time for those who got them to pay them back?

(Good article in today's Guardian about the advantages of the mutual sector e.g. the building societies).

Tributes to Elizabeth

2008-09-08T16:20:00.001+01:00

There's only been one subject for most of the people I've met today, and that's the sad and sudden death of Elizabeth Maginnis, which I mentioned briefly below. There have rightly been many tributes - and what has been a common feature of so many of them has been the memory of the passion she had for the North Edinburgh community in which she was brought up and worked for all her life. And that's what has come to my mind most today when thinking about Elizabeth - the way in she was prepared to fight for the community and people who she represented - not just as a councillor but as a friend as well. Above all, she was determined - and with a smile on her face, could encourage others to keep going, at a time when she herself was facing political or personal adversity.

I knew her through our work in the local community, of course - the last time I met was at the Annual General meeting of the West Pilton & West Granton Community Council a few days ago, where busy as ever, she took away a wide range of issues to take up and work on - but also through our mutual commitment to the Labour Party. Elizabeth had been my election agent when I was first elected to Parliament in 2001 - and an excellent one too - but we had worked on many issues before then and afterwards. We didn't always agree - she was never afraid to tell people 'robustly' when she thought she they were wrong, or worse - but that honesty was one of her greatest strengths. I will miss her very much.

Of the many tributes paid to Elizabeth, one in particular I thought I would repeat here is the generous tribute from long-standing community activist in West Pilton, Betty McVay.

Betty, who has been involved in practically every group in Pilton over decades, and at present is Chair of the North Edinburgh Trust, and Chair of North Edinburgh Childcare, said:

“Elizabeth Maginnis worked passionately and tirelessly for the local community. She was a

bright and strategic thinker, a good communicator, and had a direct involvement

in many of the positive developments which have taken place over the years in

North Edinburgh.

Her endless energy and ability to inspire people was one of her many characteristics.

She never shied away from taking tough decisions when she thought they were necessary

but behind the councillor was a caring and generous individual.

She will be sorely missed by her many friends in the community”.



She will indeed.

Elizabeth Maginnis

2008-09-07T19:53:00.003+01:00

I am just putting up a post to say how shocked I was to find out this morning about the sudden death of Elizabeth Maginnis overnight. A colleague and above all a friend for many years - I really feel unable to say anything more today. I will post more when I feel I can - but perhaps in the meantime a link to her blog is a reminder of the person who we have sadly lost.

RIP.

Time running out for Calton Centre?

2008-08-26T21:32:00.004+01:00

I was informed earlier today by the Labour councillor for Leith Walk Ward, Angela Blacklock, that the ruling LibDem/SNP administration which runs Edinburgh City Council had rejected her motion asking for an investigation into the possibility of the Council buying the Calton Centre. The Centre has served as a community centre for the Calton/Hillside area for many years, but has recently been closed and put up for sale by the church group which owns it.

This is very bad news, and runs completely against the strong community feeling in the area that the centre should be saved as a community facility. A recent survey of the local community showed that 57% of those who responded felt that the reopening of the Calton Centre was "really important issue."

According to Angela, her motion was rejected because it was felt it would cost the council £500,000 to buy the centre. If that's so, then it seems to me that this is pretty good value for the money - surely this money could be found to save a community facility like this which serves an area of more than 10,000 local people.

In fact, I've noticed today on a property website that the selling agents for the property expect it will go for only £300,000 - see this link (scroll down to the bottom of the page to see the information about the Calton Centre). Surely the council could find this type of money? What is also concerning is that according to the website the sale of the centre is now fairly well advanced - if the Council doesn't move quickly, it is clear the Calton Centre will be sold off. In fact, according to this property website, the closing date for 'offers' appears to be tomorrow (Wednesday 27 August) - but hopefully, in today's property market, there might still be an opportunity for the Council to make an approach to the existing or perhaps the new owners.

I am contacting the Council to urge them to reconsider their refusal even to think about purchasing the Calton Centre - I hope other local residents and residents' groups will do so as well.

Sunshine on Leith!

2008-08-16T15:47:00.002+01:00

At least, a little bit of sunshine on Montgomery Street Park today, and I'm glad for the organisers of the community event in the park today. That's the first event (other than my regular MP advice surgeries) that I've attended since I came back from holiday, and it was very encouraging to see this initiative aimed at promoting the campaign for an upgraded park and play area for this area.

I've been fortunate this year to have been able to get away for just over two and a half weeks - eleven days on the Continent, and then a week in Scotland - so I'm now trying to catch up with the backlog of emails and letters. Apologies to anyone waiting a reply - hopefully I will have cleared this by the middle of the week!

A lot of political developments, of course, which I will be saying something about on my blog over the next few days - and the sad news of the death of my Parliamentary colleague John McDougall, whose funeral I expect to go to on Monday.

Cuts undermining our communities

2008-07-02T09:04:00.005+01:00

Received the following unsolicited email from a community activist in the Wester Hailes area (where I was a councillor for 16 years, hence my connections with the area). It's an alarming picture of the way that beneath the good PR that the current SNP government has been getting, a lot of the basic fabric of some of our communities is being undermined. There are bigger cuts in public services than I've seen at any time since the worst days of Tory government - in my own area there has been the highly publicised closure of creche facilities at Council leisure centres, school closures and cuts in teacher numbers, cuts in support for important community ventures like the North Edinburgh News - and it sounds as if Wester Hailes is being even more badly hit. There is a real danger here that twenty years of regeneration which have made real progress in some of our peripheral housing schemes and inner city areas is going to be undone in quick order - and I know from my experience representing, and for many years living in, this type of area, how it takes much longer to repair the damage if this happens.

Hi Mark,

Have been wheeching out customised versions of the following to anyone I can think of & thought that due to your own strong connections with the area you would also be interested - & no doubt appalled at - recent (un)developments here - i.e. Wester Hailes Education & Training Managers Group (of which I was chair), just wound up; WH Sentinel & the WH Representative Council (32 & 27 years old respectively) close today; 4 major shops in the Shopping Centre closed or closing; 1 primary school closed & another closing; WHEC on a Council closure hit list (albeit with a short reprieve); Calders Community Centre recently closed (& the Sighthill one 'across the road' also closing); & Tescos (their first store in Scotland incidentally) at Dumbryden closing in September. There's clearly something seriously not right here & a combination of so called 'community planning', (Wester Hailes was an original pilot area), 'Neighbourhood Partnerships'; change of Council Administration, Scottish Government (& associated 'Concordat' with loss of absolutely crucial ring fencing) etc, all need to be closely scrutinised very pronto if the whole estate is not going to plummet into serious unemployment, debt, poor health, drugs, crime, & social isolation etc very soon. Hopefully not too late here for some kind of salvage operation but surely other areas throughout Scotland (including your own?) should also be warned in order that they have at least a fighting chance to take pre-emptive action to avoid similar things happening to them?

Eoghan

The challenge for Scottish Labour

2008-06-30T21:48:00.002+01:00

To say that the weekend has not been the best for the Scottish Labour Party would be an understatement, to put it mildly! Over the next few weeks, I certainly intend to make a number of contributions to the debate about how the Scottish Labour rebuilds itself after last year's loss, and the events since then. A couple of things seem to me be pretty clear, however - firstly, there does need to be a debate, and that means there needs to be an election so that the issues and choices can be aired - Labour has nothing to fear from an open debate, and it will be good for Scottish politics to have that debate; and secondly, that debate needs to include a fundamental analysis of where we stand in Scotland. After all, Labour's support in the Scottish Parliament election in 2007 only dropped slightly from 2003 - the reason the SNP did well was as much due to the decline of other parties as to its own performance. In my mind, the real question is what are the reasons for the longer term trend of declining support, and how we tackle that.

Update on local schools action on Burma

2008-06-30T21:37:00.002+01:00

I'm really impressed by the way that local schools have taken up the issue of Burma in a big way. I've mentioned what has been done at Forthview in West Pilton. Now Pirniehall Primary School also in West Pilton have become involved. And local teacher at Drummond High, Ewen Hardie is now well into his "barefoot walk" to London to highlight the issues.

Blogs and the real world

2008-06-25T08:17:00.003+01:00

My colleague Tom Harris has got himself all over the media over the last few days after 'innocently' asking the question, "so why is everyone so bloody miserable?". He has had to get used to the rest of us MPs greeting him as "Happy Tom", or some unprintable alternatives - though not surprisingly I think Tom is secretly very pleased at the coverage as a result which has no doubt done wonders for 'hits' on his blog (and most of the rest of us are jealous because of that!).

You can't help feeling he has a point, though, when you read about the situation in many other parts of the world. We have the horrible situation in Zimbabwe, about which a lot of people have been contacting me - click here for a link to the House of Commons report of David Miliband's statement on the situation (it starts after a few paragraphs of other business). There is the ongoing tragedy and repression in Burma (and I would like to congratulate Forthview school in West Pilton in my constituency for its latest initiative, this time a poster exhibition jointly with a school in Thailand for refugees from Burma); and then there's a lot of talk in the media about a possible Israeli attack on Iran's nuclear facilities - if that happens, the consequences, not just for the Middle East, but for the world as a whole could be catastrophic.

That doesn't mean we should underestimate our own problems at home; but it does put them in something of a perspective.