Saturday 16th May

I am frustrated. I am in a dilemma.  One week of a Conservative MAJORITY and I’m finding it hard to reconcile the thoughts in my head. Do I trust the people and voters in this country to make the right decision? I should do. I need to. I want to. But what if they have made the wrong decision? But, what is the wrong decision? One that I don’t think it right? But it may be the right one for them? Who am I to say? People will vote for the person and/or the party they think best suits them and we should respect that and live with the outcomes.

And why don’t people vote? Do they really think politics has no impact on their life? Do they really want politicians to go away and leave them alone? I fear they might.

This is a much bigger problem than I had originally thought. If people don’t understand why we have a government, what their role is, what they do and what would happen if we didn’t have a government we can vote for then no wonder they don’t see a reason to vote. If so many people don’t vote then we don’t live in a democracy; current Conservative MAJORITY voted by less than 25% of the electorate is not democracy in action.

Why is learning about government and politics not part of the school core curriculum? Teenagers should learn the basics (at least) and then they have a choice in the future whether to vote. Don’t think it should be compulsory; people should want to vote, understand why they should vote…give people a reason to vote.  If the turnout in Scotland for the Independence Referendum can be nearly 85% then why can’t that be the case for the general and local elections? That would make it more democratic.

The Labour Party needs to demonstrate how it will enable people to improve their lives, provide them with equal opportunities and support their future aspirations…do not like that word and vow not to use it again…but it does encapsulate the fact that people want to improve their lives as much as they can, however big or small that change may be. People need to stop seeing the Labour Party as a group of people who will stop them from doing the things they want to do, who will limit their ability to improve their lives and who will restrict their choices. They need to support and enable…provide the best environment for people to thrive in, but not do it for them. People want to be in control of their own destinies.

The Labour Party needs to care and be seen to care about the things the people in this country care about; otherwise people will just not vote and that is worse.

Sunday 17th May

What is it about Nicky Morgan than makes me really dislike her? She often talks a lot of sense; parents do not want failing schools, they want their child to fulfil their potential and do their best but, I always think she has a hidden agenda (or not so hidden) – getting rid of Local Authority controlled schools seems to be the only real agenda she has!

The way she talks about ‘average results’ annoys me so much. ‘Average results’ (whatever they may be) may be fantastic results for some children who should be praised and celebrated. Nicky…we don’t all get A*s! Children in your world may do so, but that is not the real world. In the real world children want to do their best, fulfil their potential; they want to be provided with the education and taught the skills to help them get the best results they can and enables them to get the knowledge, skills and qualifications to provide them with choices for the future.

With 32% of all MPs and half of Cameron’s new cabinet having been privately educated are they really the best people to fully understand how a state sector education system should provide the best education for all children? I have my doubts!

Setting up free schools and academies does not necessarily mean better education for children; providing more choice where choice is not needed and schools where schools are not needed is not necessarily the answer. Taking schools out of local authority control does not improve schools or the education of children….although you seem to think it does. Heads, Governors and teachers run schools regardless of whether they are overseen by LAs or the Government! Local Authorities do need to do more to ensure they take action, quickly and decisively, when a school is not doing the best for children, and not left to drift. I realise this is more difficult for them to do when their funding has been so radically reduced but this is the challenge they must cope with otherwise people will lose faith in their ability to be responsible for education.

And where is Tristram Hunt? He should be putting forward the opposition’s view…supporting what is right, providing better alternatives…that is what the opposition does, or at least should do? I know he has MPs to sign up but he will have to learn to multi-task!

Time to stand up to the Union bosses – they are there to represent their members not to run the Labour Party. They have a role to play in supporting people in the workplace (like they do for me and my colleagues) but their relationship with the party is out of date. They cannot hold the party to ransom.

But I must remain optimistic even if Cruddas appears downhearted…but is he right? Are we really in a crisis from which we may never return? We do need to rethink what the party is for, who it represents and what the party is meant to be about. Surely we represent people who want to be given the same opportunities to make the most of their lives as anyone else regardless of who they are, where they live and what their background is. We have not been good at communicating a clear message but the Party is not over and done with. We lost badly, but I will not admit long term defeat. Although with Farage staying on for another 20 years, labour does have something to worry about!

Monday 18th May

Another day, another ‘headline grabbing’ policy announcement from our new Conservative MAJORITY government……a 7 day NHS…even though we already have a 24/7 NHS….I think someone needs to tell them.

The NHS doesn’t actually close down at 5pm on a Friday…although looking at the number of people working in our hospitals, GP and community services patients may think that is the case…we just allow Consultants and other clinicians not to work at the weekends (unless we pay them a lot of extra money) and therefore they choose not to…wouldn’t you? Goodness knows where the money will come from to pay for a 7 day NHS; it won’t be cheap.  If we are truly going to have our NHS providing the same service to people on a Sunday as it does on a Tuesday, then more people will have to work at the weekend. But we will need to continue needing people to work during the week and at nights so we will need more people which will need more money.  And we’ll need more social care services and home care staff available and not too sure who is going to pay for that. If there is not enough money for this the other option is to have fewer hospitals and services but open for more hours…but that will mean reducing the number of hospitals, GP surgeries and I don’t think the government want that to happen …the public will hate it and no political party will support it! So what do they really mean by 7 day NHS or is it just a headline to grab the attention and to make people think the NHS is safe with the Tory’s? I suspect the latter.

Oh, and by the way Andy, why aren’t you responding to Cameron’s announcement. Yes, I know you’re out (everywhere) talking about being the change leader, but you have a shadow job to do too! Yes, you did perform well on the Andrew Marr show (I did go to mass but watched it on iPlayer) but don’t get too cocky. A few lessons from watching how Alan Johnston presents himself on TV as ‘the man for all people’ is welcomed but you will need to have some substance too. However, he does have Rachel Reeves on his side and she’s brilliant, so I’m beginning to warm to him!

Hooray to Harriet. Opening up the Labour leadership vote to the voting public is a clever idea. It’s risky but it is a way of reaching out to the public, getting them involved and counter-balancing the internally focused discussions Labour Party MPs and members are so good at!

Tuesday 19th May

And yet another labour supporter tries to distance themselves from Ed…Yvette, did you really have to? I so want you to do well in this election but this is not the way to go about it. It wasn’t all bad, a lot of it was good and you should say so.

Conservatives putting positive spin on deflation announcement. It may be good now, and I’m sure we’ll enjoy the lower prices, but don’t think we’ll be smiling in a few months and years.

Experiencing withdrawal symptoms from not being able to watch Daily Politics…life doesn’t seem to be the same without a daily dose of Andrew and Jo.

And I know I should not relish in other party’s misfortunes and in particular to Farage’s predicament, but I do like to hear that those around him seem to be waking up to his true self and quitting whilst ahead.

 Wednesday 20th May

Disappointed Tristram has decided to pull out for the leadership election; I really thought he would have gone down well with the public. Looks like MPs are not taking Harriet’s comments into account…that the party should elect someone that the public would vote for, not just someone the MPs like…will we ever learn? Also, nothing comes from potential or actual leadership contenders slagging each other off; we and they will need to work together post 12th September 2015. Also now calling for the party to be able to get rid of its leader more easily BEFORE we have even selected the leader doesn’t provoke an atmosphere of support; I understand what Tristram means but his timing is not helpful.

Fantastic meeting a friend today who was still keen to chat about the election…not many of them around. I had been thinking everyone had forgotten we are only on Day 12 into the Conservative MAJORITY; in the last few days no one wants to talk about it and it looks like the country has moved on. I know we have to accept the outcome of the election but it doesn’t mean we need to forget why it happened and what we can do to change the result in the future.

Brilliant to hear business supporting membership of the EU, but where is the Labour Party? Again, they can’t ignore the fact that life and political debate will take place and they need to be part of it.

Thursday 21st May

So what bit of compassionate Conservatism didn’t Teresa May hear or understand? If people are here illegally and work illegally then that should be against the law and action should be taken against them and their employees. But the tone of the announcement is wrong and is only there to hit the headlines. Of the 300,000 new immigrants I would imagine only a small % are illegally working here; this problem does needs to be tackled with greater focus and resources, but most of the new immigrants will be here legally and working legally.

School presentation tonight to parents has reminded me how Gove wanted to turn the clocks back and how Morgan seems to be continuing the ‘backwards way forward’ – O-level type exams, A levels examined at the end of two years , no coursework, no continuous assessment. I believe there need to be some improvements to the exam system but we need one that is able to demonstrate what each child can do…what knowledge they have AND what skills they have; stretching the most able is the right thing to do but not giving all children the opportunity to get qualifications which demonstrate what they can do is not the right thing to do….and I fear that these changes will not achieve it. And what is the Labour Party view on this? Who knows? They’re all off smoozing with the MPs and union leaders to get support for their (and their friends’) leadership campaign rather than putting discussing what they think is the best way of delivering en education system for all.

Friday 22nd May

Do 40% of the country really want to leave the EU? That is a scarily high figure and too close to the 50% required to take us out of the EU in the referendum. I hope the YES camp make the case to stay in the EU clearly and convincingly because I fear people’s gut feeling is to leave because they equate the EU (wrongly) to immigration, lack of control, waste and inefficiency.

Justine Greening is the face of compassionate conservatism. I know her job makes it easier for her to show her humanity, but she does seem to be a nice person too!

Is Liz Kendal for real? Really, supporting free schools? Does she not realise that free schools are established by those who are able to do so…not everyone has the knowledge, ability and capability to create a free school that suits their child? Those that create free schools are not thinking about the wider community…if they were they would work with their local authority to improve the existing schools not just build a new one and let the old ones wither?

However, I have to admit I do agree with ‘Lizzie’ that ‘ public services should revolve around the person and not the other way round’. Too many of our services…the NHS, social care, education…seem to be built around the people who work for them not the people they provide services to. I appreciate that those providing those services should have good pay, training and appropriate holidays and time off, but these should not be the main drivers and can be given whilst providing a service the people need. Many public services, particularly the NHS, need to be reformed…start having outpatient clinics and GPs open when people need them and are able to attend, not when doctors want to make themselves available.

Maybe Justine and Liz should switch parties.

Saturday 23rd May

Thought of the Day: Where I live contains a real mix of people….those who work and those who don’t…those who can afford to buy good food and those who can’t…those who send their children to state schools and those who don’t…those who own property and those who don’t…those that can afford holidays and those who can’t…those who have qualifications and those who don’t…those who have a pension and those who don’t…those who get a regular wage and those who don’t…those who are ill and those who aren’t……..But I am confident that, whoever you are and whatever our circumstances, we all want a government that treats us all as equals and enables us to have the same choices and opportunities as anyone else in the country.

The labour party has the opportunity to represent the 76% of the electorate who did not vote Tory just over two weeks ago in the election. This government wants to create divisions between people and nations…we need to find a way to ensure this does not happen.

Sunday 24th May

So she does exist and talks sense; she may well get my vote; at last Mary Creagh has came out of her hiding place. For all our sakes let’s hope she gets 35 MPs to support her, she should do as I believe she may be the public’s favourite and a person they may vote for.

And Cameron is so kind to give his ministers a pay freeze for the next five years. Does he not realise that nearly everyone in the public sector has had to do this for the last five years. If he thinks this equates to ‘we’re all in it together’ try telling that to the families who will feel e real impact of the reducing the benefits cap by nearly 10% or to those who are going to get their child benefit squeezed in the next five years. Headline gestures don’t fool me…but they do seem to fool a lot of people; that is worrying.

Monday 25th May

Young adults aged 16-18 must be able to vote in the EU referendum. The decision that will be made will impact on their lives, their opportunities and their country. It will be a great opportunity to explain the pros and cons to our young adults so they understand the full range of arguments and to get them involved in democratic decision making. I am sure it would also help young people get involved in politics in a more proactive manner, which may rub off on a few of the older adults in the country! If Scotland can do it then the UK can too.