Vote this Thursday
Posted by James Plaskitt, MP for Warwick and Leamington, at 12:33, Wed 3 June 2009:
I know the big issue in the news at the moment has been MPs expenses. I've expressed my anger at the excesses of some of my fellow MPs, and I've put all my own expenses up to scrutiny on my website (see http://www.jamesplaskitt.com).
But there are bigger issues to be addressed right now. On Thursday, we will have a chance to vote in local and European elections, and for the first time we have BNP candidates in our area. My message today is very simple: whatever you do tomorrow, make time to vote to stop the BNP. There is no place for their messages of hate in our area. They offer nothing to fix the big issues facing the country, and they would try to divide our community.
And if the BNP get a seat in the European Parliament, they will be entitled to more money - public money - to fund their activities in the future.
I know public trust in politics is very low. But the BNP will exploit this weakness to get a foothold in the West Midlands. We can't let that happen.
Labour is the only party that is prepared to spend money to help people through the recession. The IMF, Bank of England and CBI now say that our action so far is working - the banks are stable, the FTSE has recovered, the pound is up and the cost of living is falling for the first time in 50 years. Unemployment is still a concern, but Labour is the only party to have invested more money in back to work programmes. We will not stand by and 'let the recession run its course', leaving people to fend for themselves.
Our new immigration system is now in place. We only let in migrants who bring skills that the UK needs. UK employers are required to recruit locally before accepting workers from overseas. Migrants from the EU have to pay into the system before they can claim benefits. And we've said immigrants must pay their taxes, speak our language and obey the law if they wish to stay. These are the toughest reforms of our immigration laws in nearly 30 years. (See http://www.jamesplaskitt.com/immigration)
And when the European Constitution failed, we went back to Europe to express concerns about what was proposed. We negotiated opt-outs from Europe on defence, foreign policy, asylum, civil law, monetary policy, fiscal policy, criminal law, immigration, tax, benefits.... all the essential elements of UK sovereignty. Without these opt-outs, I couldn't have supported the Treaty. And for the first time, the Lisbon Treaty will allow the UK to send back any legislation from Brussels that we don't agree with. (See http://tinyurl.com/p28shs)
And while the UK faces these challenges, the Conservatives want to isolate Britain from Europe at a time when we will only fix the recession through working closely with others. David Cameron thinks he can fix the recession by taking money out of public services. He has proposed cuts to the policing budget, equivalent to 30 fewer officers in our area alone. We've seen this locally as the Conservative Warwickshire County Council tried to cut school budgets, and have cut back on elderly care and library services in our area. And at the same time as the country faces tough times, David Cameron has promised to spend £2 billion cutting the taxes of only the 3000 richest families in the country - including several in his shadow cabinet!
So while politicians have got to get their House in order, we should not lose sight of the big choice we face. Conservatives cut public services, Labour invests in them. Make your choice on Thursday 4th June.
Comments
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Posted by Heather Barge, 12:59, Wed 3 June 2009: (Is this post abusive?) #
Dear Mr Plaskitt, Why would anyone want to vote for the Labour party? It has effectively and systematically destroyed the UK. You state: Labour is the only party that is prepared to spend money to help people through the recession. The IMF, Bank of England and CBI now say that our action so far is working - the banks are stable, the FTSE has recovered, the pound is up and the cost of living is falling for the first time in 50 years.......
And this is supposed to be an achievement? Your party still hasn't dealt with bankers bonuses. Fact is that your leader was a useless chancellor and an even more useless Prime minister who lied from day one about honest politics. I distinctly recall him promising transparency and the end of quangos. We have had anything but transparency and have something like 300 more quangos since he inherited Blair's position. You boast that Labour will address immigration policies? It is your party which has allowed uncontrolled immigration, despite public opinion voicing their concerns against it. Europe? We are still awaiting the referendum we were promised and denied. If Labour has any scruples left, it will do the decent thing and dissolve parliament now. This party has clearly demonstrated that it is unfit for office.
Posted by Doug Thompson, 13:18, Wed 3 June 2009: (Is this post abusive?) #
I for one will be using my right to vote. It is a privilege and honour to vote. I will, however, be doing so with a heavy heart as I feel the recent revelations show a deep routed descent to the ordinary taxpayer, the very people who should be being represented. The one thing I won't be doing is giving into anger over expenses and voting BNP. It is an insult to the Constitutes to think that we would so freely use this as an excuse to get back at Labour by standing by to see voted in a party that is so strongly at odds with our common morals.
In a very difficult time for many people all over the country, political passions are running high. Our Politicians must stand up and be counted, to show that they are listening. How else do we know our voice is being heard? If we read the papers, the ones being served by MPs are City Bankers and Members families, whilst industry is left to wither on the vine. I am sure this is not the case but the sleaze must be cleared and the distractions removed so we can get back to what is important.
I hope ALL MPs learn lessons from recent events and redouble their efforts to serving their community, or the risk of opening the door organisations such as the BNP will only increase.
I want to feel I am voting for something worthwhile, not just to hold out against what is currently the greater of two evils.
Mr D Thompson
Posted by tim johnson, 16:23, Wed 3 June 2009: (Is this post abusive?) #
There may be a scandal going on in Parliament on expenses, but the abuses are down to individual M.P's from all parties and that does not effect the policies on which each party stand. The conservatives seem to have no fresh ideas on the economy that are not being applied by labour and the first signs of recovery are begining to show with the action taken by this government. T. Johnson
Posted by Ted Collett, 13:28, Thu 4 June 2009: (Is this post abusive?) #
I totally agree with Heather Barge. If you remember the concerns I expressed to you last year about Gordon Brown and the labour party, which you failed to respond to at that time. They are still there but now they are even more apparent. Gordon Brown should stand down along with the deputy leader and dissolve Parliament. If you want the labour party to have any credibility at all in the coming years you should support that motion.
Posted by Janet Callender, 15:17, Thu 4 June 2009: (Is this post abusive?) #
Thanks for your message. I have always been in the labour party as was my father and grandfather and my children. I was affiliated to your party through Unison where I was a Steward and a Health and Safety Steward for many years. My father was a Steward where he worked and my Grandfather walked in the Jarrow march to London. We have always put others less fortunate than us first as was used to be the Labour way. Recently I had an occasion to write to you Mr Plaskitt regarding the despondency after listening to my grown up children talking about what the world was coming to and all you said in your reply was that it was a case of "clinical depression", and that was before this current situation involving the problems with the banks and the 'accidental mistakes' regarding politicians' expenses. My youngest son is an excellent secondary school teacher but still he can't afford a home of his own. How could he possibly compete with the sons of politicians who can afford homes due mainly to expense claims from tax payers money.
I feel very disappointed in the current Labour Party for whom I had high expectations following 18 years of Conservative rule and am not expecting to pledge my trust in your Party by voting Labour until we have some people in the party who are trustworthy and fair in their treatment of the ordinary person in the street who would like a better future for their own children.
Posted by Heather Barge, 09:18, Fri 12 June 2009: (Is this post abusive?) #
May 31st: PM Gordon Brown announced: 'We need an open transparent democracy where all these things are above board' June 10th: Gordon Brown suppressed a report of an investigation into MP Shahid Malik's deception regarding expenses he claimed.
Does the PM think the voters will have as short a memory when it comes to the elections, as Gordon Brown apparently has Mr Plaskett?