Gary's views

Gary's weekly views

Each week an article by Gary has appeared in the Plympton Plymstock and Ivybridge News in South West Devon. The articles are published here

TURKEY

This week a decision will be made about whether or not Turkey should join the EU club. Nothing to do with us, we live in Devon, I hear you shout. Umm, sorry, but it has everything to do with us, especially those of us with children and grandchildren.

Turkey is an Islamic country of 70 million people and growing rapidly. Once in the EU its population will have freedom of movement, residence and employment across the Union. Does it matter that their heritage and culture is a strongly Islamic one, whereas all other EU countries are shaped by very different Judeo-Christian principles?

Turkey has a dodgy human rights record and most of their people live on the poverty threshold. If they come in, it will take years of financial support to see living standards rise to average European levels. Should we pay for that?

Some arguments for: joining the EU underpins the rule of law, human rights and democratic principles. This worked well for Spain Portugal and Greece and will help Turkey become a more stable nation. Its entry would expand the single market to the benefit of British companies. It has been a valued member of NATO for many years and its current government has made good progress in modernising the country. It is a gateway to the Islamic world and will help the west establish better relations with Muslim countries.
Arguments against: Turkish accession would further undermine the framework of Christian values on which the rest of Europe has been built; would exacerbate existing race-relations tensions; it would be too expensive for us and would make the EU unwieldy and unworkable.

The French are very unhappy about Turkish accession as is Holland which has recently woken up to the realisation that in a few years time 4 of its largest cities will have a majority Muslim population. The British government is supportive of Turkish accession, but of course it would take at least ten years to work through in practice.

For me, it is a judgement call that is finely balanced. I believe in EU expansion. The best thing about the EU is the framework it provides for nations on our doorstep to become modern, law abiding and stable. This is good news for those who don’t want to see another European war.
But serious doubts remain about whether Islamic values and Western values can co-exist successfully side by side.

posted by Nigel on Monday, December 20, 2004

Gary's weekly views

Each week an article by Gary has appeared in the Plympton Plymstock and Ivybridge News in South West Devon. The articles are published here

IDENTITY CARDS

Very soon now the House of Commons will debate the controversial issue of identity cards.

The great ID card debate burns intensely at Westminster and from soundings I have been taking from my local e-focus group recently, passions run strong in these parts too, and, as elsewhere, opinion is deeply divided. It is now time to cast my net more widely: what do you think?

Are they the greatest threat to British liberty since the channel tunnel, or a fabulous idea that will help crack down on crime and anti-social behaviour?

Those against argue: it is an intolerable intrusion into our civil liberties, will usher in a big brother state, and will be susceptible to fraud and forgery so will not help one iota in the war against crime.
Those in favour say: it will help in the war against crime, underage drinking, illegal immigration, benefit fraud and other activities from which we all suffer greatly. Other countries have had ID cards for years and have not become police states and the powers that be already carry a load of e-information about all of us, so what difference will this make?

I can see power and sense in both arguments. However, part of the responsibility of being one of the 657 people in this country empowered to vote in a new law, is I have to decide what to do and then do it. This is a huge issue that crosses party boundaries and the decision will help mould the future shape of this country.
The biggest concerns – by far - for many constituents are crime, unlawful immigration and anti-social behaviour. I can see that the need to show or swipe your card when claiming benefits, entering the country, applying for work, buying alcohol and being stopped by the police would help combat the law-breakers. I see no point whatsoever in a voluntary scheme, it only makes sense if it is compulsory. For this reason I am minded to agree, but open to persuasion.

As ever the devil is in the detail. How ID cards are introduced, what kind of technology is used, what information is stored on them, how safe they are from forgery, and how much they cost is all crucial information I will need to help me make a final decision.

posted by Nigel on Friday, December 17, 2004

Gary's weekly views

Each week an article by Gary has appeared in the Plympton Plymstock and Ivybridge News in South West Devon. The articles are published here

FARMING

What do you pay for a litre of milk in your local supermarket? 60 pence or so. What do you think the diary farmer, the person who works the fields, buys the cows, invests heavily in expensive equipment, makes hay and silage to keep the cattle alive during the winter, milks them twice a day come rain or shine, gets paid for the same litre? 18 pence.

An all party House of Commons committee recently investigated the price of milk and found after the costs of collection, processing and packaging, plus stated supermarket profit margins, there was still 18 pence unaccounted for, presumably hidden supermarket profits.

The superstores have such a massive purchasing power that prices have been driven down to a bare minimum, meaning that most dairy farmers locally are now producing milk at a loss. Every year thousands of farmers go to the wall or give up.

I am not against supermarkets. Jan and I shop at the new Tesco at Lee Mill, now roughly the size of New York! It is highly convenient to get everything you need under one roof, and usually at prices that smaller retail outlets cannot match. Supermarkets are successful because we all use them.

But they come with a wider price tag: the impact on town and village centres as the variety of small shops that used to serve us gradually wither and die; the huge increase of queuing traffic on the road as shoppers drive for their weekly goodies; and the ever tightening screw imposed on local suppliers who cannot hope to match their negotiating muscle.

But can we allow British agriculture to simply fade away? No one is suggesting even more taxpayer’s subsidy, but is it too much to ask that they get paid a fair price for their products?

What will be the shape of our countryside in a few years time if more and more farmers leave the land? If we come to rely on imported food only and if, God forbid, Britain should suffer another major war, who will feed us?

Perhaps we should require superstores to publicise how much of the price in certain of their product range (say milk, eggs, butter and cheese) is passed on to the primary producer, so we can judge how fair they are. The best supermarkets are very sensitive to consumer and stakeholder pressure these days. With more information we might be able to hold them to account.

posted by Nigel on Thursday, December 09, 2004

Gary's weekly views

Each week an article by Gary has appeared in the Plympton Plymstock and Ivybridge News in South West Devon. The articles are published here

MAJORITY RULE OK

As many of you know, we have been having difficulties in Plympton and Plymstock with groups of young people hanging about on street corners causing mayhem with residents and passers-by alike. They are rude, aggressive, often drunk and destructive.

They are also a tiny minority. I have calculated, using the back of an envelope, that there are about 2,400 15 to 18 year olds in these two suburbs. The problems are being caused by a few groups of about 20 to 30 thoughtless young people, maybe a total of 100 in all, of whom only a handful are ringleaders. That is roughly 4%! Even if it is 5% that means that 95% of young people are not out getting drunk, mouthing abuse and smashing windows. They are getting on with their studies, playing their sport, hugging their friends, listening to weird music, worrying about spots and global warming, watching their TV programmes and playing their computer games.

A senior policeman told me years ago that over 80% of all crime in Plymouth is committed by 1% of the population. The vast majority would never dream of wandering into a shop and stuffing CDs into their pockets or setting fire to someone’s house or ripping the radio out of a parked car.

None of this makes it any easier if you have been a victim of foul mouthed street-malingerers or had your home broken into. But it should help us keep a more positive perspective. Not all youngsters are running wild. Even though it may often feel like it, the country is not going to the dogs!

I regularly visit all of the five secondary schools in my constituency and speak to (and mainly listen to) their sixth-formers. I am always impressed by their lively engagement with local and current issues. They may have hairstyles and slang that we never used to – but so what? I used to have a Rod Stewart hairstyle and drink cider. Most of today’s teenagers are interesting people who will make a positive contribution to our country.

I strongly support tough action on the tiny minority of those who misbehave. The police and courts have got to make Dispersal Orders and Anti-Social Behaviour Orders work more effectively than they do today. Our streets must not become no-go areas.
But let us also recognise the benign talent of the vast majority of the next generation and the unique pressures they are under.

posted by Nigel on Thursday, December 02, 2004