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

ONE CULTURE

Shoot me down in flames, but I do not believe in a multi-cultural Britain. Our country should have one culture: ever changing of course, enhanced and strengthened by new communities settling here as it always has been, naturally, allowing people to pursue their chosen religion, yes; but one dominant British culture for all of us irrespective of race, creed or wealth.

In saying this I have not suddenly signed up for the BNP, whose narrow minded bigotry I detest, but I am speaking up for common sense and setting out the only way we can survive as issues of ethnicity and religion threaten to overwhelm us.
We have over done the bending over backwards to accommodate diversity thing. It is time to recognise that social cohesion requires us to have in place nationally certain key values and traditions: not least language, law and love of country, to prevent us falling apart at the seams. If people want to live here – whatever their colour or religion – they should learn the lingo and make a good fist of embracing the British way of life (which is in itself hugely diverse and constantly evolving.) If not, please go and live somewhere else. This approach should form part of government policy in every department especially the Home Office. A uni-culture approach should be constantly reiterated and any government official who thinks differently can go and hand out bibles on street corners in Jeddah for a few years to “explore diversity issues more fully”.

Like the government adviser who spoke this week of certain towns being “unhealthily white”. As someone who represents an area where currently only 0.01% of the population is from an ethnic minority background these comments made my blood boil. Is it now our task to make sure there is an even spread of ethnicity in every community? Has the world gone mad? We are what we are down here and how dare anyone suggest that it is in some way unhealthy? Most people I know are very inclusive of diversity, make those from other backgrounds in our midst very welcome, but please don’t tell us we are racist or wrong because more people from Bangladesh don’t live here!

The danger is that if mainstream politicians don’t take a more common sense approach to this issue, then public frustration will simply grow and support will flow to the nasty fringes whose polices of hate will only bring long-term conflict

posted by Nigel on Saturday, April 29, 2006

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

BELARUS

Belarus is a country right on the edge of the EU, a fully European country with 10 million people living in it. It is surrounded by countries that, like it, Poland, Lithuania and the Ukraine, used to be part of the old Soviet Union bloc. Unlike its neighbours which now have either proper democratically elected governments or are part of the EU or moving towards it, Belarus has remained trapped in a time warp.
It has had the same president since 1994, one Alexander Lukashenka; an old style Soviet leader who remains in office by the traditional art of rigging elections, oppressing all forces of freedom and democracy, closing down critical media outlets and appearing on state run TV several times a week telling the people how wonderful things are in their country compared to their unstable neighbours. He has just won the last election with a staggering 82.6% of the vote, and has ordered his storm troopers to crush the street protests that followed this obviously rigged result. Their centrally planned economy is being kept afloat by subsidised Russian gas and oil.

I was in its capital, Minsk, just before the election, to meet with the brave opposition leaders and support their courageous attempts to campaign for freedom.
This is not the other side of the world; this is Europe, on our doorstep. Does it matter?

If you think that our government should only be concerned with our own narrow self interest and have nothing to do with the rest of the world, you may think it is nothing to do with us. But you would be wrong. It is hugely in our own interest to see democratic principles spread throughout the world: the rule of law, freedom of speech, the ability to elect and reject a government and acceptance of basic human rights. Unstable nations cause conflict, expense and misery for their own citizens and for all of us. But, with the right help, they can become stable and free as many have done in recent years. Global stability is in our national interest.

Also, if we can do something to help fellow human beings enjoy the same freedoms as we possess, we should. So this week in the Commons I have called for our government to do all we can, and the EU, to put pressure on the Belarus dictator and his Russian bankers to usher in the basic freedoms that we take for granted.

posted by Nigel on Saturday, April 29, 2006

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

TRADITIONS

Henry Ford said that just before the horseless buggy (car) was invented if you asked people what they wanted they would have said faster horses. There are times when we should hang on to cherished traditions and times when we need to innovate and modernise. The challenge is sensing the times; when to move and when to stand; discerning what walls to leave in place and what to knock down.

The Queen celebrates her 80th birthday this month. I put my cards on the table: I am an unashamed royalist. Many people want to abolish this part of our constitutional infrastructure. Of course if you were starting from scratch you would not invent a hereditary monarchy as head of state, we would undoubtedly elect such a person. But we are not starting from scratch we are building on the wisdom and foundations of the ages. Our monarchy, at its best, works better than any other system. Imagine if we elected our head of state: how long would it be before the winner of celebrity Big Brother would be officiating at the opening of Parliament? A modernisation too far I think.

I am spending much of my time these days advocating the values of democracy in countries where the masses would give their eye teeth for our freedoms and stability. The House of Lords sometimes comes up: how can you justify an unelected upper chamber? In many ways, you can’t – but it works. It seems to becoming fashionable to want an elected chamber and doubtless we will get one. More politicians. The radicals will claim a great triumph. I suspect we will repent at leisure.

We have gone too far in allowing the institution of the family to decay. It is scarcely recognised by our welfare system, in fact people in secure units are often penalised. If you are the caring parent of a mentally handicapped adult – the health authorities will often not even discuss the case with you. For all its recent challenges, blood is thicker than water. The law, the government, all agencies of the state should do more to encourage and recognise this vital part of our social structure. It is still the most heartfelt desire of almost every young adult I have ever met: to find the right person and settle down. This is one institution that is as ancient as our DNA itself.

It is a tradition that must be rediscovered by policy makers.

posted by Nigel on Thursday, April 27, 2006

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

ABOVE THE LINE

Where ever you live, it is best not to live just above the line. Not the railway line, you can get used to the noise, but the benefit line, from which there is no escape. The benefit line: live on or below it and there is support to be had, rightly so. Live well above it, well you probably don’t need help, good for you. Live just above it, even by a centimetre, and nothing, zilch, a big fat zero. You can just about afford those nasty bills that slip silently onto the doormat, but only just and probably at some sacrifice.

This has always been a problem, but it is getting worse. Household bills hardly ever go down, they rise remorselessly. But for some years the cost of gas and electricity either remained static or reduced for many of us. So although the cost of water rose like a frenzied rocket, and council tax made steady progress on its journey towards unaffordability, our power bills mainly came down. Those days are gone.

Now all of those horrible buff envelopes contain bad news and for those just above the line we are fast approaching unsustainability. It makes it much worse, if you are struggling, to know that the family next door, who probably go out more often than you do, are claiming every benefit in the book – legitimately. I may be very content working for ten pounds an hour, until I discover the person working at the next desk is getting eleven pounds an hour, whereupon I suddenly become unhappy. It’s called human nature.

What is to be done?

Everyone is looking at it, but there is as yet no consensus. Nor is there a perfect solution, so here are my imperfect suggestions:
- The real Biggie is council tax, and we should remove the costs of education and social services from local government and significantly lower the cost base.
- Local government needs to focus on its core business, not all the frilly bits
- We need to get the cost of water in the south west subsidised in some way to benefit everyone, not just those below the line, but in the meantime we should all move onto water meters
- We need a new generation on nuclear power stations in this country to produce affordable clean power for the future.
A radical solution has to be found, before the line becomes a noose.

posted by Nigel on Thursday, April 13, 2006

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

VOLUNTEERS

At a meeting last week, the Lord Mayor of Plymouth Patrick Nicholson was singing the praises of all the inspirational people he and Sally have met in the past ten months of their mayoral year: charities, voluntary groups, social entrepreneurs, unsung and unknown heroes beavering away behind the scene serving and helping others, some motivated by their faith, some not. Every Lord Mayor finds the same thing as they hurtle through their busy year. Our city, our county, is full of selfless people doing their bit.

One of the constant delights of my work is meeting so many big-hearted people. We are surrounded by them: the professionals who look after special needs kids, the councillors who go the extra mile, the decision-makers whose leadership inspires others, the scout or guide leaders who pass on unchanging values to the next generation, or the community activists who challenge the status quo. But a special place in my esteem is reserved for the out and out volunteers who start a project from nothing and have to fight for every inch of progress.

Like the impressive group of ladies behind the Stairways group in Ivybridge that has been set up in recent months to create a stimulating environment for a group of local people with learning disabilities. They have started from scratch, have successfully raised some money to get going and buy start-up kit, have done whatever it takes to provide a great place for our special friends to learn whilst having fun. I have seen the impact it makes on their clients with my own eyes, and it is real and unique. These carers, who have started small, have great plans for the future.

They deserve all the support we, the wider community, can offer.
Why does it matter? Why not leave it all to the government? There is a lot that the state can do really well, but offering the personal, long term commitment that special people need, may not be one of them. Even our large charities can become over-bureaucratic and remote, although many of them started life, a hundred years ago or more, in just the same way as Stairways. A few people getting together to make a difference, and so Oxfam, or Save the Children were born.

To keep the wheels of society turning, it is crucial that in every generation new social entrepreneurs step forward with their energy and ideas. Let’s hear it for today’s volunteers.

posted by Nigel on Thursday, April 13, 2006

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

NO MORE DENTISTS

It’s getting worse. We’ve been battling away for years now with trying to put in place the level of NHS dentistry cover that people expect. For some time now if you are an adult and want to sign up with an NHS dentist in South Devon – forget it, there are just none available. We have had endless debates at Westminster, countless questions and answers. We have been constantly told that once new contractual arrangements are in place, normal service will be resumed.

But at least most practices were still treating children under the NHS even if they insisted on being private only for adults. This is crucial, as regular check ups for kids is important in the battle for the health of the nation’s teeth.

But news has reached me this week that some practices are now refusing to treat children on the NHS. Soon it seems that we may be facing a situation where even children do not have access to local NHS dentists. This is unacceptable.

But it is worse than that. It is clear that even though new contracts are now up and running, more practices are turning their backs on mother’s apron strings and going private. Ministers seem trapped in the headlights.
Are dentists, trained by the state, their practices established under the NHS, paid for by the tax-payer, just being downright greedy in ripping themselves free from state provision and control?

Possibly. But they tell me that the contacts simply do not provide adequate incentive for them to stay within the system. Under the NHS they have to sign up to punishing targets that require a high throughput of patients to make ends meet. Imagine yourself drilling inside somebody’s mouth all day. Surely you can only achieve job satisfaction by having the time to do a quality job. You can do “pile it high and sell it cheap” for a while, but in the end it is no way to conduct a professional career.
It seems to me there are two choices facing us: allow the current trends to continue and rig up some kind of second rate service under the NHS for those that can’t afford to go private; or to find new ways to incentivise the vast majority of dentists to remain or come back within the NHS and give quality service. My preference is firmly the latter.
Unfortunately, both time and the money are beginning to run out.

posted by Nigel on Thursday, April 13, 2006

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

TRAINS

Being so far from anywhere has plusses and minuses. It is a good thing in that our peripherality helps us to remain less built up and congested than other parts of the UK (although you wouldn’t think so driving around Marsh Mills roundabout these days). Apart from Cornwall, which we all know is only there to stop Devon crumbling into the sea; we are the end of the line. Remoteness is a safety barrier helping us to preserve the natural beauty of these special parts.

But our location also impacts our local economy. Our young people need jobs and the difficulties of getting down here can and does dissuade vital job-producing investment. So first class transport links are important if we are to get the balance right between the moor and the mortgage.
This is why the recent revelations about the new train timetable to be introduced by First Great Western in December are such a blow. Two major alarms: the reduction of the number of three hour journeys from Plymouth to Paddington, and the cutback of the number of trains that stop at Ivybridge in both directions. We all roared in the direction of the train operator only then to discover that it was unannounced government cutbacks of rail subsidies that lay behind these disastrous proposals.
Does it matter? Yes, because the three hour link, 4 times a day, was crucial in serving our business community. It is now to be restricted to once a day.

It is true that Ivybridge station has been slow to get off the ground, but passenger numbers has been steadily increasing over recent months, possibly by over 70%. There is every likelihood that with a decent service from the station, this would continue to climb, as more and more of us discovered the advantages of park and ride. At a time when we are all being encouraged to leave our cars at home to save the planet, at a time when rail usage is increasing all over the country, the timing could not be worse. With the added congestion to be caused by the new settlement at Sherford just around the corner, the Ivybridge train option would clearly become more attractive.

A massive campaign has been launched. The business community of the Plymouth travel to work area is hurling itself at Whitehall. We speak with a clear and single voice: reinstate the fast London links and leave the Ivybridge schedule alone.

posted by Nigel on Thursday, April 13, 2006