Tag Archives: cross-party

Why has Alan Reid not signed the Early Day Motion against privatisation of the Post Office?

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Argyll’s representative at Westminster, Alan Reid MP, has spoken widely across Argyll about the need to save the Post Office from the part-privatisation the UK Government proposes – and about saving local Post Offices.

This is admirable and appropriate action. The issue involves powers reserved to Westminster and is precisely where Mr Reid’s energies need to be focusis critical for Argyll, with its small population dispersed across an extensive rural and island area and its low economic base.

The puzzle is though, that Mr Reid has not yet signed the Early Day Motion 426. This was lodged by Labour MP Geraldine Smith, as a protest at the Westminster Government’s plans to begin the process of privatising the Post Office. The motion has been signed by virtually all of the many Labour MPs who oppose this move and others -  and it has been available for signing for some time.

This failure to formally register his opposition may well simply be an oversight on Mr Reid’s behalf but it is one that requires to be remedied at once.

This is a cross party issue of real importance to rural areas like Argyll and Bute and it transcends petty politics. No one should be under any illusions that privatisation will inevitably lead to a reduced and more expensive service in rural areas where there is no real opportunity for private profits.

Dave Thompson, Highlands MSP, angered by the latest revelation of Lord Mandelson’s plan to bypass the House of Commons and introduce legislation to privatise Royal Mail, has written to the Communication Workers Union (CWU) in support of their opposition campaign to offer his assistance in any way he can.  The CWU is Britain’s largest communications union and Mr thompson sees it as leading one of the most dynamic campaigns against privatisation.

Mr Thompson says: ‘I am appalled by Lord Mandelson’s decision to go forward with this proposal, and it has now shockingly come to light that these plans go even farther than previously understood by allowing up to 49.9% of Royal Mail to be privatised’.

Below is a list of all of the Scottish MPs who have not uyet signed the Early Day Motion (whose text is at the foot of this list). What have these MPs been saying to their own constituents? Have they too been saying one thing at home to get votes and doing nothing at Westminster because they actually believe that the Post Office should indeed be sold off?

The overall list of Scottish MPs who have NOT signed the Early day Motion to protect the Post Office are:

  • Danny Alexander, Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey, Liberal Democrat
  • John Barrett, Edinburgh West, Liberal Democrat
  • Anne Begg, Aberdeen South, Labour
  • Russell Brown, Dumfries and Galloway, Labour
  • Des Browne, Kilmarnock and Loudoun, Labour
  • Malcolm Bruce, Gordon, Liberal Democrat
  • David Cairns, Inverclyde, Labour
  • Menzies Campbell, Fife North East, Liberal Democrat
  • Alistair Carmichael, Orkney and Shetland, Liberal Democrat
  • Tom Clarke, Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill, Labour
  • Brian Donohoe, Central Ayrshire, Labour
  • Frank Doran, Aberdeen North, Labour
  • Nigel Griffiths, Edinburgh South, Labour
  • Tom Harris, Glasgow South, Labour
  • Eric Joyce, Falkirk, Labour
  • Charles Kennedy, Ross, Skye and Lochaber, Liberal Democrat
  • John McFall, West Dunbartonshire, Labour
  • Rosemary McKenna, Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East, Labour
  • Michael Moore, Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk, Liberal Democrat
  • David Mundell, Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale, Tory
  • Anne Moffat, East Lothian, Labour
  • Alan Reid, Argyll and Bute, Liberal Democrat
  • John Reid, Airdrie and Shotts, Labour
  • Willie Rennie, Dunfermline and West Fife, Liberal Democrat
  • John Robertson, Glasgow North West, Labour
  • Lindsay Roy, Glenrothes, Labour
  • John Thurso, Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, Liberal Democrat
  • Robert Smith, West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine, Liberal Democrat
  • Jo Swinson, East Dunbartonshire, Liberal Democrat

For information – here is the text of Geraldine Smith’s Early day Motion opposing the part-privatisation of the Post Office

Text of EDM 428:

That this House

  • notes that the Labour Party Conference 2008, with the backing of Ministers, supported a vision of a wholly publicly-owned, integrated Royal Mail Group;
  • welcomes the conclusion of the Hooper Report that the current universal service obligation offered by Royal Mail, including six days a week delivery, must be protected and that the primary duty of a new regulator should be to maintain it;
  • further welcomes the recommendations in the Report that the Government should take responsibility for the pensions deficit which followed an extended contributions holiday;
  • endorses the call for a new relationship between management and postal unions and welcomes the commitment of the Communication Workers Union to negotiate an agreement which would support the modernisation of the industry;
  • observes that in 2007 the Government agreed to a £1.2 billion loan facility on commercial terms to modernise Royal Mail operations;
  • rejects the recommendation of the Hooper Report to sell a minority stake in Royal Mail which would risk fracturing one of Britain’s greatest public services;
  • further notes that the Government is currently advertising for a new Chair of Royal Mail;
  • and urges the Secretary of State to appoint a Chair and management team who are committed to the principles of a modern public enterprise.

Argyll & Bute Council sees third consecutive unanimous acceptance of its budget amid sense of positive collective responsibility

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Yes, Argyll and Bute Council’s unanimously approved budget has frozen Council Tax for the second year running. But we knew it would. Not to do so would have been financial madness, throwing away the grant support from the Scottish Government for agreement to freeze the tax and requiring a rise in Council Tax of around 7%-8%. These are not the days for such a rise.

The real achievement of the Council is not the freezing of the Council Tax but the attitudes and processes whcih have made it possible for all shades of political opinion to set aside their narrow interests and work together constructively in the interests of Argyll.

The very aura of the Council Chamber during the budget meeting was one of mutual support and collective responsibility. It was serious. It was listening. It was alive to what it is on the way to becoming. If only Holyrood was half as mature, Scotland would not have had to endure the blinkered and old fashioned party politicking that saw the Scottish Government’s budget recently downed on its first outing.

Councillor Ellen Morton, Leader of the Opposition followed Council Leader Dick Walsh’s opening presentation and moving of the motion to approve the budget. Confidently on top of her brief, she dealt only with the issues of general concern to the Council in the framing of the budget and engaged in absolutely no party points scoring. How long is it since anywhere in the UK has seen this sort of grown up, engaged behaviour- which was reflected in the words and attitudes of every Councillor who spoke?

Councillor Morton and other Councillors paid particular tribute to the Council Leader, Dick Walsh, in the openness with which he had conducted the cross-party discussions that had led to this highly constructive outcome. When one such tribute was paid, Councillors on all sides of the chamber banged their desks in approval.

So what did they do with the budget? The budget allocation of £257 million for 2009-2010 was a tight one charged to dealing with difficult circumstances.

Councillors agreed that their unanimous priority was the protection of the most vulnerable citizens in Argyll and this was evident in the range of strategies adopted, one of which was the allocation of £2.66mllion to affordable housing.

Councillors have agreed to draw upon an additional £1.7million of Council reserves to balance the budget, enabling them to reject proposed savings on matters of significant community importance. This means that, among other decisions:

  • an additional £150,000 per year is allocated to help meet growth in demand for adult care services
  • the much admired small respite care home in Lochgilphead, Fyneview, is reprieved, pending a review
  • the part-time local libraries at Cardross, Rosneath, Garelochhead, Cove and Tarbert are similarly reprieved pending review
  • mini buses uwill continue to be provided for non-statutory pupil transportation in Tiree, Islay and Tobermory
  • the residential activity weeekend at Cowal Primary School will continue to receive funding
  • Community Learning and Youth Work will not see a reduction in the hours od sessional staff
  • the 50% reduction to the music instructors resource budget has been restored
  • businesses will benefit by no increse being made to the charges for commercial waste and commercial recycling
  • there will be continued support for a number of leisure facilities throughout Argyll and Bute, including the MacTaggart Centre, Atlantis Leisure, Mid Argyll Community Enterprise, Camanachd Association, Scottish Rugby Union and Argyll Active
  • there will be continued provision of community and housing support on Argyll’s Atlantic Islandsof Coll, Tiree, Jura and North Mull
  • external organisations will not, at this time, be charged for Streetscene services for a number of major events which bring considerable benefits to the area. These include the Cowal Gathering, Tarbert’s Scottish Series yacht racing, Connect (cancelled for 2009 but which may run smaller events), Oban Hogmanay party, Crinan Classic Boat Festival, Rothesay Games and other events in Tobermory and Helensburgh
  • public loos at Ulva Ferry, Kilmun, Glendaruel and Tayvallich will be kept open

The amount of £1.7million taken from accumulated reserves to enable the additional allocations described above leaves the Council with its stable internal contingency of 1.5% of its budget, or £3,873,000. This will remain as the contingency to support next year’s budget.

The word perhaps most used in the meeting – by the Leader, Councillor Walsh, by Depute Leader, Councillor Robert MacIntyre who seconded the motion to approve the budget, by Councillor Morton and by almost every Councillor who spoke, was – ‘challenging’. This was applied to the nature of the current and coming times. It means that there will continue to be hard choices and hard decisions to be made. No one will be surprised about that.

The last word here has to be a repetition of the first word – that Argyll is seeing the evolution of a confident, informed, collaborative and responsible council refusing to allow itself to be derailed by outdated party political posturing.