Pre-Budget Report And King Review

The vast majority of media attention has focused on Alistair Darling's theft of Tory ideas on inheritance tax, capital gains tax changes, or his plans for health/education spending.

I find it odd that the Home Office is creating six new sexual assualt referral centres (the nearest one to Coventry being in Gloucester), but that:

A new target of reducing serious violent crime - the 19,000 cases of murder, grievous bodily harm and death by dangerous driving last year - is to be introduced, but it will exclude a measurement of serious sexual offences.

The King Report On Low-Carbon Cars is also not getting any press.

Brown announced, in his final budget earlier this year, that Julia King, vice-chancellor of Aston University, previously at Rolls-Royce, was going to examine how to "decarbonise road transport" over the next 25 years.

Part one was released with the Pre-Budget report yesterday, with part two coming in 2008.

Traffic is growing at the rate of about 1 per cent per year. If this continues to 2050, the number of kilometres driven each year would almost double. So, in order to reduce car emissions to 20 per cent of 2000 levels, we need to achieve a 90 per cent reduction in per-kilometre emissions by 2050 to offset the effect of traffic growth.

King touches on the main problem, in my view, on pages 44/47 (Modec, here in Coventry, gets a name check on pages 50/51). Clean vehicles will only become commercially viable when people start putting environmental impact first, before leather seats and speed and "can I pull in this car" considerations:

"New technologies will only succeed commercially if consumer expectations of range, comfort, safety and speed continue to be met ... many UK buyers discount heavily, and some do not consider, vehicle efficiency benefits at the point of purchasing a car.

They are therefore less inclined to adopt efficient vehicles than the financial incentive from fuel economy savings might suggest. In addition, the majority of buyers tend to rate the environmental impact of vehicles relatively low in their purchase criteria."

Gambling In Tennis

Concerns have been rumbling on since August about gambling's influence upon pro tennis.

The fear is that, "it is obvious to anyone with some experience of the normal Betfair market behaviour and the appropriate odds for a tennis match that certain low-level ATP matches are being fixed, with corresponding irrational market patterns."

The highest ranked player to admit to being propositioned with a bribe has been the current world #3 Novak Djokovic. He was offered $250,000 to throw his first-round match at the St. Petersburg event in Russia last year, with the offer alledgedly coming from the Russian or Ukrainian mafia. Djokovic skipped the tournament.

Okay, it's two men hitting a yellow ball back and forth, but it's a symptom of a much wider disease. The annual takings of criminal gangs around the world are roughly equivalent to Britain's GDP, or twice the world's combined defence budgets.

"Gambling on Tennis - the usual suspects" will be broadcast tonight from 7pm on Radio 5Live.

Hatred Against Gays And Lesbians

Jack Straw has announced new plans to make inciting hatred against gay people a crime.

A recent YouGov poll, by Stonewall, found that 89% of people would support such a move. The full report from Stonewall, "Living Together," can be found here.

Stonewall welcomed the announcement, with chief executive Ben Summerskill saying: "A new offence will help deter extremists who stir up hatred against lesbian and gay people ... We refuse to accept any longer that there's no connection between extreme rap lyrics calling for gay people to be attacked or fundamentalist claims that all gay people are paedophiles, and the epidemic of anti-gay violence disfiguring Britain's streets."

The Equality And Human Rights Commission

Trevor Phillips, chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, does the "Ask The Questions" feature in the Independent:

Q: Isn't there's a real anti-intellectualism in black culture in this country?
A: Are we talking about the high culture represented by Black Britons like Chris Ofili, Steve McQueen, Zadie Smith, Courtney Pine, Grant Marshall (aka Daddy G), Thandie Newton, Lola Young or Stuart Hall? Or the deeply felt belief, strong families and vibrant music of the popular black majority churches? Or do you mean the degraded borrowings from the US which the entertainment industry peddles as "black culture", and which too many white liberals embrace as the "authentic" voice of black communities? The first two voices are seldom heard; the latter is always amplified to paint black people as violent, misogynistic and ignorant.

Q: How will your new combined agency be able to represent the interests of the largest disadvantaged group of all: women?
A: First, by using all of the tools and experience inherited from our predecessors at the Equal Opportunities Commission. Second, our overlapping mandate will help us to focus on some of the specific equality deficits disproportionately facing some kinds of women more powerfully. Third, by focusing on the destructive effect of domestic violence. Fourth, by not treating women as a quasi-minority group who have to be appeased. Instead we will look for ways of making our communities and workplaces genuinely gender-neutral.

A Day Of Protest

1) Thousands of protesters, marshalled by the Stop The War Coalition, are to march on Parliament Square today. Three meetings with police over the march went well, then last week, organisers were told that the protest would not be allowed into Parliament Square under 19th century sessional orders passed to protect the passage of MPs and peers against radical mobs.

2) From 730am this morning, twelve protesters from Plane Stupid have been preventing passengers getting into the departure lounge at Terminal 3 of Manchester Airport.

3) Sixty protesters from Greenpeace are trying to shut down E.ON's Kingsnorth plant, which could be the site of Britain's first new coal-fired station for 20 years. More than 13,000 objections have been sent to Medway Council. Protesters "climbed up coal conveyors, pressed the emergency stop buttons and chained themselves to the belts."

Gordon Brown Calls Off Election

Brown's pretending he's Amy Winehouse: "Am I going to call an election? I said, no no NO!"

Poorer Pensioners and Pension Credits

A survey conducted for Age Concern suggests that 60% of poorer pensioners find the pension credit system is too daunting to submit a claim.

They don't know what benefits are available, they might not like filling in forms, they might find the system too complicated, or they simply don't like the idea of having to apply for something perceived as a handout.

Age Concern argues that to improve matters, pension credit should be paid automatically rather than having to be claimed.

Earlier this year, the Commons Public Accounts Committee estimated that 1.6 million people were not getting the money to which they were entitled.

Age Concern is launching a campaign booklet, "More Money In Your Pocket," to encourage older people to claim what they are entitled to.

Places to contact for information: Coventry Law Centre or Age Concern Coventry (024 7623 1999)

Alistair Darling On PFI

The Financial Times has a transcript of a lengthy interview with the Chancellor today. His ideas on PFI (which has bedeviled Walsgrave Hospital) and city academies stand out.

There is this long-standing idea that Gordon Brown will put right all the problems from the Blair era, whilst ignoring that PFI/PPP projects were Brown's brainchild.

Financial Times: "One question which arises from the Tory Conference, I guess, is the extent to which you’re still committed to using the private sector in the public services and whether the brakes have applied to health and education."

Darling: "No, I don’t think so. For us what matters is how it works. I don’t think there’s an ideological hang-up here at all ... having some of the private sector disciplines, in both health and education is hugely advantageous, and there’s no doubt that if you take the city academies, for examples, they made changes which actually make it a bit more flexible than it was, and similarly in the health service, or, you know, I mentioned Welfare to Work, you know, a few minutes ago, you know, we are pragmatic, you know. It’s not a matter of ideology for us ... The fact that the building is owned by somebody else and is repaired by somebody else, isn’t actually something that is of great concern to me."

David Cameron's Speech To Conference

Straight from the horse's mouth ....

What Cameron said: "I have always believed in Britain's independent nuclear deterrent. And when Labour came forward with plans to replace Trident, I am proud of the fact that we marched our members of parliament through those division lobbies to make sure that vote was won."

Translation: I’ll criticise Russia and Iran for retaining/pursuing nuclear weapons, but we’re going to keep ours, thank you very much, even if it costs £70 billion. I want to keep the power to kill millions of people on my orders.

What Cameron said: "We need to scrap that early release scheme in prisons; 24,000 released on our streets that David Davis spoke about yesterday."

Translation: We imprison more people per capita in England and Wales than anywhere in Western Europe, and we’re going to imprison even more people.

What Cameron said: "This Party never wants to punish of hold back the aspirations of people who want to get on in life and have a good life. And what we must be in the Party of sensible, Green leadership, and that is exactly what we are going to stay."

Translation: I’m going to talk about climate change for 360 words out of 9000 in my speech. Sensible leadership means avoiding taxing out of town parking at supermarkets. Sensible leadership doesn’t involve telling Britons they have to start consuming less energy, less resources, and less oil.

What Cameron said: "We need business to be responsible in the way they market to children, treat their employees, in the way they encourage family life - all of those things will help us to get tax and regulation down for the long term good of our economy."

Translation: We won’t regulate business on marketing to children, or on employee rights, or family-friendly practices, we’re just going to ask them very nicely. Asking nicely didn’t work in the US South over segregation, nor when the suffragettes said pretty please, can we have the vote.

What Cameron said: "There's a man in my constituency called John Brooks and he's got cancer. He spent 40 years working for the same company, paying into his pension fund, it was a blanket factory in Witney. He was told his pension fund was copper bottomed and guaranteed - the business went bust, the pension scheme went bust and he was left with nothing."

Translation: see above on asking companies nicely nicely and no need for pension regulation.

What Cameron said: "Nothing matters more in terms of opportunity and our economy and our future than education. Falling down the European leagues in terms of educational performance. 23,000 young people leaving school without any qualifications whatsoever, we are not doing enough to prepare young people for this world of freedom."

Translation: We won’t follow the example of Finland, ranked #1 in the OECD in literacy among 15-year olds, as the Finnish system is fully comprehensive, and I’m hostage to my party on the issue of grammar schools. Besides, those wacky Finns also have free school meals to all pupils, and there are no university fees.

What Cameron said: "The government has got its academy programme. It's a good programme. But I feel that Gordon Brown is putting his foot on the brake when he should be putting his foot on the accelerator and we should be making it easier for these new schools."

Translation: I want more and more of our education system dependent upon £1m and £2m donations from people who gain a say over curriculum and hiring of staff.

What Cameron said: "The way we'll get a really personalised NHS is make the changes that are necessary. Giving people a real choice of GP's, giving GP's control over their budgets and allowing GP's to choose between whatever hospital they like. Public or private or voluntary not just some limited list."

Translation: I will expand private healthcare in Britain.

What Cameron said: "All of the Shadow Cabinet here they can tell the same story of young people who come to our surgeries, they show you their salary, they talk about local house prices and they just say I don't see how I can achieve that dream. And George showed how we going to cut stamp duty to show that we're on their side and we will help mend the housing ladder and get on their side."

Translation: Stamp duty is only levied on homes above £125 000. Stamp duty is currently charged at 1% of the sale price of properties worth between £125,000 and £250,000. If you’re earning £22 000, even on 4 times your income, and a £20 000 deposit saved up, you can afford a house or flat valued at £108 000, so you won’t have to pay stamp duty. I'm not talking to first time buyers in most of the country, I'm talking to first time buyers in the East of England, London and the South-East (where 73% of the stamp duty is collected).

Registering To Vote

The current electoral roll is correct, as of 1st December 2006. 91% of people do register to vore, but young people, minorities, inner-city residents and people who move house often are the ones likely to miss out.

John Turner, from the Association of Electoral Administrators, has used a series of interviews (BBC radio, Scotland on Sunday) to warn that only people who were registered in 2006, or who decide themselves to add their details near the start of an election, will be able to vote in a snap general election.

Remember: If GB the PM calls an election, and you weren't registered in 2006, you have six days to request and return a "rolling registration" form from the elections folks at the Council House in Coventry. Make sure you can vote, as if it returns a majority government, you only have this chance every 4 years!

Anti-GM Campaign In Italy

In hundreds of marketplaces and food fairs across Italy, anti-GM campaigners have been handing out forms that look like ballot papers.
They are trying to secure 3 million signatures by the 15th November, and are inviting people to answer "yes" or "no" to whether food production should be "genuine ... founded on biodiversity and free from GMOs".

David Cameron "didn't have an autocue, he only had a few notes," but there was no mention of protecting Britain from GM agriculture in his conference speech, so does he realise what really matters to you and your family?

Stephen Fry - HIV And Me

An interesting programme on BBC 2 tonight at 9pm.

Stephen Fry, a patron of the Terrence Higgins Trust, presents the first of a two-part documentary on how HIV infections are rising, particularly among three groups: the young; black African communities; and heterosexuals.

He was interviewed about the programme for the Northern Echo:

Stephen believes the only way to fight the global battle against the HIV virus is to destroy the deeply entrenched stigmas through frank and honest dialogue. "Talking about Aids is precisely what helps to dispel the myths," he says. "At the moment HIV is a bit like Voldemort and we all have to be Harry Potter and be brave enough to say his name, and then it will get less and less powerful the more we do. However, if we continue to privilege it with this huge power and mystique and make out that it's best not talked about, then it will flourish."

See also: HIV testing in Coventry (THT)

Health Outreach For Youth In Coventry

The local NHS primary care trust is launching a scheme called "Clinic in a Box."

They will target "schools, colleges, youth clubs and other 'young-people friendly' locations throughout the city" to offer advice on drugs, smoking, chlamydia, alcohol, contraception, diet and exercise, stress and bullying.

If you have more questions, you can reach the project's coordinator, Mary Martin, on 02476 961326.

Conservatives Backtrack On Environment

The lead headlines from George Osborne's shadow Chancellor conference speech is the abolition of inheritance tax up to a ceiling of £1 million.

Less focused on is the dropping of plans to charge people to park at out-of-town supermarkets.

More people driving out to the A45 to Saino's and Tesco means less people shopping on high streets like Earlsdon.

Meanwhile, David Cameron, has said, both to the Times, and to Andrew Marr this past Sunday, that:

We've decided the right option is to not do VAT on domestic flights, not to have some sort of air-miles allowance and instead to tax the pollution that planes cause. That is very sensible approach. And every penny, this is vital, every penny, of any new green tax will go back to families in a family tax cut.

This translates as: we will tax planes that are flying empty between London and Manchester, whilst we won't tax planes that are flying full from London to Milan.

It ignores the fact that Hilary Benn's announcment at Labour conference of phasing out high-energy lightbulbs year by year would be wiped out, carbon savings wise, by adding a runway at Stansted. The only way to restrict the growth in carbon emissions from aviation is to reduce airport capacity.

As for green taxes going into a "family fund" for future tax cuts, wouldn't it be better to take all the monies raised from green taxes and put them towards green improvements? Taxing cars, so that we can invest in public transport, so people don't have to use cars as much? Taxing cars, so that we can invest in cycling infrastructure/rent-a-bike programmes, so people don't have to use cars as much? Oh no, Cameron has to blow the dog whistle to Tory voters out in the heartland, I'm really a tax cutter at heart, not a loony greenie.

I bet Zac Goldsmith is starting to wonder what he's got himself into, with many of his key recommendations being dropped day-by-day.

Making Domestic Renewables Easy

Trevor Kavanagh of the Sun on the incentives people need to go green:

"People only feel green when they are prosperous. When they have got a mortgage crisis, the last thing they are going to think about doing is putting windmills on their roof."

Britain only produces 2% of our energy from renewables.

What we need is a national programme to make it easy as pie for people to install renewable power technology in their homes.

Instead, since the relaunch of the Low Carbon Buildings Programme in May, the grant money available has been reduced from £15000 a home to £2500 a home. The rules under which money can be claimed have also been tightened up.

The result is sadly predictable. In the six months to 21st September, only 113 households have jumped through red tape hoops for far too little money.

Lynne Jones: "Now the level of the grants has been pitched too low, and applicants are dropping out once they discover what funding they will get. We have gone from one extreme to the other ... Ministers need to ensure that the LCBP is functioning properly before the market for domestic microgeneration is killed off. In the long run, we should switch to the system operating in most other European countries of a favourable feed-in tariff for local energy generation, as recommended in a recent environment, food and rural affairs select committee report."