Lord Owen winds up the Rye Arts Festival

Not in the sense you’re thinking!

It was just that he was the last literary event of the day today.  And a good one it was too.

Lord Owen had come to talk to Rye about his new book ‘In Sickness and in Power’, which looks at some of the medical problems that world leaders have had whilst in office.

There was a bit of the cosmic about the timing of it all as well, with Andy Marr on his 9am show having asked Gordon Brown if he is on prescription medication…

I must say that, as a mental health social worker, I found some of Dr Owen’s ideas really interesting.  Particularly the (traceable) link between poor health and bad political decision-making.  And I will definitely get the book once it’s out in paperback (as it’s a whopping £25 at the moment)!

Not sure that I agree with him that Churchill didn’t have any discernible traits of mania, thus ruling out bi-polar affective disorder. 

From Roy Jenkins’ biography, it seems that Churchill’s spending habits as a young man, and the hyper-productivity in his later life (particularly in respect of his writing) might constitute periods of activity which might be thought manic.  And his mum was noted ‘in society’ for her sexual licentiousness or (as a psychiatrist might term it) disinhibition.  Was this as a result of psychopathology I wonder?  Or was she just a libertarian ahead of her time?

Owen said that he thought Churchill had been particularly blessed with a canny wife and good friends who were able to advise him well, and that this must have mitigated the problems associated with any mania.

Maybe.

It is certainly true that it matters not one jot.  It is wonderful to have people with drive, energy, high levels of creativity and productivity – in all walks of life.  Whether this is as a result of personality, circumstance or illness is so much flotsam…

Nick pledges to ‘do his bit’ for the British Armed Forces

Nick Perry, Lib Dem Parliamentary Campaigner for Hastings & Rye has pledged to do his bit for the British Armed Forces family.

Nick met with representatives from The Royal British Legion at the recent Liberal Democrat party conference in Bournemouth where he was presented with a copy of the Legion’s manifesto for the next general election.

The manifesto sets out priorities for the next Government to improve conditions for the British Armed Forces past and present and their families. It encourages MPs and prospective parliamentary candidates (PPCs) to ‘do their bit’ for Service Personnel and their families, the bereaved, veterans and dependants.

Kevin Shinkwin, the Legion’s Head of Public Affairs, said, “We’re really grateful to Nick for making the time to meet with us and listen to our concerns. Our message to every candidate standing at the general election is very simple: ‘It’s time to do your bit’.

“The entire Armed Forces family needs the support of politicians from all parties,” he added. “Our manifesto outlines practical ways the next government can help, and we hope all the parties will give it serious consideration”.

Nick said, “I was delighted to meet with The Royal British Legion. They have an important role to play nationally and in Hastings & Rye, highlighting the needs of the whole Armed Forces family. I have pledged to do my bit and would encourage everyone to do the same by visiting the general election manifesto website – www.timetodoyourbit.org.uk – to find out more.”

Nick backs Council’s big recycling bins on the seafront

Nick Perry, Lib Dem parliamentary campaigner for Hastings & Rye, has backed Hastings Borough Council’s efforts to increase recycling rates in the town.

Nick, who was an outspoken critic of the Council’s proposal to have communal bins for ordinary refuse (in non-Twin Bin areas of the town) said this weekend,

“I am very pleased to see the Council attempting to increase recycling, and the big recycling bins on the front are a good move.

“This sends the message, particularly to visitors, that we are a community that supports recycling and is concerned about our environment.

“I hope the Council will commit to real participation with local people in those areas of the town that do not have Twin Bins, and are still plagued by the little bin-bag rippers, to come up with solutions that are viable, and that will prioritise increased recycling rates.”

Festival-goers sign up in support of local fishermen

People from Hastings and St Leonards, and from around the country, signed up in support of local fishermen last weekend.

They were signing a petition to the Minister for Fisheries, urging him to re-instate the percentage of the Channel quota allocated to the under-10 metre sector in February this year. This was seen by local fishermen to be a fair percentage. But it was overturned by the Government after pressure from the powerful producer organisations.

The petition was backed by Nick Perry, Lib Dem parliamentary campaigner for Hastings & Rye. He said,

“Our fishermen need the town to be alert to just how serious the situation is. Their future is in the balance. It is ironic we have celebrated our fishing heritage in a fantastic Seafood & Wine Festival this weekend, just as many of our fishermen are having to throw dead fish back into the sea, and are facing a financial fight for survival.

“We must fight tooth and nail to get our MP, his Minister and their Labour Government to go back to the negotiating table and to come up with a fair percentage for the under-10s.

“There is still the chance for people to sign the petition. Please contact the Hastings Fishermen’s Protection Society on Rock-a-Nore Road, or sign online at www.har0ld.org.uk”

Fishermen’s future in doubt on eve of Seafood & Wine Festival

On the eve of the prestigious Seafood & Wine Festival, Nick Perry, the Liberal Democrat parliamentary campaigner for Hastings & Rye, has been contacted with the stark message that Hastings fishermen have no more cod until January 2010.

This is due to the UK Government’s immoral position on the quota percentage for the under-10 metre sector.

The contact in the fishing community told Nick,

“This means tonnes of fish being dumped back into the sea dead. When Europe is calling for no discards, our Government just hits us time and time again with tougher regulations. All this will achieve is decomissioning by bankruptcy.

“We know where our cod is held for this area, it’s held by boats as far away as Scotland, Wales and Cornwall. We will starve and they will never fish it.

“Now is the time to start asking questions as we won’t have a fleet much longer at this rate.”

Nick says, “This is a further blow to Hastings and Rye fishermen at a time when the EU Commissioner for Competition has ruled that the UK Government is not acting illegally.

“I say that whilst the UK Government’s actions may not be illegal in the eyes of the EU, they are immoral in everyone else’s. Labour should be ashamed of kow-towing to big fishing businesses. They have hung out the small boats to dry. We must fight tooth and nail to get our MP, his Minister and their Labour Government to go back to the negotiating table and to come up with a fair percentage for the under-10s.

“The consultation on this has been a whitewash. Let’s have no more complacent words from Labour. Let’s have the action we need to save our fishing industry.”

Vince Cable is leading the debate again

Whilst people are still suffering the effects of the recession, Labour and the Conservatives are engaged in a war of words – manoeuvring about how they will spin the next General Election.

On Tuesday, Vince Cable, the Lib Dem Shadow Chancellor, launched his pamphlet for the ‘Reform’ think-tank, outlining in the most specific terms of any party to date, just how we should support Britain’s fragile economy, and how we can start to put right the economic havoc wrought over the last months.

In the days leading up to the Lib Dem Party Conference in Bournemouth, Vince has shown once again that it is the Liberal Democrats that have the intellectual muscle to make positive proposals in the pursuit of progressive goals.

At the launch of the report (entitled, ‘Tackling the fiscal crisis – a recovery plan for the UK’) Vince said,

“The time for generalities is over. Instead, we need serious proposals for cutting public spending and tackling the UK’s budget deficit.

“The priority is to move the economy out of recession, but there is also a need to restore fiscal credibility and to allow government to focus its resources where they are most needed.

“We need to debate when, how and where the cuts will come.

“Undoubtedly more are required to meet the exacting fiscal disciplines but asking the British public for their vote at the next election means being upfront from the outset about what government should and should not be spending its money on.”

As someone who has been a public sector employee for most of his working life, I admit to being annoyed that the inevitable savings that will have to be made there have not been prefaced by my party with a renewed attack on the private sector mismanagement that has led to the current economic state of affairs. In Vince’s defence, he has clearly (and as always) wanted to stick to the figures and debunk any accusations of spin.

It used to be a lazy jibe from the other two parties that Liberal Democrat policies were not costed, and should therefore be ignored.

With his pamphlet, Dr Cable has finally put this to bed, and has challenged Labour and the Conservatives to say exactly how and where they will make the ’spending constraints’ alluded to by Peter Mandelson this week.

The three main parties have agreed that radical action is needed to bring us out of recession. Labour and the Conservatives must now follow Vince’s lead, so that the electorate can make an informed choice about putting taxpayers’ money where politicians’ mouths are.

Nick seeks action from MP on Academies consultation

 

 

Dear Michael,

Please wear both MP and Minister’s hat for this…

We have some concerns about the consultation process for the proposed Academies for Hastings.

Two weeks ago, a concerned local Lib Dem member sent various questions to ESCC via the consultation website, and no reply has been received. Also, my own emailed request to meet with the sponsors this evening (sent on 31 August) was not responded to until 3.30pm today, preventing me from attending.

One of our other concerns at the moment is that the questionnaire survey being used as one of the main vehicles for consultation is likely to be an inherently unsuitable tool for this crucial decision.

The consultation documents are written in a style very far from ‘Plain English’ and are likely to be quite intimidating, off-putting and even incomprehensible for some – not just those with literacy difficulties.

Various parts of the consultation document have been checked for me using reliable, recognised on-line tools to check the ‘ reading age’ score of several sections.

For example a SMOG calculation on the first answer on the Q&A section of the website – ‘ What is an Academy’ – reveals a rating of 17.28 – i.e. written at post-graduate study level.

Most sections checked, using several different tools, gave ratings consistently above the recommended reading age for public documents.

These factors will not only inhibit participation in the first instance, but mean that those who do participate, even those with a basic standard of education and literacy, may not fully understand the material, thus affecting the validity of their responses. Those who do respond therefore, are highly likely to be a small percentage of those who should be being consulted.

I would be interested to know if the impact of the socio-economic profile of the town has been taken into account in the devising of the consultation. I would like to be confident that measures are in place to ensure that the process itself does not discriminate against those least likely to have their voice heard on this matter. But what I have seen so far does not leave me feeling that this is the case.

Furthermore, I would like to establish how those whose first language is not English, and who may in fact rely on oral communication even in their own language, are to be included in this process ? I have similar concerns regarding the participation of other groups who may need some level of support in order to be able to understand the issues and express their views – for example young people and adults who have learning disabilities, or who are visually and/or hearing impaired?

Some public meetings have now occurred, though I would question how well the PR has been done. I think the timing of this, at the start of the school year, and over quite a short period, leaves a good deal to be desired. As you will be aware, public meetings are difficult for many people to attend and are not always terribly accessible. Have interpreters for BSL or other support ( e.g. speech to text) and languages other than English been arranged to facilitate communication I wonder?

The same questions pertain to the material being presented to people on the proposal. It goes without saying that any evidence being used to support the proposal needs to be provided from independent and disinterested sources.

We are concerned, having seen the consultation document, as to whether such material will be provided in a format which most people will find accessible.

Whatever one’s view about Academies, it is clear that those most affected by this in the local context – the children whose future educational provision may be determined by the outcome of this

exercise, and their parents, carers and those who work in the education system – deserve at the very least full, equitable and easy access to the consultation process.

I am hopeful that you agree.

What therefore, if I might ask, will you be doing about it?!

Yours truly,