December 20th, 2010

THE BIG SOCIETY 

It brings out the best in people and not just because it’s Christmas.

The recent weather has been a challenge for us all as we tackle the worst snow in decades.

Whether it’s getting to work, taking the children to school or even just making it along to the shops for the essentials, the snow and the cold weather present a significant challenge.

While it created a logistical nightmare for most of us, some people were impacted more than others.

Pensioners become virtual prisoners in their home as the streets iced over and made walking even the short distance to the shops or a friend’s house impossible.

At times like this, we really learn to value our family, friends and neighbours who I am sure we have all had to rely on over the last couple of weeks.

Picking up the children from a closed school if mum and dad are at work, clearing snow-covered pathways to make them useable again and dropping in a loaf, milk and a paper to an elderly neighbour have all become part of people’s daily routine.

This year, we have heard a lot about the ‘big society’ from the Tory Government in Westminster.

Well, I am pleased to report it is alive and well in Inverclyde and happens every day whether the Prime Minister claims it as his flagship policy or not.

I see the big society on a daily basis in my community and it is more than just a sound bite for politicians – it’s a way of life for people.

Have a great festive holiday everyone and remember to be a good neighbour this Christmas.

December 13th, 2010

SORRY NOT GOOD ENOUGH

It has been a week to forget for most people with snow and ice bringing the country to a standstill.

Schools closed, major roads shut off, trains cancelled and fuel and food shortages have created havoc.

Like many of you, I have my own tale of woe, having being stuck in the car for two hours in Greenock last Monday and then having to abort my journey to Edinburgh on Tuesday night when the M8 was closed.

I fared only slightly better when I switched to the train, leaving Greenock West station shortly after 6am on Wednesday and finally arriving in Edinburgh six hours later.

It has been the worst winter weather conditions for decades and it has raised serious questions over how prepared we are for the worst.

While we are grateful to the council staff, health workers and police officers who have did their level best in difficult circumstances, people have been left angry at Scotland’s reaction to the heavy snow.

The focal point of people’s frustrations has been the hapless Transport Minister Stewart Stevenson, who turned incompetence into an art form this week.

He spectacularly failed to take heed of the dire weather forecasts, was inert in responding to the escalating crisis and then refused to apologise on TV while hundreds of angry motorists slept in their car.

Not for the first time this year, the Scottish Government eventually got round to an embarrassing climb down and a grudging apology.

With Alex Salmond’s mishandling of the Clan Gathering, John Swinney’s gaffe over tax-raising powers and Nicola Sturgeon’s misguided defence of a convicted fraudster, sorry really does seem to be the hardest word.

As the Scottish Government lurch from crisis to crisis, Alex Salmond has yet to receive a resignation letter or issue a P45 to any of his blundering ministers.

This time he needs to take action against the Transport Minister who let Scotland’s main artery grind to a halt for two days or apologise for his sorry excuse for a government.

29^th November 2010

HUMBLE PIE

Humble pie was the dish of the day in the Scottish Parliament canteen in a dramatic week.

Both the First Minister and his Finance Secretary grudgingly had to wolf it down after it emerged they had let Scotland’s economic powers lapse three years ago without telling anyone.

As someone who campaigned for devolution, I remember well the Yes-Yes verdict the people of Scotland returned in the 1997 referendum, an emphatic yes to the creation of a Scottish Parliament and yes to tax-raising powers.

So for John Swinney to secretly let these powers slide, like a phone line being cut off for an outstanding bill, was extraordinary display of arrogance.

This week, the Scottish Government tried to maintain the cover-up with its usual diet of excuses.

But the fundamental point, that a decision was taken on Scotland’s constitution, contrary to will of the people, with the stroke of a government minister’s pen in an office far away from the public eye, fell squarely on them.

It should have been a decision for the elected members of the Scottish Parliament and the burden of such a momentous decision to be shared out by the 129 MSPs.

In the end, the excuses ran hollow, the lies were transparent and, once he realised his career was on the line, only a grudging apology kept the minister in a job.

For once, this wasn’t party politics; this was a parliament taking on an errant government and found them guilty as charged.

This issue cuts to the heart of our democracy, that the parliament exists to scrutinise and hold to account the government of the day.

And that work can’t be done if key decisions are being taken by officials in back rooms and covered up so neither the parliament nor the public could find out.

For a government which has consistently argued the answer to all our woes is to for them to have greater economic powers, the decision to fritter away the ones the Scottish people already gave them has damaged their credibility beyond repair.

November 22nd, 2010

RESPECT AGENDA

Since the Tory Government took office, we have heard plenty about the so-called respect agenda.

Most people took this to mean respect between the two parliaments, in London and Edinburgh, and two governments, led by Alex Salmond and David Cameron.

Those of us sceptical about the respect agenda had our fears confirmed when it was announced the AV referendum would be held on the same day as the Scottish Parliament elections.

Ignoring the lessons learned from the 2007 debacle, where an overly-complex voting system led to thousands of wasted ballots, this decision was taken without the consultation of the Scottish people and their representatives in the Scottish Parliament.

In parliament this week, I called for an end to the pretence of a respect agenda and for our elections to stand-alone, free from diversions.

It wasn’t the only decision made at Westminster with implications for Scotland this week – the cuts imposed too fast and too deep by the Tories arrived on Wednesday in the shape of the Scottish Government’s budget.

The task fell to Finance Secretary John Swinney to outline how young people, hard-working families, the elderly and the vulnerable would be protected while he balanced the books.

By all accounts, he fudged it and delivered a budget that stored up most of our problems until after the election next May.

There was still plenty of bad news in the budget – huge cuts to housing and regeneration funds will have an impact on the progress made on these fronts in Inverclyde.

And the cuts to higher education and prisons will limit opportunities for young people and compromise safety in our streets.

But the big decisions on public services, such as higher education funding, on council tax versus charges, on elderly care, remain shrouded in mystery.

It will be no surprise that a respect agenda between politicians turned out to be little more than a soundbite.

But in their approach to these two fundamental issues, both governments have shown the real respect agenda that has failed is the one between politicians and the pu

November 8th, 2010

JOBS FOR THE FUTURE 

Many readers will have grown up in a time when their working life would have been mapped out for them the day they left school.

Whether it be in the shipbuilding, engineering or electronics industry, young people had opportunities to get into work and enjoy job security.

Times have changed though and things aren’t so straightforward for young people as many of the big employers moved on.

The Thatcher years consigned a generation of young people to the employment scrapheap and our communities have paid the price.

While tremendous progress has been made to recover those lost years, challenges remain in creating opportunities for young people.

Given the cuts in higher education, the slump in the construction industry, the contraction of the public sector and cuts to nursing and teacher posts, that challenge is set to get even tougher.

To stop young people falling into the unemployment trap, Inverclyde has led the way in creating these opportunities with the country’s best performing Future Jobs Fund.

This takes 18-24 year olds who have been stuck on Jobseeker’s Allowance and creates six-month job placements for them.

Jim Bristow and the team at the Community Development Team have taken 272 youngsters in the space of a year and handed them the experience, skills and confidence boost to help them find longer-term employment.

Despite this resounding success, the Future Jobs Fund did not survive the Chancellor’s axe as the Tory-led coalition announced its emergency budget in the summer.

This was typical of a government who famously uttered the phrase unemployment is a price worth paying.

But in Scotland, we do not have to accept those decisions, that is why people voted for a Scottish Parliament – Scottish solutions to Scottish problems.

Andy Kerr, the Labour finance spokesman, has pledged to re-instate this valuable scheme next year if it is in his power. The challenge to the Scottish Government is what are you waiting for?

1^st November 2010

CARING FOR THE CARERS

At a time when value for money is at a premium, I met with a group of people this week who contribute to a £500 million saving to the public purse every year.

These are the grandmothers, brothers and sisters who step into difficult situations and provide stability to some of the most vulnerable children in society, with no thought for financial reward.

In fact, three out of four of these kinship carers live in poverty but still take on the care of children despite the obvious difficulties this brings.

For someone in their sixties or even their seventies, looking after a teenager full time is a difficult job, simply because the world has moved on since they were parents.

And finding money for the latest trainers or designer jackets when you are a pensioner on a fixed income is a challenge unheard of their day..

But these caring family members still take on this responsibility when the parental situation breaks down, often because of drug abuse, leaving children damaged and facing a life in care.

It is estimated that there are at least 13,000 children supported by kinship carers in Scotland.

While it’s accepted that kinship care is the best form of early intervention, financial support has fallen far short of what is needed and varies in different parts of the country.

With the UK Government, the Scottish Government and local authorities all having part responsibility for Scotland’s carers, we have hit an impasse in providing this support.

At an event to mark UK Grandparents Day this week, I was able to meet with many kinship carers, just as I have done with dozens in Inverclyde over the years.

These committed carers never fail to humble me with their personal stories and the fact that they are saving the state hundreds of millions of pounds by providing this care doesn’t come into consideration.

Maybe it should – then they would realise the bargaining power they have in calling in for the allowance they should be entitled to do.

Only real leadership from government will end this discrimination and meet our responsibilities to Scotland’s kinship carers.

11^th October  2010

THE HUMAN COSTS

Forgetting where we placed our glasses or car keys can happen to any of us, no matter what our age.

We have all had the moment where we walk up to the fridge only to completely forget what we had been looking for, something we would light-heartedly describe as a ‘senior moment’.

But even our own forgetful experiences couldn’t prepare us for the challenge people and families face as they confront the early stages of dementia.

The loss of control and ability to function day to day must be a difficult, frustrating and confidence-sapping experience for people used to enjoying their own independence.

For some time, this hasn’t been helped by the debate over when the drugs that can stabilise the symptoms should be prescribed to those in the early stages of the condition.

Campaigners described the refusal to issue these drugs to all dementia patients as ‘cruel and unethical’.

The drugs, which cost around £2.80 a day, could mean the difference between recognising loved ones and being able to play with grandchildren.

This week, drugs czars relented and agreed to make drugs like Aricept, Reminyl and Exelon available to those with early stage symptoms available in England. I hope there will be no delay in extending this in Scotland.

It means more than 30,000 people will get the benefit of these drugs and enjoy a better quality of life.

Sadly, there is no miracle cure for dementia conditions and it presents a tough situation, not just for patients but families and carers.

But we can take some comfort from the fact we have good services here in Inverclyde, such as the highly-praised Dunrod unit at Ravenscraig Hospital, and the Inverclyde day care project based at Larkfield View, which I visited recently to mark World Alzheimer’s Day.

People with dementia are some of the most vulnerable in society and in this development this week, there is a valuable lesson.

Balancing the books can’t be just about financial costs, we have to measure the human costs.

4^th October 2010

TIME FOR A LIVING WAGE

It landed with an ominous thud on my desk, hundreds of pages of doom and gloom.

It was the briefing ‘notes’ for a finance seminar I attended with Scotland’s top economists, academics and number-crunchers.

They had pulled together to outline the hard choices facing politicians as we try to pick our way through these straightened financial times.

It posed many difficult questions but unfortunately give us very little in the way of answers as we enter into a dark period.

We need to think long term about what cuts are fair, what cuts are necessary to sustain services and what cuts will only lead to more pain in the long run.

In responding to these difficult challenges, we must ensure that the sick, the elderly and the working poor do not pay the highest price.

That is why I welcomed the announcement this week that Labour leader Iain Gray is supporting the living wage campaign for workers on low pay.

At the same time, there was a pledge to introduce pay restraint for the highest earners in the public sector.

It isn’t fair that there people have to survive on low pay while top earners enjoy generous bonuses.

Nearly half a million workers in both the private and public sector earn less than the Scottish Living Wage of £7.15 per hour while bankers get extravagant add-ons and nearly 1,000 public servants earn more than the Prime Minister.

We have a difficult task in tackling the many challenges that face us but we have to ensure that fairness is at the heart of these decisions.