Fiscal credibility, ptui!

Yesterday, I went to a meeting on Brexit, Free-movement and immigration; conversation in the bar afterwards segued from, “why did a Corbyn led PLP argue to abstain on the Tories Immigration Act?” via a  post match analysis of Lewisham Deptford’s Brexit/Anti-Brexit meeting to consider the radicalism of Labour’s 2017 Manifesto and the development of macro economic policy since then; it doesn’t do so well when compared with the Corbynomics of 2015. One of the key developments since then has been the development of Labour’s Fiscal Credibility Rule, which promises to only borrow to invest.

To those who think this is smart, I ask why so-called current account spending on education is not seen as “investing” in Human Capital, but this is not it’s main problem. …

Member’s Rights (in the Labour Party)

Fabulous, I found this in the new Rules, the new C2.II Individual Membership Rights

7.   Members have the right to dignity and respect, and to be treated fairly by the Labour Party. Party officers at every level shall exercise their powers in good faith and use their best endeavours to ensure procedural fairness for members.

I shall be seeking to amend this to include a mandate to abide by the Nolan Principals. …

Positive balance

The BBC are very proud of their contribution to the balance of payments through the licensing of their content. I decided today to see if they do, in fact, contribute once the rights payments to 3rd party companies is taken into account. I have asked the DDCMS but the BBC is subject to FOI questions. I need to think about how I phrase the question, but Heather Brook’s book, should help, if I can find it. …

Pivoting

One of the problems with the vitriol issued by Labour’s Lexiters and self declared ultra loyalists  over the issue of a “Final Say” referendum on Brexit, is that it makes it hard for Labour’s Leadership to pivot. If the UK asks for an extension of the Article 50 deadline, or need to fight a general election, we need a better, more flexible position than the PLP front bench’s current cakism. Our Remain supporting voters and activists need more hope than that! …

Power in the organisation

Where’s the political theory and academic literature that describes the stultification of democratic organisations? Looking at the AA, when it was a membership organisation, and at my Union, where intermediate structures appoint their controllers,. How does this happen? How do memberships and membership branches lose control? …

Good luck and thank you

Here’s a picture of the Cable Car to the top of the Aguille Rouge.

Possibly over 20 years ago, I caught a chair lift to a point just below here, and was left by my companions; I fell and slide a long way. I was stopped by a very skilled woman, who skied down from above, and caught up with me and who dug her skis into the snow at a point where I was travelling at my slowest. I was somewhat shaken and didn’t say thank you properly. Now’s the time, “Thank You”. I was very lucky. …

Nothing to see here

This came through earlier in the month, despite the Tory Party being fined, it seems that Craig McKinley, the Tory candidate for Thanet South, in 2015 is not guilty of electoral fraud, it was all down to his local campaign official. I didn’t think that was how the law worked; I didn’t think it was possible to find an Agent guilty and a candidate innocent but hey ho, we live and learn. Of course, they can’t order the election to take place again because it already has. The Secret Barrister wrote about the decision not to prosecute, the Tory’s candidates and agents over their “Battlebus” expenditure, he or she states, the CPS chose not to prosecute because evidence of corruption was likely to be too hard to prove, but,

…  In relation to the lesser offence of failing to deliver a true return, the CPS concluded, perhaps charitably, that for for the same reason it was not in the public interest to charge any of the agents or candidates with that offence.

They made an exception for the Thanet South election where they decided to prosecute. …  …