By Mike Aistrop
I did an article a few weeks back called ‘What should Labour be getting on with and how are we going to get there?‘. I would like to thank all those that added to the quality of the debate.
The purpose of this article is to summarise what people said on the blog and then to see what the Labour, Tory, Libs, BNP, Greens & Socialist parties are talking about when it comes to the main issues identified.
So, the main ideas that came out were:
Building public sector housing – from Mark Rose.
Sort out the private utility monopolies, simplify the tax system, bring in a minimum skilled workers wage & strip a layer of bureaucracy out of education and manage schools in smaller numbers – from B. Bendle.
Commission much more social housing to be built year on year, year after year, give the unemployed real work and not sentence them to workfare & give everyone access to opportunities for life-long education, learning and training, both academic and/or vocational – from Jeff Harvey. Jeff and Tory Troll had a great debate around the housing issue.
Social housing, drop the Purnell welfare reforms. And in Afghanistan, share the load more with Europe – from Alan Giles.
A living wage, full employment & the five giants (which Peter did and article on) – from Peter Barnard.
Improve the public sector – from Tory Troll.
There was a great debate on the Connecting for Health IT system between Guy M, Mike Thomas & Laurence Hodge.
Deal with Government finances & the rising unemployment – from Mark Cannon.
Addressing people’s actual needs and expectations rather than the wants of Government – from Peter Thomson.
From the comments, I’ve looked at the parties’ websites to out what they say about the main issues raised – housing, living/skilled minimum wage, workfare & life long education.
1 – HOUSING:
Labour:
Nothing on the website.
Conservative:
We need more homes – but they must be built in a way that protects the environment and provides the infrastructure to support local communities.
That’s why local people need to decide where new homes should go, instead of Whitehall bureaucrats. And that’s why we will use incentives to encourage new homes to be built, rather than letting unelected quangos impose unsustainable development on communities.
Whereas Labour have curtailed the right of social tenants to own their home, a Conservative Government will make it easier for social tenants to own or part-own their home. This will not only help people up the housing ladder, but also ensure residents have greater pride and a greater stake in their community.
Libs:
Strong communities need good homes and the schools, shops, transport and community facilities to create a sustainable community not just a housing estate. We will provide enough homes – for people to rent as well as to buy – so everyone has a decent place to live and by demanding high environmental standards from all new homes we will cut family energy bills and cut our carbon footprint.
Green:
The Green Party believes that it is for governments to solve these problems by employing building workers in a large programme of social housing, and by further expanding the public housing stock through a Right to Rent scheme. Homes should also be retrofitted with energy efficiency measures and new stock should be built to the highest standard.
Through the Green New Deal – our package of investments to rebuild the economy and tackle climate change – we are calling for:
• A £6 billion fund to enable local authorities to buy up and convert, or in some cases build, new housing for rent. This would pay for 60,000 new homes to be built to low carbon standards, as far as possible on brownfield sites, and provide 140,000 jobs.
• A £3 billion investment to support a Right to Rent scheme whereby local authorities purchase homes threatened by repossession and rent these back to occupiers.
• Insulate over five years all 20 million uninsulated homes in the UK.
Beyond the Green New Deal, the Green Party housing policy advocates further measures including:
• Extra support to enable the homeless to get off the streets and into safe, comfortable and environmentally-sustainable accommodation.
• Ensuring that all new homes are built to high environmental standards.
• Greater support to housing co-operatives and co-housing schemes, through measures including easier access to finance.
• Greater protection to tenants by tightening the rules on dishonest landlords.
Socialist:
A high-quality, affordable home is one of the most crucial elements of a decent standard of living. It effects every aspect of our lives. Recently, a research programme compared the health of the residents before and after a major renovation of an estate in Hackney, London. Just having their existing homes refurbished meant that residents’ health improved and they made 30% fewer visits to the doctor.
Yet a high-quality, affordable home is a right now denied to most of us. Half a million people are literally homeless. But the problem is much wider than that – there are now more than a million adults who are still living with their parents – even though they are approaching 40!
As house prices soar, it is impossible for many young people to stretch to a mortgage – on average, the lowest-paid quarter of the population would have to earn five times their current wages to buy a property.
Private sector renting is all that is available to increasing numbers of people. Millions of people are being forced to live in sub-standard, overcrowded private rented housing – a return to the Rachmanite landlords of the 1960s.
And private sector rents are following house prices into the stratosphere. We campaign for the reintroduction of rent officers with the power to force landlords to charge a fair rent.
Stop the sell off – defend council housing.
To begin to solve the housing crisis local authorities need to provide affordable, secure, good-quality public housing to be provided for all those who want it. After all, from 1949-54 an average of 230,000 council houses were built per year.
The Socialist Party is campaigning for a programme on a similar scale that would refurbish existing stock and build enough new homes to genuinely solve the housing problem. In complete contrast to a socialist policy New Labour is hell bent on worsening the housing crisis.
They are attempting to systematically sell-off what remains of council housing. Although they haven’t yet met their target of selling off 200,000 homes a year, they have succeeded in selling off more council houses in the nine years they’ve been in office than the Tories managed to sell off in 18 years!
BNP – Nothing on the website.
2 – LIVING / SKILLED/MINIMUM WAGE:
Labour:
Child Benefit which was £575 a year in 1997 will by 2010 be over £1,000; The basic rate of income tax was cut in April 2008 to just 20 pence – its lowest level for over 75 years. We will extend paid maternity leave to a whole year by the end of this Parliament. By April 2010, households with children will be, on average, £2,000 better off in real terms than in 1997. Households with children in the poorest fifth of the population will be, on average, £4,500 better off. We will open 3,500 Sure Start Children’s Centres by 2010 – providing childcare, healthcare, early education and family support. New Saving Gateway accounts will be available by 2010 for those on lower incomes with the government matching the money people save to help promote saving.
Conservatives:
A Conservative Government will give families the support, flexibility and financial help they need. Money worries can put a huge strain on relationships – so we will end the couple penalty in the benefits system and recognise marriage in the tax and benefits system. We will introduce a new system of flexible parental leave which gives mothers and fathers 12 months’ leave to split between them. We will extend the right to request flexible working to all parents with children under the age of 18, and ensure the public sector becomes a world leader in providing flexible working opportunities. We are committed to introducing a universal home health visiting service to help families through the challenges that come with a new child. The number of health visitors will be raised by 4,200 – and new mothers will be provided with a guaranteed level of support for the first five years. We will support a diverse childcare system, with parents’ needs met by a variety of providers, including childminders and private, voluntary and independent nurseries
Libs:
We also want to help people get and keep jobs that can give them a decent standard of living, as well as ensuring that no-one already in work lives in poverty. We will reform Tax Credits to end the unpredictability of the system which has left millions of families struggling to make repayments for the Government’s mistakes.
Greens:
Despite the fact that many people have too much work, there are others who cannot gain employment because it is said they are too old, lack skills or live in the wrong location. Everyone would receive a basic Citizen’s Income to allow everybody to make meaningful choices between paid employment, part-time work, self employment, volunteering and encourage a better balance between work and everyday life.
We would also create a green economy with local jobs less vulnerable to changes in the global economy. We would extend workers rights to part time, casual workers and the self employed. Democracy in cooperatives and workplaces would be encouraged and the Green Party would value and protect carers and volunteers.
It is not just paid employment that benefits the economy. The economy is not able to function without workers, all of whom depend upon their homes for food, rest and recreation. The value of those who care voluntarily for the elderly is appreciated when we see the high price the market demands for such services.
Socialist:
For a minimum wage of £8 an hour. No exemptions. For an annual increase in the minimum wage, linked to average earnings. Employment protection rights for all from day one of employment. Scrap the anti-union laws. Trade unions to be democratically controlled by members. Full-time officials should be regularly elected and receive the average wage of a worker.
BNP:
We will ensure that our manufactured goods are, wherever possible, produced in British factories, employing British workers. When this is done, unemployment in this country will be brought to an end, and secure, well-paid employment will flourish, at last getting our people back to work and ending the waste and injustice of having more than 4 million people in a hidden army of the unemployed concealed by Labour’s statistical fiddles. We further believe that British industry, commerce, land and other economic and natural assets belong in the final analysis to the British nation and people. To that end we will restore our economy and land to British ownership. We also call for preference in the job market to be given to native Britons. We will take active steps to break up the socially, economically and politically damaging monopolies now being established by the supermarket giants. Finally we will seek to give British workers a stake in the success and prosperity of the enterprises whose profits their labour creates by encouraging worker shareholder and co-operative.
3 – WELFARE / WORKFARE:
Labour:
Nothing on the website.
Conservatives:
It will be the biggest shake-up of the welfare state for 60 years:
Every claimant potentially able to work will be engaged in welfare to work activities aimed at helping them back into work as quickly as possible. For those unable to find work there’ll be long-term community projects to help them get back into a working environment. Those not willing to take part will face tough sanctions Our welfare programme will be delivered by private and voluntary providers, who will only be paid when someone gets and keeps a job.
Libs: :
Nothing on the website.
Greens:
Same as the skilled wage.
Socialist:
Our union will continue to mobilise and maximise the opposition against this unjust bill whoever happens to be our minister. We remain committed to fighting for improvements to the terms and conditions of our members. And we will continue to press for enough staff and offices to deal with the impact of the recession.
We want to deliver the best possible services to the public and we campaign for a fair and supportive welfare system. The PCS union has already come out strongly against the welfare proposals not least because its members in Jobcentres are struggling to cope with the increased numbers claiming benefits.
But the entire trade union movement needs to act; to defend workers’ jobs, terms and conditions, and also to defend the welfare state. Jobs must be saved, but when they are lost workers cannot be allowed to face years in penury. And those who are sick, disabled or with care responsibilities should not face the Hobson’s choice of cuts in benefit, workfare, or insecure, low-paid jobs.
A campaign to defend jobs, involving industrial action, should be linked to defending the welfare state and making sure that the unemployed and those unable to work have a living income, along with the necessary training, support and encouragement to return to work where and when this is appropriate.
BNP:
Nothing on the website.
4 – LIFELONG EDUCATION
Labour:
Up against the competition of two billion people in emerging nations, India and China, with their huge resources and aspirations, we cannot afford to waste the talents of any person. Our aim in government must be to make the most of the abilities of every person and to create new opportunities in response to a changing world so that no one gets left behind and that everyone can share in the rising prosperity of Britain.
Since 1997, Labour has made progress on the skills level of our nation. Today we have more young people at university than ever before. And we have helped 1.7 million more adults gain literacy and numeracy qualifications.
Key achievements:
More young people are attending university than ever before.
Since 1997, Labour has doubled the number of apprenticeships starts to over 180,000 today and completion rates have more than doubled in the last 5 years, up to 63 per cent today
Labour will have invested up to £90 million in 12 employer-led National Skills Academies, which provide industry specific vocational education and training for school leavers and adults, by the end of 2008.
Labour is giving every 18 year old a right to public funding so that they can continue their training and education; at university or at college; in work or an apprenticeship – until they are 25 or they get a level 3 qualification (equivalent to 2 A levels)
Labour’s Train to Gain service has engaged with over 52,000 employers, helping nearly a quarter of a million workers improve their skills. The Skills Pledge has been signed by over 550 employers, covering over 4 million employees.
Labour invests £18 million each year in union learning. We now have over 20,000 union learning reps supporting workers to change their lives by improving their skills.
Winning the fight for Britain’s future:
By 2015, Labour will raise the education and training leaving age so that every young person will be guaranteed an apprenticeship, training or a place to study at school or college up to 18.
Labour has increased student grants so that one third of students will receive a full grant of £2,835, in total two thirds of students will receive a partial grant.
To raise the aspirations of all young people, Labour will offer 250,000 16 year olds, who qualify for the Education Maintenance Allowance, a clear guarantee of the minimum level of maintenance grant and loan they will receive if they go to university or college.
Within the next ten years we want one in five young people to be taking up apprenticeship places. In order to fulfil our ambition for young people, we will increase the number of 16-18 apprenticeships by 90,000 by 2013, to ensure there is a place for every suitably qualified young person who wants one.
We will raise the minimum weekly pay for Apprentices to £95 a week. It will be young women – apprentices like those in hairdressing and care – who will benefit most.
We will increase the Train to Gain budget to over £1 billion by 2010/2011 to help more adults develop their skills.
Conservatives:
We believe that every person who could benefit from a university education should have the opportunity to do so if they wish. But the proportion of young people going to university has scarcely changed in eight years. At the current rate, it would take Labour over a century to meet their 50% target.
A Conservative Government will:
Give universities greater freedom from detailed bureaucratic intervention
Offer a fairer deal for part-time and mature students
Create a clearer pathway from vocational routes into further and higher education
We recognise that higher fees have brought benefits to universities, but we need to ensure that they are providing a better student experience in return. We have called on the Government to start a full review of the higher education sector now.
SKILLS
Labour have failed on skills: the number of young people not in education, employment or training (NEETs) has risen, and the numbers of real apprenticeships, FE enrolments and Adult Learners are down. A Conservative Government will transform skills and training, with:
A massive expansion in the provision of real apprenticeships, creating 100,000 additional apprenticeships every year and making it easier for companies to run apprenticeships
More community learning to improve skills and employability, including a NEETs Fund aimed at youngsters not in any kind of education, training or employment, and a Community Learning Fund
Supply-side reform to set further education free by creating a streamlined funding model where government support for training follows the learner
Better careers advice by creating a new all-age careers service and providing a careers adviser in every secondary school and college.
Libs:
The Liberal Democrats want to make sure that all children do well in school, no matter where they are born. We will introduce a Pupil Premium, giving more money to schools so that they can provide things like one-to-support and catch-up classes for the children who are struggling.
The Liberal Democrats are the only party which will cut class sizes and make it easier for teachers to set children on the right footing as they start their education. We’ll give schools extra cash so that infant classes (5-7 year olds) can be cut to private school levels of only 15 children.
The Liberal Democrats are the only party which believes higher education should be free and everyone who has the ability should be able to go to university and not be put off by the cost. We will scrap tuition fees for all students taking their first degrees saving them almost £10,000 each.
Greens:
In schools, we believe much smaller class sizes are the key to behaviour and learning. Classrooms should be places for the children to explore and discover new things, which is easier to achieve with smaller numbers of children in classrooms. Those who do well in school tests come into a society that has a very narrow view of education as a collection of marketable certificates. This reflects the view of other parties that education is important only as a means to enable Britain to compete in the global economy.
The Green Party wants a state funded education system which:
Provides essential numeracy and literacy skills
Promotes a sense of responsibility, confidence and respect in all young people
Caters for all specialisms and needs, inspiring a hunger for learning in all areas: academic and non-academic, therefore authorising young people to pursue what they are good at, rather than what is expected of them
Promotes a sense of community, so that children are proud to attend their local school
Promotes a healthy lifestyle through good diet and exercise
The National Curriculum is currently restricted in many areas, and we would not support it in its current form. Children are more empowered and better learners when given more choice and allowed to explore their individual needs and interests, which would be included in the curriculum.
To measure school performance we would abolish the system of SATs and league tables. They put unnecessary pressure on schools without leading to a better all-round education for the children. We would like to see a system of self-evaluation for schools, that is monitored by the local education authority.
The Green Party’s position on grammar and public schools means that we would remove the charitable status of all such schools and offer state funding to them so they will be accessible to all children in the local area.
All children, even those with disabilities and special educational needs, will be given the opportunity to attend their local school, which will provide diverse support for people with special needs. In special cases and in accordance with the child’s wishes, there may be a need for segregation, which will be provided as a unit within the school.
Our position on faith in schools means that education should include a celebration and recognition of religious diversity and spirituality. It is for this reason that all schools, both state controlled and privately run will be required to embrace a multi-faith perspective throughout the delivery of the curriculum.
The Green Party opposes City Academies and Trust Schools as we believe that schools should be governed in the interests of children and their parents, not through private individuals or businesses.
We would recruit and retain more teachers by allowing them greater freedom and, to remove one of the main reasons teachers leave teaching, ensure their paperwork is greatly reduced.
Our position on tuition fees and student loans means that under Green Party policy, students will not have to pay tuition fees. The Green Party supports grants not loans, providing a basic income sufficient for needs while in full time education.
Socialist:
The Campaign to Defeat Fees, together with Youth Fight for Jobs, will be to the fore in resisting every attack on students and education. As well as this, it will be fighting for a socialist society, where it will not be a constant struggle to preserve our education, our public services, and the very futures of young people.
We also need to raise the demand to reverse previous partial privatisation and end the status of colleges as independent corporations, returning them to local authority control.
For properly funded Further Education, publicly run and publicly accountable!
Free, good quality education for all from nursery to university. For a living grant! Abolish fees now.
BNP:
We are against the ‘trendy’ teaching methods that have made Britain one of the most poorly educated nations in Europe. We will end the practice of politically correct indoctrination in all its guises and we will restore discipline in the classroom, give authority back to teachers and put far greater emphasis on training young people in the industrial and technological skills necessary in the modern world. We will also seek to instill in our young people knowledge of and pride in the history, cultures and heritage of the native peoples of Britain.
—
Well there you go, hope you enjoyed reading all that.
Housing:
I simply could not find anything on the Labour website. I did search the web and found some stuff, but if it is not on the main site then I haven’t used it here.
On housing, it seems that the Green party have a handle on it, Labour & the BNP had nothing, the Tories & the Libs don’t really say much (still more than Labour or the BNP) and the Socialist party, like the Greens, see the problem and are identifing things that can be done.
Living/skilled minimum wage:
Well I couldn’t really find any reverence to minimum/skilled wage on the Labour, Tory or Libs web sites, so I put what there was. I think the Greens have an interesting idea. To me the winners on this section are the Socialist party and the BNP.
Welfare / Workfare:
Nothing on the Labour, BNP or Libs sites. The Tories are following the workfare line. The Greens I would say cover this with their basic Citizen’s Income. The most passionate response was the Socialist party, they seem to see what is wrong about this bill, why not the rest?
Lifelong education:
Well not sure on this one, they all seem to have ideas about what to do for schools and university, not much for adults. The Tories do talk abour a ‘new all-age careers service’, which is good, yet the Greens again I think take this one.
Reading all the statements and policies, it does seem like there is some overlap with the ‘three big parties’ (shock horror), yet I think it is the smaller parties that offer clearer visions and seem to put there points across better, and as historical records show, these “smaller” parties are gaining more and more support. Maybe all the money spent on the publicity agents for the top ‘three’ could be better spent on policy!
I was shocked at the quality of the Labour website, it really should be better. Most of the others had more coherent policy sections – Labour didn’t.
If I had to vote on each issue from what I have read today, this is how I would vote:
Housing: Green party or Socialist party.
Living/skilled minimum wage: Socialist party, BNP or the Green party.
Workfare: Green party or socialist party.
Lifelong education: Green party or Socialist party
I am worried that the housing issue is not going to be addressed by any of the main three parties, yet this is the thing people on LabourList and other sites are talking about the most.
Anyway, here is where you come in. What would the LabourList policy on these four issues looks like?
Are there any others that might have been missed? If you feel there is, please find out the stance of each of the above parties and post their and your views.
Thanks for reading
In Unity
MA
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