DANNY ALEXANDER’S EMAIL PROVES THE LIBERAL DEMOCRATS ARE LEADING THE WAY ON WESTMINSTER REFORM

Earlier today I received an important email from Danny Alexander MP the Chief of Staff to Nick Clegg; which I thought that you might like to read – this email shows that the Liberal Democrats are leading the way on Westminster Reform, and they are committed to changing the status quo.

Dear Steve,

Nick Clegg has had a great few weeks taking a strong stand on cleaning up Parliament and leading the call for a complete overhaul of our political system. Last week at Prime Minister’s Question Time he challenged Gordon Brown to reform our electoral systems. Now even Brown’s own ministers are echoing Nick’s call. I hope that you have been able to see the lead article in today’s Guardian which sets out a 100-day plan to reform government.

Tonight we will be screening a brand new Party Election Broadcast recorded this week in which Nick deals with these issues - you can

watch it online now. He will be making the case to:

• Give people the right to sack MPs


• Stop all big party political donations


• Elect the House of Lords


• Make the voting system fair - so that governments can’t just get all that power and all that money with only a minority of you voting for them


• Put an end to self serving politics and put you back in charge

But Nick can’t do it all on his own. He needs our help. We need to demonstrate that at long last there is a groundswell for real reform of our broken system. If you want to see British politics changed in this way then you can visit our new campaign site

www.TakeBackPower.org and sign Nick’s petition.

But don’t stop there. I’m sure we all know friends and family who have been appalled by the recent expenses scandal. Why not show them we are different? Email the

www.TakeBackPower.org web address on to five other people and help Nick change politics for good.

Best wishes,

Danny Alexander MP, (Chief of Staff to Nick Clegg)

FORMER LABOUR DEPUTY LEADER; LORD HATTERSLEY TODAY REPEATED HIS CALL FOR HAZEL BLEARS TO SACKED FORM GOVERNMENT

It’s been announced today that both Tory MP Julie Kirkbride and Labour’s Margaret Moran will both step down over the expenses scandal - eleven MPs have now resigned as a result of the affair.

Bromsgrove MP Ms Kirkbride followed her husband, in announcing her departure from parliament at the next general election. The couple came under fire when it emerged that Commons allowances had been used to simultaneously fund both the homes where they lived.

Luton South MP Ms Moran has been under fire after it was disclosed that she claimed £22,500 for treating dry rot at her partner’s home in Southampton, 100 miles from both her constituency and Westminster.

However, some experts believe that many more MPs will be forced to give up their seat, and not seek re-election. There is also a view that “expenses issue” could lead to at least the resignation or sacking of one Cabinet Minister.

And, that is a view backed by former Labour Deputy Leader; Lord Hattersley who today repeated his call for Hazel Blears to be sacked from the government, adding he wished the Prime Minister would say what he believed on a number of issues.

Avoiding taxes, like capital gains tax, as done by Ms Blears may be legal, but: “It revolts all sense of what the Labour party and Gordon Brown stands for.”

“It’s time for Gordon Brown to show what he really thinks. I just wish he would say what he believes on this and other issues,” he said.

Pressed to say he believed Hazel Blears should be sacked, he said: “I said that last night. I have no problem saying that, of course she should go. The Prime Minister is a good deal more tender-hearted than I am”.

CONSTITUENTS SHOULD HAVE THE POWER TO AXE THEIR MPS IF THEY’VE DONE SOMETHING WRONG - CLEGG

Over the last few weeks we have seen the sudden rise in “people power”; the electorate is now calling for immediate action on Westminster Reform. In my opinion, it is only the Liberal Democrats who can deliver that reform.

Liberal Democrat Leader, Nick Clegg speaking on the day when three MPs have announced their retirement from Parliament at the next election, he said: “Why do the people have to wait until the next election.

“There is no need to wait, if it’s proved that an MP as done something wrong; constituents should have the power to sack them before the next election - it should be done now”.

CLEGG: NO SUMMER HOLIDAY BEFORE THE OVERHAUL

Warm words and rhetoric are easy. We must seize the mood and enact a radical programme of reform within 100 days.

Finally the dam has broken, and everyone is talking about changing Britain’s political system. For decades reformers have been thwarted by Westminster inertia. But the MPs’ expenses scandal has overturned old certainties and made change possible.

This moment must be seized by all who want a different kind of politics. Warm words, rhetoric and consideration are not enough; indeed, they are a guarantee that little will happen. So let us bar the gates of Westminster and stop MPs leaving for their summer holidays until this crisis has been sorted out, and every nook and cranny of our political system has been reformed.

Today I’m setting out a plan of action to get all the changes we need delivered in just 100 days - making it possible for MPs to be sacked by constituents, abolishing the House of Lords, getting corrupt money out of politics and changing the electoral system to give everyone a voice. People will say it isn’t possible - parliament can’t act that quickly. I say the innate conservatism that marks out our political establishment is part of the problem. Let’s stop all this self-congratulatory hype about the mother of parliaments and get on with improving it.

Momentum will ebb away unless we act quickly. Delay would be a victory for those who want to confine change to the bare minimum - the two establishment parties who will talk up reform long enough for the storm to pass, then kick it into the long grass for good.

David Cameron’s proposals set out in the Guardian on Tuesday were a masterful example of well-judged rhetoric free of substance and conviction. Open-source software, new select committee chairs and legislative text messages will not rescue British democracy. They are designed, I fear, to provide verbal cover for maintaining the status quo.

Real political change is about taking power from those who have hoarded it for themselves, and distributing it to others. So change will only be possible if the vested interests that have benefited from the way things are accept that they can no longer preside over an institutional stitch-up. For generations the Labour and Conservative parties have ­colluded to keep out competition. They are like a corporate duopoly, ­setting the rules of the game to maintain dominance. And just like in economics, it’s ordinary people who suffer: taken for granted, and deprived of the ability to make different choices to those imposed upon them.

That is why what Cameron did not say is more revealing than what he did. No mention of the murky business of party funding. No mention of the scandal of an unelected second chamber. The rejection of any change to an electoral system that hands power to governments on a fraction of the vote. Without these changes, British politics will continue to be a game of pass the parcel between two old parties, while the rest of the country switches off.

So instead of long-term consideration of the possibility of tinkering, let us have 100 days of real action: swift, decisive and confident. It really is possible. The details of a reformed system of party funding have already been thrashed out between the parties, months ago. Sir Hayden Phillips secured outline agreement to ban donations of more than £50,000, limit spending to £100m over a parliament and shake up union

contributions. The reason it wasn’t adopted was because the Conservatives walked out, keen to protect donations from tax exiles such as Lord Ashcroft. But there is no reason not to return to what was all but agreed, and enforce it. The political parties and elections bill, now before parliament, could be amended and adopted within weeks.

Similarly, on House of Lords reform, the principles of a fully elected chamber have already been exhaustively debated and adopted by MPs. As in any bicameral system, peers should be elected on a different constituency basis and electoral cycle to MPs. Details could be decided on and introduced in the constitutional renewal bill being promoted in the House of Lords by Paul Tyler.

And then there’s electoral reform. The ideal solution would be an Irish-style single transferable vote system in which voters elect the person, not the party. But even alternative vote plus - as first advocated by Roy Jenkins in 1998 and now backed by Alan Johnson - would ensure most MPs have a personal constituency link with their voters, as already occurs in Germany and Scotland. Labour made a promise more than a decade ago to hold a referendum on the Jenkins proposals. If the government won’t call a general election, let us have this referendum in early September, as the culmination of 100 days of reform.

Together, over the next 100 days, we could achieve nothing less than the total reinvention of British politics. These months could become a great moment in British political history, rather than a shabby footnote to a shameful month of scandal. Let us seize, not squander, the opportunity for change.


This article first appeared in the Guardian, May 28, 2009.

YOUR INVITED TO TOMORROW NIGHTS MEETING OF EAST MARSH INVOLVE; AND IF YOUR FRIGHTENED OF MISSING BRITAIN’S GOT TALENT – I GUARANTEE YOU’LL BE HOME ON

Tomorrow night is the next meeting of East Marsh Involve, and don’t worry if you want to be home for Britain’s Got Talent – I am pleased to say the meeting will be finished before 8pm.

The meeting will be held as usual at the Grimsby Neighbourhood Centre, which is on the corner of Wellington Street and Weelsby Street, and will start at 6pm.

Don’t forget it’s your chance to spend £20,000 of North East Lincolnshire Council’s money. Yes, you can spend it on what you want providing it improves East Marsh Area – in other words you cannot spend it on “booze” or “home improvement”.

Each year East Marsh Ward Councillors devolve their £20,000 of Ward Councillor’s Funding to you the local residents, they are the only local councillors within the whole of North East Lincolnshire to adopt this practice. The ward councillors believe the practice helps to: “inspire communities”; “empower communities”, and “assist community cohesion”.

The meeting as usual is open to all members of the East Marsh Community and the aim of this community meeting is to discuss community issues; with the purpose of overcoming ongoing problems, improve service and report regularly on all issues raised at previous meetings.

This month there is no guest speaker; however it is usual to have a speaker present. Prior to this meeting there will be an event held at Grimsby Neighbourhood Centre to promote European Neighbours Day, and it is hoped that members of the community will attend this event prior to the East Marsh Involve meeting.

AGENDA FOR EAST MARSH INVOLVE – Tuesday 26 May:

• Councillor’s Ward Funding
• Other Funding Requests
• East Marsh Environmental Improvements
• East Marsh Priority Setting (Crime Issues)
• Community Engagement Week
• Neighbourhood Development Worker’s Update
• Any Other Business

Please be aware that all local residents are eligible to attend this meeting, and have their say about local services - it’s your chance to be listened too.

CABINET MINISTERS BACK IN THE SPOTLIGHT OVER EXPENSES

The BBC have revealed that Daily Telegraph have focussed on the Cabinet once again, in the MPs expenses, but this time with real abuse of public money. Alistair Darling is among nine cabinet members who used £11,000 of taxpayers’ money to pay for personal accountancy advice.

The other Cabinet members are Jacqui Smith, Hazel Blears, David Miliband, James Purnell, Douglas Alexander, Geoff Hoon and Hilary Benn who all claimed for tax return processing.

For most people, this is not considered a legitimate business expense.

Labour sources said MP claims for such professional advice were within Commons rules. The ninth minister was unnamed.

Of the total £11,000 for all nine ministers, Mr Darling’s accountancy bills came to £1,400 over two years.

The chancellor said he had paid an accountant to prepare tax returns “to ensure… the correct amount of tax was paid in respect of my office costs”.

On Sunday, Mr Darling had told BBC One’s The Politics Show that all MPs had an obligation to shoulder responsibility for not reforming the expenses system when earlier opportunities arose.

“There is no doubt that the House of Commons rules got out of control and, frankly, everyone of us, me included, have to take responsibility for that, he said.

“Every time these things came up for review we just looked the other way.”

Liberal Democrat Shadow Chancellor, Vince Cable attacked Mr Darling for trying to dodge personal responsibility for his expenses claims.

Vince Cable said the chancellor should not “try and tar all MPs with the same brush”.

“I have never previously attacked Alistair Darling personally, whatever our political disagreements, but I was incensed when I heard his cynical attempt to displace responsibility for his own behaviour on other MPs,” he added.

“Many of us have spent years trying to change the system but we’ve been blocked many times, not least by the Labour government.

“Alistair Darling must be prepared to take some personal responsibility.”

FOLLOW COUNCILLORS LES BONNER AND STEVE BEASANT ON TWITTER

Two North East Lincolnshire Councillors are now using Twitter; they are communicating with their local residents and the world beyond!

Councillors Les Bonner and Steve Beasant are now regularly updating their Twitter Page, which they set-up last weekend and they are aiming to bring you all the latest local and national news that you may find of interest.

You can now follow Les Bonner at http://twitter.com/lesbonner and Steve Beasant at http://twitter.com/stevebeasant; keep checking their pages for all the latest news and updates.

SHOCK HORROR: COUNCILLOR ASSISTS THE “BLUES” BEFORE VITAL AGM!

Contrary to a popular belief Councillor Beasant is not a “Blue at Heart” neither politically or in sporting terms.

Don’t worry everyone, I am still with the winning teams – it’s Manchester United for the title – and I will be voting for the Liberal Democrats for the leadership of the council at the AGM, and I have great confidence in our leadership team.

Earlier this week I had the opportunity to go to London, and during my visit we were at the Chelsea Football Ground – hence the photographs – hopefully you will see the funny side!

SPEAKER SHOULD DO THE “DECENT THING” AND STEP ASIDE - CLEGG

Over the last few days a number of high profile Liberal Democrats MPs has commented on plight of the Speaker Michael Martin.

Liberal Democrat Shadow Home Secretary, Chris Huhne called upon the speaker to replaced; while the Liberal Democrat Shadow Chancellor, Vince Cable said that he had reservations and the party would be making a statement shortly.

Liberal Democrat MP for East Dunbartonshire, Jo Swinson last night became the first Scots MP to demand he quits. She said: “It’s time for him to go.”

Now we have learnt on the BBC website that the Leader of the Liberal Democrats, Nick Clegg has called on Commons Speaker Michael Martin to stand down, saying he has become an obstacle to much-needed reform of Parliament.

Mr Clegg said the Speaker should do the “decent thing” and step aside, saying he was not the “right man” for the job.

He criticised the Speaker for “dragging his feet” over the issue of MPs’ expenses, causing such public anger.

A Tory MP is to put down a motion of no confidence in the Speaker on Monday and says he has growing support for this.

TIME IS RUNNING OUT FOR GRIMSBY’S FAMOUS ICE HOUSE – CAN IT BE SAVED?

One of Grimsby’s most famous landmarks is at risk of collapse according to yesterday’s edition of the Grimsby Evening Telegraph – it is part of our fishing heritage. The Ice House is situated on the Grimsby Docks, and is also within the East Marsh Ward; and is seen by thousands of tourists who visit the area every as it is on the main road to Cleethorpes sea front.

The Ice House was the lifeline of Grimsby’s Docks, producing thousands of tonnes of ice per day; however the former Grimsby Exchange Ice Factory is now just a shell according to the Telegraph.
Since its closure on August 3, 1990, many have dreamt of redeveloping the iconic factory.

But for the past 19 years nothing has changed. Now the Grimsby, Cleethorpes and District Civic Society is taking up the issue, saying the issue has gone on too long.

As reported, in October last year the Grade II* listed building was placed on English Heritage’s At Risk register – the list of the UK’s most endangered sites, which features everything from battlefields to monuments to shipwrecks.

In their report, the conservationist specialists said the factory was at “immediate risk of further rapid deterioration”.

However, it is not the building English Heritage is keen to save, but what lies behind its deteriorating walls.

Inside – exposed to the elements – stands the last surviving examples of early 20th Century ice factory machinery.

Giles Proctor, English Heritage’s Team Leader and Historic Buildings Architect for South and East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire, said: “The building was listed as Grade II* – which means that it is considered to be amongst the top six per cent of listed buildings in the country – principally because of the rarity of its ice-making machinery, combined with the decorative exterior.

“Our ambition is that the building should be repaired and converted to a sustainable new use – it is likely that such a use will involve the removal of some of the machinery, but given the importance of the machinery to the building’s special interest, we will seek to ensure that sufficient of the machinery is retained in situ, to aid understanding of the original purpose of the building.

“Given the considerable size of the building and that the triangular north block has been completely gutted at some time in the past, it should be possible to accommodate new uses and a significant portion of the machinery.”

So where does this leave the Ice Factory?

While many developers – including North East Lincolnshire Council – have spoken of regenerating the site, two things have always stood in their way.

Firstly, English Heritage’s decision to not allow the ice machines to be removed, and secondly, the factory sits on private land, owned by Associated British Ports (ABP).

But now the Grimsby, Cleethorpes and District Civic Society is trying to bring all of the interested parties together to see what can be done.

Chairman of the society, Paul Genney, said he hoped a consensus on the future of the factory could be found, whether that meant retaining it or knocking it down.

He said: “Somebody has got to make a decision, it has gone on for too long, it really has.”

Mr Genney has invited both English Heritage and ABP to the meeting, along with Tony Hunter, chief executive of North East Lincolnshire Council; Coun Andrew De Freitas, leader of NELC, and MPs Austin Mitchell and Shona McIsaac.

“Depending on the outcome of the meeting we (the Civic Society) would be prepared to have it de-listed,” he added.

Life was momentarily breathed back into the factory in 2006 when English film-maker Joe Wright transformed the building into a dilapidated church from 1940s war-torn France for his film Atonement.

Starring Keira Knightley and James McAvoy, the film featured other dock locations Gorton Street and Parker Street.

A public meeting will take place in the Grimsby Town Hall Assembly Room at 7.30pm on Thursday, September 24.

RIDE YOUR WAY TO HEALTHIER LIFE

A NORTH East Lincolnshire Councillor has caused a stir by whizzing around the area on an environmentally friendly bicycle – now he is urging more members of the public to follow suit.

Councillor Steve Beasant (Liberal Democrat, East Marsh) has been inundated with people commenting on his flashy new bike – which he uses to get from one important meeting to the other.

He believes that if more people follow his example by getting out their bicycle instead of their car, North East Lincolnshire would be a much safer and cleaner place.

It all started when he developed epilepsy in 1988, and was told he would have to give up driving and find an alternative method of transport.

He said: “Following a diagnosis of epilepsy; you have to be seizure free for one year before you are able to apply for a driving licence back.

“It has now been well over 18 months since I had my last seizure but no letter has gone off to the DVLA and why should it?

“There is no need when I have two wheels, and cycling is much more convenient than people think, not forgetting that Grimsby is only a small town and you can get from A to B within minutes on a bicycle.”

When his old bike started to look a bit outdated, Coun Beasant went for a newer model, purchasing a Dahon Curve foldaway bike from JC Cooks, in Pasture Street, for £300.

He said: “From that moment onwards I knew my life was going to change as all of a sudden I was being noticed.

“People were shouting out about my “cool” bike, and of course there were points and laughs too.
“It’s a great marketing ploy as everyone knows it’s Coun Beasant coming around the corner, and of course I can really whiz around the ward.

“I think we need to get local people back walking, cycling and using public transport and our borough will be a much safer place for children, young people, the elderly and other vulnerable groups – we need to reduce road accidents.

“It must be remembered that cycling is good for your health and wellbeing and you save money in the long run. It is also enjoyable.”

Photograph reproduced with permission of Grimsby Evening Telegraph