Political amnesia and Labour cynicism?

We need to remember, they've all been at it.

The Liberal Democrats are the first party ever to renege on a commitment.

Well, that’s what some in the Labour party would have us believe, and what many students right now seem to believe. But they’re wrong. And they know they’re wrong. For Labour to clobber the Lib Dems in every sentence, again and again driving home to the public that they have gone back on their word, amounts to sinister opportunism, crass hypocrisy and amnesic deception. Similarly, students burning effigies of Nick Clegg are deceiving themselves. They would do well to remember that all three major parties have completed a u-turn on tuition fees policy, and to question the motives of the party backing their cause.

In 1997, Labour was the government to introduce tuition fees. This after Tony Blair had categorically said before the general election, "Labour has no plans to introduce tuition fees for higher education." (Evening Standard, 14 April 1997). More recently, Labour’s Shadow Chancellor also completed a conspicuous u-turn. For the last six or so years Alan Johnson has been in no doubt that introducing a graduate tax would be ill-conceived, however, this week he suddenly had a change of heart and declared it a much fairer policy than increased tuition fees. What a great example of tactless opportunism. Student protesters should not be blind to it, and realise that as their dissent gathers support, Labour bigwigs are being crudely forced to change their stance so as to appear on their side.

It’s noteworthy to remember also that the overlooked party in this saga, the Conservatives, have also experienced a reversal on tuition fees policy. The 2005 election manifesto, written by David Cameron, stated that the Tories would ‘restore choice to higher education by scrapping fees’. Now of course they believe that the opposite will create increased choice.

So, obvious it is now that both Labour and the Tories have also broken their word when it comes to university funding. Interestingly though, they both won elections outright and had the opportunity to pursue their commitments without compromise, but didn’t. What hypocrisy and forgetfulness this then shows the constant Lib Dem bashing to be, as they’ve had no such prospect after joining a coalition as junior partner, in order to provide a stable government. Labour have perched themselves on a high horse which they have no right to be on, while students need to open their eyes and see the real reasoning behind the party’s support for their cause.

Today is ... The Day After Tomorrow

Has what was once Hollywood fiction, become reality?

Politics is about the present. It is not about the future. Well, at least that is the case for most political parties across the globe. Britain this year suffered from the coldest November for seventeen years and the rest of winter does not look like it will be much more bearable. There have been many reports of the lack of grit, which is undoubtedly an inconvenience, as well as references to the severe disruption to transport. However, the main issue has been forgotten. It has passed by without much thought or consideration. The issue of Global Warming.

It may seem strange to say that the freezing temperatures are being caused by the planet getting warmer, but it is true. We do not complain during the scorching summer days, which are now becoming much more frequent. However, whilst times are hard and the weather is biting, it feels apt to acknowledge this major issue, whilst the changing temperatures are disrupting people's everyday lives.

As aforementioned, politics in Britain is about the issues of today. It is about getting re-elected and certainly openly calling for the severe measures need to tackle climate change will not get anyone elected. This has to be a movement from below. It is our duty as citizens of Britain, of the Earth. It is our duty to our future generations. It is our duty!

We cannot hide away from this issue; it will not simply go away. It is very real and the sooner we accept this we can begin to prevent, what could easily materialise to be, Armageddon. I know that we require our cars, our heating, and our rubbish to be collected every week! I am not saying we have to give up these things, but we have to build for the future.

All I am asking is for you to remember: each time you step outside the front door, nearly slipping on the frozen ice - REMEMBER - this is global warming...and YOU need to do something about it. The politicians are too scared to!

We have to elect governments that will invest heavily into areas such as alternative energy. We have to be willing to make some sacrifices now, but mainly in the years to come. It is not fair, no. But unfortunately we are the only generation that can save the planet. It is what we have to do. The alternative is not worth thinking about. And regrettably, that is the CRUX of it.

Tories relax as Clegg and Co take the heat

Cameron and colleagues are enjoying an easy ride.

Ask yourself, when was the last time you saw a senior conservative on the TV or radio defending the trebling of tuition fees? Although it is their policy, the Conservatives might as well have been lying on a sandy beach on the other side of the world. Nobody seems to care about their motives behind such a controversial policy. People are too absorbed by the Lib Dem pledge-breaking saga, bringing joy to Conservatives as they relax, out of the political spotlight.

Make no mistake about it, the Tory cuts are ideological. If still in government when the economy returns to impressive growth, do you think they will bring back public services they now ‘have’ to scrap? Of course not, don’t be silly. But, anger towards the Lib Dems over tuition fees is having the straightforward effect of preventing anybody from realising or caring about the Conservative’s long term plans. Despite one infamous student protest at Conservative HQ, Clegg and Co have simply become a veil hiding the ideological motives behind Tory support for tuition fee rises and the wider cuts. Now, for a second, imagine the situation if the Lib Dems were not in such turmoil. People left, right and centre would be shouting ‘nasty Tories’ and comparing Cameron’s plans to the divisive retreat of the state which Mrs T enacted in the 1980s. Thus, those at Milbank Tower breathe a sigh of relief as their coalition junior partners feel the heat.

On a side note, minimal scrutinisation of the motives and intentions the Conservatives validate the tuition fee rises with is very telling. It highlights the ineffectiveness of Ed Miliband and the Labour Party to direct media and public attention onto David Cameron and his colleagues. If the Conservatives were under any significant amount of pressure on the issue then serious damage could be done to the heart of the coalition. As it stands though, Labour will gain very little from a surge of distrust towards the Lib Dems. The backbone of the government will remain strong as long as Clegg and Co remain on board, regardless of their popularity. Therefore, the party in opposition will continue to have little sway throughout this Parliament unless they can find a way to seriously harm Conservative popularity.

Student Fees Protest ... Damages Our Image

It is not very often that you will read a bloggers first post and they will criticise their main audience. Unfortunately however, that is exactly what I feel obliged to do. As a student myself I do indeed sympathise with my peers who feel aggrieved by the Lib Dems apparent U-turn on tuition fees. The student vote was staggeringly supportive of Nick Clegg in the General Election as we are all aware. This was primarily a response to Nick Clegg and his fellow Lib Dem candidates all signing a pledge which guaranteed none of them would vote for an increase in fees. However, as we also additionally know, this week will undoubtedly see the breaking of that oath.

Yet, there were signs that the Lib Dems were not going to actually abolish tuition fees instantaneously. I was fortunate enough to have a meeting with my local Liberal Democrat MP prior to the election and when asked for his personal and his parties position on tuition fees, the response was telling. Without doubt he stated that their stance was to abolish tuition fees. This was after all the reason why they gained the student support. However, when the surface was scratched and the artificial gloss of being in the political wilderness was removed, the reality of the policy began to become coherent. The position he understood the party would take was that total abolition was undoubtedly a goal, yet stating a progressive programme would be required. It would take time. When the time-span was queried, a response of five years was eventually divulged. Five Years! That is the maximum length of the parliament. Therefore, Nick Clegg would have to complete the double miracle of subsequent Lib Dem election victories to enact this primary manifesto pledge. But wait, there is more. Five years was the point at which the measures reducing the tuition fees were to commence. A period more closely resembling fourteen years was accredited for the total abolition of the tuition fees.

That is the first and rather substantial reason why this inevitable vote by Lib Dem MPs is not as striking as students may perceive it to be. The sign was there, not that I am accusing my student audience of laziness. That is already an unfair stigma of the student's status in this country. No. The point is that the students were misled as Clegg failed to highlight the finer details of the pledge. I stop short of describing such behaviour with connotations of deceit and manipulation. Not because I feel that it was neither of the latter, but because such political stratagem has become mainstream in British and Western politics. This does not make it right or moral, I accept that; but it makes it more mundane. Moreover, if we begin to accept this lack of transparency as commonplace, then we can begin to move past our own naivety and not accept politician's policy pledges at face value.

I unfortunately have one final criticism of fellow students. This is with regard to 'The Occupation', as it has been coined at Sheffield University, and all the other similar protests that have occurred nationwide. Please do not mistake me; I am a firm advocate of freedom of speech and the right to protest. It is not the principle I have the issue with at all. If peaceful protests can change one parliamentary vote or even just persuade one person to change their own view on an issue, then invariably they have achieved their goal, even though this may be far short of what they set out to accomplish. However, with specific reference to Sheffield University, 'The Occupation' is misdirected and is punishing the wrong people. The protest, for those that are not familiar with the event, is simply to sit in a lecture theatre, which has been occurring for the past five days.

So what is my problem with the protest I hear you ask? Number One – Student Image. Many students have left on very few occasions, have had little to eat and sparsely washed. This does not make for a good impression of the student stereotype, whilst the whole nation is fixated on our behaviour. As I said before, we are stigmatised for being lazy, for simply getting drunk and doing very little work. Whether this is true or not, and I dare say it will be for some of my audience, this is not the image we wish to portray. We are the intellectuals of our generation and that is how we need to portray ourselves. We have to show that our nation has got a bright future. We are not the generation that created global warming, the nuclear weapon or the financial crisis – which all threaten future civilisations. No. We are the forgotten generation, but that does not mean we give up, that we use this as an excuse or even continue the trend of history by blaming the generation that went before. No. We are different. We are going to make a change. That is what I believe and I do not believe that I am alone. So, now I have established my vision, my primary motive for not supporting protests such as 'The Occupation' are understandable, I hope.

Finally, my opposition also resonates from my belief that the protests are misdirected. For example, 'The Occupation' only hinders fellow students, through obstructing their education, and also the University itself. Will this make the latter keep their independent fees at a lower level when the new legislation is passed, I very much doubt it. It is potentially going to have the alternative affect as all the costs such as the additional cleaning of the lecture theatre and the payment of superfluous security will have to be paid by someone. The University is for all intents and purposes a business. It is not looking to make a loss. They will not pay these charges themselves. No, they will be passed to us: the students. A catch-22 situation some of you may propose. Well, no again. There is a clear solution. End 'The Occupation' and similar protests and be more productive. Peaceful protests to Westminster, to Nick Clegg's constituency ward, I support. (Although, I do stress the peaceful necessity of such actions). Either way, direct your feelings of injustice in the correct manner, portraying a positive image and then you will reap more rewarding benefits. And that is the CRUX of it!

Ed Miliband...getting away with a lacklustre start.

Miliband recieved a PMQs bashing from Cameron on Wednesday.

A polished PMQs put down from David Cameron this week seems genuinely to have captured an atmosphere of disappointment, surrounding Ed Miliband’s hitherto performance as opposition leader. Brutally responding to a lame Miliband slur, Cameron gleefully reported that after three months in the job, “people are beginning to ask, ‘When is he going to start?’” On the whole, Ed looked convincingly out of his depth and ineffective at the dispatch box. However, this seems a verdict increasingly being applied to his overall performance as Labour leader since his September inauguration.

Several things haven’t helped Miliband. An alien like face, similarly odd voice and a common view that he back stabbed his brother make it hard for a start. Yet, despite such uncontrollable factors, he seems to have made several tactical errors which have worked to his detriment. A two week absence on paternity leave so early in his tenure has possibly had the simple effect of giving the public an extra two weeks to forget who he is. In fact, one senior Labour party member described his choice of leave as “politically correct, but not correct politically.” Crucially, he also still remains without a chief press officer and the assistance of his campaign manager from the leadership election, after both recently resigned. Undoubtedly this lack of a media savvy, intelligent, cunning aide has cost him quality advice and coaching for public appearances, and it shows. At the moment, preparing for PMQs he is reliant on the help of two inexperienced Labour MPs, who it can safely be said have actually been more of a hindrance. One strategic choice Ed is bound already to be having second thoughts over is making Alan Johnson his shadow chancellor. Johnson has undermined his authority twice in as many months, publicly rejecting Miliband’s desires to make the top tax rate of 50p permanent, and to implement a graduate tax. Such occasions have prevented Ed from creating some much needed authority for himself over his party. In fact, his authority right now is quite frail. By failing, as of yet, to take the party in any telling change of ideological direction whatsoever, he has neither wooed the left nor the right of the party, leaving himself open to criticism from both sides. All considered, it comes as no surprise to learn that some Labour backbenchers are already talking of the need to create a leadership ‘plan B’ if Mr Miliband shows no sign of improvement.

So, with such a poor showing from the Labour leader, you would expect the polls to reflect as much. How then are Ed Miliband’s party actually leading current polls when their leader is widely thought to have had a stinker? Averaging 39% in recent polls, as opposed to the Conservative’s 38% (ukpollingreport.com), means that if there were an election tomorrow Labour would win a majority of ten in the Commons. Of course, polls at this time are pretty much meaningless, but none the less the results are surprising and also comforting for Ed. Reading into the results, it almost looks as though, despite media awareness of Miliband’s dreary showing, the public haven’t yet noticed and can see nothing to criticise him for. Indeed, it appears almost as if the public are waiting for him to start, like Cameron said, but are not actually becoming as impatient as the PM and others might have thought. Voters look as if they are withholding judgement on him until he does something meaningful, cutting him some slack until he gets his act together.

So, fortunately for Mr Miliband, it looks as though he is getting away with his lacklustre start. He will though need to buck up his ideas quickly in order to gain some authority within his party, as it is here that most disappointment seemingly lies. Prolonged media speculation about an internal lack of support for the leader will undoubtedly seriously damage his credibility in the eyes of the electorate. In reality, Miliband’s first real test will come in May next year with the local elections. Thus, talk of replacement among the opposition back benches is extremely premature and Ed will still be able to take his time marking out his party’s pathway. Nevertheless, in order to deal the Conservatives a blow at those elections, he must forget an undeniably disappointing first three months and concentrate on unifying the Blairite and Brownite Labour dynasties in support of his leadership.