Michael Edwards for South Derbyshire

This month we also celebrate the 10th anniversary of the introduction of the minimum wage.  See http://www.labour.org.uk/minimumwage  It's made a difference and the web-page shows how. 

2.3 million jobs created in the last 10 years, rather than 2 million lost as the Tories predicted (and don't forget how Lib Dems often find a reason not to vote for each annual increase in the minimum wage).  

An estimated 90,000 workers in the East Midlands benefited from the October 2007 increase in the minimum wage, 4.3% of workers.   

This month we also celebrate the 10th anniversary of the introduction of the minimum wage.  See http://www.labour.org.uk/minimumwage  It's made a difference and the web-page shows how. 

2.3 million jobs created in the last 10 years, rather than 2 million lost as the Tories predicted (and don't forget how Lib Dems often find a reason not to vote for each annual increase in the minimum wage).  

An estimated 90,000 workers in the East Midlands benefited from the October 2007 increase in the minimum wage, 4.3% of workers.   

This month we also celebrate the 10th anniversary of the introduction of the minimum wage.  See http://www.labour.org.uk/minimumwage  It's made a difference and the web-page shows how. 

2.3 million jobs created in the last 10 years, rather than 2 million lost as the Tories predicted (and don't forget how Lib Dems often find a reason not to vote for each annual increase in the minimum wage).  

An estimated 90,000 workers in the East Midlands benefited from the October 2007 increase in the minimum wage, 4.3% of workers.   

Nottingham, Derby and the Brian Clough corridor has written 8% of the games software used in the world (leastways, last time I checked). 

So it was a new angle to hear that David Cameron likened politics to a game called "Tomb Raider" with Lara Croft, saying, you can't go to level 2 until you've finished level 1.

And yet today, he called for a General Election (albeit, after the summer holidays).  Calling for the chance to be PM, before telling the public about your policies, seems to me to skip a level and to sink a homily that was only 7 days old.   

It fell to Gordon Brown to explain today just what was planned by the Tories, if they get back in. 

For instance, the 18 week ambition for operations, set to be met across the country in December, will be dropped.

In a strong performance at the beginning of the policy forum, Gordon Brown set out the challenges for the future.   He demonstrated both a vision for the future and the ability to deliver. 

David Cameron meanwhile, hinted in Wednesday's Guardian interview that he'd perhaps reached level 2.  Not really high enough, is it. 

P.S. What would a Cameron-seeking-power video game be called?  Presumably, it would draw upon his Bullingdon Club experiences to provide the violence. 

Nottingham, Derby and the Brian Clough corridor has written 8% of the games software used in the world (leastways, last time I checked). 

So it was a new angle to hear that David Cameron likened politics to a game called "Tomb Raider" with Lara Croft, saying, you can't go to level 2 until you've finished level 1.

And yet today, he called for a General Election (albeit, after the summer holidays).  Calling for the chance to be PM, before telling the public about your policies, seems to me to skip a level and to sink a homily that was only 7 days old.   

It fell to Gordon Brown to explain today just what was planned by the Tories, if they get back in. 

For instance, the 18 week ambition for operations, set to be met across the country in December, will be dropped.

In a strong performance at the beginning of the policy forum, Gordon Brown set out the challenges for the future.   He demonstrated both a vision for the future and the ability to deliver. 

David Cameron meanwhile, hinted in Wednesday's Guardian interview that he'd perhaps reached level 2.  Not really high enough, is it. 

P.S. What would a Cameron-seeking-power video game be called?  Presumably, it would draw upon his Bullingdon Club experiences to provide the violence. 

Nottingham, Derby and the Brian Clough corridor has written 8% of the games software used in the world (leastways, last time I checked). 

So it was a new angle to hear that David Cameron likened politics to a game called "Tomb Raider" with Lara Croft, saying, you can't go to level 2 until you've finished level 1.

And yet today, he called for a General Election (albeit, after the summer holidays).  Calling for the chance to be PM, before telling the public about your policies, seems to me to skip a level and to sink a homily that was only 7 days old.   

It fell to Gordon Brown to explain today just what was planned by the Tories, if they get back in. 

For instance, the 18 week ambition for operations, set to be met across the country in December, will be dropped.

In a strong performance at the beginning of the policy forum, Gordon Brown set out the challenges for the future.   He demonstrated both a vision for the future and the ability to deliver. 

David Cameron meanwhile, hinted in Wednesday's Guardian interview that he'd perhaps reached level 2.  Not really high enough, is it. 

P.S. What would a Cameron-seeking-power video game be called?  Presumably, it would draw upon his Bullingdon Club experiences to provide the violence. 

Having been away for a week, I was a bit surprised to headlines on whether Margaret Thatcher should have a state funeral.  Had something happened?  Perhaps CNN were not as on the button as they liked to claim.  

I don’t know how this started, but I do know that Margaret Thatcher said there was no such thing as society, so I wonder if she would she want anything provided through common endeavour?  

Even more surreal than the talk over a funeral, was returning to hear that John Major had issued warnings on the value of official statistics.  As David Smith of the Sunday Times reported, John Major “knows how corrosive a widespread mistrust of official statistics can be. In the 1980s, after repeated changes to the unemployment figures, Margaret Thatcher’s government found that when the jobless total went down, the public did not believe it.” 

Worse, the drive to get people off unemployment figures led to too many people being consigned to incapacity benefit, with no support to get healthy and back to work, leading to poverty and dependency. 

As for society, Labour has shown in the last 11 years how much can be achieved by us working together than we do apart.  Better hospitals and schools.  Lower crime. 

Labour has halved the number of people unemployed, and there are more people in work than ever before.  And with less spent on unemployment benefits, more can and has been spent on helping poorer families who are, on average, £4,500 better off than in 1997.  

And the impact of society is measurable in other ways.  Surveys have shown that the correlation between people’s satisfaction with the quality of life in their area, and the deprivation in their area is high. 

So it’s important to reduce poverty, not just for the poor, but for all our sakes. 

The Govt’s new initiative on helping people off benefits (offering both challenge and support) is part of gat drive. 

The support makes the difference.  Concerted and co-ordinated efforts have increased the proportion of people who are economically active in Nottingham by 3% in the last year (see May 9^th entry). 

More people paying in means we would be able to afford more national provision, and perhaps even, a state funeral.   

Having been away for a week, I was a bit surprised to headlines on whether Margaret Thatcher should have a state funeral.  Had something happened?  Perhaps CNN were not as on the button as they liked to claim.  

I don’t know how this started, but I do know that Margaret Thatcher said there was no such thing as society, so I wonder if she would she want anything provided through common endeavour?  

Even more surreal than the talk over a funeral, was returning to hear that John Major had issued warnings on the value of official statistics.  As David Smith of the Sunday Times reported, John Major “knows how corrosive a widespread mistrust of official statistics can be. In the 1980s, after repeated changes to the unemployment figures, Margaret Thatcher’s government found that when the jobless total went down, the public did not believe it.” 

Worse, the drive to get people off unemployment figures led to too many people being consigned to incapacity benefit, with no support to get healthy and back to work, leading to poverty and dependency. 

As for society, Labour has shown in the last 11 years how much can be achieved by us working together than we do apart.  Better hospitals and schools.  Lower crime. 

Labour has halved the number of people unemployed, and there are more people in work than ever before.  And with less spent on unemployment benefits, more can and has been spent on helping poorer families who are, on average, £4,500 better off than in 1997.  

And the impact of society is measurable in other ways.  Surveys have shown that the correlation between people’s satisfaction with the quality of life in their area, and the deprivation in their area is high. 

So it’s important to reduce poverty, not just for the poor, but for all our sakes. 

The Govt’s new initiative on helping people off benefits (offering both challenge and support) is part of gat drive. 

The support makes the difference.  Concerted and co-ordinated efforts have increased the proportion of people who are economically active in Nottingham by 3% in the last year (see May 9^th entry). 

More people paying in means we would be able to afford more national provision, and perhaps even, a state funeral.   

Having been away for a week, I was a bit surprised to headlines on whether Margaret Thatcher should have a state funeral.  Had something happened?  Perhaps CNN were not as on the button as they liked to claim.  

I don’t know how this started, but I do know that Margaret Thatcher said there was no such thing as society, so I wonder if she would she want anything provided through common endeavour?  

Even more surreal than the talk over a funeral, was returning to hear that John Major had issued warnings on the value of official statistics.  As David Smith of the Sunday Times reported, John Major “knows how corrosive a widespread mistrust of official statistics can be. In the 1980s, after repeated changes to the unemployment figures, Margaret Thatcher’s government found that when the jobless total went down, the public did not believe it.” 

Worse, the drive to get people off unemployment figures led to too many people being consigned to incapacity benefit, with no support to get healthy and back to work, leading to poverty and dependency. 

As for society, Labour has shown in the last 11 years how much can be achieved by us working together than we do apart.  Better hospitals and schools.  Lower crime. 

Labour has halved the number of people unemployed, and there are more people in work than ever before.  And with less spent on unemployment benefits, more can and has been spent on helping poorer families who are, on average, £4,500 better off than in 1997.  

And the impact of society is measurable in other ways.  Surveys have shown that the correlation between people’s satisfaction with the quality of life in their area, and the deprivation in their area is high. 

So it’s important to reduce poverty, not just for the poor, but for all our sakes. 

The Govt’s new initiative on helping people off benefits (offering both challenge and support) is part of gat drive. 

The support makes the difference.  Concerted and co-ordinated efforts have increased the proportion of people who are economically active in Nottingham by 3% in the last year (see May 9^th entry). 

More people paying in means we would be able to afford more national provision, and perhaps even, a state funeral.   

Attended a consultation hosted by Michael Wills, Minister from Ministry of Justice, in Nottingham on Wednesday. 

I was in a group that discussed Britain’s values. 

Our group could see a value in agreeing a set of values, most probably drawing upon those taught at school and used in citizenship ceremonies. 

But suspect it will be harder to adopt anything other than a very generic set of values, because some values soon become a matter of political disagreement. 

-

POSTSCRIPT

The group discussion was quite light-hearted.  

One expression of Britain's values was mentioned - in the first part of George Orwell's "The Lion and The Unicorn" written during the Second World War - and that turns out to be quite an English perspective. 

Attended a consultation hosted by Michael Wills, Minister from Ministry of Justice, in Nottingham on Wednesday. 

I was in a group that discussed Britain’s values. 

Our group could see a value in agreeing a set of values, most probably drawing upon those taught at school and used in citizenship ceremonies. 

But suspect it will be harder to adopt anything other than a very generic set of values, because some values soon become a matter of political disagreement. 

-

POSTSCRIPT

The group discussion was quite light-hearted.  

One expression of Britain's values was mentioned - in the first part of George Orwell's "The Lion and The Unicorn" written during the Second World War - and that turns out to be quite an English perspective. 

Attended a consultation hosted by Michael Wills, Minister from Ministry of Justice, in Nottingham on Wednesday. 

I was in a group that discussed Britain’s values. 

Our group could see a value in agreeing a set of values, most probably drawing upon those taught at school and used in citizenship ceremonies. 

But suspect it will be harder to adopt anything other than a very generic set of values, because some values soon become a matter of political disagreement. 

-

POSTSCRIPT

The group discussion was quite light-hearted.  

One expression of Britain's values was mentioned - in the first part of George Orwell's "The Lion and The Unicorn" written during the Second World War - and that turns out to be quite an English perspective. 

Visited Westminster on Monday to hear a presentation by Labour students and John Denham. 

Interesting to hear that students had stopped HSBO withdrawing a service to students via a Facebook campaign.  

Students have much in common with the general population – especially on making streets safer and tackling rogue landlords. 

Visited Westminster on Monday to hear a presentation by Labour students and John Denham. 

Interesting to hear that students had stopped HSBO withdrawing a service to students via a Facebook campaign.  

Students have much in common with the general population – especially on making streets safer and tackling rogue landlords. 

Visited Westminster on Monday to hear a presentation by Labour students and John Denham. 

Interesting to hear that students had stopped HSBO withdrawing a service to students via a Facebook campaign.  

Students have much in common with the general population – especially on making streets safer and tackling rogue landlords. 

East Midlands Regional Labour Party conference today at the University of Nottingham.  Harriet Harman kicking the conference off.  And some good discussions.

At the evening's social, Margaret Beckett demonstrates a conviction and a passion for the progress we've made that leads to a standing ovation.

And so to the fundraising.  This time, Derby South Chair Kevin introduces a game new to many of us.  Placing a bottle of wine on the wooden floor of the hall, he invites people to slide a one pound coin across the floor, the nearest remaining and winning the bottle of wine, the rest collected for campaigning.

It's a simple party game and people queue to have a go.  One member gets within 6 inches, but no-one's deterred.  One gives it some real welly and it's smack on target, clinking hard against the bottle but rebounding too far away.   But there's something about the clink that's not right and some members are pointing out a problem.  Kevin lifts the bottle to check.  The base is left behind and the wine floods out across the floor. 

East Midlands Regional Labour Party conference today at the University of Nottingham.  Harriet Harman kicking the conference off.  And some good discussions.

At the evening's social, Margaret Beckett demonstrates a conviction and a passion for the progress we've made that leads to a standing ovation.

And so to the fundraising.  This time, Derby South Chair Kevin introduces a game new to many of us.  Placing a bottle of wine on the wooden floor of the hall, he invites people to slide a one pound coin across the floor, the nearest remaining and winning the bottle of wine, the rest collected for campaigning.

It's a simple party game and people queue to have a go.  One member gets within 6 inches, but no-one's deterred.  One gives it some real welly and it's smack on target, clinking hard against the bottle but rebounding too far away.   But there's something about the clink that's not right and some members are pointing out a problem.  Kevin lifts the bottle to check.  The base is left behind and the wine floods out across the floor. 

East Midlands Regional Labour Party conference today at the University of Nottingham.  Harriet Harman kicking the conference off.  And some good discussions.

At the evening's social, Margaret Beckett demonstrates a conviction and a passion for the progress we've made that leads to a standing ovation.

And so to the fundraising.  This time, Derby South Chair Kevin introduces a game new to many of us.  Placing a bottle of wine on the wooden floor of the hall, he invites people to slide a one pound coin across the floor, the nearest remaining and winning the bottle of wine, the rest collected for campaigning.

It's a simple party game and people queue to have a go.  One member gets within 6 inches, but no-one's deterred.  One gives it some real welly and it's smack on target, clinking hard against the bottle but rebounding too far away.   But there's something about the clink that's not right and some members are pointing out a problem.  Kevin lifts the bottle to check.  The base is left behind and the wine floods out across the floor.