Tories | Karen Bruce

Rothwell Labour fighting for local people

Campaigning, Carlton, Environment, Labour Party, Leeds, Liberal Democrats, Oulton, Rothwell, Tories, Woodlesford Comments Off

Nov 182010

I’m very excited to have been chosen by Labour Party members in Rothwell, Woodlesford, Oulton and Carlton to be their candidate in the May elections and helping to take Rothwell Labour Party into a new era. This is a very serious job for serious times.

These are tough times and there will be tougher times to come - at the top of my list of priorities will be fighting to protect local people against the Conservative and Liberal Democrat government’s cuts. The most vulnerable in our community must be protected from the savage cuts which will be imposed on to Leeds City Council.I will do everything I can to protect local older people, those with disabilities, our young people and our children – in fact everyone who relies on our essential public services.

I am already fighting to protect our local environment where there are threats to our local area such as the Yorkcourt Properties planning application on Newmarket Lane towards Methley and potential development on Oulton Hall Estates land. Local residents can be assured that Rothwell Labour Party will always fight to protect the greenbelt.

I know from speaking to people locally that many feel that they have been ‘sold out’ by the Liberal Democrats as when they voted for them they weren’t voting for a Conservative government, but that’s what they’ve got along with the most savage cuts ever. Rothwell Labour Party understand how people feel and we are on your side!

What will the parties do for women?

Equality, Family, Labour Party, Tories Comments Off

May 012010

I was sorry to miss being at the LSE’s ‘what about women’ election debate I was meant to be at this week. I have just watched it on video and it was a great debate. You can watch the debate between Harriet Harman, Lynne Featherstone and Theresa May here. It’s a disgrace though that women (apart from the leaders’ wives) haven’t had the chance to be more prominent and at the forefront of the general election campaign as they should be. You may not get the chance to see women from the three parties debate in a high profile TV debate such as the leaders’ debates, but it’s well worth watching it via the LSE website.

Ceri Goddard of the Fawcett Society chaired the debate and all the speakers agreed that we have come a long way, but there is still a very long way to go.

Harriet Harman QC spoke very well and was the only one to get up on her feet. She stressed that women now work and still do the lion’s share of childcare and caring for older relatives. She was in a very strong position compared to the other two as she was able to cite what the Labour Party has actually done (in fact some of it’s down to her) to further our cause. Some great examples of Labour achievements for women are SureStart centres, longer maternity leave and paternity leave. There is still an unequal division of labour in the home. There is sustained systematic discrimination that means that women earn 20% less than men. Labour has taken action and through the new equalities legislation employers will be banned from having secrecy clauses. Employers will also be able to take positive action to allow them to diversify their workforce.

There has also been massive progress on domestic violence and human trafficking but there is still a very long way to go. Harriet made no bones that all public authorities in every decision they take, will have to take into account equality between men and women. This is enshrined in the Equality Act that Harriet helped to bring about and this is vital, especially with the expected cuts in public services, which will have a huge impact on women who make up the largest part of the public sector workforce. Harriet said that we could expect that there would be rows about it and if there aren’t then we’re not making any progress!

She said that the Tories ‘big society’ is a big cop out as only wives of rich businessmen would have the time to devote to running schools, police and post offices. Lynne Featherstone chipped in that busy single mothers would have no chance of being involved in anything and that big society would need to be supported by vital services. Theresa May said that their ‘big society’ would give people more control over their lives.

Harriet went on to say that the Tory tax break for married couples would send a message to children in one parent families or whose families are separating that there is something wrong with their family and that there must be something wrong with them too.

Next Thursday I’ll be casting my vote to keep Harriet and her colleagues in a position where they can keep up the good work already done for women, there’s a lot more to do and only the Labour Party will do it!

Fourth term within sight for Labour

Campaigning, Labour Party, Tories Comments Off

Feb 282010

The YouGov poll in today’s Sunday Times shows a narrowing of the Conservative lead to just 2%. This would actually mean that Labour would be just nine seats short of forming an overall government. This is great news, and though by no means can Labour be complacent, if this trend continues we will get a fourth term, which would certainly be a historic moment for the party. In 1997 a third term was a distant dream, a fourth an impossibility. Yet here we are 13 years later and a fourth term is indeed possible. It’s up to us now to secure that victory and make sure that the momentum doesn’t slide away from us. I believe passionately that only Labour has the best interest of all sections of the community at heart and over the 13 years there have been some great achievements – the national minimum wage, investment in our schools and hospitals are just some, and we’ve had our ups and we’ve certainly had our downs, and I think we’ve learned a great deal as a party. On the doorsteps in Leeds yesterday, it felt optimistic. It’s great to see we’re winning people back and that people are putting their trust back in Labour. I think that the main reason is the upturn in the economy. For the first time in a YouGov poll since July 2007, before the financial crisis, people trust Labour more than the Tories to run the economy. The saying is very true – actions speak louder than words!

Tories propose selling public services as Ryanair style ‘extras’

Environment, Health, Older People, Tories Comments Off

Aug 282009

A Tory-run London council is to offer "Ryanair-style" public services in a radical experiment that could provide a blueprint for a David Cameron government.

Here’s David Cameron trying to come across as all cuddly and caring, the acceptable face of the new Conservatives. But those of us at the coal face fighting the Tories at council and constituency level know that if you scratch the surface it’s the same old, nasty Tories underneath. The Tory council in the London borough of Barnet have taken Tory victimisation of the poor, weak and vulnerable to a new height of awfulness.

The Tory councillors are proposing to charge residents extra to ‘jump the queue’ for planning consents. But it doesn’t stop there. They also propose that recipients of adult social care in Barnet will be forced to choose to spend a limited budget on whether to have a cleaner or a respite carer or even a holiday to Eastbourne. Other examples of proposed reforms include reducing the size of waste bins to minimise the cost of council rubbish collections.

You might think that Cameron will have stepped in to prevent such raving right-wing policies. But you’d be wrong. Barnet is seen as a trail blazer amongst the "new Conservatism" which is spreading among Tory-controlled boroughs. Observers believe "radical outriders" such as Barnet offer a glimpse of how a David Cameron government could overhaul public service provision in an era of heavy spending cuts.

The council also plans to make savings of up to £15m a year by outsourcing services and reducing the size of its 3,500-strong directly employed workforce. Private sector organisations and charities could take on contracts for services looking after streets and parking, planning and the environment, residential care, housing, refuse and recycling.

Mike Freer, the Conservative leader of Barnet Council said: “"Going back to the Ryanair example, some things will be cheap and cheerful and in other areas we will provide complete services.”

Many Tory councils are also looking at "micro-charging" for previously free services. And a Tory MEP last night suggested that the idea of charging could spread to the NHS. Charles Tannock said people should pay £10 to see their GP.

So there you have it. Under a Tory government essential services such as adult social care will be “cheap and cheerful” or you’ll even have to pay extra.

Source: The Guardian and Evening Standard.