Entries from June 2010 ↓

Today Programme 9th July 2010,

Speakers: Tim Harford, Justin Webb

JW: I asked him whether the claim that the government has just discovered how bad things are is true or false.

TH:   Well it’s false. Things are bad but the numbers that David Cameron was using in his speech that he seemed to be claiming that it’s just come from no where, they are secret government numbers; they are absolutely the same numbers that we were using during the election campaign. The politicians weren’t talking about but everybody else was, especially the big numbers, the national debt, £770 billion. The projected debt in 5 years £1400 billion. They haven’t changed. David Cameron also pointed to lots and lots of little numbers throughout his speech and we’ve actually tracked down all but one of them and that every single one that we’ve tracked down was available in a published document often an official document before the election.

JW:  Hmm. Available but … I mean here’s what the chancellor said, he said ‘consider this one fact which the previous chancellor refused to publish.’ Now to that extent they are right aren’t they? That these figures when you talk about them being in the public domain they weren’t actually figures that had been officially issued by the labour government.

TH:  Well usually they were but there is one figure that David Cameron and that George Osborne had pointed to of £70 billion a year.

JW:  Yeah that’s the big one.

TH:  The cots of servicing the debt in 5 years. Now this is … this is something we’ve discussed with George Osborne’s office and they were quoting this number at us before the election campaign even started. Now its true that before the election campaign started it was a number that had been published buy the Institute of Fiscal Studies, an independent think tank and it is a very big number. Just debt payment – its over thousand pound for every man, woman and child in the country per year but George Osborne’s own office were quoting that number on emails two, three months ago to us and sure now its an official government number rather than unofficial government number but its almost exactly the same number so I don’t really know why they are so surprised.

JW:  No but I suppose they would make the point that this was a number being talked about by commentators, Institute of Fiscal Studies and others but it wasn’t being talked about by government. Now they’ve got into government they discover that the government knew?

TH:  Well I’m sure over the next five years they will be far more transparent. We will see.

Ed Balls, David Miliband and Ed Miliband will probably join Andy Burnham and possibly Dianne Abbott and probably not John McDonnell for leadership debates here:

Sunday 13 June – Glasgow Hustings
www.labour.org.uk/glasgowhustings

Saturday 19 June – Ethnic Minority Hustings, Leicester
www.labour.org.uk/ethnicminorityhustings

Saturday 26 June – Newcastle
www.labour.org.uk/newcastlehustings

Sunday 4 July – Cardiff
www.labour.org.uk/cardiffhustings

Saturday 10 July – Southampton
www.labour.org.uk/southamptonhustings

Friday 16 July – London
www.labour.org.uk/londonhustings

Sunday 18 July – Birmingham
www.labour.org.uk/birminghamhustings

Sunday 25 July – Women’s Hustings, Leeds
www.labour.org.uk/womenshustings

Saturday 31 July – Manchester
www.labour.org.uk/manchesterhustings

Dear Tom

I have decided to stand for the Chair of the Health Select Committee and would like to ask for your vote on Wednesday.

I have never held any front bench ambition and have been labelled a ‘rebel’; however, I prefer to regard myself as principled, which I think is an ideal quality for a Committee Chair.

With ten years nursing experience within the NHS, a former union member and a natural leaning to towards all health related issues; I feel I can bring a prior knowledge, passion and understanding to the Chair. As a single mother of three daughters and someone who in recent years has taken full responsibility for two terminally ill elderly relatives, I also bring practical first hand experience of what it is like to be on the receiving end, both as a patient and a carer.

I have no outside interests and would commit myself fully to the role.

However, I understand you will have concerns with regard to my standing and this email is to alleviate what I believe may be your primary concern.

I want to provide you with my absolute, solemn word and undertaking, should I be successful, that in no way whatsoever will I use the position in order to further my campaign of the last Parliament, to reduce the upper limit at which abortion takes place.

This is because my own personal belief in this area is beyond persuasion and I would find it very difficult to remain objective. Any report produced by a Committee which I chaired regarding any area of abortion would be weakened by my Chairmanship and subject to claims of bias, regardless of the evidence.

My own health interests lie in the areas of maternal health, childhood obesity, mental health (particularly teenagers), depression, breast cancer and all aspects of care delivery.

I also give you my word that I will attempt to ensure that all members of the committee leave party politics at the door. That the Committee works truly and wholly on behalf of the people. That we challenge thoroughly, deeply and analytically every major health policy decision brought forward by the coalition government.

The next few years are going to bring budget cuts. David Cameron promised real term spending increases for health. I intend to help him stick to that promise.

The structure of the new Committees will provide us with an opportunity to embrace democracy in a way which in the past has become damaged and eroded.

It would be my wish to ensure that every member of the committee found it an exciting, interesting and career enhancing experience and wanted to attend each sitting, rather than looking for a reason to be absent.

Yours as ever,

Nadine