Over the top

The likely serious consequences that flow from the budget do not yet seem to be appreciated even by some commentators sympathetic to Labour. It is said that Labour would oppose wouldn't they, and if in government would have cut similarly. Yes, Labour would have made cuts, but not to anything like those now in progress.

Highly respected economic bodies have downgraded the UK's probable growth rates. The IMF has reduced their forecast for this year from 1.3% to 1.2%, and for next year from 2.5% to 2.1%, and this despite an increase in their forecast for world economic growth. The OECD and the National Institute have also commented along the same lines. There is also a dispute about the probable increase in unemployment. The government's projection for the future levels of unemployment are not credible according to some experts in labour economics

If these forecasts are anything like correct, our recovery will be slower and longer than expected. Time will tell, of course, but all the signs are that the coalition has taken unwise and unjustified risks with our economy.

The Labour Group on our Council have a resolution about the local implications - to read it click here.

. Our best hope is that the government sees the damage in time and reverses their policies. For further comment click here.

Labour's Leadership Election

So it won't be settled until September. There seems to be a fairly wide acceptance within the Labour Party that we have left the main track, and are temporally on a branch line. We thus have the summer to hopefully clarify our aims.

There has been a steady flow of people joining the Party recently. It is now clear that anyone joining before the 8th September will be entitled to vote in the leadership election.

Reflections on the Election

Uninspiring but interesting. There was vague talk of "change" and "fairness", but little effort to spell out detailed policies for economic revival. The so-called "debates" were hardly debates, more an opportunity for elaborate sound bites. They reached a wide audience and raised the profile of Legged and the Liberal Democrats. It was unfortunate that all the spotlights were on three men. Not a woman in sight.

Then attention turned to proportional representation. You wouldn't have thought that we already have it operating in several areas. There should now be much more discussion about what form it might take. And even if accepted, ways to limit the powers of the executive in government are more important. It is to be welcomed that we are seeing some real movement here.

Labour are more worried that electoral reform will mean fewer constituencies, and that reform will be developed in such a way as to be to the disadvantage of Labour. The Liberal Democrats have moved somewhat to the right (even before the coalition was formed). There is a feeling that the coalition could easily break up after two or three years, and the future of the Liberals would then be in doubt. Inevitably there were some disagreements in the Liberal Party about the wisdom of having this coalition, but more significant was the way the high Liberal showing in the polls disintegrated when it came to the actual vote. Liberal support lacks substance.

Local Results

Shona McIsaac lost Cleethorpes by 4298. Austin Mitchell held Grimsby with a majority of 714. For the full Grimsby figures click here.

The local election results were in sharp contrast to the general election results. Labour made gains of six seats in North East Lincs. They were in West Marsh, South, Heneage, Sidney Sussex, Croft Baker and Immingham. Labour also held on to Freshney. The Liberals held East Marsh, and Yarborough, and fought off attacks in Park ward from Conservatives, who failed by only 38 votes, and Labour who got their highest ever vote in that ward. The Conservatives held Scartho, Wolds, Haverstoe, Humberston and Waltham.

The overall standing of the parties on the Council is now: 15 seats for Lib/Dems and 15 also for the Conservatives; Labour has 10 seats, and there are two Independents. How the new balances will work out is the interesting question.

The Missing Elephant in the Election

None of the parties has fully recognised the scandalous injustices which still persist in our society - let alone proposing solutions.

A major injustice is the extreme inequality of incomes and wealth in this country. This is a key factor in a number of health inequalities, some poor educational achievements, low social mobility, and low child well being. It also, indirectly, leads to long term inefficiencies in the UK.

The limits of a market economy, and the need for greater economic management, have become clearer after the recent economic collapse. But how to deal with these great problems is by no means agreed. They should have been the subject of much more discussion in this election.

Health Inequalities - National and Local

Despite much money and effort, both nationally and locally, serious health inequalities persist. They are, in fact, far greater than most people realise.

A Review of Health Inequalities in England (under the chairmanship of Professor Marmot) demonstrates this dramatically. We briefly give some of the report's main points here. Locally Dr Tony Hill recently issued the annual report on health in North East Lincolnshire. and in it is a section studying the health problems in parts of the East Marsh Ward. There are some notes here.

Some progress has been and is being made, but it is slow, long work with few and limited successes to show for it. There is a line of thinking, therefore, which argues that there are deeper, underlying factors at work. It is a theme described here.

Our Council gets rid of its responsibilities

North East Lincs Council outsourced council housing almost five years ago. They are now doing the same for Regeneration. It presumably thinks the Council is not capable of doing its job efficiently (inevitably giving the contractor a good profit). Three schools are already (as academies) independent of the Council, and more will no doubt follow.

All this means that the Council will have little say over a large part of what we expect Councils to do. No longer will electors be able to go to a Councillor to get an injustice put right. When things go wrong, who is to blame? "Not me", says the Councillor, though most won't believe it.

Nor will the Council, except with great difficulty, be able to make plans for the Grimsby, Cleethorpes, and surrounding areas as a whole. Coordination, where required, becomes much more difficult.

We shall soon see the end of the local council as we have known it. The few remaininCouncillors will only have to meet once a year to sign the necessary contracts.

Global Warming

A big problem that's going to be with us for a long time. Our first concern here is with the local implications. There are some notes on the Council Affairs page. For more background click here.

The main parts of the scientific explanation about the existence and causes of global warming are now well established. There are very few sceptics who are prepared to argue in detail about the scientific facts and theories. A high proportion of criticism from most sceptics tends to be generalities mixed with a few innuendos and half truths. Yet politicians know that the public are naturally uncertain about how the world climate is changing and are reluctant to accept the implications which may mean many changes and costs.

So sceptics are reflecting some feelings of the public. One way to meet this challenge would be to put more emphasis on associated problems. Thus there is a looming problem about our energy supplies, and the solutions to that are in part also an answer to global warming.

What does our MP do?

Since most of us don't know how our MP spends his time, we asked Austin Mitchell just that. Click here and see his schedule for the week

Council fails to support The Grimsby Telegraph

Most newspapers have been struggling in recent years, and more especially now because of reduced advertising income. Yet the Council chose this time to stop giving much of their advertising to the Grimsby Telegraph.

The Telegraph is an important part of our local community. By its action the Council is failing the community as well as the Telegraph. To see Austin Mitchell's letter click here. And for our comment click here