Paul Flynn - Read My Day

Do-gooders do bad

Naivety

Political myth number four is "All problems have legislative solutions. The admirable Denis Mac Shane MP has fallen for it.

His solution to the serious suffering of trafficked women is an amendment that will criminalise males who are the demand side of this seamy trade. His estimate that 25,000 are trafficked in the UK has been described as "preposterous". If it is true than the chancellor should be warned that £3 billion in compensation is likely to be claimed. That was the going rate for the handful already compensated. Last year, 85 trafficked woman were discovered in raids on 515 establishments. That's a serious problem but the findings should not be exaggerated.

I have supported the suggestion that the law should demonstrate equality of blame. However, it's alarming to hear proponents suggest that prostitution can be ended by a simple amendment to the law. It smacks of the naivety of all parties in 1971 who believed that harsh drug laws would end drug use. They did not. They created a vastly profitable trade that saw all drug abuse and drug crime grow.

That flourishing drug trade fuels the prostitution business. Inequalities in wealth is the other main factor. We already have severe penalties for abduction and enslavement. They should be enforced.  But the continuance of the world's oldest profession mirrors human nature - not the lack of a well intentioned but illogical amendment.

Doughnut disgrace

The holiday gives political nerds the chance to wallow in weird spectacles such as watching debates in the devolved assemblies.

It's alarming stuff. The Scottish Parliament is a televisual mess. The cameras and the lighting were added as an ugly afterthought by the designer of the Chamber. the pictures are marred by a background of unsightly cables and trunking.

The Senedd cameras are an unobtrusive element of the original designs. It's the conduct of AMs that wrecks the impact of almost all speeches. Speakers are ringed with a doughnut of AMs who show no interest whatsoever in what is being said. They are all staring at the screens or typing their letters. The lack of attention is absorbed by the speakers who voices fade into monotonous gabbling, rushing to get the thing over.

Can the camera's angel not to be changed to avoid the distracting doughnut. Can AMs be persuaded to desert their monitors while they are in shot to pretend to be interested in  their party colleagues.  The trained doughnut should feign the sincere devotion of El Greco angel admiring the redeemer. They should  by shocked into admiration at the beauty of the oratory. An emotional tear in the corner of the eye is very televisual.

Sensible Westminster MPs speak from the last of the backbenches. The only doughnut is the flattering oak panels, that never distracts.

Energy good news day

Finnish folly

Two great news items on the world energy future emerged today.

The Guardian reports a thrilling breakthrough on solar power.  If all comes good, it will mean photovoltaic (PV) cells can be produced nearly as easily and quickly as on a printing press. Slashing the initial cost will make them great value almost from the year of installation. No linger a long term investment for the rich, solar cells could provide bargain electricity for all.

A dose of nuclear reality arrived in Finland today. The troubled construction of Finland's new nuclear power station has fallen further behind schedule, with the operator TVO warning yesterday that the additional delay would add to the project's costs of £3.3 billion. The news will add fuel the debate about the economics of nuclear power, not least in Britain, where the government is to announce the results of its public 'consultation' on building nuclear power stations here.

Expert David Lowry recently said that the "British projected budget - mainly funded by the taxpayer- for the clean-up of radioactive detritus for the current generation of nuclear power station is £75 billion and rising".
The only way the nuclear costs compare with other generating costs is by ignoring the clean-up bill. A fair assessment of the renewables including tidal and wave power destroys the case for the unpopular, dangerous and wildly expensive nuclear option.

Honours honoured

The annual honours awards are guaranteed to stock up my levels of indignation. Why him? Why not her? If her, why not them?

The local list contains the usual stock of the lick-spittles and over-sung heroes. But there are two inspired choices.

Sian Jones is my hero teacher who deserves  the top accolades the profession offers. She was head of Duffryn Infants School for 30 hardworking years. It's the school that present the sternest challenges in the city. She tackled them with energy,  imagination and devotion.
When I sat on a board that appointment head teachers, I was regularly angry that 50 candidates would apply for headships in the middle class areas and half a dozens for council estate schools. To have chosen to work in this rewarding school and to stick at it for thirty years, deserves a big medal. Happily today Sian has got one. This was a nomination based firmly on merit and success. Well  done, Sian.

Chris Barber is a Gwent groupie. No other living person has done more to illuminated our knowledge of the history and beauty of Gwent. An enthusiastic Youth Hosteller, he established Gwent's Countryside service and set up walkways and picnic sites that has made beauty spots readily accessible.

Retiring early to devote himself to full time writing, he has published
25 books. the most recent is 'In the Footsteps of Alexander Cordell published by his own Blorenge Books Company.

His MBE is a small token of the appreciation that thousands of local people feel for deepening our interest and wonder at our own habitat. llongyfrachiadau, Chris!

Ark
After a tornado hit an American town, several orphan pets were found wandering after their homes had been destroyed. The shared fear led to instant friendships among the animals who were not previously
acquainted.

Serial failure prize

Cruelty mongers

Why not have annual awards for serial failure? There is only one challenger among pressure groups for those whose campaigns always flop, whose promises turn to dust and who waste billions in pointless litigation.

Take a bow, The Countryside Alliance! Remember they promised that a ban on the cruelty of hunting would cost 35,000 jobs, lead to the slaughter of tens of thousands of horses and hounds, end traditional pageantry and, of course,  destroy the countryside.

All arguments that have blown up in their faces. The results-no jobs lost or animals put down. As promised by the anti cruelty group, hunting with the sadism extracted is more popular and the pageantry continues. They promised to overturn the Act by appeals to the Lords and Europe. Both expensively flopped. So far, 100% wrong on all issues.

Now they have another fantasy wheeze. Having forgotten their whine about too much parliamentary time spent on this issue, they want the parliament that will be elected in 2010 to spend even more time  repealing it. On what basis? They have exhausted all their case. Their only plea left is to  restore the gratuitous, barbaric cruelty back into hunting.

In  September 15 2004 the  The House of Commons voted overwhelmingly to support the Hunting Bill by 339 votes to 155. Each vote taken in the elected Chamber since 1987 has proved that the growing revulsion of public opinion against killing for fun is reflected in MPs votes.

My confident forecast is that, regardless of the composition of the Commons in 2010, the vote to keep hunting cruelty-free will be by the an even bigger majority than in 2004.

Thanks for being so reliably wrong, CA. Keep it up !

Joan Jepps
A sad occasion tomorrow will be the funeral of former Councillor Joan Jepps at St Patrick's Church Cromwell Road, Lliswerry.

I first knew her as a fellow member of the a steelworks trade-union branch at Llanwern in 1965. Joan was involved in a dispute  with management and I was her union shop steward. As recently as last September she reminded that I had 'saved her job.' I am not sure I did but it was generous of her to repeatedly give me credit.

She represented the Lliswerry ward for decades. She has lived in the heart of the ward for 70 years and spoke in the distinctive unique 'Corporation Road' accent. The accent was formed a mixture of incoming steelworkers from Wolverhampton and the local Newport Welsh- West country accents.  Lliswerry could not have had a more authentic ambassador.

When she was first adopted she had few of the traditional skills of a politician. But she rapidly established herself as a doughty combative presence on the Council, battling for her ward. There are many monuments to her persistence and energy - including the high quality of the new homes in Henson Street. She serves as the treasurer of the Labour Group and has been the  dominant personality in the turbulent affairs of Newport East Labour Party. Very little happened there without her say-so. Many of the aspirant candidates for the MP's job there were shattered by the directness of Joan's questions.

She was a founder and trustee of the Macular Disease Society Newport and she organised regular visits to Newport of children from Chernobyl.  The last time I saw her was four months ago, when she was running a stall for the Macular Disease Society  at the Newport Pensioners' Forum. Joan had a rich fulfilling and accomplished life. She served her constituents with devotion. May she rest in peace.

The price of stupidity

Briton Mervyn Patterson and  Irishman Michael Semple are the best hope of gaining peace in Afghanistan. Much of the military offensive is counterproductive in losing hearts and minds.

The corrupt Karsai Government  expelled the pair on the grounds that they are 'talking to the Taliban'. That Government is riddled with 'former' Taliban, drug-dealers and crooks. One of Karzai's relatives and two provincial governors are the top heroin dealers.

The 'Taliban' is not a unified coherent group. Support shifts among the tribes who have been warring for two centuries. The best hope of peace is to woo over the uncommitted and those who are weakly committed to the Taliban cause. Many who were delighted to see the Taliban kicked out in 2001, now are ready to welcome them back to avoid 30 years of civil war. It's up to diplomats to persuade them that life is better without the Taliban.

It's not a simple choice. We have been losing ground in this battle for the past year. Patterson and Semple speak the local languages and understand the strong tribal loyalties. Their work has been successful in brokering deals that work.

Our press and politicians pretend that we are too pure to talk to enemies. The same game was played with the IRA. Prime Minister Major said the idea of talking to the IRA make him 'sick to his stomach'. When he said that he was doing a deal with them. Tony Blair consolidated that deal and peace was the prize.

The cost of today's monumentally stupid expulsions will be paid with the lives of Nato soldiers and local civilians.

Nadolig Llawen

A solution in search of a problem

Crisis-mongers

Bravo Radio Five Live for dumping a dose of realism on an annual myth.

The Homelessness problem in our capital city is tiny. The number of rough sleepers has shrunk to a third of what it was in 1997. The homeless charities have increased to at least double the size and funding in that time.

The core problems of the rough sleepers are rarely lack of housing. Nearly all have been in secure accommodation. The problems are addictions to drink or drugs, family ostracism and mental health problems. None of these problems will be reduced by the army of soup kitchens that descend on the capital’s centre every winter night.

There has been a lot of well-informed support for the plea by councillor Angela Harvey for the 50 soup invading soup kitchens from as far away as 50 miles to stay out of the centre. That’s one soup kitchen for two homeless. Mrs Harvey says she sees up to 80 people queuing up – few of them are homeless. Free food has a wider appeal. She said, “You see them going off with large carrier bags stuffed full of food which is for them and their house mates. We know they are in work and housed."

The charity Crisis recruited 6,000 volunteers to look after the vanishing homeless. How many per homeless person? While the motives of the volunteers are admirable, their work is probably counter-productive.

The founder of the Big Issue magazine John Bird, who spent years, living rough, also believes that soup runs keep people on the streets.

"The priority should be getting people off the streets altogether. Ninety per cent of all money spent on homelessness is spent on emergencies; only 10% is spent on cure. We've got it upside.” A well publicised false claim that an ex television announcer was thrown on the street by mis-using his credit cards was denied by his wife and mother. His problem is alcoholism.

Charities panic when their existence is threatened. Instead of rejoicing in the success of investment in reducing homeless, they fear their own decline. Defensively they exaggerate the problems and redefine them. The ‘hidden homeless’ has been invented to fill the gap. In one of

America

’s big cities ten years ago, a person was sleeping rough on almost every street corner. A vast bureaucracy was created to deal with it. Their success is that the total has now dwindled to a tiny 4,000. But bureaucracy is still at its swollen maximum and growing spending $millions on each homeless person. One of them is a local man who jets to American every year and spends six months as a professional homeless person touring the west coast of the sates.

They are a host of people who would benefit from a helping hand or an attentive ear this Christmas. The great majority of them are not to be found on the streets.

'MPs in pay grab' Not.

Below Inflation

The Daily Mail has ‘discovered’ a plot by greedy Labour and Tory MPs to unfairly grab more taxpayers’ money.

Although only one Tory MP is quoted in the report, as it’s a Mail story the fault must be Labour’s. They invent a story that Labour MPs fearing ejection at the next election are out to boost pension levels. But pensions values are determined mainly by the years of 11% contributions made.

The true story is less lurid. MPs pay this year has increased by 0.66% - well below both inflation and average pay settlements in the public sector.

. An independent body the Senior Salaries Review Body says MPs' pay should go up from its present £60,675 to about £66,500 over three years. It involves a 2.8 per cent increase in April followed by index-linked rises in the next two years. Over four years it represents a rise below the level of inflation. Certainly the ‘bumper award’ which is the Mail’s description,

I will declare my own interest. Like all MPs I loathe the situation where we must vote for our own salary increases. I have frequently urged that our pay changes be linked to changes in the level of the basic pension. As this has not been accepted, I do not vote for salary increases.

The Police are quoted as critics although their pay has increased in real terms by 9% in a period when MPs pay has decreased. Tory MP John Butterfill uses a similar argument to the police. He said: "We do have an official review body which is supposed to make sure we keep in line with other professions."

Not that that argument will wash. As many public sector groups – not only the Police, are being pushed to accept below inflation increases, MPs will have to settle for similar restraint.

Exberant

The new Euro-star route does not cut the journey time for parliamentarian. Time saved on the train journey is lost now that we have to trek to St Pancras.

Waterloo

is just a ten minute walk from Parliament. St Pancras is 20 minutes on the tube .

But the station refurbishment is magnificent. A splendidly representational statue of John Betjeman surveys the glorious Victorian anachronism he saved from demolition. The giant ribs of this transport cathedral have been lovingly restored.

An exuberant massive statue of an embracing couple highlights the joy of travel that ends in a loving reunion. There is much about the tedium and trails of travelling that is wisely forgotten.

It been said that the embracing couple bear a striking resemblance to MPs Liam Byrne and Jessica Morden. Can’t see it myself.

My first trip was successful – even though St Pancras lacks the sophisticated extra comfort services that

Waterloo

provided.

Alas.

"Plus ça change,

Future dull

This time last year, the polls put the Tories on 40, Labour 32 and LibDems 18. Today, it’s Tories 39, Labour 34 and LibDems 18.

Perhaps the most turbulent year in politics for decades has altered nothing. Changes of leadership, intermittent joy and despair from the two main parties and lost leaders all amount to zilch.

Professional politicians and party zealots have suffered the nauseous kaleidoscopic spectrum of moods – often buffeted from misery to joy by a single day’s headlines. Our 24 hour news service gives a permanent drip-feed of fear or hope into our ravaged souls.

Why do we put ourselves through it? Does it matter who is up and who is down? Full-time politicians have night sweats at the fear of confronting their P45s. But after the autumn of the election-that-never-was, there is no danger of a General Election until 2010. If "Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose." still holds good, it will be a comforting result in three year’s time for most sitting MPs. In Wales, Labour still has a lead of 37 to 21 over the Tories which reflects the traditional share of seats.

All parties have rushed in to occupy the mushy centre ground of politics. The Left are pretending to be Right, the Right Left and the LibDems’ habitat is fully occupied. All we can look forward to is a sinking stalemate of sameness. Cool down.  The future is boring.

Alpha's Omega

The sickening news of the loss of 360 jobs at Newport’s Alpha steelworks creates a sense of repetitive deja vue.

I cannot recall the number of times this plant in its many forms has closed before. Changes of owners and production have always resulted in new fragility and uncertainty. The steel market has emerged from its protracted recession and hopes were elevated for Newport's steel jobs.

The steel union Community have been acerbic is their condemnation of Alpha’s management. Local MP and AM, Jessica Morden and John Griffiths are on to the case. I’m sure every effort will be made, over the holidays, to rescue the plant.

Many of the workforce have been victims of serial redundancy at Llanwern and ASW. Our heartfelt sympathy goes out to them. Judgement on the management will be reserved for now. But Community have never expressed such anger before.

Ann's epistle

A rare delight in the Christmas mail. The poet Ann Drysdale has sent an inspired picture of valleys life expressed in a Christmas Cliché. Ann is the author of Real Newport. I am especially indebted to her. Her vivid description of night time in hospital in her book prepared for the Kafkaesque experience I had last month. Thanks Ann.

Cliché

1.45 am 25.12.06

The air is soft and still. The dogs’ toenails

Click on the tarmac. Their warm faeces

Swing from my finger in a plastic bag.

Christmas Eve has morphed into Christmas Day

Without the intervention of a night.

There is no darkness. Lights along the bypass

Cast their long shadows over the verges.

Electric greetings hanging in festoons

Urge happiness and merriment, including

The odd oblique reference to the Christ.

And now the bird, the old poetic constant,

Treacles his little heart over the pudding

As if to blackmail me into responding.

He seems to think he’s Keats’s nightingale

Or Shelley’s skylark. He’s been done to death.

Tom Hardy got the bugger bang to rights

And poor Mad Jack, God rest him, had a go

So what on earth can one more poet do?

Another poem? Might as well. These tears

Are unbecoming in the elderly.

China's response

China met Europe in Paris yesterday.

The Council of Europe's environment committee were treated to an enthralling account of China's vigorous response to global warming.

It was not long ago that the city of Chicago produced more CO2 than all of China.  They have industrialised fast.  A decade ago there was no traffic in the centre of Beijing.  It was a jam of bicycles.  Now it's new cars.

But the Chinese delegation expressed an understanding of the threat to humanity from climate change that would put President Bush to shame.  But they need to feed their people and provide a decent standard of living.  Their plan is to leapfrog the dirty industrial revolution that Europe endured and advance straight to low carbon technologies.

The figures that Minister Zhiqin Zhang presented to our committee were staggering and humbling.  40% of Chinese homes are already on solar power.  They will achieve 20% reduction of energy consumption by 2010.  They have already planted vast tracts of new forest, reduced the share of coal in energy production by boosting renewables.  Their 10% growth in trade has not been matched by an equivalent increase in polluting energy use.

Reducing the birth rates has saved the equivalent of 1.3 billion tonnes of CO2.

False dawn?

The utter abject failure of drugs prohibition has been acknowledged by America's Supreme Court.

The US has led the world through its influence on the UN into the futility of drugs prohibition for the past 40 years.  Now its absurdity is hitting home.  They have jailed 2 million of their citizens - mostly young blacks for drug offences.  California jails are at 191 % of their official capacity.

Their 'tough' drug laws are as disastrous as ours.  Since the 1970 Act drug offences have risen from  416,000 to 1,890,000.  Since our 1971 Act our drug addicts have soared from 1,000 to 289,000.  In both countries drugs are cheaper and more plentiful than ever before.

The US Supreme Court on December 10th upheld two lenient sentences on drug offenders.  This is interpreted as a tactical retreat from the insanely harsh sentences that filled their prison to busting point.

The sentencing commission in the US accelerated the retreat by reducing sentences for crack-dealing.  2,500 convicts will be released next year and 20,000 can apply for shorter sentences.

There have been many, many false dawns in the vicious inhumane and failed US drugs war.  This sounds like a genuine one.

Another con

Propaganda pretending to be news again in today's Daily Telegraph.  The number of foreign prisoners deported last year increased by 70% and half had served sentences of less than a year. That makes complete nonsenes of the leaked memo. Yet still other media continue to trot out the same lie.

Delusion and denial

Hail Australia

The first Government voice to talk sense on Afghanistan is Australia's new Defence Minister Joel Fitzgibbon.  He says the war in Afghanistan will be lost unless NATO and its allies change tactics, overhauling military and civil programes designed to bring stability to the country.

Sadly it's still delusion and denial at home and in the US.  I questioned the PM on his statement to the Commons on Monday: -

Paul Flynn (Newport, West) (Lab): Does not the gathering storm in Kosovo and its possible implications for our stretched armed services, mean that there is an even more urgent reason to re-examine not our general commitment in Afghanistan, but the particular commitment in Helmand province, which is failing to meet all its original objectives, at a grievous cost in human lives?

The Prime Minister: I do not accept what my hon. Friend says.  Last week, I made it absolutely clear that the process in which we are involved in Afghanistan is one of moving towards greater Afghan control of their security by building up their military and policing forces, and having a programme of economic, social and political development that can benefit the Afghan people.  I believe that there is wide support for that among the coalition.  Yes, it is true that the purpose of being in Afghanistan was to remove the Taliban and to prevent al Qaeda from getting control.  However, it is also true that now that Afghanistan is a democracy, we must bolster it and help its economic, social and political development.

Dispiriting that Gordon did not get the point that Helmand province was a three year campaign of reconstruction without a shot being fired.  It is marginally true that Afghanistan is a democracy but a fragile one stuck together with bribes and corruption.

Lucky escape

I am indebted to Chris Gale for this great story.

A man who lives at Lake Conroe (50 miles north of Houston, Texas) saw a ball bouncing around strangely in the lake and went to investigate.  It turned out to be a flathead catfish who had obviously tried to swallow a basketball which became stuck in his mouth!  The fish was totally exhausted from trying to dive, but unable to because the ball would always bring him back up to the surface.  The man tried numerous times to get the ball out but was unsuccessful.  He finally had his wife cut the ball in order to deflate it and release the hungry catfish.