David Reeves - Latest Blog Entries

Fair Pay With Labour: 10 Years of Minimum Wage

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 01:43:00 -0500

When David Cameron campaigned against the National Minimum Wage, wages of as little as £1.20 an hour were common and legal.

That’s just £1.38 an hour in today’s prices.

So when he tries to tell you that he cares about families and people struggling to make ends meet, just imagine what it would be like to live on £1.38 an hour today

This year marks the tenth anniversary of Labour passing the National Minimum Wage Act. It remains one of the government’s proudest achievements having benefited millions of people.

Almost everyone who works in the UK is legally entitled to be paid the National Minimum Wage – that includes people employed permanently, by an agency, part-time workers, casual workers, or people on a short-term contract.

Everyone deserves a proper wage, and we don’t want to go back to the days when people could earn just £1.20 for an hour’s hard work.

Ten years on Labour is building on this success and strengthening fairness in the workplace by making tips additional to the minimum wage.

Wear Your Uniform With Pride

Sun, 22 Jun 2008 02:05:00 -0500

As part of the TA one hundredth anniversary pageant, I wore my military uniform in public for the first time. With my military colleagues we walked around central London on a busy Saturday afternoon.

Shoppers and tourists reacted with support (and surprise). It has been a long time since soldiers in the UK walked around in public in uniform due to the threat posed by the IRA. When on holiday in America I have always been envious of the smartly dressed US military walking around the streets of their cities. I feel that the events of today mark the start of that trend in the UK.

The pageant itself was an appropriate mix of both celebration and commemoration. Full coverage from the BBC can be found here.

100 Years of the TA: Public Pageant

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 15:31:00 -0500

2008 is the one hundredth anniversary of the Territorial Army. On Saturday 21 June, more than 1,000 Territorial Army soldiers will take part in a public pageant in London to celebrate the sacrifices its soldiers have made. I will be there and wearing my uniform with pride.

The celebration will see soldiers march down the Mall to Horse Guards Parade and salute a senior royal.

There are 36,000 TA soldiers nationwide who serve Queen and country while holding down civilian jobs. The TA has seen service in both World Wars. Today there are 150 reserve troops serving in Iraq and 540 in Afghanistan (8% of the total deployment).

Five TA soldiers have been killed in Iraq since 2003 and six in Afghanistan - most recently three members of the SAS reserve.

This weekend is part of the one hundredth anniversary commerations. It gives serving members of the TA, former members and the wider public the opportunity to celebrate and remember those that we have lost.

Please click here for a link to the TA100 website.

Report on the Parliamentary Topical Debate: Eco-Towns (19 June 2008)

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 15:26:00 -0500

The Housing Minister Caroline Flint MP set out her vision; that eco-towns offer a unique opportunity to address the housing shortage, to tackle climate change and to trigger substantial economic growth. She made it clear that each of the 15 bids would be considered in detail and that there were no done deals.

Patrick Hall, the MP for Bedford and Kempston called for a strategic master plan to development, rather than the poor planning of the past where development was allowed on appeal without the necessary infrastructure. The example he gave were housing estates tacked on to towns and villages which put existing populations under considerable stress.

I agree with Patrick. Whilst my opponent has focused on the label of ‘eco-town’ and her ongoing squabble with the Minister, we do need to focus on good planning. But to do so, we need certainty and clarity. Patrick called for communities to be given precise information on the proposed number of new homes, and to let them know what is actually meant by the term eco. Only with this information can they work on the basis of that knowledge and discuss their future in a measured way, while being properly consulted.

The Minister made it clear that the second stage of the consultation which takes place over the summer would be a sustainability appraisal. This would be a detailed assessment of each of the locations, setting out the likely environmental, social and economic impact. A planning policy statement will produced shortly which will help to ensure that eco-towns are benchmarked against very high standards – providing tools to assess whether an application really is eco or green.

Nadine Dorries MP did speak briefly on the subject. Most of her time was used attacking the Housing Minister and Patrick Hall. She did however end on the following four points.

1) Local people are unhappy

2) We do not have an unemployment situation in Bedfordshire

3) We do not have the infrastructure to support a new town

4) The transportation is not only far from satisfactory, but entirely unsatisfactory to meet the needs of the proposal

The Housing Minister concluded the debate by saying that she had heard many reasons why we should not have eco-towns, but very few alternatives put forward that would allow housing needs to be met.

The full text of the one and half hour topical debate can be found by clicking here.

Marston Vale Eco-Town Update

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 14:28:00 -0500

I am disappointed that the MP for Mid Beds has responded to the proposed eco-towns by attacking rather than engaging with the Housing Minister.

I was initially supportive of the eco-town proposals. They were billed as an innovative and ambitious concept, which would make good use of brownfield land and involve no house building on the greenbelt, tackling the combined challenges of climate change, the need for more sustainable living and a real shortage of housing for families and first time buyers.

It is becoming increasingly clear that this is not what is being proposed by the developers.

As you know from my letter in the Times and Citizen, I am deeply concerned by any proposed housing development, particularly where it is out of proportion to existing villages, facilities and infrastructure

For eco-towns, there is a four stage consultation process. Stage one is a three month preliminary consultation which ends in late June. Stage two is a further more detailed consultation over the summer. Stage three is the final short listing later this year. Stage four the submission of a planning application.

During stage two I will be campaigning heavily to ensure that the consultation is far reaching and that the views of residents and small business owners are heard. If they are not, I will work with action groups to launch a legal challenge to the consultation process, or a judicial review of the final short listing. Early indications are that residents feel poorly informed and poorly consulted. This is unacceptable.

The Marston Vale is an area where house building is inevitable due to its proximity to both Milton Keynes and Bedford. But now is our opportunity to shape the proposals into intelligent plans with respect for both the countryside and existing development. Endless columns of flats are neither the solution to our housing needs nor asthetically pleasing.

I will be increasingly vocal on this subject in coming weeks - my priority being to ensure that the voices of residents are heard in the consulation, and that any development has the input and support of the community.

We must also press the council to make better use of the 1.3% of existing homes in Mid Beds which are empty for extended periods of time.

US Presidential Election Update and Prediction

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 16:20:00 -0500

The 2008 US Presidential elections have reached a crucial stage. As a former Gore campaign staffer, I thought I might take now as the opportunity to comment on where the parties stand and what the future may hold.

Democrats

Neither Obama nor Clinton will secure the sufficient number of elected delegates to win the race outright. The Pennsylvanian contest was significant because it will sway the super delegate voters; party officials who hold the balance of power in the nominee contest.

If Hillary secured a margin of less than 10% over Obama the super delegates would have backed Obama and quietly asked Hillary to drop out. If Hillary had won by more than a 10% margin, the super delegates would have backed Hillary as she has won all the big Democrat states. To confuse matters Hillary only won by 10%. This means that the period of uncertainty is set to continue right up to the Convention in September.

The Democrats use a system whereby the total number of delegates in a state is split in proportion to the percentage share vote. The Republicans however use first past the post. Hillary is now arguing that under the Republican system she would already be the Democrat nominee.

Obama has a greater number of victories, though in smaller states. He argues that he has won the popular vote. The issue of fairness is of greater importance to the super delegates. They don’t want a repeat scenario of the 2000 Presidential election where Al Gore won the popular vote but George W Bush won the Whitehouse.

However, the super delegates also have an eye to the November polls. Hillary is leading in the polls with both the older and female voter demographic. These two groups hold the balance of power in a November general election.

In the end I think Obama will prevail in the guise of fairness.

McCain

Born in 1936 and a veteran of Vietnam, McCain would be the oldest first term President in American history. Whilst age is not an issue, his health is increasingly becoming the focus of interest.

I met McCain in Iraq in 2003. He then appeared to be in excellent health. Today on television he appears frail. McCain is registered disabled and draws a Naval pension for injuries sustained whilst a POW in Vietnam. His injuries restrict his mobility.

It is now being asked what would happen if McCain died before the November election. In recent history a US Senator was re-elected, despite his death prior to polling day. The official position on this is that during the primary contests, state delegates are elected. These delegates are loyal to a candidate e.g. McCain. In the event of a death or incapacitation, the Republican party hierarchy would select a replacement candidate, and put it to the state delegates to approve/ratify.

This is slightly complicated by the freezing of candidate names on the ballot paper in certain states, weeks in advance of the polling day. If for example McCain was incapacitated after the freeze, his name and not the name of the new Republican candidate would appear on the ballot paper. In theory a dead president could be elected. This is worst case, and I hope does not happen.

Problematic for McCain would be if during a busy day of speeches and visits, in the heat of the midday sun, having not eaten, drunk or slept for a couple of days, he stumbles, shakes or fails to respond coherently to questions. In a 24hr news culture this would be beamed around the world immediately and his election prospects destroyed beyond hope. This may have nothing to do with health or age, but that does not matter.

Money

Obama has raised a massive amount of money over both McCain and Clinton. In America money wins elections – contests are fought out on the airways through the purchase of advertising time.

McCain needs to raise a lot of money, and quickly if he is to compete with the eventual Democrat candidate. Whilst the ongoing contest between Hillary and Obama could be divisive for the party, it does keep both Democrat candidates in the news.

Running Mates

I am putting my money on Obama selecting John Edwards, running mate to John Kerry in 2004. Both men were recently filmed together outside the home of Obama.

For McCain the choice of running mate is difficult and potentially politically divisive. McCain has been accused of being too liberal for the Republican party, and a natural choice would be for McCain to shore up the religious right through his choice of running mate. This is too obvious I think, and judging by his recent foreign trips and choice of right hand man in every camera shot, former Democrat now turned Independent Senator Joe Lieberman may be an interesting choice. Lieberman who was running mate to Al Gore in 2000 would appeal strongly to middle America – those who rarely vote but if persuaded would hold the balance of power.

See The World With The Voter's Eyes

Sun, 20 Apr 2008 07:05:00 -0500

In today's News of the World Foreign Secretary David Miliband gave a tough and honest assessment of the Labour Party's standing in the polls, and posed the question of how we best respond.

I fully agree with his comments:

"We need instead to put up a fight, show our determination to change what is wrong with this country, put our case with clarity and conviction, and ensure the public realise what is at stake when it comes to elections rather than opinion polls.

We know what will ensure default. First, if we try to do too many things and don't do enough of them well. Second, if we don't follow through the things we have started. Third, if we worry too much about our opponents. Fourth, if we argue among ourselves, failing to defend each other and our leader. Fifth, if we water down our core convictions.

Gordon Brown has strong values and convictions. The route to victory needs us to do more.

First, see the world through the eyes of voters. The best way of defending our record is by offering and honest assessment of it. People will only listen to what we have done right if we are candid about what we have not. Employment has never been higher but people are worried about housing. Crime is down but people think it's up. Universal nursery education has been delivered but people worry about care for the elderly.

Second, we need ideology, not just pragmatism. Labour needs to stake out its ground as the party of fairness and freedom. We must promote fairness; but also give people the power to shape their own lives. So in the economy, in public services, in community life, we need to give people more power.

Third, tell a compelling national story. Britain is no longer a country in decline. We have one of the largest economies in the world. The NHS has been rescued from third world standards. We won the 2012 Olympics because people respect us not pity us.

We must engage with the world not retreat from it. Finally, political institutions become trapped; and we were created to challenge what exists and change it. We need to open up politics. Since 1997 New Labour has redrawn the political map. Britain is richer and fairer. But there are new issues that challenge us to think afresh, building on our record but also learning from it. The Tories are betting the house on Labour giving up the fight. They've got another thing coming."

Taken from News of the World, page 2.

Business Leaders Visit Reservists in Afghanistan

Sun, 20 Apr 2008 03:48:00 -0500

Last week the leaders of UK small business organisations visited Afghanistan to show their support for the UK's Reserve Forces, and highlight the vital role the Reserve Forces are playing in Afghanistan as part of the UK's Armed Forces.

Research released last week reveals a lack of awareness amongst some small businesses of the role of Reservists: nearly one in eight (12%) of those questioned still see the Territorial Army and other Reserve Forces as "just a hobby for people who enjoy outdoor pursuits"; almost one in ten (9%) still think Reservists are just for the defence of the UK. This is despite some 17,000 Reservists serving in Iraq or Afghanistan in recent years.

According to the YouGov research, conducted amongst small and medium sized businesses that employ Reservists, there is widespread recognition that Reservists bring valuable skills to their civilian workplace. These include the ability to be a good team player (67%), a willingness to take responsibility (50%), an ability to respond well to pressure and handle difficult situations (60%).

Members of the Reserve Forces undergo rigorous training, gaining many new and highly valuable skills which can be easily transferred into the workplace.

For Reservists deployed on operations it is vital for them to have the support of their employer. When I was deployed to Iraq with the Territorial Army I felt that I did not have the full support of my employer. When I returned back to the UK I left my company and found a new job straight away. Whilst this worked out for the better, it caused unnecessary disruption and stress at a time when Reservists returning from 6 months on the front line, need to relax and settle back into society.

For more information for employers on the Reserve Forces visit the Sabre website.

Ship of Death Heading to Zimbabwe

Sun, 20 Apr 2008 03:38:00 -0500

I am concerned by the reports of a ship full of arms off the coast of southern Africa destined for Zimbabwe.

This is at a time in Zimbabwe when the education sector is crumbling, the health sector is crumbling, transport is crumbling and four million people are in urgent need of food. 80% of the country live in poverty and inflation is 165,000%.

Instead of helping to rebuild the country the Mugabe regime is buying guns, in all likelihood to use against his own people as part of a campaign of intimidation targeting those who voted against Mugabe and the ZANU(PF).

The fact that South African dockers refused to offload the ship speaks volumes about how ordinary Africans feel about the Mugabe regime.

Comment on Your NHS Experience

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 15:13:00 -0500

The NHS website now allows you to compare hospital facilities like transport and parking. Visitors to the website can also rate and post comments about their patient experience.

I think this is a really valuable tool to assist patients in allowing them to make an informed decision about where best to get treatment.

Supporting the Marston Vale Eco-Town Proposal

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 02:45:00 -0500

The country's first eco-towns took a step closer to becoming reality last week with Housing Minister Caroline Flint announcing a shortlist of 15 potential locations, including Marston Vale and New Marston.

The next stage is a consultation with the public, local authorities and wider stakeholders.

In order to succeed proposals must reach zero carbon standards by promoting leading green technologies, provide high levels of affordable housing, demonstrate how they will deliver key infrastructure such as good public transport, schools and health facilities and safeguard local wildlife.

The Marston Vale and New Marston proposal involves building up to 15,400 homes on a series of sites, along the east-west rail line to Stewartby and Millbrook.

I believe the Labour government's eco-town concept is innovative and ambitious. The proposals make good use of brownfield land and would involve no house building on the greenbelt. It tackles the combined challenges of climate change, the need for more sustainable living and a real shortage of housing for families and first time buyers.

The Marston Vale and New Marston proposal has my full support.

The Global Credit Crunch

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 01:53:00 -0500

Like many of my constituents who have two year fixed rate mortgage products coming to an end this year, I am stuck in the midst of the global credit crunch.

The credit crunch is not the fault of politicians, it has been caused by distrust between banks, who in years past have made a fortune selling mortgages to americans who had no prospect of ever being able to repay the debt.

In January my 5.19% two year fixed rate with Northern Rock came to an end. This has forced me to remortgage with another provider at a time when products are being pulled daily. Until the remortgage goes through, I am left on the Northern Rock standard variable rate of 7.5%.

This has led to the tightening of belts in my household and across the country. However bad 7.5% may seem, I am grateful that rates are not, and are unlikely to reach the 15% of the 80s/90s when the Tories exercised a policy of boom and bust.

The credit crunch is a global problem, caused by the global actions of international banks. How we respond to it depends upon whether you have a Tory government or a Labour government.

At the heart of Labour's economic policies are prudence and stability. Britain will ride out the global turmoil because of Labour policies which have resulted in low inflation and low interest rates.

Gordon Brown expects a containable fall in house prices. In fact in the past six months my house has just gone up 10% in value. The current crop of horror stories in the news relates to undesirable properties in undesirable areas, at excessive prices.

In contrast the Tories promise tax cuts and increased investment. Their sums don't add up - I am an accountant, I checked them. They are playing politics with people's jobs, with people's mortgages and people's lives.

Invitation to Nadine Dorries to Participate in a Public Debate

Wed, 09 Apr 2008 01:12:00 -0500

For a while now I have come to believe that Nadine Dorries MP (Mid Beds) is out of touch with the reality based community. This culminated last week with Nadine being taken in by an internet hoax distributed by american anti abortion extremists

Today I am inviting Mrs Dorries to a public debate, open to all, chaired by the editor of a local newspaper, to discuss issues important to our constituents.

I have ideas on housing, how to make our schools world class, how to make neighbourhoods safer and how to make the world a more stable, greener, peaceful and prosperous place for all. I also want to hear what matters to constituents and their views.

I am concerned that Nadine Dorries MP is turning her back on constituents in order to court the national press and make a name. This is her opportunity to prove me wrong and present her ideas to the people of Mid Beds, and not just readers of national newspapers.

I am a young Bedfordshire family man, a Sergeant in the Territorial Army, and a management accountant for a world class university. Mid Beds people and Mid Beds issues; that is what I am campaigning for.

Men In Blue Tracksuits

Tue, 08 Apr 2008 13:52:00 -0500

I read an article in the Daily Mirror today about the blue-tracksuit Chinese security men who accompanied the Olympic flame this weekend in London.

Their responsibility was to maintain the flame, whilst Scotland Yard was responsible for the safe passage of the torch bearer.

The whole spectacle was a farce. All that was visible from street level was a sea of blue: highly trained killers from a crack Chinese military special forces unit according to the Mirror. I hope that in 2012 we do not surround our Olympic flame with the SAS or the paras. I cannot imagine that the Chinese would agree with that.

I oppose the violent actions of those protesters that left torch bearers fearful of their safety. However in defiance of the totalitarian image of Chinese soldiers in blue tracksuits surrounding the flame on the streets of London, I must admit to have hoped for a freak gust of wind to extinguish the flame. A divine act of intervention maybe.

Politics and sport should never mix; the legacy of the Berlin Olympics in 1936 a good example why. I believe our athletes should attend the games, compete and win. Their years of hard work and training should not be penalised because of the human rights abuses of a totalitarian communist regime.

Should world leaders also attend, in my mind yes. If we isolate and ignore China we lose sight of what is really happening there.

The communist regime has a lot to lose from the games; the arrival of thousands of journalists, tourists and world leaders can only expose human rights abuses and lead to hard questions being asked of the hosts.

In the modern global economy consumer action can speak louder than banners and words. The real power lies in the hands of us, the consumers. The Chinese government depends heavily upon the receipt of hard foreign currency in exchange for the export of manufactured goods. To send a clear signal to China we should stop buying their cheap exports and buy British instead.

Weekend Manoeuvres

Mon, 07 Apr 2008 13:58:00 -0500

Sunday 6 April 2008

I have just returned from a Territorial Army weekend up north. We left London late Friday evening, arriving at the training area in the early hours of Saturday morning. Dark, cold and tired I dragged my kit into the temporary accommodation, pulled out the sleeping bag and got a couple of hours kip before waking for reveille.

Dawn arrived. After a cooked breakfast I was fuelled to go. I was grateful that I didn't have to cook it, but any one who has tasted an army breakfast knows that when external caterers are used, the sausages and bacon are the cheapest imaginable. Not a surprise when the budget per soldier for breakfast is a matter of pence rather than pounds.

This weekend I took part in a military skills competition, a day of trooping around taking part in a number of stands. At the end the results were announced and my team won. That night much beer and champagne was consumed.

Sunday morning culminated in a parade, thoroughly rehearsed on the Saturday afternoon. In the freezing cold we marched and braised up. An improvement on Saturday however when in the space of a couple of hours we were struck by snow, hail, rain and sun. However standing to attention with the after affects of a couple of beers the night before, was a little challenging.

I thoroughly recommend any young person who wants a challenge to join the army; regular or reserve. The Territorial Army has changed so much since I first joined it pre 9-11 in 2001. Today, most of my unit (of part time soldiers) has seen service in either Afghanistan or Iraq. It has changed us all for the better. It helps you to better appreciate life and what you have.