Blog 2023 Malcolm Blair-Robinson

Ed Milliband and PMQs

Ed did well, much better than many, especially his brother’s supporters, expected. David Cameron will get no easy ride.

As for the theme of attacking the removal of child benefit from HRT payers, this was wrong anyway but very wrong for Labour. It is true that the individual tax system makes this unfair in favour of two just sub HRT incomes and to attack this alone demanding modification would have been sound. But to argue that the measure could cause hardship to the top 15% of earners will dismay the grassroots supporters who earn half that level or less. His advisers need to be careful.

If he cozies up to the chattering friends of New Labour, which he was elected not to do, he will leave his working class flank exposed. Cameron’s more liberal and nicer Tories could easily make inroads into Labour’s core vote, just as Macmillan and, for differing reasons, Thatcher did. The prospect of power would then drain from Labour and Ed would become yet another longer serving leader of the Opposition.

Lib Dem Conscience

Opposition politicians should never sign pledges in election campaigns, even if it does not look as if they will be in government. Thus the Lib Dems signed up to a  pledge to vote against an increase in tuition fees, not least because the party is against fees of any kind. Now they are in government. The money has run out. Fees are going to have to go up. Even Vince says so.

This Blog believes that higher education should be free to all. It also knows the money has to come from somewhere and in the current state of financial penury, there is nowhere for it to come from, other than borrowing which this blog is absolutely against. Sadly therefore, until the economy is sorted out to a sound basis, a better model and with better defined priorities, not only do these fees have to remain, but they have also to go up.  The Browne report does offer a fair way forward, essentially geared to ability to pay, which, after consultations and with tweaking, is an improvement on the current deal, both for students and the universities.

The Lib Dems would be wise, if Vince advises it, to support the government of which they are members. To vote against would be just the kind of tokenism which got them into the mess, by signing the ‘pledge’, in the first place.

Celebrations in Chile

Everything about this extraordinary human drama is remarkable, as it is heartwarming. It is one of the most astonishing feats, first of human survival and then of rescue. What makes it so special is the mobilisation of resources by a small country for a common purpose, aided by the best science,  technology and engineering the world, especially the United States, has to offer.

What a pity it is that human ingenuity and determination, which can do so much good, can also be harnessed to do so much harm. What a contrast between Chile and Afghanistan. There is a message for humanity here. We should heed it.