Window on Westminster November 2009
Fairtrade Shop
Every year, local Fairtrade supporters hold events to support and sell Fairtrade Goods. Fairtrade is about better prices, decent working conditions, local sustainability, and fair terms of trade for farmers and workers in the developing world. By requiring companies to pay sustainable prices (which must never fall lower than the market price), Fairtrade addresses the injustices of conventional trade, which traditionally discriminates against the poorest, weakest producers. It enables them to improve their position and have more control over their lives.
This year, thanks to the local council, they have the use of a shop at the corner of Sandgate and High Street in Ayr which will open soon and stay open till early December. It will be open Tuesday to Saturday 10am to 4pm and will be staffed by willing volunteers. So if you are in Ayr for pre Christmas shopping make sure you take a look and buy some of your Christmas presents there.
Countdown to Copenhagen
Last week I was pleased to meet with local representatives of Christian Aid and the World Development Movement to discuss the crucial issue of Climate Change in the run up to the Copenhagen Summit of world leaders. It is good to know that there is a strong recognition locally of just how important this is. They told me that their street stalls get a really good response with many signing up to their campaign.
Copenhagen must see world leaders coming up with a fair ambitious and binding agreement on climate change. This will need to include deep emissions cuts by industrialised countries to keep global warming below 2 degrees C, and a fair and equitable outcome for poor people and developing countries. The UK Government has a good record in leading the way on climate change, not least through the Climate Change Act, which commits us to reducing emissions by a third by 2020. Secretary of State for Energy, Ed Milliband is also supporting the 10:10 Campaign. 10:10 is an ambitious project to unite every sector of British society behind one simple idea: that by working together we can achieve a 10% cut in the UK's carbon emissions in 2010.
Sir Christopher Kelly's Report on MPs Allowances
Sir Christopher Kelly's review was published this week (although widely leaked beforehand) Leader of the House, Harriet Harman made a statement to MPs on Wednesday setting out Sir Christopher's wide ranging proposals to replace the existing expenses and allowances system for MPs. The House of Commons then had the opportunity to give their views on the proposals but with no vote. Instead the proposals now go to the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority who will then decide whether or not to accept Sir Christopher's recommendations. That authority was created by the Government to ensure that MPs no longer took the decisions about their own pay and allowances. How to implement Kelly's recommendations will not be for us as MPs to decide but for the IPSA. I have always said the Kelly recommendations should be implemented without interference from MPs. It will be the job of the IPSA to ensure an element of fairness in what is proposed. It would be tragic if, in the process of reforming expenses, it was made more difficult for people of modest backgrounds to become an MP in future, or if it set back attempts over recent years to make Parliament more family friendly. However, these will be matters for the IPSA to look at. As for me personally, some of the key proposed changes will make no difference, since I have always rented a flat and do not employ any family members.
Royal Mail dispute
I met Communications Workers Union Leader, Billy Hughes at Westminster recently prior to strike action beginning. It is accepted by all sides that modernisation of the Royal Mail needs to take place as people continue to change their communication habits from traditional posting to emailing. Thousands of jobs have already gone with no compulsory redundancies and this process will over time involve further job losses.
A great deal of progress has been made in the face of fierce competition and losses have been turned into profit. We stand at a cross roads in terms of the future of the Royal Mail. The workforce has borne the brunt of these changes with more demanding postal delivery runs and heavier post bags. On top of this, the company demand changes to terms and conditions in an aggressive and provocative manner.
The modernisation process should be implemented, but in a fair way which recognises what a difficult job this is and how much we all benefit from the service our postal workers give to the local community. Remember that postal workers are paid only a little above the minimum wage and certainly don't want to lose money by striking.
I am very concerned that Royal Mail did not agree in the first place to arbitration, offered by the Union. Everyone loses out when strike action is taken and I hope a long term solution is found. A good way to rebuild trust would be an agreement on securing pensions of postal workers where the fund was subjected over the years to continual pension holidays.
