My fortnightly surgeries for 2019 are listed below.

 

Residents of Derby North are invited to come along to share their concerns and seek advice.

 

Address:  9A Theatre Walk, Intu Centre, Derby DE1 2NG

 

Time: 17:00 to 19:00

 

January 18^th

 

February 1^st

February 15^th

 

March 1^st

March 15^th

March 29^th

 

April 12^th

April 26^th

 

May 17^th

May 31^st

 

June 14^th

June 28^th

 

July 12^th

July 26^th

 

August 9^th

August 23^rd

 

September 6^th

September 27^th

 

October 11^th

October 25^th

 

November 8^th

November 22^nd

 

December 6^th

December 20^th

 

 

 

It will come as no surprise to those who have been following my Democracy Roadshow that I am bitterly disappointed that our 2018 conference missed a historic opportunity to adopt Open Selections. Despite 90% of Constituency Labour party delegates wishing to debate open selections, other delegations took a different view.

 

It would be easy to dismiss out of hand the changes to the trigger ballot system for parliamentary selections that were approved. But that would be to make the mistake of seeing this improved outcome as the enemy of the best one.

 

Under the reformed system, it will be easier for grassroots members and affiliated trade union branches to trigger an open selection, which is a significant advance. Under these rules MPs who previously believed they had carte blanche to act as they pleased in parliament will now be required to pay much more attention to local members and trade unionists.

 

 

Continue reading “The Labour party must learn to trust its members”

 

Following the two catastrophic burst water mains in my constituency, I am more convinced than ever of the merits of bringing the water industry back into public ownership.

 

Local residents have had to fight to receive compensation, and some still have not been adequately compensated.

 

Companies like Severn Trent operate a regional monopoly, giving customers no choice in who supplies their water.

 

So, water privatisation even failed the Conservatives’ dubious assertion that the “market” will deliver value for money.

 

It is almost 30 years since Margaret Thatcher inflicted this failed experiment on the country.

 

 

Continue reading “Privatisation of the water industry has been an expensive failure”

 

Continue reading “Labour MPs shouldn’t fear reselection – it’ll keep us rooted in the real world”

 

Tony Benn once said that democracy is the most revolutionary thing in the world. Maybe that’s why defenders of elitist politics often accuse those advocating greater democracy of being Marxists. Those wedded to Labour’s bygone status quo often tell us that Marxism is, on the one hand, authoritarian, while on the other they say empowering people to determine their own lives is Marxist. Well, which is it?

 

Such confusion and elite anxiety on the part of Labour’s democracy refuseniks explains why there is so much resistance whenever suggestions are put forward that would give greater power to our movement. Yet this conservative reflex concedes the greater point: democracy is essential for real change.

 

Continue reading “On Democratising the Labour Party”

 

Donald Trump is now confirmed as coming to Britain in July on what has been termed a “working visit,” where he is likely to meet Theresa May prior to a Nato summit in Brussels.

 

Assuming it goes ahead, he is sure to face a massive national demonstration against his politics of racism, climate change denial, misogyny, warmongering and hate.

 

Continue reading “Why we must come together against Trump”

 

Imagine trying to live on 7p a day.  Obviously you can’t, it’s impossible.

 

Yet Frank Field, the Labour MP who chairs the work and pensions select committee, revealed one such extreme instance earlier this week.  It is a direct consequence of the bodged roll out of universal credit.

Continue reading “Universal Credit has been so much pain for so little gain”

 

The local election results in Derby last week were out of step with the outcome elsewhere in the country.  Despite the usual spin, in London Labour secured its best result for almost 50 years and in other areas Labour’s council seats tally was the highest on record, while there are seats that Labour won for the first time in history.

 

Derby’s results were largely driven by the unpopularity of the council, which has been forced to manage unprecedented cuts imposed by Westminster since 2010.  The legacy of a long-running industrial dispute with teaching assistants over pay cuts, following a job evaluation exercise also played a big part.  I spoke to many Labour supporters who told me they were not voting in last week’s election because of the decisions the council had taken.

 

 

Continue reading “Local elections in Derby: the case for optimism”

 

Jeremy Corbyn has never supplied information to the Czechoslovakian Secret Services, although The Sun said he did.

 

There was no file held on Corbyn by the Stasi, but the Daily Mail claimed to know its contents. In fact, it seems Corbyn never met the Czech spy Jan Sarkocy (a man who claims to have masterminded
LiveAid and who was dubbed by the Czech PM as “untrustworthy”), yet the front pages of every right-wing newspaper in this country have dished out smears based on this lie all week.

 

Continue reading “Change is coming for Britain’s press barons”

Franchising has failed. That hard truth is as perceptible as the thin seating on some of the new trains introduced to Britain’s privatised rolling stock.

 

 

Continue reading “The case for public ownership of our railways”