Robert Buckland Weblog

Whilst appreciating that weather and climate are not the same thing, the freezing temperatures and snowy landscape that greeted me this morning in Swindon make debate and discussion about global warming seem rather academic, when in fact it is becoming more and more urgent. The chaos of Copenhagen has looked rather like a modern Tower of Babel; lots of noise and chatter but no real understanding or co-operation achieved.  I have to say, however, that had there been a neat tie-up at the end of the conference, with world leaders gathering for a photograph after having signed a binding treaty, would all of this have been too good to be true? In other words, would a Copenhagen Treaty have amounted to very much?

What Copenhagen did reveal was that the balance of power in the world is altering.  It was obvious that those countries  that have the greatest carbon emissions were going to play a significant  role so when President Obama arrived,  the important negotations were conducted with China, Brazil, India and South Africa, rather than the old  G8 or EU nations.  Their increasing economic power  will place them more and more at the top table of international politics.  The  G20 is a reflection of this reality.

The events at Copenhagen do not mean that in all respects, the balance of power has moved away from the  traditional nations.   The pivotal role of China may mean that we have now left the era of the USA as the world’s only superpower.

On an organisational level, it struck me that negotiations via international circuses of inordinate length such as this one are not the way to make progress.  Whilst it may have been useful to bring people together, the grandstanding and posturing adopted by many got in the way of hard negotiation.   This modern Tower of Babel has left a huge carbon footprint as well which must not be repeated.

All this snow is putting me in the mood for Christmas.  Once again, I had the pleasure of playing the role of Father Christmas at the Queen’s Park Christmas Carol service held in the open air of the park in sub zero temperatures  on Saturday evening.  Thanks to members of the local Community Council who organise the event, we were kept warm with mince pies and mulled wine.

An unexpected but welcome story to emerge in the national media this week was the twinning of Walt Disney World with Swindon.  As a result of an entertaining video sent in to Disney by a twenty year old Nationwide worker living in Upper Stratton, Swindon beat off a range of competitors to scoop the prize.  The publicity has been welcome and largely encouraging, and we are promised a Disney parade in Swindon next year, which has aroused a degree of excitement in our house already.   What I like about this story is that the link has been achieved as a result of the initiative of just one person.  It has nothing whatsoever to do with Regional Government Agencies, Government initiatives or Council plans – it is purely the work of one person.   It is a fine early Christmas present for Swindon.

Yesterday morning I was very pleased to be able to give a vote of thanks to HSBC Chief Economist Dennis Turner, who was the guest speaker at the inaugural meeting of the William Pitt Club of Swindon.  The Club has been set up by members of the local business community who want to support the return of a Conservative Government.  Dennis gave us an objective and non partisan economic outlook about the need for a visible plan to tackle the debt.  His remarks rang all too true when gilts proceeded to take a hammering in the markets during trading yesterday.  The likelihood of Britain’s triple A credit rating being dowrated is low, but the very fact that it is being talked about can have bad effects upon the confidence of international markets in UK economic policy. 

The Pre Budget Report was yet another piece of temporising from Labour.  If they reach the point of having to make a Budget, we cannot afford more missed opportunities.

Sian is having a yen for Gilbert and Sullivan so I write this to the strains of “The Pirates of Penzance” (D’Oyly Carte on Decca 1968).  A brief interruption to fix a Lego crocodile mouth and now a few words about yesterday’s Tree  O’Clock event at Blackhorse Farm in Wroughton.  Organised by staff and students at The Ridgeway School, about a hundred people, including students, staff, School Governors, Parish Councillors and parents turned up at 11am yesterday to plant thousands of tree saplings in a field between the School and the M4 motorway which has been earmarked as part of the Great Western Forest. Nearly 3500 saplings were planted in the hour to midday. The trees, which will grow fairly quickly, are all native types to the UK such as oak and ash – no fir trees!

This was all part of National Tree Week, and an attempt to set a world record for tree planting – see the link at:  http://internationaltreefoundation.org/bbc-breathing-spaces-tree-oclock/

I was able to get in a couple of hours of campaigning in West Swindon before the weather changed for the worse.   I had promised to tell you about my exploits on the Ice a few weeks ago, when I went to the Link Centre in West Swindon for my first foray on skates.  I would like to report success but as my centre of gravity is in a place unknown to me, the most I was able to manage was a few assisted steps and a hasty retreat.  My thanks to Wiltshire Conservative Future for organising an enjoyable social evening that was attended by about fifty.  I returned the following evening to the Link to say a few words about National Anti-Bullying Week on behalf of the National Bullying Helpline, a charity based in Swindon, that has been adopted this season by the Swindon Wildcats Ice Hockey team.  The evening’s game, against Sheffield, saw the Wildcats playing in the purple colours of the NBH and there was a collection to raise funds for the charity.

One of the main problems facing many young people is cyber bullying via internet social networking sites and e-mail.   Many thousands of youngsters are having their lives made a misery by the bullying activities of a minority.   Awareness of the problem is growing, and it doesn’t just involve young people.  Bullying in the workplace via the internet is all too common.  The way to deal with this problem is to make it easier for the victims of bullying to report such behaviour and to seek support.  When the bullying involves young people, the circumstances of those doing the bullying must be examined, because very often the school bullies are troubled themselves, sometimes as a result of problems at home.

Sunday’s media is full of the playing fields of Eton.  The old obssession with class seems to die hard.  Mr. Brown’s genuine hatred for the Tory Party is well documented,  so his recourse to class warfare comes from the heart.   It used to be called “wearing the cloth cap”.  Labour politicians tend to resort to it when they have nothing else to say.  It is a particularly popular device in Welsh politics – the easy option for lazy minds.  It’s all rather lazy journalism as well, frankly.

The most important political news of the week was the President’s decision to commit more troops to Afghanistan.  His attempt to set an eighteen month timetable for withdrawal was for domestic political consumption.  It doesn’t strike me as a good military strategy.  It makes it all to easy for those intent on insurrection to make plans and wait.    The presence of more troops is welcome, but they must be used as back up for properly trained Afghan security forces.   There does not seem to be enough work in winning the hearts and minds of ordinary people, and too much faith being put in Government officials who don’t deliver.  Mr. Brown’s mantra about terrorism ignores the fact that most of the terrorists are in Pakistan.  I am sure that what he really means is that a rushed withdrawal from Afghanistan would send a clear message that the West can be beaten, which would be of real concern when it comes to the stability in the region and particularly in Pakistan, a nuclear power.

I have been very saddened to see that the Australian Liberal Party is busy tearing itself apart over climate change.  The ousting of the talented (albeit Republican) Malcolm Turnbull as their leader came after six members of his Shadow Cabinet quit over a deal he wanted to do with the Government accepting a package to set up an emissions trading scheme.  The political effect of this schism will be a dismal showing at the likely Australian General Election and an easy victory for Kevin Rudd, I suspect.  It may well be that the Labor Party knew that such a scheme would prove to be very divisive within the rural heartland of the Liberal/National coalition which is why they have done it now.

The impression being given to the world is that this is a debate about the fundamentals of Climate Change itself, rather than a specific measure that may or may not have a beneficial effect.   In the UK, there are some signs of a more fundamental debate about Climate Change.   My view is that the evidence demonstrates that human activity does affect climate; the issue for me is how best can we mitigate its effects and whether or not the major polluters will take a lead rather than lag behind.

The news that Carwyn Jones has become Leader of the Welsh Labour Party and putative First Minister of the Welsh Assembly Government came as no surprise to the pundits.  It is of particular interest to me because I have known Carwyn for twenty years, having debated against him as a student and appeared against him many times as Counsel in Swansea Crown Court.   He is an engaging and likeable person who has done extremely well in a Party that is well short of real talent.  On a personal level,  I wish him well.  On a political level, it will be extremely interesting to see whether or not he can resist returning to the tired old rhetoric of Labour politicians in Wales faced with a potential Tory Government in London.  Moaning about wicked Tories is no longer good enough when Wales has devolved Government.

The past week or so has brought me into further contact with a number of organisations that in differing ways are helping to get people back on their feet or on their feet for the first time.  On 13th November, I was at the Headquarters of Nationwide in Pipers Way, which was the venue for the first Swindon Community Finance Cafe – see http://www.nationwide.co.uk .    Nationwide have recognised that Swindon’s dramatically increased rates of unemployment are placing more and more people in a difficult financial system.   Their response was to organise a one stop shop where help and advice can be given.

It was a pleasure to see some old friends such as Rob Smith,  a staunch supporter of the SEN Network who was there representing Handyvan,  a scheme organised by Help the Aged to provide greater security measures for the over 60s – seehttp://www.helptheaged.org.uk/en-gb/AdviceSupport/HomeSafety/SecureYourHome/

The team from Swindon’s JobCentrePlus were on hand to offer advice and support.  I was particualrly interested to hear about their work in trying to attract new businesses to Swindon.  It is just the sort of thing my grandfather, Jack Buckland, used to do when he was Manager of the Labour Exchange in Llanelli between 1940 and the early 1960s.  The Citizens’ Advice Bureau were also there, plus a range of other organisations such as Shelter and Christians Against Poverty.

The poor weather seemed to have deterred many, but I hope that this event will be repeated in the near future.

On Friday, I was a guest at an Open Day hosted by Learning for Life at their new premises at the Basepoint Business Centre in West Swindon.   Learning for Life is an independent charity providing education, personal development, counselling and guidance for people with disabilities and other problems.  Over seven hundred people are currently being helped by L4L, some of whose tutors – Dick Hilling, Trish Rawlins, Alan MacGregor and David Reeves are friends whom I have met in the past few years.

It almost goes without saying that the work of L4L has a huge value.  It is always striving to reach more and more people, and their new, attractive premises will help.   A slight diversion in the bus route to take people that bit closer to Basepoint would also be of help, I think.    For more information, go to http://www.L4lswindon.co.uk

I will blog a little later on about my experiences on and near an Ice Rink!

The pageant and formality of the State Opening of Parliament is something for celebration, rather than dour criticism.  This year, however, radio listeners would have been forgiven for thinking that Jack Straw had handed Her Majesty the back of a packet of Benson and Hedges for the Gracious Speech to be read from.  The speech lasted for a highly economic seven minutes.  Some of the announcements unravelled very quickly.  The damning comments by Labour Lords Lipsey and Warner about the proposals relating to care for the elderly make it clear that this is a last throw of the political dice, rather than the product of considered thought.

After nearly three years of  disaster, Labour has been reduced to setting a series of elephant traps – a set of proposals with which it is difficult to disagree contained within a series of Bills that, by the Government’s  own admission are “aspirational” as opposed to anything with real substance.

Tonight’s appointments of a new EU Council President and High Representative for Foreign Affairs confirm the primacy of member states and their governments in this most opaque of institutions.  As I have said on many previous occasions, the course of the EU is determined by political will.   Nearly six years of wrangling has produced a mouse, it would seem.  What I particularly regret about this huge waste of energy is that public perceptions of the EU in Britain have continued to decline.  The positive case for membership is not being made, and this has been one of New Labour’s greatest failures.    The image of the EU in Britain will continue to suffer if its main advocates continue to be obscure (Ashton) or disliked Labour politicians (Blair, Mandelson).

The lovely Lake District town of Cockermouth is under five feet of water tonight.  The currents look frighteningly strong.  Once again, the Fire and Rescue Service will be proving why it is that its members are so highly rated by members of the public in opinion poll surveys.  Politicians can only dream of those levels of respect.

The fact that the presence of BNP leader Nick Griffin in Wotton Bassett during a repatriation event on Tuesday has received wide publicity says volumes about his motives for going there.  The people of Bassett have made it repeatedly clear that they do not want to see lots of strangers in attendance, because this is the town’s chance to express its respect and gratitude to the fallen.  None of our local MPs or candidates have ever sought publicity from this.  Griffin and his minders took the focus away from where it should have been – on the cortege itself.  He is a man entirely without tact, decency or empathy, it would seem.

For the first time, George marked the Silence with his schoolmates.  In an era when it seems that only reality TV shows bring us together as a nation, I am very encouraged to see that the observance of acts of remembrance is getting stronger and stronger.   The image I will carry of this year’s Armistice Day is of the ceremony at Camp Bastion, where silence was broken only by the montonous hum of the helicopters.  

The wholly understandable anger of Mrs. Janes about the death of her son in Helmand has been a dominant  theme of the week.  Mr. Brown is not assisted by  comments from Lord Mandelson about the Sun newspaper and their “pound of flesh” mentality.   I suspect that had the boot been on the other foot, nothing about Mr. Murdoch and his empire would have been said by a politician who played a full part in the wooing of the Sun before the 1997 election.   In the particular circumstances of this week, contemplative silence can be the only proper response.

The news from Afghanistan is getting worse and worse.  The issue is on the minds of local residents, as we found whilst door knocking last Saturday.  The Prime Minister keeps telling us that troops on the ground in Helmand mean no terrorism in the UK.  Its time that a more detailed explanation is given.  The border between Afghanistan and North West Pakistan is porous to say the least.  Terrorists are operating in the region and I believe that the threats are real, but the British public are entitled to ask why a corrupt regime in Kabul should be supported and to ask how all this will end.    We are going to need a lot more leadership from Brown and Obama than we are seeing at present.  

Shadow Planning Minister Stuart Jackson MP was in Swindon yesterday to discuss Tory plans to decentralise planning and to end the top down approach that is forcing Swindon to plan for tens of thousands of new houses within its very narrow boundaries.   An issue close to my heart is the need to make sustainable development more than mere words.  I very much hope that a duty to promote sustainable development will be contained within new planning legislation to replace the discredited Regional Spatial Strategy regime.

Stuart is also shadow Minister for the Fire Service, so we visited the Drove Road Station, saw the latest equipment and had tea with the Watch.  This was an opportunity for fire fighters to quiz him about a range of issues affecting the service, and they did not waste it.   

Our local fire service works extremely hard to involve the community in its work, and I am particularly encouraged by their close links to the Broadgreen Area Community Council.  This isn’t just about being good neighbours;  fire safety information is vital for the large number of residents who have arrived recently in the area and who are still learning about our way of life. 

I left with a standing invitation from the senior fire officer to visit the station and next time to bring George back so that we could try out some of their equipment!

The Swindon SEN Network meeting that took place at the Lawn Community Centre on 14th October was a chance to take stock of the situation facing all those of us with an interest in Special Educational Needs.  The Autism Bill is currently going through its House of Lords stages, having been amended to focus upon provision for adults with autism and related conditions.  The Government has promised to incorporate the provisions relating to children and young people in full time education in its own legislative programme,  so we are watching with interest.

Passing the Autism Bill into law will be useful, but of itself will not resolve the grave problem of the lack of provision and support for young adults with autism, ASD or Aspergers leaving full time education.   Change in this area will require a large amount of political will. 

Local Special Needs provision was examined, with the proposal to create an ASD unit at Greendown catering for up to fifteen people over the next few years being warmly welcomed.  The fact remains, however, that very many young people who would have been placed in special schools or units attached to mainsteam schools are struggling in mainstream classes.  Not only are they struggling, but the disruptive behaviour that can ensue causes problems for other children. 

Swindon’s particular problem is mainly caused by its poor funding settlement from central Government.   Although the rate of unemployment in the Borough has risen alarmingly of late, the indeces used by the Government such as Free School Meals  mean that towns such as Swindon with historically low unemployment have been losing out badly in times of supposed economic plenty.  In these bleak economic times, do we dare hope for a bett er deal?

The news that Morrissey has been discharged from the Great Western Hospital after having breathing difficulties on stage at the Oasis last night will come as a relief to his many fans.  Readers of this blog will know that my musical tastes lie elsewhere, but I am sure that he received a very high level of service from the dedicated staff at the GWH.

It was only last week that I accompanied Shadow Health Secretary Andrew Lansley on a day long visit to the hospital.  We were able to see a number of departments, including A and E, at work.  Local practitioners plus members of the Hospital and Primary Care Trusts, had an opportunity to meet with Andrew and to discuss issues of concern to them.

The era of prescriptive targets must now end.  Some targets have outlived their usefulness whilst others were never of any relevance anyway.  There is broad agreement that the outcomes of health care are far more significant, so ways in which outcomes can be measured are going to matter more and more.

I got the distinct feeling that  the amount of central control and the Government’s  lack of trust for professionals was very significant.  Having experienced a degree of this in my own professional life doing publicly funded work, I can well understand the frustration felt by many doctors.

My thanks to GWH Chief Executive Lyn Hill-Tout and all the team for organising such a useful and informative visit.