Forum Topic

What Labour have achieved in 13 years

I thought I'd answer Dawn Hardy's thread 'What Labour have achieved in 13 years?' with this cut & paste job.(Someone posted this on the Chiswick forum a few months back..)  1. A rising National Minimum Wage - the annual uprating benefits 1 million people a year.2. The shortest waiting times since NHS records began.3. Three million more operations carried out each year than in 1997, with more than double the number of heart operations.4. Over 44,000 more doctors5. Over 89,000 more nurses6. Over three quarters of GP practices now offer extended opening hours for at least one evening or weekend session a week.7. All prescriptions are now free for people being treated for cancer or the effects of cancer, and teenage girls are offered a vaccination against cervical cancer.8. The NHS can now guarantee that you will see a cancer specialist within two weeks if your GP suspects you may have cancer. Whatever your condition, you will not have to wait more than 18 weeks from GP referral to the start of hospital treatment – and most waits are much shorter than this.9. 22 million people are benefiting from real tax cuts to boost their income this year.10. 12 million pensioners benefiting from increased Winter Fuel Payments.11. 900,000 pensioners lifted out of poverty12. 500,000 children lifted out of relative poverty and measures already in train will lift around a further 500,000 children out of poverty.13. Free TV licences for over-75s14. The New Deal has helped over 2 million people into work15. Over 3 million Child Trust Funds have been started16. Nearly 3,000 Sure Start Children’s Centres opened, reaching 2 million children and their families17. Over 42,400 more teachers and 123,000 more teaching assistants than in 199718. There have been approximately 3,700 rebuilt and significantly refurbished schools; including new and improved classrooms, laboratories and kitchens. 19. A free nursery place for every 3 and 4 year old. 20. Doubled the number of registered childcare places to morethan 1.5 million, one for every four children under eight years old21. More young people attending university than ever before22. More than doubled the number of apprenticeships starts, with figures for 2008/9 showing 234,000 started an apprenticeship this year compared to 75,000 in 1997.   23. In 1997 more than half of all schools saw less that 30% of their pupils fail to get 5 good GCSEs including English and Maths. Now only 270 schools fail this benchmark and we are guaranteeing that no school should fail this mark after 2011.   24. We have increased school funding to support the delivery of higher standards. Between 1997-98 and 2009-10, total funding per pupil has more than doubled from £3,030 in 1997-98 to £6,350 in 2009-10 in real terms, an increase of 110%25. The Northern Ireland peace process26. The UK is now smokefree, with no smoking in most enclosed public places.27. The UK’s greenhouse gas emissions are now 21% below 1990 levels, beating our Kyoto target. 28. Over £20 billion invested in bringing social housing to decent standards29. Rough sleeping has dropped by two thirds and homelessness is at its lowest level since the early 1980s30. Free off-peak travel on buses anywhere in England for over-60s and disabled people31. Since 1997 overall crime is down 36 per cent; domestic burglary is down 54 per cent; vehicle related crime is down 57 per cent; and violent crime is down 41 per cent.32. A new flexible points-based system to ensure only those economic migrants who have the skills our economy needs can come to work in the UK.33. Police numbers up by 16,000 since 1997, alongside more than 16,000 Police Community Support Officers 34. Every community now has its own dedicated neighbourhood police team, easily contactable by the people who live in that community and working with them to agree local priorities and deal with people’s concerns.35. Equalised the age of consent and repealed Section 28.36. Through the introduction of civil partnerships, Labour has for the first time given legal recognition to same-sex partners. Gay couples now have the same inheritance, pension and next-of-kin rights as married couples. 37. More than doubled Britain’s overseas aid budget. UK aid helps lift an estimated 3 million people out of poverty every year38. Cancelled up to 100 per cent of debt for the world’s poorest countries39. Britain now has more offshore wind capacity than any country in the world. Wind last year provided enough electricity to power 2 million homes40. Launched the £1.5 billion Housing Pledge to speed up the delivery of new affordable housing and embarked on the biggest program of council house building for twenty years41. Launched the Swimming Challenge Fund to support free swimming for over 60s and under 16s42. Banned fox hunting.43. Led the campaign to win the 2012 Olympics for London. Today the programme remains on time and on budget with over 40% of the construction programme completed and all major venues under construction. 44. Free admission to our national museums and galleries.45. Devolution in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, an elected Mayor and Assembly for London and directly-elected mayors for those cities that want them.46. Created a new right of pedestrian access to the English coast, so that every family has the opportunity to enjoy the length and breadth of our coastline47. In the last 4 years Labour’s work overseas has helped over 7 million people in sub-Saharan Africa access clean water and sanitation 48. In Europe we signed the Social Chapter and introduced measures including: four weeks’ paid holiday; a right to parental leave; extended maternity leave; a new right to request flexible working; and the same protection for part-time workers as full-time workers.49. We led efforts to agree a new international convention banning all cluster munitions.50. We introduced the first ever British Armed Forces and Veterans Day to honour the achievements of our armed forces – both past and present.

Councillor Sue Sampson ● 5873d34 Comments

I couldn't view the video but that looks like Theo Dennison in the inset. He's one of the local election candidates in the ward where I live.

James Dash ● 5865d

http://www.chiswicklife.tv/AnnKeenAnybody know who the impolite chap was who slammed the door in the interviewers face?

Steve Taylor ● 5865d

Tim Henderson posted this on the Chiswick Forumhttp://www.chiswicklife.tv/AnnKeen

Steve Taylor ● 5865d

Entirely agree with you.

Dawn Hardy ● 5865d

Yes I can see, however my one started on the 30th of March and Sue Sampson's new thread with the same topic heading started on the 4th of April, perhaps if you look at the other one(mine) you will see why it was segregated, very very disappointing, I thought better of the forum. The thread was What have Labour achieved in 13 year's.

Dawn Hardy ● 5865d

According to the Council it costs them £70 per pothole so thats 3572 potholes. However £70 seems too steep to my mind so it could be they are overpaying their contractors in the same way they are overpaying the Director of Street Management.

Steve Taylor ● 5865d

Don't see what you mean Dawn.  This is still here.

Sarah Felstead ● 5865d

"This isn't unusual I have to say, much the same could be said for bosses at Islington council"It may not be unusual but its far to much and the percentage increases awarded during these difficult times are quite abhorrent. Even an inflation rated increase would have been too much for these people. And lets face it - these people aren't brain surgeons or rocket scientists

Steve Taylor ● 5867d

These two salaries amount to 250k that's an awful lot of pothole's that could have been filled in isn't it.

Dawn Hardy ● 5868d

It surely does.

Dawn Hardy ● 5868d

"Suresh Kamath Director of Street Management took home £128,871 and Michael Jordan Director of Planning earned £112,270."Err - what Street Management and what Planning?

Steve Taylor ● 5868d

"Labour' s Education Policy...."equals Immigration,Immigration,Immigration,

Steve Taylor ● 5868d

This is bloody disgraceful, Nobody working for any council deserves this amount of monies.

Dawn Hardy ● 5868d

When you consider that we have fallen from 8th to 24th in the World Education Rankings in Maths and have also fallen from 7th to 17th in the Rankings in Literacy all under Mr.Ed Balls Labour Education Minister and this over a period of 13 years, I really don't think the Tories had anything to do with it.Do You?

Dawn Hardy ● 5868d

This isn't unusual I have to say, much the same could be said for bosses at Islington council except that CE John Foster gets £210k.

Ian Speed ● 5868d

Labours Legacy to Hounslow The Town Hall Rich List shows that in the Borough of Hounslow retiring Chief Executive Mark Gilks earned £164,828 during the 12 months 2009-10.Terry Welsh Director of Legal Services earned £141,851 representing a 16.7% rise on the previous year and Judith Pettersen Director of Children’s Services and Lifelong Learning was awarded a 10% pay rise which took her salary to £126,771.Suresh Kamath Director of Street Management took home £128,871 and Stephen Fitzgerald Director of Finance £121,259 and Michael Jordan Director of Planning earned £112,270.

Steve Taylor ● 5869d

Yes, from the Daily Mail.  Always true when you've read it in the Mail. What a laugh.Anyhoo I wonder what you Tory supporters have to say about chinless Gove's antics during wash up week? I see the expenses hungry little Surrey moaner has managed to stop the Government from getting it's way on children who fall behind being given one-to-one catch up outside school hours?  Because obviously the need to cut cut cut on education is more important so that the Tories don't have pass on the 1% NI increase which will hurt their business friends.Well i suppose if you are chinless wonder Gove you can afford to be so thoughtless since he flipped homes purely to get his brats into the school of his choice and earn a tidy sum in the process.  Another typical Tory scum bag.If the man could find his own chin and a moral compass I'll be greatly surprised.

Conal Stewart ● 5869d

Conal, I don't remember claiming that I grew up in N.I. or ever experienced anything like the people living there through the troubles. I did visit Belfast in the midst of it all, and saw at first hand the difficulties and to a degree the wariness of some lovely people I met. However, the fact is that many of us did live with the threats on the mainland, and it did affect us going about our day to day lives, that is all I was getting at. Why try and make it a case of I suffered more than you, when discussing the final outcome? You may rant at 'you English' and go on about our failures if you wish, the thing is that the peace process shows it is time to move on from our joint history and look forward and learn together how good things can be if you let go of the past.

Vanessa Smith ● 5869d

Oh!yes Oh!yes Oh!yes.

Dawn Hardy ● 5869d

"What Labour have achieved in 13 years"Immigration, Immigration, Immigration

Steve Taylor ● 5869d

I certainly don't agree with Tory education 'policy' at all.If only they would actually write policies down and stand by them and not resort to this 'wet finger in the air and see what way the wind is blowing' brand of politics.  Most of it seems to be populist band-wagon jumping.The point is if you are going to dump an existing government you have to really know what the alternative is actually proposing. I don't think most people really know what Tory Health and Education policy is as they have flip flopped so much over the last two years it's hard to know.The Tories edcution policy isn't actually costed.  We know the Lib dems and labout both have costed policies on health and education.  If they can do it why can't the Tories?

Conal Stewart ● 5869d

"Having lived daily with the awful problems that N.I. caused for all of us"I take exception to this sentence but you are quite right overall.  I would not dismiss NI, it's been an outright labour success. I shoudl say that with all due respect you did not grow up there.  Your experience in England really doesn't amount to much if I am to compare.  Try being blown into hoardings when you were 12 by an INLA bomb and not being able to walk for three months.  I credit Labour with doing something that no Tory Government could never do.  Much of this is because the one thing that Tories manage to do in NI is piss off both Unionists and Nationalists by equal measure.  The Tories will realise this come May 6th when they can't muster one of their own candidates as a UCU MP in NI.  The best chance they have is North Down but Sylvia Hermon will stuff them and she intends to take the Labour or Lib Dem whip. She's talking to both parties about what happend in a hung parliament. There's a fair chance of four Inedependent MPs in NI this year and they are far more likely to back Labour.I really have to say this; all of you English, whether you like it or not, owe Northern Ireland a debt of gratitude. Most Tory governments used us to test out polices they were too scared to try on England for decades. It's us that had to endure disastrous policy changes every five seconds in their hands. We took the worst of every Thatcher whim and U-turn and it is not forgotten by any of us.Successive Governments continuously mishandled terrorism and they never listened to the ordinary people as to how to get the terrorists under control. You'd have thought the lessons of the OIRA would have been used. Your elected apparently knew better for decades than the locals.  But things changed with post 1997 Labour through the wonderful Mo Mowlam, she actually got it.  She is regarded so highly by most people and it genuinely upset us when she died.I have to mention World Wars; whilst the English, Scottish and Welsh haf compulsory national conscription we never did. Why? Because we signed up in such huge numbers to fight the wars you got involved with that national conscription was seen as a worthless and possibly self-defeating exercise.  A disproprotionate amount of Northern Irish military died in both wars and you have to wonder why.  The 'send the paddies in first' mantra has long been a brit military favourite.  We were used as the bomb fodder, as the expendable, and yet I don't think English people ever understand the debt accrued to us.  A large proportion of British weaponry was made in Belfast by companies like Wrights and Mackies. Most of our industries were adjused to the war effort as we were thought to be out of range of the luftwaffe.  We weren't. Belfast was the fourth most bombed city in the UK with thousands murdered in the space of three weeks in the Belfast Blitz.  We didn't get the same post war re-adjustment help that cities like Portsmouth and Liverpool received.  Large industrial sites remained as bomb clearance sites until the 1970s.  With so few jobs around, employment bias happens and it is the fault of this lethargy and an unwillingness to tackle the issues that led to the rise of the PIRA in the late 1960s. I get mighty fed up when English people say "oh can't we just wash our hands off this Irish problem." NO, you cannot. The short of it is we did what was asked of us and more as subjects of this country and it's about time you all recognised the sacrifices made.  NI is a good place to be now things to Labour. 13 years of Labour Goverment have been good.  They have stable unemployment levels that hover mostly between 5-6% and under the last Tory government it was 14%.  They have succesful home grown industry.  Their education system is most likely the best in the UK.  They have local democracy. And they have a lifestyle that now makes it impossible for terrorism to thrive beyond the very fringes of society.

Conal Stewart ● 5869d

I see that there is a new website :http://www.annkeen.co.uk/

Tim Henderson ● 5869d

No - there were the N.I. troubles instead, fortunately the security services managed to be one step ahead most of the time. I also think we tend to forget that 9/11 was not the product of anything the West did, it was an attack on a western democracy by fanatics. Whether the retaliation was the right one is another matter for debate.

Vanessa Smith ● 5871d

You have got to be having a laugh, I bet Mandy Madelson wrote this for you. I have never seen so much spin in my life. At least I used truthfull facts not fantasies.

Dawn Hardy ● 5871d

I think we now actually have too many youngsters going to Uni compared to the 70s and 80s - we cannot afford to pay for them to do so so they have to get into debt and then they end up at 21 with very little work experience. Uni should be restricted to vocational degrees which should be fully funded.

Ian Speed ● 5871d

IanI think it demeans both of us to take the Daily Mail seriously, I'm interested in whether Labour schools policy has been a success overall.  It's good that we've had some of the best ever results at 11, 16 and 18, and more young people than ever going to uni, yes? 4,000 new schools built or rebuilt. 42,400 more teachers and 212,000 more support staff than 1997  -- not bad going

Councillor Sue Sampson ● 5872d

OK , what about the rest of it then - do you agree with Chris Keates or the Government ?

Ian Speed ● 5872d

'Pupils interviewed a man and two women teachers for a job before voting for the woman they thought was the prettier;'Ian - It happens all the time in job interviews, the difference is it's usually GROWN MEN being biased toward the pretty woman!

Councillor Sue Sampson ● 5872d

Children as young as 11 have been issued with iPhones to give instant ratings on their teachers. They are encouraged to email 'spy' messages to senior staff during lessons. The move is part of a Government 'pupil power' drive which is being blamed for fuelling a 'crisis of adult authority'. It is just one in a disturbing catalogue of examples produced at the weekend of teachers' authority being undermined. Classroom unions say a growing Government 'obsession' with consulting pupils on all aspects of schooling is making the lives of their members increasingly difficult. Youngsters are being given a say in everything from the content of lessons and behaviour policies to hiring and firing staff. Teachers gathering for union conferences this weekend gave dozens of examples of how the practice is being 'abused'. They included: Pupils interviewed a man and two women teachers for a job before voting for the woman they thought was the prettier; A teacher interviewed by a student council believes she was hired because the children 'liked the colour of her red shoes'; A teacher applying for promotion at a Surrey secondary school was asked by pupils at an interview to sing Michael Jackson's 'Bad'. She failed to get the job after refusing. Leading academics say the practices are eroding the authority of teachers. 'The big crisis is the crisis of adult authority,' said Dennis Hayes, an author and professor of education. 'Everywhere I go, the clearest sign of the rejection of adult authority is listening to learner, student, pupil or infant voice. Anybody's voice but the voice of adults. 'What are you going to say if you are 14 and asked about Latin? "Oh God, why do I have to study Latin, it is so boring?" That is not a critique of the curriculum. That is a whinge from a 14-year-old who doesn't want hard work.' Enlarge    Thousands of schools are increasingly promoting pupils' rights in line with Government guidance demanding they consider the student 'voice'. The iPhone project was revealed at the Association of Teachers and Lecturers conference by official John Rivers, who said teachers were too frightened of being given poor rating to let him name the Kent school. Mr Rivers said staff felt they were being watched and were worried they had no right of reply. They knew around 20 pupils had been issued with iPhones for a 'quality assurance week', but did not know their identities. More...Black pupils 'are being marked down due to teacher stereotyping' Students can buy essays guaranteed to achieve a 2:1 - or get their money back Mr Rivers, a secondary school technology teacher, said: 'I have no problem generally in asking pupils how they felt about my lesson. It's just that I believe there should be clear guidance about how those observations should be conducted and reported.' A second union, the NASUWT, produced a dossier detailing more than 200 teacher testimonies of ' inappropriate' consultation with pupils. Calogero Farrugio, of Shropshire North, criticised student interview panels and revealed the incident where the 'prettiest' teacher was hired, believed to have been at Whitchurch Church of England Primary. Mr Farrugio also highlighted another, unnamed, school, where members of the student council were given Ofsted criteria and sent to secretly observe their teachers and their lessons.' Such information influences the head teacher's report to Ofsted on the strengths and weaknesses of the school, he said. NASUWT general secretary Chris Keates said: 'Our dossier is littered with examples of demeaning, embarrassing and humiliating practice. Many are grossly unprofessional on every level. They are stripping teachers of their professional dignity.' Advocates of 'pupil voice' claim it strengthens the bond between a child and the school, improving their behaviour and commitment to education. Schools are encouraged to involve pupils in major decisions such as uniforms and school policies on behaviour, school dinners and equality. Statutory government guidance urges them to consider letting pupils observe lessons to provide feedback. It also claims: 'Children and young people value the opportunity to contribute to the appointment process for relevant posts in schools.' From September, schools will be under a clear legal duty to consult pupils on major changes to school policy. But critics warn of giving youngsters too much sway. Professor Hayes, an education expert based at Derby University who co-wrote The Dangerous Rise of Therapeutic Education, is one of the most vociferous critics. He said teachers' duty was to pass on core knowledge. 'They need to know things and that's hard work. It's hard work when you're younger and it is hard work when you're older but that's the message you have to send and we are failing to send that message.' In an address to teachers last year, Professor Hayes said the trend was threatening to 'make education in the future impossible'. The Department for Children, Schools and Families said last night: 'We believe pupils should play an active, constructive and appropriate role in their own learning, the learning of their peers and in the development of their school communities. 'It is for schools to determine  -  with staff and pupils alike  -  the precise role or roles that pupils/students might play, what support they need in carrying these out and mechanisms for student views to be captured. 'Lesson observation by students could be one way in which the school chooses to involve pupils in developing lessons that are engaging, by providing feedback on teaching style in a structured way.' Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1263581/An-iPhone-spy-teacher-Pupils-told-email-secret-verdicts-staff-DURING-lessons.html#ixzz0kAtiFiBd

Ian Speed ● 5872d

I was on the tube the day of the 7/7 bombings and could easily have been killed - we never had Islamic extremists bomb the tube under the Tories.

Ian Speed ● 5872d

It's not a question of dismissing achievements lightly, more a case of how long a party should expect to live off the successes of many years past.A Labour government introduced the NHS and the Welfare State, fantastic achievements but does the party have right to expect and demand my vote automatically 62 years later off the back of them?And before Taylor and Sampson pipe up, parrot-style, I am not a Tory!

James Dash ● 5872d

I never thought I'd see the day when the N.I.peace process was dismissed as lightly as that! Having lived daily with the awful problems that N.I. caused for all of us, being hauled off the train to work because of frequent bomb alerts, even having to evacuate the place I worked on many occasions for the same reason. Not to mention the vast numbers of innocent people killed. I think that what was achieved in that lovely but troubled place is no small achievement. The fact is Sue is right, the Government hasn't been perfect - few Governments are, they have not shouted the many things they have done loudly enough, they do, in spite of the sceptics, and the perennial critics, have much to be justly proud of.

Vanessa Smith ● 5872d

The real issue is what Labout have achieved in the last 5 years , and what they are promising for the next 5. Achievements like the NI peace process and the age of consent are all very well, but these are old laurels the party appears to need to prop itself up with.

Ian Speed ● 5872d