David Wright MP seems to be having problems with his email because it's been several weeks since I emailed him asking for a meeting about RBS' policy of English jobs for Scottish people which has resulted in 500 redundancies in Telford.
Tomorrow I will be hand delivering a letter to his constituency office in Telford asking him again for a meeting to discuss English jobs for Scottish people and how the 500 jobs can be saved from being exported north of the border.
We will be leafleting outside RBS' office in Telford soon to make sure staff there know what's happening to their jobs. Anyone who wants to help hand out leaflets one morning (early!) in the next couple of weeks, please get in touch.
Showing posts with label Telford. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Telford. Show all posts
Saturday, October 09, 2010
Saturday, September 04, 2010
The hypocrisy of David Wright over RBS
David Wright, the Labour MP for Telford, has demanded a meeting with the Royal Bank of Scotland after the bank announced that it is cutting 500 jobs in Telford as part of the 3,500 job cuts it plans to make in the next year.
David Wright said:
The money that bailed out RBS and all the other Scottish banks was English money and as the only net contributors to the British Treasury, the English will pay back the loans that the British government, under the leadership of a Scottish Prime Minister and Scottish Chancellor, took out to pay the bills.
When the Scottish Chancellor of the British Exchequer bailed out the Halifax Bank of Scotland, he personally intervened to protect jobs in Scotland at the expense of jobs in England. The HBOS head office is, of course, in Edinburgh where Alistair Darling's constituency is.
The Labour government, of which David Wright was a member (assistant whip in the Treasury), supported HBOS' anti-English policy of sacking people in England to protect jobs in Scotland. They also stood by while RBS followed HBOS' lead and cut jobs in England to protect jobs in Scotland.
While RBS is cutting 500 jobs in Telford (and another 3,000 elsewhere in England) they have pledged not to cut any jobs in Scotland. Not only that, but they are actually creating jobs in Greenock and Edinburgh in Scotland.
Is RBS being fair to their workers in Telford, sacking 500 people in the town and another 3,000 people in England so they can increase the number of people they employ in Scotland? I don't think that's very fair and I think David Wright is a hypocrite for complaining about the RBS policy of sacking English people to protect Scottish jobs when his government not only condoned, but actively supported, exactly this policy for Scottish banks.
If anyone should be demanding anything, it's the workers at RBS Credit Management in Telford (some of whom I used to work with in the very same building prior to the RBS takeover of NatWest) who should be demanding that their MP stands up for the country he was elected in, for an enquiry into Alistair Darling's dereliction of his duty and legal obligation as a British Minister to treat all citizens equally and for a judicial review of HBOS and RBS' policy of racial discrimination.
David Wright said:
This is a shocking announcement and my thoughts are with the employees of RBS and their families.When David Wright says "the public" bailed out RBS, what he means is "the English taxpayer". Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland get more money from the Treasury than they pay in taxes, only the English pay more in taxes than they get back from the British Treasury.
The public stumped up the cash to save this bank and this is a kick in the teeth. I am now seeking a meeting with senior RBS management.
If rumours RBS jobs are going abroad are true then it is a disgrace. The bank needs to stop spending millions on sports sponsorship and protect jobs in the UK.
The money that bailed out RBS and all the other Scottish banks was English money and as the only net contributors to the British Treasury, the English will pay back the loans that the British government, under the leadership of a Scottish Prime Minister and Scottish Chancellor, took out to pay the bills.
When the Scottish Chancellor of the British Exchequer bailed out the Halifax Bank of Scotland, he personally intervened to protect jobs in Scotland at the expense of jobs in England. The HBOS head office is, of course, in Edinburgh where Alistair Darling's constituency is.
The Labour government, of which David Wright was a member (assistant whip in the Treasury), supported HBOS' anti-English policy of sacking people in England to protect jobs in Scotland. They also stood by while RBS followed HBOS' lead and cut jobs in England to protect jobs in Scotland.
While RBS is cutting 500 jobs in Telford (and another 3,000 elsewhere in England) they have pledged not to cut any jobs in Scotland. Not only that, but they are actually creating jobs in Greenock and Edinburgh in Scotland.
Is RBS being fair to their workers in Telford, sacking 500 people in the town and another 3,000 people in England so they can increase the number of people they employ in Scotland? I don't think that's very fair and I think David Wright is a hypocrite for complaining about the RBS policy of sacking English people to protect Scottish jobs when his government not only condoned, but actively supported, exactly this policy for Scottish banks.
If anyone should be demanding anything, it's the workers at RBS Credit Management in Telford (some of whom I used to work with in the very same building prior to the RBS takeover of NatWest) who should be demanding that their MP stands up for the country he was elected in, for an enquiry into Alistair Darling's dereliction of his duty and legal obligation as a British Minister to treat all citizens equally and for a judicial review of HBOS and RBS' policy of racial discrimination.
Monday, October 05, 2009
It's not our job to fix the Welsh government's bad decisions
The NHS in Shropshire is proposing to cut A&E and acute paediatric services in Telford's Princess Royal Hospital to save money.
David Wright, the MP for the Telford constituency, has launched a "Say no to Shrewsbury" campaign calling for cuts to be made at Shrewsbury rather than Telford which has prompted Daniel Kawczynski, the MP for the Shrewsbury & Atcham constituency, to campaign for the cuts to be made at Telford instead. Daniel Kawczynski has even tried to enlist the help of Rhoddri Morgan, the First Minister of Wales, because patients from Mid Wales would be inconvenienced by cuts to the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital.
The suggestion that one hospital can cope with all A&E and acute paediatric referrals is ridiculous in itself but to suggest that they should be centralised in Shrewsbury when Telford has the largest and fastest growing population in the county is unbelievable.
What is best for Shropshire is for the services to stay at both hospitals or for a new hostpial to be built between Shrewsbury and Telford. But if there is a requirement to centralise services then they should be centralised in Telford, not in Shrewsbury.
The problem with this suggestion, though, is that it inconveniences patients from Mid Wales who don't have a local Welsh hospital. The NHS in Shropshire has cited this as a reason to keep services in Shrewsbury and the Daniel Kawczynski MP has also used it as an excuse to keep services at the hospital in his constituency.
And this is the problem with so-called English MPs - they aren't English MPs at all, they are British MPs. On balance, taking into account the interests of patients from Mid Wales, it makes most sense to keep services at Shrewsbury and it is the interests of those Welsh patients that Daniel Kawczynski is taking into account and using as leverage to save services at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital.
But the people of Shrewsbury & Atcham elected Daniel to represent their interests, not the interests of Welsh people. In Wales they elect Welsh Assembly Members to deal with health as it's a devolved area and it is the Welsh government that has a responsibility to provide adequate health care in Wales, not the British government and not the NHS in Shropshire.
I'm not suggesting for a moment that someone from outside of Shropshire should be refused treatment at any of our Shropshire hospitals but there is a difference between treating someone from another English county, whose health provision is the responsibility of the same government that our own is in Shropshire and treating someone from another country whose health provision is the responsibility of another government - one that, crucially, is funded separately to the English NHS and given more money from the British Treasury to provide services.
This isn't a case of sour grapes or being anti-Welsh, it's simply that the provision of health services to Welsh people is the responsibility of the Welsh government and if services do need to be cut in Shropshire then those cuts should be made in such a way that it provides the least detriment to the people of Shropshire. If it leaves the Welsh with worse health provision then I'm afraid it is up to the Welsh people to petition the Welsh government to invest some of their health budget in building a hospital in Mid Wales.
The Welsh people asked for their own government and they got it. They have to live with the consequences of that decision and one of those consequences is that they can't keep relying on the English to pick up the pieces when their government makes the wrong decision. Not investing in health care in Mid Wales was a bad decision but fixing the consequences of that bad decision is up to the Welsh government, not the NHS in Shropshire.
David Wright, the MP for the Telford constituency, has launched a "Say no to Shrewsbury" campaign calling for cuts to be made at Shrewsbury rather than Telford which has prompted Daniel Kawczynski, the MP for the Shrewsbury & Atcham constituency, to campaign for the cuts to be made at Telford instead. Daniel Kawczynski has even tried to enlist the help of Rhoddri Morgan, the First Minister of Wales, because patients from Mid Wales would be inconvenienced by cuts to the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital.
The suggestion that one hospital can cope with all A&E and acute paediatric referrals is ridiculous in itself but to suggest that they should be centralised in Shrewsbury when Telford has the largest and fastest growing population in the county is unbelievable.
What is best for Shropshire is for the services to stay at both hospitals or for a new hostpial to be built between Shrewsbury and Telford. But if there is a requirement to centralise services then they should be centralised in Telford, not in Shrewsbury.
The problem with this suggestion, though, is that it inconveniences patients from Mid Wales who don't have a local Welsh hospital. The NHS in Shropshire has cited this as a reason to keep services in Shrewsbury and the Daniel Kawczynski MP has also used it as an excuse to keep services at the hospital in his constituency.
And this is the problem with so-called English MPs - they aren't English MPs at all, they are British MPs. On balance, taking into account the interests of patients from Mid Wales, it makes most sense to keep services at Shrewsbury and it is the interests of those Welsh patients that Daniel Kawczynski is taking into account and using as leverage to save services at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital.
But the people of Shrewsbury & Atcham elected Daniel to represent their interests, not the interests of Welsh people. In Wales they elect Welsh Assembly Members to deal with health as it's a devolved area and it is the Welsh government that has a responsibility to provide adequate health care in Wales, not the British government and not the NHS in Shropshire.
I'm not suggesting for a moment that someone from outside of Shropshire should be refused treatment at any of our Shropshire hospitals but there is a difference between treating someone from another English county, whose health provision is the responsibility of the same government that our own is in Shropshire and treating someone from another country whose health provision is the responsibility of another government - one that, crucially, is funded separately to the English NHS and given more money from the British Treasury to provide services.
This isn't a case of sour grapes or being anti-Welsh, it's simply that the provision of health services to Welsh people is the responsibility of the Welsh government and if services do need to be cut in Shropshire then those cuts should be made in such a way that it provides the least detriment to the people of Shropshire. If it leaves the Welsh with worse health provision then I'm afraid it is up to the Welsh people to petition the Welsh government to invest some of their health budget in building a hospital in Mid Wales.
The Welsh people asked for their own government and they got it. They have to live with the consequences of that decision and one of those consequences is that they can't keep relying on the English to pick up the pieces when their government makes the wrong decision. Not investing in health care in Mid Wales was a bad decision but fixing the consequences of that bad decision is up to the Welsh government, not the NHS in Shropshire.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
St Georges Day in Telford
UKIP Telford & Wrekin
Celebrating St Georges Day
on the evening of the 23rd April
at
The Telford White House Hotel
Watling Street
Wellington
Telford
TF1 2NJ
Tickets £12.50 each
Arrival 7.00 – 7.15 Meal 7.30pm
Ends around 10.30pm
Brass Band
Meal
Fish & Chips and Mushy Peas
Apple Pie
This is the time to sing along let your hair down and have fun.
More importantly Fly the Flag
Please forward a cheque payable:
UKIP Telford & Wrekin
c/o Holly Cottage
30 The Fields
Kynnersley
Telford
Shropshire
TF6 6ED
Sunday, April 06, 2008
St Georges Day Concert in Telford
I had a call from Councillor Pat Smart today offering me a pair of tickets for the Hadley & Leegomery St Georges Day concert.
Unfortunately, I had to decline as it's on the 26th and I will be in London at the CEP Conference.
If you can't make it to the CEP Conference on the 26th but would still like to celebrate St Georges Day, you might like to attend the concert in Telford instead.
Details are here.
Unfortunately, I had to decline as it's on the 26th and I will be in London at the CEP Conference.
If you can't make it to the CEP Conference on the 26th but would still like to celebrate St Georges Day, you might like to attend the concert in Telford instead.
Details are here.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
St Georges Day Concert
Despite the borough ignoring St Georges Day, Hadley Parish Council are holding a St Georges Day concert.
Details are as follows:
Hadley Methodist Church, 7.30pm, Saturday, 26th April.
Featuring:
Shropshire Male Chorus,(formerly GKN Sankey MVC)
Wrekin & Telford Choral Society
Brass Roots
Michael Davey (Organ)
Among the dignatories will be
The Mayor of Telford & Wrekin (Councillor Miles Hoskins)
The Mayor of Wellington (Councillor Denis Allen)
Mr. Mark Pritchard M.P. who will give a very short talk on St. George
A representative of Hadley & Leegomery Parish Council
The evening will open with the National Anthem and conclude at approx. 9.30pm with Jerusalem.
Tickets £4.00, or 3 for £10.00
Free Programme
This event is growing in popularity and tickets will be available on the door. Pre-booking can be arranged by telephoning Pat Smart on 01952 254809
Details are as follows:
Hadley Methodist Church, 7.30pm, Saturday, 26th April.
Featuring:
Shropshire Male Chorus,(formerly GKN Sankey MVC)
Wrekin & Telford Choral Society
Brass Roots
Michael Davey (Organ)
Among the dignatories will be
The Mayor of Telford & Wrekin (Councillor Miles Hoskins)
The Mayor of Wellington (Councillor Denis Allen)
Mr. Mark Pritchard M.P. who will give a very short talk on St. George
A representative of Hadley & Leegomery Parish Council
The evening will open with the National Anthem and conclude at approx. 9.30pm with Jerusalem.
Tickets £4.00, or 3 for £10.00
Free Programme
This event is growing in popularity and tickets will be available on the door. Pre-booking can be arranged by telephoning Pat Smart on 01952 254809
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Telford won't be marking St Georges Day
Telford & Wrekin have confirmed that they will not be marking St Georges Day again this year.
I spoke to them today to find out what they were planning after hearing a couple of councillors at the recent Telford & Wrekin Question Time event saying how pleased they were to be marking Chinese New Year and Holocaust Day assuming, somewhat naïvely, that they would be extending the same courtesy to the 95 or so percent of the population of the borough that's English.
But no, there will be no borough-wide events. The only event they know of is Hadley Parish Council's annual St Georges Day dinner which will be attended by the mayor. Which isn't really good enough is it?
I was told that because Telford is a multi-national town they would have to celebrate every patron saint to keep everybody happy but as I pointed out, there are only four patron saints in the UK and as we're in England there's only one that matters. I also pointed out that regardless of whether they are white, black or asian, most people living in Telford will consider themselves English.
I've asked for my comments to be passed on to the Leader, Andrew Eade, but I may pre-empt it with a phone call this evening. It's a little disappointing after Andrew got off to such a good start by taking down the EU flag and replacing it with the Cross of St George when he took over as leader last year.
I spoke to them today to find out what they were planning after hearing a couple of councillors at the recent Telford & Wrekin Question Time event saying how pleased they were to be marking Chinese New Year and Holocaust Day assuming, somewhat naïvely, that they would be extending the same courtesy to the 95 or so percent of the population of the borough that's English.
But no, there will be no borough-wide events. The only event they know of is Hadley Parish Council's annual St Georges Day dinner which will be attended by the mayor. Which isn't really good enough is it?
I was told that because Telford is a multi-national town they would have to celebrate every patron saint to keep everybody happy but as I pointed out, there are only four patron saints in the UK and as we're in England there's only one that matters. I also pointed out that regardless of whether they are white, black or asian, most people living in Telford will consider themselves English.
I've asked for my comments to be passed on to the Leader, Andrew Eade, but I may pre-empt it with a phone call this evening. It's a little disappointing after Andrew got off to such a good start by taking down the EU flag and replacing it with the Cross of St George when he took over as leader last year.
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