Medway Matters March 3rd 2014
They're not listening……..again!
3rd March 2014
I am becoming increasingly concerned over the failure of the Tory-run Medway Council to listen to Medway people who have genuine concerns on a variety of matters of significant importance. These include objections to the setting aside a sum of £4.4m for the further development of Rochester Airport by building an 'all-weather' tarmac runway for the benefit of the privileged few instead of repairing dangerous potholes in Medway's roads for the benefit of the many.
I am dismayed at the contempt which Tory councillors displayed towards protestors at a recent full council meeting when they denied them the opportunity to put their questions to portfolio-holders which had been submitted in advance in accordance with the council's requirements. One Tory councillor even went so far as to say, "Consultations are for telling people of the decisions that have been made and not for the purpose of working together towards reaching a decision." So much for democracy!
A classic example of the foregoing is the council's decision to move Strood Library without consulting the Strood library users at all.
Tony Jeacock Cert PFS
Campaign Committee Chairman
Medway Liberal Democrats
Medway's University Technical College (UTC):
3rd March 2014
I am delighted that at last, a site has been chosen on which to build the long-overdue UTC for Medway. It took an awful lot of people a very long time to acknowledge the skills shortages in many technical and artisan trades, having instead encouraged students to go down the academic route to university to study subjects which, upon graduation, often tended to be of little value or use when seeking meaningful employment.
I very much look forward to seeing the first students commencing their training and succeeding in bringing much needed skills to Medway. Such an establishment should have been introduced in or immediately after 1984 when that once highly skilled establishment, Chatham Dockyard, a brilliant place of trade-training and learning as well as large-scale employment was closed down by the government of Margaret Thatcher.
But of course, we all know why successive Tory and Labour governments encouraged so very many young people to go down the academic route to university, after having already extended their time in full-time education don't we. It was mostly to massage the unemployment figures that would otherwise have been millions greater as a result of Thatcher's Tory government's decimation of Britain's manufacturing base. Britain and Medway in particular have got such a lot to thank the Conservatives for, I think not! But since the Liberal Democrats have been in government, over a million new apprenticeships have been started, leading to much needed real jobs.
Tony Jeacock Cert PFS
Campaign Committee Chairman
Medway Liberal Democrats
Medway Budget Concerns:
(3rd March 2014)
Having attended the recent budget speeches at full council, my alarm bells began ringing around the question of 'accountability'.
When the Financial Services Authority (FSA) was introduced by Labour to regulate the financial services industry, I asked the question, "Who will regulate the regulator?" The fact is, no-one regulated the FSA; it was a law unto itself, failing miserably in its remit, particularly in effectively regulating the banking sector. However, those at the top of the FSA succeeded in awarding themselves big fat bonuses in much the same way as did bankers……..for FAILURE!
With the advent of 'performance-related' pay for employees of Medway Council, where individual skills and departments are in themselves diverse, I am moved to question, "Who is going to determine the criteria by which 'performance' is to be measured?"
Line managers will doubtless be called upon to make individual recommendations, but what happens within departments where there is no full-time line manager (of which there are a number)? There are currently departments with 'locum' managers in temporary post. How are they supposed to get to know team members sufficiently well over a limited period of time to be able to gauge their 'performance' fairly?
Maybe the responsibility will be passed to an in-situ line manager of another department, or someone higher up the chain, either of which would be even further remote from the employee being 'performance' assessed.
Knowing how this Conservative council is determined to cut, cut and cut again and that Medway Council employees have undergone a wages-freeze for a number of years whilst the cost of living has continued to rise, council employees are potentially in line for being stuffed every which way yet again. And all while £4.4m is set to one side for the further redevelopment of RochesterAirport for the benefit of the privileged few.
Tony Jeacock Cert PFS
Campaign Committee Chairman
Medway Liberal Democrats
European Tension:
(3rd March 2014)
No! I am not talking about the EU on this occasion.
As if, (as an ex-military serviceman), I was not already greatly concerned about the 20/20 cutbacks in our military strength and capability, what is now happening in the Ukraine gives me even greater cause for concern.
With so many unpredictable political leaders in the world (some of whom are doubtless unstable), it is my view that our government should not even consider the prospect of weakening our conventional military strength through premature redundancies and completely disbanding a number of military front-line units. I cannot believe we are pulling out of European bases whilst we have a Russian administration still beset with paranoia.
I do not believe these cutbacks are based upon a new or well-founded military strategy as suggested by the Tory Defence Secretary, Mr. Hammond. They are all about cost-cutting! Furthermore, with the Territorial Army (now known as the 'Army Reserve') having been signifcantly under-manned for a number of years, I believe it is 'pie-in-the-sky' to believe that the Army Reserve will become sufficiently manned to make up for the shortfall in manpower being brought about within the Regular Army through these scheduled redundancies and cut-backs.
Admittedly, the previous Labour government created a massive defence budget black hole, spending money we had not got on what would appear to have been the wrong equipment.
The current 'cut-back' mind set seems not too dissimilar to that of governments between World Wars I and II. Look at what our military position was at the beginning of WWII. It was at least as bad, if not worse than our state of unreadiness at the outbreak of WWI. (Equate Labour's budgetary 'black-hole' to the expenditure on World War I). I suggest that had we maintained a proper state of readiness after WWI, then WWII might not have happened, or at least, had it happened it would have been very short-lived, with no Dunkirk evacuation and instead, a very early British/French total victory.
This must put the Foreign & Commonwealth Secretary William Hague at a significant disadvantage when entering the world's negotiating stage, especially when dealing with the regime of President Vladimir Putin for example?
It seems to me that we are now falsely occupying a 'P5' position at the UN and that we have little, if any influence on what will happen to the Ukraine. There is the very real danger in my view, of returning to a 'Cold War' situation yet again, but this time with nothing of substance to militarily support our position. Wake up Westminster and look to Winston!
Tony Jeacock Cert PFS
Campaign Committee Chairman
Medway Liberal Democrats
Decision time is looming……………..
(3rd March 2014)
Make no mistake, whatever happens on 22nd May will affect you directly - so make sure you have your say by going out to vote - but know what you are voting for!
- Do you want Medway to develop and prosper?
- Do you want the UK economy to grow and prosper?
If your answer to both is YES! then be sure to take the right road to prosperity.
The UK economy benefits from the Single Market by £90b each year, at a net annual cost of just £5.85b, or 0.87% of public spending.
Medway Council is the leader in the UK, with more involvement in EU projects than any other council in the country. And Medway LibDems are delighted that the council has helped local organisations access £1.85m of European Social Funds, while £1.33m has supported the council in delivering services.
3.5 million British jobs are reliant on the EU's Single Market, over 14,000 jobs of which are here in Medway alone. And 50% of British trade - worth £450billion a year is with other EU member states.
More than 100,000 UK firms export to other EU countries - 94,000 of these are small and medium entrepreneurs, (SME's) which are vital for British jobs and further economic growth.
Yet UKIP and many right-wing Tory MP's claim we could and should pull out of Europe and trade instead, using World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules, recklessly throwing away the aforementioned benefits and more. Even the Director General of the WTO has warned that Britain may risk losing influence in trade negotiations if it were to quit the EU.
That is why it is so vital to vote Liberal Democrat in the forthcoming European election on 22nd May. The Lib Dems are the only major British political party that is wholly committed to remaining in the EU and fighting for the many needed changes from within, rather than shouting and being ignored from the sidelines.
I and my fellow Medway LibDem activists are IN, but we need your help and support too!
Tony Jeacock Cert PFS
Campaign Committee Chairman
Medway Liberal Democrats
Medway Liberal Democrats EU Campaign Dinner
For anyone who has not yet applied to attend the above dinner, I would remind you that the venue is the River Valley Golf Club at Upchurch, near Sittingbourne, on Saturday 29th March at 19:30 hours. The cost is £22.50p per head for a splendid three-course dinner followed by two excellent speakers in South East Region Lib Dem MEP Catherine Bearder and prospective MEP candidate, Antony Hook. There will be a raffle during the evening, raffle prize donations would be much appreciated. The venue is limited to a maximum of 130 guests and you have until Wednesday 5th March to respond to: Tony Jeacock
Social Secretary
Medway Liberal Democrats
52, Danson Way, Rainham, Kent ME8 7ER
01634 268328