PMQs in a nutshell, 4 September 2024

Wednesday saw the first Prime Minister’s Question Time of the post-recess session. The in-house video is here and the Hansard transcript here (search page for ‘Engagements’). MailPlus subscribers can read Quentin Letts’ Parliamentary sketch here; other media comment is widely available.

The PM opened with references to the Olympics and Paralympics, the asylum seekers who drowned in the English Channel on Tuesday and the report released today on the Grenfell tower blaze.

He agreed with Bill Esterson (L) that more should be done about mental health and suicide prevention, pledging to recruit more mental health staff and to modernise the Mental Health Act 1983.

The Opposition leader Rishi Sunak tackled the PM on the decision to withdraw the Winter Fuel Allowance (later citing the scrapping of additional cost of living support) while increasing pay for train drivers and some other unionised workers. The PM countered with the ‘£22 billion black hole’ in public finances and ‘absolute chaos’ bequeathed by the outgoing Tories; he promised to help pensioners claim pension credit (which would qualify them for the allowance) and to align housing benefit and pension credit; he said the pensions ‘triple lock’ was projected to increase the State Pension by over £1,000 in the next five years. The two gentlemen sparred over the economic record of the last Government.

Mr Sunak then asked why Labour had suspended 30 licences to export arms to Israel at a time when Hamas still held 101 Israeli hostages and had just murdered six others. The PM said the decision followed legal guidance set down in 2021; while he wished to cooperate with the US they have a differen legal framework. Starmer spoke of the need for a ceasefire as well as the release of hostages; he accepted Israel’s right to self-defence.

Lloyd Hatton (L) welcomed the closure of the Bibby Stockholm barge that had held asylum seekers, and asked the PM to close down other ‘unworkable gimmicks.’ The PM agreed and referred to the recent launch of the border security force and we legislation being prepared to introduce counter-terrorism powers to tackle people-smuggling gangs.

The Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey re-raised the matter of the Winter Fuel Allowance; the PM again cited the £22 billion ‘black hole’ and the need to take tough decisions to restabilise the economy. Starmer supported the LibDem campaign for more urgent action to invest in insulation and renewables to help pensioners battle cold, and repeated the pension measures he had mentioned to Mr Sunak.

Yasmin Qureshi (L) asked about the long-running campaign to review harm done by hormone pregnancy tests. The PM expressed sympathy and said the DHSS was reviewing a publication from Professor Danielsson and the Government would follow the results of that review.

Gavin Robinson (DUP) urged the need to uplift the national security grant afforded to the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) for the protection of its officers. The PM said it was for the Justice Minister and the Executive to set the PSNI’s budget and the Chief Constable to decide how to allocate resources, but he had been talking to the Chief Constable about possible further support.

Emma Foody (Lab/Co-op) raised the matter of the extortionate resales of Oasis music band tickets; the PM said he was starting a consultation about the practice.

Harriet Cross (C) asked about the impact of proposed windfall tax increases on North Sea energy exploration. The PM referred to the Government’s commitment to transition to renewable energy while recognising that oil and gas would play their part for many years yet, and invited her and other MPs to celebrate that ‘contracts for difference’ had just secured ‘a record 131 new clean energy projects—enough to power 11 million homes—and they are the jobs of the future.’

Luke Charters (L) urged the speeding up of the planning process to get more homes built. The PM agreed and used this opportunity to remind the House of Labour’s plan to build 1.5 million new homes.

Alistair Carmichael (LD) said that a wind farm in Shetland had been paid £2 million not to generate electricity while his constituents suffered from fuel poverty; should there not be an ‘islands tariff’ for their benefit? The PM said he would make sure that a relevant Minister spoke to Mr Carmichael.

Peter Prinsley (L) asked that hospitals affected by ‘reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete’ (RAAC) be prioritised in the Government’s review of the new hospital programme. The PM agreed and said the Secretary of State would update Parliament as soon as possible.

Peter Wishart (SNP) asked why the PM had declined in popularity - was it ‘attacks on the pensioners’, child poverty, Labour cronyism or austerity? The PM noted how few SNP Members were now in the House and said he needed ‘no lectures on popularity and winning elections.’

Ashley Dalton (L) welcomed the scrapping of Ofsted’s single-word judgments on schools. How did the PM envisage a more positive relationship between Ofsted, Government and schools, and improving standards? The PM reaffirmed his commitment to the best education for all children and said that there would be a ‘richer dashboard’ for assessing school performance.

Rebecca Paul (C) also raised the matter of the Winter Fuel Allowance and the pension credit cutoff point, asking whether the PM could broaden eligibility for the allowance. The PM rehearsed points he had made earlier.

Deirdre Costigan raised the problem of crime and street drinking in town centres. The PM replied ‘We will put more police on the streets, have more effective powers to deal with antisocial behaviour, and introduce Young Futures programmes to divert young people who are getting into trouble.’

Sir Ashley Fox (C) urged the priority rebuilding of Haygrove School in Bridgwater and other structurally unsafe schools built by Caledonian Modular. The PM said the Education Minister would visit Haygrove and the Department for Education was pursuing all available avenues for redress.

Shaun Davies (L) described how public services and funding in Telford had dwindled. The PM replied ‘we will have local growth plans, improved public services and investment in transport links.’ He also said ‘we will devolve power to those with skin in the game,’ a reference to Labour’s ‘Change’ scheme for greater local democracy.

Tim Farron (LD) cited fatal accidents on the A66 road in Westmorland and was ‘concerned that the vital A66 northern trans-Pennine project, which would make the roads considerably safer’ was now under review. The PM appreciated the problem there and on other roads but said Labour had inherited a ‘broken economy’ and would report back on that review as soon as possible.

Gurinder Josan (L) asked about young people and knife crime. The PM said Labour’s mission was to halve knife crime and was doing a rapid review of the online sale of knives.

Dame Karen Bradley (C) asked the PM to guarantee that the ‘beautiful’ Staffordshire Moorlands ‘will not be forced into a devolution deal or local government reorganisation against our will?’ The PM said it was very important that local people have a say, but it was ‘equally important that we devolve to those who have skin in the game… those with skin in the game [needed to] take the decisions that are relevant to them and their area.’ [He did not clarify here the distinction between ‘local people’ and those with ‘skin in the game’ (a phrase he used three times in this session.)]

Crossposted from Wolves of Westminster

FRIDAY MUSIC: Showaddywaddy, by JD

Couple of weeks ago I was In Morrison's wandering up and down the aisles and their background music was "Under the moon of love" by Showaddywaddy. And there seemed to be a lot of shoppers singing along with the record (including me!)

So here they are providing a cheerful antidote to the mad world outside!

Showaddywaddy are a 1970s pop group from Leicester, England. They specialised in revivals of hit songs from the 1950s, and dressed as Teddy Boys.

The band was formed in 1973 by the amalgamation of two groups, The Choice and The Hammers. This led to an eight member band, with the unusual feature of having two vocalists, a couple of drummers and two bassists. Their first single, "Hey Rock and Roll" (written by the band), was released in April 1974. It reached number two in the UK Singles Chart. Showaddywaddy then went on to have a further 22 UK hits (23 if Hey Rock 'n' Roll is included) from this point until late 1982.

They had most of their biggest hits with covers of songs from the 1950s and the early 1960s. These cover versions included "Three Steps to Heaven" (originally by Eddie Cochran in 1960), "Heartbeat" (originally written and recorded by Buddy Holly), "Under the Moon of Love" (originally a U.S. hit for Curtis Lee in 1961 and co-written by Tommy Boyce), "When" (originally by the Kalin Twins), "You Got What It Takes" (originally by Marv Johnson) and "Dancin' Party" (originally by Chubby Checker). The above six singles were all produced by Mike Hurst (a former member of The Springfields, who had also previously produced Cat Stevens).

https://www.showaddywaddy.net/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Showaddywaddy

Showaddywaddy - Blue Moon 1980

Showaddywaddy - I Wonder Why, TOTP 25/12/1978

Showaddywaddy - Under The Moon Of Love • TopPop

Showaddywaddy - Remember Then (Top of the Pops, 29/03/1979) [TOTP HD]

Showaddywaddy - Dancin' Party/I Wonder Why/Hey Rock n Roll on The Knees Up plus play-out

About Jess Phillips' 'two-tier NHS' story

In a widely-reported story, Jess Phillips MP says she received preferential hospital treatment from a Palestinian doctor partly because she had voted for a ceasefire in Gaza last year.

In my view the ‘media’ has seized on the wrong aspect. What Ms Phillips is doing is fighting the next General Election. What should have been a predictably rock-solid majority in her Birmingham Yardley constituency two months ago was nearly wiped out altogether by a newcomer who is a white Muslim convert.

The challenger ignored Phillips’ 2023 ceasefire vote (and her subsequent resignation from Labour’s Opposition front bench) and craftily drew attention to her continuing membership of Labour Friends of Israel:

At the count there were fewer than 700 votes between Phillips and McIntyre.

Admittedly this was on a low turnout, and as a 2022 Parliamentary briefing on political disengagement noted ‘People from minority ethnic groups were less likely to be registered to vote, turnout to vote and be elected.’ However now that minorities have seen that their ballot can make a difference they may be more likely to take part.

There will be much more of this in the years to come. ‘The UK's share of Muslims in the population could rise from 6.3 percent in 2016 to 17.2 percent by 2050.’

If there were a fresh General Election now we might see a defeat for Phillips, not only because of Muslim voting momentum but also on account of Sir Keir Starmer’s lamentable first few weeks as Prime Minister. Many of the 20.2% of the electorate that gave him a thumping Parliamentary majority must be experiencing buyer’s remorse already. How long has he got? How long has she got?

FRIDAY MUSIC: Daniel Lanois, by JD

Daniel Lanois is a French/Canadian record producer as well as being a singer/songwriter in his own right. He has produced records for Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Peter Gabriel, U2 and many others.

I first became aware of him after hearing him sing Jolie Louise on the soundtrack of the TV series Northern Exposure during the early 90s. The incidental music in the show was a very eclectic mix and was chosen to fit in with and reflect the storylines. I later bought his first solo albums, Acadie, and it was worth every penny especially the song 'The Maker' (Last video below) Acadie has its own Wiki page for some reason, I'm not sure why but it is in fact very informative.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Lanois
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acadie_(album)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Exposure

Daniel Lanois Black Dub Live at Michele Clark's Sunset Sessions

Jolie Louise - Daniel Lanois - French and English subtitles.mp4

DANIEL LANOIS - Lotta Love To Give (Video)

Daniel Lanois - Acadie (Unreleased)

Willie Nelson, Daniel Lanois, Emmylou Harris - The Maker

Starmer's Coup

New New Labour has only been running for six weeks, four of them on holiday, but it looks as though it is on a mission to piss-off as many sectors of the British population as possible.

Here are some:

• Pensioners - no winter fuel allowance except for those on income support
• The rich - reportedly planning to leave the country
• Parents (not all of them rich) putting their children through private education
• Drivers - facing more 20 mph zones (which will also increase CO2 emissions per mile)
• Smokers and vapers - facing more outdoor bans (no mention of cannabis users?)
• Homeowners - facing rises in council tax or some other property-related cash grab
• Residents in areas where more armies of dangerous young men are foisted on them under the guise of asylum seekers (and the asylum-granted)
• Those (and it will be many) who will be affected by Starmer’s new bilateral treaty with Germany’s ‘bomb ze Russians’ Scholz
• Everyone facing the planned proliferation of quangocrats, mayors and other high-handed gauleiters

… have I missed anything?

It reminds me of wacko comedians Rik Mayall and Ade Edmondson when they talk about ‘running into off-licences and seeing how much we can drink before the police arrive.’ 

Does the Change Labour team feel it is on limited time?

Or is this a rerun of Covidian arrogance - ‘let’s see what we can make the people do?’

Starmer has had validation from only 20.2% of the electorate, but the whole democratic system means nothing to an autocrat. It’s game on, between the people and the new Lord Protector:

In January 2023, Emily Maitlis asked Labour Party leader Keir Starmer, ‘You have to choose now between Davos or Westminster?’

Starmer replied, ‘Davos… Westminster is just a tribal shouting place.’

FRIDAY MUSIC: Merle Haggard, by JD

Merle Haggard will forever be remembered as a true American treasure whose work often reflected his complicated life – his problems with the law, five marriages, six children and the complexities a life in the music business yielded.

Inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1994, they said about him:
“Merle Haggard stands, with the arguable exception of Hank William, as the single most influential singer-songwriter in country music history.”

Upon his death, The New York Times agreed: “In Mr. Haggard’s case the sound defined a body of work as indelibly as that of any country singer since Hank Williams.”
Rolling Stone said Haggard: “composed and performed one of the greatest repertoires in country music, capturing the American condition with his stories of the poor, the lost, the working class, heartbroken and hard-living.”

And also at that time, The Tennessean called Haggard “the working man’s poet, an architect of the Bakersfield Sound and a fiercely independent artist who influenced country music like few others.”

Needless to say, much has been written about the importance of the singer-songwriter. But If nothing had ever been reported about Haggard and we only had his music, we would still know the man, his loves, his pains, his demons and his life.
https://merlehaggard.com/pages/biography

Merle Haggard - New San Antionio Rose (Live)

Are the Good Times Really Over (I Wish a Buck Was Still Silver)

Merle Haggard & Willie Nelson "Okie from Muskogee"

Merle Haggard: "Sing Me Back Home"

Merle Haggard "Silver Wings"

Has Boris Johnson lost his mind?

Writing in today’s Daily Mail Boris Johnson says Starmer should stop ‘pussyfooting around’ and let ‘heroic’ Ukraine use British Storm Shadow missiles inside Russian territory. Apparently they are ‘bunker busters.’

Speaking of which, does Johnson have a bunker underneath his Oxfordshire home? He may need it, since Russia has made clear it reserves the right to retaliate against third parties who lend their military resources to Ukraine. Does Boris’ first-class brain comprehend what he and his Green Goddess will face when they finally open the airtight hatch and climb out into an ashen landscape?

Or will he and his family be on a plane halfway to New Zealand when the ‘99 red balloons’ go by? They have no bolt-hole there yet, as far as I know.

By contrast, Rishi already has a second home in California, having signed a perilous ten-year 'security agreement’ with Zelensky in January, warned of nuclear escalation in May and, allegedly not wanting to be a war leader, called an early General Election he was certain to lose. The Sunaks will be okay, if they move in time.

It’s not just the British who have gone mad… or rogue: the G7 declared joint support for Ukraine a year ago, France signed a UK-style security agreement with Ukraine six months ago, and the US another in June.

It’s coordinated.

Do European leaders carry burner phones dedicated to messages from Washington, like husbands conducting furtive affairs?

Does the US think there will be no use of nuclear weapons in Europe? Or do its war planners believe the escalation will stop there and America will be safe?