Iain Wright

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nospam@example.com (Administrator) — Thu, 10 May 2012 12:43:00 +0100

People in Hartlepool will be aware that there have been local elections, and the result took place on Thursday evening. People will no doubt be thankful for a respite to the leaflets and knocks on doors from the candidates, although, I have to say, good elected representatives in Hartlepool and elsewhere make sure they are contactable not just at election time but all year round. For their part, candidates and their supporters will be pleased for a rest after many hours of campaigning. They will be spending much of May nursing their sore feet and bruised fingers and knuckles from knocking on so many doors and pushing so many leaflets through letterboxes.

I would like to pass on my congratulations to all those councillors who were elected on Thursday evening following the local elections. Particular congratulations must go to those councillors who were newly elected for the first time; I have to say, speaking from experience, that there is nothing to beat that sense of exhilaration, pride and honour after first being elected to serve your local community.

I recall vividly first been elected as a Councillor to the Rift House Ward something like ten years ago and will never forget the enormous sense of pride and honour. Ill particularly remember two things from that election count. First, my wife Tiffiny was pregnant with our daughter Hattie at the time. She would give birth little over 2 months later. Ill try to be kind and diplomatic about this but it is difficult to be so: Tiff always was huge when carrying our children, and her enormous bump seemed to take up most of the Mill House Sports Hall. It certainly seemed to get in the way of Tiff acting as scrutineer, as she couldnt get close enough to the tables to see the votes being counted. I think thats me sleeping on the settee for the next few weeks. However she predicted the result better than I did after viewing the votes, so maybe she could get close enough.

The second thing I remember was the late, great Councillor Bill Iseley, who was making predictions about the results. I was elected in Rift House in a seat which Labour was not expected to keep at the time, with the narrowest of margins a majority of only 9 votes but Bill had called it wrong, and had marked me on his prediction sheet with a big red cross. Bill Iseley wasnt wrong on many things, but I was very glad he was wrong on that one. Im sure a lot of people wish he hadnt been.

The new council, when it takes office in a fortnights time, will need to hit the ground running and represent the voters with a greater determination than usual. The Council will have to face ever larger cuts to its budgets. People might think we have been through the difficult point of public spending cuts but, in many respects, it hasnt even begun yet. It is estimated that about only about 12 per cent of the Chancellors planned cuts to the public sector have yet been implemented, which means that the pain is about to get a huge lot worse. The talk at Westminster is that the Chancellor is battling with his Cabinet colleagues over the priority of spending cuts and, of course, with rising unemployment and a return to recession, the Treasury has to find more money to make up for lost tax revenues and rising benefit bills. Local government and northern councils at that will bear even more of a burden than was originally intended.

In the face of such a storm threatening to come our way, I would like to see councillors work together in unity for the good of Hartlepool and putting aside personal and ideological animosities. I say that more in hope than in judgment, and I am concerned that some wish to criticise our town rather than offer constructive opinions, but in the face of impending financial, economic and social difficulties, I hope that the Council will be a united and effective challenger to the cuts in budgets that are coming our way.

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nospam@example.com (Administrator) — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 12:49:00 +0000

By the time you read this, George Osborne, the Chancellor of the Exchequer will have delivered his Budget. People will be calculating how much extra the Chancellor has given and, very probably, how much more he has taken in the form of petrol duty, duty on beer or general tax. I will want to write about the Budget and what it means for Hartlepool next week.

In the meantime, however, I want to outline the terrifying and exhilarating experience I had at St Hilds School last week when I taught a lesson. This was as part of Teach First Week, in which the charity Teach First highlights the vital importance of teaching as a means of inspiring and motivating pupils to achieve their best.

I taught an English class and havent been as nervous about anything in a long time. I speak in public virtually every day and can do it without a great deal of trepidation, but last week before the lesson I was a bag of nerves. I think that was because pupils are somewhat unforgiving. I dont mean that in a critical sense, but with a belief that young people are curious but demand to see the relevance of a subject or situation. The job of a good teacher is to inspire and motivate the pupils to want to learn.

I was meant to be teaching Shakespeare, in particular Shylocks speech in The Merchant of Venice, and relating that to public speaking. Shakespeare often gets a bad press and is seen as boring, especially by kids having to learn it as part of GCSE, but actually he is interesting, gritty and very honest. Shakespeare is often just seen on the written page, and its arcane language can often, in cold print, seem impossible to understand. But if you see it as it was meant to be seen as a drama it is very easy to understand and relate to the characters. I showed students a clip of Al Pacino playing Shylock in the film version of The Merchant of Venice and, believe me, it is really powerful and dramatic its like watching Godfather Part II.

I also tried to show examples of great public speaking. I used three of the best Winston Churchill, John Kennedy and Barack Obama. The pupils thought that Obamas speech was the most engaging, possibly because it was the most modern, but were very astute in recognising the value of Churchills We shall fight them on the beaches speech. The use of repetition in remarks and short snappy phrases that Churchill employed were similar to the Shylock speech, and students picked that up really quickly. One girl in particular said of Churchill I thought he was speaking directly to me, which I thought showed remarkable sophistication and caught in a very simple phrase how Churchill was able to command such leadership and respect in the Second World War.

The ability to inspire and motivate young people is very important, and many, many teachers do that every day. We often forget that. We owe them a huge debt of gratitude. We also need organisations like Teach First to ensure that the brightest and best of our graduates go into our schools to help young people achieve their potential and learn about the world around them.

Mail Column

nospam@example.com (Administrator) — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 12:40:00 +0000

Recent reports in a national newspaper suggest that Hartlepool nuclear power station is under significant risk of flooding.

The language that the newspaper used was designed to cause alarm. Unpublished government reports obtained obviously illustrated that there was a huge conspiracy of silence from the establishment; all very cloak-and-dagger stuff.

Im afraid to have to reveal to you that newspapers often have their own agenda and want to sensationalise things in order to prove a point and sell papers.

The fact of the matter is a little more mundane than that. The information on flooding risk is well known, well established, well managed and well within the public domain. If you have a computer, Google the issue and you will see a list of industry and government documents about this issue.

The reality is that Hartlepool sits on the coast. There are issues to do with flood risk across the town because we are next to the North Sea and because of rising sea levels in the next century. It has to be said, however, that this risk has been identified and action has been put in place to manage the risk. A combination of extensive drainage systems, the sand dunes, (which apparently provide a natural and effective barrier to flood and storm risks) and concrete walls, avoids the sea from having direct contact with the power stations components. Again, this management of risk information is all in the public domain and available on the internet. On the subject of flood risk, therefore, this is not something new, it is not something which the authorities havent considered or are not controlling and, although the newspaper article seeks to raise alarm, there is significant cause for reassurance.

Where there is more cause for concern is the ongoing issue regarding a lost memory stick containing information relating to Hartlepools nuclear power station.

Last Thursday was Questions in the House of Commons to the Energy & Climate Change Secretary, the first ones since the new Secretary of State, Ed Davey, took office, and the first since the incident of the lost memory stick came to light.

I asked the new Secretary of State a question, looking him directly in the eye and requesting that he provided Parliament with an update on the situation.

Im afraid that the response wasnt convincing. The new Secretary of State looked baffled and had to turn to his more able Minister, Charles Hendry, to mouth: What is this about? before allowing Charles to answer in his place. It looks like the Secretary of State has not been briefed about this matter, which given its importance is very concerning. I have therefore asked another Written Parliamentary Question asking what meetings and briefings he has had about the matter.

Ive said before that the safety and security of the power station is of absolute importance. Anything which compromises that safety and security is a concern. Although the risk of flooding has been managed well, the data loss has not. I will continue to press for answers.

Mail Column

nospam@example.com (Administrator) — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 13:07:19 +0000

This part of the world, more perhaps than any other region of the country, knows the importance of making things. Our towns prosperity was built on manufacturing and engineering.

Our heritage of manufacturing and engineering shouldnt be consigned to a museum. Im not suggesting that things should stay the same, because in the fierce global competitive environment, that wont allow British and Hartlepudlian firms to prosper. But there is a very strong sense here that a thriving manufacturing sector designing, engineering, innovating and making real products and services that will be sold to the rest of the world is essential if we are to rebalance the British economy away from too few sectors and two few regions.

This week, Ed Miliband, the Labour Party leader, made an important and significant speech on the need for manufacturing. As the Shadow Minister for Manufacturing, this matter is obviously very important to me, largely because I see, as Hartlepools MP, the rich heritage and tremendous prospects that a thriving manufacturing sector could provide to this country. If we put manufacturing more at the heart of a rebalanced economy, our countrys prosperity would be more sustainable.

Ed mentioned in his speech, which has rightly received an awful lot of coverage, the need for the Government to start showing more pride and patriotism towards manufacturing and engineering in Britain. We have world class companies and British firms who can and do compete with anybody around the world, but as a country we often have a culture of failing to celebrate success. We shouldnt be embarrassed about stating we need more patriotism in our economic policy. This sort of patriotism, a pride in British excellence, is rooted in the belief that British firms can be world class and deserve the backing of government to allow them to compete. In many respects it is not just letting British firms have a level playing field, it is allowing them onto the pitch to compete in the first place.

What do I mean by this? Well, you may have seen reports in the last fortnight, in which the Royal Navy awarded a half a billion pounds contract for fuel tanker vessels to South Korea. The Government has explained this by stating that no British firms applied for the contract. The Defence Procurement Minister is reported to have said we dont build tankers in the UK.

How can you have a government backing British businesses to the hilt when you have that sort of attitude? Why on earth werent Ministers in the Department for Business working closely with shipbuilders and their supply chains to ensure that British firms were informed of events with any obstacles to tendering for contracts ironed out beforehand? A half a billion pounds contract has been lost to the UK, but many times that money will also be lost in possible job losses, unemployment benefit paid and the migration of skills overseas, skills we never see back in the UK.

Ed Milibands call for patriotism is not a call for protectionism or a way of propping up lame duck industries. It is, however, an important advance on the debate to ensure that the Government constantly backs British business in a joined up and co-ordinated way.

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nospam@example.com (Administrator) — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 12:33:00 +0000

In the House of Commons I asked for an urgent debate on unemployment in the North East.

The reason I did this is very simple: the situation regarding the number of jobless in the town and the wider North East region is starting to reach crisis levels. The figures published earlier this month show, as I pointed out to the House of Commons, that 4,633 Hartlepool people were out of work in January 2012. Last year the figure was 4,314 and five years ago the figure was 2,640. In the space of half a decade, the number of people out of work has jumped by over 75 per cent.

I called for a debate because I believe that this is the single biggest issue facing our town and the North East. I am due to make a speech in Sunderland on Friday to the Institute for Economic Development, and I will be making the same points there.

The statistics are stark. The unemployment rate in the North East is the highest in the country, at some 12 per cent of the workforce. The employment rate in the North East is the lowest in the country. The claimant count rate in the North East is the highest of any region. For every job vacancy in Hartlepool, almost 23 jobseekers are seeking to fill it, the highest ratio anywhere in the country.

It is little wonder that this week, a young man contacted me on Twitter to ask why he had to move 100 miles away from his family in the town in order to try to obtain a job at minimum wage. This shows all too vividly how bleak the jobs situation is.

In calling for a debate in Parliament on this issue, I mentioned my belief that Government policy is not helping matters but making it worse. In response, the Minister denied that Government policies are making the situation worse and suggested that having low interest rates would help create jobs in the North East. He suggested to me that the picture is not quite so dismal as I painted it. If only that were the case. The Minister needs to come to Hartlepool to see for himself how difficult it is for the town. Its all well and good having low interest rates borrowers obviously prefer that, although savers do not but if the Government is stripping demand out of the regional economy by raising VAT, making many North East public sector workers redundant while actually increasing the number of public sector workers in the South East, that is bound to have an impact on the regions economic and job prospects.

Im not going to be put off by the Ministers comments. Im going to keep pushing for a debate in Parliament on unemployment in Hartlepool and the North East to highlight this huge social and economic issue facing us, and how the Government needs to change course and help people in our region.

Mail Column

nospam@example.com (Administrator) — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 12:14:00 +0000

You may have seen reports in the media last week about how a memory stick containing information regarding Hartlepools nuclear power station was lost.

For those who havent seen it, the story is that an official from the Office for Nuclear Regulation, while attending a conference in India, lost a memory stick. The memory stick contained information about the power station, including a safety assessment that was undertaken in the wake of the Fukushima radiation scare last year.

Im sure everybody would agree that ensuring the safety and security of all of power stations, but especially the nuclear power station on our doorstep, where many of the towns residents work, is of absolute importance. Anything which compromises that safety and security in any way is a concern and should be thoroughly investigated to ensure that it doesnt happen again. The fact that such data was lost overseas is an added concern, and complicates matters still further. It will be that much more difficult to try to retrieve the memory stick from India than it if had been lost in the UK.

People in the town will rightly feel concerned and I hope that the Government will issue clear information about the matter immediately. The chances of the memory stick falling into the wrong hands are slim and shouldnt keep people awake at night, but the possibilities of this arent exactly nil either. In these circumstances, the Government should be doing all that it can to ensure that this data is retrieved as quickly as possible.

I understand that a lot of the information contained on the memory stick was already in the public domain. But in the media reports last week, a spokesman for the office for Nuclear Regulation stated that there was no significantly sensitive data lost. That vague and ambiguous statement does beg the question as to what else was on that stick, and if it hadnt been published somebody had judged it to be important to the safe and secure operation of the power station.

I have written to the new Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, Ed Davey, to express my concerns, seek reassurances and ensure that questions are answered. I also expressed my concern in the House of Commons on Monday. Why on earth was the data allowed to leave the country? What precisely is on that memory stick? What is the Government doing to work with the local authorities in India in a bid to retrieve the memory stick? I hope to receive answers quickly to ensure that Hartlepool residents are reassured.

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nospam@example.com (Administrator) — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 12:38:00 +0000

You get to meet many fascinating and inspirational people in my job. Many of those people have suffered some degree of hardship and what is remarkable about them is that they have not allowed any hardship or disability to stop them from achieving what they wish to achieve.

One of the best examples I have seen of this spirit has been through the local branch of Whizz-Kidz, the national charity that supports young, disabled people by helping them receive appropriate and personalised wheelchairs, as well as enhancing campaigning and leadership skills.

I first met the Hartlepool branch of Whizz-Kidz about two years ago. They hold regular events like wheelchair football at the Headland Sports Centre, which is where I met them. I was very interested to hear the concerns of young people like Ben Harland and Oliver Parkinson, who are both 12 years old. Their concerns about people parking in spaces specifically designated as for holders of a blue badge, as well as the prospects for wheelchair users going to university prompted me to ask a series of Parliamentary Questions on their behalf.

They have taken campaigning onto a new level, to the point where I think I could learn a thing or two from them. Im really pleased that last week at the House of Commons, as part of Whizz-Kidz Celebrating Achievement Awards, Ben, Oliver and Hartlepool in general won the campaign of the year.

The event at the House of Commons was hosted by Hollyoaks actors Nick Pickard and Jimmy McKenna, whom I had heard of, and beatboxer Killa Kela, whom I had not heard of but who seemed to excite the young people a lot, especially as he was the first beatboxer apparently to perform in Parliament. He made me feel very old to be honest.

Hartlepool won the campaign award of the year specifically for their work on the size of public accessible toilets, entitled Too Tiny to Tinkle, as well as people parking in spaces designated for disabled people. They carried out a survey of parking habits as well as revealing that many public toilets were too small to turn a wheelchair as well as not having handles on the walls for disabled use.

On collecting the award, Ben and Oliver made speeches, which is hard to do and intimidating in Parliament, but they pulled it off with style and humour. It was great to see Hartlepool do so well and its young people be painted in a positive light.

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nospam@example.com (Administrator) — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 12:05:00 +0000

There is much doom and gloom about the state of the countrys economy and the long-term prospects for economic recovery. Cutting of government expenditure and increases in such things as VAT inevitably mean a lowering of demand for goods and services, as businesses and families trim their budgets according to what they can afford. In turn, this means that firms lay off staff because there isnt the demand to produce the goods or provide the services required. This can be a vicious cycle, because higher unemployment results in further lowering of demand, as people who have been made redundant dont have as much money to spend and therefore cut back on spending.

One of the ways in which this can be addressed is by British firms selling goods and services across the world. By tapping into demand elsewhere, Britain can obtain contracts that can help create jobs and wealth for this country and raise our standard of living.

This week, there was a Parliamentary debate on British exports and trade performance. Weve always been a trading nation, right from Roman times. Much of the wealth of this nation was made on the back of trade in Victorian times, and West Hartlepool and its docks were created during the Industrial Revolution precisely to trade. By the end of the nineteenth century, Hartlepool was the fourth busiest dock in the country, at a time when Britain was the workshop of the world.

We in the North East still export. Our firms have that culture and tradition of trading which many other parts of the country have lost. The North Easts economic plight, which is already incredibly serious, would be a lot worse if we didnt have firms and businesses that traded all over the world.

The fact remains, however, that we have not fulfilled our potential as a trading nation for the best part of 50-60 years. Other countries like Germany have stolen a march on us in markets like China, India or Brazil, which means that the UK has to play catch up. Last weeks announcement that the Indian Government are likely to buy fighter jets from a French company rather than from a consortium with BAE Systems, a major British company, is a bitter blow to British industry.

The world economy is expected to double in size in the next 35 years, with nations like Mexico, Nigeria, Singapore and Pakistan leading much of that growth alongside the likes of China and India.

The Government should be doing all that it can to encourage firms to think about exports. It can be a major cultural and financial barrier for a Hartlepool firm to think about exporting if your business has a good idea, and you think youd like to sell it in, say Mexico, how on earth do you go about it? Where do you find the potential customers? Where you find the help in language skills if nobody from your firm speaks Spanish? When you do succeed in orders, how do you ensure you get paid and how can the Government help to ensure against this risk?

There is much against British businesses exporting to unfamiliar customers. The lack of relevant airline routes is one substantial factor that was mentioned in the Parliamentary debate. Once Emirates started operating a service from Newcastle to Dubai, trade between the North East and the United Arab Emirates went up by 300 per cent in just four years. However, the number of routes out of Durham Tees Valley does not assist with greater trade links. Further afield, I find it astonishing that there is no direct flight from the UK to Chengdu, a major industrial city in China with 14 million people. How can businesses expect to trade with these emerging nations if they cant get there easily? This is where the Government needs to be supporting businesses, as other nations are.

Expansion of trade to fast growing nations is the best way in which this country can pull out of the economic doldrums. The Government needs to grasp this by the horns and ensure British businesses dont miss out.

Hartlepool MP signs Holocaust Memorial Day Book of Commitment

nospam@example.com (Administrator) — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 13:12:49 +0000

Iain has signed the Holocaust memorial book as part of events to commemorate the 67th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. The infamous concentration camp is one of the sites of the largest mass murder in history, where 6 million Jews and others classed as undesirable by the Nazis were murdered. Auschwitz was liberated on January 27th 1945.

The book has been placed in the House of Commons by the Holocaust Educational Trust to give MPs the opportunity to honour the memory of those persecuted and murdered during the Holocaust.

Iain said:

I pay tribute to the Holocaust Education Trust for educating the younger generation on the dangers of allowing hatred and persecution to take hold in society. International Holocaust Memorial Day marks the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz and is an important opportunity to remember the victims of both the Holocaust and of all genocides.

We must remember the lessons of the Holocaust and the years of hatred and persecution that preceded it. We should use this as an opportunity to renew our commitment to challenging all kinds of discrimination and prejudice, which sadly continues in our society to this day.

Mail Column

nospam@example.com (Administrator) — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 13:08:33 +0000

As I write this, I am in Westminster waiting to vote on the Welfare Reform Bill, which is a piece of proposed legislation put forward by the Government to change provision on benefits.

How the country provides benefits for people considered to need help, the level of those benefits and for how long people can continue to claim those benefits naturally exercise a lot of people. I think I share the view of most people in the town: the welfare state is an important symbol of our countrys decency and concern for society as a whole, especially the vulnerable. If a person finds themselves out of work, or is sick or disabled, I think the state should play a part in assisting them in the costs of living. I wouldnt want to go back to a situation, which we certainly had in the past, where people starved or were sent to the workhouse once they found themselves out of work or became old.

But, equally, I wouldnt want to see people or families living on benefits for years at a time, or across the generations. There are a number of reasons for this: first, because people on benefits have a lower standard of living, and I believe everybody should have the opportunity to improve their quality of life. I also think, good old-fashioned puritan that I am, that hard work is good for the soul. I was brought up by my parents and grandparents to feel a sense of achievement from a job well done or to feel satisfied at the end of a hard days work. Im not suggesting for one minute that my job is hard physical work like a manual worker or someone going down the pit, but I do feel better about myself when I have worked hard.

I also live in the real world, and I know full well that people often fell very aggrieved when they see people who flout the system. There are many hard working people in Hartlepool, who rise early in the morning, often have two or three jobs to make ends meet, go to bed late at night exhausted and dont ask for any handouts. They often see people living in the same street who dont work but seem to have a great standard of living. I think often benefit scroungers are portrayed in the media as being far more widespread than they actually are, but they do exist and the whole notion of the welfare state breaks down when hard working taxpayers feel that their taxes are misused.

This is the context in which the Government is bringing forward its Welfare Reform Bill. The House of Lords has inflicted a series of defeats on the legislation, and now that today it has passed back to the Commons I will be voting to agree with the Lords. This is because I dont think the Bill tackles the problem properly. I believe unemployment is the biggest problem facing Hartlepool at the moment, and the Bill does not contain one single provision to help people into work. It seems ludicrous to me that the Government cuts demand, reduces expenditure and forces unemployment up to its highest level for 18 years, and then cuts the level of support available for people who have been made jobless. I want to see the Government concentrating on creating jobs. The Bill is also mean-spirited and vindictive towards people who are the most vulnerable in society and who are suffering from the most horrific illnesses. It cuts off Employment and Support Allowance after just 12 months for people recovering from cancer and mental health problems. It also cuts in half the support for disabled children. In a supposedly civilised society, that surely cant be right.

I dont oppose the need for welfare reform. But this is not the right type of legislation, and the Governments priorities, in the week when it agreed to Stephen Hesters bonus of £1 million at the same time as taking support from disabled children, seem simply wrong.

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nospam@example.com (Administrator) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 13:35:29 +0000

It is a sad fact of life that peoples health in Hartlepool is not as good as the rest of the country. We tend to suffer more from ill-health, obesity, alcohol related issues and smoking and, as a result, endure heart attacks, cancer and strokes.

Life expectancy in Hartlepool is lower than other parts of the country a Hartlepool boy born today would be expected to live until he was 75.9 years old, some two years below the national average. A little girl from the town born today could expect to live until she was 81 years old which, although is better than a similar girl born in Middlesbrough, Gateshead, South Tyneside or Sunderland, would expect to live a full year shorter than the national average.

These figures have improved quite dramatically in the last fifteen years or so. This is because of significant increases in health funding, a greater emphasis on prevention, more investment focused on primary health care such as GPs and generally rising living standards as the economy grew.

However, the situation is actually much worse than those figures suggest. The information masks huge differences in life expectancy within the town. Someone living in Stranton, Dyke House or Owton Manor would expect to die up to 11 years earlier than somebody living close to Ward Jackson Park. That cant be right in a civilised society that where you live or your postcode can determine how long you live.

This week, there was a Parliamentary debate in the House of Commons to discuss health inequalities in the North East and I attended to champion Hartlepools case. There are a number of reasons why we suffer in Hartlepool from ill health and poor life expectancy. One of the reasons is our historical legacy as a place of heavy manufacturing, which means that we have more of a problem than other parts of the country with industrial diseases and injuries. I particularly wanted to highlight to Parliament my concern over the delay in helping people suffering from asbestos-related diseases like mesothelioma.

However, the biggest factor in terms of health is the economy. Being unemployed is often the same as being unwell and there is a very clear link between deprivation, low levels of income and ill health. I fear and this is something I emphasised in the Parliamentary debate that a worsening economic situation will make health matters much worse and that those poor life expectancy figures will deteriorate over the next few years.

The Ministers response in the debate was stunning in not answering any of the questions I asked, including on the future of Hartlepool Hospital. However, she and other Ministers cannot hide their heads in the sand. Economic problems will lead to further health problems, and peoples well being will suffer.

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nospam@example.com (Administrator) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 12:15:00 +0000

How will you spend your pay bonus this year?

Chances are, in fact, that you wont have had a bonus, you probably havent had a pay increase and you are thinking about how to keep your job in the light of declining economic performance and rising unemployment.

This is in contrast to the pay experience of a band of people at the top of organisations which shape and define modern life. Take the new Chief Executive of Apple, Tim Cook, who took over from Steve Jobs just before the latter died last year. Mr Cook received a pay package in 2011 of $378 million, or some £244,000,000. As my nana used to say, I wish I was a penny behind him.

In many respects, the example of Apple, certainly under the leadership of Steve Jobs, the previous chief executive, is not the best one to use. Steve Jobs came back to Apple in the late 1990s and turned around a poorly performing company that was looking old-fashioned and obsolete, into an organisation offering innovative, even beautiful products like the iPod and the iPhone which people eagerly wanted. As a result, Apples profits increased massively, as did its share price. Apple was worth about $17 a share in 2000 last time I looked, you could buy the same Apple share this week for over $425.

I dont think anybody would mind success being rewarded appropriately. We all have an interest in companies doing well: they provide employment and offer goods and services which make our lives easier or better. Better company performance will result in higher dividends and share prices, and as many of our pensions will be invested in these companies, our retirement provision should improve if companies do well. If executives produce sustainable growth that benefit their shareholders and the communities in which they operate, there is a case that their pay should reflect that.

I think what angers most people, quite rightly, is when executives are paid an obscene amount of money but there is no increase in success. There is no link between paying a huge amount of money and a successful performance by the organisation. In many respects, executives are failing and are being rewarded handsomely for it. The situation with the banks is an obvious example, but it is not confined to the financial sector. Take Cable & Wireless, an important and historic British company that spans the world. It is important for the UK economy that this British company does well. The top two executives were paid £9 million and £10 million, but in that time the company stopped paying a dividend because it couldnt generate enough cash, it imposed thousands of job losses, it took £650 million out of its accounts, and its share price fell from 90 pence two years ago to about 17 pence today. Last year, one of the executives quit and took about £650,000 in severance pay.

The other concern is the big difference between executive pay and the wages of ordinary workers. In 1980, the boss of Lloyds was paid £79,000, which was thirteen times higher than average pay. In 2010, his successor was paid £2 ½ million, which was 75 times the average pay packet. Such a growing gulf between the experiences of ordinary people, especially when they are experiencing cuts in standards of living, and the elite is simply unsustainable and morally questionable.

Greater curbs on executive pay, with more transparency, more effective reporting and greater representation of workers on committees that set these top levels of pay, are something which needs to be addressed quickly.

Mail Column

nospam@example.com (Administrator) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 12:19:00 +0000

The town lost a great man at the end of last year when Ken Johnson, the former Hartlepool United player, died. This week was Kens funeral at the beautiful church in Seaton Carew and, as I expected, the church was packed as many, many people wanted to pay their respects.

Ive been proud to know Ken Johnson, and his wife Olwen, or Olly, all of my life. My nana, Joyce Harland, worked for many years in the launderette at the Fens Shops. The launderette was next to Ken and Olly Johnsons fish shop, and as far back as I could remember and as soon as I could climb out of a pushchair, I recall running back and forth from the launderette to the fish shop, no doubt causing chaos and hassle to Ken, Olly and my nana as I did so. Ken stood at the back of the fish shop, frying the fish, and always had a kind word to say to me and to everybody else. In time, it dawned on me that this man was the same Kenny Johnson who was a Hartlepool United legend and who had played and scored against the likes of Manchester United. The demeanour of this kind and generous gentleman always seemed somewhat at odds with the egos and prima donnas that were even at that time starting to infect the beautiful game and were beginning to be seen on Match of the Day. I think many of todays Premiership footballers could learn a lesson or two from Kens passion for the game combined with manners, modesty and decency.

Every time I saw Ken, I always said something like: How do you think Pools are doing, Ken?, or words to that effect. Of course, it wasnt just me who said that people who met Ken everyday said something about Pools, expecting a comment or some analysis about our prospects for promotion (or, in Pools case in years gone by, re-election to the Football League), or what Ken thought about our latest centre forward or who we should sign. It must have been draining, somewhat similar to a comedian constantly being asked by strangers to tell a joke. In every case, however, Ken commented not just with great grace, insight and humour, but took an interest in the person asking the question.

I speak as I find, and I will always remember Ken Johnson, in my conversations with him spanning over thirty years, with affection and respect. I particularly admire the fact that he treated everybody the same, regardless of age or status. He was as polite, courteous and interested in me when I was a ten year old kid, blocking the entrance of his shop with my bike and no doubt stopping customers getting fish and chips, as when I became Member of Parliament, bringing a Secretary of State to Pools to watch a game. There were no airs and graces or false sides to Ken and I really admired that.

Since Kens death, Ive looked again at my copy of the official history of Hartlepool United, published a few years ago to celebrate the clubs centenary. There is a lovely picture (on page 166 please go and have a look if you have the book) of the team on the front page of the New Year edition of the Soccer Star of 1960. Ken Johnson is the first person you see when you look at the picture he dominates the shot in the same way he dominated a ball. This big lad sitting third from the left on the front row stares back at you with his back straight and pride oozes out of his body, some half a century after the photo was taken.

That pride and sense of service never left Ken Johnson. It is difficult to think of another individual who has served Hartlepool United so well for such a length of time. Im sure Ritchie Humphries, who has just achieved a remarkable 500 appearances for Pools, wont mind me saying that Kens 106 goals in 413 appearances, and then his commitment to the club for decades after his retirement, will never be bettered. Ken scored on his debut, 62 years almost to the day when 17 year-old Luke James scored a fantastic goal against Rochdale, which would have made Ken proud.

At the funeral, the Revd Captain Paul Allinson said that he would look to place a permanent memorial to Ken in the church. I think that is a touching gesture. But given the unparalleled level of service to Pools, I hope something will be done in Victoria Park. I think the club should formally re-name the Town End as the Kenny Johnson Stand. My love to Olly and the family.

Mail Column

nospam@example.com (Administrator) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 12:01:00 +0000

I hope you have been able to have a peaceful and restful Christmas and wish you all the very best for the New Year. Looking back over the last twelve months across the world, it is amazing to think of the significant, even historic, events that took place in 2011. The world saw the Arab Spring, leading to the toppling of regimes in the likes of Egypt, Tunisia and Libya. We saw the killing of both Colonel Gadaffi and Osama Bin Laden. We saw the collapse, more or less, of the Eurozone and the virtual bankruptcy of countries like Greece and Italy. Just before Christmas we saw the unexpected death of North Koreas leader Kim Jong-Il, and given the nature of the regime and the fact it has nuclear weapons, we should really take notice as to how his successor deals with the transition of power. Closer to home, we saw vicious and violent riots on the streets of Britain. In the last moments of 2011, we even saw the unexpected return of Neale Cooper to Pools. Strange and unexpected things have indeed happened! 2011 certainly will be studied by historians, and the repercussions of the events of last year will be with us for many years to come.

Although 2012 has a difficult act to follow, I think it will prove to be a significant year. There will be a presidential election in the United States this year, and that event always has an impact on the world. The eyes of the world will be on Britain as a result of London hosting the Olympics, as well as the Queens Diamond Jubilee.

The main focus of 2012 is and should be the economic performance of our country. I dont want to be the harbinger of doom, but I think 2012 will be even more difficult for the economy, particularly for towns like Hartlepool, than it was in 2011. The economy is weak and is getting weaker. All the evidence suggests that we are already in recession and I fear that unemployment, which is already far too high, will rise still further in 2012. People will cut back what they spend in shops, either because they simply do not have the money as a result of falling wages and standards of living and rising prices, or because they are concerned about the future. This will mean that more shops will close and more jobs in the retail industry will be lost.

In these difficult times, the Government should be doing all it can to promote economic growth and increases in employment. I think most people would recognise the need to reduce public debt, but to rush headlong into this in the fastest possible way is the wrong choice. In fact such a policy is counterproductive, not only because, as we start from a much lower base, it weakens still further the long term potential of the countrys economy, but also results in social problems, like long term unemployment, which are very expensive to deal with over many years. You only have to look at the experiences of Hartlepool in the 1980s, when a deep recession, caused in part by reductions in public investment and expenditure, helped to result in a much reduced economic base for the town and subsequent unemployment or low paid work for many people.

It seems far more sensible for the Government to concentrate on having as many people as possible in work in a growing economy. That approach would mean that the Government will take in more tax and therefore would be able to pay down the debt, as well as paying out less in unemployment benefits.

However, I am a positive sort of person. I think Hartlepool has remarkable determination and resilience, and some parts of our economy really do point to a prosperous future. There is the possibility of being a centre of excellence for energy, incorporating not only oil and gas but also nuclear and renewable. We have leading manufacturing firms that can, with appropriate support, help to pull Hartlepool and the wider country out of recession. Im so confident and positive about the future, I even think Ill soon see a home win for Hartlepool United. I wish you a happy, healthy and prosperous 2012.

Mail Column

nospam@example.com (Administrator) — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 12:12:00 +0000

I hope that youve had a good and relaxing Christmas and that you have been able to spend some time with your loved ones. I also hope that for those of who havent been able to see your loved ones, for whatever reason whether it is illness, distance, work commitments or the weather you have been able to have at least speak or communicate in some way.

At this time of year, I also want to pay particular tribute to those servicemen and women, who are serving in hostile and dangerous conditions on behalf of our country. There are many families in Hartlepool who are apart from sons, husbands, boyfriends and fathers who are serving in the Armed Forces. Christmas and New Year must inevitably feel empty without them. The bravery and dedication are recognised by the whole country, and I hope that will provide some comfort, as well as enormous pride to those families.

Its now the time of year when people assess the year thats gone and look forward to the year thats only a few days away. I think that 2010 has been a significant year: this country has seen a general election which brought in the first peacetime coalition government for 90 years. We are still suffering from the impact of the deepest global recession that the world has seen since the 1930s, and the negative connotations that this has in terms of collapsing businesses and job losses. Some countries economies Im thinking particularly of Ireland, although Spain, Italy and Portugal are not too far behind - are still dangerously teetering on the edge that will have an impact on our own country. On a more trivial nature, we saw England humiliated in the World Cup and Pools having to deal with the three-point deduction that almost saw us relegated. So, Englands football team was disappointed bitterly and its been a difficult year to be a Pools fan. Some things never change. For Hartlepool, we have seen the eyes of the world on us through the Tall Ships, with the town putting a smile on the worlds face for all the right reasons, thanks to the warmth of the welcome provided by you lot.

2011 will be difficult. As a town we have seen more than our fair share of job losses, and I fear that the coming year will see even more. I particularly worry that the imminent rise in VAT will hurt people. Not only will people see bills go up, they will probably have less disposable income to spend, which I think will have an impact on the retail industry. Less money spent in shops will mean more unemployment for shopworkers, more shop closures, and more gloom. The cuts in public spending will hit towns like Hartlepool the hardest, meaning that we will see a sharp contraction in the towns economy without any corresponding rise in an alternative economic model.

However, the New Year should be a time for a fresh start and resolutions to try harder. I dont want to start 2011 as a doom monger. Hartlepool has faced difficult times before and we have pulled through. We will do so again. The future economic prosperity for the town based on modern manufacturing and the different strands of the energy industry are tantalisingly within grasp. Most of all, the spirit of the Hartlepool people, founded on adversity and generosity, and with a healthy dash of cheekiness and irreverence, will overcome the difficulties of the next year and hopefully mean that 2011 will be better than this year. I hope you can raise a glass to the future, and wish for health, happiness, prosperity, and Pools being promoted. Happy New Year!