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The latest Guest Blog for HullRepublic is presented below. Thanks go to Les Monaghan a talented photographer and writer exploring contemporary issues of poverty and politics. Over to Les.

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Our esteemed editor asked, ‘What would it take to knock the Tories off 40%?’ and, ‘How does the Left build a 45% vote share?’

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It’s a question that has concerned me for the last five years. In 2016 I smuggled a social artwork onto the walls of the Frenchgate Centre in Doncaster. I’d asked around 150 people what they most desired. I asked people across society but I especially made space for those I felt were disenfranchised, voices with the least spending power – the low-paid, the homeless, young people, refugees... ordinary people, like us. The responses in The Desire Project gave me hope. In a space dedicated to consumption the exhibition asked what we value most. It turns out we want health, happiness and a better world. We want the same things, we want to get along, we want to be social, we want community.

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So why don’t we live in that world? A world where we prioritise our health, happiness and seek peace? This is the world the Left offers, it seems like an idea we could all support. In the UK, this is not what any Tory government delivers for its citizens. Public health deteriorates under Tory rule, mental health issues increase and, Tory or New Labour, we never seem to stop bombing or invading other countries. It could be that maybe by asking the 60% or so that don’t vote for the social murder party, I’d reflected hopes that contrasted so starkly with the world we do inhabit.

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Or, of course, it could be that come election time, the parties that offer us a brighter future, lie.

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I sought another issue that I could photograph -  and exhibit - that could persuade some of that obstinate 40% that their votes lead directly to others suffering.

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In April 2016 the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) published the first of their destitution reports. 1.25 million of our fellow UK citizens were having to choose daily between eating, heating and keeping clean. This, surely, was an issue no caring person could not be appalled by. Six years of Tory austerity had pushed those with the least into living Dickensian lives. This had to be a gamechanger. So what happened?

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Only the Daily Mirror, the Morning Star, The Guardian, and (incredibly) the Daily Mail (they put all the detail in quotation marks) covered this apocalyptic report. All the other Tory-supporting papers ignored it, the BBC and ITV, led as they are by our press, gave it minimal coverage. In parliament the baying toffs shouted down questions.

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Optimistically, I figured most of the papers hadn’t covered the news because readers would genuinely be appalled and, as in other times of mass public consciousness raising (the airing of Cathy Come Home, Michael Buerk’s report from Ethiopia, for example) demand action. I’ve been in press rooms where the editors decide what is, and what isn’t news. What people ‘think’, what is spoken of as ‘common sense’, what we think our world is, rests so much upon what we are told.

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The news that 1.25 million people were destitute was being suppressed.

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I knew that any quantitive, documentary report I produced would at best be contested, and most likely ignored if I took the usual photography routes to dissemination – galleries, magazines and the wider media.

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Perhaps if the public were informed of the worst effects of voting Tory it ‘could’ have an effect on their next vote. Why concentrate on voting? I felt that the only brake we can put on the rampaging neoliberalism that corrodes life and ultimately makes ‘losers’ of so many of us would be a Labour government. The media, clearly, was part of the system that sustains Tory governments. Whatever work I made had to reach voters without the media. The Desire Project had been seen by 77000 people a week in the Frenchgate Centre. What if public art projects informed people (voters) about an issue that was ignored everywhere else? And, what if the artworks forestalled potential objections by informing the public through real life stories? (more on this, here)

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Relative Poverty would be shown in free public spaces where it could be absorbed at different speeds, it would show ‘real lives’, but it would be supported by details and statistics that point to the scale of the issue. These supporting texts would also link directly to the government policies that cause the suffering. So, rather than throw your hands up at the scenes depicted, you, the viewer, can do something. You can vote to remove those who create the Bedroom Tax, or vote down amendments that would force landlords to make homes fit for human habitation…

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Relative Poverty never reached the scale I’d hoped for it. The Arts Council refused to fund the project four times.

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The first exhibits had only just begun when an early election was called.

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When it is shown, the effect is usually positive. The objections rely on division; “these people” “can’t look after their money” or “spend their money on the wrong things”, “you and I would budget and have savings, these people…” etc. Most conversations are dominated by media portrayals – these trump even first-hand experience.

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I’ve found that people are (naturally) resistant to bad news, it’s relatively easy to ignore the suffering of others, and nobody wants to be told they are wrong. A single project like Relative Poverty can only be part of a much bigger process.

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We live in an age of saturated right wing propaganda. We need portrayals of the lives most of us lead, the hopes and dreams most of us (still) have. These portrayals have to infiltrate every available space in our culture – this blog is an example. Life in the UK is great for the few, but plenty of the 40% have common ground with us and their dreams are ours. At every turn we must counter power, in our daily lives, in posts, in conversations. If you can’t create, then amplify those that have, always resist!

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By @LesMonaghan.

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Thanks to Les for taking the time to blog for us - an important and powerful read with great photographs. You can find more of his photographic work here:

https://www.relativepoverty.org

And his blog here:

http://lesmonaghan.blogspot.com

If you would like to blog for HullRepublic drop us a line.

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Vote or Die.

Vote or die? Or not.

As we move within a week of the general election, pondering my voting options, I did what I often do in troubling times - I watched an episode of South Park. Other sources of information - indeed, other animated cartoons - are available, but this seemed appropriate.

if you’ve somehow missed it for the last 23 years, South Park is an animated American cartoon, situated in the Colorado town of the same name, the creation of animators Trey Parker and Matt Stone. It focusses on the lives of some ten-year old children and the sense they make of both their immediate world and the wider one. It subverts Disneyesque sophistication with paper cut-out depictions and has offended everyone you would expect with a relentlessly scatalogical, sexual and scabrous approach. It is courageously satirical and, most importantly, very, very funny.

The episode “Douche and Turd” was first aired in the week running up to the 2004 US presidential election. As Parker and Stone famously - and remarkably - produce episodes of South Park in a week, it isn’t difficult to see what was on their minds. The episode centres on South Park elementary school needing to find a new mascot after a violent demonstration by the People for the ethical treatment of animals (PETA) convinces the school authorities that the current mascot, a cow, is inappropriate. Enraged by the alternatives offered - when one of the class, Wendy, asks why they can vote for ‘Indians’ or ‘Redskins’ as mascots as these are inappropriate too, a teacher explains that this is OK as “PETA doesn't care about people” - the children revolt and suggest their own lurid choices. The upshot is the children end up voting on whether their mascot will be a giant douche, or a turd sandwich. In typical South Parkian logic the whole town becomes caught up in this, irrationally siding with one or the other. We see classic election behaviour, from bribery (with butterscotch candies), threats of violence and a TV debate of spirit-flattening banality. Only one person is immune. Stan, one of the children, can’t see the point of voting with so limited a choice. For his pains he is banished by the townsfolk, driven out of town whilst sat backwards on a horse, a bucket on his head.The mayor’s words ring in his ears: “May the gods treat you more kindly than we have!”

“Douche and Turd” is a continuous delight, from Stan’s dad telling him his upcoming banishment has so upset his mother “She couldn’t even bring herself to help tie you to the horse” to the PETA camp at which Stan takes refuge, where he is told “The outside world looks down on a man marrying a llama.” True to South Park traditions in perpetuity, it swings two-fisted at everything within reach. PETA is lampooned mercilessly but no more than Puff Daddy (as he then was) and his well-meaning but misfiring ‘Citizen change’ campaign and hyperbolic slogan ‘Vote or Die!’ The rap parody tramples gleefully in sexist and violent glory over the issues:

“Vote or die, motherfucker!

Motherfucker, vote or die!

Rock the vote or else

I’m gonna stick a knife through your eye!”

You sense Jo Swinson would have had a more respectful hearing from the Sheffield Question time audience were P-Diddy in her corner. As well as these high profile targets, an equal battering is meted out to the ‘everyman’ South Park residents who blindly revere a democratic process of complete failure.

This is South Park in excelsis, two furious young men slashing at a political system offering them George W. Bush, a conservative Republican, or John Kerry, a conservative Democrat. After watching the recent ITV ‘debate’ between Boris Johnson - who treats honesty as something that happens to other people  - and Jeremy Corbyn - who chooses to be ‘neutral’ on the biggest issue facing voters since world war two - it is easy to nod when Stan learns the sad, defining lesson of the episode: voting is holding your nose and learning to choose between a douche and a turd, for democratic politics offers little else.

This isn’t the full truth. It is undoubtedly the great failing of any system which offers a binary choice - US presidential, UK first-past-the-post, any referendum - that you often get a result alienating a significant amount of voters after offering a choice nowhere near what many of them wanted. There are better ways. Much of Europe uses proportional representation (PR), where a vote for a minor party gives you a voice and means you are listened to. In 2001 in the UK we considered this and, typically, offered voters a binary choice between sticking with what we have, or adopting a system that is not really PR at all. *Sigh*

But even within a system as unfit for the age as ours, voting is still worth it. A Johnson-led government will be very different to a Corbyn-led one. These are genuine alternatives. If, like me, you can’t stomach either, then you have other options from parties as different as Lib Dem, Brexit and Green. If you think voting for small parties pointless, remember UKIP had only one MP when fear of the votes they might garner led to the 2016 EU referendum. And every time I hear Tories, Liberals and Labour-ites outbidding each other on environmental issues I’m immensely proud of being a Green Party member and voter and of our single MP; ideas derided 15 years ago we have helped make mainstream. 

Do vote. Whether for a giant douche, or a turd sandwich, or for something in which you truly believe. It’s the only time those who speak for us have even to pretend to care what we think. So a week on Thursday, dial down the rhetoric of Mr Diddy, be guided by the noble scepticism of Stan and toddle off to your polling booth. You’ll be glad you did.

Thanks to @INDEPENDENT_MG for his wonderful contribution and a public apology for the delay in publishing!

If you’d like to blog for HullRePublic then get in touch on twitter.

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On Politics - Wolfy O’Hare

Roll Up! Roll Up!  You’ve Never Seen Anything Like it in Your Life.

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I really don’t want to be entertained by politicians; I want to be served by them. I do the entertaining, the innuendos, the low comedy, the double takes and the pratfalls; that’s my job and after many years of perfecting the art of being a laughing stock, I do it quite well.

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Alongside all that nonsense, I used to be a professional you see, a manager with an NVQ and a degree in a specialist subject and a highly responsible job – but all that’s over and the real me is let loose to be as irresponsible as one can possibly can be without actually being an elected member of the house of commons. So, I know the score, I knew how to deliver on contract and to be worth the money that decent people invested in me, alongside their trust, their hopes and their honest expectations.

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In the last ten years I’ve noticed something of the vaudeville-act creep into British Politics, the gimmick, the sly-aside, the double take and what used to be called ‘dramatic posturing’. I realise that some aspect of theatrics has always been present in the serious business of poncing about in Westminster; history is richly adorned with political ‘characters’ – but it seems that even some of these had class, though we had to wait an awfully long time before the working class were properly represented in the line-up.

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Somehow, we have come to expect ‘spectacle’ from our political leaders and representatives, a style that circumvents critical thinking and actual debate; a diatribe of sound-bites and populist statements designed to cajole, to blame, to poke fun and in some cases to provoke shame – or even to stir up the subterranean sink of dangerous feelings. Ah, but all in the name of entertainment because heaven forbid, we might actually apply critical thought or carefully, politely or even vehemently question the actual content.

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The trouble is that the ‘spectacle’ sells. The media and a populace lulled into a state of apathy greedily lap-up the new language of political extravaganza. Let’s face it, on television talent shows nowadays, nobody can sing “Three Blind Mice,” without a crowd of dancers, dry-ice and a laser show; similarly, we have come to expect a heady cocktail of titillating or incendiary sound bites from the honourable members of the London Palladium. Otherwise we reach for the internal remote that persists in our minds with its amazingly effective ‘off button’, should we not be enthralled.

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No, I want some standards, some prosaic professionalism, some integrity and above all a great deal of transparent honesty. I don’t pick my dentists for their tap-dancing skills or my solicitors for their expertise on a flying trapeze – similarly, I want my member of parliament to keep their swirling capes or their sparkly tights for the weekend, whatever their sexual preferences. On that note, I don’t care a jot for what a politician does in bed or in a sordid hotel or even in the street under the cover of a foggy , dank Westminster evening – I merely expect them to use their desks for the purposes of the job and to be there, as I was, first thing on Monday morning.

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I’m also old enough to remember a working class that prided itself on its political acumen, its faith in trade unions and who nurtured a passionate drive to make a better world for all rather than descend into a forelock-tugging acquiescence to the strident demands of a privileged few. To blindly allow those intent on preserving their ancient rights to do so under the banner of a sickly, archaic nationalism. The spark needs to be reignited, the grit inserted into the mix and the house-lights raised to full brightness – the show is over, the real business needs to begin.

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Is it too much to ask that those representing us should be principled, trustworthy and able to put aside personal ambition?  That politics should be above name calling, playground-bully tactics or ‘slut-shaming’ to use a peculiarly sexist modern term? I don’t think so. Call me naïve – call me anything you want, I’ve heard it before – I want to feel safe in the society I live in, to be served by politicians who place the lessons of history firmly before ambition and certainly by those that do not dare to mix religious bigotry into their thinly veiled hidden agendas.

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I was always accountable to the people I worked for, a body of people regulated my practice, a steering group advised me, offered criticism, support and when needed much needed censure. I demand the same for politicians, to be accountable and to work to a professional code. Even now, as I approach a microphone to witter and serve up dross in the name of entertainment, I am aware of a code of practice demanded by Ofcom (who must know more filthy words than someone who has spent twenty years at sea) that hovers over my more ribald utterances. I expect more from you, Westminster, indeed I do.

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So, dim the lights, raise the curtain and let the last act begin.  I do hope I haven’t been too sensational but then I know what’s required to be heard nowadays, if not believed.

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Wolfy O’Hare - @HareWolfy

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Broadcaster, Musician and always the last act at the end of the pier.

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August 2019.

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Thanks to Wolfy for his insightful and entertaining piece. If you would like to blog for us be sure to get in touch.

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On Authenticity

In writing this I’m sat in a bar in Hackney in the East End of London, the spiritual home of the hipster, supping a frankly delicious IPA brewed on the premises. In contemplating the rise of hipster culture it started to resonate for me in other areas of my life. . The hipster, in many ways, is in search of the authentic, something that ‘feels’ genuine, whether that be hand crafted, small batch ales, the surge in the sales of vinyl (the plural of which is not vinyls by the way), the relaunching of the Nokia 3310 (shout out to all snake fans), ‘proper’ coffee and beards coupled with tattoos. My feeling is that in an increasingly online and artificial environment these things are real, real in the sense that they are tangible, objects with a soul if you will. . I was at a party about a year ago chatting to a 25 year old and I realised during this conversation that he had a view on pretty much everything but there was very little depth to his understanding, almost as if he had read every introductory paragraph on Wikipedia but had stopped there and never dug any further, I’ve described this variously as the guy having a ‘deep surface’, in actuality I think this represented a lack of engagement and critical thinking mirrored in much mainstream political discourse. . It is with this in mind that I want to discuss Jeremy Corbyn. Corbyn was, and is, a reaction to the seemingly shallow, careerist second wave of Labour politicians aligned the New Labour project (before you start banging on, New Labour’s achievements were many though the Iraq war, PFI and forgetting their roots resulted in many feeling disillusioned and frankly, let down, by the party). Voters became tired of Labour politicians evading questions and trotting out the party line, it felt that there was an ideological vacuum that was inhabited by spin doctors and SpAds rather than any principled position. My view, developed in pretty robust conversations with others is that the Third Way and centre ground is perceived by many, whether Right or Left of centre, as a lie. A carefully crafted and managed soft neoliberalism. . And this is where, and why, Corbyn happened, people are searching for authenticity in every area of their lives and as a politician he seems to fit the bill. From images of him protesting apartheid, to chairing the Stop the War campaign and tying his colours so tightly to the socialist mast he ‘feels’ real to many. He appears principled and consistent, perhaps not a polished politician but one who defends his values because they are heart felt. . This, unfortunately, is also the space Nigel Farage inhabits. Many see him as a privately educated merchant banker peddling lies, half-truths and exploiting people’s prejudices but for others he resonates as the outsider, taking on the establishment and winning, the bloke you’d have a pint down the pub with. To many he feels real. . Juxtapose that with Boris Johnson, as an example, who writes two pieces for The Telegraph from either side of the Brexit debate, the very definition of a chancer, no principles, few morals and the epitome of the empathy free privileged few. . . My ‘feeling’ then is that there is a space for a progressive party of the Left and the implosion of the centre ground provides it. We accept that Corbyn is unlikely to win a general election due to his own limitations and the internecine warfare that engulfs the party. For the party to survive this must stop and a viable, principled and socialist alternative must be articulated and a policy platform developed that resonates with those searching for authenticity. Until the party address this they will remain in the wilderness whoever is leader. . Thanks for reading. . If you would like to blog for HullRePublic do not hesitate to get in touch. .

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Guest Blog: Hull Help for Refugees.

We at Hull Republic are incredibly proud to present our next guest blog.  It describes the excellent work of a local collective - Hull Help for Refugees and demonstrates the incredible impact a group of committed and caring individuals can make. We are in awe of their dedication and achievements!  If you are inspired to become involved their contact detail are at the bottom of the blog.

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Hull Help for Refugees: Who are we and what is our ethos?

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Hull Help for Refugees, or HHfR for short, is a grassroots collective of individuals who wish to aid refugees in the current humanitarian crisis; the biggest of its kind since the Second World War. We are part of a wider effort to provide basic aid to the tens of thousands of people stuck in camps in France and Greece and we firmly believe that every human being deserves dignity, empathy, compassion and respect. We find small ways to let the recipients of our donations know that while governments decide their fate, there are people out there who care, and we aim to provide them with a glimmer of hope by showing that they haven't been forgotten. HHfR also prides itself in working with the local community and in the past year we have supported local homeless groups, domestic abuse shelters and many other deserving causes.

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Figure 1: Over 40 people turned out in July to help load our second 40ft container full of aid headed out o Athens, Greece.

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What does volunteering for HHfR involve?

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Our volunteers and supporters are of all ages, backgrounds and professions, and also include those who have been resettled in Hull who want to give back to their new city of residence. Our main aim is to do what we can, when we can. Whether this involves attending sorting sessions, going to Calais/Greece, organising fundraising events, salvaging abandoned items at festivals, acting as a drop off point for the local area or coordinating the logistics of transporting donations to the camps, each of our helpers make a unique and invaluable contribution.

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Figure 2: Some of our original volunteers heading to Calais to deliver aid.

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Figure 3: Helping build shelters in Calais over Christmas 2015.

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 Figure 4: Salvaging abandoned items after Leeds Fest 2016.

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Hull City Council has been kind enough to let use an empty office space on the ground floor of Kingston House in the city centre as our main base. Whilst the central area of the space is used to store unsorted donations, the periphery of the room is where items are then organised into labelled boxes which are arranged into over 60 different categories. We then also have an area designated for the boxes which are full and ready for our next trips to Calais/Greece.

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Figure 5: Boxes full of organised donations at Kingston House ready to be loaded in to shipping container for the camps in Greece.

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 Our achievements so far

We have had countless successes over the past year, which we always make sure to post about on our Facebook page. Here is a list of just some of our proudest achievements:

-          Over ten trips to camps in France and Greece in order to deliver aid, lend a helping hand and learn more about what items and support are required the most.

-          Two 40ft containers full of donations which were shipped to Athens, Greece.

-          Various fundraising events including: a Ukulele Evening held at Kardomah94 which raised £690 ; a Bake Sale down Ella Street which raised £437; a sponsored silence, a Christmas Fair and Santa's Grotto which raised around £1000; as well as multiple car boot sales.

-          A Spring Fete alongside the OpenDoors charity at Princes Avenue Methodist Church involving food, dance, entertainment, crafts and other stalls which raised £1000

-          Four trips to festivals to salvage abandoned items totalling more than 200 sleeping bags, over 50 tents, 100+ roll mats, 50+ camping chairs and other useful items.

-          Getting young people from local primary and secondary schools as well as Sixth Forms involved with our efforts and bringing people from lots of different religions and walks of life together in the name of helping the destitute.

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Figure 6: One of our volunteers sitting amongst some of the items we salvaged at Leeds Fest.

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Figure 7: The Spring Fete fundraiser at Princes Avenue Methodist Church.

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Figure 8: Ukulele fundraiser at Kardomah94.

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One year on and looking towards the future…

From our initial start of packed out public meetings and standing - bewildered - surrounded by mountains of donations back in August 2015; we have come a long, long way. We have had so many success stories and have all been on a steep learning curve. Lifelong friendships have been formed within a growing group of selfless, inspirational people who believe that individuals can help other individuals when they need it, irrespective of their location. None of this crazy, snowballing journey would have been possible without the wonderful, caring individuals in Hull and the surrounding area who keep on supporting and donating. We are continually overwhelmed by the generosity we see for people you may never meet.

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So where do we go from here? Firstly, it is important that we keep the donations and support coming in, and we will keep spreading the word about our work as well as informing people on how they can help. Secondly, we are in the process of becoming a registered charity and developing a website which will help establish us as an official organisation. We will also continue to hold regular meetings open to anyone to make sure we focus and prioritise our efforts based on the latest updates coming from our contacts in the camps. Finally, we are already in talks about our next container to Greece and are busy organising our second Christmas fundraiser.

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Inspired and want to get involved?

§  Like our Facebook page to keep up-to-date with our latest news, updates, items we're collecting, events and achievements

§  Donate items - from tents and prams to food and pans. We frequently update the list of what we are collecting based on the information we receive directly from the camps (a full list is always pinned to the top of our Facebook page).

§  Become a donation drop off point for others in your area - you can find a list of our current ones on our Facebook page.

§  Donate some money - we are proud to say that we have absolutely no overheads, which means that every penny donated goes directly to the cause; either for buying aid items or towards transportation costs. For more information please send a private message to our Facebook page or call one of the numbers at the bottom of the page.

§  Give your time - we always need helpers of all ages to sort through the donations we receive and package them up ready to be taken to Calais or shipped to Greece.

§  Fundraise - we are always looking for new ideas and new people to coordinate or help organise events.

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Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Hull-Help-For-Refugees-1141886839159498/

Call: 07884386085 or 07795194661

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Thank you to the whole HHfR team for their inspiring work and for contributing to our blog page.

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If you would like to blog for us please do not hesitate to get in touch: HullRePublic@gmail.com

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Guest Blog: On Grammar Schools by Cristian I'Anson

Our latest guest blog tackles the thorny issue of grammar schools. Christian I’Anson a qualified and experienced teacher argues in favour of selection and offering parents a choice. Over to Christian:

A new wave of Grammar Schools can free the working-class.

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I support new grammar schools. As an experienced teacher I feel the need to speak out as the media tends to report the anti-grammar school sentiments of the representatives of the profession. However, those sentiments are by no means universal and they are, very often, entrenched in an establishment with ideological motivations of protest. . In my discussions is has been striking that so many of the opponents of grammar schools were themselves beneficiaries of selective education, be it grammar schools or private. This is the same in the media and politics. Whether it be James O’Brien on LBC or Seumas Milne in the Labour Party; opponents wish to deny privileges to others that they themselves had. Indeed, the latter not only attended the prestigious Winchester College, he also chose to have his 2 children educated at selective grammar schools in Kingston upon Thames. It is these soi-disant egalitarians who are, despite their best intentions, embedding failure. . Inversely, my experiences led me to different conclusions. From Withernsea, and educated at the comprehensive school there, I became Head of Modern Languages in West Yorkshire and I taught at a number of comprehensive schools as well as a highly-regarded independent school. My experiences were fashioned by a rural working-class coastal school, another in a former mining area, working with children in inner-city Leeds and, later, a prestigious preparatory school. The first substantive reason I want change is because of the parlous state of education in so many parts of the country, especially in Yorkshire. In essence, comprehensives have largely failed. Recently, and not a moment too soon, Theresa May recognised the distinguishable plight of youngsters (particularly boys) from coastal towns and their low relative achievements. She has started an enquiry. Given that I was once very firmly in that category, my wish to improve the lot of such children is a passion that lies within my soul. It is also highly relevant to people in Hull, and the coastal towns, where outcomes for children are markedly below national averages. Indeed, outcomes across the North remain depressingly low compared to the South. . Not that the UK really has anything to celebrate as a whole. Social mobility has collapsed, as objective measures and reports from groups like The Sutton Trust prove. Moreover, our young people have fallen behind international competitors who regularly out-perform us in OECD and TIMMS assessments. The reasons are varied and complex- but the low expectations I have witnessed in some comprehensive schools (not all) of working-class children has been unique to the sector. Too many comprehensive schools, for example, have been too happy to push bright working-class children into ‘soft’ options so the school may sit pretty in league tables (and that is another debate). Too much reliance on ‘one size fits all’ policies, endless tinkering, limitless initiatives and poor focus on the individual or holistic education have left comprehensive schools mediocre at best. Too often they are soulless exam factories where the bureaucracy of the organisation trumps the individual rights and education of the child. Despite the best intentions and hard-work of the teachers and leadership teams, bright children are not served as well as they should be. In the worst schools their education is expressly sabotaged by poor behaviour. Even the best tend to be blighted by group-think, lack of innovation and too much focus on targets, grades and joyless mantras of bureaucrats. . Having determined that radical change is needed, I support a return to grammar schools (with caveats). However, we need new grammar schools where entry is equitable and where children are not consigned to a different path at the age of 11 and I am pleased that the Prime Minister has suggested additional entry points at 14 and 16. . Grammar schools could serve as engines of social mobility for bright working-class children to excel in an academically purposive environment of rigour such as I saw when working in a private school. The extension of such targeted quality to those who presently can only receive it if they can afford it will surely be welcome. Certainly, the demand is there. In Kirklees, West Yorkshire, schools such as Heckmondwike Grammar School are massively over-subscribed and parents and able children who are not successful in gaining a place are disappointed year on year. Why not meet that demand, and reduce disappointment, by allowing other grammar schools to open? . In a successful country which invests in its citizens it is surely for the state to facilitate access to quality provision and to meet the aspirations and demands of parents and children -not to limit it. Having more schools where expectations are high, academic base talent is elevated, rigour is focussed and behaviour is good can only benefit the children who attend and society as a whole. . We are now in an education system where the diversity of schools is becoming greater than ever. For purely ideological reasons it is permissible to establish of range of academies, free schools and religious schools- but the establishment new grammar schools is presently unlawful. . There is a middle-class, often privileged intelligentsia which is pulling up the drawbridge to enforce an equality upon parents that demand suggests they do not want. Increasingly, people want the freedom to choose. They also want better than the consensus of the past years has delivered, especially in areas like ours. . It is right that we give that choice. . Christian I’Anson . Thanks again to Christian for his thought provoking piece. . If you would like to blog for HullRePublic get in touch, share, make a contribution.

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Guest Blog: The Night of the Long Knives.

Another Guest Blog, here Stephanie Petrie extends her thinking about the ongoing struggles within the Labour Party. Over to Stephanie: . Throughout the ‘will she won’t she’ media coverage on Angela Eagle before she finally entered the Labour party leadership contest I kept wondering not ‘Why is she doing it to the Labour Party’ but ‘Why is she doing it to herself?’ It seemed clear to me that the opponents to Corbyn would never have supported a woman as leader let alone a gay woman. She was used, and I use that term purposefully, to try and scare Corbyn into resigning. Someone (or several someones) conned her into believing that she alone could save the Labour Party from an awful future and she had their support. Whoever urged and encouraged her had absolutely no concern for her fate politically or personally as she has been hung out to dry. . I have no doubt that, as a woman at an event remarked, the pressure was on to get rid of Corbyn before the much-delayed Chilcot report on the Iraq war was released on the 6th July 2016. Since the Maxwellisation process gave those criticised in the report the right to read it before publication Blair and his allies were very well aware of its contents. They also knew that Corbyn had said Blair should be tried as a war criminal if the evidence was there. Of course Corbyn did not resign and Angela Eagle became a laughing stock as she threatened to challenge but didn’t and didn’t and didn’t. When she finally entered the contest she looked very, very tired and performed badly in interview. Shortly after Owen Smith, ‘a normal man’ by his own account, entered the contest she withdrew and now supports his bid. Along the way she’s made allegations about a break-in at her constituency office that was not substantiated and allegations of abuse, denied by her constituents, but that have led to an investigation and suspension of Wallasey Constituency Labour Party (who support Corbyn but now can’t vote). A mess indeed with no winners. I’ve thought a lot about why so many Labour MPs behaved badly before and during this ‘coup’. There was nothing to stop any of them contesting the leadership at any time so why did they join in a prolonged war of attrition? This orgy of recrimination, allegation and condemnation has been damaging to the Labour Party and ultimately the country as opposition to the horrendous policies of our unelected PM and her cabinet has been weakened. . Blair’s governments were notable for a marked increase in MPs and those in senior posts with characteristics that would previously have excluded them such as gender, disability, ethnicity and sexuality. This may not have been as progressive as it seemed. I think it was the Black Panthers who coined the term ‘Uncle Tom-ism’ to describe black men who had been given some status in a white man’s world and therefore thought they belonged and were accepted. In fact, they were still being manipulated by dominant power interests and would never truly belong. A similar phenomenon has been called the ‘Stockholm Syndrome’ first described after a six-day bank siege in Stockholm. Hostages there defended and identified with their captors. If you feel disadvantaged in some way because of characteristics you can’t change or you are in a vulnerable situation then when a powerful individual takes notice of you, perhaps elevates you, it is hard to disagree with or challenge them. Most of the PLP MPs’ political experience was gained under New Labour headed by Tony Blair, a dominant and charismatic leader. Many of them owe their position to the machinery he established harnessing party processes to ensure his candidates were selected by constituencies. Many had characteristics that were not common among the privileged white male dominated corridors of Westminster. . Wind forward to the Chilcot Report. Not only does the report examine in forensic detail the decision-making that led to the Iraq War it reveals a great deal about Tony Blair’s style of leadership. He was primarily responsible for taking the UK into a war before all peaceful options had been explored; presented intelligence to parliament with a certainty that was not justified and presented a legal basis for that war that was far from satisfactory. One of the most damning critiques was that those who should have challenged Blair about the existence of Saddam Hussein’s Weapons of Mass Destruction, because of their legal, political or military responsibilities, didn’t. I think this explains a great deal about Blair’s leadership in general and why the majority of the Parliamentary Labour Party desperately want a strong, charismatic, elitist party leader. I see the Stockholm syndrome in operation as without a Blair-style leader most of the PLP feel unsafe and insecure. . Corbyn was clearly not going to be in that mould as his new style of politics means patronage by a powerful leader is over. MPs will have to convince their constituency parties of their competence to stand in an election in order to secure their support and toil. A much greater level of personal responsibility will be required. It boils down to this. Owen Smith hasn’t the charisma of Blair or the moral integrity of Corbyn. If he really has the interests of the Labour Party and the country as a whole in mind he should pull out of the leadership contest, return to the front bench and get on with his job. If MPs cannot meet their responsibilities without the illusionary security of a dominant and charismatic leader, they should step aside and make way for those who can. . Stephanie Petrie for Hullrepublic . Thanks again to Stephanie for her ongoing commitment to our project. f you'd like to blog for Hullrepublic get in touch: . Hullrepublic@gmail.com . @HullRePublic

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Guest Blog: Jeremy Corbyn Visits Hull.

Another guest blog, another great writer. This time @dynamicthinking. .

A rallying call to arms that brought together people from across the social spectrum in Hull, Jeremy Corbyn held court for almost thirty minutes, laying out his vision for the new Labour party and our United Kingdom. .

Although his arrival was only moments before he would speak, the speakers that had taken the stage before him would find their words echoed in the rhetoric of the Labour leader. Stories as true of many areas of the United Kingdom as they are for Kingston-upon-Hull as speakers hoped for a better future, a future where employment, education and enlightenment are accessible to all as part of the social contract. .

When Corbyn took the stage, he was greeted by rapturous applause and celebration, before he would hold the attention of his audience as he covered business, education, healthcare, the failings of government of both sides, the strengths and weaknesses of his own party and the future of the United Kingdom as we journey into a brave new world with such people in it. Focusing on the humanity over corporate necessity, he chastised the culture that led to the “largesse” of the likes of Phillip Green over the greater benefit of society, calling into question a society driven by the divide between the rich and the poor, advantage over disadvantage and the undermining of human rights in the quest to apportion blame. .

He took previous Labour administrations to task over university fees and the Iraq War, whilst lambasting an institution that has allowed a state owned bank to lay off staff whilst being profit making. He called for an infrastructure to support business growth and opportunity, and education system of which we can be proud and a health system that is properly invested in case, physical and mental, because its properly invested in. .

Corbyn calls this “kinder politics”, the antithesis of the reactionary diatribe of the right, being more thoughtful and considerate - not soft touch, but humane.a driving force for inclusion, driven by a Labour party “with its roots in the 21st Century, not rooted in the 1970s” and a call for unity, not just of party politics, but of the people of the United Kingdom. .

Corbyn’s speech was more than “kinder politics” - it was intelligent politics, a politics built on thinking, rather than reacting. His approach eschews the demand for knee jerk reactions in favour of thinking before leaping in. His command of the crowd, on a hot summer’s day with no disruption at an event that was open to all, was awe-inspiring. He brought salient facts to the points he made, never straying from his conviction that everything has a solution that doesn’t rely on privatisation, diminishing the pride of the working class and robbing people of the very services that they need. He acknowledged mistakes of the past - the Iraq War, University fees and a Labour party that can be ineffective in opposite - whilst praising its successes - stemming the Academy programme that would have seen schools run by business amongst them. .

An audience that was a true cross-section of the people of Hull, there was a strong trade union presence, a strong multi-cultural presence and the broadest of age ranges. People shared stories of their Hull, a Hull that, as Corbyn would describe it, is the “poetry city of Britain”, a Hull of which we should be proud. . As Corbyn’s speech came to an end, the applause that echoed around Queen’s Gardens rang out, a rallying call from those who will help shape the Labour Leadership race and, potentially, the future of politics.

Thanks to @dynamicthinking for this thought provoking post.

If you’d like to contribute get in touch! Hullrepublic@gmail.com @HullRePublic

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Guest Blog: Why I support Jeremy Corbyn. . Our next guest blog is by Stephanie Petrie, a long term Labour supporter, academic and passionate believer in equality. Here she lays out her position on the appeal of Corbyn. Over to Stephanie: .

Why I support Jeremy Corbyn. .

Actually I don’t. I’m not a believer in personality politics, a political groupie, an undercover Trot or infiltrator from another party. I am a new member who joined as a full member following Corbyn’s election mainly because the economic policy position of Corbyn and McDonnell is the only alternative to the dominant ‘austerity’ policies I have heard articulated by any Labour politician. Harriet Harman’s instruction to Labour MPs to abstain on the Welfare Bill showed to me how far away the Labour party was from the situation facing many people in the UK especially the North. The mantra of ‘strivers and skivers’ was not being challenged in any meaningful way neither was there been any credible policy alternative to neo-liberalism. What was on offer was simply a muted version. Don’t forget Margaret Thatcher thought Tony Blair and New Labour were her greatest achievements. . So why do I think the alternative to neo-liberal austerity policies outlined by McDonnell and Corbyn is essential? New Labour, the Condem and Tory governments abandoned the view that the state should, or could, intervene in the economy to maintain full employment because of globalisation. The ‘market’ has become the dominant economic mechanism and the public sector increasingly privatised. We are living through the systematic and purposeful dismemberment of the Welfare State that began during the Thatcher governments and has continued apace under every government since then. I am deeply ashamed. My parents’ generation, who had lived through a world war (and in some cases two world wars), was determined to create a better world for the generations to follow. What has my generation allowed to happen? Today’s children and young people do not receive a quarter of what society invested in me. For example, in my primary school (and indeed during my daughter’s early school years) all children – whatever the wealth of their parents – could have a free hot school meal whose nutritional standards were laid down in law. School children had free milk, orange juice, vitamins, school medical, dentists, nurses and all children did games and some form of music. My university education was totally free. Not only did we not pay fees but also all students received maintenance linked to parental income, book and travel allowances. The idea was that society as a whole was investing in its future by investing in its children and I do believe most of us gave back what we had received. . But what is the situation of children today? There is a massive increase in child poverty with many children arriving to school in hunger. Increasing numbers of families are having to rely on food-banks to feed their children. There are rises in nutritionally triggered diseases such as rickets and a rise in childhood obesity and diabetes associated with poor quality food. Higher education has become a product to be sold and those who attend university leave with debts of 50k or more. I do not believe this is right or that there are no alternatives or that a more collective approach to the welfare of all our children, including migrants, immigrants, refugees and asylum-seekers, is not possible. . It’s clear to me that the high turn-out for the Referendum and the strength of feeling was as much a rejection of politics and politicians as it was a rejection of Europe. However, since I have joined the Labour Party I have been very impressed by the standard of thought, debate and problem-solving in my branch and constituency party. At the meetings I have attended this has been of a higher standard than is often articulated by professional politicians of all parties. I have also joined Momentum and found an energetic network of people wanting to contribute to solving the enormous problems facing the UK today not the cluster of aggressive thugs caricatured in the media and by some MPs. Consequently, the behaviour of the PLP is absolutely shameful. It’s policies I’m concerned with not back-biting and tale-telling. The focus on the personality of Corbyn by the majority of the Parliamentary Labour Party seems to me to reflect fears that policies are taking a direction most are unwilling to accept. Personally I’d remain in a smaller party with clear policy alternatives to those promoted by New Labour and a credible and vigorous opposition than the current melee. I would like to see the PLP engage in urgent policy development drawing on the expertise of its members and forming strategic alliances with the Greens and SNP at such a dangerous time and ceasing this harmful civil war. . Stephanie Petrie for HullRePublic . If you would like to blog for HullRePublic get in touch, share, make the change. HullRePublic@gmail.com @HullRePublic

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Guest Blog: Thoughts on Trident.

Our new guest blog by Mac Jordan (@ramtops) discusses Trident with no short supply of wit. Please check it out and feel free to comment or share.

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So, our Conservative Overlords called a vote on Trident at very short notice, scheduled for 18th July 2016. Nobody is quite sure why, really, given that it was a formality, but the more cynical amongst us might surmise that it was to portray Labour as being in complete turmoil; which they are, of course, and they don’t need anybody’s help to demonstrate the fact. Or you might prefer the mighty organ, Private Eye’s, take on it (from issue 1423, which landed in my post box on 21 July) . Needless to say, the pro WMD folk won by a landslide, and you can read the whole debate at Hansard. If you’d like to know how your MP voted, you can check here, but all the Hull area MPs voted to renew (Diana Johnson, Alan Johnson, Karl Turner, Graham Stuart and David Davis (the latter despite being completely against renewal in 2009 - power corrupts)).

. Nuclear weapons are terrifying, and only in the possession of (they all fervently hope) members of an extremely exclusive club, who can be trusted to behave properly. Like, oh, Pakistan. Or Israel. Or North Korea. Here’s a handy infographic. . We are told by those who represent us (though I never voted for them, honest), that we must have nuclear weapons because they are A Deterrent. Since the UK tested our first Weapon of Mass Destruction in 1952, we haven’t been attacked; but then we haven’t been attacked since World War II, so I’m not convinced. Nor have Germany, or Italy, or Finland, been attacked, and it’s not nuclear weapons keeping them safe. And certainly, they haven’t helped poor France, who has a place at the nuclear table.

. “Ah”, you might say, “but France has been attacked by terrorists”. Which is, tragically, very true, but I’m not sure that nuclear weapons could help there - where exactly where would you like us to bomb to stop terrorists?

. I’ll put my hands up and declare that I am in favour of nuclear disarmament; multilateral would be great, but unilateral is OK to start with. I was born in the 1950s, and I remember what it was like to grow up with the shadow of the Cold War hanging over us all, and the Protect and Survive leaflets. I read When the Wind Blows by Raymond Briggs, and it has stayed with me ever since. .

If you look at the image above, you’ll see that we don’t have many of these weapons compared to the US; if a nuclear conflict kicks off, I think it’s naive to think that it can be contained in any real sense - huge parts of the world will be reduced to uninhabitable black glass, and millions of people will die. Why would anybody attack us with nukes? - there’d be nothing left to claim. We would probably get caught in the crossfire of a big nuclear exchange, but that would happen with or without our own weapons.

. Subs with nuclear warheads are the 20th century answer to a 20th century problem, especially considering that the replacement boats and weapons will not be in service before 2028 . How long before technology can find nuclear subs at depth? Of these four submarines that they want to renew, only one is at sea at any given time, which reduces the capability somewhat - two of the others are either in port, or on training exercises, and the fourth is generally having some sort of 12,000 mile service.

. Another argument is that 30,000 jobs depend on Trident - in Barrow, at Faslane, and all the ancillary and support jobs. That’s a lot of jobs (although I suspect that 30,000 is a bit of a stretch), but you could give each worker a million quid redundancy money, and it would still be cheaper than renewal. Or you could build a hell of a lot of council housing, or schools, or all manner of things. There’s also a big issue with Faslane, because if Scotland gains independence, they don’t want the subs in Holy Loch, and there isn’t anywhere geographically suitable in England. And the NIMBYs would have a field day.

. As you may gather, I don’t want nuclear weapons in this country, and it’s not even about the money - £220bn (or 238, or 300 or whatever they come up with next) is a very small sum in the general government spending scheme. But it’s worth remembering that the government have no real idea what it will cost, and have written a blank cheque, just like they do with all defence projects; defence procurement doesn’t seem to be a very precise science. Nor are they very good at building boats - apparently our £billion frigates have broken down in the Persian Gulf because the water is too warm. Fills you with confidence, really.

. Personally, I’m going to continue keeping the orange felt elephant under my office chair as a deterrent - we’ve never been attacked since I put it there, so - obviously - it works.

. p.s. Did you know that the very first thing a new Prime Minister does is to write their Letters of Last Resort - wouldn’t you love to know what each of them wrote?

. Huge thanks to Mac!

If you’d like to blog for us just get in touch. HullRePublic@gmail.com @HullRePublic

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Guest Blog: Gary Wareing on The Labour Party.

We are pleased to share our first guest blog in a while.  Gary Wareing (@HullSeasider) is a train driver and member of ASLEF, below he offers his personal view on the current crisis engulfing The Labour Party.  Over to Gary.

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The Labour Party is locked in a civil war following the biggest parliamentary failed coup in modern history.  But the decision to put Jeremy Corbyn on the ballot paper for Labour Leader has dashed the hopes of the party’s right wing MPs.  However, their dirty tricks are not over yet.  

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Over half a million people have joined Labour from Labour voters, non voters, Greens, TUSC and other groups, Labour should be welcoming the converts, but Labour’s bureaucrats are now trying to stop the new members from voting.    Around 130,000 newly joined Labour members have been disenfranchised by a decision to set a retrospective cut off date of 12th January.    

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Young people, students, the unemployed, and low-paid workers will all be denied a voice in the upcoming contest due to the implementation of a £25 registered supporters fee.  Great initiatives are being taken through social media to attempt to crowd-source the funds needed to help thousands of people pay the £25 needed to register and vote for Corbyn.  Everyone can see these anti-democratic manoeuvres for what they are: a clear attempt to fix the result against Corbyn in the leadership election.    

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Despite these desperate actions,  Jeremy Corbyn could still win.  These actions will only serve to fuel the anger of the Corbyn movement towards the careerists in the Parliamentary Labour Party and the right-wing bureaucracy of the Party.  Delegates at the policy conference of Unite the Union, Britain's biggest trade union, have voted this week to give their full backing to Jeremy Corbyn and support the mandatory reselection of Labour MPs until recently they were against the call for mandatory reselection.  Faced with a grassroots rebellion, the Labour Establishment has panicked and is doing everything it can to stop Corbyn. The Labour bureaucracy has suspended all Labour wards and constituencies from convening, terrified that these mass meetings are effectively turning into pro-Corbyn rallies.  

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The two month election campaign will no doubt see the return of huge pro Corbyn rallies in Hull and other cities.  Another Corbyn victory will only be the beginning.  Labour's right wing are loyal defenders of the capitalist system. The victory of Corbyn last year was a threat to Blairite carpetbaggers who control the Labour party.  

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These careerists never accepted Corbyn, have been trying to discredit him from day one.  The right wing tried to remove Corbyn. First they tried to force him to resign. But that did not work. Then they tried a mass resignation of the frontbenchers. That did not work. Then they tried a procedural challenge to keep him off the ballot. That did not work.  The attempts at a compromise involving Tom Watson and the trade union leaders failed as the right wing wanted Corbyns removal.  

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The hundreds of thousands who joined the Labour party are labelled as “entryists”.  New members are a threat to those in the Parliamentary Labour Party who believe they have a job for life.  If we want change then all Labour MPs must face open reselection before every election as the only way of guaranteeing they represent the views of the local party and members.

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Please feel free to comment or share Gary’s post.  If you would be interested in blogging for HullRepublic please do not hesitate to get in touch:  HullRepublic@gmail @HullRepublic 

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Incidental:

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We are delighted to present the photographs of Jason Gray, to our minds one of the most vibrant and engaging photographers working in Hull today.  Jason's visual style is stunning and his attention to detail quite remarkable.

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Jason sent us this to accompany his images:

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I am proud to say I'm a resident of the much maligned area of Kingston Upon Hull that is designated the postcode prefix of HU3, notorious for high crime rates, low educational achievement, poor housing, anti social behaviour & the highest rates of drug related death in the city. I love it, I think it has acquired a somewhat distorted reputation.

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These pictures & many more like them are my small attempt at getting people to look at the area differently. I take pictures of buildings & sites that I think are important to the heritage of the area & the city, all of which are being neglected, forgotten or knocked down & destined to be lost forever. From time to time I'll stumble across something nature has created that I feel needs adding to my collection. Beauty & horror are everywhere, often present together in the same moment.

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If you want to see more like this, there are many more displayed for your viewing pleasure on instagram, look up jasonpgray. Thank you for looking.

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Thanks to Jason for his wonderful contribution to HullRePublic.

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If you would like to contribute get in touch.  Share.  Make the change.

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Thieves of the Stock Exchange:

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Guest Blog: What a Ding Dong.

Ding Dong, The Witch is Dead... the memorable track from The Wizard of Oz, delivered with gusto by the Munchkins when a house falls on the Wicked Witch. Who would have thought that a 51 second track from a cherished family film would cause such a stir? . When Margaret Thatcher died on April 8th, it didn’t take long for the collective might of Social Media to latch onto the death. There was a clear divide - reviled and revered - from many social commentators. The general public were equally divided, yet that wasn’t enough. How could we, the public, encapsulate our feelings towards the deceased former leader? . Ding Dong, The Witch is Dead. - Oh, how droll! How satirical! It’s not! Genuinely, it’s not. . There are far better tracks that could have been used as a sign of political satire. For some reason, I can only imagine idiocy, the collective minds of Social Media cottoned on to this track as an example of their, quite frankly, fatuous attempt at satire and political expression. . Why not Thatcherites by Billy Bragg? Thatcher made Bragg a socialite! What better way to demonstrate one’s social belief than by supporting one of the best political songwriters of our generation? How about Margaret on the Guillotine by Morrissey? He’s a man that wasn’t afraid to state his case on society. The answer is pretty obvious, they’re not ‘fun’, they’ve got a political message and from an era when sentiment was running at a high. With Morrissey and Bragg, it involves listening to, and understanding, the lyrics and their political views. . Ding Dong, The Witch is Dead has the same political imperative as the old childhood refrain “Here’s Maggie Thatcher, throw her up and catch her!” It’s childish, it has nothing to do with the feeling that Thatcher evoked and it’s the type of thing bought by people who weren’t around when Thatcher was in power. It belittles her legacy and reduces the memory of strikes, protests, economic strife and political turmoil to a twee act of impotence. . Her legacy is clear, the strength of her conviction gutted the economy and her presence on the world stage was the last time that the United Kingdom was a true superpower. From school milk to Poll Tax, from the Falklands to the Second Cold War, from the destruction of our coal industry to the privatisation of businesses; she was a figure that caused as much respect as she did hatred. To reduce her political significance and life to a 51 second piece of contextless tripe is vapid and highlights the lack of political understanding. Trivialise it by purchasing the track, but millions of us were affected by what Thatcher did and we should view this act of ‘free speech’ with the contempt it deserves. . If you genuinely want to challenge the tenets of Thatcherism, vote in the upcoming local elections. Deliver a blow to the Conservative party and show them the sense of resentment that this country still feels towards a party that, despite wanting to distance itself from the past, continues to embrace Thatcher’s ideals, just with different words. . If you want to express your right to ‘freedom of speech’, use your voice in a more effective way. Get involved in politics, be it single-cause groups such as 38 Degrees, or the Socialist Workers Party, but don’t think that buying this song is some form of political involvement. . Buying the track would make Thatcher smile. If ever there was a way to support Thatcher’s capitalist ideals, it’s this! . Thanks for reading. . Dave Adamson for HullRePublic. . If you would like to contribute to HullRePublic please get in touch. Share. Make the Change. . HullRePublic@gmail.com . @HullRePublic

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‘Making Work Pay’ and Other Untruths.

There is much talk of ‘making work pay’ at the moment with politicians of all three major political parties trying to out do the other in demonstrating their commitment to the ‘hard working people’ of the United Kingdom.  This is to be applauded (if it were backed by policies that matched these laudable aims); the truth is that employment in the UK is in a critical state with many of the protections we have (until this point) taken for granted being abolished or diluted; with precarious employment and under-employment becoming the norm for many.  This blog will take the issues in turn - from unionisation to the National Minimum Wage (NMW), through changes to terms and conditions, below inflation pay settlements and the monetisation of health care.

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Firstly, the NMW offers income protection to those in low paid work and according to the Low Pay Commission has ‘little or no significant adverse impact’ on job creation at this level.  The Coalition, however have announced they will look at freezing or reducing it should it ‘cost jobs’ and have recently raised it at a rate lower rate than inflation meaning a real terms cut.  The motivation here is political rather than economic and comes as a further assault on the living standards of those in low paid, often low skilled work (we discuss work further here); we are reminded of this quote from American comedian Chris Rock about employers views of the NMW.  The case for the introduction of a ‘living wage’ is well made and the economic driver behind it to increase demand from the socio-economic group most likely to spend additional money in their lives is a clear one.  The introduction of such a measure would also reduce the number of those needing to rely on tax credits and other ‘in-work’ benefits (that subsidise employers paying ‘poverty wages’ and substantially reduce State expenditure in this area.

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Instead, the Coalition has reduced these ‘in-work’ benefits with no alternative in place (and little evidence to suggest the changes will decrease dependency) whilst Ministers are demanding that low paid workers undertake additional hours to make up the shortfall – this is predicated on the notion that each employer has more hours to offer and that the low paid have capacity in their lives to undertake it, for many low paid workers they are also students, parents, volunteers and carers.  Low-paid workers will also suffer marginal tax rates 50% higher than millionaires due to changes brought forward by Cameron and Clegg’s budget.

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The ‘shares for rights’ initiative goes further (an idea promoted by George Osborne at the Conservative party conference) the main thrust of which being that employees would sacrifice many of their employment rights under UK law on unfair dismissal, redundancy and the right to request flexible working and time off for training in return for tax-free shares.  This move has been roundly criticised and further reduces the importance given to in work protection and mirrors the culture of ‘quick-wins’ in the City at the expense of long-term stability and progress.

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Another area of the framework within which we work is Health and Safety legislation; the Coalition are committed to reducing protection in this area as part of their ‘war on red-tape’.  Unions and others have worked long and hard in securing these protections for staff from a range of industries and reducing them will come at no significant cost in increased claims for compensation, to lower the working conditions of many and will make work less safe, more dangerous and fundamentally less attractive.  Coupled with this has been the long-term diminution of unionisation and in-work protection with many employers now seeking to ban unions from the work place leaving workers open to exploitation and predation in the form of ‘zero hour contracts’ (the most precarious form of employment with workers not knowing from one day to the next whether they have work) and the new rules in relation to unfair dismissal (the recent changes in this area significantly reduce the avenues a worker has as a means of redress if treated unfairly by their employer in the first two years of employment).

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The long-term effects of NHS privatisation are yet to be felt but there are many examples of services that used to be free at the point of use now come with a tariff; as this develops into the future the monetisation of the most basic health services will further impact on families’ ability to make ends meet.  There are also many stories of newly privatised health services forcing changes to terms and conditions for nurses and other workers, reducing holiday entitlement, changing pay structures and redundancy payments.  In the public sector a long-term pay freeze and below inflation pay settlements means that most face at least a 10% pay cut in real terms over the course of this parliament (the Coalition’s failed economic plan has prolonged austerity into 2018 meaning a further reduction in living standards). 

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In mitigation the Coalition would cite their raising of the personal tax threshold though according to the research the positive impact of this will be more than cancelled out by the rise in VAT , the reduction of in-work benefits and changes to council tax and/or housing benefit payments alongside the ill thought out and potentially disastrous ‘bedroom tax’.

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Living costs are spiralling out of control and rather than tackling the profits made by energy or train companies with positive action the Government does nothing and, more worryingly there is still no discussion as to how the Coalition will tackle historically low pay.  When faced with ever increasing bills for utilities and essentials the average working family is becoming worse off by the week whilst pay for those at the top continues to rise exponentially.  When taken as a whole Coalition employment policy is an assault on work; rather than ‘making work pay’ these measures actively erode our standard of living and the value of work for millions of hard working people.

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Thanks for reading – HullRePublic.

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If you would like to contribute to HullRePublic please get in touch.  Share.  Make the Change.

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HullRePublic@gmail.com

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Guest Blog: Making Amess Of It.

Hull as the city of culture 2017?  It's a possibility and one that the whole city should get behind.  Regular contributor to HullRePublic Dave Adamson explores the issues here:

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David Amess, Tory MP for Southend West, isn’t a stranger to controversy.  Whether he’s discussing the fictional drug Cake before tabling a question in Parliament whilst unaware that the TV series Brass Eye was a spoof, convincing security at airports that his bags were packed by Osama Bin Laden before vomiting and complaining, or claiming £8,500 for hotel bills despite owning property in London, he’s certainly a man who seems trapped in his own world of delusion.

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So, should it really have come as a surprise when he declared Southend-on-Sea as the only possible winner of the City of Culture bid in 2017?  Of course not.  He’s an MP for the area, he’s passionate about the city and he wants to get his support out in the open and, more importantly, in the press.

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So, what went wrong?

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“I have looked at some of the competition and frankly they are absolute dumps some of them” and some of the cities “wouldn’t know culture if it was put in front of them.”

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That’s what went wrong!

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To paraphrase a quote from the BBC Three series Being Human ‘you shouldn’t win because everyone else is more rubbish’.  Yet, that’s exactly what Amess seems to be suggesting.  Whilst other politicians might say that “the other cities are strong competition” or “we want to show our potential to the rest of the UK,” Amess seemed to think that this was some form of race to the bottom.  For Amess to suggest this, and to hold other cities in such contempt, is smug, unqualified arrogance.  He lacks the nuanced understanding of the cities that wish to present themselves as Cities of Culture; the opportunities such a title can offer and the prestige that it would give the winning city.  His narrow-minded attitude is typical of a party that has, over the term of this coalition, sought to distance itself from the voting public; a public that is not just middle class!

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The truth is that there’s a lot to do in Hull to improve its “cultural” standing.  Changes like this cannot open overnight - Platform Expos are driving forward with the Digital Estuary idea for the city (though I prefer to call it Digit-Hull); Mark Page and others are working tirelessly to increase the presence of local music; The Warren has been nurturing young talent for years and continues to do so, and there are bound to be dozens of projects that help the culture of the city that we haven’t heard about!

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“Culture” lacks definition in the same way that “art” does - Banksy.

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At the end of the day Banksy is a graffiti artist, yet his work is applauded by the art world.  Rap music is seen, by many, as misogynistic and criminal, yet many people see it as modern poetry.  To think that “culture” is defined in a narrow, traditionalist understanding is crass.

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Hull’s “cultural heritage” spans the decades and, like many cities, is open to all comers.  We have a vibrant local music scene, we draw some impressive acts and shows to our theatres and our museums and art galleries continue to draw visitors thanks to exhibitions of the works of Leonardo, Andy Warhol and David Hockney.  The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra has played in our city, as has Ed Sheeran, Bon Jovi, Elton John and The Rolling Stones, whilst Florence and the Machine headlined the Freedom Festival.  We have been shaped by our history - we have celebrated the abolition of slavery, been instrumental in the Civil War and the victim of air raids during the Second World War.

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Our heritage, our culture, isn’t defined in one easy statement.  It can’t be dismissed, it shouldn’t be belittled and it must never be undermined by the witless buffoonery of politicians like David Amess.

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Dave Adamson for HullRePublic.

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Thanks to Dave for his interesting contribution.  What do you think about Hull becoming the 'City of Culture'? Get in touch. Share. Make the Change.

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