Author: johnredwood

Construction, growth and our environment

April 21, 2015 89 Comments

One of the oddest things about  some Green Party interviewees is their apparent disinterest in the impact of more and more development of homes and commercial space on our environment. They seem unwilling to discuss the issue of growth in population, though growth in population is one of the main drivers of more carbon dioxide output,more use of the planet’s resources, more factory output of kinds they often do  not like.

For an individual country like the UK accepting tough targets for carbon reduction are made much worse if the country is experiencing a strong flow of migrants into it. The international targets are not adjusted to take account of more people. If an individual country wants to hit the targets a tough migration policy would be a good help.

For the many voters who love the English countryside, better control of migration would be very helpful. We do need to build many homes if we continue to invite in so many additional people. Environmentally it makes little sense to build many new homes on greenfields in England in order to leave an equivalent number of homes empty on the continent as people leave their own country and come to live here. It means more natural resources and energy are needed to build the homes here, and adds to the misery in the country losing the people with empty homes disfiguring urban environments and reducing incomes in those communities.

You would have thought true greens would wish to help in the task of creating more jobs and wealth in continental countries, so we have to use fewer greenfields for new building. If only. Part of the left’s problem is they will never criticise the EU/Euromodel, or criticise the dear energy policies which destroy jobs and keep people in fuel poverty. They just want to criticise England and complain that it is all our fault.

Letter to Voters

April 20, 2015 0 Comments

Dear Elector,

This election should be about you. It is about how you feel and what you want for your future and for your family. This General Election is particularly important for you, as it will make big decisions about what sort of country we live in in the next five years, and whether your future will be secure.

If elected again as your MP I will be there to put your views and worries to government. I will speak up for the Wokingham constituency. I will work with Wokingham and West Berkshire Councils to improve the local environment and services.

We need to strive to improve our public services, concentrating the money on those that matter most. We should use the best modern means to deliver great service at an affordable cost. I want people to be free to make more of their own decisions, leaving us all with more of our earnings and savings to spend. It makes little sense to take too much money off us, only to have to give it back again to help our families. Government should be there when we need help but should not seek to control and direct too many features of our lives. Conservatives offer higher tax thresholds for the 20% and the 40% tax rate, and no new tax on your home.

A Conservative government will continue to put excellence and ambition into our schools, allowing good schools more freedom to develop as they wish, and encouraging professional teachers. It will appoint more GPs and extend the hours and range of services on offer from the GP service. It will improve rail and road transport to make it easier to get to work, school and the shops. I will work with government, the local Council and NHS to ensure Wokingham gets its fair share of money and improvement.

We need to complete the long repair of our damaged economy. No country can run up unlimited debts, as Greece and others are finding out. Borrowing too much is not caring or kind, as it leads to drastic cuts in what matters, higher taxes and a poorer country. The banks are almost mended after the ruinous crisis of 2008, when Labour’s regulatory system failed badly. Under their control the banks lurched from offering too much credit and lending to providing too little. We suffered a big crash with high unemployment. The large number of new jobs now being created shows we are getting something right, as President Obama remarked. We need to carry on with steady progress in cutting our new debts and growing our jobs and prosperity.

We also need to repair our constitution and our democracy. Many people feel let down by modern politics. There is plenty of sound and fury, but is there enough consideration of what is best? Is there honest good government where and when we need it? I have sought to be a daily voice in Parliament and on my website setting out more of the facts and the underlying problems, urging government to mend what is broken and protect what works. Today we need to offer justice to England. As Scotland gains many more powers of self government, so we need to let England make more of her own decisions. If Scotland is to decide her own Income Tax rate, Scottish MPs at Westminster should not also get a vote on England’s Income Tax rate.

Most of us want to trade with the rest of Europe, be friends with other EU countries, and do things together where it makes sense for us and them. The UK has rightly decided not to join the rest of the EU in the Euro. We have no wish to gradually sign up to the full political union they will need to back their currency. If you share the same money as other places, you need to send money from the rich to the poorer parts of the zone, you need to stand behind all the banks of the zone, and need to make transfers of cash to Councils in need, to people on benefits and governments with large debts. The UK does not wish to be involved in such an expensive and difficult project. We need to define a good relationship with the emerging political and currency union on the continent which allows us to trade and do things together, but leaves us free to control our own welfare system, our own borders, our own criminal justice and other important matters that define us as a democratic nation.

I hope you like the ambitious programme we have for a better and stronger UK. I want you and your family to have access to great schools and good jobs, for you to keep more of what you earn, and to live in a civilised country where we can afford to help those in need and pain. To do so we have to continue with repairing our damaged economy and banks. We need to be prudent but not mean with our government expenditures. We need to believe in ourselves and our country. Tax cuts for all and home ownership for the many is better than the Lib Dem and Labour threats of higher income taxes, new taxes on some family homes and their mean spirit against business and enterprise that can deliver us more better paid jobs.

Published and promoted by Thomas Puddy for John Redwood, both at 30 Rose Street Wokingham RG40 1XU

Lloyds Bank shares

April 20, 2015 1 Comment

 

Yesterday David Cameron told us that a Conservative government will sell more of the Lloyds Bank shares which the taxpayer currently owns. It is good news that Lloyds is now a stronger bank, capable of providing good service , helping to finance a recovery, and making profits and dividend for taxpayers.

I welcome the fact that taxpayers will get all our money back and some profit on the transaction. The state should not be owning banks, and we need the money to offset some of the extra borrowing the government is still doing each year.

Individuals wanting to buy a quantity of shares between £250  and £10,000 worth  will be entitled to a discount of 5%. Discounts are not unusual when large share transactions like this one are undertaken. I welcome the way the discount will go to the smaller shareholder buyers.

Turning the banks round was an important part of getting the recovery going. The crash of the banks thanks to the destructive monetary and regulatory policy followed by the Labour government in 2005-9 was the cause of so much pain. It is great to see economic strength returning.

 

Published and promoted by Thomas Puddy for John Redwood, both at 3o Rose Street Wokingham RG40 1XU

EU asylum and the sad deaths at sea

April 20, 2015 90 Comments

The spate of deaths by drowning this spring has been harrowing. More must be done to prevent the problem arising, and more to rescue those where a disaster does occur . The policing,patrolling and life saving where needed has to be done by those EU countries  and North African countries with ports nearest to the problem, as they have the vessels able to deploy quickly.

The countries and authorities who could do most to stop this problem are the North African states whose ports the ships leave. The ships should be properly checked for seaworthiness and to prevent overloading before departures.

There is a common EU asylum policy. Broadly the policy has to be applied at the first EU country an asylum seeker reaches. They should be permitted entry if they are fleeing persecution and in need of asylum, but not if they are economic migrants. The EU’s borders are as good- or as weak- as the weakest link in them in all the member states. That is one reason why many in the UK would rather have complete national control of our borders, and make our own judgements about asylum without EU law.

The EU itself has been asked to help Italy, currently facing a large part of the present  problem.The Italian authorities, assisted by the EU, need to do more to track down the criminals who take people’s money to risk them in unsafe boats. This vile trade which has led to so many deaths needs a strong police response, and may well need co-operation between EU member states and the countries allowing the people to travel in these dangerous boats. All member states who are part of the common border need to discuss the EU contribution to the policy costs.

The EU needs to stress there is a fair and safer way for people to be assessed for asylum status, than trying to turn up on unsuitable vessels.

What are you offering pensioners?

April 19, 2015 1 Comment

 

Yesterday on the doorsteps I was asked several times what are the Conservatives offering  pensioners?

Let me remind those who are retired or nearing retirement of what the Conservatives are offering:

 

1. Uprate the State pension by the best of 2.5%,  inflation or earnings. The last government introduced this triple lock, and the Conservatives will continue with this Coalition policy if elected to government. Recently the 2.5% guarantee has been useful, as there is currently no inflation on the CPI measure, and earnings growth has been below 2.5% on average.

2. Offer freedom from income tax for standard rate payers for the first 1000 pounds of savings income.

3. Offer Pensioner savings bonds, with a 2.8% interest rate for a one year bond, and a 4% interest rate for a 3 year bond to boost income on savings at a time of low interest rates.

4. Continue with the winter fuel allowance, tv licence concessions and travel assistance for pensioners. Labour wish to limit some of these schemes by income of pensioner.

The aim is that pensioners should also share in economic success, and not see their pension rise by less than those in work see their wages rise.

 

Published and promoted by Thomas Puddy for John Redwood, both at 30 Rose Street Wokingham RG40 1XU

More talking, less warring

April 19, 2015 97 Comments

War breaks out when politics fails. All too often in recent years in the Middle East and on the eastern fringe of the European Union politics has failed, governments have lost authority or have lacked the power to resist powerful enemies. The UK has tried military interventions in the Middle East with our allies, and has wisely avoided military intervention in Eastern Europe. Neither course of action or inaction has brought peace and democracy to those areas. So what in future should we do?

I want the next Parliament to rebuild the UK’s diplomatic strength. The last five years have seen some strengthening of the Foreign office’s capability to understand foreign countries and represent us more widely abroad. By 2010 the FCO lacked the language skills and intelligence staff needed to have a thorough understanding of the Middle East and Russia. Policy analysis and the presentation of our viewpoint was made more difficult by the shortage of skills. The Defence Select Committee has reported on this.

Armed with better information and advice, our diplomats and senior military staff will be in a better position to work with allies and with any democratic governments in the specified areas who are worthy of support. The Middle East needs more talking, and Eastern Europe needs more talking. This is not some vague hope of peace through asking people to be nicer to each other. I am far from naive about the magnitude of the problem faced in these troubled areas. I am also very conscious that we have tried military solutions in the Middle East, and the Ukrainian government is seeking a military solution in its unhappy territory, with no obvious signs that this route creates a stable peace and good democratic practice.

It takes many years or decades even for a country to establish democratic practices that are reasonable. It takes even longer for democracy to become a reflex reaction, to be part of the social and political fabric. It is only when people assume governments can be dismissed by voters, recognise that minorities have rights and protections, understand the power of the state cannot be used for party political purposes, and realise everyone is beneath the same law administered by independent judges,do you have the makings of a democratic state. The UK’s unique contribution in future could be to do more to build confidence in democracy,to explain to more people how democracy works, and above all to show it is an attitude of mind and an approach that has to be shared by government and opposition alike.

 

Tour of the constituency

April 18, 2015 0 Comments

I amplanning to visit all parts of the constituency during the election campaign, knocking on doors and visiting places. So far I have been out and about in Emmbrook, Evendons, Norreys, Winnersh,Earley, Shinfield and Burghfield. On Saturday I will be in Wokingham town in all four wards.  I will also visit Swallowfield on Saturday.

 

It is not possible to knock on every door or meet all who might want to see me through these visits. So I am encouraging more people to use John Redwood On Line on the local issue pages of www.johnredwood..com

 

Published and promoted by Thomas Puddy for John Redwood, both at 30 Rose Street Wokingham RG40 1XU

Lots of jobs

April 18, 2015 137 Comments

 

The employment figures have been goods news for many months. Yesterday’s figures mean that 2million new jobs have now been added since 2010. The UK economy is in marked contrast to southern and western Euroland, where high unemployment remains entrenched and where there are precious few new jobs being created.

Yesterday also saw praise for the UK from the IMF boss. The IMF themselves are not immune to making poor forecasts or for giving bad advice on what to do next . This time they gave a sensible comment on what has happened. They noted that the UK has been much more successful at achieving growth than the rest of Europe, and agreed that the UK had made some good calls on the pace of deficit reduction and how to reduce it.

The task ahead is to generate still more jobs. It is to generate better paid jobs. It is to raise the skill level, and to resume productivity growth. It is to create a climate for more industrial growth as well as service sector growth

The singe most important change to speed that process has to be a major change to our energy policy. The UK needs to distance itself from the job destroying dear energy policies of the EU, and have a UK policy based on the pursuit of greater self sufficiency in energy provision.

The position in the Euro area is weaker in many ways. Their overdependence on wind energy will become a particular problem, burdening them with much dearer energy than their leading competitors. Japan and China are putting in large quantities of coal based  electricity production, which is presently much cheaper. As if the disaster of the Euro was not enough, the EU has hit upon another way of destroying jobs and giving the advantage to the competitors.

Better child care

April 17, 2015 4 Comments

The Conservative Manifesto promises the money for 30 hours child care a week to families where both mother and father go out to work and they have a child or children aged 3-4. This doubles the current position of 15 hours free child care a week.

The modern reality is many families do have two working parents. Child care is expensive, and everyone wants their child to have good quality child care they can trust. That means paying decent salaries to people capable of looking after the children well in a safe and interesting environment for the child.

This policy should be most welcome to young families in Wokingham. Bringing up young children is a costly activity, and often coincides with other large bills as the family moves into a family home with all the attendant costs. 30 free hours of childcare a week should be a welcome help.

 

Published and promoted by Thomas Puddy for John Redwood, both at 30 Rose Street Wokingham RG40 1XU

Last night’s debate

April 17, 2015 182 Comments

 

Last night was a wake up call to the reality. On current polls the SNP will be clearly the third largest party in the next House of Commons. They will make all sorts of demands on England designed to undermine the Union.

Labour has no answer to this problem. We clearly need justice for England, which only the Conservatives are willing to talk about and address. Labour and the Lib Dems remain silent on how England’s Income Tax should be settled once Scotland decides her own. The winner last night was the Conservative party.