Lynne Featherstone

Turned on Daily Politics only to find same old same old – a competition for viewers to guess how many sitting days at Parliament until their next break because parliamentarians had had a three week ‘break’ over Christmas.

Parliament was not sitting – that is not the same thing as a ‘break’ or a holiday! Do those who work in the media only care about what happens at Parliament and not the constituencies – ‘cos I think it is they who are guilty of perpetuating the idea that only Parliament matters. It may be all they care about – but it is not the only part of the job.

However, not wishing to start the year off by arguing with the media (too much!) but was soooooooooo dreary to find first political program of the day looking for miserable things to say about MPs – and then thinking themselves soooooo amusing. Bad form!

In this time of miserable news internationally and at home, with recession and crunch at every turn there is certainly plenty to keep government and Parliament busy. However, I just do not think the Government’s initiative on giving a golden hello of £2,500 will work – ‘cos surely if you are an employer after the dosh – you will just take someone who has been unemployed for 6 months in preference to someone who has been unemployed one month. So it doesn’t create a job – it just switches it from one person to another with some dosh. Or have I missed something?

And what about the company that ‘creates’ a real extra job – surely that would be a better place to put reward rather than a displacement policy?

Comments

1. Iain Wood says:

   14 January 2009 at 12:56 pm

   Hi Lynne. You just sent me an email inviting my views on your New Statesment article but didn’t include your email address (is it a secret?) – anyway I’m here on your blog instead!

   I have to tell you that many people in this country (even party members sometimes) have a low opinion of politicians and MPs – don’t blame the messenger!

   Regarding incentives for the long term unemployed… yes you have missed something. After 6 months of job searching this might give those people affected a little boost, an extra incentive, maybe some hope? When I was unemployed in the early 90s incentives like this might have helped tip the balance in my favour.
2. Lynne Featherstone MP says:

   14 January 2009 at 3:07 pm

   Iain – thanks for the comments. If you hit reply on the email, it will come through to me or I’m on lynne AT lynnefeatherstone.org