PM’s new dawn

Oct 3 2008 by Gordon Banks MP

WHAT a difference one speech can make! I returned from Labour Party Conference in Manchester last week and things certainly look different from what they did a week ago.

I think this really speaks more about the way politics is covered today rather than the political ability of the Prime Minister. I have never questioned the fact that Gordon Brown is the right man to be leading the UK at this very difficult time when economic problems are not only being felt in Britain, but across the globe.

It was widely predicted that Labour’s Conference would be the platform for all the ‘Labour rebels’ to come together and plot the downfall of the Prime Minister and the Labour Government. Well the blood on the carpet never materialised and certainly my impression of the Conference was a very positive one and one which demonstrated a lot of cohesion within the Party. Conference does provide the opportunity for MPs, Ministers, Party Members and other stakeholders to come together and speak openly and frankly about the future of the Party and the cohesion I found was really a breath of fresh compared to a lot of the negative press we so often read.

I have not found any critics of the Prime Ministers speech and Gordon laid out a strong and positive vision which contrasts strongly with cuts that we are experiencing here in Scotland. Only last week we saw more Council cuts to services in Perth and Kinross with the end of the Meals on Wheels service and nationally there have been cuts to nursery provision for two years in Scotland in addition to many other cuts.

Contrast the investment being made at UK level with the cuts being implemented at Scottish level and you begin to see that there is only one Government who is concerned with delivering for the people of Scotland. And whilst our First Minister is grandstanding and making promises he can never keep, we have a Prime Minister who has a conviction to make real change rather than short term gimmicks.

No-one is claiming all in the garden is rosy but many of the people I speak to realise we have a unique set of international circumstances and the Prime Minister is moving to address these challenges at home and abroad. Last week the Prime Minister met with President Bush and pledged his support for plans to stabilise world economies with a $700 billion rescue package. The interconnected nature of economics nowadays means stability in the US breeds stability here.

Whilst in the US, the Prime Minister also met with the United Nations to build ‘co-ordinated solutions’ to the global economic slowdown as well as calling for an end to irresponsibility in international money markets. Whilst all the problems of the world cannot be laid at the doors of ‘spivs and speculators’, greater transparency is required and we need to put an end to the culture where people are rewarded (quite handsomely I might add) for failure.

As always I welcome your views and you can find out how to contact me on my website – www.gordonbanksmp.co.uk or by giving my office a call on 01259 721536.