Labour's loans mess: Inside story General Ramblings 23 March 2006 In the last election Tony panicked as usual, thought the only answer was to throw money at it (which is wrong), called in Levy and said "Get what it takes". Which he did because he’s brilliant at fund raising. So he went out on auto-beg and collected squillions for our first PFI election. Labour spent the lot (or rather chucked it away) and no-one knew how much was involved until now. Read more...   Tony: The Long Farewell Yorkshire Post Articles 21 March 2006 When a leader like Tony Blair is on his way out, vultures gather above, pundits chatter and prognosticate below, and each failure produces the claim that things can’t get any worse. The end is nigh. So it was with the Great Helmsman last week. Our self-proclaimed "honest bloke" was enmired in the biggest fiddle in British political history and one all of his own making, as the rest of the Party scrambled out from under. The once impregnable Leader was forced into massive changes to an Education Bill he’d proclaimed as his final offer. Read more...   The Great Housing Disaster Council Housing 20 March 2006 How long can we continue to ignore the Great Housing Disaster? Pathetic low builds where we need huge output and lots more rented housing. Rising homelessness and waiting lists. Half the population unable to raise the deposit to get on the ladder. Far more overcrowding. All ignored by a Government intent on carrying on its war against councils to force them to give away their housing stock. Read more...   Occupying Tory ground General Ramblings 20 March 2006 Tony’s determination to occupy any ground from which the Tories might be able to attack has come together with Cameron’s determination to move the Tories onto the centre ground to produce Lab-Con government. We govern under licence from them implementing their policies, but taking the blame when things go wrong. Read more...   A chance to re-hear what was never said Opinions 16 March 2006 By the time I was called in the debate on the Education Bill speeches were limited to a three minute gabble. So the House missed both my jokes and an argument which would have brought the Government to its knees. Read more...   Letter to Ruth Kelly Opinions 10 March 2006 10 March 2006 Dear Ruth As I’ve not yet had replies to my three letters on the Education Bill I’d like to sum up my concerns about it before the debate and vote on the fifteenth in the hope that you will have time to give some thought to answering the questions I have been asking. My central concern is “what is in it for Grimsby?” or, more broadly, North East Lincolnshire? It may offer a lot to pushy parents in London. I don’t, however, see much benefit for an area of educational disadvantage or for the young people in my constituency. It’s up to you to allay these doubts and the puff pastry published so far doesn’t do so. Read more...   A note from Cripple Creek Opinions 08 March 2006 Apologies for the absence of blog. Nothing to do with a ban of silence imposed by the Whips. A back injury caused by a parachuting accident thirty years ago has laid me low. I get about on sticks but slowly, so most of my time is spent sitting like a retired major watching the world Read more...   Austin criticises undemocratic ballot of tenants News Flash 03 March 2006 Austin has written to Tower Hamlets Council, the Electoral Reform Society and the Housing Minister criticising the conduct of a recent ballot of tenants. Tenants felt intimidated by the presence of staff campaigning for a transfer of housing from the council to a housing association, and say they were deliberately misled. Read more...   Letter to Ruth Kelly Opinions 28 February 2006 Austin has written to the Education Secretary, Ruth Kelly, about the forthcoming Education Bill. Read more...   What's gone wrong? Opinions 17 February 2006 "What’s Gone Wrong" (WGW) has always been the most asked question in politics. We won a good election victory less than a year ago. Yet our WGW is that we look like a government at the end of its term facing an election we’re unlikely to win. Takes leadership to do that. Read more...   Diary: February 2006 Opinions 13 February 2006 The Great Education Reform Debate is the Gay Gordons as we used to dance it in the St. Aiden’s Old Time Dance night (Sundays). Groups advance towards each other, bow and retreat. People twist under other people’s arms. They jig around. Then they move on to another partner. Read more...   Mass rally to defend council housing Council Housing 09 February 2006 Around 1400 people yesterday attended a mass lobby of Parliament calling for direct investment in council housing. Austin chaired the main platform in Central Hall Westminster, which featured speeches from councillors, tenants, union leaders and MPs. The speeches were opened with a surprise appearance from former MP and supporter of council housing Tony Benn. Read more...   Save the Radio 4 theme News Flash 25 January 2006 Austin is supporting the campaign to save the Radio 4 theme tune, which airs daily at 5.30am. He will be tabling an Early Day Motion in the House of Commons today. You can listen to his interview on the Today programme from this morning via the BBC website. A petition has been set up by Tim Hatton, a web designer - you can sign it here. So far over 4,000 people have added their names.   House Magazine Diary for January 2006 House Magazine Diary 19 January 2006 Miserable life. Miserable me. Miserable New Year to you. This is going to be the most exciting political year since 2005 but ushered in by a miserable recess (or rendition, as we now call it): lousy weather, fractious family, mini-flu and awful back pain. The break for renewal and regeneration has been disastrous and debilitating. Read more...   Letter to Mervyn King January 2006 Monetary Policy 17 January 2006 My monthly letter to the Governor of the Bank of England. Read more...   New Year Opinions 05 January 2006 Speaking on behalf of Grimsby and the entire Mitchell for President Launch team, Austin Mitchell today officially welcomed the New Year. Read more...   Merry Christmas Opinions 21 December 2005 Merry Xmas and a Happy New Year. Merry Xmas and a Happy New Year. I said at the start that this could be the year of the three leaders. Everything is still pointing that way.   Education Bill Opinions 21 December 2005 Blair won’t get his Education Bill through unless it’s gutted. He’s discovered the electoral benefits of bashing his own party and its prejudices but it’s a bit difficult to carry on that process in power with a majority of 66. Read more...   Blair's EU Presidency Opinions 21 December 2005 Blair’s Presidency of the EU compares badly with Ethelred The Unready’s. Began with a magnificent speech. No follow through and total loss of interest. Until a last-minute attempt to negotiate the budget which he did by alienating his Eastern European mates with the threat of cuts in their money and ended only by negotiating against himself on the rebate and letting Merkel take all the credit as the honest broker. Read more...   A letter to Ruth Kelly News Flash 07 December 2005 Dear Ruth I hope to be seeing you soon in one of your meetings arranged by the Whips to convince doubters like me of the benefits to my constituents of your Education White Paper. Since I am an acute case I’d like to set out my problems about your curate’s egg. Read more...

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