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Welcome to the Weblog of Austin Mitchell

Austin Mitchell has been the Labour MP for Grimsby since 1977.
 

Austin started out on the right of the Labour Party, but in recent years it has moved so far right behind him that he is now the extreme left.

Considered a dangerous revolutionary because of his belief in equality, public spending and state intervention in the economy and in markets and in full employment, which is basic to socialism.

 

Not Old Labour- positively geriatric!
 

He lives in Grimsby, though most of his time is spent driving between Grimsby- London - Halifax.
A former Parliamentary Private Secretary, Opposition Whip, Member of the Treasury, Civil Service Select Committee and Front Bench Spokesperson on Trade and Industry, he currently sits on the Public Accounts Committee.

 

His interests include housing; the economy; fisheries policy and New Zealand.  Austin is also a keen photographer and, as Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Photography, organises the annual Jessops Parliamentary Photography Exhibition.   Austin is a member of many All-Party Parliamentary Groups, as well as being the chair of the Council Housing Group of MPs.

 

Previously he was an academic (Nuffield College Oxford and New Zealand Universities) and a television journalist (BBC and Yorkshire Television).

 

He presented 'Target' with Norman Tebbit on SKY from 1989 to 1998. He writes for The House Magazine, Accountancy Age and is the author of various books, some of which are collaborations with the late, great Richard Whiteley.

  

Austin's Calendar

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Latest Articles
Council Housing Group of MPs welcomes new announcement

 

PRESS RELEASE
AUSTIN MITCHELL MP                              1 July 2009
Tel: 020 7219 4559
 
Council Housing Group of MPs welcomes new announcement
 
The Council Housing Group of MPs welcomes John Healey’s announcement today that councils will be able to retain all of their rents from council housing and the proceeds of their Right to Buy sales.
 
This concedes the Fourth Option and the level playing field we and Defend Council Housing have been fighting for, for several years.
 
Our congratulations to the new Minister.
 
We regret, however, that this major and necessary change to the policies the Government has misguidedly followed since 1997 comes too late to generate the big council housing building drive the country needs
 
We urge the Government to introduce the changes immediately and to put a moratorium on Large Scale Voluntary Transfers until the financial basis on which these can occur has been totally recalculated. We also urge a housing development grant for councils to put them back into the building game and put builders back to work urgently.   Remember, this Government has only 10 months to go and it needs to use that time to atone for the housing failures of 10 years. Britain needs a strong and healthy public rented housing sector to provide decent affordable democratically controlled and socially mixed housing for the large proportion who can’t afford to buy.
 
 
Austin Mitchell
Chair, Council Housing Group of MPs
 
There are some things expenses can’t buy

Money paid back by MPs = £478,616

Money paid by the Daily Telegraph = £300,000

The panic it has caused over the last few weeks = Priceless

 

Congratulations to the Daily Telegraph for helping to solve the Government debt problem. With nearly half a million pounds flowing back to the fees office.

 

£102.57 of it from me for booze, which I apologise for

 
 
The Fine Art of 'No comment'

You're never too old to learn. I've just learned that in our new "monitor democracy" in which everything is known to everyone so people power prevails the only safe strategy is keep your head down and say nowt.

I said Speaker Martin should be allowed to go at the next election and the Grimsby Telegraph letters page is filled with denunciation.

I said Elliot Morley should be allowed to put his side of the case and wham bang the abuses pours in.

Hence forth its stum. Has Smith resigned? No comment. Should Gordon go- "he's the best PM we've got" - No sorry too outspoken. No comment. Is Darling? No comment.

Are you standing down? No comment. Are you available for promotion? "Well funnily enough I was just sending my CV to Gordon. I've got a free day next Tuesday."
 
Time to Call a Halt

The witchunt has gone too far. Its out of control. The Telegraph which started it has lost control and doesn't know what comes next.

...

Yet in this expulsion of ... against politicians no one knows what they want, what the job of MPs is all about or where all the .....

Stop. Think. An angry mob can't take rational decesions or give the leadership i n need. People are right to be angry. We're not ... to lit anger rule.

Where now is the voice of reason? Who's giing to speak up for sense? No one leader, follower, journalist, pucht columnist has the guts.
 
I'm for Clegg

I'll join Nicholas Clegg let's work out a new constitution rather than go in summer holidays .I'll stay with him to do it.

In fact I'd agree with most of his programme because its been mine for longer. But I can't support his proposal for a fully elected second chamber.

Do we really want another set of ... just like us? Thick skinned egomaniacs on the make?
 
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