Proposals that Will Neither Reverse the Inequality of the Regions Nor Empower the People

Workers' Daily Internet Edition : Article Index :

White Paper Your Region – Your Choice: Revitalising the English Regions:
Proposals that Will Neither Reverse the Inequality of the Regions Nor Empower the People

Anti Euro Campaign Initiated In Birmingham

It’s Official! Euro Veils Ongoing Price Hikes

Action against Threatened Compulsory Redundancies at Newcastle University

On May 9, the government announced its White Paper on regional governance, Your Region – Your Choice: Revitalising the English Regions. John Prescott announcing the White Paper said: "The creation of regional assemblies will signal the re-birth of political life across England. Our vision of regional governance is an opportunity for change and giving people the choice to make that change." Tony Blair in the introduction to the White Paper says: "It gives people living in the English regions the chance to have a greater say over the key issues that affect them as well as the power to devise tailored regional solutions to regional problems." However, such claims are not borne out in the details of the proposals. What can be said is that the New Labour government recognises that increasing disaffection with the political process requires the "re-birth of political life" and that the people are increasingly demanding "a greater say over the key issues that affect them".

The White Paper addresses its main attention to strengthening the executive arrangements already put in place by the government in the regions. Thus it proposes as a first step a "stronger role" for the business led Regional Development Agencies (RDAs), and regional Chambers and Government Offices which have transferred functions of Westminster to the regions. The role of these executive bodies is in making the regions attractive to inward investment and maintaining a flexible workforce with skills and research all relevant to "their employers" and in dealing with questions of infrastructure, transport, housing and promoting tourism. Having established the executive role over these functions, which already exists, the White Paper talks in this context about a "vision for democracy" in the regions. "The next step in our programme of constitutional change is to give people the opportunity to choose whether they want to have an elected assembly for their region." Such assemblies are a distant prospect for most regions but it is proposed that one or two referendums will take place before the end of this Parliament.

The powers of these assemblies will be tailored by those that already exist under the direction of the executive bodies. They will be responsible for "economic development – which will address issues such as attracting inward investment, improving productivity and the conditions for enterprise, and ensuring that all parts of the region benefit from economic growth". They will address "skills and employment" issues, transport, waste, housing, culture (including tourism), health improvement and biodiversity. The White Paper points out that the RDAs will be accountable to the assembly. But it goes on to define this accountability by saying: "The agency will retain its present day-to-day operational independence, and its Board will continue to be directly responsible for ensuring the implementation of its agreed targets and corporate plan."

The White Paper sets out the constitution of elected regional assemblies. Based on the boundaries of the remaining eight regions outside of London, assemblies will have between 25 and 35 members. They will have a leader and a cabinet of up to six members chosen by the assembly. Around two-thirds of an assembly’s members will be elected under the first-past-the-post system, with the remainder elected from a single "top-up" constituency for the region. This will ensure the dominance of the party system over the assemblies acting as a further block to the increasing demand for the alternative and the renewal of the political process that directly empowers people in taking the decisions in society and not parties. In addition, the government in the White Paper is seeking opinions on ways of including unelected "stakeholders" to participate in all aspects of an assembly’s work.

The White Paper sets out the regional policy of the government including its proposals for regional assemblies as part of its "dynamic ongoing process to ensure that functions are carried out at the appropriate level within the overall UK framework". As far as the government is concerned this "ongoing process" is all that is required in "dealing with issues which affect the unitary state of nations within the UK including England alone – or with national standards". In fact the White Paper further exposes the government's intentions in downgrading the national rights of the nations within Britain in favour of "devolved" regional government.

This White Paper does not start from the aim of giving further decision-making powers and most importantly sovereignty to the people of Scotland, Wales and England. The aim of Tony Blair can be seen in his introduction to the White Paper that "devolution has strengthened Britain because it has allowed the different parts of the UK to give expression to their diversity whilst celebrating the values that bind us together as a nation. We believe that devolution can offer the same benefits to the English regions." His conception is of a British "nation", and strengthening the British state on the basis of devolved national and regional arrangements which strengthen the party dominated system to disempower the people and deny the peoples of England, Scotland and Wales their nationhood. Furthermore the White Paper emphasises the role of the English regions in contributing to the arrangement of the British state in the past just as it is hoped that they will play this role in the future. "They contributed to establishing the UK as a great economic power as different regional strengths spurred our first industrial revolution. We must ensure that they can play their part in the knowledge-based economic revolution which is now taking place." So, the English regions are to be renewed on the old basis to "Make Britain Great Again" whilst "giving expression to the diversity" and imposing "new values" in opposition to the demand of the people for decision-making powers at the level of both regional and state government. Indeed, any conception that the people have a right to control their own affairs on a regional, national or any other basis is conspicuous by its absence.

The proposals the White Paper is putting forward show that its aim is to pay lip service to political renewal whilst it puts in place another tier of government to keep the people further away from their empowerment and to give further opportunities to the financial oligarchy, the European Union and the monopolies in the global market to exploit the people. This serves to underline that the workers must set their own agenda for renewal of the political process and for setting the direction of the economy. The workers must intervene in politics to demand modern sovereign states of England, Scotland, and Wales and for the people’s empowerment. Only on that basis can the nations of Britain have a free and equal union if they so desire. Only on the basis of the working class constituting itself as the nation and vesting of sovereignty in the people can there be a "revitalising the English regions". The devolution plans of the government and the White Paper Your Region – Your Choice: Revitalising the English Regions does not provide this agenda, nor will it reverse the inequality of the regions or empower the people.

By Ken Knapman

Delegates from around the country attended a seminar in Birmingham on May 18 to initiate the Anti Euro campaign. The meeting took place at The Attwood Community Centre, Holloway Head, Birmingham City Centre.

Taking part were over 50 people who were mainly active on the movement against the European Union and some people interested generally in opposing the Euro. The broad cross-section included various political parties and collectives including Greens, communists, liberals, socialists, workers, youth, pensioners, small business people and democratic and progressive people.

The keynote speech was delivered by John Boyd of the Campaign Against Euro-Federalism (CAEF), and other speakers included Michael Clark, who spoke on constitutional issues, and Leo Dreapir, who spoke on the European Union's military strategy and discussed the European Army. Lively debate took place around opposing positions of chauvinism within the movement. Ron Dorman, National Organiser for CAEF, gave the important speech around organising the movement against the Euro.

Important decisions were taken in the meeting to start the campaign against the Euro, and discussions included what should be the message of the campaign in leaflets and posters.

Important follow on meeting held in Birmingham by local organisers

On Saturday, May 25, a local meeting was convened to organise the West Midlands campaign against the Euro at the Globe pub meeting room in Aston. Fourteen delegates came from around Birmingham and the West Midlands to take part. The meeting decided to set up the NO EURO Campaign under the direction of the West Midlands Regional Ad Hoc Committee. The discussion centred around:

1. Defining the boundaries of the area;

2. Who to attract to the NO campaign and how;

3. Where should NO groups be set up and can any be set up now;

4. What officers are needed.

The meeting was highly successful. Work is to go ahead with committees being set up with videos and presentations available along with speakers. Community areas such as Handsworth Wood, Coseley in Staffordshire, Erdington and various other places are due to establish local groups.

Various political parties took part in the discussion and contributed ways of moving the organising forward.

How to organise support among trade union branches and the setting up of factory committees such as at Jaguar, Longbridge, Rover Solihull and other main factories was also discussed. Students at the three university centres were included as an essential component; ethnic minorities and women’s organisations were also discussed. Doctor Naseem, a respected leader in the Islamic community, attended the meeting and said that he would fully participate.

The Ad Hoc Committee is to go ahead with the organising process, producing leaflets and collating information and the next report back meeting on the work is scheduled for June 29 where finances and publicity will be further debated.

by a worker from Northfield, Birmingham

According to the Consumers Association of Ireland (CAI) the introduction of the Euro has been a veil to ongoing price hikes. On March 1 this year the VAT rate returned to 21 per cent thereby adding 1 per cent to the price of alcohol, tobacco, food, clothes and most other services. At the time of the changeover the Director of Consumer Affairs said businesses were entitled to round prices up as long as an equal number of prices were rounded down.

Cafes, pubs and restaurants have been particularly criticised for using the changeover to raise prices. A plain bagel which cost 90 pence in December now costs 1.60 euros – an increase of 35 per cent. The average cost of a café-prepared cooked breakfast that pre-changeover was £4.95 has now rocketed to £5.51 (7 euros).

According to the CAI it has received several complaints from an outraged public about a wide range of price hikes. One Wexford-based GP’s fee went up from £50 to 90 euros (£70.88) in the New Year. In Cork City, Chartbusters Video Stores up to December offered same day video return rentals for 99 pence; in January this had risen to £1.97 (2.5 euros).

Public anger has been focused on banks and insurance companies. Most insurance companies have raised their premiums by 40 per cent. Many small firms have gone to the wall, or have been forced to trade uninsured. The insurance companies are trying to blame claim-happy policyholders. Unfortunately for them this will not wash with the general public as the insurance companies are all showing healthy profits.

The Central Statistics Office gives the average price of a pint of lager as 3.20 euros (£1.92), but in most of the city centres the average is closer to 4 euros (£2.40) and in clubs 5 euros (£3.00).

The Arklow Dump refuse collection was £130 (165.07 euros), and is now a staggering £225.16 or 285.90 euros. Kerry County Council refuse collection that was £80 is now £99.23 (126 euros).

There have been reported price increases in anything from pub games to martial arts classes and children’s toys.

The rip-off increases experienced by the Irish people will be cold comfort to the present Labour government, which is starting to wrench up the Euro referendum propaganda machine. Extolling the virtues of the Euro to an ever-sceptical British public may not be as easy as New Labour would wish.

Newcastle University campus unions are calling on all members, students and concerned parties to make every effort to support a lobby of the University Council. The AUT, MSF and UNISON unions are organising the lobby at the Centre for Life on Wednesday, June 12, assembling at 3pm. They are raising the slogan: Defend our Jobs and our Education!

A second lobby will also be held of Senate a week later on Tuesday June 18, assembling at 1pm in front of the Newcastle Students Union.