Why the wealthy should pay their taxes like the rest of us.

The UK is one of the most unequal countries amongst wealthy nations when looking at household income. Should we be worried? There is evidence that less equal societies have higher rates of violence and ill health.

http://www.equalitytrust.org.uk/about-inequality/effects

But the wealthiest may believe they are protected against the effects of inequality. Not so.There is abundant evidence that reducing inequality improves the quality of the social environment for everyone. (The Spirit Level Chapter 2)

Inequality increases mental illness, clinical obesity, violence including murder and rates of imprisonment not just amongst the poor but across the population as a whole (The Spirit Level, Chapter 13)

If we halved inequality in the UK, the evidence suggests that:

- Murder rates could halve
- Mental illness could reduce by two thirds
- Obesity could halve
- Imprisonment could reduce by 80%
- Teen births could reduce by 80%
- Levels of trust could increase by 85%



http://www.equalitytrust.org.uk/resources/spirit-level/why-more-equality


 
 Comparisons show that in less equal countries like England and Wales death rates of working age men are worse than in more equal countries such as Sweden – including amongst those of high social class such as professionals 

Similarly literacy is better amongst children with parents of the very highest levels of education in the more equal countries of Finland and Belgium than in the UK. (Spirit Level, Chapter 13)

A more equal society is better for all of us – including the wealthy. Now all we need is to elect Greens so we can become a more equal society. http://policy.greenparty.org.uk/ec.html

Should Local Councils be afraid of the TTIP?

TTIP, the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, is an international agreement between the European Union and the United States which is currently being negotiated behind closed doors in breach of the principle of open democracy. Luckily, the negotiations are being heavily leaked so that we have some idea what is being proposed.

Most worrying is the proposal that corporations can sue governments, including local councils, for profits they might have lost as a result of democratic decision-making on standards and safety.

http://www.brightonhovegreens.org/news/green-councillors-support-no-to-ttip-protest-over-threat-to-public-services.html

TTIP includes provision for an Investor-State Dispute Settlement Mechanism (ISDS) which will take such legal actions out of the normal court system thus by passing all legal safeguards such as open justice, equality of arms and rules of disclosure.
http://ttip2014.eu/files/content/docs/Full%20documents/Unite_submission_to_Lords_Committee_on_Transatlantic_Trade_and_Investment_Partnership__TTIP__October_2013.pdf

A group of 120 academic experts has spoken out against the planned provisions on ISDS in TTIP. They are concerned that TTIP by passes national courts and national legal systems and allows foreign investors exceptional protections.  https://www.kent.ac.uk/law/isds_treaty_consultation.html

The European Greens are concerned that TTIP rules, designed to advantage large multinational corporations may undermine public procurement and increase pressure for privatisation of public services such as the water supply.
http://www.greens-efa.eu/fileadmin/dam/Documents/Events/09_11_13_TTIP/131106%20Greens%20Group%20TTIP%20resolution%20for%20EGP.pdf

So yes, Local Councils should be afraid of this nebulous international agreement being negotiated between the European Union and the United States which will enable multinational corporations to disregard hard won environmental, social and labour protections.

If Scotland votes for independence will all Scots living in the rump UK become immigrants?

A yes vote in the referendum could result in a series of unintended consequences in the remaining UK.

First, who is a Scottish citizen? The SNP’s Draft Interim Constitution awards Scottish citizenship automatically to everyone living in Scotland at the time of secession and to everyone born of Scottish parents even if they don’t live in the country, whilst automatically allowing dual citizenship. As an estimated 830,000 Scots live in the rump UK, this could lead to a large number of British citizens with dual allegiance. There are many reasons why dual citizenship for a substantial number of citizens with divided loyalties could be a problem.

http://referendumscottish.com/blog/citizenship-question

http://www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/files1/stats/op11-tab9a.pdf

Where does that leave MPs of Scots extraction who have seats in England, Wales and Northern Ireland? Does this invalidate them as MPs as they are no longer citizens of this country? Currently only UK, Irish or Commonwealth citizens can stand for election to the UK Parliament. Scotland is, understandably, not included in the list of eligible Common wealth countries.

http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0019/173017/UKPGE-Part-1-Can-you-stand-for-election.pdf

Just imagine what an additional 800,000 immigrants will do to David Cameron’s aspiration to reduce immigration into this country. The figures for immigrants living in the UK will increase dramatically overnight. Will Cameron introduce visas for Scots in order to reduce the figures?

Oxford – the cycle friendly City

Having recently moved to Oxford from the wilds of car worshipping West Kent I am enjoying your cycle friendly city. The majority of drivers are brilliant – bus drivers in particular are very considerate of cyclists. Yes, you get the few Neanderthals who try to run cyclists off the road or deny them space, but overall cycling here is a joy.

But even Oxford could improve the environment for cyclists. Local cycling campaign Cyclox is not impressed with the City Council’s proposals to improve the layout of a major round about ‘The Plain’. See their ideas of how to improve the roundabout for cyclists here:

http://www.cyclox.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/The-Plain-Cyclox-Submission-Oct-131.pdf

Other measures to improve cycling have been suggested by Green Party Peer and member of the London Assembly Jenny Jones:

She continues her campaign for presumed liability: in an accident cyclists and pedestrians would automatically be entitled to compensation unless there was proof of fault or alternatively the Dutch version where the driver is automatically 50% liable. She also argues for more widespread use of driving bans as punishment and for longer bans.  

My personal favourite is her plea for Advanced Stop Lines to be treated the same as yellow box junctions with the offence being decriminalised so that enforcement can be done by local authorities. Do have a look at the web site below for more detail on her cycle friendly proposals.

http://www.bikehub.co.uk/news/sustainability/peer-proposes-changes-to-make-roads-safer-for-pedestrians-and-cyclists/

So yes, there are a few inconsiderate drivers even in Oxford, but the vast majority are extremely considerate towards cyclists – thank you.

The country that hates foreigners

So where are the floods of Rumanian and Bulgarian immigrants promised by David Cameron and other politicians? Keith Vaz MP could only find two new Rumanian immigrants entering the country via Luton airport on 1^st January – and both had firm job offers.

http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/jan/02/romania-ambassador-jinga-mps-migrants-airports-godot

Why would Rumanians, who mainly speak French not English, choose to come to this country in masses? The figures of Bulgarians and Rumanians already working in the UK show that this country is not an attractive destination for these workers. Approximately 141,000 Bulgarians and Rumanians already work in the UK, about 0.3% of the working population – hardly the threat to our jobs and working conditions that Labour claims

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-23707274

http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/jan/01/immigration-british-workers-romanians-bulgarians

Worryingly, an e-petition to stop ‘mass migration of Bulgarians and Rumanians’ garnered over 100,000 signatures before it was closed.

http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/41492

Yet the impact of such immigrants on the labour forces is likely to be minimal. In fact immigrants are more likely to be working, less likely to have health problems and generally an asset to this country. See comments by Jonathon Potts and others here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-23712988

We even treat highly qualified immigrants who have a lot to offer as though they were a threat. The government’s declared aim is to attract the ‘brightest and best’ immigrants. Yet the restrictive policies and petty requirements for academics trying to get work visas in this country are leading to highly qualified international academics being forced to leave the country even when they have firm job offers  Read several haunting personal accounts here:

http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/features/non-eu-scholars-struggling-with-the-uks-visa-policy/2010106.article

When did this country start to hate and fear immigrants so much? During World War 2 we were a safe haven for those fleeing danger, now we have become a  small minded fortress.