Clegg's missed opportunity

Odd news to round off the week as I see both PM Dave and Deputy Clegg are planning to take their summer holidays at the same time, with Cameron to the Mediterranean and Clegg to Spain. 

What struck me as a First Time Voter was the missed opportunity by Clegg to man the ship and steer the country in Cameron's absence. Surely, with the flak Clegg's had to put up with over the past year this was his moment to seize control and come into the limelight, demonstrating his leadership and presentation skills which he showed us during the live television debates. 

William Hague will take charge while these two set off on their travels, but what I am wondering is: who signed off the holiday forms?

End of the Murdoch Empire? Question Time July 7

Last night’s Question Time (July 7 from Basingstoke) was an eye opener for first time voters, not least because Hugh Grant in political mode was so much more credible than his previous, fictional attempt in Love Actually!  In addition to some succinctly-made points, he took Chris Grayling to task over his inability to give an answer and remained relentless in his pursuit.  As he followed through by asking Douglas Alexander to confirm his attendance at the most recent Murdoch party, the rest of the panel must have been fearful for what he might have on them!

Inevitably the edition opened on the News of the World closure – was it a cynical move?  Carefully prepared responses came in sound-bite form from Alexander (“its not a change we need but a change of culture”) and snappy jokes from Jon Gaunt (got rid of the wrong red top). 

It was a member of the audience, however, who finally nailed it for me.  “Murdoch has had too much influence on the media and politics for too long and it’s got to stop”, said an elderly man picked out by David Dimbleby.  This got the debate going in a way that was particularly enlightening for the first time voter.  First, veteran politician Shirley Williams ran through all the recent elections, pointing to the way that new Prime Ministers had barely finished unpacking by the time Rupert Murdoch was turning up at No.10 and laying out his conditions for continued support.  Jon Gaunt picked up the theme, pointing to the Neil Kinnock ‘light bulb’ story as the pivotal moment when the balance of power tipped too far in Murdoch’s direction.

It’s great that members of the cabinet and shadow cabinet continue to see it as their duty to present themselves for Question Time, but for the first time voter the greatest value often comes from the slightly different perspectives offered both by old-timers and other commentators such as actors, comedians and broadcasters.

What's so special about the teachers? Question Time June 30

With public sector pensions and teacher strikes on the agenda for on last night's (June 30 2011) Question Time, we could be sure of a heated debate and plenty of participation from  the audience in Birmingham.  As a first time voter, the profession of teaching is one of significant relevance to myself, having just gone through the final stages of school life, with the emotions of teachers, as well as pupils, coming into the spotlight.

For me, the panel's government representative Philip Hammond was on the back foot throughout the debate, with John Denham the Shadow Business Secretary continuously applying pressure over the way the government had acted with regards to the increase in teacher pensions. Denham stressed the government should take ‘more responsibility’ for their actions in the past year. Adding to the pressure was a member of the audience who directed his argument at Hammond stating, ‘public sector workers will not allow the government to walk over them and affect future generations’. Finally Christine Blower, general secretary of NUT concluded this argument describing how the government were ‘discussing but not listening’, implying a clear lack of consideration on the part of teachers by the government.            

It was Richard Lambert (former head of CBI), however, who I reckon raised the most important point.  He acknowledged the uncomfortable position for teachers, but suggested that the decrease in pensions is just a sign of the dramatic change in a typical working life. He pointed to the reality that people nowadays are simply living longer and that there are only four things the government can realistically impose: for people to work longer; pay greater contributions to pensions; accept a smaller pension; or rely more heavily on the taxpayer.

The big question I think however, is one which is similar to a question raised by a member of the audience at the start of the programme, ‘what message are teachers sending to their pupils by going on strike’. Were these strikes justified? One thing Hammond and Denham both managed to agree on was that these strikes were wrong, forcing many parents to take the day off work, and children to miss a day's teaching. 

As a first time voter, I can't help but agree with a point raised by a member of the audience: ‘why are teachers so special?’ emphasising the minimal regard shown to the rest of the public sector workers.  Actually, my teachers are rather special but few of them went out on strike!