Britain currently holds the rotating chairmanship of the 47 member-state European Council, which oversees the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). It is using this position, in alliance with Switzerland, to put pressure on the ECHR, which is based in Strasbourg but is not a court of the European Union, to either reform or jeopardise public and political support for the European Convention on Human Rights it oversees.
The British government is already upset by the ECHR ruling that the UK should allow all prisoners to vote and its overturning of some British immigration rulings. Even in the on-going Harry Shindler versus the British government, Expatriate Voting Rights claim in the ECHR, the government has also pointed out to the Court that the Right to Universal Suffrage does not yet form part of the European Electoral heritage (which ironically enough can be traced back to a previous British government negotiation).
Currently the ECHR has a backlog of over 150,000 cases to hear and appealing a case to the Court can delay final judgement by two years or more. Therefore, one option being considered is to put a time limit on cases in order to reduce the number pending appeal, as the longer running ones pass this limit and then expire. This could then open the way for new rules including say a filter system to reduce the number of cases and allow the Court to concentrate instead on more major issues such as Freedom & Torture but not comparatively minor compensation claims, according to Kenneth Clark, the British government Justice Secretary.
Given the above, it seems perverse that the British government is contesting the Harry Shindler Expatriate Voting Rights case in the ECHR, on a major and self-evidently democratic issue such as the Right to Universal Suffrage within the European electoral heritage.
The British Government & the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR)
décembre 30th, 2011British Judges & European Court Rulings
décembre 23rd, 2011The free movement of goods, services and citizens of member states is guaranteed by treaty within the European Union (EU). However, British politicians remain wary of rulings by judges from the European Court of Justice (ECJ) or the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), impacting legislation in the UK.
Most recently Lord Irvine of Lairg, the former Labour Lord Chancellor who introduced the Human Rights Act, said judges had erroneously assumed that they must comply with the European Court of Human Rights. Parliament had intended them to be free to make their own decisions when it passed the Act, Lord Irvine said in a lecture organised by the Bingham Centre for the Rule of Law and hosted by the UCL Judicial Institute. Section 2 of the Human Rights Act was pivotal in the relationship between the Courts, Parliament and the ECHR. The Section states that when deciding a human rights issue, the Courts must take account of any judgement of the ECHR which could, however, be paraphrased as have regard to, consider, treat as relevant or bear in mind.
Such independence is evident in the Harry Shindler voting rights claim brought before the ECHR, with the British government defence resting on their counter claim that the right to universal suffrage is not yet considered a basic human right within the European electoral heritage. Another example is the recent judgement against James Preston in his voting rights case against the British government in the High Court in London, which considered that his disenfranchisement after 15 years does not constitute a deterrence to his free movement e.g. to work or live within the European Union.
Britain was also said, in an article in the Times of 16th December 2011, to have won a crucial victory when European judges admitted that they should not overrule the traditional use of hearsay evidence in the criminal courts. In what was hailed in the article as a landmark judgement, the ECHR said that the use of hearsay evidence in criminal trials ? when witnesses cannot attend in person ? did not breach the rights of defendants. This decision averted a clash between the UK Supreme Court and the Strasbourg-based court, which had previously ruled that the use of such evidence was a breach of the right to a fair trial. However, the Grand Chamber, or appeal court, of the European Court of Human Rights, said that the use of hearsay evidence did not automatically breach the human rights of defendants. The appeal court judges, therefore, seemed to step back and acknowledge the importance of local legal systems, in this case that of the UK on appeal by the British government, in the cases of two men jailed in the UK mainly or wholly on the basis of witness statements. There was no breach of article 6 of the Human Rights Convention, which covers the right to a fair trial.
British Veto of EU Treaty
décembre 14th, 2011At the European summit in Brussels on 8th December, 2011 David Cameron defied all predictions by becoming the first British Prime Minister to veto a European treaty (aimed at stabilizing the Eurozone). This has not only surprised but also pleased his Eurosceptic backbench MPs. In contrast, others of his critics charge that President Sarkozy of France was the real winner in Brussels by forcing the Prime Minister to exercise his veto, thus removing him in one fell swoop as an important rival in influencing the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, leaving the field open for French officials to guide decision making in Europe. President Sarkozy of course has his own critics in France e.g. the Socialist presidential candidate, Francois Hollande, accuses him of yielding too much to Berlin.
One explanation for this turn of events is that Britain has a different view of its national interest from France and Germany, with both these nations seeking ever closer union and there is seemingly nothing to stop them going ahead with this strategy. However, the problem remains that the immediate crisis of the Eurozone has been neglected again, with no plan for the weaker members emerging from the talks. Indeed, the main issue for the Eurozone, and Britain, is not trade imbalances as such which are narrowing for its member states because of depressed activity reducing imports versus exports. More important is the major long term question of whether Eurozone members can overcome the huge loss of competitiveness since the Euro was launched.
Since 2000, while German unit labour costs have risen by less than 5%, over the same period those of France have increased by 25%, Spain by over 30% and Italy almost 40%. According to the OECD, most of these countries will not close this competitive gap in the next two years. Longer term, it is not clear if a process has been established to also allow these countries to successfully grow their economies and prevent government debt from rising inexorably at the same time.
Things do not look so good for the British economy either, with an outright break with the EU leading to the possibility of economic misfortune for both sides. The current crisis impacting the future of the EU is taking place within a tense political environment created by recession and an angry public suffering real hardship across Europe. For Britain the challenge is to re-establish or redefine its relationship with the EU, without damaging its current trading partnership.
Expat Voter Registration
décembre 8th, 2011British political parties in general find it difficult to communicate with the large and widespread British expatriate population and, therefore, to release the full potential of this overseas voter base. That the currently registered number of such overseas voters is estimated at less than 1% of the total is, however, then taken by some as an indication of general apathy, rather than looking further into why this might be so. One such reason of course is that some 50% of this overseas voter base is already excluded by the 15 year rule, which deprives longer term expatriates of the right to vote in the UK. It is argued below that there are further problems of identification, registration and voting with the other 50%, which tend to further reduce the number of overseas voters.
Our political parties are set up to work through their local branches in defined domestic constituencies and, for canvassing purposes, have access to the Electoral Roll of the Electoral Commission, with which by law householders must register details of all those of voting age living within a household. The law is currently being amended to provide for Individual Electoral Registration although whether individuals will still be required by law to register is still not clear.
In contrast, the parties rely on a few politically active volunteers in their international branches to address the overseas voter base and e.g. to recruit members, raise party funds and encourage other British expatriates to register to vote. However, the relatively limited resources of these international branches are further diluted by problems of distance, density and distribution when trying to reach out to and identify their local British expatriate base, not helped by the general lack of consular records of British residents. The broadest communications means of registering overseas voters is then via the website www.aboutmyvote.co.uk operated by the Electoral Commission, which needs to be communicated much more effectively to British expatriates.
The electoral registration form for overseas voters which can be downloaded from www.aboutmyvote.co.uk , states that if you are a British citizen living abroad, as long as you were registered to vote in the UK within the last 15 years, you are then eligible to vote in elections for the UK Parliament and the European Parliament but not in UK local or mayoral elections, or to the Scottish Parliament, the National Assembly of Wales or the London Assembly. It is not surprising then that the number of British overseas voters registered increased from 13,600 to over 30,000 before the last election in 2010 not least due the higher level interest in national elections, together with the increase in media attention and canvassing activities. However, this still remains a disappointedly low number as far as the politicians in London are concerned.
That said, at first sight it seems quite easy to register by downloading an electoral registration form (for a British citizen living overseas) from www.aboutmyvote.co.uk . You read that you should register to vote as soon as you can, or it may be too late to vote in the next election. However, with the next General Election not until 2015, the natural impulse is to put off registering until closer to the date. If you do decide to register, you are informed that you can vote in one of three ways:
? By post, which is generally ruled out in most cases by the ballot paper not being sent out until 4 working days before election day, and having to be returned completed before voting closes on election day in order to count.
? By proxy, when you ask someone you know and trust to vote on your behalf (although this can still be open to abuse).
? In person, if you are in the UK on election day but you can only vote at the polling station where you are registered to vote in the UK. Also, you cannot vote at your local embassy or consulate (despite this being a common practice for expatriates of some other nations such as France).
The most practical option from the above appears to be by proxy but the overall impression is of a system which does not make it convenient for expatriates to register and/or vote, not least given their special circumstances, the presence of local embassies and/or consulates and the advanced telecommunications means available today.
Indeed, due to advances in travel and telecommunications it is now so much easier for international operations to be run via daily telephone calls, e-mail and video conferencing. As a result, around 750,000 British workers including young talented professionals are currently being posted abroad, while still being supervised and coached by their managers in the UK. The increasing use of such temporary global workers whose average time spent overseas is 5.4 years, is blurring the traditional definition of an expat according to Dave Isley, Head of NatWest International Personal Banking. In theory, these global workers should also register as overseas voters but this is unlikely, given the inconvenience and average length of their assignments, and they are more likely to remain on the domestic Electoral Register, again contributing to a rather false sense of general apathy amongst overseas voters, due only to their low registration rate.
Autumn 2011 Statement of Chancellor.
novembre 30th, 2011Key messages
This Government will do whatever it takes to protect Britain from the debt storm, while doing all we can to build the foundation for future growth. The challenge facing our country is tougher than we hoped it would be. As a result of the failure to deal with their debts, much of Europe now appears to be heading into recession. The public know that promises of quick fixes and more spending this country can?t afford are like the promises of a quack doctor selling a miracle cure. We do not offer that today.
Instead we will show Britain has the will to live within its means, in order to protect confidence in our economy and keep interest rates low. There are no changes to the spending totals for the next three years, and we will act to stay on course to meet our debt and deficit targets. Lower growth means we need to take tough decisions to control future spending.These include two more years of fiscal consolidation, further restraint on public sector pay, savings on tax credits and a rise in the state pension age. In the future these savings will help put our finances on a sustainable footing. But until 2014-15 every single pound saved will be spent on measures to support growth and improve fairness.
We will invest in our infrastructure and education, so that Britain can earn its living in the future. There will be £30 billion of private and public investment in roads and railways, high-speed broadband networks, science labs and free schools. We will have an active enterprise policy to help businesses expand and create jobs, with a £20 billion National Loan Guarantee Scheme, new tax breaks for investment in start-ups and cuts to red tape. We will help families and young people by doubling the number of children who will receive free nursery care, and investing nearly £1 billion to help young people get jobs and training.
And at every opportunity this Government will help families with the cost of living. The plan for next year was that fuel duty would be 3 pence higher in January than it is now and 5 pence higher than it is now in August. Instead we will scrap altogether the increase planned for January and ensure that in August fuel duty will only rise by 3 pence. So fuel duty will be frozen for nineteen months in total. From April petrol duty will be a full 10 pence lower than it would have been without our action in the Budget and this autumn. Families will save £144 on filling up the average family car by the end of next year.
This Government has a plan to deal with our nation?s debts. We are determined to support businesses and support jobs, and we are committed to taking Britain safely through the storm.
Forecasts and fiscal targets
The independent Office for Budget Responsibility has significantly downgraded their short-term growth forecasts for the UK and the world. They expect GDP to grow by 0.9 per cent this year and 0.7 per cent next year, followed by 2.1 per cent growth in 2013, and 2.7 per cent growth in 2014.
The OBR explain that this downgrade is due to a number of shocks to the UK economy:
· higher than expected inflation, due to a sharp increase in global commodity prices, is the reason why the economy has grown more slowly than expected since the June 2010 Budget;
· the crisis in the euro area has increase instability and uncertainty, which has affected household and business spending, and led to tighter credit conditions across the world;
· most significantly for medium term growth, the full scale and impact of the 2008-09 financial crisis has become clearer ? the OBR conclude that the boom was bigger, the bust deeper and the effects of the crash will last longer than previously thought.
These are tough challenges. The question today is ? do you deliberately add even more to spending and borrowing? Or does your Government have the resolve to deal with the debt and deficit?
Our plan is clear ? we will tackle the debt. Today the OBR confirms that we will meet our fiscal mandate. The current structural deficit is forecast to go from 4.6 per cent of GDP this year, to a current surplus of 0.5 per cent in five years time. It won?t be eliminated in this Parliament, but it will be eliminated within our mandate. Debt is set to peak at 78 per cent in 2014-15 and will be falling by the end of Parliament.
Under this Government borrowing will fall and debt will come down ? not as quickly as we wished because of the weaker economy, but meeting our budget rules nonetheless.
Labour?s alternative
Labour?s absurd suggestion is that if we borrow more, we will spend less. If we had followed their spending plans by 2014-15 we would still be borrowing over £100 billion a year ? and Britain would have borrowed an additional £100 billion pounds in total over the Spending Review.
Failing to deal with the debt would jeopardise our low interest rates. Last April our market interest rates were higher than Italy?s. Now Italy?s rates are 7.3 per cent and ours are less than 2.5 per cent.
A 1 per cent rise in our market interest rates could add £10 billion to mortgage bills each year ? the average family with a mortgage would pay an extra £1,000. The cost of business loans would rise by £4 billion. Taxpayers would have to find £26 billion more in debt interest payments. These sums would dwarf any extra government spending or borrowing funded tax cuts.
Unlike Labour, this Government is not prepared to risk the solvency of the British economy or the security of British families.
Measures in the Autumn Statement
Measures to protect the economy include:
· Committing to two more years of fiscal consolidation ? total expenditure will fall by 0.9 per cent a year in real terms in 2015-16 and 2016-17, same growth rate as set out for existing period of the Spending Review.
· Setting public sector pay awards at an average of 1 per cent for each of the two years after the current pay freeze comes to an end. Departmental budgets will be adjusted in line with the policy, with the exception of the Health and schools budgets, where savings will be recycled.
· Raising the State Pension age to 67 between April 2026 and April 2028.
· Adjusting the allocation of Official Development Assistance in line with the OBR?s revised growth forecast, still meeting the 0.7 per cent of GNI target in 2013.
· Not going ahead with the planned £100 above inflation increase to the child element of the Child Tax Credit by more than inflation, and not up rating the couple and lone parent elements of the Working Tax Credit in 2012-13, to ensure that the welfare system remains affordable.
These measures will reduce spending permanently in the medium and long-term. In the short term the Government will use the savings to support balanced economy growth, infrastructure investment, social mobility and helping young people find work.
Measures to support infrastructure include:
· Using savings from current spending in this Spending Review to fund £5 billion of additional infrastructure spending over the next three years, alongside £1 billion of new private sector investment in regulated industries support by government guarantee.
· Committing to £5 billion of capital projects in the next spending review.
· Signing a Memorandum of Understanding with UK pensions fund to support up to £20 billion of new private sector investment in UK infrastructure.
· Increasing the Regional Growth fund for England by £1 billion, plus Barnett consequentials for the devolved administrations.
A list of infrastructure projects in each region is included in the next section of this brief.
Measures to support enterprise include:
· Introducing a £20 billion National Loan Guarantee Scheme to get cheaper loans to businesses.
· Creating a new £1 billion Business Finance Partnership fund, to invest in smaller and mid-sized businesses through non-bank channels.
· Launching a new Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS) from April 2012, offering 50 per cent income tax relief on investment, and a capital gains tax exemption on gains realised in 2012-13 and then invested through SEIS.
· Offering 100 per cent capital allowances for the Enterprise Zones in Sheffield, the Black Country, Liverpool, Tees Valley, North Eastern and Humber.
· Introducing an ?above the line? tax credit in 2013 to encourage R&D activity.
· Extending the small business rate relief holiday for a further six months.
· Calling for evidence on the proposal to introduce compensated no fault dismissal for businesses with fewer than 10 employees.
Measures to support education:
· Investing an extra £600 million to fund an additional 100 Free Schools by the end of this Parliament, including new specialist maths Free Schools.
· Investing an additional £600 million to deliver 40,000 new classroom places.
Measures to support fairness include:
· Freezing fuel duty, by deferring the 3.02 pence per litre fuel duty increase due to take effect on 1 January 2012 to 1 August 2012; the second increase planned for 1 August 2012 will be cancelled.
· Limiting the increase to Transport for London fare and regulated rail fares to RPI plus one per cent for one year from 2012.
· Increasing the rate of the Bank Levy to ensure it raises at least £2.5 billion per annum.
· Extending Air Passenger Duty to business jet flights.
· Ending double tax relief for complex asset-backed pension funding arrangements.
· Introducing a Youth Contract worth £940 million. This includes 160,000 wage incentives to encourage firms to employ young people; at least 40,000 incentive payments for small firms to take on young apprenticeships; and offer of work experience or training for every unemployed 18 ? 24 year old after three months on Jobseeker?s Allowance.
· Near doubling the number of disadvantaged of 2 year olds eligible to receive 15 hours of free education and care a week.
Measures in every region
North East
· Infrastructure projects to support growth in the North East:
o Electrification of the Transpennine railway.
o Tyne and Wear metro upgrade.
o East Coast Main Line improvements programme.
o Tees Multimodal Bio-Freight Terminal
· Enhanced Capital Allowances will be available in the North Eastern and Tees Valley Enterprise Zones to promote the creation and growth of capital intensive industries.
· Extending the existing North Eastern Enterprise Zone to include the Port of Blyth, encouraging private sector investment in the renewable industry and creating new jobs in the area, subject to due diligence.
· Local Enterprise Partnerships in the North East will receive over £20 million as part of the Growing Places Fund.
North West
· Infrastructure projects to support growth in the North West:
o Road improvements, including an airport link road, A556 Knutsford, the Heysham to M6 Link Road, and a new link road to the east of Crewe opening up key development area and acting as bypass.
o New cross Manchester city centre bus services.
o Electrification of the Transpennine Express railway.
o Manchester Metro Link Phase 3A Extensions.
o Mersey Gateway Bridge.
o Completion of Western gateway Enabling Scheme at Port Salford (as part of Regional Growth Fund).
o Rail improvements, including reinstating the Todmorden Curve, cutting travel times from Manchester to Burnley (as part of Regional Growth Fund) and improvements to Northern rail connectivity (Liverpool-Newcastle including Northern Hub)
· A new Enterprise Zone led by the Lancashire Local Enterprise Partnership
· Enhanced Capital Allowances will be available in the Liverpool City Region (Mersey Waters) Enterprise Zone to promote the creation and growth of capital intensive industries.
· Local Enterprise Partnerships in the North West will receive over £60 million as part of the Growing Places Fund.
Yorkshire and Humber
· Infrastructure projects to support growth in Yorkshire and Humber:
o Road improvements including the A18-A180 Link in NE Lincolnshire, the A6182 White Rose Way Improvement Scheme in Doncaster, accelerating the M1 junction 39 to 42 scheme, and capacity and safety improvements at 4 roundabouts and dualling of 1.4km section of the A164.
o Halving the Humber Bridge?s tolls for cars by writing down the debt.
o Two new park and ride sites in York.
o Leeds Rail Growth ? Two new railway stations: Kirkstall Forge and Appley Bridge.
o Supertram additional vehicles (Sheffield) – 4 Additional tram vehicles for the Supertram network.
o Electrification of the Transpennine Express.
o Improved access to the Sheffield Gateway (as part of Regional Growth Fund).
· A new Enterprise Zone led by the Humber Local Enterprise Partnership, the second Enterprise Zone for the Humber area.
· Enhanced Capital Allowances will be available in the Sheffield City Region and the existing Humber Enterprise Zone to promote the creation and growth of capital intensive industries.
· Sheffield City Region will be using £7 million from the Growing Places Fund to establish a JESSICA for South Yorkshire, leveraging £13 million of European funding.
· Local Enterprise Partnerships in Yorkshire and Humber will receive nearly £50 million as part of the Growing Places Fund.
West Midlands
· Infrastructure projects to support growth in the West Midlands:
o Road improvements including a replacement bridge on the A45 over the West Coast Main Line close to Birmingham Airport, the rebuilding of the main bridge into Evesham from the South, and the M6 managed motorway scheme between Birmingham and Manchester.
o Improvements to the Midland Metro.
o Birmingham New Street station enlargement.
· Enhanced Capital Allowances will be available in the Black Country Enterprise Zone to promote the creation and growth of capital intensive industries.
· Local Enterprise Partnerships in the West Midlands will receive nearly £50 million as part of the Growing Places Fund:
East Midlands
· Infrastructure projects to support growth in the East Midlands:
o Road improvements, including a new dual carriageway link road to the south east of Corby; a bypass to the east of Lincoln; widening the A453 between Nottingham, the M1 and Nottingham East Midlands Airport; improvements at the M1/M6 Junction; widening the A14 Kettering Bypass between junctions 7 and 9; and improving the A1 at Elkesley.
o Hucknall Town Centre Improvement Scheme. A new inner relief road allowing pedestrianisation of High Street plus ?bus only? link and enhanced pedestrian and cycle facilities.
o Nottingham Express Transit.
· Local Enterprise Partnerships in the East Midlands will receive over £50 million as part of the Growing Places Fund
East of England
· Infrastructure projects to support growth in the East of England:
o A new Lower Thames Crossing.
o Road improvements, including the A14 in Cambridgeshire, the A11 Fiveways, and the M1 (J10-13).
o London Gateway port.
o Continuing to implement the £14.5 billion Crossrail project, with services operational from 2018.
o Continuing to implement the Thameslink Programme, investing around £6 billion in infrastructure and new trains
· Local Enterprise Partnerships in the East of England will receive over £30 million as part of the Growing Places Fund
London
· Infrastructure projects to support growth in London:
o Limiting increases in Transport for London and regulated rail fares.
o Road improvements including the acceleration of M25 junction 23 to 27 scheme, and widening of the M25 from J16-23 and J27-30.
o Extending flexible smart ticketing across London and the South East.
o An urban broadband fund to create 10 super connected cities, including London.
o Thames Tideway Tunnel.
o London Underground Investment Programme.
o Rail improvements including Kings Cross Station improvements, Great Western Electrification, and the East Coast Main Line improvements programme.
o Heathrow Capital Investment Programme.
o Continuing to implement the £14.5 billion Crossrail project, with services operational from 2018.
o Continuing to implement the Thameslink Programme, investing around £6 billion in infrastructure and new trains.
· Working with the Mayor and TfL to explore options for a proposed additional river crossing at Silvertown to relieve congestion at the Blackwall Tunnel
· Support for the extension of the Northern Line to Battersea, and will consider allowing local borrowing against future receipts of Community Infrastructure Levy to support this, subject to agreement from potential developers to contribute and develop the site
· The London Local Enterprise Partnership will receive nearly £40 million as part of the Growing Places Fund
South East
· Infrastructure projects to support growth in the South East:
o Road improvements, including the replacement of Northern Road Bridge in Portsmouth, and a new interchange on M275 opening up development area, park and ride site and bus priority measure.
o Rail improvements including 130 additional carriages for the Southern rail franchise in south London, a new rail link between Oxford and Bedford, and major resignalling work and construction of new platforms at Reading.
o M3 in Surrey ? managed motorway scheme.
o New Lower Thames Crossing – over the next year, DfT will work with the Mayor and TfL to explore options for a proposed additional river crossing at Silvertown.
o Gatwick Capital Investment Programme.
o Continuing to implement the £14.5 billion Crossrail project, with services operational from 2018.
o Continuing to implement the Thameslink Programme, investing around £6 billion in infrastructure and new trains.
· Local Enterprise Partnerships in the South East will receive nearly £95 million as part of the Growing Places Fund.
South West
· Infrastructure projects to support growth in the South East:
o Improved buses in Bristol ? a new Bus Rapid Transit scheme (including guided bus) from the Ashton Gate area to the city centre, including feeder services from further a field.
o Road improvements including, a new bypass of Kingskerswell linking Newton Abbot with Torbay, and a new link road through the South Bristol area linking a number of existing radial routes into the city.
o Great Western Electrification (electric services to Bristol, Oxford and Newbury)
· Funding for South West Water to enable it to cut bills by £50 per year for all household customers.
· Local Enterprise Partnerships in the South West will receive over £75 million as part of the Growing Places Fund.
Scotland
· The Government is working in consultation with the Scottish Government on the National Infrastructure Plan. In devolved areas it is for the Scottish Government to determine its own priorities.
· The Scottish Government will receive will receive Barnett consequentials on increased funding for England.
· £50 million will be made available to replace the Caledonian Sleeper fleet, to improve on-train facilities. The funding is subject to the Scottish Government agreeing to co-fund the replacement and provide the remainder of the funding
· An urban broadband fund will create 10 super connected cities, including Edinburgh.
Northern Ireland
· The Government is working in consultation with the Northern Ireland Executive on the National Infrastructure Plan. In devolved areas including transport, water, flood and waste it is for the Northern Ireland Executive to determine its own priorities.
· The Northern Ireland Executive will receive Barnett consequentials on increased funding for England.
· An urban broadband fund will create 10 super connected cities, including Belfast.
Wales
· The Government is working in consultation with the Welsh Government on the National Infrastructure Plan. In devolved areas including transport, water, flood and waste it is for the Welsh Government to determine its own priorities.
· The Welsh Government will receive Barnett consequentials on increased funding for England.
· An urban broadband fund will create 10 super connected cities, including Cardiff.
· Engaging with the Welsh Government on improvements to the M4 in south east Wales.
British Expat Representation in the European Union.
novembre 27th, 2011Brian Cave, the originator of the campaigning group Pensioners Debout! in France, has written a thought provoking article on Why Political Representation is now so important to all ?Expatriate British? citizens now living in Europe, which should also provide interesting reading for eurosceptic Westminster MPs!
(Refer also to Categories/Chairmans Blog/Federal EU?/Tories & Europe in the right-hand index column)
Europe is in a special situation in the World.
Consider your position if the European Union ceased!
But first let us view Europe as part of a changing world. Political structures are changing fast. Much arises from the spirit of the younger generation, gaining power via the ease of social networking. Young professionals of all nationalities are talking to each other. Close bonds between people cross the ancient boundaries.
In Europe not only is this happening, but also the past enmities which tore Europe apart (and which the older generations remember extremely well) have virtually disappeared.
All these changes demand a new order of political structure.
BUT AT THIS TIME the British press and political commentators are pushing an anti-Europe theme.
What then would be your position if the European Union collapsed?
Before 1973*, any Briton living in continental Europe would be an absolute foreigner, totally dependent on the laws of the separate countries of Europe . You could not move freely in Europe from job to job, or live in one country and work in another. You would be unlikely to get a resident permit unless you could prove that you had sufficient funds to support yourself. You would have to provide yourself with full health cover by some means or another. The social security system would have been unlikely to support you. You would have no guarantee of permanent residence. Problems which might arise politically between the State of residence and the UK could force you to leave. Only through the treaties which have created the European Union can you be sure of your right to stay. These treaties are signed on your behalf by the UK . You are, whether you wish it or not, represented by the UK . But you cannot comment on your condition in any official manner without a representative MP in Parliament. The Government dictates to you what you can or cannot do.
The situation for the people who have retired from the UK to the Continent is, in these matters, extreme. Today there are 434,000 such citizens.
Normally all their income stems from the UK .
Many are by law taxed in the UK (ex -Military, Police, Firemen, Teachers, Local Authority staff).
The treaties relating to health cover mean that the costs of health cover (theoretically) are the responsibility of the UK .
They normally have families, grandchildren in the UK about whom they are concerned.
If Europe collapsed then these 434,000 elderly citizens could well be in a mess, with a difficult health care and financial situations.
Even the younger citizens abroad often have parents or siblings in the UK about whom they are concerned.
And above all, is there any citizen (old or young) who retains any attachment to Britain , not concerned about the performance of Britain in World Affairs?
Europe is indeed a very special case in the World. There are Continent wide European treaties which enable citizens to move freely between the States. Younger Britons often do so. The same Europe-wide treaties apply to them as they move. British Citizenship remains a constant in these moves. The British Citizen is an ambassador of British Culture ? however unwittingly. The British Government should recognise this fact. There should be a two-way flow of spirit and information between the British Government and the British Citizen. It sounds so obvious, but it does not exist!
A New Order. In Europe , it would seem desirable ? essential- that a form of communication should exist between the individual citizen, his/her nation, and the European Union by representation. If something goes amiss to whom would he/she seek redress? Fortunately one can go to the European Commission. Nevertheless would it not be welcome if the UK could and would consult those who are directly affected ? the British citizen in Europe ? by parliamentary representation? This could be achieved by an MP directly elected by these citizens. Through such an MP or MPs, the citizen can relate directly to Government and this would change the current attitude of dictate from Government to one of consultation with the Citizen Abroad.
Conclusions. Seek appropriate Representation, eventually by elected MPs. for citizens abroad. A new order of representation will take time to achieve but it will come faster if you make it known that you desire the British Government to take notice of you and your needs by at the first step guaranteeing a vote for life for some form of representation
Send your opinion to Mark Harper, Minister for Political and Constitutional Reform, House of Commons, London SW1A OAA psmarkharper@cabinet-office.x.gsi.gov.ukand get others to sign up and comment on http://votes-for-expat-brits.com/
* Notes on demographic changes since 1973. When the UK joined the EU, the number of elderly British citizens on the continent has grown from extremely few ? almost zero in most countries ? to 102,000 in Spain, 55,000 in France, about 38,000 in both Germany and Italy and 9,000 in Portugal The numbers in Cyprus are now growing rapidly and number 17,600, increasing by over 12% in the last year alone. Ireland has 123,000.
The exact figures can be obtained via the Dept. of Works and Pensions tables
Brian Cave,
originator of http://pensionersdebout.blogspot.com/
Growth Plan A/A+
novembre 17th, 2011The Chancellor George Osborne, ahead of his autumn economic statement later this month, has talked about a plan for longer-term growth in the British economy, through an increase in financial support for the housing market and a boost for public sector infrastructure projects, including e.g. power stations, social housing construction, super-fast broadband telecommunications networks and toll roads. In addition, 40 infrastructure projects already approved will be brought forward for rail, road and national electricity grid improvements.
This growth plan, devised by the Treasury and the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills, aims to attract private sector financing from institutional investors such as pension funds and insurance companies looking for a safe return e.g. from traditionally safe public utility-type assets, where a stable regulatory framework can be guaranteed. A key question from such investors is then what type and level of government guarantee and/or risk sharing is proposed to attract and protect their private sector investment? Work then continues on creating an appropriate investment scheme to attract private finance but which will not undermine the current triple-A credit rating of the UK by increasing official government borrowing figures.
However, the most immediate problem is the current lack of growth in the economy which the government seems to be mainly attributing to short-term weaknesses in the Eurozone. Therefore, the Chancellor at the end of November, will also announce proposals for a so-called credit easing to boost lending to small and medium enterprises, with a medium-term plan to access the financial markets directly (i.e. by means other than the banks) through specialist small business funds. That said, despite the EU/Eurozone representing over 50% of UK exports, this trading bloc will remain a mature market with modest growth rates when it recovers, compared with China, India, Brazil, Russia, Turkey etc. , all fast developing markets where the future for British exporters must lie.
The opposition Labour party is also waiting in the wings with its opportunistic leader Ed. Miliband urging ministers to change course away from economic austerity (the currently termed Plan A), Labour having calculated that, due to the lower than predicted growth in the economy, the government will be forced to over-borrow an accumulated £100 billion or more by 2015. Therefore, Labour is again waving its 5-Point Plan (refer to Categories/ Chairmans Blog/Labour 5-Point Plan in the right-hand index column) to boost the economy despite providing no real details, apart from a further £2 billion raised by an additional tax on bank bonuses, on how these growth policies would be costed without adding substantially to the existing UK deficit and dragging the economy further downwards.
If the government holds its nerve and can generate some growth in the economy in the period before 2015, its Plan A could be viewed by the public as more a Plan A+!
The Tories & Europe
novembre 9th, 2011The Economist magazine suggests that the Eurosceptic wing of the Conservative party is showing a certain lack of maturity in its article on the Tories in Europe under the heading Oh Grow up in the October 29th, 2011 edition.
In referring to the motion in the House of Commons on whether a referendum should be held asking if the country should remain in the European Union (EU), leave, or renegotiate the terms of its membership, the Economist finds this unreasonable. Even though the motion was defeated, almost 50% of Conservative backbenchers refused to toe the party line in voting for the motion.
The timing of the debate itself could also be viewed as damaging to the international reputation of the third largest member of the EU with its suggestion of opportunism, rather than demonstrating full support for its single largest trading partner the Eurozone during its current crisis. Instead of posturing in seeming isolation it should not be forgotten that it takes two sides to have a negotiation, if Conservative Eurosceptics really believe that they can win back concessions such as repatriating powers over e.g. social and employment rules, without a corresponding cost which would further weaken the influence of the UK over events within the EU.
Still, if this is all part of some grand scheme to return the EU to its original form as the largest and richest common market in the world and within which the UK would more freely and competitively trade its goods and services, these same Eurosceptics should not be diverted by other populist causes such as repatriation of the powers of the Human Rights Act!
On-line Voting & Individual Electoral Registration.
novembre 2nd, 2011There are a number of reasons why around only 30,000 expat Brits out of an estimated 5 – 6 million were registered to vote at the last general election:
1. A general distrust of the UK off-shore tax implications for expatriates of registering to vote, since they think this might also be brought to the attention of HMRC.
2. Difficulties of dealing with a rather out-dated way of registering and then voting given the more modern means of communications available today e.g. with the internet.
3. A mutual lack of interest by both the expatriate who for various reasons has left the UK behind, and political parties who give the impression of only showing interest in those able to vote at election time.
4. A rejection of politics and politicians in general, which matches a certain anti-politics mood in the UK today.
5. The 15 year limit on voting rights.
Concerning the tax implications in 1 above, it is interesting that the letter below from the Constitution Group in the Cabinet Office not only draws a distinction between paying taxes and having the right to vote but also equates British expatriates still paying UK taxes with some foreign nationals living and paying tax in the UK but not eligible to vote.
On the use of on-line voting as mentioned in 2 above, proponents in the US argue that Internet voting would offer greater speed and convenience, particularly for overseas and military voters and, in fact, any voters allowed to vote that way. If it is safe to bank or shop on-line, why not vote on-line?
The answer is that it is not inherently safe to e.g. bank or shop on-line and computer and network security experts are virtually unanimous in pointing out that online voting is an exceedingly dangerous threat to the integrity of U.S. elections.
However, if we are prepared to accept the security risk to our finances for the convenience of shopping or banking on-line, perhaps we are also prepared to accept the same level of risk for the convenience as expatriates (a relatively small percenatage of the electorate) of voting on-line?
You can read more here « If I can shop and bank on-line, why cannot I vote on-line?
Letter from Constitution Group, Cabinet Office
Thank you for your response to the Government?s consultation on Individual Electoral Registration. We have now closed the consultation and are currently reviewing all the responses that we have received. In your response to the white paper you have raised issues regarding the voting rights of British Citizens overseas. In light of your comments, it may be helpful if I set out the background to this issue.
As you may know, the Representation of the People Act 1985 provided for the first time for UK citizens living overseas to be able to register to vote in general and European Parliamentary elections in the UK. The voting rights of overseas electors did not continue indefinitely under the Representation of the People Act 1985, but for five years from the time when the UK citizen was last resident and on the electoral register in the UK. Parliament decided to impose a time limit on the eligibility of overseas electors to vote because it was thought that generally over time their connection with the UK is likely to diminish. The length of the time limit has subsequently been changed over the years, first increasing to 20 years, then being reduced to 15 years since 1 April 2002.
The UK voting franchise is not based exclusively on being a UK tax payer, so it does not necessarily follow that, because someone pays taxes in the UK, he or she has the right to vote in the UK. Some foreign nationals living and paying tax in the UK are not eligible to vote.
However, I can confirm that the Government is considering whether the 15 year time limit remains appropriate. If a change is proposed Parliament will need to consider the issue.
We will publish a formal response to the consultation in due course.
Regards,
The Electoral Registration Transformation Programme
Constitution Group, the Cabinet Office
4S2 | HM Treasury | 1 Horse Guards Rd | Westminster | London | SW1A 2HQ
David Cameron & the Eurozone.
octobre 28th, 2011With the UK not part of the Eurozone, it was not surprising that Prime Minister David Cameron raised the ire of President Sarkozy of France in pressing for inclusion in the talks leading up to the recent Eurozone debt rescue deal. Arriving earlier the Prime Minister said that he was glad to be at the talks, as many issues the leaders would discuss were directly relevant to Britain. Mr. Cameron then joined leaders of all 27 EU nations for the summit, which was followed by a working dinner attended only by heads of the 17 nations using the Euro.
UK Chancellor George Osborne commented afterwards that the debt deal agreed by the Eurozone leaders was much better than expected but additional bailout funds should not be expected from Britain. He also confirmed that no British banks would be required to hold additional capital following the meeting which, in addition, and to avoid a Greek default on its debt, essentially forced a 50% discount on Greek debt in those European banks involved.
The question is how should we view this performance by Mr. Cameron? Was he right to insist on the UK being involved in the Eurozone talks despite upsetting his French counterpart? We must consider that on balance he was right, faced with no choice but to get involved, based on past experience when France and Germany have got together to carve out a solution impacting the EU. The most recent and celebrated case is when they came up with the idea of a Tobin-type tax on financial transactions within the EU, 90% of the net burden of which would have been borne by the UK, given the dominant position of the City of London in European financial markets! This Tobin tax proposal is also a prime example of the EU not considering its overall competitivity as a trading bloc, with both George Osborne the Chancellor and his Labour opposition counterpart Ed. Balls in agreement that such a tax should only be applied on a global basis.