Letter from Parliament - Jim Dobbin MP

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Jim Dobbin MP

The global financial crisis was caused, as we all know now, by the collapse of the banking system which hit this and every other country.

The fall of Lehman Brothers was not caused by the last Labour Government. Indeed, had the American Government bailed out Lehman Brothers, it is my contention that the global crisis might have been much less severe.

The UK was beginning to see some growth pre-2010 because of the actions of Alistair Darling, the Chancellor at that time.

The austerity actions of David Cameron, George Osborne and Nick Clegg have created a living standards crisis for families in this constituency. The Government is extremely complacent about the challenges families now face.

The jobs market is very fragile. There are few jobs around and pay levels are reducing as a result. The basic pay has fallen by over £1,300 since the General Election and prices keep on rising. Ordinary people are paying the price. Borrowing now stands at £245 billion more than planned. There is no plan for jobs or growth. It’s a recipe for getting worse, not better.

The Government should act to bring forward infrastructure investment as the IMF has suggested. As the economy flat-lines, boosting growth now will help to get the deficit down and help produce jobs and increased living standards that we desperately need.

I am chairing the Governments’ Anti-Social Behaviour Bill with Sir Roger Gale at the moment and, although I cannot comment for now, I will give an update when the time comes. Parliamentary rules state that the Chair of the Bill is not allowed to vote on the Bill.

I was asked to represent the Council of Europe at a Conference on Medi-Crime in Kiev. This is a well organised process of marketing counterfeit medicines as medical products and the aim of the conference was to encourage countries to sign up to the Medi-Crime Convention to oppose these criminal acts.

I had a busy weekend attending the Rochdale Cooperative Day in the Town Hall and Summer Fayres at St. Michaels’ Church of England School, Norden.

I also spent time at St. Vincents’ R.C. Primary School Fayre, where all of my own children attended when they were younger, and All Saints and Martyrs Church in Middleton.

There was an Open Day at Half Acre House, Roch Valley and Millfield Care Centre, Heywood. All were well organised and supported by the local community.