Letter from Parliament – Jim Dobbin MP

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Jim Dobbin MP

Thursday 12 September will be remembered as the day the Royal Mail was destined to be floated on the London Stock Exchange. It’s sister business, the Post Office, is to remain public at the moment but like the Ambulance Service and Fire Service my view is that the Post Office will eventually follow into the private sector.

These services are crucial to people and businesses across the whole of the UK. This had long been a policy of the Liberal Democratic Party and it looks like they achieved their wish as part of the Government. Shame on them.

The Transparency of Lobbying, Non-Party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Bill has dominated my postbag this week thanks to the sensible concerns of my constituents. It had its second reading and is progressing through committee stage.

This bill is the most carelessly drafted bill I have seen in a long time. It has been ripped to shreds during the debates. Only this out of touch Prime Minister would present a bill about lobbying which would not stop a lobbyist like Lynton Crosby having the ear of the Prime Minister on tobacco policy.

Even worse, this bill would limit organisations like Cancer Research UK campaigning about it.

David Cameron stands up for the wrong people.

The bill will affect the overseas territories, and the charities sector has published a lengthy list of groups that will be damaged.

The trade unions of course will be affected as will civil society and individuals.

Thank you to all the constituents who shared their concerns, I will continue to be against it.

Elsewhere, a United Nations report on the ‘Bedroom Tax’ says that it breaches human rights. This report rattled the Tory chairman into an explosive rant against the U.N. investigator for speaking the truth.

As a member of the Transport Select Committee I am shocked to see inflation-busting fare rises by the private train and bus companies.

A Labour government would ban increases in rail fares beyond a strict cap and give local transport authorities the powers that exist in London to set bus fares and protect services.

The Government is making it more difficult for young people to stay in education and for the unemployed to get back to work by cutting local transport funding and direct support for bus services.

They are hiking up VAT on fuel, ignoring rising car insurance costs and failing to maintain Britain’s roads. Over all, transport – so important for communities – is failing because of a lack of investment in local services and local infrastructure.

Parliament is again in recess whilst the party conferences convene. I shall be working across the constituency in the meantime.