Where did the miners go?

I was back in Mansfield a few weeks ago visiting my father's side of the family and over lunch talk turned to the pits and how their closures still affect some communities today. My family has a long history of mining, my grandfather was the last in a long line of them and he worked Welbeck Colliery until an accident led to his retirement. 25 years ago mining was a "cause" championed by every trade unionist, militant student and card carrying member of the Labour Party. At that point, the National Coal Board employed 191,000 mineworkers at 170 collieries. In 1999 however, these figures had dwindled to 10,000 working in 15 privately owned pits. There is no official record of what happened to the tens of thousands of miners forced into unemployment however a study by the Coalfield Communities Campaign made in the mid-nineties painted a pretty grim picture. Of 900 miners surveyed, more than 50% were out of work more than a year after the pit and 46% were unemployed. Only 6%% were in training or education. More worrying was that 30% of respondents were claiming sickness benefits. While the study is over 10 years old, I suspect the figures today would not offer any additional comfort. I suspect that many of the miners will now be in their retirement or edging near to it. What concerns me is the likelihood that many of these men if they have not found regular and substantial employment after the closures or if they have been surviving on sickness benefits for a decade then they will now be in a particularly vulnerable financial position. While EU funds have been used in regenerative projects such as the visitor and education centre at Bolsover Castle in Derbyshire and the Technology Training and Business Centre as Basford Hall College Nottinghamshire, I suspect more can be done, and we need to listen carefully to community leaders for their guidance on where these funds are needed most and how we can ensure the miners and their communities are looked after. I would be very interested to hear if anyone has a regeneration initiative for their area and how best they think this could be funded.

Serbia & Kosovo - a step back

I have been watching this weekend with an increasing feeling of uneasiness the violence in Belgrade which erupted after the Kosovan declaration of independence. Such mindless thuggery by a few does a great disservice to the majority of law abiding Serbian citizens and has set back any prospect of Serbia's entry into the union. Javier Solana has made perfectly clear that the Co-Operation Agreement with Serbia will be put on ice until the violence subsides.

Research & Development Opportunities in the East Midlands

Research & Development is an essential element in the functioning of industrialised countries and essential for the support of policies such as consumer protection and protection of the environment. Currently, the EU only invests 1.9% of its GDP in R&D whereas the US and Japan invest 2.7% and 3% respectively. Europe also lags behind the US and Japan in number of patent applications. However, the EU is seeking to redress this, mainly through the Framework Programme for Research & Technological Development which establishes legal and administrative structures and provides financial resources for the conduct of research (we are now on the Sixth Framework Programme). With a budget of $176 million this programme packs punch and is definitely a source of industry that institutions in the East Midlands should be aiming their sights at. We have a number of excellent universities in the region who have the right people and institutions in place and I would support in any way I can any applications being made in the East Midlands for funding under this programme.

Cuba - new beginnings?

Fidel Castro is stepping down as President of Cuba after 49 years in office. I was lucky enough to visit Cuba in 2001. It's a fantastic country and the people were extremely welcoming, but the poverty and hardship was evident. The EU Aid Commissioner Louis Michel has already stated the EU reiterates its willingnew to engage with Cuba in a constructive dialogue. It will be interesting to see what this leads to. I think there would be mutual benefits to such a dialogue. Obviously the hope is that the people of Cuba will experience democracy and political freedom for the first time in nearly half a century, but I think we can also learn a lot from Cuba's health care and education systems which are widely plauded. More than 50% of 18-24 year old Cubans are university educated and life expenctancy and infant mortality in line with that of the US than Latin America. I would be intrigued to find out how they have sustained such important social institutions over the years with such a weakened economy.

New email

We seem to be have some technical difficulties with the email catetaylorforMEP@yahoo.com, if you did have any queries about my campaign, want to assist or get more information please use catetaylorlabour@yahoo.com. Also, if you think any Labour colleagues might be interested in this blog, please feel free to forward on the details and my email. Thanks so much for your support.

UKIP- the usual nonsense

I'm probably not Prince Charles's biggest fan, but good on Gary Titley MEP for his comments on UKIP's Nigel Farage childlishly refusing to stand up or applaud the Prince's speech on climate change at the European Parliament this week. "I was embarrassed and disgusted when the Leader of the UK Independence Party, Nigel Farage remained firmly seated during the lengthy standing ovation Prince Charles received. I had not realised Mr Farage's blind adherence to right wing politics involved disloyalty and discourtesy to the Royal Family. He should be thoroughly ashamed of himself and should apologise to the British people he represents".

Strange behaviour from Mr Farage who earlier in the week had claimed that UKIP "will always try and put what we see as the national interest above our own party interest." This comment was made in the context of UKIP announcing that in the next general election UKIP will not stand "against MPs from the Conservative or Labour parties who are prepared to campaign on the same issues that (UKIP) are." Apparently there can be no similar deal with eurosceptic MEPs, because the party list system used in European elections meant they will not be able to target specific candidates. However, Mr Farage states that he expects to make big gains in the European elections next June on the back of the Government's confirmation that there will be no referendum on the Lisbon Reform Treaty (see my blog entry dated 9 February 2008 for why I think we don't need a referendum).

I'm hoping that for the electorate of the East Midlands it will be a case of "once bitten twice shy" when it comes to casting a UKIP vote next June after their experiences with Robert Kilroy-Silk (now founder of Veritas). I've always thought standing as Member of the European Parliament is so obviously the wrong platform for a Eurosceptic. If you don't believe that an institution can bring advantages to a region, then what exactly is the point in you being part of that institution? I find it difficult to see how UKIP representatives can validly claim they will be able to put their constituents' interests in Europe above their party's when that party's interests are so at odds with the core principles of the European Union. Surely Westminster is the more appropriate place to make your stand against Europe? I'm not encouraging Euroscpetics, far from it. What I am saying is take your fight elsewhere, and let the rest of us get on with the task of bringing the benefits of the Union to our regions.

MEPs and Expenses - getting your money's worth

The revelations of Derek Conway's exploitation of the Westminster expense system took the media spotlight (albeit briefly) away from the members of the European Parliament. The British media does love to stir up a hornets nest among the electorate with the frequent "gravy train" accusations it makes against the European Parliament. While it is true some members in the past have rather naively indulged in some rather dubious financial practices (former French PM Edith Cresson hiring her dentist as an adviser being one of my personal favourites), times have changed and reform is in the air. Among other things, Commission officials are carefully vetted and MEPs sign a declaration of interests which is available to all on the European Parliamentary website. From next year, MEPs salaries will be re-evaluated so that all new members are paid the same monthly gross salary, all travel expenses to Strasbourg will require proof of receipt and the most controversial daily allowance that MEPs currently receive will be linked to duration. If you only work half a day in Brussels, half a days expenses is what you will get. Common sense really.

It remains to be seen however if the British media will give credit where it is due or whether they will continue to push the message that the European Parliament is simply a burden on British tax payer's pockets. In my campaign over the next year, I want to hammer home to the people of the East Midlands a positive message that Europe is good for us and to dispel the myths surrounding the Parliament and its members which distract the electorate's attention from the real work going on in Brussels. Take a look at www.europarl.org.uk/guide/ThingsTheySayItems/ThingsTheySay for a considered and sensible rebuke of the usual Eurosceptic nonsense.