By Ben Bradshaw MP

I like Iain Dale, but I’m afraid he has got it wrong this time and at the same time has exposed one of the problems of blogging.

In his open letter to me and Chris Bryant MP, he bases his assertions on a BBC article which focused on one or two things that Chris and I said – from a two hour debate, at which I don’t think Iain was present.

In fact the Pride Political Debate, held to launch Pride celebrations in London, was a good-natured affair in which Chris and I debated with the Conservatives Nick Boles and Nick Herbert MP, and with Stephen Williams MP of the Liberal Democrats.

In Iain’s open letter, he comments that "We should try to find common cause rather than constantly to seek cheap political advantage". I understand why the Tories would want to remove the politics from the debate, since their politics have not exactly measured up to the equality agenda recently or in the further past. As a Labour Minister I am proud to explain and communicate Labour’s policies and to show that Labour has a strong track record of achievement in ending discrimination.

During the debate, I recognised and welcomed moves from some Conservative Party members such as John Bercow to drag their party into the 21st Century and sign up to the equalities agenda, but warm words from some of the more progressive Tories can’t hide the poor record of many Conservative MPs and activists.

I also welcomed David Cameron’s recent change of language on equality and expressed a hope that the day will come soon when we do not have to debate this at all.

In turn, Nick Boles and Nick Herbert MP made staunch defences of their party, acknowledged their mistakes and talked about their advances, and were very gracious in their praise for what the Labour Government has achieved.

However, I commented that "there is still a deep strain of homophobia that still exists on the Tory benches". I do believe that many Tory backbenchers remain unreconstructed, as even a cursory glance at their voting and Hansard records will confirm.

The Tory reaction to the debate, seeking to shout loudly in order to stifle discussion about their current stance on equality and gay rights, shows they still aren’t in the right place on this and have missed the point yet again.

David Cameron has apologised for his support of Section 28, but the argument has moved on.

Why are the Conservatives rejecting important equality legislation for LGBT people in the shape of the Equality Bill?

Why did Cameron and his frontbenchers oppose fertility rights for lesbians?

Why are they, right now, opposing laws to prevent incitement to homophobic hatred?

And why are they forming alliances with far-right, nasty homophobic parties in Europe and why aren’t gay Tories like Iain speaking out about this?

Despite some Tories’ slightly hysterical reaction, they cannot deny that over the years and even up to the present day they have voted against nearly all of the equality legislation that this Labour Government has introduced. Although the mood music has changed from Cameron, I’m afraid I remain to be convinced that the Tory backbenches have really changed.

Response to Iain Dale – The Pride Political Debate »read full article
26 Comments

By Simon Wright and Katie Hanson

You might be getting bored with the list of Labour achievements on equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. Try thinking about it this way:

When the Conservatives were last in government, the law said that men aged 16 or 17 were criminals if they had a boyfriend. Our bosses were free to decide that we should be sacked, refused a job or denied promotion because of our sexuality. There was humiliation for transgender people who had to use ID in their original gender. There were scores of sexual offences laws that applied only to gay sex and were used by police forces desperate to raise their conviction rates to please Tory Home Secretaries. A neglected child was thought better off living in care than in a loving same-sex couple's home. Local authorities could be prosecuted if they did anything to promote equality in their area. A company or a public body could refuse to provide us with a services if they felt like it and there was nothing we could do. And a couple who had made their life together had no right to have this recognised and could find their relationship obliterated if one became ill or died.

Ungrateful? Moi? »read full article
2 Comments

By Jessica Asato

It’s easy to be complacent about gay rights after watching LGBT Labour’s film for the European elections. Such big legal steps have been taken since 1997 that many people might assume this means the job is done. But waking up this morning to hear on the Today Programme that a gay church minister has only narrowly won his right to lead his congregation in Scotland reminds those who campaign for greater equality that in reality the job has only really just started. Enshrining rights in law plays a huge part in shifting the attitude of the state to gay rights, but societal change takes far longer, as women can attest after 35 years of equal pay legislation. Progressives will only embed equal treatment for gay people, therefore, if we win the broader argument about the need for greater equality in society full stop.

LGBT rights are diminished if they are merely treated as brand decontamination - they must be part of our broader argument for equality »read full article
2 Comments

By Phil Woolas MP

The Labour Government is committed to providing protection for individuals found to be genuinely in need, in accordance with our commitments under international law - and we are proud to do so. 
 
Under the 1951 UN Convention, a refugee is a person who has, amongst other things, a well founded fear of persecution for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion.  Individuals who share a particular sexual orientation may be regarded as members of a particular social group depending on their circumstances. If they are considered to be a particular social group then a claimant who is at real risk for reason of membership of that group will fall within the Refugee Convention and will be granted asylum. If a claimant is at risk but not for reason of membership of a particular social group or other Refugee Convention reason, they may qualify for Humanitarian Protection.

LGBT refugees will be marching free from fear this weekend »read full article
5 Comments

By Paul Richards

One of the nicest chants on an 80s demo went something like this: single voice: ‘give me an ‘oh’’. Crowd: ‘oh’. Give me an ‘oh’. Crowd: ‘oh’. ‘Give me an ‘oh’’ Crowd: ‘oh’. What have you got? ‘Ooooooh!’ (as in ‘oooooooh, get her...’).

Needless to say it wasn’t on the picket lines of Orgreave or Wapping, but on the demonstrations against Clause 28 of the Local Government Bill. As a Labour student in the 1980s, I had many reasons to hate Margaret Thatcher, from the miners’ strike to her turning the GLC into an aquarium. But Clause 28 seemed so overwhelmingly hateful, spiteful, and nasty. It was the Daily Mail made law. It was state-sanctioned discrimination, and it felt to my 20-year old self a little like the first step towards fascism. 

The marches against the Tories' Section 28 were full of fun and decent people »read full article
12 Comments

By Bev Craig

At London Pride on Saturday I expect we will see people younger than ever marching in or supporting the march, showing that they are young, they are LGBT and they are proud. Society is changing; many people are coming out younger.

Without young people there is no future »read full article
83 Comments

By Tom Burke

Labour has a proud record of achieving equality for young LGBT people. The headlines are familiar to many of us: repealing section 28, ensuring an equal age of consent and tackling homophobic bullying in schools. The proposed public sector equality duty will require public bodies to promote equality for LGBT people and new guidance on tackling transphobic bullying will be released shortly.

Someone to turn to »read full article
3 Comments

By Chris Smith

It’s nearly twenty-five years now since I came out.  The occasion is well-documented:  I was speaking at a rally in Rugby, that had been called to protest against the City Council’s decision to exclude “sexual orientation” from the list of things they wouldn’t discriminate against.  And I began my speech by saying: “My name is Chris Smith.  I’m the Labour MP for Islington South & Finsbury.  And I’m gay.”  I was given a standing ovation on the spot – the best response to any speech I think I’ve ever had!

We've moved from prejudice to tolerance to acceptance - now we have to learn to celebrate »read full article
14 Comments

By Stephen Twigg

I attended my first Labour Party Conference as a 17 year old delegate in 1984. My local Party had agreed to a motion supporting Lesbian & Gay Equality. Labour had no policy on LGBT issues at that time and we failed to secure a debate in 1984. I joined the Labour Campaign for Gay Rights as it was then called (now LGBT Labour). A year later we secured the first ever Conference debate and a good Equality policy was passed.

We've achieved a great deal - but there is still so much more to do »read full article
85 Comments

By Richard Lane

Tomorrow the streets of London will be filled with thousands of revelers celebrating the annual gay Pride march. Over half a million people are expected to join the festivities with politicians lining up to associate themselves with the event - even Boris Johnson sported a pink cowboy hat as he led the parade last year.

Celebrating Pride on LabourList »read full article
4 Comments

By Toby Flux

At the end of May last year a 109-country conference discussing a ban on cluster munitions was deadlocked and heading for failure. The UK’s objection to such a ban made it pointless, or even counter-productive, for their own country to cease the production, deployment and use of such anti-personnel weapons, the conference was told.

The only madness is that we’ve not banned the bomblets earlier »read full article
7 Comments

By Dan McCurry

So Gordon Brown is serious that cluster bombs will be decommissioned. Is he barking mad? It seems that the reason for wasting munitions in this way is that cluster bombs can blow up; surely that’s the point of bombs. When I was a child growing up in the east end in the 1970s we were forever being evacuated because an unexploded WW2 bomb had been found. These days there isn’t a patch of the east end that hasn’t had luxury flats built on it, but back then our favourite playground was derelict houses from the bomb damage of the blitz decades earlier. To find the street cordoned off due to an unexploded bomb was a fairly routine occurrence. Why are cluster bombs any different from any other bomb? The fact that some bombs don’t go off is not unique to cluster bombs, it’s a problem with all bombs, so why don’t we just ban bombs?

Decommissioning cluster bombs is barking mad »read full article
16 Comments

By Mike Katz

A key element of yesterday's decision by Transport Secretary Lord Adonis that the Government was taking control of the National Express East Coast operation was that NX had tried to wriggle out of their contract and negotiate a fee to keep hold of the franchise on less onerous terms.

We now have a real chance to construct a not-for-profit benchmark for our railways »read full article
4 Comments

By Donald Hirsch

What does someone need as a minimum to live on at an acceptable level in Britain today?  A year ago when the Joseph Rowntree Foundation first published an answer to this question, it was still largely in the context of how the least well-off could keep pace with rising living standards, in order to participate in a prosperous society. Today, with the first annual update of this standard, there are very different reasons for wanting to ensure that people don’t fall below a minimum. With thousands losing their jobs, middle Britain is finally waking up to the fact that what passes for a social safety net leaves many people far short of meeting their needs.

New evidence the safety net is not up to scratch as the worst-off are hardest hit by recession »read full article
55 Comments

The Chris Cook Economics 3.0 column

One of my favourite lines in film is the response to Will Hay in the film “Oh, Mr Porter” when he arrives as the new station master at Buggleskelly station and enquires at the ticket office window...

“The next train’s gone!”

...shouts his new (in) subordinate as he slams shut the window.

Oh, Mr. Porter »read full article
14 Comments

From @LabourList

To celebrate Pride and the huge achievements Labour have made in advancing gay rights over the last 12 years, LabourList will be guest edited between Friday and Sunday by LGBT Labour executive member Richard Lane.

Richard has some fantastic contributors lined up including Ed Balls on homophobic bullying, Andy Burnham on HIV / AIDS, Stephen Twigg on gay activism and Peter Tatchell on the challenges still ahead.

He also has a few surprises in store, but you'll have to wait and see what those are about.

This will be the fourth opportunity LabourList has had to celebrate the many strands of the Labour movement, following International Women's Day, the Young Labour takeover and the May Day UnionList.org special. We hope to make it an even more regular feature in the future.

Remind yourself of some of Labour's achievements on gay rights by watching the video for the European elections below:

Celebrating Gay Pride with LGBT Labour »read full article
29 Comments

From @LabourList

Two more Labour MPs - Harry Cohen last night and now Derek Wyatt - have announced their intention to stand down from Parliament at the next general election.

Wyatt, the MP for Sittingbourne and Sheppey - who has long been interested in new media - made the announcement by Twitter this afternoon, saying:

Cohen and now Wyatt to stand down at next election »read full article
27 Comments

By Simon Fletcher

The temporary nationalisation of the east coast mainline rail service, following confirmation that National Express is walking away from the £1.4billion contract, is a further indication of just how much sections of the private sector are currently ripping off the taxpayer. Labour needs to act to prevent this continuous effort by the private sector to privatise profits and nationalise losses.

It's time to end the privatisation of profit and the nationalisation of loss »read full article
25 Comments

By Ed Miliband MP

A make-or-break moment for our planet is now only six months away. In Copenhagen this December, the world will try to find a deal on climate change – and we have to succeed.

Whether we succeed cannot be left until the winter, and cannot be left to politicians alone.  To open up debate, the Labour government has published our proposals for what the deal should include.

In some negotiations, the government’s position can seem like a state secret. We’re taking the opposite approach – sending it to schools, putting it online, discussing it as much as we can – because these climate change talks are not like any other negotiations in recent history. More than any other, they will affect everybody’s lives. And, more than any other negotiations, while governments might be the ones to sign the deal, it will be governments and people together who will deliver it.

Tackling climate change is about equality, fairness, and morality - we have to be amibitious at Copenhagen »read full article
48 Comments

From @LabourList

The former Speaker of the Commons Michael Martin has been approved a peerage by the Queen. A spokesman for Gordon Brown's said a motion put forward by Harriet Harman last week had been approved by MPs and by the Buckingham Palace:

"There is a long-established convention that previous Speakers receive peerages. There was an uncontested motion that went through the House and the Queen has decided to grant Michael Martin a peerage."

Martin will now be ennobled "for his eminent services during the important period in which he presided with such distinguished ability and dignity in the chair of this House".

Michael Martin's peerage has been approved »read full article
17 Comments

The @anthonypainter Labour movement column

One of Barack Obama’s favourite philosophers and theologians is Reinhold Niebuhr. Deep in Niebuhr’s philosophy is the notion of restraint as an antidote to pride and hubris. Niebuhr cautions us, “God, give us grace to accept with serenity the things that cannot be changed, courage to change the things that can be changed, and the wisdom to distinguish one from the other.”

The Iraq Inquiry - historical honesty is overdue and necessary »read full article
10 Comments

By Alex Smith / @alexsmith1982

On Saturday, Labour MP Tom Harris wrote "let's leave the railways where they are a success - in the private sector". But now it seems the government will be forced to nationalise the National Express east coast franchise after it became clear that the company would lose £90m over the next two years and Transport Secretary Lord Adonis said he had set up a publicly-owned company to run it.

Government to nationalise east coast railway »read full article
11 Comments

Full Name: Stephen Twigg

Age: 42

From: Enfield

PPC for: Liverpool West Derby http://twigg4westderby.com/

Selection Result: 77-58 (for Roz Gladden) on the final ballot

Member of the Labour Party since: 1982

CV:

PPC Profile: Stephen Twigg »read full article
14 Comments

By Alex Smith / @alexsmith1982

In a welcome move, Alan Johnson signalled today that compulsory ID cards within the aviation industry will no longer be trialled in Manchester and London. But foreign nationals will still mandatorily have to hold identification when the system is fully implemented.

That is unreasonable, unfair and unmanageable. Foreign nationals' ability to work in Britain is necessarily fluid and cannot be determined by what would inevitably be a protracted application process. Moreover, we can't invite foreign nationals to work in Britain and then expect them to live by different rules.

ID cards are unpopular and unnecessary. They would be have a very small impact on the fight against Terror, but would be potentially disastrous both politically and in terms of individuals' civil liberties.

It is time to stop triangulating into a position of favourability on this issue and drop the ID cards plans altogether.

A welcome first step - but now it's time to drop ID cards altogether »read full article
34 Comments

By Alex Smith / @alexsmith1982

Paul Moss, the Liberal Democrat PPC for Denton and Reddish in Greater Manchester, defected to Labour yesterday, saying:

“Nationally the Liberal Democrats are a complete joke. And I have seen how the Lib Dems in Stockport have completely ignored local people and have helped to seriously damage communities like Reddish through their uncaring policies.”

In a new comment on LibDemVoice today, Paul further explained his reasons for joining Labour:

Manchester Lib Dems falling apart at the seams »read full article
14 Comments

By Dan Whittle

This afternoon, I am giving evidence to the Committee on Standards in Public Life inquiry into MPs expenses. This is my opening statement:

My statement on standards in public life »read full article
12 Comments

From @LabourList

This is the fantastic latest newsletter put together by Labour PPC for Putney, Stuart King. It gets delivered to 30,000 homes in Putney by Labour activists, and is also available to read online. Now if that's not good online-offline campaigning for the modern age, I don't know what is!

Stuart's exceptional website is also packed with interesting photos and information about the work he does in his constituency.

Keep up the good work, Stuart!

Stuart King's superb online-offline campaigning »read full article
3 Comments

By Paul Burgin

Some weeks ago I attended the AGM of the Christian Socialist Movement, along with the Tawney Lecture, which was held at Portcullis House. At St Stephen's Tavern afterwards, my guests and I were greeted by one of the former executive officers on the CSM, Chris Ostrowski, who chatted with us for several minutes. I have met Chris on a few occasions and whilst I don't know him well enough to call him a friend, he has always come across as thoughtful, considerate, polite, and not someone who is a political brute, rather as someone who is firm but fair.

A new change in politics »read full article
27 Comments

By Simon Fletcher

Barack Obama has repeatedly made it clear that he wishes to see better US relations with central and Latin America. This Sunday’s military coup in Honduras is the first coup in Latin America since President Obama was elected - the first test of US policy towards central and Latin America on his watch.

Honduras coup - condemnation must be followed with action »read full article
10 Comments

Jessica Asato is Acting Director of Progress. She met Alex Smith on Sunday, 28th June, 2009.

The honorary President of Progress is Alan Milburn, who announced his intention to stand down as an MP over the weekend. How do you feel about his decision?
I think Alan has had a very long and illustrious career in Parliament and he’s bought a lot to Labour politics over the years. He’s certainly served Progress very well and has always had a lot of time to talk about where he thinks the Labour Party is going. He’s a visionary person, much derided by people in the party but seemingly by people who don’t actually look at his policies very closely. So he will be a loss to parliament, but he’s made a decision on the basis of his future career. Sometimes people don’t want to spend their whole life in the Commons and I respect that. It’s also important that people move on and make way for a new generation of people – and at the moment, after expenses, it’s more important than ever that we have MPs in Parliament that people can have trust in. So it will be interesting to see who goes for Darlington in the selection that will open up shortly.

The Jessica Asato interview »read full article
42 Comments

By VoteRedGoGreen

I’ve been thinking recently about the comparisions between the Credit Crunch and the post-9/11 crisis in foreign policy, mostly in terms of how leaders have chosen to respond to the emergent situation.

In 2001, the US/UK consensus on foreign policy came to an abrupt end, and leaders – foremost among them Tony Blair – were keen to expound new doctrines to guide the formation of the post-9/11 policy on diplomacy, allies and security.

The speech Gordon Brown should have made »read full article
14 Comments

From @LabourList

Chris Ostrowski, who was selected as Labour's PPC for Norwich North on Sunday, has spoken to the Eastern Daily Press about his victory and his hopes for the forthcoming campaign:

“It's a privilege to get the chance to go from here and speak with my friends and all of the people in Norwich North to ask them to vote for me to become their MP. Labour has an excellent record in Norwich. We have delivered seven Sure Start children's centres across the city - in 1997 there were none. Crime is falling and the number of police officers is rising. Labour have introduced Neighbourhood Policing to help clamp down on anti-social behaviour in our streets and parks and they are working."

He continued:

We will proudly talk up Labour's achievements and we will always be proud of Norwich »read full article
3 Comments

From @LabourList

Sunder Katwala has written an interesting post over at NextLeft about IPPR's 21st birthday party last night, in which he writes:

"In any event, it enables Next Left to bring you what I believe is a (v.minor) scoopette: Guido (or rather, I presume, Mr Staines) is giving serious consideration to joining the Liberal Democrats."

Paul Staines has taken the time to comment on Sunder's scoop, and he doesn't deny the rumour...

Guido to join the Lib Dems? »read full article
13 Comments

From @LabourList

In a statement to the House of Commons this afternoon, Gordon Brown outlined his plan for the last year of this Parliament. These commitments include:

* Cleaning up politics by delivering a radical programme of democratic and constitutional reform, including further reform of the House of Lords.

* Economic growth through an active industrial policy, including a £150 million Innovation Fund.

* More affordable housing by targeting investment worth £1.5 billion over two years to deliver 20,000 new affordable homes and create 45,000 jobs in construction and related sectors.

* Getting young people out of work for a year will have to take on a job, training or work experience.

* More power for patients through enforceable health care entitlements such as hospital treatment within 18 weeks, access to cancer specialists within two weeks and free health-checks for those aged 40-74.

* More power for parents by guaranteeing individually tailored education for all children.

* Local people to have more say on local policing and crime prevention, CCTV and on how offenders pay back the community.

* A low carbon future through energy efficiency and renewable energy plus incentives for low carbon transport.

In the coming months the Government will release plans for other key areas, including transport, infrastructure, financial services, social care, climate change and energy, life sciences and constitutional reform.

Visit the Building Britain's Future website here.

Download the full Building Britain's Future document here.

View the full draft legislative programme as set out to achieve these goals.

Building Britain's future »read full article
31 Comments

By Simon Leonard

It was announced last week that at the age of 51, Alan Milburn will step down from parliament. Writing in The Guardian, Gaby Hinsliff suggested that part of the reason for Mr Milburn's departure may be the forthcoming requirement for MP's with outside earnings to reveal the details not just of how much they are paid and by whom, but also the nature of the work and the time involved. Quite apart from the tragedy of someone leaving the Commons at an age when many would say he should just be entering political life, Mr Milburn's case leads to wider questions about MPs and employment. Namely, why do MP's have jobs other than their primary roles, should they have these jobs at all and what will the effect of the new government proposals be on those either in political life or thinking of entering?

The MP, the writer, the businessman and the board member »read full article
16 Comments