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Forum responses - 21st November 2007
21/11/2007
Here are my latest responses to comments and questions on the Webcameron forums - keep them coming!
Admiral Alan West - a Man of his Word?
Author:
scrubsupwell
I don’t think Lord West himself is the problem here. In saying in his first interview that he wasn’t fully convinced of the case for extending the 28 day limit for detaining people without charge, he was simply reflecting the view of many others who have looked at the evidence objectively – including most MPs the last time we voted on it.
The problem was that, following his meeting with Gordon Brown, Lord West’s tune had changed. So I am interested to hear what the Prime Minister had to say. I, too, remain to be convinced after looking at the evidence that we need to extend the period of detention. Unless new and compelling evidence can be produced, we will be resisting this. So was the Prime Minister able to produce such evidence in his meeting with Lord West?
I suspect not. I suspect the conversation took an altogether different turn. After all, Lord West is meant to advise the Prime Minister on security issues, not the other way round. The only advice the Prime Minister could give him was political advice.
It is rather concerning that this political advice seemed to win the day. This whole episode will simply confirm in people’s minds that, when it comes to the debate about 28 days, the Government isn’t concerned with the evidence but the politics.
Would Baroness Williams be right to risk prison over ID cards?
Author:
Hoolio
I agree with those who say that, in a democracy, those who make the law shouldn’t break it. The precedent this would set for picking and choosing which laws to obey would not be a good one.
The way for politicians to deal with the ID card scheme is to campaign against it in an election and then to repeal it.
Cameron Speech 12/11/07
Author:
chrisbarber
The problems I set out in my speech – comparatively low conviction rates, falling custodial sentences, the closure of vital rape crisis support centres, and the rise of unacceptable cultural attitudes towards women and sexual violence – are very real ones, which any responsible politician needs first to recognise and then to address.
Many on this thread have said there are no easy answers. I agree. In my speech I never sought to pretend that there were. Instead, I set out some practical steps we can take as soon as possible, and then the detailed work we will be carrying out to deal with some of these issues in the future.
As examples of practical steps, I want to see the current annual funding decisions for rape crisis centres (meaning they often face the threat of imminent closure) replaced with three-year funding cycles (meaning they can plan ahead). And I want to make sure that teaching the importance of consent to sex is included in the sex education curriculum.
In addition, our ongoing review of prisons and sentencing, led by Shadow Justice Secretary Nick Herbert, is going to look specifically at this issue and provide recommendations on changes to sentencing for rape convictions.
When we come into Government, I am determined that we will have an integrated strategy to tackle violence against women. That is what we will be developing over the next few weeks and months.
David Cameron and the Disabled
Author:
Andie
Andie raises benefits for disabled people in particular, and then welfare reform more generally.
First, most importantly of all, let me correct Andie’s misapprehension that we have an agenda to introduce a sort of cut-price welfare so we can reduce taxes. We haven’t. With a Conservative government, spending on public services will rise. We intend to share the proceeds of growth between lower taxes and more public spending.
My primary motivation for wanting to reform the benefits system is to help those currently on it. The current structure of welfare is letting too many people down – including many disabled people. The system is far too complicated, making it hard for people to claim the money they need and to which they are entitled.
Looking at welfare as whole, at present there are nearly five million people on out-of-work benefits in Britain – including Incapacity Benefit, but other benefits too. Of course many of them are not able to work and it is important that they get the proper help and support that they need. But crucially, there are also four million people without jobs who want to work. We need to support more of these people as they look to fulfil their own ambitions.
Instead of the revolving door of people flitting in and out of benefits and work, I have said we will draw on successful examples of welfare reform from all over the world to overhaul our welfare system.
These systems tend to have two things in common. They are tailored to the individual. And they harness the private and voluntary sectors, rather than just government bureaucracies, to help people get back into work.
We will be looking further at how we can adapt these lessons to the British experience. In that detailed work we are going to be helped once again by Iain Duncan Smith and his team at the Centre for Social Justice.
So the aim of our welfare reform is to help lift more people out of long-term poverty and into long-term employment. And helping more people into work will also reduce costs, enabling us to increase the Working Tax Credit that couples receive. This change will bring tax credits fully into line with the rest of the benefits system, end Gordon Brown’s ‘couple penalty’ which penalises those who stay together, and lift 300,000 children in two parent families out of poverty.
Saw David in Manchester today
Author:
Castonsmith
A belated hello to Castonsmith. Sorry not to stop and say hello at the time. I will look out for passing students on my next visit.
Posted by tonymakara 21/11/2007 15:15:27
Subject: Conservative position on NewDeal
I hope there will be a cast-iron guarantee by the Conservative party to scrap the wasteful NewDeal and replace it with something that actually helps people find work rather than just fielding them into work experience. I saw on local TV the Neville brothers trying to raise 40 million for a new hospital in Manchester. As I watched this it struck me that the 3.6 billion wasted on the NewDeal could have paid for many such hospitals. The Conservative government must scrap the Newdeal, it is an obscene waste of money.
Posted by Votedave 21/11/2007 17:22:22
Subject:
Thanks for responding so quickly after your last contribution David - it's really appreciated. Every two weeks is best for such a busy man I think.
Posted by tonymakara 21/11/2007 19:30:14
Subject:
Votedave, yes, I agree. People who expect David to be on here every night are being completely unrealistic. We need David out there holding the Labour government to account. Thats the important thing!
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