Football abuse shame

We are often critical of our footballers. Over-paid, prima donnas, stupid money grabbers, out of touch with reality, drunks, womaniser’s etc. etc.

We worship them from the terraces and sing their names when they play well for our favourite team or for our country but woe be tide them if they step out line. If they dare to leave our favourite team for a fatter pay cheque, we give little thought to their short lived career and the fact that they will probably be retired by their mid-thirties at best, but instead we call them mercenaries and worse. We pin our hopes on them before big tournaments, filling the back pages of our newspapers with their picture then slap them on the front page for going for a drink or a kebab after the game.

Whether this is just a British phenomenon where we like to build our celebrities up so we can knock them down or if it’s simple jealousy I’m not sure. Most of us boys grew up wanting to be footballers. I remember playing for hours every day, wishing I was as good as some of my peers never mind my heroes. I have often wondered how some of my peers didn’t make it to the big time when they were so talented. The truth is of course that it is incredibly difficult to be a professional footballer. Talent is not enough. It takes sacrifice that most of us are unwilling or unable to make. Strict diets, exercise, missing nights out with our friends, girls, boys are all just part of the reason most of those that might just have been good enough didn’t make. Of course, there is also an element of luck. As a teenager playing for a Sunday league team I wrote to Manchester United, suggesting that they might want to come along and watch me as I might just be the next Bryan Robson. They politely replied saying that if my team were to get to an area final they might send a coach along. As my team was losing every game by half a dozen goals every week, that was rather unlikely. Does that experience make me a little bit jealous of those who were lucky enough to get spotted and whipped from obscurity to fame and fortune? Probably!

There have been many hard luck stories published with sad regularity about former players turning to gambling, drugs, alcohol and tragedy once their illustrious careers finish but we seldom feel any real pity for them because they had it so good while they were playing. My heart bleeds for you-must have been awful having all that money to blow on booze and drugs..

 

This week though we learned about the dark side of the game that until now has never really been revealed. 18 police forces are investigating historic abuse of children and young men by football coaches at over 50 professional and amateur clubs.

Gary Johnson revealed that Chelsea football club paid him £50,000 to keep quiet about abuse at the hands of his former coach, Eddie Heath. Heath is now dead and unable to face charges but many other coaches it seems were doing similar things to vulnerable young boys while it seems some clubs turned a blind eye or simply failed to notice. The NSPCC who have set up a dedicated hot line, have received more than 860 calls as a series of ex-players have come forward.

The really shocking and scary part is that it could have been any of us. As I said, like many of my friends I played schoolboy football and innocently invited clubs to come and watch me. It never crossed my mind for a second that it might be a predator that came along to take advantage of me. I was lucky, Ashleigh United getting trounced 10-0 kept me safe but there were thousands of other boys up and down the country at any given weekend who were there for the taking. Someone said when the news first broke that this was footballs Saville moment. There can now be no doubt that this goes beyond football. Cricket, athletics, dance classes, basketball, in fact almost all sports have been guilty of failing to protect its participants.  It’s not good enough to say it was a different time with different attitudes. I’m certain that unless strict controls are put in place the abuse of children will continue. The FA and our football teams have a responsibility and the financial clout to take action and fast. It has taken great courage for some well-known ex-players to come forward and speak up after keeping their secret for decades. Finally, our heroes deserve our sympathy and we must encourage anyone who has or is still suffering abuse to speak so that action can be taken. These sick, manipulative, bullying, men must be stopped and punished. Sexual abuse does not make a kid a better player and it can never be excused.

 I am determined to play my part in delivering effective opposition and, ultimately a Labour Government.

Last year I was able to congratulate Sarah Champion, Member of Parliament for Rotherham, on her appointment to Jeremy Corbyn’s shadow cabinet as Shadow minister for preventing domestic violence and abuse. I asked her then if she thought of herself as a Westminster politician or a local MP. She told me unequivocally that she was elected by the people of Rotherham to represent the people of Rotherham. As she was one of the 36 MP’s to nominate Corbyn when he initially stood as leader, I asked Ms Champion if she thought he could lead the party into the next election. She said “looking at the major climb down the government has had to do over tax credits, yes, if we keep going in this vein, I believe Jeremy can lead us to the next election and victory”. With this in mind I was rather surprised when she stepped down from the shadow cabinet following what turned out to be a failed coup. She was however one of the first to return, before Corbyn was re-elected. I asked her if her decision to return was based on a belief that Jeremy was the right leader or if it was a determination to give support to the people who desperately need it. She said “I resigned following the PLP's vote of no confidence as I felt the leadership could not continue without a fresh contest. Once this contest was called I felt duty bound to return to my crucial work in supporting victims and survivors of abuse. It was for members to decide who should lead the party and I endorsed no candidate. I am pleased that this issue has now been so conclusively decided and am looking forward to working with Jeremy to hold the Tories to account and deliver a Labour Government”.

After such loyalty I asked Sarah if she was disappointed to not get a more high profile office but she told me “ I was delighted to be appointed to the Shadow Cabinet as shadow Minister for Women and Equalities. I have been a vocal campaigner for equality all my adult life and in particular since my election to Parliament. This government talk the talk on equality but has failed time and time again to deliver. Our country is becoming more divided and less equal. 85% of all Tory cuts have been at the expense of women. One in four young gay people experience homophobic bullying online. There has been a rapid increase in rates of domestic violence and violence against women in the last six years. Disabled people are more than twice as likely to be unemployed as non-disabled people. Labours work on this is more vital now than ever before and I am thrilled to be able to play my part in securing a fairer, more equal society. I am also particularly grateful for the personal support Jeremy has given to me in the last few weeks”.

Now the miserable summer is over and Jeremy Corbyn has been re-elected and has formed a new Shadow cabinet consisting mainly of Northerners and including several women and Trade unionists, I asked Sarah Champion MP if labour could put the summer behind them and raise a serious challenge for power.” I am delighted the disruption of the leadership contest is behind us. Jeremy has a clear mandate to lead the party and it is vital that we unite to take on the Tory Government. The issues we face in the wake of Britain's decision to leave the European Union are too important to allow internal division to prevent proper opposition and scrutiny of the new government. I am determined to play my part in delivering effective opposition and, ultimately a Labour Government. I know my colleagues are committed to do the same” she replied.

Ms Champions constituency in Rotherham was the scene of the shocking child abuse crimes involving hundreds of girls and her role in the shadow cabinet will inevitably lead to a great deal of involvement in those cases . I asked Sarah if South Yorkshire police can ever recover its reputation after systematically failing those girls and the recent revelations about the so called battle of Orgreave, the Rotherham 12 and Hillsborough. She said “South Yorkshire Police is obviously facing a difficult time. There has been serious criticism of its conduct over Orgreave, Hillsborough and more recently over its handling of child sexual exploitation. It is absolutely vital that the people of South Yorkshire can have faith in their Police. The first step to restoring that faith is ensuring that the truth about the force’s past conduct is fully known. That is why I have vocally called for inquiry into events at Orgreave and supported the work of the Hillsborough Independent Panel and the new inquests into the deaths at Hillsbrough”. Since this conversation of course new Home Secretary Amber Rudd has ruled out the possibility of an inquiry in to the events at Orgreave but I am cheered by Sarah Champions determination to do the right thing by her constituents and those who put their faith in a Labour party that will stand up for people like them. She told the Telegraph she was beyond about this. She told them “I am incredibly frustrated for the people who will never see justice, for years research has been done by the Orgreave Truth and Justice committee, and evidence gathered by the IPCC, and this feels like a complete snub for the people of South Yorkshire.

This week I received my election papers that enable me to vote who I would like to lead the Labour party. As a trade unionist I was relieved to have not been banned from the vote like many of my colleagues.  If I had been banned I would not now be faced with the dilemma that I do face. Who should I vote for?

Jeremy Corbyn won the leadership race after Ed Miliband quit following defeat at the last general election. Miliband had been attacked in the media for months leading up to the election and I believe acted with grace and integrity in the face of the very personal attacks he suffered. I mention this because the attacks on Jeremy Corbyn have been much worse.

While there was the occasional muttering of descent from MP’s under Miliband, the majority of his critics were in the media. TV and newspapers regularly lined up to take a shot at him for a variety of reasons, be it his Fathers heritage or the way he ate a bacon sandwich but on the whole rarely were there public assaults from his colleagues.

Corbyn faced criticism almost immediately from the moment he was put on the leadership ballot. Many believed he was put there purely to make a point and had little chance of being elected. He won the contest by a long way. The kind of scrutiny he has faced since has been unprecedented. Comments he made decades ago have been dug out and taken out context – as they would be 20 years later. His private life, his voting record and his beliefs have all been strewn across our papers and social media sights for months. Opposition politicians and business men are queuing up to slate him, not to mention the constant barrage from members of his own party.

He faced a mass walk out as the majority of his shadow cabinet resigned following the brexit defeat and then there was a vote of no confidence from many of his MP’s.

The actions and comments of some of those MPs have absolutely disgusted me. I’m not suggesting they should be loyal to the leader no matter what, after all Corbyn himself has been a habitual rebel. What has disgusted me the most has been the attitudes of many of his fellow Labour MPs towards the very people that elected them. The infighting and offensive remarks on twitter and facebook  and in the papers about Corbyns supporters has been nothing short of appalling. Labour is supposed to be a broad church, supporting and standing up for working people and the poorer people in society, unable to stand up for themselves. There have been sustained criticisms of the movement Momentum, and accusations that the new supporters aren’t real supporters but left wing nutters hell bent on destroying the party. While I’m sure there may be an element of truth in this- some of those supporters will undoubtedly have far left attitudes but there will also be a huge number of them that are simply inspired by Corbyns anti establishment image- it didn’t do Nigel Farage and his UKIP party any harm.

I voted for Corbyn at the last leadership election because I firmly believe that there is an appetite in this country for more left wing, anti austerity politics from the party. I think people are fed up of being punished for the state of our country that they did not cause. Bankers, businessmen and politicians have made this country be a country of haves and have not’s. The likes of Cameron and Farage have done a great job of creating divisions up and down the country with their propaganda pitting rich against poor, English against immigrant, working against lazy black against white. The fact is that not everything is black or white and the choices that people make do not have to be binary choices. I take great exception at been called a raging leftie or even a Corbynista. I am a trade unionist from a working class family that believes in equality and fairness and thinks that those in the position to help the less fortunate should. I’m not a socialist nor do I wear any other label. I just want a kinder politics where the people we elect to represent us do so with respect for each other and those who elected them. I expect that from who ever I vote for within the Labour party, it is essential.

We, the group of people who believe that everyone deserves an education, a roof over their head and rights in the workplace should be stood side by side, fighting those who do not share our beliefs, not those that do. Call it naivety, but I expect those things to be on the agenda of either candidate. I have seen little if any criticism about policy. Apart from those who disagree with Corbyn on Trident and borders, most people actually agree with his policies on traditional Labour values such as wanting to bring our railways back into public ownership and wanting to protect the NHS from privatisation.

My fear is that rather than uniting the party, which ever candidate is successful may lead to deeper splits in the party. The majority of trade unions seem to back Mr Corbyn and as the unions are the biggest financial contributor to the party, it worries me greatly what might happen if as some predict the party does split. People on both sides of the party seem to see this as likely. Some think that if Corbyn wins the MPs who oppose him will split and set up their own group and others believe that if Smith wins the Unions might take their money away and set up their own group. What we need if we are to persuade the electorate is Unity and support for who ever wins but people must put the welfare of the party before their own agendas. 

This time of year, when politicians are on holiday and there’s little going on in the news, I like many others can normally be found eagerly awaiting the return of the football season. I have written my predictions for the coming season for the last few years, usually with spectacular inaccuracy. Last season I correctly tipped Aston Villa would be relegated- me and everyone else in the country I know; I did balance that with predicting Jose’s Chelsea would retain the title though..

This summer we have had the added treat of the Euro’s, meaning only a couple weeks without the beautiful game on TV. Some might say it’s even more difficult to suggest who will be good or bad this year, with little activity in the transfer market and many of our superstars returning late for training after an exhausting summer tournament. At least English players should be fresh.

Middlesbrough fans will be excited for their team's long awaited return to the Premier League along with swifter returns for Hull and Burnley, but I think it will be a long hard season for all three. Aitor Karanka has made a few decent signings during the summer, strengthening his side while Hull manager Steve Bruce quit the club last week in protest at the lack of signings, leaving them managerless with a fortnight before the kick off. Burnley have also been relatively quiet in the markets as well, signing duo Nick Pope and Berg Gudmunsson from Charlton.

The biggest headline transfers have been in the dug outs, with Manchester United taking a gamble on the not as special as he used to be Mourinho, and City going with the talented Pep Guardiola. Guardiola has apparently banned the overweight players from training with the first team until they shed some pounds and is ready to pay £50m for Everton’s John Stones. Everton meanwhile seem to have been linked with almost every player in Europe since nicking Ronald Koeman from Southampton and Leicester’s Steve Walsh as director of football. Veteran keeper Tim Howard has been replaced by former Fulham goalie Maarten Stekelenburg and you can expect Koeman to make some shrewd signings in the coming weeks. Toffee’s fans will have high hopes after Koeman’s appointment but they will be a way off the top 5 this year.

Chelsea possibly have most to prove after last season’s disastrous self-destruction. Former Italy coach, Bruno Conte will be under huge pressure at the Bridge this year with Blues fans demanding some success instantly. Although I tipped them for success last season, I am more reluctant this term and will be surprised if they finish higher than third.

Last year’s shock package and suddenly everyone’s favourite second team, Leicester will bankrupt the bookies if they repeat last season’s miracle. Top half is more realistic for me, as the foxes struggle to hold onto their stars. Liverpool could push on this season as Klopp looks to assert his style on the team.

Arsenal’s reluctance to compete financially with their rivals could see the Gunners miss out again although a top 3 finish should be achievable. London rivals Spurs will need Harry Kane to be much more impressive than his form in the summer if they are to build on last season’s good work.

So here are my tips.

C. Manchester City

2 Manchester United

3 Arsenal

4 Chelsea

5 Liverpool

6 Spurs

7 West Ham

8 Everton

9 Stoke

10 Crystal Palace

11 Southampton

12 Swansea

13 Leicester

14 Watford

15 Bournemouth

16 Middlesbro

17 Burnley

18 Sunderland

19 West Brom

20 Hull

Place your bets !

Those who thought the dark days following the election defeats in 2010 and ’15 were as bad as it gets must be gobsmacked at how wrong they were.

Britain stands on the brink of leaving the EU with a new Prime minister set to negotiate Brexit following the disastrous referendum. It was a referendum that many feel should never have happened and few thought would result in us leaving. The in campaign clearly won the economic argument but failed to successfully respond to some of the outrageous immigration claims made by the out campaign.  Some it seems were completely fooled by claims for example that £350 million would be channelled straight into the NHS, only to see the reality just hours after the votes were counted.

Despite many of the predictions made by the remain campaign being proven; the pound at its lowest point for decades and the property funds being suspended for example, those in favour of leaving assumed these predictions were scare mongering. Cameron quit shortly afterwards in spite of his repeated promises to see it through and several high profile out Tories disappeared quickly too.

This should have given the Labour party  the opportunity to unite and challenge strongly. What followed has left the party in real danger of splitting, which of course would be an absolute disaster.

When Jeremy Corbyn was elected with a massive mandate there was new hope that a change was coming. There was real optimism that a nicer, kinder politics would ensue. In a letter sent to members during her deputy leadership bid, Angela Eagle wrote “I would happily serve under anyone the members choose to be our leader because I respect the wisdom of our members, supporters and affiliates and our party’s process of electing a new leadership team”. She even went so far as to add “talk of coups and remarks about not serving in a shadow cabinet needs to stop”.

Miss Eagle challenged the leadership after a mass exodus from the shadow cabinet. There have been reports for some time that sections of the Labour benches intended to over throw their leader. It is suggested that they intended to challenge him if he lost the Oldham by-election (he didn’t), they then planned a coup if he lost the London Mayoral race (he didn’t) and again if Labour suffered huge losses in local elections (they didn’t). Brexit then was pinned firmly on Corbyn and Hillary Benn started the chain of events by getting himself sacked in the middle of the night. The next day dozens of shadow ministers quit forcing a vote of no confidence which resulted in a massive defeat for the leader. Miss Eagle has since decided to step down from the leadership election, leaving Owen Smith as the sole challenger.

Tom Watson, deputy leader, said in a letter to members when he was chasing the job “I want members and supporters at the heart of an inclusive party.

I will drive culture change through this party from the bottom-up. I want a digital revolution to enhance policy making and improve our campaigns. I want local parties to come up with policy solutions to problems in their own areas. You should have a say in choosing the debates we hold in Westminster on 'opposition days’, for example".

It is claimed that Mr Watson orchestrated the coup to remove Corbyn from the safety of Glastonbury and many of his colleagues have tried to reclaim the party from its members, often being rather rude and derogatory about them and their opinions. Far from nicer, kinder politics the whole fiasco has descended into horrible hate filled slanging matches with neither side willing to back down.

The Labour membership has risen to over 600,000 since the coup began (although it is unclear whether the bulk of those support Corbyn) compared to only around 150,000 members in the Conservative party. What is clear is that many of those 600,000 grass roots members that were promised a say in the future of the party, feel that the political elite have conned them. The party itself actually tried to ban Corbyn from automatically making the ballot for leadership. When that failed the NEC decided to charge those members that originally joined for £3, a fee of £25 to vote in the election. That is not a challenge, it is a mutiny. When the country is crying out for an authentic, decent, fit and proper opposition they have watched a secret ballot fail to stop him defending himself. In spite of the cripplingly inhibitive fee, 180,000 Labour supporters have applied to pay it.  The trade unions appear to still support the leader and he is on the ballot (for now- legal challenge pending) but can he hang on? While the PLP have treated the electorate with utter contempt, it does appear that there are stories of bullying and poor leadership from Corbyn. Surely, in a democratic system we can be proud of, Corbyn must be allowed to defend his leadership. If the MPs are allowed to over-ride the wishes of the members and pick their own leader, there is little point in being a member. Of course, the counter argument to that is that we elect our MPs to make decisions on our behalf. 
What has left the members mystified is the lack of any real evidence to support Corbyns failure. He has undoubtedly increased the membership massively and in recent days the party coffers have swelled as well. He has enjoyed successes in opposition, forcing u-turns on several government policies. He has changed the style of debate in parliament and has refused to throw away his beliefs in the name of achieving power. MP's have lined up to tell us that he can't win an election but all the evidence I have just mentioned above suggests the opposite.
Politicians are expected to present a decent argument and persuade the public to think their way; now is their chance. I had hoped that candidates other than the unimpressive Miss Eagle would decide to stand and that at least one of them was a credible person from the left of the party. Andy Burnham would make an authentic candidate but seems determined to be Mayor of Manchester. Eagle crash landed and while Owen Smith has some interesting ideas and seems relatively charming, I'm still not sure he can get enough votes to oust Corbyn.

Teresa May says she will not rush a general election, suggesting she will wait until 2020. This must be music to the ears of the Labour MPs as going to the country now would be an absolute massacre.

Those men and women we elected as our members of parliament have a responsibility to form a credible argument that can get us elected to government. With Britain now free from the chains that the EU held over employment law and human rights, a Labour government is the only safety net available for many. There are many shared interests that Labour can and should unite on. Obviously, the majority of Labour supporters agree that we cannot be simply a party of protest or principle but it is vital that it does not throw away its principles entirely to gain that power.
The political tricks of parliamentary procedure and the dastardly antics of the NEC will undoubtedly leave a nasty taste in the mouth of many Labour members and supporters. The charge to the left from members is not a coincidence the parliamentary party can ignore. I wrote after the general election defeat that the mood among normal people was shifting. There is real anger at what they see as the establishment, which really means the rich and powerful (MPs included). Whether Jeremy Corbyn wins another victory or not that shift isn't going to stop. Owen Smith does not have the authenticity that a life long rebel and protestor such as Corbyn has, so whichever one wins I see another messy and costly leadership election coming before the general election. I and many others have said it before and will continue to say that one of the main reasons for these problems is the lack of opportunity in the party for normal working class people.
The disharmony within the party has reached such a level that branch meetings have been cancelled amid safety fears and MPs have stopped replying to their constituents, apparently.  UKIP, the Greens, and the Lib Dems must all be terribly excited at the number of potential new members they can target if those 600,000 activists turn their back on the party.

There is now just 10 days to go until the EU referendum decides the fate of the UK with the polls neck and neck, but it is other battles in Europe that are stealing all the headlines for all the wrong reasons.

Today, Russia were given a suspended disqualification from the FIFA European Championships following disgraceful scenes after England’s opening game in the tournament.

Despite facing expulsion from the competition and a 150euro fine, there is little contrition from the Russians. Even their striker, Artem  Dzyuba who plays for Zenit St. Petersburg, accused the British media of having the impression that England supporters are angels who just behave themselves. He added “you have to be objective, there is 50-50 in every conflict. I don’t see that Russia’s fans are the only ones at fault”.

Dzyuba has a point, there were some ugly scenes involving English fans before the game reminiscent of days gone by when so called English fans brought shame on us in the 70’s and 80’s.

 While it appears the incidents involving the English before the game were isolated the reputation of English football is once again being dragged through the mud. More worrying though, is the apparent pride some Russian commentators seem to have in the skills and viciousness of their fans. Violent clashes during Russian domestic games are fairly commonplace and footage of the riots regularly end up on social media sites. In fairness to the Russian football authorities, their Union have expressed regret about the behaviour of their fans, accepting that the suspended expulsion is right however other senior officials are quoted as calling the hooligans “real men”.

One Russian MP, Igor Lebedev said “I don’t see anything terrible about fans fighting, quite the opposite- the guys did well. Keep it up”. He also claimed that the lads had defended the honour of their country. A Russian fan from Moskow, said proudly “this shows who is most important among hooligans”. He went as far as to say that Russian thugs are younger, fitter and more sober than their English counterparts.

Andrei Malosalov, co-founder of the Russian fans union said “now many people are boxers or into martial arts, and Russian hooligans often follow a very healthy way of life, avoiding alcohol which used to be part of the subculture”. Astonishingly he told the BBC that the students have outgrown their masters.

It appears that the Russian’s involved see this mindless violence as a sport. It is not a sport. It is cowardice and stupid and there is no place for it in football stadia or in society. FIFA must adopt a zero tolerance approach, not only expelling Russia (and any other country )but coming down heavily on domestic clubs whose supporters riot. Forcing clubs to play behind closed doors would be a way to ensure safety of the players and would also hit the pockets of the clubs until the regulating bodies take the matter seriously.

It would be wrong to suggest that only Russia are responsible for the terrifying scenes this week, but with the 2018 World Cup being held in Russia it is particularly important that the behaviour is stamped out quickly. If FIFA wants to drag its own reputation out of the gutter following recent corruption charges, it must be much more transparent and responsible when deciding who hosts the tournament and should consider suitability of grounds, facilities, security and fans rather than simply taking account of who can fill the fattest brown envelope. With security in France supposedly being stepped up amid terrorist atrocities around the world, it is extremely alarming that Russian fans were able to take fireworks into the ground for the England game. It would be unwise to level all the criticism at French authorities though as they have limited resources and much of their time and attention was spent dealing with the hooligans. Would those proud violent men who think they defended the honour of their country be as proud if it meant that a bomb was able to pass through security or a machine gun toting maniac entered the packed ground? It is a football tournament for football fans. The fans around the world should be allowed to enjoy the spectacle in peace and safety. Anyone who doesn’t want to watch the football should stay home and anyone found guilty of violence at a match should be banned for life as well as face a spell in prison. We do not want to go back to the bad old days where real supporters are scared to take their kids to games.

"The Tories do not have a track record of prioritising the people of the North"

With only weeks to go until the EU referendum much of the debate still revolves around either the economy or immigration. I wanted to know what the effect would be not only on the country but on me personally as a man living in in Yorkshire. I asked Linda McAvan, MEP for the area whether she thought that a university city such as Sheffield, who’s economy depends largely on our tens of thousands of students,  would be less attractive to foreign students from both inside and outside the EU should we decide to leave.

She says “Visa free travel and the right to live, work and study in another EU country makes studying in the UK significantly easier for EU students.  Students, including UK students, can participate in study abroad programmes like Erasmus, Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs, and Erasmus + all of which receive maintenance to help cover living costs.  Currently, EU students are treated as ‘home students’ meaning they pay the same fees as their UK contemporaries.  Brexit could change the status of EU/ European Economic Area (EEA) students to that of international students. Students from non EU/ EEA countries pay significantly higher to attend university in the UK.   

 EU membership has also provided access to considerable funding streams such as the Horizon 2020 fund which provides the UK with £8.5bn for research and development. Much of this money goes into University research programmes.  Access to such funding assists in the hiring of the best and most skilled academics from across the European Union. This collectively has a substantial impact on the quality of teaching and placement opportunities for students. Better learning opportunities enhance the student experience and contribute to the quality of degree programmes.   

EU students contribute £3.7bn to the UK economy. If fewer EU students started coming to the UK to study due to visa and finance issues such as the rising cost of fees, student numbers will reduce, this will have a knock on consequence on staffing levels as Universities will have less money. Less resources will be put into degrees and universities would have difficulty attracting the best staff to teach courses.  This would leave the UK trying to compete for EU and international students.

It is worth pointing out that in the event of a Brexit the UK could join the EEA just like Norway or Switzerland which would give us access to the EU single market. This however would require the UK to agree to the free movement of people, pay a contribution to the EU budget, and require adherence to EU rules and regulations without consultation or having a seat at the negotiating table”.

My second question was whether the North of England will suffer more than the South in the event of an out vote.

She told me “Economic differences already exist between the North and the South. Tory policies in the 80s and 90’s had a devastating economic impact on areas like South Yorkshire. EU investment through the programmes such as Objective 1&2, the European Regional Development Fund, and European Structural Fund put money back into the region. If Brexit happens, it will do so under a conservative government. The Tories do not have a track record of prioritising the people of the North”.

I asked Linda if she thought immigration was as big an issue as we are led to believe or is the real issue that we don’t have enough hospitals, schools or houses being built making immigrants simply an easy target. She said “The policies of the current government and the previous coalition government did not do enough to support the development of schools, hospitals and houses. The Affordable Housing Bill put forward by the Tories has done nothing to alleviate the housing crisis. In fact, home ownership has fallen in the past 6 years and rents have sky rocketed. Other EU countries have much higher EU migration.  Norway, for example, has higher EU migration than the UK in terms of proportion of their population. Unfortunately, Immigrants are always an easy target but lack of coherent policies from the government is at the root of these issues.

My conclusion from talking to Linda and previously her colleague Richard Corbett, is that locally, the people of cities like Sheffield will undoubtedly be worse off if we leave the EU. There are many cities in the UK that are very similar to Sheffield that would suffer also. I’m convinced that what the two MEPs are telling me is at least credible and almost certainly true. I am yet to hear an argument from the brexiteers that has credibility or evidence.

Only a vote to remain will allow us any certainty and stability.

"The intentions of the right wing Conservative Party are rarely good" says Brexit campaigner.

The EU referendum debate has been relentless but largely inconclusive. There have even been debates about who should be allowed to take part in the debate, one fact which we can probably all draw our own conclusions about.

While the official campaign seems to have been raging for months, on 20^th March I published an interview with Yorkshire & Humber MEP and in supporter, Richard Corbett.

I have been trying since to find somebody willing or able to articulate the argument for leaving the European Union. Matt, a freelance journalist and politics student took up the chalice.

I asked him exactly the same set of questions; I started with the issue of sovereignty, with many claiming that 75% of our laws are passed by in Brussels. Matt conceded that 75% was ambitious but said that the true figure was nearer to 65%(according to business for Britain), depending on whether you are discussing laws impacted by or written by Europe. He admitted the latter figure would be considerably lower. The figure according to Mr Corbett was 13.2%.

Next I asked Matt if the EU was nothing more than an expensive Gentleman’s club, costing the UK taxpayer a fortune. Again, he admitted that the spinning that can be done here is spectacular. He claims that last year we paid £18billion, minus £5 billion that we immediately received back in a rebate. He says the EU then spent a further £4billion here on projects, giving a total cost of £9billion, which he says is still an awful lot. Mr Corbett disputed this, saying that EU membership is worth £3000 per family in Britain.
Some economists are predicting 2 years of uncertainty in the stock markets leading to a potential crash in the event of a Brexit but Matt thinks there will be some sort of crash whether we leave or not. He told me that the uncertainty depends on whether Cameron resigns or not (in the event of an out vote), adding that formalising Brexit will take a while anyway so the uncertainty and crash are inevitable.

Will Brexit mean British football club’s expulsion from the Champion’s League, I asked. Matt thinks that this is ridiculous myth, created by the in campaign. He says that none of the major clubs or any player has corroborated this.

I asked him next if Boris Johnson’s decision to back the out campaign was merely a bid for the Tory leadership. Despite his intention to vote out, he agrees that “Boris is just looking after Boris, not the people of this country”.

When asked if both big and small businesses alike will suffer if we vote to leave he is uncertain, “as there are leaders of business backing both Remain and leave campaigns”. Both sides he says are being extremely hyperbolic. He has no qualms though about the fact that EU will still be more than happy to do business with us though, because we are the sixth biggest economy in the world.

I asked the freelancer, who has featured in the Independent, if the main intention of the Tory out campaigners was to abolish worker’s rights. “The intentions of the right wing Conservative Party are rarely good” he said. ”but that is absolutely no argument to vote to remain. I’m a socialist – and believe in full employment rights and social justice for all, but if your main argument to vote to remain is to oppose the will of the British electorate because you don’t like what they’ve decided then -it sets a really horrible precedent- that is no reason to prop up an undemocratic institution just because you lost an argument. Instead, they should focus on winning the arguments and winning hearts and minds over for additional employment rights and human rights at the national level.

So can we have an open and honest fact based debate on the referendum? The Nottingham University politics student, hopes so, but the moment he said, “it doesn’t look like it. Both of the designated campaigns are being fronted by vacuous political operators who make a living deceiving the public. Hopefully, this will change soon” he dreams.

"Are these people going to be thrown on the scrapheap or is the British Government going to intervene, and maintain steel making in Britain- it's that simple" 

I have recently been reading the unauthorised biography of our prime minister, Call me Dave, written by former Tory party donor Michael Ashcroft and former Sunday Times political editor Isabel Oakeshott. Apart from the well-publicised sticking his willy in a pigs mouth, the book features a great deal on Cameron’s Enid Blightonesque childhood; long summer days by the pool drinking homemade lemonade by the swimming pool with his hooray henry chums. His fabulously well to do parents, busy doing their bit for the local charities and have afternoon cake and tea with the countryside’s elite. Despite suggestions that the book was revenge for Ashcroft not getting a cabinet role from his former friend Cameron, it’s not a complete hatchet job. It hints strongly that several of the most powerful men and women in the country once had a fondness for illegal substances but is rather sympathetic when describing the heart breaking loss of his son, Ivan in 2009. Ashcroft’s description of the numerous late night visits to hospital with his severely disabled son while trying desperately to maintain his grip on leading the party paints a picture of a dedicated father and husband who cares deeply and is eternally grateful to the NHS.

The book talks about Cameron’s brave decision making on tackling drugs following a close family members’ battle with addiction. Indeed, the work tome leaves the reader in little doubt that Dave does care deeply about the things he has been effected by personally. The experiences he has had in his oh so privileged life have certainly left a lasting mark on the man.

The problem with Dave leading our country of course is that the things he hasn’t experienced. He probably has never known anyone personally who has depended on benefits. Nor has he known anyone struggling to find a home, relying on social housing to put a roof over their hungry heads. He probably has never lived next door to someone employed in the steel works.

When he says his government is doing “everything it can” to save thousands of jobs does he really have the same conviction as when he talks of things close to his own heart?

Tata steel who employ around 15,000 people (and supports hundreds more in local communities) announced this week that it intends to sell the business, claiming it is losing up to £1m per day. What really sticks in the throat of people in this country is Cameron’s government’s lack of action. There has been a shadow hanging over these jobs since January when plans to shed jobs was announced, while the Tories have failed repeatedly to take any meaningful action to help the thousands facing joblessness. The company blamed difficult market conditions with many commentators accusing the Chinese of producing cut price (and poor standard) steel, pricing British firms out of the market. The Chinese allow subsidised energy bills to their companies while our government refuse to do the same to support our companies as well as opposing an opportunity to add tariffs to Chinese imports.

Two days ago the Tata board met in Mumbai to try to find a plan to save the Port Talbot plant in Wales. Welsh Labour MP and son of former leader Neil Kinnock, Stephen Kinnock attended the meeting along with community trade union delegates to lobby the owners.

Not a single cabinet minister attended the all-day meeting with business secretary Sajid Javid instead flying to Australia with his daughter and the PM also holidaying.

Despite calls to nationalise the steel works Cameron insisted on his return to work that nationalisation was “not the right answer”.

Opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn said “these are people who have given their lives to that industry. Are they to be thrown on the scrap heap of a multi-national corporation or is the British government going to intervene and maintain steel making in Britain?” adding “it’s a very simple choice”.

The Telegraph today accused the Government of sacrificing the steel industry to curry favour with the Chinese. Already under fire after his failed budget, Chancellor George Osbourne has been accused by unions of failing to understand the crisis. He said in his budget that “we’re going to permanently exempt our energy intensive industries like steel and chemicals from the cost of environmental tariffs so that we can keep their bills down, keep them competitive and keep them here” but unions are questioning whether the industry will survive long enough to benefit from the measures.

Tata have indicated that they might be open to a slightly longer timescale, which ITV correspondent Romilly Weeks said the Government are keen to take the credit for despite “incredibly” Tata saying “that they have had no contact, at this crucial juncture for the British steel industry, with any senior government minister today”.

The cost of losing the industry could cost hundreds of millions of pounds in environmental costs cleaning up the 3 mile site in Port Talbot along with the huge cost of the pension scheme relied upon by thousands of people.

I remember fondly going on holiday to Devon as a child and buying a souvenir pen knife with “Paignton” emblazoned on its case. I recall my pride even that age when I opened the blade to find Made in Sheffield etched into its shaft.

That industry along with that pride that those connected to it share and have given their lives to looks to be on the brink of extinction. While thousands of families face life on the dole, Tory politicians jet off on holiday and refuse to care about a world they simply do not know. They merrily give away an average of almost £3000 to some of the wealthiest in Britain (0.3% of the population) they dismiss hardworking families resigning many of them to the rest of their lives being unemployed.

With local elections just around the corner in May, let’s hope that those who stupidly voted Tory, will think again and vote for politicians that know what matters to the masses rather than the few.

If we leave, there is no going back!

With less than 100 days until the UK goes to the polls in the biggest political event for generations, and not a straight answer in sight from the right wing press I asked MEP Richard Corbett for the ins and outs of the referendum hoping to bust the myths being pedalled.
 

I started by asking Richard about the often made claim by the out campaign that our Parliament isn’t sovereign with some Euro-sceptics claiming that up to 75% of our laws are passed in Brussels.

 

The Yorkshire and Humber MEP says “the independent House of Commons library found that the real proportion is just 13.2% of laws; and these figures include laws that even mention the EU only in passing.

So what about the claim that the European Parliament is nothing more than a gentleman’s club, costing UK tax payers a fortune?

He refuted this claim, stating in fact that the confederation of British industry estimates that EU membership is worth £3000 per month to every family in Britain. A return of £10 for every £1 spent, and the budget is just 1% of GDP.

But will an out vote mean two years of uncertainty, leading to a possible stock market crash? I asked.

Richard told me that while it is impossible to predict whether a Brexit would cause a stock market crash, it will lead to uncertainty in the markets.

I asked Richard, Deputy leader of the European parliamentary Labour party, if was ludicrous of Boris Johnson to say we should vote out to get a better deal. The MEP says if we walk out on our neighbours it would be difficult to see where the good will would come from to get a better deal, indicating that Bo Jo’s out campaign was more linked to a future Tory leadership bid.

I asked Richard if he thought the desire from Tory MPs to leave the EU was based on a desire to abolish worker’s right’s? He accepted that the Tories are split over the issue but believes the right wing leavers in the party are very keen to diminish worker’s rights in the UK and see Brexit as a way to achieve this.

We often hear UKIP leader Nigel Farage refer to the European parliament as undemocratic, but Mr Corbett states on website that the European commission only makes suggestions which have to be passed (or rejected) by elected national Governments and directly elected MEP’s. In any case, he says, Commissioners themselves are accountable to the European Parliament, which elects a President, approves its appointment and can dismiss it by a vote of no confidence.

 

Is this, as many have claimed, a once in lifetime vote, I asked. Yes, Richard says “Which is why it’s so important to make the argument for staying in. if we leave, there is no going back.”

In the event of an out vote from the UK as a whole but Scotland voting to remain, I asked whether the Scot’s should have another independence referendum. “The SNP certainly wants to have another referendum and have recently gone back on their once in a lifetime promise before the referendum last year".

Many people claim they want to leave the EU because of immigration and believe Brexit to be the solution, Corbett points out that there is almost an equal number of Brits in other countries as Europeans in the UK, and those in Britain pay one third more in tax than they take out in benefits and services. He says “freedom of movement isn’t really a problem in terms of numbers or cost to the exchequer. Where there are problems, they are things that our Government could and should deal with, such as agencies only advertising jobs abroad and undercutting wages.”

Of those who come from outside the EU, Richard says “that’s under our own national rules, which we determine, but are far better able to enforce those rules while we remain in the EU because for one thing we maintain our borders in Calais, rather than Dover, which means we can process applicants before they arrive here. If they arrived here and then were found to be ineligible, we would have the often difficult task of deporting them, a problem we currently avoid with our partnership with France.” He also points out that we can use the Dublin regulation, which means we can send some asylum seekers back to the EU country in which they first arrived. A figure he puts at some 12,000 since 2003. He also highlighted the system of cooperation among police and intelligence forces meaning we get information on certain people when they arrive, such as fingerprints and criminal records. It also helps he says “cooperating to fight international gangs of people traffickers.”

For the concerned football fans I asked Richard would Brexit mean the end of Champions League football, meaning top players will snub the premier league. He referred me to West Ham’s vice chair, Karen Brady’s comments when she claimed that exit from the EU would make it harder for English clubs to attract international players while fans would be stung by higher costs when travelling to games on the continent. She said in a letter to football club chairmen that players from the EU can sign for clubs here without the need for a visa or special work permit, making it easier to sign top talent from across Europe to play in our leagues.   She said “losing this unhindered access to European talent would British sides at a disadvantage compared to continental teams.

 

Positive message from Sheffield despite Central Govt.

Sheffield City Council has just adopted a budget that may shed up to 400 jobs after another £50million was stripped from its budget taking the total amount to over £350 million in the last 6 years.

I asked Councillor Ben Curran, Cabinet Member for Finance & Resources about it. “We are now in year 6 of George Osbourne’s 4 year austerity plan”, Councillor Curran said, “There is absolutely a systematic approach to target poorer Norther communities, particularly those with Labour Councils.”

He emphasised the point by saying that there was no business case for moving BIS (department for business innovation and skills) to London, relocating 200 well paid, skilled jobs from the city. “It’s not just about cuts but others decisions too – like moving BIS jobs from Sheffield to London. We need to make people aware of it and build a campaign on it- jobs for Sheffield”.
 

The new round of cuts will undoubtedly mean that even with the best will in the world there will be cuts in services and the very most vulnerable people in the city will be at risk as a result.

I wanted to know if it was all bad news.

“Austerity hurts. We’ve reduced our spending by £350 million since 2010 in the wake of government cuts. But there is some good news. We’ve managed the finances well and are projecting a small surplus at year end.  This enabled us to make a really positive announcement on the Living Wage. It’s an important part of an inclusive economy something that we have a strong record on. We pay our staff the Living Wage and are using our contracts to boost the wages of hundreds of people across Sheffield. Our budget built on that good work. I was proud to announce a Living Wage rate relief that would help employers to pay the proper Living Wage. We know there are a number of employers in the city who want to do the right thing and need a little help. I was amazed that the Greens, Lib Dems and UKIP joined forces to block it. Luckily there are more Labour councillors it passed. It highlights the importance of a Labour administration in the city.”

With the all-out local elections just around the corner I asked Councillor Curran if he thought Labour would be punished for the cuts in the budget and retraction in services or if the people of Sheffield are wise enough to know who is to blame and re-elect a Labour controlled council. He was confident that most people believe Labour are doing their best and is quietly confident that Labour will hold a majority. It has been reported that some local councils will need to move services like bin collections to monthly services to save money but Councillor Curran told me Sheffield will not be doing that saying “we have no plans for bin collection to be made less frequently”.

I asked Mr Curran, councillor for Walkley, if Labour could be credible without a proper plan to tackle immigration. He disagreed with my suggestion stating that lessons were learned after the last election and Labour knows it has to talk about the issues that matter to people. Having chatted over a cup of Yorkshire tea and healthy sized slab of Chocolate cake from a local independent café for over an hour with Councillor Curran, I would urge the people of Sheffield to keep faith with him and the local Labour party. I was reassured by his answers that he will do all he can to ensure Sheffield gets the best deal it can despite the ideological cuts being relentlessly enforced on him and us. I believed him when he said a labour council will do its utmost to protect the vulnerable adults and children of the city.

On Friday night an exhausted David Cameron returned from hours of negotiating with Europe’s most powerful to predictably announce he’d got a deal worth staying in for.  By Sunday the PM had met his cabinet and claimed he’d had a good night’s sleep before appearing on BBC’s Marr show. He said repeatedly that linking arms with Nigel Farage and George Galloway to take a leap in the dark was the wrong thing to do. Galloway had made a surprise “special guest appearance” at an out rally the day before only to see many of its supporting walk out on his arrival. Remarkably the mad cap former respect MP and celebrity big brother cat impersonator accused the daily politics presenter, Jo Coburn of misleading him into appearing on the show on Monday, and claimed he wasn’t there to talk about him.

The other big name outer of course announced his intention to back the campaign to leave the EU late on Sunday evening as London Mayor Boris Johnson said he thought Cameron had not got enough. He later said that he thought an out vote would force the EU back to the negotiating table. Cameron then responded that he had never known a couple start divorce proceedings in order to renew their wedding vows.

Johnson immediately became the bookies favourites to be the next leader of the Tory party although his Dad has been quoted as saying that his son was “unlikely to get a cosy seat in the cabinet” after his announcement and called it potentially career ending. 

Not surprisingly many jumped to say Boris’ announcement was more about his own personal ambitions to be become leader rather than his opinion on Europe. With Cameron already declaring he will step down before the next election Boris was already many people’s favourite to succeed him before he was even elected as an MP. Increasingly, people are saying if the electorate decides to leave the EU in June that Cameron would be forced to resign at once. Personally I agree with that opinion. Having slung weight behind the in campaign, to go down in history as the Prime minister that failed to keep the country in Europe would be a disaster for him. The media pressure would force him out in days if not hours, as was the case after the general election with defeated Ed Miliband and obliterated Nick Clegg.

For months there has been hours of debate and yards of column inches from both sides of the argument, yet still most people have little or no idea what the consequences will be. Staying in Europe will mean refugees will continue to steal our houses, our women, our jobs, our benefits and our hospital beds. Europe will continue to force laws upon us that we don’t want like not being allowed to sell straight bananas and banning us from leaving poor people to starve to death. Others claim that countries such as Iceland do fine without EU membership while their opponents claim that they pay a premium for the pleasure.

Remaining in Europe will absolutely make us more vulnerable to attack from Isis say some while others say coming out would make us vulnerable to attacks from everywhere. Over 1000 immigrants ran amock on New Year’s eve in Germany as organised gangs ran feril molesting women – they will be here next New years eve if we stay in Europe. If Turkey are allowed to join the EU thousands of Syrians will flood into Europe and the UK will forced to provide housing and benefits for them. If we leave the EU we will no longer be able to enjoy Indian food as all the chefs will be forced to leave. Even worse news is that the referendum will held during the 2016 European football championships and exit could see England thrown out of the tournament even before they are beaten on penalties by the Germans.

I don’t know if any of these claims have any factual basis at all. Like most people I sit and listen to these argument being spewed out across our TV networks and read the pages of expert anylisis from people in the know and think is it really worth the risk of coming out. Some will no doubt decide that coming out will mean all the brown people will have suddenly leave our once beautiful country, while more sensible people will think that actually it’s nice that their children go to school with kids born on the other side of the world and play happily without any discrimination. For many it is a joy that it is now the norm for a diverse community to enjoy each other’s culture and respect each other’s beliefs.

Most will not be able to decide whether we will be financially better off in or out and most people have no comprehension of our government’s sovereignty or the rules of the games the politicians play.  What they will be able to judge is which of the players they trust or dislike. On the side campaigning for exit form Europe are Eton educated buffoon Johnson and publicity whore Galloway. Also on the outside is DWP minister Iain Duncan Smith, the man who fist punched the air when the chancellor announced punishing cuts to benefits.  Former Scots Guard Duncan Smith has faced calls to resign after being found inventing figures to support his policies. He has been anti Europe for many years since opposing former leader Joh Majors pro EU agenda. There is a great debate to be had about which of the two former leaders were dullest with IDS famously once saying “never under estimate the quiet man”.

Michael Gove is another high profile Tory to jump on the out band wagon. Justice secretary Gove said that Britain would be freer fairer and better off outside the EU. “by leaving the EU we can show the rest of Europe the way to flourish” he said after wrestling for weeks with what he called the most difficult decision of his political life. Gove was formerly secretary of state for education where he received votes of no confidence from the association of teachers and lectures, the National union of teachers, and NASUWT.  The national association of head teachers accused Gove of creating a climate of bullying, intimidation and fear.

Chris Grayling former Justice secretary and current leader of the house of commons is another top Tory backing the out campaign. When home secretary Grayling was accused of being creative with statistics when he claimed that every constituency in the country’s crime rate had increased, failing to mention that they were using a new measure.  During his time in Justice he dubbed Failing Grayling when his department lost important personal documents in the post.

The loudest and most gleeful champion of exit will of course be UKIP leader Nigel Farage. With one MP his party still manages to get more air time and talk time on the BBC than most other parties. When he appears on such shows he displays an incredible talent of turning whatever topic is being discussed into a debate about the EU. The former Tory party member who was a founding member of UKIP was once quoted as saying he would be concerned if a group of Romanian men moved in next door to him and has said that the basic principle of Enoch Powell’s rivers of blood speech were correct.

On the stay in side are leader of the Labour part Jeremy Corbyn and Prime minister David Cameron and his Chancellor George Osbourn.  If it comes down to vote of trust in the mouth pieces for the argument then England may well get chance to lose on penalties to Germany while remaining in the EU.