Televisedelection debate petition ‘live’
A petition demanding changes to electoral law to force political party leaders to take part in televised general election debates has gone live on the parliamentary website.
The petition, begun by Sky News, calls for the creation of an Independent Debates Commission to take decisionmaking on the issue out of the politicians’ and broadcasters’ hands and ensure TV debates become a regular fixture of UK elections. The campaign won the immediate support of shadow chancellor John McDonnell. JOHN MCDONNELL has unveiled plans for a cull of water company bosses after renationalisation, with executive and director level jobs to be re-advertised on “dramatically reduced” salaries.
Denouncing the “scandal” of a privatised industry which has paid out £18 billion in dividends while bills rose 40 per cent in real terms, the shadow chancellor set out plans for a new system of Regional Water Authorities (RWAs) made up of councillors and worker, consumer and environmental representatives.
Shareholders in the existing private companies would be compensated with bonds in a way which would be “cost neutral” for the taxpayer, said Mr McDonnell. But Labour made clear that payments to shareholders could be slashed if there is evidence of asset-stripping, pension fund deficits or state subsidies since privatisation.
Aides could not rule out compensation being forfeited altogether in such cases.
Details of the nationalisation plans came as Mr McDonnell declared Labour was ready for a snap general election and urged the Government to “Bring it on”.
In a keynote speech to the party’s annual conference in Liverpool, the shadow chancellor said Labour was “planned, ready and prepared” to force through a radical programme of nationalisation as soon as it won office.
And he won loud applause as he said: “Whenever the general election comes, we are ready. Ready to campaign for victory, ready for government, ready to build the future.
“And ... we’ll be proud to call that future socialism.”
Mr McDonnell yesterday confirmed plans for a Public and Community Ownership Unit in the Treasury to handle the planned return of water, energy, rail and the Royal Mail to public ownership.
“The full weight of the Treasury will be used to take on any vested interests that try to thwart the will of the people,” he said.
In the case of water, he said all staff would be transferred in their current roles to the new public-sector industry, except for senior executives and directors. EX- TORY MP Widdecombe has said that women have never had it so good, criticising feminists who want “special privileges” for women.
The 70-year-old criticised what she described as “the age of the whine and the whinge” and attacked women who say they have it harder than men.
Writing for the she added it was hard to see what some women complain about when Britain has its second female Prime Minister and the Metropolitan Police is being run by a woman for the first time.