St. George’s Day Greetings.

 

I extend greetings Christians in my constituency on St. George’s Day on the 23^rd April.  St. George is the Patron Saint of England and among the most famous of Christian figures.  The banner of St. George – the red cross of a martyr on a white background – was adopted for the uniform of English soldiers as far back as the reign of Richard I and later became the flag of England and White Ensign of the Royal Navy.  Little is known about St. George himself but he is venerated in many countries of the world and I send my best wishes to all of my constituents who celebrate St. George’s Day.

Further help for Syria from the UK Government

Birmingham MP, Roger Godsiff, has broadly welcomed the recent announcement by Foreign Secretary William Hague that he has agreed to provide half a million pounds of British support to Syria's political opposition. This support includes agreement in principle for practical non-lethal support to them inside Syria.

Mr Godsiff said: “This latest contribution builds on the British Government’s £450,000 of practical support to the Syrian opposition and civil society in the last 8 months, which has included strategic communications and media skills training to internal activists, conflict resolution and negotiation training to independent civil society and training and advice to Syrian human rights defenders from across the country.”

He went on to say: “ I am sure that all of this in its own way will help but estimates place the current death toll at over 8000 and with the number of children killed in the hundreds. What the Syrian opposition really needs is anti-tank artillery and rocket propelled grenades (RPG’s).

William Hague said: "It will help hard-pressed opposition groups and brave civil society organisations inside and outside the country to document the regime’s violations and gain the skills and resources they need to help build a democratic future for Syria.”

Birmingham MP calls for supermarket watchdog in the next Queen's speech

Hall Green MP, Roger Godsiff, believes that the big supermarkets have grown too powerful and has written to the Business Secretary, Vince Cable, to ask him to introduce a Bill in the next Queen's speech to curb their powers.

Mr Godsiff said: "What we need is a watchdog with teeth; an adjudicator, that will ensure that the big supermarkets do not abuse their market position and potential stranglehold over suppliers, particularly in the UK.  It is now four years since the Competition Commission concluded as much and yet, we are no further forward with this matter and hence my letter to Vince Cable.

“We need a watchdog that has the power to launch investigations and fine supermarkets.  I have the feeling that governments of all complexions treat supermarkets with 'kid gloves' and ultimately it is the consumer and the UK producer which loses out to cheap imports, lower animal welfare standards and low-cost packaging, which the British consumer has to pay for to have disposed.  I do not believe that environmental impacts are top of the list of concerns for the big supermarkets in the UK because it hits the bottom line and that cannot continue".

Mr Godsiff concluded: "I understand that a draft Bill to address this matter already exists and has been road tested by not just one but two select committees; it is now time to implement these measures without further delay".

Young people in Birmingham Hall Green given the Chance to be Chancellor and share their opinions on the Youth Budget 2012

Roger Godsiff MP is supporting the launch of Chance to be Chancellor 2012 and is calling on schools and young people in Birmingham Hall Green to take up in the challenge to learn about, and share their opinions on, Budget 2012.  Run by the Citizenship Foundation, in partnership with Aviva, Chance to be Chancellor is open to all 14-18 year olds across the UK.

Running until the 20^th February, participants can enter into a national competition to win great prizes and visit HM Treasury in London.

To find out more and get involved visit: www.chancetobechancellor.org.uk

Chinese New Year 2012

I extend congratulations to my Chinese constituents on the occasions of the Chinese New Year – Year of the Dragon.

23^rd January marks the start of the biggest event in the Chinese calendar and up to 15 days of celebrations.  I know the Year of the Dragon is the most auspicious animal in Chinese culture and the Chinese New Year is a great time for family and friends to celebrate and an excellent opportunity for generations to come together to share plans for the coming year and to reflect.

I extend greetings to all my Chinese constituents on this happy occasion.

Postcard From Parliament - December 2011 Edition

'Postcard from Parliament' is a monthly update on the work Roger Godsiff MP does for Birmingham Hall Green constituents. Read the December edition, which gives details of November activity, here http://bit.ly/taW9Sa

‘Stimulate the economy from the bottom upwards...we have paid homage to the Bank and financial institutions for too long’, says Roger Godsiff MP

Birmingham Hall Green MP, Roger Godsiff, called for an overhaul of the UK financial system during a general debate on the economy, yesterday.
 
Mr Godsiff said: “Ordinary people in my constituency who face massive pressures on their household budgets and look forward to a bleak Christmas are not too concerned about the blame game that is taking place between the parties, but there is a smouldering resentment of the financial sector, including the banks and financial institutions that have plunged the economy into recession, destroyed jobs and ripped people’s lives apart. That resentment is heightened by the fact that those self-same banks and financial institutions are once again acting as they did before they brought the crisis upon us. There are bonuses galore, and veiled threats that if regulations are introduced they will go elsewhere.

“It is three years since the financial crisis struck, but it needs to be said again and again that that crisis was not caused by nurses and teachers. It was not caused by public sector workers, or by people working in the private sector. It was not caused by small business men, students or retired people, or indeed by the majority of people working in the financial sector. It was caused by the greed and irresponsibility of a small, self-serving group of people who made the decisions and played the casino, and now everyone else is paying the price.

“Between 1992—when the United Kingdom was thankfully forced out of the exchange rate mechanism—and 2007, the British economy grew every year. It grew under the right hon. and learned Member for Rushcliffe (Mr Clarke) when he was Chancellor of the Exchequer, and it grew under subsequent Labour Chancellors. Public sector borrowing was consistently between 2% and 3% of GDP, which was perfectly sustainable. However, in 2008 it shot up to 11% because the financial crisis caused by those I referred to earlier had resulted in a full-blown recession and a collapse in tax revenues, and, furthermore, in the need for the Government to bail out the banking sector. I am sure that my right hon. Friend the Member for Edinburgh South West (Mr Darling), who spoke earlier, referred in his book to an interesting deputation that he received—when Treasury officials informed him that the only way of resolving the crisis was for him to nationalise the banks—and I understand why Mervyn King told the Treasury Committee that he was surprised that there was not more public anger about.

“However, we must look forward. Britain and the rest of the western world are witnessing the death throes of an ideology that has dominated for 30 years. The Anglo-Saxon neo-liberal market model has failed, and we must consider adopting different models if we are to have a financial services sector that is fit for purpose. We need to be more innovative: we need to try out new ideas rather than adhering to traditional recipes which we have already tried, which have been found wanting, and which have now been totally discredited.

“Why, for example, should we not use RBS as a national investment bank—or call it what you will? After all, we own 87% of it. Why should it not be modelled on America’s Small Business Administration, which has supplied 20 million small business men with financial help since its establishment after the second world war, or indeed on Germany’s state development bank, which lent €30 billion to businesses in 2010 alone? Instead of printing money through so-called quantitative easing and giving it to the banks—which do not lend it, but hoard it to rebuild their capital base—why should we not give consumers money vouchers that are time-limited and must be spent on household goods or on, for instance, car scrappage schemes? We should try out some new ideas. The fastest way to stimulate the economy is from the bottom upwards, and no job creation scheme could have a more immediate effect than bringing our high streets alive. All Members know of high streets in their constituencies with boarded-up shops, and where the only new shops are Poundland stores and charity shops.

“This is not revolutionary thinking. It has been tried before in America, Japan and China. People are looking for new ideas for the future, and they are prepared to accept radical and innovative policies. They do not want to be lectured by the Government or the Governor of the Bank of England, who can hardly be thought to have had foresight in seeing the recession coming given that he was arguing for increased interest rates right up until the end of 2008 in order to head off inflation, which he said was the biggest threat to the recovery.

“We have paid homage to the Bank and financial institutions for too long. We must construct a better financial system that is fit for purpose, and we need to do that sooner rather than later.”

At the end of the debate, the coalition government lost a surprise vote forced through by Labour whips.  Members voted against the government by 213 votes to 79.