Your NHS, Safe in Our Hands
Catherine on the NHS: "The NHS is Labour's proudest creation.
The principle of free treatment for all, regardless of ability to
pay, is and will remain the cornerstone of Labour's health policy.
Spending on the NHS has doubled since we came to power and is growing
at 7.4% annually. We are committed to raising it to the levels that
our European neighbours enjoy. The scandal of nearly a million sick
people waiting over a year for hospital treatment or all day in A&E
- which was the state the Tories left the NHS in - is now over.
We will continue to spend more on the NHS, so that in future everyone
is guaranteed hospital treatment within 90 days from diagnosis. The Tories are quite open that they will not spend this money,
and waiting lists for operations and waiting times for GP appointments
would grow again. Michael Howard insults our Health Service and
the dedication of its staff. 'Just how difficult is it to keep
a hospital clean' they ask in their ads. Anyone who has cared for
sick and especially elderly patients knows that it's a thankless
task, and hospital infection rates are taken very seriously by
hospital managers. The number of cases of the hospital bug dropped
heavily in 2004.
The Tories have proposed an abhorrent voucher scheme that
will allow the rich to jump the queue with the help of tax payers
money. Under Labour the NHS will remain a service for the benefit
of all, not the few.
Gordon Brown, Guardian of a Strong Economy
Catherine on the economy: "The last eight years have been
a golden era for the UK economy, with economic growth in every
quarter, the lowest unemployment for 30 years and the lowest interest
rates for 40 years. There are over 400,000 more jobs in London
than when Labour came to power. Gordon Brown's record as Chancellor
is the envy of Europe and the wider world. The Tories have repeatedly
claimed that the economy would crash under Labour and they were
always wrong. No wonder, when they have no clue themselves: when
in power, there were three million unemployed, mortgage rates of
over 15%, bankruptcies, VAT more than doubled and the Poll Tax.
The Tories harp on about stealth taxes, but the truth is that under
Labour Income Tax has been reduced with the basic rate down to
22%, the new lower 10% rate has been brought in and tax-free thresholds
increased every year in line with inflation. VAT was cut on household
fuel. The Tories more than doubled VAT from 8% to 17.5%, hitting
the poorest hardest. Corporation Taxes have been cut and are competitive
internationally.
Britain is not a high tax country - that's why so many people
want to live and work here. Both the Tories and Lib Dems would
put all this at risk through irresponsible economic policies. The
Tories would cut our public spending plans by £35 bn and
then cut more on top of that, slowing the economy down and reversing
the investment in public services. The Lib Dems propose massive
income tax rises: not just a new 50% income tax rate but an additional
income tax in place of the Council Tax. If you want to make sure
the economy stays in safe hands, Labour is the party for you."
A Modern, Tolerant and Civil Society
Catherine says "I am very proud of Labour's record in helping
those who need help to get on in life or enjoy old age with dignity.
We are pledged to eliminate child poverty. The Working Tax Credit
benefits over 2.5 million families and over a million kids have
been raised out of poverty. The Sure Start programme brings together
social welfare initiatives to support the most vulnerable kids
in our society. The Pension Credit ensures a minimum income of
over £100 per week for an elderly single person, regardless
of N.I. contribution record. The Child Trust Fund puts £250
into a saving account for every newly born child to built up an
asset for a young person to draw on at age 18. Poorest families
are getting £500. Social inequality grew dramatically under
the Tories and we were headed for an extreme American-type society
of ultra-rich and excluded poor. I do not believe Britons want
this. We want a society which is fair and recognizes social justice. Kensington and Chelsea is a rich borough, not just financially,
but ethnically and culturally, too. For generations, we have welcomed
refugees fleeing war and persecution into our midst, and Britons
from the Commonwealth came to do the jobs which needed to be done
in the Health Service and elsewhere. These newcomers contribute
hugely to the success of our economy and have made London the vibrant,
diverse city which it is today. So what are the Tories doing in
this election? 'It's not racist to want a limit on immigration',
their billboards say. True, but it's sheer hypocrisy to pretend
that immigration is not controlled. Anyone who comes to the UK
from outside Europe has to have visa applied for by their employer.
No job, no visa. Even then, employers can only bring in foreign
workers where there's no local person to do the job. The same immigration
law is in force today as under the Tories. Asylum applications
are under control - down 50%.
And while we're there, let's not forget this is the same Michael
Howard who tried to put the clock back on acceptance of gays and
lesbians in our society with Clause 28. Now, under a Labour government,
the thousands of gays and lesbians in Kensington and Chelsea have
got the recognition of equal rights through civil partnerships.
Are you thinking what we're thinking: Michael Howard's instincts
are repressive and he's constantly looking for new scape-goats.
With all their talk of repealing the Human Rights Act, you can't
trust Michael Howard to preserve these hard-won liberties."
Safe Communities, More Police
Catherine says "the Tory crusade on crime would be laughable
were it not for the climate of fear that it engenders amongst people
when the reality is that crime has fallen in the Nation’s
capital. The Tories are publicising bogus crime figures and seeking
to create a climate of fear. Their so-called ‘crime survey’ is
a flawed, self-selecing survey which they concocted because they
don't like the official Metropolitan Police statistics (which are
on the Metropolitan Police website).
Thanks to the Labour Government and the Labour Mayor, the number
of Metropolitan Police has risen from 5,000 to over 30,000 in the
last 4 years. The Tories and Liberals in the Greater London Assembly
voted against the budgets for more police numbers. Notifiable offences
in London fell by 30,000 or 3% in the last year alone. Gun crime
in the Metropolitan Police area fell by 9.4% in the 10 months between
April 2003 and February 2004.
The Tories voted against the Labour Government’s legislation
on Anti-Social Behaviour Orders (ASBO’s) and continue to
mock and ridicule them. But ASBO’s are working and improving
the quality of life of ordinary citizens. Even the Tory’s
bogus survey shows that it is concern for, and fear of, anti-social
behaviour that worries Kensington and Chelsea respondents the most.
All the Tories have to offer are meaningless sound-bites about
police bureaucracy and more discipline in schools - as if Headteachers,
Ofstead and LEA's had never heard of discipline!
It is easy to whip up fear of crime and spread despondency, but
much harder to take firm action. Labour believes in security
and freedom from fear for all our citizens, which is why we take
the threat of terrorist attacks very seriously, and our firm
actions are producing real results in reduction in everyday crime. "
Education,
Education, Education
Catherine says "Education is a subject very close to my
heart, and I personally know the value of a good state education.
Everyone
knows that the Tories' heart is not in the state school system
but in promoting fee-paying schools. Labour is making sure young
people are equipped for the modern world and kids get a good
start in life. Nursery school places for every three and four year
old
on the one hand and the expansion of higher education with thousands
of new study places at old and new higher education institutions
are transforming education in this country. From being the dunces
of Europe, our school-pupils now perform better in the internationally-recognized
PISA rankings than the French or Germans. Over 50% of 16-year
olds now achieve at least 5 good (A* - C) GCSE grades.
We will not let going to university return to being a privilege
of the elite. And our new student loan scheme means that no-one
will have to pay fees while a student and only starts to pay back
when earning a decent salary. This is fair, and means our universities
get more money to stay up-to-date and is paid for by those who
benefit from it"
Public Transport and Cleaner Air come first
Catherine says: "I have no problem supporting the Congestion
Charge and the proposal by Mayor Livingstone to extend it to Kensington
and Chelsea. It is a great success. It reduced traffic in the zone
15% overall and 18% at peak hours. It reduced the delays suffered
by buses by 60%. Dangerous forms of air pollution were reduced
by 16%. Road fatalities are down. I believe the health of residents,
and especially children, is more important than the private motorist's
right to pollute. As residents of the zone get a 90% discount,
car-owners in Kensington and Chelsea would get a very good deal,
being able to drive anywhere in the zone for 80p all day long.
And if you don't have a car or use your car, you pay nothing. Mayor
Livingstone is also now proposing that all Kensington and Chelsea
residents, including those just outside the proposed zone extension,
will get the 90% discount. As for the Tories' claims that the Charge
is bad for business, do Oxford Street and Regent Street look deserted
to you? The truth is that the business group London First has calculated
the cost of congestion to London businesses at billions of pounds
and the Congestion Charge makes London a better, more efficient
place to do business."
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