For the past few weeks, Prime Minister’s Questions have been very restrained following the tragic death of David Cameron’s six year old son, Ivan.  However, the old Punch and Judy show came bursting back to life on Wednesday.  The story continues to be the Economy, stupid.  Unemployment reached the two million mark this month and, here in Pendle, it is rising by about 100 per month.   

I had a useful meeting with Steve Johnson from the Jobcentre Plus over in Blackburn (who is responsible for the East Lancashire area) and he told me they were recruiting people in anticipation of the continuing rise in unemployment.  We must hope that the policy initiatives taken by the Government will work through into the real economy and mitigate the effects of the recession. 

It is very heartening to hear the change of tone in Government statements on tax havens and so on and I hope we will be bolder when it comes to taxation generally.  I see that the Conservatives are now committing themselves to a new top rate of tax at 45p for those earning over £150,000. We promised something similar months ago, in a timid way.  

Despite some encouraging signs from the Government, old habits die hard, with the Government urging MPs to vote against Lindsay Hoyle’s Redundancy Payments Bill.  “Postman Pat” McFadden spoke for about two and a half hours last Friday in an blatant attempt to talk the Bill out, but he dried up and we got a vote after all.  Labour MPs who ordinarily would have followed the Government line were too embarrassed to vote as instructed, with the Deputy Chief Whip, John Speller going into the No Lobby with the Conservatives and the rest of us supporting Lindsay in the Aye Lobby.  Lindsay’s Bill now goes into Committee. 

Elsewhere, I boastfully drew attention to the huge support I was getting for my amendments to the Political Parties and Elections Bill to stop tax exiles from bankrolling political parties, predicting that it would be debated and voted on.  However, despite the support of 216 MPs, procedural fancy footwork meant that my amendment was never moved and it fell.  Fortunately, I have had a word with my friend Lord (Dale) Campbell-Savours, who will re-table my amendments as his own in the Lords.  The Bill also brings in individual voter registration, but this will not be mandatory until 2015. 

On the legislative front, the Postal Services Bill is now in the House of Lords with the Government strategy to play it long.  However, opposition to the part privatisation is as strong now as ever and, indeed, is growing.   

We also had controversial votes on the Welfare Reform Bill which paves the way for the future abolition of Income Support and a new “work for your benefits” regime.  Many of the ideas in the Bill were the brainchild of a certain David Freud, who was plucked from relative obscurity by the Prime Minister to contribute to a long term review of the Government’s Welfare to Work strategy.  He has now joined the Conservatives and will be made a Minister in the Lords, leading on this issue for the Opposition.  You really couldn’t make it up.  The Bill includes a number of controversial measures, such as farming out work currently done by Jobcentre Plus to the private and voluntary sectors.  Work done by civil servants will soon be work done by private sector employees – a bit like what happened to the DWP File Store in Nelson when work was contracted out to Capita in 2004. 

The Bill proposes that lone parents (overwhelmingly women) will be expected to participate in “work related activity” when the child is 3.  In my view, this is way too young, with even the Conservatives proposing 5.  I voted against the Government on this, along with many of my colleagues.  On a more positive note, blind people are going to get the Higher Rate Mobility Component of Disability Living Allowance (DLA).  This is surely something to celebrate and costs a paltry £40 million.  Small change these days. 

I also had an opportunity earlier this month to speak in Ann Cryer’s Adjournment Debate on the Financial Services Compensation Scheme.  This scheme levies banks and other financial organisations such as building societies, with the fund being used to protect customers should the institutions go belly up.

Now the Dunfermline Building Society is in trouble. I asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer yesterday what happened to the concept of fiduciary duty? Surely the Directors of the Dunfermline owed it to the members of the society not to behave recklessly. But that is precisely what they did. Why is there no come-back? 

I have also renewed my call for Fred Goodwin to be stripped on his Knighthood and action to be taken on his pension. 

On the Select Committee front, we are concluding a fascinating inquiry into leaks and whistle blowing.   Civil Servants sign the Official Secrets Act and breaching it can mean a prison sentence.  So when people resign their jobs or send brown paper envelopes to journalists, it is important that we understand their motivation.  We heard from a Senior Diplomat yesterday who resigned from the Foreign Office in 2004, I think, believing that Britain could have done more to stop the illegal sale of Iraqi oil to countries such as Jordan and Turkey.  The £2 billion from this kept Saddam’s regime afloat.  I want to see an enquiry into what really happened in the run-up to war in Iraq. I also confidently predict that Tony Blair’s memoirs will be a very long time in coming – despite the reported £5 million advance. 

A small triumph.  A year after Matthew Brough and his Effective Car Park Management Company hit the headlines by issuing a blizzard of parking tickets at  Lomeshaye in Nelson, things are moving.  The Transport Minister, Jim Fitzpatrick, tells me that the loophole that allowed Brough to get personal details of motorists from the DVLA is to be closed.  This is very good news. 

Locally, I have been out and about.  I had a useful (if rushed) meeting with students at Nelson & Colne College and then had an interview on nutrition and health with students from Fisher More.  This is a project for the BBC and they hope the interview will be broadcast.  I keep my fingers crossed.  I also supported the Palestinian event a couple of weeks ago in Brierfield, where a couple of women from the West Bank recounted their experiences.