Have your say Jims Blog

Fair Deal for Shoppers

During this difficult economic time I want to do what I can to help local people manage their finances and cope with repaying their debts.

What I hear about time and time again are complaints from people about unfair practices and rip offs. Whether its over the top charges in credit card bills, credit repayments or the high cost of credit on things like store cards, it's clear that something needs to be done to help consumers, especially during the recession.

Over the last few months the Government has been looking into this area. I have been having discussions with local people about taking action. You can leave a comment by clicking post a comment at the top and bottom of the page.

I will be calling on the Government to bring in tougher regulations for credit and store cards. And I think it's high time that we banned the credit card cheques which people sometimes receive with a new credit card despite not asking for them – these are often a total rip off and lure people into high interest debt

I also think there should also be tougher rules for how rates are raised on existing debt, how payments are allocated to different sorts of debt and more information on minimum payments that can leave consumers paying off debt for years. Many people don’t realise that credit card companies use repayments to pay off the cheapest debt on your card first leaving the more expensive debt building up interest.

In the mean time it always makes sense to read the small print before signing up for a "store card". As many people discover afterwards some can be quite expensive when it comes to the interest charged and it's not unusual for them to charge 25 per cent and over on the debt run up.

Over the next few months I'll be getting in touch with local people to get their views on this. That way I can tell other Government ministers about the problems people locally are facing. Please let me know what you think and together let’s get a better deal for local people in East Renfrewshire.

Its a Make or break season for Scottish football

Scottish football has changed massively over recent years - it has
changed for good, but not necessarily for the better.

I am not alone in feeling a huge sense of disappointment at the result
in Oslo last night, and while it remains too early to give up on
qualification , the task now is harder and more daunting for
George Burley and his team than it was this time yesterday.

That result, coming right at the start of the 2009/10 campaign,
highlights what a crucial season this is set to be for our national
game.

It is not just the aftermath of a bruising international encounter, but
the real and long term challenges in Scottish football that Celtic's
result in Moscow can't hide. By then, Falkirk had already lost out, and
just a day later Motherwell were comprehensively beaten by a good team,
and Aberdeen were bundled out after a calamitous first leg result at
Pittodrie. While it is now down to Hearts, Rangers and Celtic to fly the
flag in Europe, it is a sad reflection that in the recent past, the
talking point was whether Scotland would have more than one team playing
in European competition at the turn of the year, it is now how many are
still be involved when the schools go back after the summer holidays.


We all know that it is also really difficult for our teams to attract
the best players because of the strength of the English Premiership -
which is by some distance the richest league in Europe. When I was
growing up some of our teams and league were comparable with many in England's top
division. Now the English premiership is at a totally different level,
many clubs in the Championship in England (the 6th richest league in
Europe) are, in financial terms, way ahead of those in the Scottish
Premier League.

In one generation we have gone from competing with many in England's top
flight to finding it difficult to compete for players with teams in
England's second flight. In our heyday, we exported some world class
players to Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal, amongst others.
After the recent Celtic friendly at Cardiff I spoke to the Scotland
manager who reminded me that Cardiff had more Scottish internationalists
than Celtic on show that night. At one level people might say why does
that matter? Of course my politics are not about competion between
Scotland and England but in football the dominance of the English
Premiership and the disparity in financial resources between our
respective top flight competitions has become a real issue.


Of course there are some strengths in our game - it is not all doom and
gloom, even the morning after the night before. We have some really good
young players coming through, and the SPL is probably the best supported
in Europe when taking into account Scotland's population. Amongst all
the soul searching there is no short term instant solution. We can't
spend our way out of it and we can't rely upon luck to uncover the new
Dennis Law, Kenny Dalgleish or Billy Bremner. The only way out of this
will be growing our own talent.

I am worried that every child in Scotland has
trainers but not enough of them use them for the reason they were
designed. Now its true in every country that computers and the internet
take kids away from sport. But the consequences seem particularly acute
here. This is part of the problem and we need to see how we rejuvinate
kids sport in a dramatic way - not just by tinkering around the edges.


Perhaps I'm a bit downbeat but after last nights result that's the way many of us feel. But the other thing that Scottish football history teaches is is that we can often pull off results when we least expect them. Bring on Macedonia and Holland!

Tories, NHS and US

In the US President Obama is trying to improve their health system. There are 45 million people with no health insurance in the richest nation on earth. The President was elected on a platform for change. But he is facing fierce resistance from right wingers in the US. But the debate there has taken a British feeling with the British Tory Party again taking sides against the forces of progress in the US.You may have seen it on the news earlier tonight. My view is that politicians here should keep out of a debate in America about their health service. And if they lack the judgement not to poke their nose in they shouldn't be so unpatriotic by kicking our NHS.
The Tories have form on backing losing sides in domestic US politics. Many people remember that the British Tories did their very best to stop Bill Clinton winning his election as President - a mistake that severely damaged relations between the British Tory government and President Clinton. Cant imagine President Obama will be calling David Cameron any time soon to thank him for his Party's unwelcome intrusion.

Below is part of an email I received from the British Health Secretary earlier tonight.

Dear Jim

In the debate over health care in America our National Health Service has come under some harsh and unfair criticism.

One of these critics is Conservative MEP Daniel Hannan who whilst appearing on US television even went as far as to say, "...if you see a friend about to make a terrible mistake you try and warn him and we’ve lived through this mistake for 60 years now".  Some others have even gone as far as to say it is ‘evil’, with others suggesting it is run by ‘death panels’.

But this criticism is not being taken lying down.

Thousands of people from the UK have fought back on the social networking site Twitter by saying that the criticism is wrong and that they love the NHS. In fact there are reports that so many messages were sent that the service actually crashed.

You can see just some of these messages of support on our website now, and also join the thousands of other ordinary people who have not only supported the NHS but also shared their messages. They include stories of how the NHS helped their lives, or those of a loved one. 

You can see more here – www.labour.org.uk/welovetheNHS

Fighting climate change in East Renfrewshire

Climate change is something we all need to be concerned with. People across East Renfrewshire have got in touch with me on this issue, worried about what kind of planet we are going to leave for the next generation.

And you are right to be concerned. Scientists recently gave their clearest warning yet of what could happen. They warned of:

Drought. In some parts of Britain summer rainwater could drop by a quarter.(despite the weather when we were away on holiday in Arran!)

Floods. Winter rains and snow could increase by almost a third. Flooding from heavier rainstorms would take its toll on businesses and homes.

Heatwaves. In 2003, an increase in average temperature of just two degrees led to 35,000 extra deaths across europe.

Acting on climate change means jobs in construction as we embark on a Great British Refurb of our homes, to cut down on wasted energy. It means jobs in manufacturing as we lead new low-carbon industries, like electric cars. It means a new future for places like the North Sea, which could start to store the CO2 from our power stations and heavy industry.

So here is the challenge for Britain: we need to show the way to a low-carbon future, but we also need to get all countries signed up to acting as well. We can help tip the balance by our own actions and by persuading other countries to join a global deal at the UN meeting in Copenhagen, this December.

At the end of June the Labour Government published “The Road to Copenhagen”, Britain’s pitch for what the deal should include. That will contain the details, but we’ve already made clear that at the UN meeting in Copenhagen this December, we will be on the side arguing for ambitious action.

We’ll be arguing for a deal that every country signs up to – there can be no carbon buck-passing.

And we’ll be arguing that the world’s release of heat-trapping gasses needs to stop growing in the next decade and start shrinking – with support for the poorest countries to make sure they can do their bit.

I think this is the first time we’ve ever published our position in advance of global climate talks, but I believe it’s right. This meeting is make-or-break for all of us, and every British citizen should be able to know what their government is arguing for. Instead of it being treated like a government secret, it will be sent to schools, libraries, citizens advice centres and other places across East Renfrewshire.

I'll make sure I get your opinions on what needs to be done. And I'll make sure I tell Ed Miliband, Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what people in East Renfrewshire are saying.

We can get the deal. If East Renfrewshire readers and people across the world call on governments to act, if we carry on saving carbon at home, we can stop dangerous climate change. We can make a difference, and know that we’ll be able to look our kids in the eye because we stood up for their future.

Click here to Pledge your support

Real help for young people

People in East Renfrewshire well remember how a generation of young people was cruelly left behind in the 80s and 90s, scarring families and communities.

We must never again repeat the failed policies of the past. Back then the Tories failed to support young people and they would repeat their mistakes now as they oppose Labour's help to get people back into work quickly.

The Tories are sometimes accused of abandoning a generation. The truth is they abandoned several generations.

I support the Government's £5 billion extra investment to help people get back into work quickly. At the end of April I announced that Around 15,000 jobs could be created in Scotland for under-25s as part of this UK-wide initiative.This money is paying for more Jobcentreplus staff and more opportunities for people of every age. It is real help now, right when people need it. 

Labour’s Future Jobs Fund – £1 billion targeted investment to make sure every young person is guaranteed a job not abandoned on the dole – will mean thousands of jobs across every part of the country. Also opposed by the Tories.

But I know that locally young people are concerned about the state of the jobs market and what they do next.

The Tories say we can’t afford to help, but the truth is we can’t afford not to. Abandoning a generation would cost us all more in the long run, and devastate entire communities.

But we must go further. That’s why I will be working this summer with businesses, charities and community groups round here so that everyone plays their part in giving young people the chance they deserve.

I'm determined that we will not lose a generation of our young people to unemployment or lost opportunity because of the global recession. By taking these steps we can make sure our young people in East Renfrewshire are not left behind.

A Great Day out at T in the Park

It was my first visit to T in the Park yesterday. Great day out at Balado. After driving up the first group we saw was The Script on main stage, sun shining as the crowd sing along flags waving, then off to Slam Tent very dark and absolutely packed. How do so many people get into one enormous tent? The Streets were pretty entertaining. Back outdoors Doves crooned and the sun must have got to me cause I woke up 20min later with my wife Claire amazed that I had slept through most of their set.



Missed out on Elbow and Bloc Party but seen both of them in the past year or so at Barrowlands and the Carling Academy. Also missed out on killers but saw them on TV on Saturday night. Again real entertainment but preferred their show in Glasgow last year.

Next went off to see We Were Promised Jetpacks most of the band I think are from Glasgow and despite some technical problems they were really pretty impressive. They are the next big thing I think. I hope that doesn't curse them but they have the same raw energy of Glasvegas who themselves were a real hit earlier in the weekend.

By the time we got to the main stage everything was gearing up for Snow Patrol who were filling in for Blur who as you will have read were late because of health problems.

A wander through the debris of a weekends drinking to the NME radio 1 stage to see Keane who benefited from the Blur delay with a bigger crowd. They were enjoying themselves. And gave the crowd exactly what they wanted. They were delighted so many had turned up so we felt a bit disloyal skulking away to see Blur but after seeing the uber cool Damon Albarn singing Bettlebum we were glad we had.

What a brilliant event. It’s been years since I went to a Festival. The crowd seems a bit more mixed than what you get at a normal gig at places like King Tuts or Barrowlands.

All in all a great day. It really must be one Europe’s top Festivals. A great advert for Scotland.
Got home by 2 am.
Bumped into a lot of friends many of them were camping. Maybe next year?

Bigots won't Win - unless we let them

I was proud to be part of Armed Forces Day in Glasgow today and so proud of these brilliant men and women in uniform. They are Britain at its best and Scotland at its bravest.

At the other end of the spectrum, the event was soured by a tiny minority of mindless demonstrators who can't begin to understand the meaning of bravery and what the veterans have done for our country. They are not fit to lace the boots of the men and women of our Armed Forces. Theirs is a sense of history ignorant to the fact that these wonderful ex-service people fought and finished Hitler's regime. It was a shameful demonstration.

A separate group of mindless idiots also soured the day for me personally. After doing an interview for BBC I was subjected to sustained sectarian abuse from people who seemed to take great and foul-mouthed offence because I am Catholic. Why others should care what my religion is I don't know. Why they take offence at the fact I will never know. I doubt if any of them ever go near a Church of any type.

These people may be able to make minor disruptions to a significant and serious event such as Armed Forces Day but my message to them today is that they cannot win. They stand against every value the veterans we celebrated today fought - and died - for and they must know that the majority of Scotland has no time or patience for their vile views.

Sectarianism - as with any form of bigotry - simply has no place in a modern and confident Scottish society. It was a sickening spectacle that showed we still have a long way to go in removing the scourge of sectarianism in our country and I was saddened our brave service people and veterans had to endure even a second of it.

You might also want to know that I also had to leave the event not just because of the religious bigotry aimed at me but because I had to go to a friends wedding in a Free Presbyterian Church service in Glasgow. There was a place where people of faith of different traditions could together celebrate.

Why the complacency?

The BNP are a fascist party. They are entirely motivated by hatred and theories of racial and ethnic supremacy. They are packed full of holocaust deniers - namely people who believe that Hitler didn't murder 6 million Jews but in fact it is all a story concocted by Jews as part of a conspiracy to get sympathy. It is a historically illiterate view and one that is also for many bnp members about hatred of Jews.

Now they have 2 members of the European parliament.

Of course neither of them are in Scotland. But sometimes when I hear people talk here about the BNP victories there is an air of complacency in Scotland. I don't think it will happen here but it could. The BNP have seen their vote going from near zero to 2.5% in just a decade. Their vote doubled since 2007. They have been slower to develop in Scotland than in parts of England but they have now started. We ignore them at our peril. Too often we resort to name calling as a means of dealing with them - there are plenty of names we can call them racists, fascists, vile and many others.

But name calling and chucking eggs is not the way to deal with them. We shouldn't ignore them anymore. All parties and moderate people need to come together and make the real case against them. It needs to be based on the facts. Immigraton has been and is good for our country but it always needs to be controlled and based on fair rules.
In the week that we commemorated D-Day when Britain helped to crush continental fascism we vote to send fascists to Europe as MEPs. The best way to acknowledge the brilliance and bravery of our war time heroes is for that all good people stand up to be counted.

Reaction to the European result

The European election results across the Britain were rubbish for Labour. The results in Scotland were also disappointing for Labour. It is clear that a lot of Labour voters stayed at home. Many good people are angry about the MP expenses scandal, worried about the economy and concerned that Labour was divided. No Party can be delighted with their performance. The Tories are going backwards in Scotland(while of course winning again here in East Ren as they always do at European elections). The Tories have won every European election in East Ren since I became the MP and went on to lose all subsequent general and Scottish parliament elections. Thats not complacency on my part but just a fact. The next general election will be a close two horse race between Labour and the Tories.The SNP won the most votes but was only up 2% on the 1999 vote and down on their 2007 vote. UKIP saw a big increase in their votes and the BNP continue to increase their share of the vote. Rather than typing an endless analysis of the vote I thought I should link to a Youtube video of some comments I made. Click below to watch the 2 minute clip.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMAfe40P31c&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Escottishlabour%2Eorg%2Euk%2F&feature=player_embedded

Delighted to be Staying

I spoke to the Prime Minister this morning and I was really pleased that he suggested that I stay on Secretary of State for Scotland. I had said to the people at Number 10 that this is the job I most wanted to do in government and was delighted to get the call. There is a big job to be done in being Scotland's voice in the Cabinet particularly at this time of international economic crisis. Thanks to everyone who has called with their best wishes.
I know that the government has to sharpen its act because it has been a really difficult few months. After all there are big differences in British politics, perhaps the sharpest differences in 20 years. The contrast between Gordon Brown's experience and intellect is dramatic when compared with the superficial salesmanship of David Cameron. The Tory leader is quite likable but utterly shallow. Very few people could name just 3 of his distinct policies. I suspect that this will be a theme that we will return to over the next year.