Global trade

A bit of personal history and a point to ponder while you think about our links with Europe.

During my time in Government I supported bioscience companies from small to multinationals, Research Institutes and Universities in areas as diverse as medical technologies, bioinformatics and botanical research. 
Later I and my teams helped innovative companies, Research Institutes and Universities to trade overseas, and helped colleagues in the UK and our Embassies overseas support investors into the UK, and UK trade globally. 

I sent missions throughout the globe,  personally leading trade and science delegations to India, North America, Australia, Brazil and throughout Europe. While welcoming missions from Russia, China, South east Asia, with companies and Government bodies from many other countries. With this background the hot air put about by leavers in the Europe debate was ludicrous, and the Remain campaign was frustrating.

It is impossible to replace our easy trading, close physical, cultural and business relationships in Europe with other countries. India doesn't want our services, China wants our trade and knowledge and we can see how they use our technologies to build their industries. Brazil is still mired in its social structure of ultra rich, comfortable middle classes, a vast underclass and a corrupt political setup. As for North America we can see how President Trump is completely focussed on America via threats and trade wars with all and sundry.

And if we look to the Commonwealth countries? Canada has a major trade agreement with us, but via the EU. Australia and New Zealand have pivoted away and look to China and Asia. I could go on but you might now understand why over half our trade is with Europe. If we put up barriers they will be slightly less well off, and we will be significantly poorer than we should be. 

UK has some 140 Universities including more leading world Universities than the rest of Europe with London the pre-eminent Science city in the world. All utterly reliant upon global talent, In some of our leading groups nearly all the scientists come from overseas, and Europeans make up many of those. Funding also flows from Europe. While Universities are a massive cash earner for the UK in terms of students, technologies and intellectual property. Most importantly they produce well trained students eager to work in our companies, the NHS and our environmental opportunities. A split with Europe however mild will damage all of these things. On the island with some 1/5 of staff in the NHS from Europe the possibility of those people starting to drift away is scary.

The Europe debate was farcical and many people are now aware of the economic decline, before we have even left.
You may think the economic pain is worthwhile. You may believe that major industry damage, less money for the public sector, lower spending for pensions, NHS defence and local Government is OK. In which case I will listen to your views very politely, but don't expect me to agree to beggaring my children and grandchildren.

Sport

It's about time that sport was given the major attention it needs. 

Throughout our life sport provide us with friends, exercise, stress release and plain excitement. Whether direct involvement or as spectators, officials, parents and suppliers Sport touches so much of our live. Who can forget key Olympic moments, World Cups in hockey rugby or football F1 races or even curious sports like curling or golf. 

We talk about sport providing practice in team work, concentration and focus on goals and that is certainly true when we are younger. As you get older the fun the exercise and the friendships start to be more important. And in any competitive sport winning,  doing well or improving are all major drivers. Extending this to sport for all engagement covers many possibilities,  participants in mass sports like football, in individual sports like athletics, or more holistic sports such as my own one of Fencing.

For the younger generation why does the current GCSE curriculum focus on PE science more than practice,  How has sport become just a nice to have in current education? Just look at the increased proportion of private educated Olympians to realise that the current approach fails too many of the population.The better schools recognise that sport offers something to everyone and diversity is the key for children. 

One of the fastest growing areas of sport is Veterans, which includes me.  Is so many areas we see Veterans, from Tennis to Cycling, from Football to Athletics. For me the first international competition was as a Veteran in Croatia, and the joy and satisfaction of competing and passing that on to others provides lifetime memories and encourages me to continue. Sport must be for everyone and as part of my work I coach anyone from 9 to 101, from high level athletes to wheelchair fencers. 

Talking money sport provides an economic boost for Island business with substantial numbers of visitors for walking, sailing and cycling events among others. But I suspect there is little knowledge and limited focus in the Council of how this helps the island economy or showcases the island.

The island has produced major competitors at Olympic and national level for athlete and para athletes. It is a bedrock for many people who make the island home while the landscape and opportunities are unique within the UK. So sport on the island needs high level approaches and friends. As a key part The Isle of Wight Sports Foundation has the former High Sheriffs and the next Lord Lieutenant, and one of the best organisers on the island at its heart. 

Isn't it about time we had an island Select committee perhaps under the Sports Foundation banner to include the MP, Senior Council officials and leaders, Olympians and major businesses and  to look at creating a strategic approach to sport. Covering all the major issues of facilities, opportunities, coaching and coordination in order to showcase the island and produce a new pillar of island uniqueness.

Speed limits

Its time to rethink the Council approach.

My narrow rural road has 60 mph national speed limit, no pavements and blind bends. No surprise I stand on the road in the mornings to encourage drivers to slow down while children walk to school. 
Talking to neighbours who've lost pets, livestock, wing mirrors and garden walls to speeding traffic it was clear that the ludicrously slow and bureaucratic approach to changing speed limits puts most people off trying.  I'm still going strong but without a groundswell of people behind a change it simply won't happen. Without major incidents, injuries or fatalities the balance seems all in favour of traffic.  

We all recognise the need for travel. Going to work or school, fitting in appointments, getting to the ferry for your NHS appointment, deliveries from supermarkets, and internet deliveries  and transport for business. If everything travelled at horse and cart speed the modern world including internet deliveries would be impossible. However more generally speed can be dangerous, environmentally damaging and very noisy disrupting our lives and the peace that the Isle of Wight struggles to keep. Living a mile from the resurfaced military road the roar of speeding motorbikes is an unpleasant reminder that not everyone cares about their fellow islanders.

I know that road speed are a balance of needs and the Council have to balance responsibilities and legal requirements. And on the island you have the added complication and delay from Island Roads who conduct road traffic surveys and charge an arm and a leg to carry out any changes.

Some key questions.
Why do individual approaches to changes run into so many barriers? 
Why is there no overall island policy or strategic approach to focus on the quiet enjoyment of islanders or the environmental impact of traffic?
Where is the effective traffic control from the Police and Council? 

I hear of ad hoc meetings and statements that something will be done but nothing is seen on the ground. Which is why we need to approach elected members, ask them the questions, and hold them to account.

Island Education

The current education system as redesigned and focussed by a fan of the 1950s ends up with over 90% of pupils feeling like failures! 

Surely the point of education is to prepare people for the future as successful members of society. This is not just jobs, or an academic agenda it should cover  passions, professions at all levels, and culture, giving everyone a stake in a tolerant diverse society

As a recent teacher, and parent and with long experience of working with business I look on the current education system with amazement. Carefully designed by the Conservative Government for the most academic children, branding everyone else as failures we wonder why so many children switch off and fail to reach their potential or parents reach for their wallet and the nearest tutor.

Teachers, and school management, work within a restrictive set of focussed targets with an emphasis on limited skills to the exclusion of all else. There is a nod to disadvantaged pupils but when you measure success as passing rigid  academic exams is it any surprise that pupils who live in the real world don't bother. And the teachers subject to a relentless straitjacket of educational practice burn out and run away early, while experienced professionals from the real world arrive and walk away rapidly. 

Education in the UK needs money, people and importantly a reset. Here on the Isle of Wight we could take a different approach as we are already are seen as a failing county with rural, isolated communities not engaged with education. The Conservative Council promised to improve the system but deliver more upheavals including dismembering local 6th form education, and then wonder why they continue to fail. 

I've been pointing out the dreadful approach to centralisation for 6th form education and the dismemberment of successful schools for some years. Although the lack of engagement from Council and MP is no surprise I suspect that my friends and neighbours on the island will notice the failure and  elect a new set of more island focussed open minded individuals.

I stand by my previous support of anyone who seeks elected office but have a little sympathy for Councillors who refuse to understand how poorly the current approach treats, pupils, teachers and management in money, resources and rigid focus on academic exams. 

But as they fail to listen to professionals, parents and business is so many areas I have no sympathy when they repeatedly miss their own targets.

People in elected office

I'm not in an elected office at present but have worked with Ministers and other politicians as a Civil Servant and currently look after the Liberal Democrats on the Island. Not surprisingly I'm disturbed and worried when I see the personal and general abuse directed at politicians. I hear it directed at major and minor parties alike, and it is disturbing. So let's explore what we see and how it could improve.

My party supports fairness for the individual against the forces of conformity, the state and the selfishness of the haves. So expect  robust disagreement with the unfair, unreasonable, selfish policies of the Conservatives and the illogical and dictatorial approach of the current Labour party. Expect us to put forward our approach and thoughts, but without abusing individuals who hold other views. They may have some valid points or a viewpoint that requires thought and you won't get that reasonably argument if you face them with personal attacks. 

So many people like to rant about the people in elected office. But those individuals are the ones who put themselves forward. If you don't like their beliefs their policies or even their personalities you can stand against them or support others who will. In the main politicians are honest and seek public office to put something into society. There are a few who are not which is why we have such strict election laws and call them to account directly and via the media. Politicians in this country are rightly held to a high standard  and in the vast majority they match up to those requirements.

What gives anyone the right to describe people as scum or worse. To doubt their humanity, or honesty with no proof? 
Politicians do not deserve this general rudeness, the vile and violent threats or even the disrespect. The result is a reduction of public debate to point scoring, while people who are caring, who lack a thick skin or confidence refuse to participate, and then we all lose. We lose out if political platforms fail to reflect the diversity of our society, and with the missing women and minorities we lose different perspectives and skills to our detriment.  For example there is strong evidence from the business world that a diverse culture and management leads to better decision making and longer term success. And there is little doubt that this also applies to politics.

Next time you want to disagree with someone in politics be polite, reasonable, fair, and then directly support their opponents.

Ferry overview and solution

We need the ferries to provide a cheap, regular seamless journey to the mainland to ensure our place in the healthcare, commercial, and social communities on the mainland. 

 The isle of Wight is surprisingly an island. Which means that to link people, families, industry and healthcare we need a regular cheap link to the mainland. And before rail privatisation the ferries as part of British Rail provided a flawed but cheap route that did just that. Unfortunately the privatisation of British Rail was done in a hurry by a Conservative Government focused on selling it off quickly. No restrictions no new regulation, leading directly to the finance dream of increasing debt used to siphon off profits to the benefit of owners while avoiding tax. 

With no limits on fares, no real competition and no cost regulation the ferries have been repeatedly sold on; with increasing fares supporting increased valuations and reduced tax take. I’ve been talking privately about this for some 15 years and its become worse. We see a Ryanair type approach of gouging every increasing amounts from the travelling public for supposed extras of speedy boarding, flexible booking  or shiny extras. The ferry staff are invariably helpful considerate and nice but working with rapacious business practices they must struggle. 

The expense to business makes the island a high cost centre. Affecting everything from basic supplies, to roads; from individual families to long term health care. Can you tell me any major area that is not affected by substantial ferry fares? We lose businesses like the Bestival and see families divided by the cost of visiting. While patients struggle with the cost and time as the NHS moves care off island. We see higher costs for retailers and consumer facing businesses and people dissuaded from settling here making worse workforce issues in healthcare and education. So is it any surprise that companies looking to cut costs see the island as first in line to be closed?

Ferry costs limit our links to the major centres of Southampton and Portsmouth. And we have no recourse. The MP, god bless him, has muttered about high fares, about reliability and finally about tax structures to no effect but should look at the ferry issue as a complete picture. The Labour party take about nationalisation as part of their national dogma, as if that will solve everything! But in reality we need an island approach with an independence that says to central government; We are here; We need fairness, we deserve a seamless link to the mainland. Isn’t it obvious the island with all its unique capabilities knowledge and culture could enhance the solent region rather than becoming the backwater of a rural, seaside, isolated place?

Regulation is needed urgently, while central government support is sensible, as per the Scottish islands. However recognition of our unique transport issues with a small amount of central government top up will not help the whole community, so let us attack this issue at its root.

The ferries have their feet on the throat of the island communities throttling the life from from businesses and individuals, and we all suffer.

Finally I’m hearing from many people that perhaps it is time for a fixed link. I”m not convinced but it’s no surprise when the current situation is unfair, unreasonable and proof that an unregulated market does not care about the community.

Why Great Britain is in Europe

The arguments for and against Europe are ferocious, and the assumed benefits of a future out of Europe are unknown. But we  must not forget one of the major reasons for the formation of the European Union in its various guises was to prevent a European war on a more catastrophic level. How can people so easily forget the horrors of war? How can can people be so complacent that everything will be ok on our little island. An island utterly dependent on trade to feed us for some 200 years? War has been one of the continuing themes in Europe for over 1000 years and our oasis of relative peace for the last 70 years is rare and precious. 

So let me remind you of recent history and the legacy that lies around us. One of my ancestors, a veteran of Waterloo and the Napoleonic wars, would tell you how deadly that war was. As would the French prisoners of war who were put to work on the farms of West Wight. And don't forget the cost to ordinary people of the coastal defences around the island, including the Solent forts.
The wars of the later 18th century within Europe were regular and bloody while Victorian Britain prospered in relative peace. Then we come onto the world wars of the 20th Century. the death of so many people, the destruction of so much infrastructure and the debt incurred. For Britain the cost in people housing and money damaged the country for generations and led to a decline that has only been reversed in my adult life. If you look around the island you can see the fortifications and radar structures of those years and there are still many people who remember fatal air raids such as in East Cowes and Brighstone.

If you think that war and all its negative results cannot come back let me remind you of wars and anarchy from democracies descending into dictatorships and those of collapsing dictatorships. Germany in the 20 and 30s, Spain and Portugal from the 30s to the 70s and the old Yugoslavia in the 1990s. More recently in the old Soviet Union in Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova we see a Russia controlled by one man dismembering states, killing thousands of people, and delivering hideous destruction.

Within Europe the UK push for EU membership for the former Soviet controlled countries in Poland, Hungry, SW Europe and the Baltics has helped steady those countries and support their emergence towards stable democracies. You are misguided at best if you think that conflict cannot happen again in Europe. 

Those who believe that turning on our back on Europe and withdrawing from direct influence and support of the many countries within the European family is a good idea, who think that a collective approach to European security and democracy is unnecessary, who are not fully aware of how critical a prosperous Europe is to our security, to our democracy and our way of life need to think again.