A message from Ivan Lewis MP

2 November 20112 November 2011Leave a comment

Dear LCID supporter,

I wanted to take this opportunity to write to you to introduce myself in my new position as Shadow InternationalDevelopment Secretary.In the Labour movement it is vital that we continue to work together to promote Labour’s values on International Development and hold the Government to account. The work the Labour Campaign for International Development has done in the last year to support Harriet Harman and establish Labour’s ‘Keep the Promise’ campaign has been instrumental in ensuring that Labour continues to be seen as the champion of international development and I intend to build upon this in the coming months.

I thought you may be interested to see the article which I wrote today on The Guardian’s Poverty Matters blog .

I very much look forward to working with you in the future and hope you will continue to support the great work LCID is doing.

Yours Sincerely,

Ivan

Ivan Lewis MP
Shadow Secretary of State for International Development

Unite General Secretary says ‘Time to Fix the System’

2 November 20112 November 2011Leave a comment

Len McCluskey, General Secretary of Unite has written of his support for a Robin Hood Tax.

The Robin Hood tax is a simple idea; the financial sector was instrumental in causing the greatest recession in a generation, so it’s about time it paid its fair share in sorting out the mess that has been created. And proponents of the tax say the funds generated – possibly as much as £250 billion a year – would not just be used to grow the global economy, but to protect the poorest and most vulnerable at home, to help developing countries hit by the crisis and to fight the challenge of climate change. That’s a real long term legacy for generations to come

We know that the Robin Hood tax is currently being blocked by UK prime minister David Cameron, he needs to ignore the banking lobby and listen to the people. If you haven’t already taken action click here.

City AM reveal George Osborne’s real view on Robin Hood Tax

2 November 2011Leave a comment

City AM reporting today that Chancellor George Osborne has serious doubts about whether a Tobin tax is viable even if it were applied globally.

In a private letter sent to bank chiefs on Monday and seen by City A.M., the chancellor appears to contradict his public stance that he is firmly in favour of a Tobin or financial transaction tax (FTT) if only there were support to impose it globally.

Responding to an industry-wide letter opposing the EU’s plans for a Tobin tax, Osborne assures them that “the necessary international consensus does not exist” to impose it.

But he then goes further than his public stance: “Beyond this,” he writes, “I agree there would need to be further discussions about whether any FTT model offers an efficient mechanism to raise revenue.”

City Am report that the “private reassurance to bankers that he remains unconvinced about even a global Tobin tax using “any FTT model”, despite his public support for one, will relieve many in the City but could leave him vulnerable to charges of hypocrisy.”

The Conservatives hypocritical? Surely not.

More evidence the Tories are not just failing to lead on international development, but are actively opposing measures that would help alleviate the plight of the world’s poorest.

Ivan Lewis – ‘a new agenda for development rooted in our values of social justice’

2 November 20112 November 2011Leave a comment

Ivan Lewis MP, who was recently appointed as Shadow International Development Minister, writes in The Guardian today on his excitement at taking up his new role.

Saying that social justice and development are central to Labour’s values, and how Labour’s vision for the future will be different from the Tories who see aid as charity, and arguing that he wants to play his part in identifying a new agenda for development rooted in our values of social justice and universal citizenship.

Striving for social justice, minimising poverty and supporting development across the world are central to Labour’s values. This inevitably means elements of our approach and vision for the future will be different from a Tory party that sees aid as charity and a detoxification vehicle for its brand. Its antipathy towards EU engagement and inherent suspicion of UK civil society remain impediments to progress.

Going onto criticise the lack of leadership from David Cameron at the G20 summit, something that LCID highlighted on Left Foot Forward last month.

As world leaders prepare to meet at the crucial G20 summit in Cannes, it is disappointing that David Cameron does not have a strategy to ensure the needs of the global south are high on the agenda. His refusal to engage in constructive dialogue about further work on a financial transaction tax is a source of particular regret. Any response to the global financial crisis must surely include a serious response to its impact on the poorest. It is to be hoped that the report to be presented by Bill Gates at the summit is taken seriously and acts as a catalyst for action.

Concluding by saying;

But I am determined that in the months and years ahead Labour will play a leading role in working with partners at home and abroad to identify a new agenda for development rooted in our values of social justice and universal citizenship that can rise to the challenges of the future.