Changing the clocks?

The House of Commons will shortly be discussing a Private Members' Bill on introducing 'Single Double Summer Time', i.e. changing the clocks year round to provide one hour extra light in the afternoon/evening, with one hour extra dark in the morning as a consequence. There's more information on my website here.

I'm interested in the views of constituents on the topic.You can email me at mark@marklazarowicz.org.uk, post a comment here on my blog, and you can cast your vote in my poll on the issue as well, on the home page of my website.

Hitting the poor hardest

The Coalition government denies it, but the independent think-tank the IFS confirms it - the poor will be hardest hit by the massive cuts announced by the Con/Dem government.

I've said in an earlier post how worried I am that these cuts are going to trigger off a severe economic downturn, and I'm even more concerned now that this may happen. There is an alternative to these cuts, set out by Labour's new Shadow Chancellor in a speech earlier this week.

I am keen to know how the cuts will affect local people and community groups - you can post details here as a comment to this post if you like, or write or email me directly.

Meanwhile, even more reason to support the demonstration in Edinburgh against the cuts this Saturday 23 October.

For some more of my comments on the cuts, click here.

Are we about to 'double-dip'?

I see Ken Clarke appears to be warning this morning about the dangers of a 'double-dip' recession, so we now have even senior Tories warning of the danger. I think he's right to be worried - it's something Labour has been warning about since before the election - as did the LibDems before they got sucked into 'power' (or at least a bit of it). You can see the signs of what is happening on the ground - feedback from surgeries, friends, and just chatting on the bus. Ireland's fate is a stark warning for where the Coalition government could be taking us - and because we're a bigger economy, a 'double dip' here would have knock-on effects throughout Europe.

We'll know the worst when the LibDem/cons announce their cuts on 20 October. I am really worried about the effect these are going to have on the fabric of our society. Moreover, I suspect the message that will come out will be so damaging to business confidence that the negative effects on the economy will magnify the effect of the cuts themselves. Labour's got to put our alternative strongly, as well - but I hope the public will let the LibDem/Cons know what they think about what we are promised to be savage cuts, and force them to change direction - not just for this country, but at European level as well. Ken Clarke has spoken out - what about some top LibDems? Surely people like Vince Cable, Menzies Campbell, and Simon Hughes believe what is happening is right?
UPDATE. I see some of the news this morning suggests people like Cable and Hughes are expressing concerns - if they are, I hope it has an effect!