News digest 28 September 2011
The digest opens with the coverage of Ed
Miliband’s speech to the Labour party conference as well as Unite’s
motion on the Murdoch press just as the Mail goes for the gutter.
The government gets the blame for the BAE job cuts but shrugs it
off, Europe shrugs off US advice over the bailout while the UK will
miss its deficit cutting target, a new health lotto is called
nothing but a tax on the poor, the Royal Mail is going into
recruitment and British Airways needs to listen to Ed Miliband and
reward the right people not the wrong ones…
Labour party conference: Leader’s
speech the headlines - The papers divide along general
party lines with sample headlines including the Sun with ‘Left in the Dark’
(referring to the power cut that blacked out the TV feed or the
politics?), the Mail
quotes Miliband ’I’ll take on rich predators’ while the Times runs with ‘Unions cheer
as Miliband attacks something-for-nothing Britain’ while the
Guardian calls it
‘Miliband’s gamble: a declaration of war against fast-buck Britain’
and the Telegraph says
‘Miliband signals left turn for Labour’...
Labour party conference: Leader’s
speech - A prime minister in waiting was Unite general
secretary Len McCluskey’s verdict on Ed Miliband’s second speech as
party leader. Welcoming references to equality and justice, the
need for investment in manufacturing, and attacks on the ’greed
culture’ of those at the top of business Len said: "We
haven't heard that from a Labour leader for a very long time. Ed
showed that he values those who genuinely create the wealth of our
country - the workers who are the backbone of our economy - and for
the first time in a long time we heard clear thinking on the
importance of manufacturing to grow our economy.” The
main thrust of Miliband’s speech focused on telling the party that
it had to learn ‘hard lessons’ about past mistakes and accept that
it will have to work hard to win back the trust of the British
people. Miliband also highlighted failings in the UK and
“the failure of a system [and] a way of doing things.
An old set of rules. An economy and a society too often rewarding
not the right people with the right values, but the wrong people
with the wrong values.” Miliband’s answer is:
“to chart a new course and strike a new bargain in our
country" and the overall theme was summed by Len
McCluskey with: "We will have to see a lot more detail,
but we have seen a man on a mission. There is definitely a phoenix
rising from the ashes, into a people's party."
(Mirror p1/6-7, Sun p12-13, Express p17, Mail p10-13, Times p1/8-10, Indie p1/6-9, Guardian p1/4-6, Telegraph p1/4-5, FT p1/2, Morning Star p1-2/8,
Unite
release)
Labour party conference: Tackling News
International - Murdoch’s ‘moral pollution’ needs to be
eradicated Unite’s general secretary
Len McCluskey told the Labour party conference yesterday as he
moved Unite’s motion on curbing the power of the Murdoch empire
(Morning Star p2,
Unite
release).
Mail goes for Rory – And
ignoring what is happening to the Murdoch empire could hit the
Daily Mail as in a sign that he must have made an impact the
Mail (p7) digs into the
background of 16 year old Rory Weal who gave a star turn at the
Labour conference, the paper even door stepped his grandmother, how
nice…
Bully boy tactics must be
opposed – The Morning Star (p9) has an
interview with assistant general secretary Gail Cartmail where she
outlines why electricians in the construction sector are not taking
changes to their contracts lying down. Gail also moves onto the
failings of government industrial policy saying the fight for
Bombardier goes on (the Mirror [p15] also says the
archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams is backing the Derby
workers) and that the government must learn to understand the
importance of the supply chain in construction and other
industries.
BAE blames government cuts for job
losses – Talking of which with up to 15,000 jobs at risk
in the supply chain and despite trigger happy Cameron and his
cabinet looking at more international ‘interventions’ BAE Systems
yesterday blamed government spending cuts for the job cuts. Unite
national officer Ian Waddell said: "After days of
speculation and rumours our worst fears have been confirmed. It's a
dark day for thousands of skilled men and women across the country
and it is a dark day for British manufacturing.” The
government seems rather neutered with business secretary Vince
Cable calling the cuts a “serious knock”,
it was down to Sir Digby Jones of all people to sum up the
government: “They know the price of everything and the
value of nothing … at the first whiff of gunsmoke they just award
contracts to the Germans.” (Mirror p15, Sun p10, Express p18, Mail p67, Indie p14/41, Guardian p8, Telegraph b4, FT p4, Morning Star p3, Unite
release)
Rainy day nerves – Away from
industry and to the high street and ahead of the fourth quarter
rent day for high street stores tomorrow shops are looking shaky.
The last quarter’s rent day contributed to the collapse of Jane
Norman, Habitat, Homeform and TJ Hughes and retail sales figures
from the CBI showed a net fall in retail sales, the fourth fall in
a row and worse than even the gloomy forecasts expected (Mirror p40, Indie p39, Guardian p20).
Disposable cash drops -
Average family now £14 a week worse off than a year ago, an eight
per cent fall in disposable in last year; rising energy, petrol and
food costs have hit ordinary consumers (Mirror p19, FT p4).
Third of workers can’t afford to keep
up pensions – One in three workers have stopped paying
into their pension schemes as the recession bites creating fears
that the pension pots could fail as almost half of those that stop
paying never pay in again (Telegraph p14, FT p, Morning Star p)
Euro crisis contained? – And
talking of debts and pressures the eurozone crisis does continue
although there are some positive moves. German chancellor Merkel
told the US government to keep its nose out of European business
while the Greek government came to Berlin to ask for more help. It
looks like Merkel will get the bill though the Bundestag on
Thursday but the bill also has to be ratified by the other 16
eurozone members and while France is expressing doubts (it has
already voted on the bill) Slovakia could prove more problematic.
Nevertheless the financial markets rose for a second day in a row
on hope of the bailout, and speculators always get things right,
don’t they (Express p65,
Mail p64, Times p7, Indie p27/39, Guardian p18-19, Telegraph b1, FT p1/6-7).
Chancellor to miss deficit-cutting
target – the Telegraph (b2) reports on a
forecast from Pimco, the world’s largest bond house, that says UK
chancellor George Osborne will miss his deficit cuts target as a
result of lower growth and higher unemployment. As the private
sector fails to step in to drive demand Pimco says that it would be
prurient for Osborne to reverse his austerity plans, the chancellor
is likely to tinker with Plan A rather than reverse it, sounds like
the chancellor is happily rearranging the deckchairs on the
Titanic…
In deep water at Felixstowe –
The Times (p34) and
Indie (p44) report that
Felixstowe port opens its doors to a new generation of giant
container ships as it opens its new deepwater terminal today which
should help increase trade through the port by as much as 50 per
cent.
Irn-Bru goes south – The
Times (p34) reports
that the drink supposedly made from girders is coming down south as
the firm looks to establish a plant in England due to soaring local
demand.
Sticky fingers means chocolate gets
tagged – And the Express (p38) and Mail (p25) report that one Tesco
store in Eastbourne is so worried about its chocolate stash being
‘ransacked’ that it has started adding security strips to its
Cadbury’s Dairy Milk chocolate bars; the store apparently loses one
bar a week.
Health lotto a tax on poor –
And the Express (p1-3)
launches a new health lottery ‘to make Britain better’, but while
the Express lauds the plan (it is backed by Express and Channel 5
owner Richard Desmond) many of the other papers question its real
aims with the Mail (p16)
calling it profiteering and the Indie ( 12) and Guardian (p9) noting that it only
gives 20p to charity rather than 28p for the national lottery.
Miner dies after roof
collapse – On to health and safety and the second mining
tragedy in as many weeks saw the death of an unnamed miner in his
40s yesterday, another man was taken to hospital with minor
injuries (Mirror p23,
Mail p8, Indie p12, Guardian p9).
Royal Mail sets up own recruitment
agency – The Mirror
(p20) reports that unions are concerned after evidence emerges that
the Royal Mail has set up its own recruitment agency to fill
thousands of temporary jobs. Unions fear the move may be a means to
get around new rights for agency workers which come into force this
weekend, Royal Mail says it is just to deal with the xmas rush…
BA’s ‘bad blood’ buffet – And
finally the Sun (p46)
reports that British Airways has put its foot in it. After finally
coming to a deal with Unite after two years of unrest the airline
thinks it is a good idea to celebrate with a party, but only for
volunteer cabin crew – or the 1,000 staff such as pilots that
crossed the picket lines. The party tonight officially marks the
end of the line for volunteer cabin crew who received large bonuses
for crossing picket lines, what was Ed Miliband saying about
rewarding not the right people with the right values, but the wrong
people with the wrong values…
Edited by Mik
Sabiers
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