Newspaper Column – The Voice – 9/12/24

• The Deputy Prime Minister set up a false battle between families in housing need and hated Nimbys. You see, the government has set ambitious housebuilding targets – one and a half million by the end of this Parliament – and proposes to by pass local planning committees to do it.  

No government has met its housebuilding targets (unless the government builds them itself), and this government’s is no less doomed to failure. This is because setting housebuilding targets is based on a naive delusion that private developers would be willing to collude with government to drive down the price of completed homes; and to generally act against their commercial interests. Unfortunately, all mainstream political parties are adherents to this delusion. 

 House building targets are a MEANS to an end. The END of course being the meeting (or at least reduction) of housing need. If instead, the government set targets to MEET NEED, it would provide for more creative opportunities to engage communities rather than to alienate them, as now. 

The DPM also chose to pick a fight with the humble newt. Again, creating a false dichotomy between nature conservation and housing need. Both can be achieved, without one having to be victorious over the other. Both accommodated; Newts and humans, without one suffering on the account of the other. 

• The remarkable news from Syria has been warmly greeted, though with trepidation about what may follow. 

During my last stint as MP we were twice asked as to vote for military action in Syria. However, this was to bomb one side in 2013 and then to bomb the other in 2015!  

In retrospect I questioned myself whether it was wise to oppose military action against the Assad regime in 2013 when presented with uncorroborated evidence of the use of chemical weapons. The government lost by a very small margin, which precipitated a government U-turn, following which the President Obama backed off as well. History may not judge that decision well? 

All we can do now is to avoid making the same mistakes made in Iraq and to give whatever emerges from Syria in the coming months all the support needed to become a stable, peaceful, functioning, democratic state which respects human rights. 

• Government ministers indicate they neither understand why Cornwall proposes we should have our own devolved institution nor why it would be to Cornwall’s detriment to be forced into a combined authority with a Mayor overlording Cornwall, Devon and heaven knows where else. Government needs to understand, if they really want to deliver devolution, it’s about letting, go not holding on to decision-making. No government would have said to Wales that devolution was on the condition that it joins forces with the West Midlands. But in effect, that’s what they’re saying to Cornwall. 

It’s nonsense and Cornwall’s six MPs need time in front of ministers to explain this to them.