March column

Published on Tue 20th Mar 2007

Human-trafficking is a widespread modern-day form of slavery that governments worldwide must address

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Slavery not quite abolished

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There are a number of events being held over the next few months, including a debate in the House, to mark the ending of the slave trade in the British Empire. As the Liberal Democrat representative on the Deputy Prime Minister's advisory group I shall be taking part in some of them.

Like so many of these shameful episodes in history there were many parties involved on all sides reinforced by a general ignorance of and indifference towards the plight of those who suffered.

Africans captured and sold fellow Africans to European slave masters but without the lucrative traffic run out of UK ports there would have been no market.

Ending slavery did not end exploitation and of course it continued elsewhere, notably in America for decades longer.

Nevertheless this year's events (it would be inappropriate to call them celebrations) have led to the Government finally signing the European Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings - modern day slavery.

It is quite shocking to read the harrowing stories of people, especially women, being sold into slavery often by their own families on false promises and then beaten, raped and intimidated with death threats living in the UK. We hear about it from the ones who escaped. By definition we don't know the stories of those who don't or who die in the attempt.

Here in the UK we need to do more to help people trapped in modern day slavery to escape and be given a chance to recover their dignity and their hopes.

Early renewal of Trident will severely undermine the UK's ability to negotiate on non-proliferation in 2010

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Blair on the side of the hawks

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The Trident debate was another of those uniquely Blair-ite occasions. We had an unnecessary vote to take a premature decision in which the Prime Minister knew the strength of opposition in his own party and almost gloried in securing one of his biggest majorities because of the overwhelming backing of the Tories.

The Liberal Democrats backed the cross party amendment stating that the case for committing to a replacement now had not been amended calling for delay. This is not because we are a pro CND party. Although there are unilateralists in the party but precisely because we want the UK to be able to give a disarmament lead in the next round of negotiations in 2010.

Independent advice is clear that a decision to replace the Vanguard submarines that carry Trident is not needed until 2012-14. This means that we could enter the 2010 negotiations offering not to replace Trident if it leads to significant nuclear reductions by other nuclear powers - a stronger negotiating position than arriving there either having already taken the decision not to replace them unilaterally. This would be reinforced under our proposals by reducing our warheads form 200 to 100.

The alternative is as the Government has now decided - committed to replacing them regardless of the actions of other nuclear nations and therefore taking no good faith into the negotiations.

We were all reminded of the Tony Blair elected in 1997 from an archive clip of a speech where he claimed that this could be the first generation that did not have to go to war. Indeed Tony Blair was elected in 1983 - the same election that I entered the House - on a CND manifesto. How he has changed on the coat-tails of US foreign policy and how shallow his principles look today.

The world is an uncertain place and we do need a careful debate on defence and security but Mr Blair has thrown caution to the winds and placed himself firmly on the side of the hawks.

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Plans to dual the A96 between Aberdeen and Inverness are welcome

Welcome to the A96 club, Jack

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Of course it is welcome that Jack McConell has acknowledged the case many of us have been making for dualling the A96 between Aberdeen and Inverness. Elections concentrate the mind but election pledges can

be used to hold Governments to account.

I remember George Younger committing the Tories to the Kintore by-pass at an election rally. The Tories didn't win the seat but the Kintore by-pass went ahead.

Indeed I have seen the Blackburn, Kintore, Inverurie and Huntly by-passes all built in my time as well as the dual carriageway north of the Bridge of Don and the Balmedie and Ellon by-passes.

The completion of the Tipperty section is getting closer and Nora Radcliffe and I are determined to see the Inveramsay bridge bottleneck dealt with.

A third bridge of Don crossing will go ahead as long as the present administration of the City of Aberdeen is re-elected. Labour and the SNP have obstructed or opposed it whenever they could.

It takes time to ensure that commitments made are honoured but I for one ensure that no opportunity to press the case is missed as well as ensuring public transport improvements to ease congestion, reduce pollution and where possible give people a choice.

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Uncertainty on communications

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Two other key means of communication will come into the spotlight across Gordon in the coming months and years. The first step of the digital TV switchover which is supposed to be completed in the next few years started last week with the announcement that the first switch off of the terrestrial signal in the UK in Whitehaven Cumbria will be brought forward to 17 October this year.

Our area is due to be completed in 2010 with the whole project finishing up with London and Ulster in 2012.

There are currently some people in Gordon who cannot get a good TV signal on all channels and there is concern that even with the boost of the digital signal there may be blackspots. Certainly there are currently quite a few places which cannot receive digital.

The same problems apply to the spread of broadband where now that the first major rollout has happened it is becoming clear that some communities cannot receive it and this is proportionately greater in rural areas where the benefits are potentially greater.

I have been notified of one or two problems in Gordon and I am aware of others but if anyone is having problems and lets me have the details I will take it up.

I believe that an area like ours needs to have the most up to date communications technology.

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The Consevatives' focus on penalising aviation neglects more isolated populations and reducing domestic emmissions

Tories out of touch on VAT on flights idea

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Speaking of which I think the Tories missed the target with their ill-thought out proposals to put VAT on domestic flights.

I genuinely welcome the fact that all the major UK parties are agreed that we need to face the challenge of climate change but believe there is a sceptical public that is suspicious that it will be used as a cover for tax increases.

Any tax changes to be acceptable need to be clearly focused, fair and with an immediate and identifiable tax reduction elsewhere to show it is revenue neutral.

In these case the Tories clearly hadn't thought of the impact of such a proposal on the islands and remoter communities like the North East, Highland and Northern Ireland.

In any case the biggest benefits in reducing greenhouse emissions come from domestic heating and lighting where the effects of switching are likely to prove more popular as it will also help save running costs of homes.

Without high speed trains our economy needs air travel and there are many developing countries who are looking to tourism to help grow themselves out of poverty. Restricting air travel will kill their infant industries before they have begun.

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Sir George is no SNP convert

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The SNP claim a triumph in the revelation that former Royal Bank of Scotland chief Sir George Mathewson backs the SNP. Well I can tell you this comes as no surprise to me.

When I was campaigning in Banchory for the Liberals in the 1970s I had many exchanges with a fiery SNP activist George Mathewson. I doubt if he has ever voted anything else but SNP. Certainly his declaration that he is now going to support the SNP is only evidence of his release from the restraints of his previous high profile employment.

Thirty plus years ago George was a young nationalist. Now he is an older one. He has just had a rather successful business career in between.