January Column

Written by Malcolm Bruce MP on Mon 23rd Jan 2006

Coherent Post Office strategy much needed

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The Government seems hell bent on destroying our rural post office network. The present rural subsidy runs out in 2008 and the Department of Work and Pensions has now said the Government will not support the Post Office Card account after 2010.

The National Federation of Sub Postmasters has predicted this could lead to the closure of thousands of rural offices.

There has been a lack of joined up government over this for years. Of course, not every rural sub post office should be kept open whatever happens but many offices that are important to their communities would be threatened. These are often busy offices but require a subsidy because the average value of transactions is fairly small.

It has long been my firm belief that post offices can act as an information and service network for public agencies and through that can develop useful private business. A lot of them could be commercially viable if this was handled properly. The subsidy required to maintain a larger social network would then be small and justified.

It is time we had a coherent strategy to end this blight that hangs over our post offices.

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International Development Bill making progress

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I am delighted that Tom Clarke's International Development (Reporting and Transparency) Bill secured a Second Reading last week. Although the Bill is not as strong as Tom, I and others would have liked, it has a real chance of becoming law and could help maintain some of the momentum of the Make Poverty History Campaign.

It requires annual reports of progress on a number of key areas, which will help Parliament and the wider public keep tabs on how far the out-turns are adrift from the commitments.

We need to ensure our aid budgets are effectively spent, do not reinforce corrupt politicians and reach the people who need them. Not all of that is under the control of DFID or the international agencies with which our Government works.

My committee is about to visit a number of countries in Africa to look at post conflict situations and a different mix of development to try and see what works and why and what doesn't so that it can be reviewed.

Perhaps people in the UK wouldn't think so but African politics suffers from a lack of ideology. Most political parties are personality cults and lead to their leaders looking for lifetime appointments. MPs are often poorly supported and dependent on patronage from the people in power.

Let us hope we can make some useful recommendations. Tom's bill will help us to reinforce each other.

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Balancing work with family life

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I was delighted to be able to congratulate Gordon Brown on the news that his wife, Sarah, is expecting another baby. I am often wheeled out for interviews in these situations to give an account of being an older dad and coping with Parliamentary life and a family.

On this occasion, Rosemary was at home on the other end of the line while I was in Westminster. The burden falls heavily on her because she has to be with the children all the time and often when it matters I am 500 or more miles away.

I miss the children when I am away and it is nice to know they miss me though not much comfort to Rosemary when I am not there to help or give comfort.

For example, last week our three-year-old developed a virus rejoicing in the medical description of "slap cheek syndrome" (because that's what it looks like). He was, of course, a lot brighter by the time I got home.

As Rosemary rightly points out, there are many people in the North East who have jobs that keep families apart.

The one thing I try to do is plan quality family time together, especially holidays and take the children to events if appropriate. However, all families are different and I guess determine their own priorities.

I am sometimes mistaken for the children's grandfather, which is hardly surprising. However the children pretty soon make it clear that I am their daddy and don't treat me like a granddad. How long until I get that respect?

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Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Brathens

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We are rightly proud of the range of nationally and internationally recognised scientific institutions we have in the North East. As an MP of long standing we have often had to fight hard for them and can never guarantee success.

Nevertheless we can recall the fight to retain the Macaulay, the Northern College of Agriculture and currently there are campaigns for the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology at Brathens beside Banchory and the Met Office in Bridge of Don.

I have known quite a number of people who worked at Brathens, which I have visited in the past and I hope it can be maintained. Change is inevitable but I believe that management should listen to good arguments well presented.

I hope very much that we have been successful in persuading the Met Office and the Ministry of Defence of the case for maintaining a significant weather forecasting operation in Aberdeen.

It can complement and strengthen the centre at Exeter but I think it has been accepted that Scotland, which has 40 per cent of the land area, and half the marine area of Britain, requires experts on the ground and not remotely located in the bottom left hand corner of England.

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Mixed messages from Salmond

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So the MP and former MSP for Banff and Buchan continues his erratic and unpredictable political career by announcing he wants to contest Gordon in the next Scottish Parliament elections. So he had a Scottish Parliament seat, gave it up of his own free will, went back to Westminster then said he wants to go back to the Scottish Parliament only to find that his SNP colleagues were not eager to move over for him. Is Nicola Sturgeon waiting for him with open arms? Somehow I doubt it.

The people of Gordon have never shown excessive enthusiasm for the SNP or Independence. The SNP vote has gone down progressively as they have fallen from third place to fourth place.

Of course, our man is making sure of his belt and braces and standing for the list so that he may still return to Scottish Parliament when he loses in Gordon (now that the SNP's list MSP has been selected for Moray). Mind you, he will no doubt remember that being a member of two Parliaments gives an income boost even if voters may be unsure whether his priority is to the seat he is fighting or the one he represents.