Frank Field Tells It As It Is

[Live Peasant]

Labour party whips will be putting their heads in their hands after this morning.

Frank Field in an astonishingly open interview.

Benefits need to be withdrawn, economic migration was uncontrolled, labour's education policy churning out unemployable.

Will stick a link up later.

Edited February 24, 2010 by linuxgeek

[dammfoolman]

Yep.. heard it and nearly spat out my bacon sandwich over my keyboard..

Darling "unleashed the forces of hell", Field "cut benefits after 4 months, were in too much debt", Bully boy Brown ... its all unraveling

Got Gold and popcorn at the ready?

[@contradevian]

economic migration was uncontrolled,

Heh was stopped by someone the other day with poor english, in the Huddersfield. He was looking for the "refugee centre." Made me wonder what oppressive regime he was fleeing from. North Derbyshire?

[Brave New World]

I missed his introduction so was amazed that it was Frank Field. Bloody well done to him – absolutely brilliant reality speak! For anyone who missed it is well worth a listen. On the basis of that if Field was a Party I would vote for him!

He is in for one hell of a kicking from the “forces of hell”

[Ologhai Jones]

Link: Go Frank!

Quotes:

"Mega debt crisis that threatens our very existence."

"Schools producing people who are unemployable."

"We are educating people for a life of unemployment."

"Some young people openly say they've no intention of working unless it offers 3 times their benefit. And I'm talking about people who can barely read and write."

"The Government has been forcing banks to buy government debt and has been printing money to buy government debt."

"We do not know whether the rest of world will lend us the money to maintain our debt to allow us to slowly readjust to a lower standard of living -- which is what this crisis really means."

"We have to say that the welfare rules are changing; there will be a job guarantee, but after four weeks if you don't take the job, there'll be no more benefits."

Edited February 24, 2010 by Ologhai Jones

[Patfig]

One of the only labour MPs who might actually care about Britain.

And if that is true he is fecked

[NorthamptonBear]

Amazing. Frank Field certainly came across as earnest, switched on and really honest. But more to do with debt.

Ah, I was listening to another Frank Field interview - follow up to a piece on migrant/local job swap on tv.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_8533000/8533584.stm

Edited February 24, 2010 by NorthamptonBear

[Patfig]

Amazing. Frank Field certianly came across as earnest, switched on and really honest.

That would be a terrible trait for an MP

[skomer]

Amazing. Frank Field certainly came across as earnest, switched on and really honest. But more to do with debt.

Ah, I was listening to another Frank Field interview - follow up to a piece on migrant/local job swap on tv.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_8533000/8533584.stm

One of the first victims of Gordon Browns bullying and his mates spinning against him.....

[bogbrush]

He's always been this way. I saw him speak 30 years ago and he struck me as a person of principle.

He honorably resigned from Blairs government very early - as soon as he realised there was no intention to genuinely reform.

[tigsrenting]

Thanks for the link.

I voted Labour back in 97. I really thought we needed change at the time. Frank Field and that Harperson woman were told to reform benefits and then suddenly Frank was gone. I never trusted Labour again. What was that Prescott quote "Do the unthinkable not the unvoteable", something like that anyway.

Anyone watch "Expenses" last night?

I could only vote Labour again if Frank Field was running as PM. Quite like Darling atm.

[deflation]

I'm surprised people are so surprised if you know what I mean. He's 68 now so Labour 'bigwigs' think they can ignore him. He's been an MP since 1979 and was in Blair's cabinet for 1 year, but, from wiki:

"Field viewed his task as "thinking the unthinkable" in terms of social security reform, however others report that the Prime Minister Blair wanted some simpler vote-winning policy ideas.There were clashes with the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Gordon Brown, and the Secretary of State for Social Security, Harriet Harman. Field resigned his ministerial position in 1998 rather than accept a move away from the Department of Social Security offered by Blair in a reshuffle.

He is now a vocal critic of the government from the backbenches, notably voting against Foundation Hospitals in November 2003. He was a significant critic of the abolition of the 10p tax rate

Field supports the return of National service to tackle growing unemployment and instil “a sense of order and patriotism” in Britain’s young men and women."

Doesn't sound like he's Labour does it? But he's refused to join the Tories. He's MP for Birkenhead, a safe seat.

[Guest Noodle]

He's always been this way. I saw him speak 30 years ago and he struck me as a person of principle.

He honorably resigned from Blairs government very early - as soon as he realised there was no intention to genuinely reform.

Lest we forget!

The old Labour Party may have had mad as ham ideas, but it was stuffed full of principled, well-meaning people . . . hence it's large following of the devout.

Fast forward to the last decade. The devout followers refuse to believe they've been hijacked.

[Patfig]

Lest we forget!

The old Labour Party may have had mad as ham ideas, but it was stuffed full of principled, well-meaning people . . . hence it's large following of the devout.

Fast forward to the last decade. The devout followers refuse to believe they've been hijacked.

So you betting on a labour win then Mr P?

[durhamborn]

One of the only labour MPs who might actually care about Britain.

Frank Field knew just what needed doing back in 97.It was Brown who got rid of him.A lot of this mess would of been avoided.

If the tories win theyd do well to offer Frank Field a position in welfare reform.Ok so hes Labour,but he understands the problems better than anyone.He understands the government has betrayed the working class at every level.

[porca misèria]

Frank Field knew just what needed doing back in 97.It was Brown who got rid of him.A lot of this mess would of been avoided.

If the tories win theyd do well to offer Frank Field a position in welfare reform.Ok so hes Labour,but he understands the problems better than anyone.He understands the government has betrayed the working class at every level.

Interesting thought: put him in a team with IDS, and they might come up with something that works!

[Guest Noodle]

So you betting on a labour win then Mr P?

Let's put it this way. The horse race will be won by . . . a horse.

[Traktion]

Beyond the spin, the rest of the politicians in the know must be bricking it. If Frank Field is thinking this sort of thing, there must be many others outside of Browns 'reality distortion field' thinking the same things too.

[Injin]

The employer said it himself though - "I don't pay high enough wages."

What's missing from this debate is why foreign workers are willing to do the jobs - because of exchange rates/dodging tax etc they are actually on what are to them the high wages that the brits also want paying.

You need £100 to get somone to do a job because £100 buys x amount of goods.

£30 buys the same x amount of goods in Poland.

Therefore Polish people will work for around £30 and if they can get £50 think they are doing well. The story of a lot of immigrants is of working for a decade then going home relatively rich.

[Patfig]

Let's put it this way. The horse race will be won by . . . a horse.

but it's a donkey derby

[Guest Noodle]

The employer said it himself though - "I don't pay high enough wages."

What's missing from this debate is why foreign workers are willing to do the jobs - because of exchange rates/dodging tax etc they are actually on what are to them the high wages that the brits also want paying.

You need £100 to get somone to do a job because £100 buys x amount of goods.

£30 buys the same x amount of goods in Poland.

Therefore Polish people will work for around £30 and if they can get £50 think they are doing well. The story of a lot of immigrants is of working for a decade then going home relatively rich.

We had a lot of Eastern Europeans working in groundworks and they got the same rate as everyone else. Back then it wasn't about wage levels, rather finding enough people to do the crazy amount of work.

Franks Field is right about all of it.

[Guest Noodle]

but it's a donkey derby

. . . and shall be won by a mule . . . by a nose.

[Patfig]

. . . and shall be won by a mule . . . by a nose.

Yes it may well be close me old Burlington Bertie

[Injin]

We had a lot of Eastern Europeans working in groundworks and they got the same rate as everyone else. Back then it wasn't about wage levels, rather finding enough people to do the crazy amount of work.

Franks Field is right about all of it.

Nah, they got paid more.

I pay A brit £50, he's got £50 worth of goods for it.

I pay an immigrant £50, he'll get £100 worth of goods for it once he sends that money home.

The other thing is the our Frank wasn't saying there is too mcuh government, too high rents, too high mortgages, too much restriction - his solution is to see the state and the bankers as a fixed cost that has to be paid and everyone else gets chain ganged to pay the *******.

He's right on the problem but his solution is loco, as likely to see civil disorder as the things he himself rightly points out will have the same effect.

[Guest Noodle]

Yes it may well be close me old Burlington Bertie

Shergar's odds on favorite.