Mental Block?

Yes it's another NUS post. Although there are clearly plenty of people running for the full time positions on the NEC (especially VP HE), the part time "block of 15" members have a surprisingly low amount of declared candidates.

Obviously there's plenty of time to go before the close of nominations for the block (over seven weeks), but I only know of two candidates that have publicly said they're running, and a couple of others that are going to stand but have decided to hold back on the start of their election campaign.

Could the huge number of full time candidates be at the expense of those for the block, or (as I suspect will happen) will there be a surge of block candidates towards the end of this month. One thing is for sure, nobody knows what's going to happen for sure ... except me stating the bleeding obvious!

Don't forget I'll continue to update my candidates list as and when I find out about new candidates. Anyone from the left want to fill me in with their peeps?

JR

They're Under Starters Orders ...

... NUS they're off!

Tonight I've been invited to no less than 5 facebook groups that are promoting various people, who are standing for various positions on the NUS National Executive Council.

I thought I'd better give you a run down of those people that either have invited me to their facebook group (maybe by proxy) or have effectively declared themselves as candidates through other means, including me making some assumptions.

President
Aaron Porter (currently VP Higher Education)
Richard 'Bubble' Budden (currently VP Union Development)
Bell Ribeiro-Addy (currently Black Students Officer)

Vice President Higher Education
Michael Payne
Kit Friend
Usman Ali (currently "Block of 15")
Charlie Leyland
Emmanuel Akpan-Inwang

Vice President Further Education
Shane Chowen (incumbent)

Vice President Union Development
Ed Marsh (currently "Block of 15")
Tommy 'Pickles' Cawkwell
Daf Adley (currently LGBT Officer (Open Place))

Vice President Society and Citizenship
Susan Nash (incumbent)

Vice President Welfare
Ben Whittaker (incumbent)
David Saxton
Matt Webber

"Block of 15" Executive Members
Danielle Grufferty
Dan Downes

Lists will be updated as I find out about more declared candidates. Please feel free to add them in the comments.

Just For Fun: People Who Have Ruled Themselves Out From Running
Me!
Joe Oliver
Walt Disney
Gordon Brown
Bill Gates
Jesus

Same procedure if you want to rule yourself (or anyone else) out.

JR

Finding a Way Out of the Maze

So, the UK is (provisionally) out of recession, but all that means is we've found our way to the centre of the maze, we've still got to get out of the other side. In the process we might find ourselves heading back towards the middle or, in other words, dropping back into recession. This is known as a double dip recession, and the most likely time for this to happen is in the current quarter.

Of course the probable date for the general election is 6 May, the date that is scheduled for the local elections. With this in mind, it would be a disaster for the government if the country did slip back into recession in the first quarter of 2010, as the news would come around two weeks before the likely election date.

You might ask why the UK would drop back into negative growth after returning to positive growth before Christmas. There are, of course, a number of contributing factors to this ...

The first quarter is traditionally the one where people spend less money as they need to pay off the credit card from Christmas. VAT reverted back to its 17.5% rate on 1 Janurary; although not a significant rise in itself, many had brought forward spending to avoid paying more and it's also put 3p on a litre of fuel. The Bank of England is likely to have to raise interest rates in the next month or so as inflation is set to shoot up because of a boost in house prices (and also because of VAT) meaning people will spend even less. Finally, temporary Christmas jobs have obviously ended, so unempolyment might well increase in the near future.

Do you think that if the economy is looking dodgy in a few weeks time we might find ourselves with an early April election to avoid the figures scuppering Gordon?

JR

The Lib Dems Cannot Win Here

This is actually from a leaflet for Labour in Manchester Withington, but the message is true all the same.

There is no chance of the Lib Dems winning the next election (short of Brown and Cameron appearing in a sex tape together a day before the election), and when the election is close, as the next one will be, voters like being on the winning side.

This means one thing, either the public will want to stay with Gordon Brown as the Prime Minister of a Labour government or they'll vote for change in the form of David Cameron and the Conservatives. The Lib Dem vote will be squeezed all over the country, and the boy Clegg won't be happy when his party suffers heavy losses; perhaps up to half his current number of MPs.

Whatever you think of the parties, it would be bad for the country if we were to have a hung parliament. We need a decisive election. The Lib Dems can't win here!

JR

Taking Responsibility For Yourself

The recent snow that hit the UK has dominated the news agenda in the last week. This has lead to widespread disruption to airports, trains, buses, schools and businesses as it has become unsafe to travel for many.

Of course the councils are responsible for salting and gritting the roads, and the vast majority of major roads have been cleared, but it's virtually impossible to clear every single route, especially in rural areas.

It therefore infuriates me when people complain that their road hasn't been gritted. Are they more special then anyone else? Can they not find some way of their own to get to the shops to buy food and fuel?

This was epitomised by a family that appeared on North West Tonight who lived in rural Lancashire. They got the BBC down to complain that the council hadn't been to grit their country lane and were therefore unable to leave their home to get food and wood for the fire, which throws up a few questions ...

Firstly, considering that snow was their problem, grit wouldn't help at all. Salt and grit is for melting ice, not snow, and what was really required was a snow plough. Secondly, they apparently live around two or three miles from the local village which has a post office and a small shop. Would it really be such a problem to walk for half an hour to get food? But finally, and most perplexing, is how the BBC news crew got to them seemingly without too much problem! If the BBC can get to the house, then surely they can get around without a lot of problems.

They had decided that it wasn't their responsibility to look after themselves, instead relying on the state to bail them out. As it was, council workers turned up to clear the road as the BBC crew were leaving, but the fact remains that this family were expecting a disproportionate amount of money and resources to be spent to benefit a few households, and discharged any responsibility of having to do something about it themselves.

This is the problem with big government; the people get used to everything being done for them and it takes time to cut the cord.

JR

Don't Rent Yet

You're back from the Christmas break and your loan has (hopefully) arrived in your bank account. Your course-mates / flat-mates / mate-mates and you suddenly realise that you need somewhere to live in the next academic year. The temptation is to rush out to the various letting agents and get a list of their student properties that are available, and then pick three or four houses with the right number of bedrooms and just take the best of that bad bunch.

The problem with that is you end up with a house that looks OK but the current tenants have probably had a succession of issues with the boiler, the washing machine or the shower that the landlord hasn't come round to fix for a week, and then it just breaks again in half the time it took to be fixed. Not only that but you find after you've signed the contracts that you could've got a better house for significantly less money if you had waited and looked around a bit more.

You can avoid living in the house from hell by following these simple tips;

1. Don't Rent Yet: There really isn't any need to look for a house until at least the end of February. There's a huge oversupply of student housing in South Manchester and you won't get the best deal by renting now.
2. Use the Manchester Student Homes List: Manchester Student Homes is jointly run by MMU and the University of Manchester to provide students with an independent service for property lists, accredited landlords and houses, and advice. The MSH property list is released on Monday 1 February, and is available from the Fallowfield office and is searchable online.
3. Do You Have to Live Behind Sainsbury's?: Whilst the terraced houses in the streets behind Sainsbury's are undoubtedly mostly populated by students, they are also where you'll find some of the most overpriced accommodation in Manchester. There are a few gems hiding amongst the deadwood, but the area is a hotspot for crime on students. Why not take a look at the semi-detached houses between Wilmslow Road and Yew Tree Road? They tend to be a better standard, and the rent is often cheaper.
4. Have a Good Look Around: When viewing a house, don't be pressured by the landlord to move on quickly. Take your time. See if there's a draft from the back door, or anything that looks like it's on its last legs. Bring a digital camera and take some photos so that you can look at them later before making a decision.
5. Talk To the Current Tenants: There's no better information about the house you want to rent then from someone who's already living there. Ask them if they've been burgled or if they've had any other problems. How much was their last gas bill? Don't be afraid to talk to them!
6. Have Your Contract Checked: Once you've settled on the house you want to live in next year, you will have to sign a contract with the landlord. The law requires landlords to give prospective tenants reasonable time to read the contract before signing it, which means you can take a copy away with you to be checked by someone else. I recommend that you take your contract to be checked by the Students' Union Advice Centre or by Manchester Student Homes. They can tell you if there's any terms that are unfair, and also about your responsibility as a tenant. If the landlord is pressuring you to sign before having your contract checked, or he doesn't let you have a copy to take away, then walk away from the deal.

It's never too late to find a great house to rent for next year, so if you're not satisfied then just keep looking.

JR

Useful Links

• MMUnion Advice Centre - Housing FAQ
• Manchester Student Homes

Gordon Doesn't Have Courage, But Do the Labour Party?

Huge political story this lunchtime of two Labour backbench MPs, Geoff Hoon and Patricia Hewitt, calling for a ballot on whether Gordon Brown should continue to lead the Labour Party. They have written to every Labour MP saying there are deep divisions within the party over its leadership and the issue needs to be sorted out once and for all.

We all know that Gordon doesn't have the courage to call an election until the last possible moment, but do the Parliamentary Labour Party have the courage to firstly hold the proposed ballot and then to actually sack their leader?

Hoon and Hewitt have nothing to lose, they're both going to retire from politics at the next election, and they believe that the Labour Party have nothing to lose either. The political calculation is this; if the PLP back Brown then this could show a new unity within the party around their leader, equally if they sack him then the party could gain a boost from someone new heading up the party. If Labour don't rally support from either of these two scenarios then they won't have lost much since it looks like they're heading for electoral defeat anyway.

The fact of the matter is that if they know what's good for them then Labour must at least hold the ballot, otherwise the Conservatives will be able to paint the whole of the Labour Party with the same brush - that they bottled it!

What is most interesting is the line "we can't go on like this" was used in the letters, which is the slogan that was used on the Conservative posters that came out on Monday.

This is a last ditch effort to win the general election. Desperate times call for desperate measures, and so on ...

Watch this space.

JR

Photo of the Day

Boris Johnson driving a brand new East London Line tube train (well, not actually driving it in reality, but he's in the driver's seat) to promote the extendtion of the ELL ahead of the 2012 Olympics.


I don't know why, but the picture amuses me.

JR

Winter Wonderland

We've had six inches of snow in Manchester overnight, and I thought I'd share a couple of photos.

The view down the road that I live on.

My car. Doesn't look like I'll be driving anywhere today!

I was off work today too as I had a phone call this morning telling me not to bother coming in. I can't see the snow melting before tomorrow morning, so I suspect I might have tomorrow off also!

JR

Happy New Year

A very happy New Year to all my blog readers, followers on twitter, and anyone who doesn't define into either of those two categories.


Is anyone going to keep their new year's resolutions?

JR