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8.59 pm
Mr. Andrew Mackinlay (Thurrock): I would have liked more Conservative Members of Parliament, whose cages I could rattle, to be present apart from those three sitting on the Treasury Bench, who I understand have to remain rather mute. Their attitude is disappointing and I therefore hope that my hon. Friends will bear with me. Despite the fact that this is the last Queen's Speech written by the Tories, there are not many of their ranks here to support or defend it. As a matter of courtesy, I told the hon. Members for Ealing, North (Mr. Greenway) and for Taunton (Mr. Nicholson), before they left the Chamber, that I would refer to their remarks. The hon. Member for Ealing, North said that he had a constituency commitment.
Much has been said about the impending general election. One of the constitutional perversities that exists, which needs to be remedied by the next Labour Government, is the right of a Prime Minister to choose the date of a general election. It really is time we modernised our Parliament and had fixed four-year terms of Parliament, so that all parties would know the date of the general election. I hope that that modest constitutional reform will be implemented by an incoming Labour Government. It is long overdue.
The hon. Member for Ealing, North referred to Philip Lawrence and his very brave widow. I would like to associate myself with the tributes that have been paid to that brave head teacher and, of course, to the great courage and serenity of his widow and family, which have moved us all. I make that clear, because the hon. Gentleman is a friend of that family and I fully understand how he has been considerably moved on a personal level quite apart from being their Member of Parliament. I wanted to make that clear because I shall go on to criticise much else of what he said.
I found it breathtaking, if not amusing, that the hon. Gentleman should make absurd comments about my right hon. Friend the Leader of the Opposition. During discussions across the Floor of the House it was the Prime Minister who changed his mind and decided that the paedophile register would be introduced through a Government Bill. The truth is that, during the past 48 hours, Conservative Members of Parliament could not believe the crass stupidity and the poor politics of the Home Secretary and the Prime Minister in suggesting that the paedophile register should be introduced by way of a private Member's Bill. They were--to use the vernacular--gobsmacked. I have no doubt that the hon. Member for Ealing, North, and many others, were on the telephone to their Whips, saying, "Look, you have to do something about this. This is absolutely absurd."
It is also a gross impertinence to Back Benchers, who have few rights in the House and few opportunities to pass legislation. Again, I look forward to the next Labour Government redressing that situation. We want more rights and opportunities for Back Benchers, not fewer. It was a gross impertinence for the Prime Minister and the Home Secretary to suggest that such an important measure should be introduced by way of a private Member's Bill, which should, of course, be reserved for matters that are traditionally introduced by private Members.
The hon. Member for Ealing, North also went on to suggest that employment had been lost in his constituency because of the decisions of Ealing Labour-controlled council. If he were in his place, I would remind him that, when he was elected in 1979, having defeated a very good Member of Parliament, Bill Molloy, he did so, with many other Tory Members elected on that day, under the banner "Britain under Labour isn't working". We always remember that Saatchi and Saatchi poster. If it were replicated in the Chamber and brought to a scale comparable with the unemployment that has been orchestrated by Tory Government policies since 1979, it would go through the doors, down the Central Lobby, along St. Stephen's Hall and would have to curl around Westminster Hall, and there would not be enough space to demonstrate the scale of unemployment and the accompanying human misery that have been the consequence of Tory Government policies.
In 1979, Britain was working. People had jobs, job security and prospects of careers, and there was hope, particularly for young people. That is not a feature of employment today, nor has it been for many years under the stewardship of Margaret Thatcher and the current Prime Minister.
We were treated to the spectre of the hon. Member for Ealing, North shooing away people with winklepickers in the 1950s. Things have moved on. This man represents the people of Ealing, North and he is referring to his experiences of the 1950s and pretending that there is some comparison with the social problems of today. Things have demonstrably moved on and there is a much graver situation in our towns and cities. No hon. Member, whether he is left or right, has a magic wand to remedy the situation.
Since 1979, a selfish society has been created. There has been greater emphasis, I think throughout the Thatcher years, on avarice, on getting rich quick and on not having regard for our responsibilities to our neighbours. That has certainly contributed to the growth in violence and in crime which the Government and the Home Secretary seem unable to abate.
The hon. Member for Taunton (Mr. Nicholson) made some interesting comments. I hope that his hon. Friends and my colleagues will look at Hansard tomorrow. He referred to the document that was recently issued by the Roman Catholic archbishops and generously acknowledged that the social teachings of the Roman Catholic Church had been very much a feature of, an influence on, what he referred to as centre-right policies in political parties in western Europe for a long time. I am not sure that it is limited purely to centre-right parties, but the hon. Gentleman is broadly correct.
I think that the big benchmark was the papal encyclical of Leo XIII, "Rerum Novarum", which has been reiterated time and again by the popes, about the need to have regard
for people in the workplace and their rights as individuals. The dignity of work has been a constant theme and was reiterated this week by the Roman Catholic hierarchy in England and Wales in its document, which is certainly not pointing to or supporting any political party but is flagging up to hon. Members and to the electorate the fact that we have obligations one to another. One of the areas on which the hierarchy especially concentrated was that of the workplace.
Those who read the speech by the hon. Member for Taunton will see that there could be circumstances in which he would support legislation to prevent the exploitation of workers in terms of poverty pay. Those are not his words, but he suggested that he recognised that some employers pay such paltry wages that they cannot be deemed to be fair. That is an interesting comment from a Conservative Member and it shows that some people recognise that, under the Government's stewardship, some people are on poverty pay.
That reminds me of some audio archive material on the Labour movement that I listened to last night. I heard George Lansbury say that the poor get robbed because they are poor and that they are poor because they are robbed. That is a feature of the lives of many people in Britain. They are suffering the blight of unemployment, poor housing and poor health facilities, and resources for their children's education have been largely withheld or misdirected by the Government.
Any Government in Britain must deal at some stage with the need for bold decision making. They must be candid with the people of Britain. They need to make the conscious decision to shift scarce resources into the key public services of housing, education and the national health service. There is no way of avoiding that and it needs to be said clearly, unless we are to deceive the electors and pretend that we can reduce taxation and, at the same time, provide essential public services. It is simply a matter of arithmetic. It is time that politicians of the left, right and centre were much more candid and put the choice to the British people.
Reference has been made to the shift in the Labour party. All I can say--I think that this view is held by many Labour Members--is that it does not matter whether we are called socialists, social democrats, new Labour, real Labour, as I choose to call myself, or any other title. The common denominator of my hon. Friends is that we believe that people with the broadest backs should bear the heaviest burdens. That is the clear, distinctive feature between ourselves and Conservative Members, who believe that it is possible and fair to diminish the responsibilities of people who are already privileged and advantaged, in terms of income, educational opportunity and employment, to the disadvantage of people who are substantially poor.
I notice that the Gracious Speech refers to the need for legislation or action by Government
We can have private initiatives to make such provision, but we must also recognise our obligations as a community to provide state help for people in retirement and in old age. The concept is as old as the scriptures. It is a matter of "Honour thy father and thy mother". All too often, the Government forget that obligation.
I represent a constituency with some 14 or 15 miles of Thames river frontage. I am proud for it to be on the Thames estuary. It is a great place for recreation, quite apart from its being the last remaining part of what used to be the port of London. I obviously welcome the announcement in the Queen's Speech that there will be measures to implement the Donaldson report recommendations following the Braer disaster. We need to ensure that people in the shipping industry who pollute our estuaries and our coastlines pay a heavy price. I hope that it is a heavy price. There must be severe sanctions against shipmasters and people who own and commission ships if they pollute our waterways.
I have especially strong feelings on this matter, representing as I do an area on the Thames estuary, which has a fragile eco-system. It is rich in birdlife. If we in the vicinity of the Thames suffered a disaster such as those unhappily experienced by colleagues from other constituencies around the United Kingdom's coast, it could be disastrous for the beauty, quality and variety of birdlife and of other species in and around the Thames. I welcome that proposed measure and await with interest details of the sanctions and punishments that will be meted out to people who continue to disregard the need to protect and maintain our coastal environment.
The Queen's Speech makes significant references to the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation. Last night, President Clinton made an important speech about the prospects of expanding NATO. I have told the House previously of my view that the Government should energetically take initiatives to facilitate the early admission to NATO of Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic as the first tranche of new countries to join the organisation. I am pleased again to make such a reference on the occasion of the visit by the President of the Republic of Poland to the UK, to meet the Prime Minister, various Ministers and my right hon. Friend the Leader of the Opposition. Government and Opposition Members in Poland, for all their domestic political differences, are united in their desire to gain admission to the European Union. That process will not be easy, but it must begin, and I hope that it will be completed in the minimum time.
We are also marking the 40th anniversary of the Hungarian uprising. Anyone who has seen the documentaries broadcast over the past few days cannot help but be moved by the enormous courage and sacrifice of the people who stood for freedom and national self-determination 40 years ago. Although the enlargement of the European Union and the admission of Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic and other countries to NATO is in the interests of the UK, it is also a moral issue.
If all the problems experienced since 1945, such as the cold war, had any meaning it was that we were seeking the day when all the countries of Europe would achieve
parliamentary democracy, as they have; change to market economies, which they are; and take their rightful place in the free associations of nations. It is extremely important that the sentiments expressed in the Queen's Speech are vigorously pursued by the present Government and adopted by my right hon. Friend the Member for Sedgefield (Mr. Blair) when he becomes Prime Minister.
The Gracious Speech refers to the fact that, in 1998, the UK will host the Asia-Europe summit in London. It will fall to my right hon. and hon. Friends to preside over that occasion, and I look forward to a Labour Government having the presidency of that summit. In the preliminary stages, I hope that the present Administration will pay regard to countries that are not yet in the European Union but have a legitimate and vested interest in the deliberations and decisions of the Asia-Europe summit. At a similar summit held some months ago, those countries were excluded. If Europe is to mean anything, we must acknowledge the interests of emerging markets and democracies in central and eastern Europe, which ought to have the opportunity to access such an important summit.
Parliament is on the last lap before a general election, and there is clearly a mood in the country for change. Millions of people have as adults known nothing other than Conservative Governments. No matter how the Prime Minister and Conservative Members wriggle, or how much propaganda featuring satanic eyes they produce, nothing will alter the course of events. The people recognise that the hallmark of this Government is arrogance. This Administration have--rightly or wrongly--a reputation for sleaze. They have been maladroit in many areas of policy and now the chickens are coming home to roost.
I hope that, in the weeks remaining between now and a general election--and the election of a Labour Government--the Government will show contrition and that they will recognise that there is little to show for their 17 or 18 years in office. Many people have got rich, some have been comfortable, but the hallmark is a disfigured and divided society in which many people have been victims. There are people who have no job security or no job; some cannot sell their homes. When Tory Members talk about the success of the economy, I point to the fact that many of their supporters--or former supporters--cannot sell their homes. I look forward to the time when we have a vibrant economy and renewed confidence; when people have security at work; and when trade unions are fashionable once again and people are allowed to join them.
"to help people make better provision for their long term care needs in old age."
That is of course true. Clearly, there is a need for Government initiatives to recognise the fact that, largely because of the success of the NHS and the welfare state, which were created nearly half a century ago by a Labour Government, people are living longer and their aspirations
in retirement, in old age and late into the evening of life are much higher. We must ensure, however, that the quality of life and dignity of those people--hon. Members, too, will be old one day--are guaranteed.
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