blackmorevale.net
New Blackmore Vale, 1st April 2022
35
Politics
Payback for the Russian invasion As the war in Ukraine grinds on, like many I’ve been reflecting on what this conflict means for the future. The daily tragedies – war crimes even – that are inflicted on the Ukrainian people by Putin render it impossible to contemplate a return to normality in our relationship with Russia. Hindsight is indulgent at a time when decisive action is needed, but it’s self-evident that too great a tacit accommodation was afforded to Putin when he invaded and annexed South Ossetia and the Crimea. Yes, there were symbolic punishments like exclusion from the G8 luncheon club, but no meaningful action was taken to deter him from further incursions. Today’s conflict is the consequence of this prior
Greg Williams, on behalf of Dorset Labour failure to act. Whatever peace in our time is hashed out for Ukraine, there cannot be further appeasement. There must be lasting punitive action to dissuade any further aggressive annexations by autocratic regimes. That includes deterring China from
invading Taiwan. What is to be done? Seized Russian assets should be used for reparations to the Ukraine. Technology embargoes like the ones that have been in place for years with Iran should be extended to Russia. Sporting boycotts should be formalised. Personally, I have no time for the IOC and other governing bodies who pretend that sport should transcend politics as they line their pockets. We here in the UK will pay a price for breaking with Russia too. Independence from their oil and gas exports will mean higher energy bills for years and this is undoubtedly painful for millions facing a real cost-ofliving crisis. But government can take meaningful action to shield those on lower incomes from these costs.
Even the Financial Times is now calling for the windfall tax I argued for in a previous column. Every crisis brings an opportunity. There can be a new economic boom as an alliance of liberal, democratic nations known loosely today as ‘the West’ establishes an independence from not just the hydrocarbon resources of Russia but the cheap labour and polluting manufacturing of China. Ukraine is paying a heavy price for its desire to join the West (in the form of the EU and NATO). The price of peace may be, regrettably, that it doesn’t get to do so for decades. That time should be used to rejuvenate what exactly the West stands for, how it creates wealth and who it sides with.
The point is that thousands of people who are not receiving active medical interventions are left languishing in acute hospital beds when they could be cared for much better in the community. More rational, efficiently executed care plans would also free up acute beds helping to reduce the burdens on our overstretched major hospitals and crucially cut waiting times. Great news about the release of UK-Iran dual nationals. I was involved when I was a foreign office minister and know just how difficult the process was.
Congratulations to all involved and heartfelt thanks to our very good friends the Omanis for their mediating assistance. I took the opportunity at transport questions to quiz the government again on the south coast to M4 strategic corridor study which is currently underway. The prime candidate is the A350 but there are a number of notorious bottlenecks along the way. My overriding imperative is to secure a bypass for Westbury and Yarnbrook. The minister said he would write to me with an update which I will share.
Renewing the fight for support for vital community hospitals Twenty years ago I introduced a bill aimed at reducing the number of frail elderly people in acute hospital beds and expediting their transfer to homely settings in the community. Since then the numbers haven’t budged. On Wednesday I had another go. My initial interest was sparked by the plight of community hospitals. I’m a big fan of them and have been since my first job as a parttime porter in a small town cottage hospital while awaiting medical school. Bills introduced by backbenchers rarely make it onto the statute books but
Conservative MP for South West Wiltshire Dr Andrew Murrison they can shift things a bit as did – I like to flatter myself – the 2002 bill.
