Category Archives: Government

European Union, France, Government, Politics, Society

Emmanuel Macron’s task is to restore confidence in the Fifth Republic

FRANCE

Macron

Emmanuel Macron wins the election to become French president.

The revelation of a last-minute attempt by computer hackers to influence the outcome of the French presidential election is another sane reminder of the forces at work in undermining democracy. In the end, however, it had little effect, as Emmanuel Macron secured his expected victory, at 39, to become the youngest French head of state of modern times. This is an extraordinary achievement for the President-Elect for he has been a candidate without a party.

Some will likely argue that the margin of triumph over Marine Le Pen was emphatic enough. Others might suggest that with around one third of voters still prepared to vote for the Front National (FN), this too was none the less a good result for a right-wing populist, anti-EU party.

The results suggest that if Mr Macron disappoints during his five-year tenure in office – as François Hollande so evidently did before him – then Ms Le Pen will be well positioned in 2022 to take power.

Given that this was an election in which neither candidate represented one of the mainstream Left- or Right- wing parties, Mr Macron has assumed an enormous level of responsibility on his shoulders.

The French electorate have clearly become weary of political leaders who promise much but deliver little. One prominent sign of their dissatisfaction with the political system as a whole was the lower than usual voter turnout, with participation possibly lower than at any time for 40 years when final figures are collated.

Whilst there is a sense that the French voter may have been left to feel short-changed, their rejection of the traditional parties has not exactly enamoured them of the populist fringe movement represented by Ms Le Pen. Or, indeed, of the alleged centrist appeal of Mr Macron, given his connections to former president Hollande.

Primarily, it is incumbent on Mr Macron to restore his country’s faith in the Fifth Republic over the next five years. This task will be made more difficult by the fact that his movement, En Marche!, has no parliamentary representation, something that will have to be swiftly rectified when elections take place to the assembly next month.

With little in the way of an activist base, Mr Macron faces a political paradox – one in which he may end up with the trappings of political office but none of the power that derives from a strong presence in the legislature. Moreover, and more worrying still, is that information in the hacked data might yet mire him in political scandal.

The contents of the hacked data were not disclosed because of the strict rules operating in France during the latter stages of the election campaign. But the new French president-elect must be hoping that there is nothing embarrassing, or worse, to be revealed.

Yet, the lesson of Ms Le Pen’s showing in the polls needs to be readily acknowledged by Europe’s elites, who have openly welcomed Mr Macron as a saviour. But they need to understand that this does not represent the definitive victory of the European project over its detractors. Far from it. It is a desperate throw of the dice for the EU to have relevance and meaning.

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Government, Health, Politics, Society

Theresa May pledges an overhaul of the Mental Health Act

BRITAIN

MHA 1983

The prime minister, Theresa May, has announced that the Mental Health Act 1983 will be overhauled if the Conservative Party win the General Election on 8 June.

Prime Minister Theresa May has promised the biggest shake-up of mental health provision for 30 years if re-elected to tackle the “burning injustice” of current treatment.

In a major policy announcement before the General Election next month, the Conservative leader has pledged to scrap the “flawed” 1983 Mental Health Act after concluding it is “unfit for purpose”.

A string of policies designed to end discrimination in mental health treatment and make provision suitable for the 21st century will be implemented instead.

Ten thousand more NHS staff will be assigned to mental health work in the next three years to boost treatment under the Tory plans.

A teacher in every primary and secondary school will be trained in mental health first aid to identify signs that children are developing anxiety or depression.

Discrimination laws will be toughened up to protect employees with mental health issues while Samaritans charity helpline will be Government funded until 2022.

The pledges will form part of the Conservative manifesto and come after the Prime Minister named improving mental health as a key priority when she took office.

Mrs May said: “On my first day in Downing Street last July, I described shortfalls in mental health services as one of the burning injustices in our country.

“It is abundantly clear to me that the discriminatory use of a law passed more than three decades ago is a key part of the reason for this.

“So today I am pledging to rip up the 1983 Act and introduce in its place a new law which finally confronts the discrimination and unnecessary detention that takes place too often.”

The Act was written at a time when mental health issues did not have the same level of understanding or prominence in public debate as today.

The legislation has been criticised by campaigners after the number of detentions under the Act increased by 43 per cent in the last decade.

There are also concerns the law is fuelling discrimination. In 2014-15, close to 60 per cent of black people in hospital with mental illness were detained – compared to around 40 per cent for white people.

In a recent report the Care Quality Commission, the independent regulator of healthcare services, strongly criticised the legislation.

It said the Act “may disempower patients, prevent people from exercising legal rights, and ultimately impede recovery or even amount to unlawful and unethical practice”.

Part of the problem, according to Tory sources, is that mental health case law built up over the years is all based on the old legislation.

Therefore, Mrs May will repeal the Act and bring forward a Mental Health Treatment Bill in its place.

Schools and hospitals will also see changes under the Tory plans. Ten thousand extra workers will be put on mental health provision in the NHS.

It remains unclear whether all the places will be new hires or current workers already employed by the NHS.

Sources insist no new funding is needed for the scheme because money has been carved out of the current Health Department budget.

However, campaigners are likely to criticise the failure to promise billions of extra spending on mental health that they have demanded.

The Tories’ wider plan for NHS spending will be published in the manifesto later this month.

The additional mental health training is to be provided by a charity within the Third Sector and will cost the Government £2 million.

The courses, described as “comprehensive” by Tory sources, will equip teachers to spot developing mental health issues in children and tackle psychotic episodes.

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Britain, Economic, Government, Politics, Society

Tax policy and the hidden truths

BRITAIN

Tax Return

For various reasons it has suited both the Labour and Conservative parties not to have tax policy turned into a central issue in the election campaign.

Under a Labour government led by Jeremy Corbyn a significant rise in public spending would be envisaged. The party leadership, too, has made no secret of its intention to raise taxes on the better-off – on those, as the saying goes, ‘who have the broader shoulders’. But, the definition of broad shoulder has, for some time now, been left conveniently undefined, while the resort to higher borrowing, the mantra of any socialist party, is unlikely to assuage voters after the calamitous borrowing and debt of recent years that has necessitated such a lengthy period of austerity and spending constraint.

The Conservative Party have also been markedly reluctant to be drawn into the discussion on tax, having long symbolised itself as the party of low tax. While it may claim to have lower spending commitments than Labour this does not necessarily mean that taxes will not rise. Chancellor Philip Hammond, for one, has made known his desire for greater financial flexibility and for the party to drop the ‘tax lock’ pledge. Ultimately, this begs the question of what Conservative tax policy is now.

Policies of taxation are especially sensitive at this point in time given the background of a slowing economy and forecasts of a deepening downturn. There have been signs over the last few days that the election battle – largely focused till now on the personalities of the respective leaders – is swinging back towards more practical and tangible issues.

Both parties have pledged not to increase the 20 per cent rate of VAT until 2022. As matters stand, though, the total tax burden is set to rise to its highest level in 30 years – even were the tax lock to stay in place. The March Budget stipulated that the tax burden will rise to 37.2 per cent of national income by 2019-20. And with overall government debt approaching 90 per cent of national income, voters deserve more informative answers on future tax policy than the rhetoric currently on offer.

The likelihood is that continuing low growth for the foreseeable future and a worryingly high level of government debt will act as a powerful restraint for whoever wins the election: any increase in government spending will have to be found from improved productivity and efficiency gains. That is not a particularly comfortable message to portray for any party aspiring to be the next government. It is, however, an unavoidable truth whatever the political rhetoric may claim.

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