Reply to: PCG Elections looming

[ratewhore]

Just wanted to say I passed the hurdle on to the CC and will have to start doing things rather than complain about them now...

Many thanks to all who were brave enough to vote for me: you know who you are!

Well done. We'll put together our wishlist soon no doubt...

[malvolio]

Good news??

Just wanted to say I passed the hurdle on to the CC and will have to start doing things rather than complain about them now...

Many thanks to all who were brave enough to vote for me: you know who you are!

[malvolio]

Isn't that totally artifical?! There is more demand than there are (appropriately good) workers to fill it!

Do you honestly believe that every work permit represents a lost UK job?
I think prohibitively inflated local wages simply encourage companies to either innovate/risk less or outsource abroad.

There may be, but we were recently in the position where we had 30,000 UK based contractors on the bench while non-EU workers were flooding in to be trained to take over their roles.

Outsourcing is a different issue (and even then the economics are very strained, it's certainly not as cheap as it is portrayed and many firms are reversing rapidly away from it), we are talking about setting conditions where people who want to work in the UK can do so if there is a job for them, at a market-level rate, that cannot be filled by local resources. PCG have stopped the idea of using labour at sub-continental rates (if you want to do that, use the people on the sub-continent) and so unfairly undercutting local guys who have to pay mortgages and Brown's stupid taxes; in other words, compete on merit, not cash. That is a major acheivement.

[Xenophon]

Just voted. Scratch another one up for Mal.

The very best of luck to you.

[timh]

[...]instrumental in not only getting the position we have now - for example, no IT skills are listed as being in demand
[...]
there were 25k permits granted last year. Without his efforts and rule changes, it would have been closer to 65k, each one of which represents a lost UK job.

Isn't that totally artifical?! There is more demand than there are (appropriately good) workers to fill it!

Do you honestly believe that every work permit represents a lost UK job?
I think prohibitively inflated local wages simply encourage companies to either innovate/risk less or outsource abroad.

[rootsnall]

That candidate has been at the heart of the work permit debate for a long time (even predating the PCG) but with the PCG's support has been instrumental in not only getting the position we have now - for example, no IT skills are listed as being in demand - but also formulating the new rules that come into effect this year. His contribution both to the work permit debate and to the PCG's standing as a lobbying organisation with the ear of HMG has been quietly remarkable.

A quick measure of success: there were 25k permits granted last year. Without his efforts and rule changes, it would have been closer to 65k, each one of which represents a lost UK job.

Incidentally I had no need to defend my posting record. Many seem to think I post too much!

I wrote a letter to my MP in the late 90s about not opening up IT related immigration after articles started appearing in Computer Weekly and the like, pretty obviously they were preparing the way for relaxing immigration. I got various replies from the MP in question, Margaret Hodge and the Home Office with promises our IT jobs were sacred etc etc I was impressed with the response ! Sucker ! Sure enough a year or two later the floodgates were opened ! I wrote a few 'disgusted' letters but got standard fob offs and gave up. In summary, I take my hat off to the person who could be bothered putting up a prolonged fight. Can I retract your vote and give it him !?

ps. I saw the MP in question ( Labour big(ish) wig these days ) a few weeks ago walking down the street quite innocently, had thoughts of tackling him but obviously CBA.

[malvolio]

That candidate has been at the heart of the work permit debate for a long time (even predating the PCG) but with the PCG's support has been instrumental in not only getting the position we have now - for example, no IT skills are listed as being in demand - but also formulating the new rules that come into effect this year. His contribution both to the work permit debate and to the PCG's standing as a lobbying organisation with the ear of HMG has been quietly remarkable.

A quick measure of success: there were 25k permits granted last year. Without his efforts and rule changes, it would have been closer to 65k, each one of which represents a lost UK job.


Incidentally I had no need to defend my posting record. Many seem to think I post too much!

[rootsnall]

You get that anyway - don't you? {whoosh helmie}

I read your manifesto last night, you went on a bit ( !? not too bad ) but atleast you didn't defend your lack of posts on the PCG website, virtually every other candidate did that. The candidate claiming to have lobbied to keep down the number of work permits, is that true ? Are we still on the scaled back work permits regime ?

[Lockhouse]

Really?

I know notheeeng

[malvolio]

Not a chance.

Really?

[Lockhouse]

I'm only aiming for a CC post at the mo, where the power is largely illusory. However, if I pass that not insignificant hurdle and then get to the BoD, who knows...

Not a chance.

[Goya]

Another vote for fatboy!

[malvolio]

Free IR35 insurance !?

You get that anyway - don't you? {whoosh helmie}

[rootsnall]

I'm only aiming for a CC post at the mo, where the power is largely illusory. However, if I pass that not insignificant hurdle and then get to the BoD, who knows...

Free IR35 insurance !?

[malvolio]

I'm only aiming for a CC post at the mo, where the power is largely illusory. However, if I pass that not insignificant hurdle and then get to the BoD, who knows...