Ronnie Campbell calls for honesty over public sector job cuts

Apr 15 2010 by William Green, The Journal

A NORTH election candidate has called for an end to the "collective lack of honesty" over looming public sector jobs cuts.

Labour’s Ronnie Campbell, fighting to be re-elected as Blyth Valley’s MP, has warned politicians on all sides that they most be more open about the harsh realities of so-called “efficiency savings” and the impact they will have in places such as the North East.

In an outspoken interview he said his own Labour party was proposing spending cuts which would “cut your throat slowly”.

But, Mr Campbell, said the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats proposals would “cut your head off”.

He claimed hundreds of jobs across the North East would be lost as the public sector experiences cuts “like never before”.

All the major parties have failed to put a figure on how many public sector jobs could be lost as they pledge to slash Britain’s £167bn deficit.

The future of the public sector is of critical importance in the North East, with one of three workers employed by the state.

Liam Byrne, Labour’s chief secretary to the Treasury, has told The Journal that “difficult decisions” lay ahead without offering any specifics.

Shadow Chancellor George Osborne has insisted a Tory Government would boost business confidence and so create a “substantial” amount of new jobs.

But a Conservative party briefing note suggests thousands of jobs could disappear in the region as part of £6bn of efficiency savings.

Mr Campbell said the main political parties were collectively failing to be honest about the effect of spending cuts. “That is at the core of the debate as far as I am concerned. We are all trying to be honest politicians, but not say where we are going to cut.”

Asked if he wanted more honesty from Labour, he said: “Indeed I would and I think that is the trouble with parties and I think that is why people are fed up because they don’t know where the cuts are going to fall.

“I suppose we are being a bit more honest with the National Insurance rises, but the others aren’t. At least we are putting taxes up.

“The other two parties are giving money away and cutting to pay for their tax giveaways, so the cuts aren’t going to be as bad under Labour.”

Mr Campbell, an MP since 1987, added: “The public sector is going to be hit like never before. It is Thatcherism at the double coming shortly.”

And it meant hundreds of job losses in the North East with the working class paying the price for a crisis sparked by banks, said the Labour candidate.

He added: “What I say to people on the doorstep is we will only cut your throat slowly, the others will cut your head off.

“At least we are going to tax people, the other two are just going to give away.”

Jeff Reid, Lib Dem candidate for Blyth Valley, said his party had been clear that spending cuts were needed and questioned Mr Campbell’s credibility.

“There are going to be spending cuts. They have got to be done slowly in a way that doesn’t destroy the country. But it is a bit late in the day for him to have a Damascus moment.

“What Ronnie knows about economics could written on the back of a stamp.”

He added there were bound to be hundreds of jobs lost in the region as cuts were imposed, but stressed it was important to deal with it in a “measured” way – for example by switching resources to boost the private sector to create jobs.

“The bill is going to arrive on the doorstep very shortly and the Government can only do two things. Either it can spend less or get more in. It is as simple as that,” said Mr Reid.