got one of those e-mails today asking me to sign a petition to the government to lower fuel duty. It set me thinking about how short a time a month is in politics. It seems like only yesterday that there was a consensus that if we wanted to avoid the effects of climate change that we saw in Indonesia then we would have to do something serious about our energy use. Of course in the back of our minds we had a feeling that somehow our government would sort out our carbon footprint for us by conjuring with power stations and a wee drop of renewables. But then out of the blue came the global increase in oil, massive increases in the price of petrol and low and behold we lost interest in the planet and very interested in the cheapest way to fill our tanks. We never imagined in our wildest dreams that we would have to make a real sacrifice in terms of using our cars less or not going on holiday.
So what's the lesson we can learn from this? Well to a greater or lesser extent we're all selfish and quite often willing to cut off our noses to spite our faces. But there are other lessons to be learnt about how short our memories can be, how as individuals we lose interest when long-term planning is needed and how easily we can be swayed when battered by radio and television and newspapers.

In 1997 a government was elected that wasn’t just a Labour government but a government of hope in which enormous numbers of people invested great expectations. Many of those expectations were achieved, but if you’re feeling cynical just cast your mind back. There can be nothing more civilized than the introduction of the minimum wage, a guaranteed minimum income for pensioners and paid maternity leave. Our expectations from the NHS never stop increasing, quite rightly too, but changes in working practices and more patient-centred approaches mean that consultants’ appointments come ever earlier especially in high priority cases of cancer and heart disease. Perhaps, above all, sustained low inflation rates made most of us feel that much more affluent.

Whatever the gloomy media has to say, as a Labour supporter I’m thankful that Northern Rock was rescued preventing a serious run on the banks, that's right the same banks whose stupidity and greed have affected us all. Next time you hear someone talk on behalf of the banks as if the credit crunch and interest rates had nothing to do with them don't forget that they and they alone were and are the guilty ones. Just like climate change we are now being forced to realise how closely we are interconnected to people right around the world. That old adage when America sneezes Europe catches a cold has now become global. Wheat prices have doubled caused by demand as third world countries become more affluent, poor harvests in Australia and, would you believe it, partially influenced by growing bio fuels intended to save the planet. The truth is that for a long time, the west has had access to cheap resources and the inevitable price increases in staples is something we simply must adjust to.

From a personal point of view I'm deeply disappointed at the loss of life and waste of money that joining George Bush has cost us in his ill chosen war in Iraq and Afghanistan. I am also be less than happy with what appears to be a prevailing view that only privately run operations can make our public services better. The long tradition of service to you and me at local government level and of course in the NHS shows that with the right leadership our communities can be very well served by public services. If there is a threat then it’s the privatised American model where you have to show your credit card to an ambulance driver before you get picked up.

Funnily enough there is a consensus view out there that has a name that is only whispered these days. Speak to anyone in the street or in a pub and they'll will want to know why post offices can't stay open, why are the railways so uncoordinated and expensive and how can the gas, electricity, and water suppliers just slap on increases willy-nilly. My answer would be, too late, too late, they are all privatised and a few people made a few quid from free shares and we're all be paying for it till our dying day, through the nose. What a shame we didn’t resist Thatcher when we had the chance. If we can't reverse privatisation, and it will take a brave government that attempts it, then very strict controls need to be applied to protect us all both in terms of cost and as well as quality of service. As a start Alistair Darling outlined this in his budget for people on pre-pay electricity meters. No government should feel pressurised by the vested interests of those people who believe the free market is the answer to everything or rather those people who know the cost of everything and the value of nothing.