North Lanarkshire Labour
When I posted the contact details for North Lanarkshire's four Labour MPs the other day I realised that I never really knew anything about Pamela Nash, who was elected as the Labour MP for Airdrie and Shotts in 2010.
So I looked up what Wikipedia had to say about Pamela and it seems she has been around the block once or twice, having previously worked for John Reid (now Lord Reid, of course) and Margaret Curran, the shadow secretary of state for Scotland.
Which made me wonder why someone with this kind of political background has had nothing to say about equal pay in recent years, especially now that Labour-run North Lanarkshire Council has been forced to admit that local pay arrangements have been systematically discriminating against female dominated jobs.
Now I don't know what the Labour Party if for, if its Westminster MPs stay silent and refuse to speak out on an issue which goes to the heart of acting as a good employer - the need to treat women and men on a fair and equal basis.
The senior officials who are running North Lanarkshire Council today are the same ones, by and large, who made a complete mess of equal pay back in 2006, but instead of being held to account for their actions they have been receiving big performance bonuses in recent years while the rest of the Council workforce has faced a policy of pay restraint.
If this had happened in the private sector, I imagine at least some of the people involved would have faced the music and been sacked long ago and no doubt the local Labour MPs would have been kicking up a storm, demanding that heads should roll.
So I hope MPs like Pamela Nash will wake up, smell the coffee and listen to what their local constituents have to say because if you ask me, the behaviour of North Lanarkshire Council is trashing the Labour Party's reputation.
And if things don't change, I suspect there will be a big backlash at the May 2010 general election which is now less tun 6 months away.
Now I don't know what the Labour Party if for, if its Westminster MPs stay silent and refuse to speak out on an issue which goes to the heart of acting as a good employer - the need to treat women and men on a fair and equal basis.
The senior officials who are running North Lanarkshire Council today are the same ones, by and large, who made a complete mess of equal pay back in 2006, but instead of being held to account for their actions they have been receiving big performance bonuses in recent years while the rest of the Council workforce has faced a policy of pay restraint.
If this had happened in the private sector, I imagine at least some of the people involved would have faced the music and been sacked long ago and no doubt the local Labour MPs would have been kicking up a storm, demanding that heads should roll.
So I hope MPs like Pamela Nash will wake up, smell the coffee and listen to what their local constituents have to say because if you ask me, the behaviour of North Lanarkshire Council is trashing the Labour Party's reputation.
And if things don't change, I suspect there will be a big backlash at the May 2010 general election which is now less tun 6 months away.
Pamela Nash
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Pamela Nash MP | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of Parliament for Airdrie and Shotts | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 6 May 2010 | |
| Preceded by | John Reid |
| Majority | 12,408 (34.6%) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 24 June 1984 [1] Airdrie, North Lanarkshire, Scotland |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Labour |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
Pamela Nash (born 24 June 1984)[2] is a British Labour Party politician, who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Airdrie and Shotts since the 2010 general election.
In 2010 she became and still is the Baby of the House, the name given to the youngest MP in Parliament, aged just 25.
Contents
[hide]Early life and education[edit]
Pamela Nash was born in Airdrie, North Lanarkshire, and educated locally in St Margaret's High School, Airdrie and Chapelhall. Nash lost her mother and stepfather when she was 17.[3][4]
She spent her first summer after high school volunteering at a school in Nyeri, Kenya and followed this up with a placement in Uganda during her time at university.[5] She studied politics at the University of Glasgow, specialising in human rights and international development.[5]
Early career[edit]
Nash was the parliamentary officer for the Young Fabians and a member of the Scottish Youth Parliament, where she served on the executive committee and was the convenor of the External Affairs Committee. She interned for John Reid for one year as his constituency assistant and subsequently was employed for a period of three years as his parliamentary assistant.[5]
Political career[edit]
Nash was selected as the Labour Party candidate from an all-women shortlistwhich, at the time, proved to be a contentious issue.[6] The constituency chairman, Brian Brady resigned over the issue. Nevertheless, 80% of the constituency Labour Party took part in the selection process.[7] She was elected as the Member of Parliament for Airdrie and Shotts in 2010, replacing the retiring John Reid. She has a majority of 12,408 over the SNP and, at the age of 30,[1] is currently the youngest MP in the House of Commons, also called Baby of the House.[8] The then leader of the Labour MSPs in the Scottish Parliament, Iain Gray said she had a "big future in Scottish politics".[9]
Nash is currently the Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Shadow Secretary of State for International Development, Jim Murphy MP. She was previously Parliamentary Private Secretary to Margaret Curran as Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland and to Vernon Coaker as Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. She served on the Finance Bill 2011 Public Bill Committee.[10] Nash is a member of the Science and Technology Select Committee,[11] the Scottish Affairs Select Committee and is also a member of the Parliamentary Space Committee.
Following the death of David Cairns MP[12] she was elected as the Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for HIV and AIDS.[13] She is also the Treasurer of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Multiple Sclerosis[14] and the Secretary of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Sustainable Housing.[15]Nash also founded and Chairs the All Party Parliamentary Group on Youth Unemployment.[16]
In September 2010, Nash declared in favour of David Miliband in the Labour Party leadership election.[17] On 2 December 2010, Nash took part in a BBC Debate on age differences in politics and the wider society with Bill CashMP.[18] Nash has pledged to oppose the repeal of the Hunting Act 2004, which protects foxes, hares, deer and mink from hunting with hounds.[19]
Nash has prominently campaigned on issues such as Blacklisting in employment,[20] breaches of the National Minimum Wage, closure of local police stations[21][22] and the Bedroom tax.[23][24]
Parliamentary performance[edit]
In the last year, Pamela Nash has spoken in 17 debates (below average amongst MPs), has received answers to 111 written questions (well above average amongst MPs) and has voted in 70.41% of votes (below average amongst MPs).[25]
Nash failed to turn up for a House of Commons debate she was to lead in Westminster Hall at 2.30 pm on Tuesday, 6 November 2012. This was to have been on Scotland's membership of the European Union after Independence.[26]
Nash was narrowly reselected by the Airdrie and Shotts branch of Labour party to contest her seat in the next UK General Election. A total of 55 members voted for her to be reselected out of 101 members who attended the October 2013 ballot.[27]
Nash caused controversy in November 2013 when she failed to attend a Labour instigated vote condemning the Bedroom Tax in the House of Commons. Defending herself Nash claimed that she could not vote as she was attending a European Space Policy Institute one day conference on Space Against Youth Unemployment in Vienna. However it was later revealed that the one day conference occurred the day before the vote and ended in the late afternoon causing opposition politicians to attack Nash and claim that she could have easily returned to London that night and questioned her explanation for not attending the evening vote the next day in Parliament,.[28]
