Stan agrees with Peter Hain MP
(just on one point)

In a letter to this website, our columnist Stan, agrees with Peter Hain MP in his comment about youth unemployment figures.   Stan writes:

"For once Peter Hain and myself might agree on something. The figures are dreadful for youth unemployment.

I've had a quick look over the last 6 months for what our MP has raised on this in Parliament and the closest I can find is on 25 February he brought up lack of employment opportunities in a debate on the Land Registry. Can't find anything closer to the issue than this one speech in that 6 months. Certainly nothing on youth unemployment in NPT per se.

He's been his usual loquacious self though. He's had plenty to say on Gibraltar, Nelson Mandela, Northern Ireland, TB in South Africa, Iran and Syria, and the Somerset floods - actually the Severn Barrage. Oh, forgot - give him his due - he did speak about NPT Magistrate's Court - after the stable door had proverbially been shut.

Don't be too hard on him though. It's not easy putting everything else in the world to right plus doing the job you should be doing. Something has to give - and whilst people in NPT would vote for a donkey wearing a red rosette there's no incentive for people like Hain to change."