Ellee Seymour

Sir Alan Sugar’s first task as the government’s new enterprise tsar should be to help secure jobs for our newly unemployed graduates with large debts around their necks.

They are not alone as the former Bank of England policy maker David Blanchflower has warned that 1 million people under 25 will be unemployed by September.

The National Union of Students is very concerned how many of their 300,000 graduates this summer will get jobs. These are the first generation of students to pay top-up fees and will leave university with thousands of pounds of debt during an economic downturn when nearly half of all firms have admitted that they will not be offering them any jobs.

I wonder how many of them will hear those two magic words: “Your hired!”

The NUS is pushing for MPs to address the issue of student debt urgently and has come up with its own radical proposals, including ending course fees and making payments according to their future earnings.

They propose a People’s Trust for Higher Education to which graduates would make a contribution, linked to how much they earn and how many academic credits they have attained. The actual proportion of earnings donated to the trust would vary on average from 0.3 from the bottom fifth of earners to 2.5% for the top 20% of earners. Contributions would be collected for a fixed period of 20 years and graduates would not contribute anything while earning less than £15,000.

I say full marks to our students for being very responsible in proposing alternative solutions about a very worrying issue, even if it may not be perfect. At the very least, I hope their ideas are considered by government and a dialogue begins to tackle this increasingly worrying issue.

I also hope that Sir Alan can use his influence in business to sponsor/recruit our debt laden graduates.

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The European Parliament is seeking views about what you would like your newly elected MEPs to concentrate on. It has published an agenda of some of the issues it will shortly be dealing with, from working hours and food labelling, to immigration and a European advisory body for banks. But it is also inviting comments regarding other issues you feel should be dealt with.

The list below shows that they are all hugely important issues which will have an impact on our daily lives. The debate on the accession of new EU countries is hugely important. I am personally not keen on Turkey joining with its 72.6 million residents.

Your money: To avoid financial crisis in the future the MEPs will look at a proposal to establish a European supervisory body for banks and to ensure tighter scrutiny of executive pay to discourage them from risky deals.  

MEPs will also be deciding together with EU Governments the new budgetary framework for the 7 year period after 2013 and allocating money for different priorities.

Your energy: Energy-efficient houses and a new label for tyres showing fuel-efficiency, safety and noise performance are just some measures to mitigate climate change and ensure energy security. Greater fuel efficiency could also mean cheaper fuel costs for drivers across Europe.

Your mobility: Rules on compensation for delays and cancellations for passengers in bus, coach and maritime transport and assistance for disabled passengers will be up for a second reading.

The House will also have a 2nd reading for rules on the use of information and communication technologies to make transport safer and cleaner and to reduce traffic congestion. Amendments aim to take better account of cyclists and pedestrians.

Your food: The EP will look at the proposal to provide clear information on contents of salt, sugar or fat and the country of origin of food.

Your health: A proposal to facilitate medical treatment anywhere in the EU will be presented for a second reading. It aims to clarify the conditions of treatment and reimbursement of the costs. 

Your work: Since there was no agreement on the change of the working time rules in the last Parliament, the Commission might present a new proposal.

Your family: An EP committee asked for extension of the maternity leave to 20 weeks (instead of 14) and 2 weeks of compulsory paternity leave. The next term MEPs will vote on it.  

Your communication: In its last term Parliament insisted on a prior court ruling before blocking any internet access. Thus the “telecoms package” could be subject to conciliation proceedings between Parliament and Council. Among other issues: consumer rights and privacy protection.

Your neighbours: The EP will debate on the accession of new EU members and on a balanced immigration policy.

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I would like to say a big thank you to the superb medical staff at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge who treated David’s broken bone in his thumb.

He tripped up on some steps in Hull last week at 2.30am after a night out with his uni friends and returned to his Cambridgeshire home plastered – literally. Within days, he had miraculously mastered texting with his left hand.

Yesterday he was whizzed into day surgery where the dislocated and broken bones were wired up and he was able to come home early evening.

Fortunately for him, it happened after David had finished his exams, and fortunately for me, after the Euro election so I could spend time with him in hospital without worrying about work.

The bad news for David is that his injury means he cannot use his right hand for the next month or so and is unable to return to his summer job at Dune shoe shop in Cambridge until it heals. As a self-funding student, he really needed that money, so this accident is costing him dear.

What really surprised me about Addenbrooke’s was how it turns a blind eye to patients smoking outside their front door, despite a speaker announcement stating that it is forbidden, and advising of their designated smoking areas.

I saw patients puffing away in wheelchairs and strapped to drips and it certainly gave a very poor impression.

*Meanwhile, not only has James given up his drama lessons for golf, but also cricket, which I am disappointed about. Last summer he played for two local teams, as well as the Lords & Commons X1, and I loved seeing him dressed in his whites. Going to matches was the only time I would catch up on my reading too, ensuring I was not glued to the computer at least a couple of warm, summer evenings each week.

The other day I had a text message from him asking me to pick him up from the golf club later than planned as he had met up with “a pro” who was giving him some tips.

When I arrived, I pulled up in my usual spot marked “ladies captain”. This is next to the club captain’s parking bay. James is usually pretty prompt, but on this occasion the minutes ticked by and the club captain arrived and packed his clubs in the boot of his convertible Mercedes.

I felt a bit awkward about being caught out in the ladies captain’s parking bay, so I just smiled at him and started chatting about James’ love of golf and how it had taken over his life. He avoided eye contact for a while, maybe feeling he should be giving me a ticking off for my faux pas. I sensed that was one big black mark in my copy book.

James then sauntered along and I could see him inwardly wincing, hoping I wasn’t embarrassing him. The captain said he remembered playing with James last year; James didn’t remember, so maybe he has confused James with someone else.

James’ biggest fear is that one day I will take up golf too…

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