Chief Treasury Secretary David Laws, described as "a genius" by colleagues, is planning cuts in public spending which will impoverish millions. He has apologised after it emerged he had been claiming MPs' expenses to rent rooms in homes owned by his partner.
The Daily Telegraph blew the whistle on Laws. They said this scam totalled £40,000 of the public money this "genius" is so careful with.
He said his motivation was to keep the relationship with the man private and not to reveal his own sexuality.
So having his hand in the till is OK but being gay is something to be ashamed of?
Liberal values indeed.
The rottenness and corruption is not solely the preserve of the two main parties it seems. They really are all the same. "A workers' MP on a workers' wage" was the slogan of our TUSC candidates.
(TUSC = Trade Union and Socialist Coalition)
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
OMG What is the matter with the SWP?
Now that it appears talks between BA and Unite have collapsed the Socialist Party has released the following statement concerning the actions of the SWP and the cabin crew dispute.
Occupation A Mistake
The defeat of Willie Walsh and the brutish BA management is the most important aspect to this dispute. It is therefore unfortunate that the reported decision of the Socialist Workers Party (SWP) members at the end of the Right to Work Conference to invade talks between British Airways management and Unite has partially obscured this issue. This occupation was completely mistaken.
Whatever the nature of the deal being negotiated it is not for a group like the SWP to decide to break up talks. A decision to accept or reject a deal is solely the property of cabin crew and their democratically elected representatives.
In an industrial dispute the final decision on tactics to confront the employer must always rest with the strikers themselves. Socialists can assist by sharing experiences and ideas in past disputes and building support and solidarity for the strike among the general public. This has always been the method of the Socialist Party. We will offer our opinion on the course of a dispute to workers but we believe that any initiative taken in support of a dispute should be taken in consultation with the workers themselves.
A key task for socialists and trade union activists is to raise the confidence of workers to fight not to substitute themselves for workers in struggle. This will mistakenly create the impression that a special minority of activists will do the fighting leaving workers as bystanders. The Socialist Party stands for the maximum control of workers over their dispute.
It is the view of the Socialist Party that the actions of the SWP on Saturday was not in the best interests of striking cabin crew workers. Such tactics will prove to be counter-productive. It is the mass action of cabin crew through their union that is the key to defeating Walsh, not the actions of a self appointed minority. Despite this we are totally opposed to any victimisation of those who took part in this mistaken protest.
The priority for all workers in the trade union movement now is to support the cabin crew workers against Walsh and BA management.
Occupation A Mistake
The defeat of Willie Walsh and the brutish BA management is the most important aspect to this dispute. It is therefore unfortunate that the reported decision of the Socialist Workers Party (SWP) members at the end of the Right to Work Conference to invade talks between British Airways management and Unite has partially obscured this issue. This occupation was completely mistaken.
Whatever the nature of the deal being negotiated it is not for a group like the SWP to decide to break up talks. A decision to accept or reject a deal is solely the property of cabin crew and their democratically elected representatives.
In an industrial dispute the final decision on tactics to confront the employer must always rest with the strikers themselves. Socialists can assist by sharing experiences and ideas in past disputes and building support and solidarity for the strike among the general public. This has always been the method of the Socialist Party. We will offer our opinion on the course of a dispute to workers but we believe that any initiative taken in support of a dispute should be taken in consultation with the workers themselves.
A key task for socialists and trade union activists is to raise the confidence of workers to fight not to substitute themselves for workers in struggle. This will mistakenly create the impression that a special minority of activists will do the fighting leaving workers as bystanders. The Socialist Party stands for the maximum control of workers over their dispute.
It is the view of the Socialist Party that the actions of the SWP on Saturday was not in the best interests of striking cabin crew workers. Such tactics will prove to be counter-productive. It is the mass action of cabin crew through their union that is the key to defeating Walsh, not the actions of a self appointed minority. Despite this we are totally opposed to any victimisation of those who took part in this mistaken protest.
The priority for all workers in the trade union movement now is to support the cabin crew workers against Walsh and BA management.
Saturday, May 22, 2010
FT let the cat out of the bag
Has anybody got any lingering doubts of the government's intentions? The Financial Times – house journal of the capitalist class – let the cat out of the bag in an article on 20 May 2010
“ Before the election, the coalition parties aimed to avoid a direct confrontation with the unions. They now appear braced for a pitched battle.
“The unions were always bound to figure prominently in this parliament. The government must rein in a fiscal deficit of 11.1 per cent of output. Public jobs and pay must bear the brunt of spending cuts. In the state sector,68 per cent of employees are bound by collective pay agreements.
“The parties’ manifestos suggested plans to outflank the unions. They wanted to force through tight pay settlements while undermining the unions by contracting out an increased share of public services to private providers. The coalition agreement sets out a path to direct confrontation.”
Of course the “must” in this article is disingenuous. They take as read that the working class, starting with the public sector, “must” pay the price for a crisis not of their making. There is no “must” about it.
The government will throw down the gauntlet to the trade union movement. The nice Cameron/Clegg mask will be torn off to reveal the Thatcher within.
In particular for teachers, the national pay and conditions agreements will be torn up. The FT puts it like this
“More explosively, the new government intends to attack national pay bargaining. It wants to “reform the existing rigid national pay and conditions rules…” for schools. If anything, the coalition’s ambition should be greater. National pay bargaining is a problem well beyond education.”
They have a touching faith in the combativity of the trade union leaders. Yes this should be “explosive” but it is up to the rank and file to make sure it actually is “explosive” Trade union leaders of “left” and “right” may seek delay and compromise as they have always done in the past.
And as the FT clearly understand, a defeat for the teacher unions will be the harbinger of a defeat for workers with national pay bargaining unless they are prepared to fight back.
NUT Executive member Martin Powell Davies' call for the June executive to indicate that a strike ballot will be the response to any such attack from the government is timely.
And we are fully aware that strike action is not enough, this is political attack requiring a political response.
And New Labour has always sought to destroy national pay bargaining through precisely the tactics laid out in this FT article. Those union leaders who continue to back New Labour are acting against the interests of their members.
Anyone who voted for the LibDems to keep the Tories out will be reconsidering now. We need a party for the common people – a party of the working class.
Derek McMillan
“ Before the election, the coalition parties aimed to avoid a direct confrontation with the unions. They now appear braced for a pitched battle.
“The unions were always bound to figure prominently in this parliament. The government must rein in a fiscal deficit of 11.1 per cent of output. Public jobs and pay must bear the brunt of spending cuts. In the state sector,68 per cent of employees are bound by collective pay agreements.
“The parties’ manifestos suggested plans to outflank the unions. They wanted to force through tight pay settlements while undermining the unions by contracting out an increased share of public services to private providers. The coalition agreement sets out a path to direct confrontation.”
Of course the “must” in this article is disingenuous. They take as read that the working class, starting with the public sector, “must” pay the price for a crisis not of their making. There is no “must” about it.
The government will throw down the gauntlet to the trade union movement. The nice Cameron/Clegg mask will be torn off to reveal the Thatcher within.
In particular for teachers, the national pay and conditions agreements will be torn up. The FT puts it like this
“More explosively, the new government intends to attack national pay bargaining. It wants to “reform the existing rigid national pay and conditions rules…” for schools. If anything, the coalition’s ambition should be greater. National pay bargaining is a problem well beyond education.”
They have a touching faith in the combativity of the trade union leaders. Yes this should be “explosive” but it is up to the rank and file to make sure it actually is “explosive” Trade union leaders of “left” and “right” may seek delay and compromise as they have always done in the past.
And as the FT clearly understand, a defeat for the teacher unions will be the harbinger of a defeat for workers with national pay bargaining unless they are prepared to fight back.
NUT Executive member Martin Powell Davies' call for the June executive to indicate that a strike ballot will be the response to any such attack from the government is timely.
And we are fully aware that strike action is not enough, this is political attack requiring a political response.
And New Labour has always sought to destroy national pay bargaining through precisely the tactics laid out in this FT article. Those union leaders who continue to back New Labour are acting against the interests of their members.
Anyone who voted for the LibDems to keep the Tories out will be reconsidering now. We need a party for the common people – a party of the working class.
Derek McMillan
Friday, May 07, 2010
TUSC The only way is up!
The brand new Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition has made a start on the long march to create a workers' party after the shameful betrayal of New Labour.
Election results for TUSC in the 2010 general election
England and Wales:
Region
Seat
Candidate
Result
% of vote
East Mids
Leicester West
Steve Score.
157
0.4%
East Mids
Wellingborough & Rushdon
Councillor Paul Croft
249
0.5%
Eastern
Cambridge City
Martin Booth
362
0.7%
London
Lewisham Deptford
Socialist Party Councillor Ian Page
645
1.6%
London
Walthamstow
Nancy Taaffe
279
0.68%
London
Greenwich and Woolwich
Onay Kasab
267
0.6%
London
Tottenham
Jenny Sutton
1057
2.6%
Northern
Gateshead
Elaine Brunskill
266
0.7%
Northern
Redcar
Hannah Walter
127
0.3%
North West
Wythenshawe and Sale East
Lynn Worthington
268
0.65%
North West
Bootle
Pete Glover
472
1.1%
North West
Carlisle
John Metcalfe
376
0.9%
North West
Liverpool Walton
Darren Ireland
195
0.57%
North West
Manchester Gorton
Karen Reissman
337
0.9%
North West
Salford
David Henry
730
2%
Southern
Southampton Itchin
Tim Cutter
168
0.4%
Southern
Spelthorne
Paul Couchman
176
0.4%
Southern
Portsmouth North
Mick Tosh
154
South East
Brighton Kemptown
Dave Hill
194
0.5%
South West
Bristol South
Tom Baldwin
206
0.4%
South West
Bristol East
Rachel (Rae) Lynch
198
0.4%
Wales
Cardiff Central
Ross Saunders
162
0.4%
Wales
Swansea West
Rob Williams
179
0.5%
West Mids
Coventry North East
Dave Nellist
1592
3.7%
West Mids
Coventry South
Judy Griffiths
691
1.55
West Mids
Coventry North West
Nikki Downes
370
0.8%
West Mids
Stoke Central
Matt Wright
133
0.4%
Yorkshire
Colne Valley
Councillor Jackie Grunsell.
741
1.3%
Yorkshire
Hull West + Hessle
Keith Gibson.
150
0.5%
Yorkshire
Doncaster North
Bill Rawcliffe
181
0.4%
Yorkshire
Huddersfield
Paul Cooney
319
0.8%
Yorkshire
Sheffield Brightside
Maxine Bowler
656
1.7%
Scotland:
Seat
Candidate
Result
% of vote
Glasgow South West
Tommy Sheridan
931
2.9%
Glasgow South
Brian Smith
351
0.9%
Glasgow North
Angela McCormack
287
1%
Glasgow North East
Graham Campbell
187
0.6%
Edinburgh East
Gary Clark
274
0.7%
Edinburgh North & Leith
Willie Black
233
0.5%
Midlothian
Willie Duncan
166
0.4%
Dundee West
Jim McFarlane
350
1.2%
Motherwell & Wishaw
Ray Gunnion
609
2%
Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch & Strathspey
George McDonald
135
Wednesday, May 05, 2010
Making a complete Griffin of himself again
The BNP frequently complain that the many pro-Nazi
statements of Nick Griffin are “all in the past” and not
relevant to his current squeaky clean image.
The Jeremy Vine show on Radio 2 on 30th April 2010 had the
BNP leader making a complete Griffin of himself yet again.
He repeated his claim that “the bravery of the SS kept
Europe safe from Bolshevism.”
The bravery of the SS consisted of herding Jewish men, women
and children, gay men, trade unionists and communists into
gas chambers. This is not called bravery by most people.
It also gives you a vivid picture of what life (and death)
would be like if these people were given power.
statements of Nick Griffin are “all in the past” and not
relevant to his current squeaky clean image.
The Jeremy Vine show on Radio 2 on 30th April 2010 had the
BNP leader making a complete Griffin of himself yet again.
He repeated his claim that “the bravery of the SS kept
Europe safe from Bolshevism.”
The bravery of the SS consisted of herding Jewish men, women
and children, gay men, trade unionists and communists into
gas chambers. This is not called bravery by most people.
It also gives you a vivid picture of what life (and death)
would be like if these people were given power.
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