good local meeting of PSA in Middlesbrough tonight over 40 in attendance mainly from Unison ,PCS but taeching unions, FBU and postal workers also present. Two labour MP's present despite majority of speakers from the floor critical of labour. MP's felt expecting labour councillors to resist cuts was unreasonable and would play into the con dem govts hands.
Regional anti-cuts organising
- Thread starter butchersapron
- Start date
One_Stop_Shop
Well-Known Member
We're getting all this crap in Lambeth. Sorry but people elected labour councillors to fight the cuts, if they won't they they should piss off and resign. And by fight I don't mean pay lip service and using anti-cuts campaigns to make it look like they are doing something.
Someone at work sent me the SWP party notes that say we shouldn't mention the cuts from the last labour government and should still welcome aboard labour councillors who are against the national cuts but are implementing cuts themselves at a local level. Totally wrong IMV.
SWP members may not 'mention the NL cuts' but why shouldn't everyone else say it how it is, they did bad things and should be made aware of it, this isn't Callaghans LP after the 79 defeat, they implemented extreme neo-liberal policies, this uber fast revisionism is disconcerting
Yep, the SWP's position is actually to the right of Unison's leadership on this issue. It's frankly bizare.
I was called an ultra left sectarian by an SWP member last week for being critical of labour. At the middlesbrough meeting SWP members were off line in terms of attacking labour. They quite rightly talked off working with labour the slogan was "work with them where we can without them if necessary" the line from paerty notes and in a socialist worker article falls down when faced with the experience of public sector workers. As always when it comes to the concrete issues the workers are in advance of the SWP.
There have also been PSA meetings in Durham, Newcastle and northumberland this week all well attended. Unison will have problems keeping a lid on these local groups.
There have also been PSA meetings in Durham, Newcastle and northumberland this week all well attended. Unison will have problems keeping a lid on these local groups.
http://www.socialistparty.org.uk/la...ham-forest-labour-councillors-face-opposition
this what labour councillors will do even when they benefit from anti tory swing.
this what labour councillors will do even when they benefit from anti tory swing.
articul8
Dishonest sociopath
SWP get it arse about tit again - Labour councillors etc should also be encouraged to repudiate what Brown was proposing at the election but not as a precondition for involvement in the coalition. To say otherwise is totally dishonest and politically backwards.
Think that the LRC are organising a meeting of Labour councillors who want to oppose the cuts rather than shrug their shoulders and say "don't blame us". What are there options beyond propaganda and public education (tabling alternative budgets etc) - where Labour runs authorities what can they do to stop the cuts from being delivered if they are minded to (I don't underestimate the number who won't be)? Obviously, if any are prepared to defy the law and set deficit budgets we should support them - but even if they can do this they will certainly face surcharge (bankruptcy) and probably prison terms. Unlikely that any Labour groups would put themselves up for that?
Think that the LRC are organising a meeting of Labour councillors who want to oppose the cuts rather than shrug their shoulders and say "don't blame us". What are there options beyond propaganda and public education (tabling alternative budgets etc) - where Labour runs authorities what can they do to stop the cuts from being delivered if they are minded to (I don't underestimate the number who won't be)? Obviously, if any are prepared to defy the law and set deficit budgets we should support them - but even if they can do this they will certainly face surcharge (bankruptcy) and probably prison terms. Unlikely that any Labour groups would put themselves up for that?
dennisr
the acceptable face
Absolutely - The Liverpool campaign is the way to go:
http://www.liverpool47.org/
"better to break the law than break the poor"
(from the old first used in the Poplar council campaign of 1919)
articul8
Dishonest sociopath
Ideally, yes. If any Labour group is prepared to go that way Id back them 110%/ But there isn't the confidence around given the relatively low level of struggle - and supine TUs etc. You're asking people with families to put their homes at risk and potentially even go to prison (what happens to the kids?). So realistically the chances of that kind of stand are low.
So where there are still Labour councillors who genuinely want to oppose the cuts but don't know what to do, what practical steps can they take that would increase the confidence of the communities they represent?
So where there are still Labour councillors who genuinely want to oppose the cuts but don't know what to do, what practical steps can they take that would increase the confidence of the communities they represent?
Blagsta
Minimum cage, maximum cage
Interesting, 'cos at the Birmingham Save Our Services meeting last week, there were SWP members advocating putting pressure on Labour councillors not to sign off local cuts.
dennisr
the acceptable face
Of course, at the moment it would be a case of raising the issue of 'setting a deficit budget alongside a mass campaign'. I guess you know that i am not saying that i would expect most labour councillors to go for this at this moment in time. I would argue for getting anti-cuts councillors elected - the party label is irrelevant.
articul8
Dishonest sociopath
I hope we (on the left) can all agree on that. But there is a question about what they can do when they're elected. We're in a situation when some local Labour parties are finding themselves in control of local authorities - and faced with "no choice" but to implement cuts demanded by the coalition. Many (though not all) are really opposed to doing this, but don't know what the alternative is. What should our attitude be to people in this position? Say they are just paying lip service? Raising alternative budgets, certainly. But anything else they can practically do?
dennisr
the acceptable face
That was precisely the situation in Liverpool - 47 councillors - I think only 8-9 were Militant supporters. One key difference to most other LP councillors nowadays was the accountability of the Labour group to the local workforce (through the Joint Shop Stewads Committee - JSSC). This both gave them a feel/reminder of the mood and attitude of their electors and a level of accountability missing from many LP council positions. A refusal to set a cuts budget is raised alongside a campaign in the council workplaces to oppose the attacks that would result upon elected representatives. If they don't represent their electors they should resign. Of course alternative budgets are an option - in discussion with those effected. If councillors are not confident - they can resign and stand on / campaign for an anti-cuts / alternative budget / refusal to cut budget - they can test the water in this manner.
articul8
Dishonest sociopath
Maybe that's what should be happening - setting up grassroots community committees of both public service workers and users not dominated by TU tops - and inviting any good elected councillors to their meetings to discuss strategy. The local meetings I've been to so far have just been general agitation, no concrete steps...
dennisr
the acceptable face
Some simple facts from the PCS:
* Tax evasion, and avoidance, along with staff cuts in revenue and customs, means uncollected tax is running at approximately £130 billion a year.
* The government has just closed the tax unit that deals with the richest in society (those earning more than £20 million).
* In 2009 profits went up by £24 billion and wages by only £2 billion.
* 50% of civil servants earn less than £20,000 a year, a quarter less than £15,000.
* The average civil service pension, taking away the tiny percentage of high earners, is £4,200 a year.
* Pensions for five million public sector workers costs £4.1 billion, while £10 billion is spent on tax relief on private pensions for the richest 1%.
* State pensioners get only £97 a week.
* One in three children are living in poverty.
* The government has spent £1.4 trillion in bailing out the banks.
* Public spending in Britain is the lowest in Europe. For every pound spent on the public services 74p goes straight back into the economy, 64p into the local economy.
* Tax evasion, and avoidance, along with staff cuts in revenue and customs, means uncollected tax is running at approximately £130 billion a year.
* The government has just closed the tax unit that deals with the richest in society (those earning more than £20 million).
* In 2009 profits went up by £24 billion and wages by only £2 billion.
* 50% of civil servants earn less than £20,000 a year, a quarter less than £15,000.
* The average civil service pension, taking away the tiny percentage of high earners, is £4,200 a year.
* Pensions for five million public sector workers costs £4.1 billion, while £10 billion is spent on tax relief on private pensions for the richest 1%.
* State pensioners get only £97 a week.
* One in three children are living in poverty.
* The government has spent £1.4 trillion in bailing out the banks.
* Public spending in Britain is the lowest in Europe. For every pound spent on the public services 74p goes straight back into the economy, 64p into the local economy.
Maybe that's what should be happening - setting up grassroots community committees of both public service workers and users not dominated by TU tops - and inviting any good elected councillors to their meetings to discuss strategy. The local meetings I've been to so far have just been general agitation, no concrete steps...
Surely that is the way forward, there doesn't seem to be any sense of urgency though, yet the coucil leaders are working out the cuts, govt depts are too, no holiday for them. This is an economic coup and perhaps the last chance for a progessive left before we finally become like the US.
Surely that is the way forward, there doesn't seem to be any sense of urgency though, yet the coucil leaders are working out the cuts, govt depts are too, no holiday for them. This is an economic coup and perhaps the last chance for a progessive left before we finally become like the US.
dennisr
the acceptable face
Agreed - the only role is to raise the issue and use to build those local initiatives. Unless 50m turn up on the demo like (I won't hold my breath)
Zonk
Well-Known Member
Norwich Anti-Cuts
Where: Council Chamber, City Hall, Norwich
When: Wednesday 8th September
Called by Unison and PCS. Public Meeting
http://norfolknonaligned.wordpress.com/2010/08/05/coalition-against-the-cuts/
Where: Council Chamber, City Hall, Norwich
When: Wednesday 8th September
Called by Unison and PCS. Public Meeting
http://norfolknonaligned.wordpress.com/2010/08/05/coalition-against-the-cuts/
Fisher_Gate
Active Member
That's right. This is exactly what Socialist Resistance have been doing in Wigan, as recent reports in the Wigan local press show:
'People Against Cuts, the ‘non partisan’ group who have called the event, are hoping that the shock news that the council is planning £50m cuts to services which could lead to 800 job losses will stir people to support the event and send a “strong” message to the new Government.'
50 Million?, are you sure?, thats one hell of a lot of money, cities like Sheffield are cutting by 14 million, still a lot but not 50 million
50 Million?, are you sure?, thats one hell of a lot of money, cities like Sheffield are cutting by 14 million, still a lot but not 50 million
Fisher_Gate
Active Member
The council's budget is £250million per year and they are predicting cuts of 20-25% which would be £50million+. I don't think it's in one year mind. According to the Leigh Journal it's £55m over three years.
BBC North West quoted 820 jobs lost:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-10684861
http://www.socialist.net/connexions-meltdown-in-northumberland.htm
county council cuts funding to connexions, no mention of the county council bring controlled by labour. Its all the con-dems fault.
county council cuts funding to connexions, no mention of the county council bring controlled by labour. Its all the con-dems fault.
One_Stop_Shop
Well-Known Member
Just got a report back from the Save our Services anti-cuts meeting on Thursday. I apologise for not advertising it beforehand on here. But apparently there will now be planning meetings every two weeks so will get them up here once I get the details.
There were about 25 people (which is good for a planning meeting) including representatives from Lambeth UNISON, Lambeth Pensioners Action Group, Lambeth UCU, Greenwich NUT, a Labour councillor who has had the whip withdrawn for opposing cuts and Ted Knight, the previous Lambeth council leader from the 1980s and local residents and union members/stewards. Apologies from Lambeth GMB, Lambeth NUT, Lambeth Defend Council Housing, Lambeth Tenant's Council, Lambeth PCS and Lambeth CWU. We are still trying to get representatives from the RMT and FBU on board and hopefully that will happen soon.
There was agreement to set up fortnightly planning meetings, contact more community groups and trade unions, have a public meeting with workshops (one suggestion was September 29 to co-incide with the European Trade Union Congress day of action), set up local estate and ward based meetings, have local stalls over the summer, write another Save our Services broad sheet, lobby next full council meeting and make links with Southwark and Lewisham.
Good news was also announced by the Children and Young Persons Services UNISON convener and One O'Clock Club stewards that following Save Our Services demonstrations and petitions the cuts to One O'Clock Services have been withdrawn (for now) and some of the job losses have been stopped. Small victories but significant nonetheless and show what we can do. Also all the end of consultation meetings for staff (to announce 100s of job losses in CYPS) have been suspended, but need more details on why this is.
On the Labour issue that is being talked about Ted Knight and the local councillor were apparently scathing of the Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark LP leaderships and there were doubts how much could be done to win over LP councillors given how careerist and New Labour most of them are. My mate said the general feeling was that if they want to get involved in a real way then good but if they don't we need to do all we can to build a campaign which will either force them to act or get rid of them. But people said we should try and speak at CLP meetings if we can get invites and lobby MPs surgeries, but not spend too much energy on it.
On a side note the SWP were up to their old sectarian tricks. They announced an anti-cuts meeting has been planned by them on 6 September and Kate Hoey is speaking at it. Nothing has been done to inform, consult or involve Lambeth Save our Services (apparently mentioning that this could happen at the last SoS planning meeting was good enough). Lambeth council buildings have been leafletted about it and the SWP didn't even bother to inform Lambeth UNISON or get us involved. What is the matter with them? Just at the moment we are trying to get a genuine and inclusive campaign off the ground this crap is pulled. The meeting agreed to send people to it but don't think anyone there was very happy at what has happened. Hope this kind of stuff won't carry on.
There were about 25 people (which is good for a planning meeting) including representatives from Lambeth UNISON, Lambeth Pensioners Action Group, Lambeth UCU, Greenwich NUT, a Labour councillor who has had the whip withdrawn for opposing cuts and Ted Knight, the previous Lambeth council leader from the 1980s and local residents and union members/stewards. Apologies from Lambeth GMB, Lambeth NUT, Lambeth Defend Council Housing, Lambeth Tenant's Council, Lambeth PCS and Lambeth CWU. We are still trying to get representatives from the RMT and FBU on board and hopefully that will happen soon.
There was agreement to set up fortnightly planning meetings, contact more community groups and trade unions, have a public meeting with workshops (one suggestion was September 29 to co-incide with the European Trade Union Congress day of action), set up local estate and ward based meetings, have local stalls over the summer, write another Save our Services broad sheet, lobby next full council meeting and make links with Southwark and Lewisham.
Good news was also announced by the Children and Young Persons Services UNISON convener and One O'Clock Club stewards that following Save Our Services demonstrations and petitions the cuts to One O'Clock Services have been withdrawn (for now) and some of the job losses have been stopped. Small victories but significant nonetheless and show what we can do. Also all the end of consultation meetings for staff (to announce 100s of job losses in CYPS) have been suspended, but need more details on why this is.
On the Labour issue that is being talked about Ted Knight and the local councillor were apparently scathing of the Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark LP leaderships and there were doubts how much could be done to win over LP councillors given how careerist and New Labour most of them are. My mate said the general feeling was that if they want to get involved in a real way then good but if they don't we need to do all we can to build a campaign which will either force them to act or get rid of them. But people said we should try and speak at CLP meetings if we can get invites and lobby MPs surgeries, but not spend too much energy on it.
On a side note the SWP were up to their old sectarian tricks. They announced an anti-cuts meeting has been planned by them on 6 September and Kate Hoey is speaking at it. Nothing has been done to inform, consult or involve Lambeth Save our Services (apparently mentioning that this could happen at the last SoS planning meeting was good enough). Lambeth council buildings have been leafletted about it and the SWP didn't even bother to inform Lambeth UNISON or get us involved. What is the matter with them? Just at the moment we are trying to get a genuine and inclusive campaign off the ground this crap is pulled. The meeting agreed to send people to it but don't think anyone there was very happy at what has happened. Hope this kind of stuff won't carry on.
One_Stop_Shop
Well-Known Member
I think everyone has to accept that we are in a far harder situation than in the 1980s. The unions are far weaker, stewards networks barely exist and the whole pro-working class movement is generally quite a bit weaker. There just aren't the networks around that there were in the 1980s.
That doesn't mean that this can't change but it will take a lot of hard work and effort. I totally agree with the comments that we can't just aim for set piece national demonstrations (where we are lectured at by bureaucrats and self-interested political careerists and hypocrits) which seem a bit of a fetish of certain political organisations and the Stop the War movement should show the weakness and limitations of such an approach.
That doesn't mean that this can't change but it will take a lot of hard work and effort. I totally agree with the comments that we can't just aim for set piece national demonstrations (where we are lectured at by bureaucrats and self-interested political careerists and hypocrits) which seem a bit of a fetish of certain political organisations and the Stop the War movement should show the weakness and limitations of such an approach.
rioted
redundant
i blame the government
which one?
sihhi
Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered
National demonstrations are doom. They go nowhere and require lots of effort.
The movement is much weaker particularly at its grassroots ends - you've still got plenty of movement secretaries and reps but no lay activists under them. It's a phantom movement that is determine to shoot itself in the foot by concentrating on "the trade unions in the public sector" - wilfully isolating itself from the un-unionised providing public sector services and the private sector over 30% of whose investment comes from public purchasing. The incessant nostalgia and wistfulness is back 'in our day, Labour wouldn't have just gone along with it so easily...' 'They've forgotten who elected them' - correct observations but essentially inert and empty ones. Labour can do nothing a popular movement can't and will attempt to sabotage by smothering if necessary anti-Labour initiatives.
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