FIFA and the once beautiful game

FIFA has become a byword for corruption; today the sole remaining Brazilian delegate to it's World Congress appears to fled Geneva, to escape arrest like his colleague who has been picked up already in the current corruption scandal. Despite this Sepp Blatter, who has presided over all the scandals, will probably win the election for FIFA President today, against the only other contender, a Jordanian prince.

Politicians in the UK, delighted to have found a body dirtier and more corrupt than themselves, have been quick to point the finger at FIFA and demand it clean up its act. From Cameron to Carwyn they have been jumping on this particular bandwagon.

The taint of corruption has been too much for even the giant multinationals who sponsor FIFA and the World Cup; one or two have ended their sponsorship while others have issued demands that FIFA clean up its act. Considering this includes the likes of Coca Cola, no strangers to bad publicity over political corruption themselves, indicates just how toxic being associated with FIFA has potentially become.

Behind the public show of outrage though is a glossing over of the real scandal, the human cost of FIFA's dodgy deals. At least 1,200 foreign construction workers have died building the stadiums that will house the Qatar World Cup.

The World Cup offers such a marketing opportunity for these global brands that the majority of them will simply issue a few bland statements calling on FIFA to reform, before continuing with business as usual.

If you've any doubts about this, check out the link below:
Fifa scandal: the sponsors respond - YouTube https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=nCc_raw8cgI

Football is big business. Reclaim the game!

New workers' party needed urgently

This morning Labour is blaming the voters for failing to be inspired by their brand of austerity over the Tories'.

Labour AMs and councillors in Wales will now spend the next 5 years - if their feebleness in opposition allows the government to limp on that long - repeating their current mantra "there's nothing that we can do" as they continue to make Tory cuts.

Labour leads the Welsh Government and half of all councils as well but their attitude that there is nothing they can do except parcel out Tory cuts means that they have failed to use these positions to defend working class people and working class communities.

Welsh Labour MP Chris Bryant is quoted by the BBC as saying that elections are won on the centre ground but Labour loses when the left is disunited. Well perhaps Labour should stop posing as a left party and clear the road for real lefts, socialists and trade unionists to actually fight the Tories instead of trying to compete with them on their own ground as Labour does now with their 'me too-ism' on making cuts.

In the end Labour achieved a double-whammy of failing to compete with the Tories on their ground and alienating large swathes of working class people and trade unionists as well.

It is clear that Labour's adoption of austerity-lite effectively disenfranchises millions of working class people who have no politicians representing our interests. Will the biggest trade unions now draw the conclusion that they need to act to secure political representation for their members by creating a new party, which can build on the pioneering work of TUSC?

For TUSC supporters nothing changes with this result we will continue to fight as hard for the policies that we fought the election on. We will be fighting in our workplaces and trade unions for the raising of the minimum wage to £10/hour and end to zero hour contracts. We will be fighting in our communities to end all cuts. We will continue to raise the idea of socialism - organising society for people's needs and not the profits of a few.

TUSC is not just for elections. If you want to fight back against this Tory government that Labour's failures have saddled with, then get in touch.

Tomorrow? The fight against austerity continues...

...and Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) supporters will be playing our part.

Whichever coalition of austerity parties forms the next government there's some thing we can be certain of: They will continue to try to make us pay for a crisis in their system that was not of our making, with cuts to jobs, wages and public services.

If you haven't voted for the 100% anti-austerity alternative, TUSC, yet, it's not too late. But regardless of how you voted, if tomorrow you're still fighting cuts then TUSC supporters will be fighting alongside you in our unions, workplaces and communities.

Join us in that fight: www.tusc.org.uk

TUSC would implement unions' anti-austerity policies

As interesting and enjoyable as promoting TUSC at various hustings events has been, speaking at Swansea Trades Council's May Day Rally was altogether different because I was speaking as a trade unionist to other trade unionists.

Trades Council delegates had agreed the theme 'opposing austerity'. TUSC prides itself as being the 100% anti-austerity party contesting this election.

Austerity is a lie to hide the transfer of wealth from the majority in society to the wealthiest at the top because while most of us have got poorer, illustrated by the increase in children living in households in poverty, the richest have got richer. The Forbes Rich List last week showed that the 1,000 wealthiest individuals in the UK have more than doubled their wealth in the last decade.

So how do we end austerity? Perhaps the single most significant immediate change that could be made would be to unshackle the trade unions so that we can defend ourselves and our communities from the relentless assault on jobs, wages and services. 13 years of majority Labour Government left in place anti-union laws which are among the most restrictive in any 'democracy' in the world; in some respects Labour even added to them! Trade unionists demand that the anti-trade union laws are abolished. So does TUSC.

TUSC supports unreservedly trade union policies to raise working class people out of the misery that 5 years of Con-Dem government has inflicted. Trade unions estimate that the real value of our wages has fallen by up to 20% during this government for the rich and by the rich.

TUSC therefore supports the demand, overwhelmingly agreed at the last TUC, to immediately raise the minimum wage to £10/hour. This would end the effective subsidising of the bosses to pay poverty wages, which leave workers having to claim benefits to get by. It's been estimated that supermarkets, including giants like Tesco are effectively subsidised to the tune of £11billion a year because that's how much in working benefits their low-paid workers have to claim. TUSC also supports trade union demands to end zero hours contracts and abolish discriminatory youth rates.

It is trade union policy to demand that services like the railways, the postal service, utilities, energy companies and the banks are all brought into common ownership. TUSC enthusiastically supports these demands; if nationalised and democratically organised (including by the workers in the industry), these services could be planned to meet people's needs rather then protect the profits of shareholders, as is the case now.

Everything outlined above is trade union policy aimed at ending austerity but there is only one party contesting this election that enthusiastically endorses all of it and that's TUSC.

Over 75% of TUSC candidates are active trade unionists. Whatever coalition of continued austerity forms the next government we will be continuing to fight  for the same policies with our trade unions, in our workplaces and communities.

If you're a trade unionist fighting austerity then doesn't it make sense to vote, on May 7, for political representatives fighting for the same things?

Will the party your union funds support TUC policy?

This weekend all across the world, workers will be celebrating May Day. The Swansea Trades Council takes place in Castle Square at 12.00 mid-day, today ( Saturday 2 May).

Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) candidates will be joining in those celebrations and demanding:

• A minimum wage of £10/hour, with no discriminatory youth rates!
• An end to zero-hours contracts!
• Unshackle the trade unions - repeal all the anti-trade union laws!
• Bring energy and other utilities into public ownership so that resources can be planned to meet people's needs and not for profit.
• Nationalise railways, postal services and the banks and finance houses under democratic public control.

All of these policies are TUC policy, voted for by delegates from all of our trade unions but the Labour Party, which too many of our unions continue to pour money into, doesn't back any of them.

TUSC is the only party that stands unreservedly on trade union policies. As you celebrate May Day this weekend, unless you're an RMT member (RMT is affiliated to TUSC), ask: when will your union back the only party which has the same policies as you do?