Rupert Murdoch in his evidence yesterday said that he had never asked a British Prime Minister for anything. There's probably some truth in that, politicians, Tories and particularly Labour ones, have been so desperate for his support that he could probably just tell them what to do. With his cosy relationship with the last Labour government and Blair in particular, he would have had plenty of opportunity at theier many sharted social gatherings.
To have a genuinely 'free press' it is necessary to take the means of production of the media out of the hands of the few rich media moghuls and put them under workers' control. In the meantime, vote TUSC on May 3 and read the 'Socialist' - a paper with no rich backers to shape its editorial line and that reflects only the interests of the working class.
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Thursday, 26 April 2012
Wednesday, 25 April 2012
Double Dip - double the reasons to fightback with TUSC
So the UK's officially back in recession - the dreaded double-dip that all the so-called experts were predicting we'd avoid. Workers don't need official statistics to tell us the economy's in a mess. We see it in every pay slip - frozen pay levels and increased pension contributions (for those lucky enough to have a pension). We see it in the bill every time we buy a week's groceries or top up the car. While government ministers and financial experts have been queueing up to tell us that things are beginning to improve, the rest of us suffer and try to make ends meet in austerity Britain.
The Government of Wales have dusted off their "cuts are too fast, too deep" routine, with Labour First Minister, Carwyn Jones proclaiming this mantra at every available opportunity. But he has no real alternative to offer - a precipitous collapse back into recession under the Tories or a prolonged slide into stagnation under Labour. Either way promises a grim future for working class communities in Wales. Cuts equal misery and further economic problems - end of!
For a genuine alternative to the double-headed support of Tories and Labour for the failing market and cuts, vote Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition on May 3 and come along to one of our public meetings this week.
Thursday: 7.30pm @ Dyfatty Community Centre
Friday: 7.30 @ United Reform Church, Sterry Road, Gowerton
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device
The Government of Wales have dusted off their "cuts are too fast, too deep" routine, with Labour First Minister, Carwyn Jones proclaiming this mantra at every available opportunity. But he has no real alternative to offer - a precipitous collapse back into recession under the Tories or a prolonged slide into stagnation under Labour. Either way promises a grim future for working class communities in Wales. Cuts equal misery and further economic problems - end of!
For a genuine alternative to the double-headed support of Tories and Labour for the failing market and cuts, vote Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition on May 3 and come along to one of our public meetings this week.
Thursday: 7.30pm @ Dyfatty Community Centre
Friday: 7.30 @ United Reform Church, Sterry Road, Gowerton
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device
Tuesday, 24 April 2012
TUSC Bulletin
Welcome to our new readers – please distribute this bulletin to your e-mail lists
To subscribe e-mail tuscbulletin@yahoo.co.uk
To get involved with TUSC campaigns go here: http://www.tusc.org.uk/
Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition
Bulletin No.39
Tuesday 24 April 2012
TUSC National Election Campaign News
Latest Press releases:
Tube strike 'A fight for equality that all Londoners have a stake in supporting' - Alex Gordon, RMT president. More here:http://bit.ly/IDeUT6
Other London Assembly candidates speak out in support of the tube maintenance workers strike:http://bit.ly/J7Rpz8
Other campaign news
Nearly 70 local Uxbridge people braved the rain to hear RMT leader Bob Crow argue the case for TUSC on 18th April:http://bit.ly/IPWJJA
TUSC in the Welsh press:http://bit.ly/J5IzbJ
Over 200 packed the house in Peckham for Ken Loach film and meeting in support of TUSC: http://bit.ly/Ima8Hv and the Financial Times reviewed the screening here: http://on.ft.com/IP4tLC
There is now a TUSC leaflet in Bengali: http://www.tusc.org.uk/pdfs/
Rugby TUSC reports growing support - http://bit.ly/HqaK3E and TUSC gets further media publicity – in two Rugby newspapers in same week Both reported that the TUSC was only political group opposing all cuts at all levels http://bit.ly/JnOmF5
MEDIACITYUK ejects TUSC election candidate: http://bit.ly/IUneAK
At Haringey’s TUSC public meeting on 17th April, Oktay Sahbaz from the Daymer Kurdish and Turkish organisation explained why Daymer is supporting TUSC: http://bit.ly/JGPyGY
Morning Star carries full page report of TUSC campaign: http://bit.ly/JjpU6H
TUSC NHS credit card: http://www.tusc.org.uk/pdfs/
Upcoming TUSC Events
Public Meeting: Elections 2012 – Can there be a London Spring?
With
George Galloway’s surprise victory in Bradford is there a new space
opening up for the left? Can the left copy respect’s “Bradford Spring”
here in London? This meeting brings together speakers from the
progressive left, Labour, the Greens and TUSC to debate the prospects
for the left at the coming election.
Speakers: Natalie Bennett, Green Party (list candidate) Alex Gordon, TUSC (list candidate) John McDonnell MP Labour Party Date: Friday 27th April, 7pm Venue:Housmans bookshop, 5 Caledonian Road, Kings Cross, N1 9DX
Coventry 'Socialist Alternative' holds Election Rally on Saturday April 28th,
standing candidates in 17 wards across the city in the May 3rd as part
of TUSC. Speakers at the Rally include TUSC National Chair Dave
Nellist 1.30pm Coventry Transport Museum http://bit.ly/IcTqiU
From the Unions
RMT – signalers in the Stirling area have voted 100% for strike action and action short of a strike in a dispute over rosters. http://bit.ly/IBUGtp
Unite members devastated by a further 640 job losses announced by IT firm Comminity Sciences Corporation http://bit.ly/IjHPgK
Aberdeen Unison wins battle against privatisation with union campaign. http://bit.ly/HYJsA7
Tube Lines strike -RMT warns of secret plan to reprivatise tube maintenance and unleash nightmare of PPP2 http://bit.ly/K4JlQr
Slovenia public sector holds big strike over cuts: http://bit.ly/HU0UbE
Cork Vita Cortex - Four months sit in over redundancy payments continues: http://bit.ly/J6zDSn
Information burst
Graduate starting salaries to fall to lowest real-term level since 2003: http://bit.ly/JnZeB4
Repossession day in court: ten minutes with a lawyer, five before a judge ~ http://j.mp/HIeqJr
Migreurop,
a coalition of organisations from thirteen European, African and Middle
Eastern countries, has produced an extremely useful and powerful report
which describes in detail ways in which the policy of preventing the
entry of undocumented migrants is implemented: Download a copy here: http://bit.ly/JY5nou
WORKERS MEMORIAL DAY EVENTS – SAT APRIL 28
Lincoln&
District TUC Save our NHS march marking Workers Memorial Day. 12 noon
at Castle Square, and there will be a rally at 1pm at Speakers' Corner
by the Cornhill. lincolntuc@gmail.com
Witney 11
a.m. Assemble Church Green, Witney, Oxon, in David Cameron’s
constituency 12 noon MARCH stopping at Marriott’s Close to remember
Altin Balla, building worker, who died on this construction site in
2008.
Coventry 12 noon St Mary’s St/Bayley Lane
Sheffield: Defend Health & Safety international day of action 12.30 Town Hall http://bit.ly/JWkNti
London - 10.30am Assemble at the statute of the Building Worker on Tower Hill next to the Tower of London and Tower Bridge.
INTERNATIONAL WORKERS DAY CELEBRATIONS
Cardiff 5th May 12.00 Callaghan Square
Coventry 5th May 11.00 Speakers Corner, Council House
Derby 28th April 10.30 Market Place
Dundee 5th May 12.00 Hilltown Park
Edinburgh 5th May 11.00 Johnston Terrace
Glasgow 5th May 11.00 George Square
Ipswich 1st May 11.00 Giles Circus
Irvine 5th May 10.30 Woodlands Centre
London 1st May 12.00 Clerkenwell Green
Manchester 7th May 11.00 Bexley Square, Salford
Newcastle 5th May 11.00 Times Square
Nottingham 5th May 10.00 Forest Recreation Ground
Plymouth 1st May 19.00 Guildhall
TUSC informationYou can find out more about TUSC at: http://www.tusc.org.uk/index.
To donate to TUSC go here: http://www.tusc.org.uk/donate.
TUSC
aims to bring trade unionists, socialists and anti-cuts campaigners
together to stand candidates at elections who are committed to
representing working-class interests. Resistance to the cuts is vital,
but we also need a political alternative to the policies of cuts and
privatisation. TUSC believes that a new working-class party is needed
that campaigns for a democratic socialist society run in the interests
of the millions not the millionaires.
Stop parasites sucking funds out of the NHS
The BBC news carried a story this morning about a pharmaceutical company threatening to sue a health trust in England for using a cheaper generic eye drop instead of their patented one. The company concerned claims that patients are being put at risk by the use of a unregulated treatment. Of course it couldn't have anything to do with pricing policies which rob the NHS for greedy shareholders could it?
NHS users in Wales are grateful that we are shielded (for now) from some of the worst effects of the privatisation of huge swathes of the NHS in England, through the mis-named NHS Reform Bill that has just passed. But that doesn't mean that the increasing commercialisation of health care services won't affect NHS users in Wales. Labour in Wales says that there is no privatisation of health care in Wales - in so doing, they ignore the inconvenient fact of the PFI hospital at Baglan Moors.
There are huge profits to be made for private firms in selling medicines, other supplies and services to the NHS. The same big multinational pharmaceutical companies leech of the NHS in Wales as in England, able to charge what they like for drugs that are desperately needed.
With the NHS in Wales facing even bigger proportionate falls in funding than in England, Welsh hospitals are making cuts to beds and services. HTV reported this week that operations are being cancelled due to a shortage of beds. According to the report, nearly 3,000 procedures were cancelled between 2010 and 2011. In these circumstances will Welsh local health boards be tempted to prescribe cheaper, less regulated drugs or will they simply not be able to offer treatments because of price?
A campaign to stop cuts in the NHS that fails to call for the nationalisation of the big pharmaceutical companies that bleed the NHS dry, only addresses a part of the issue. Labour won't make such a call. Cherie Blair by the way has just taken up a lucrative post with a private healthcare provider!
End and reverse all privatisation in healthcare!
Nationalise the giant pharmaceutical firms!
Free healthcare for the millions not private profits for the millionaires!
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Monday, 23 April 2012
Swansea Trades Council May Day March & Rally
From Swansea Trades Council Press release...
Swansea Trades Council May Day March & Rally
Swansea’s traditional celebration of workers’ struggle and
unity takes place this Saturday.
May Day March & Rally
This Saturday, April 28th
Assemble at Guildhall at 12:00
March to Castle Square for Rally
Disabled people who work
for Remploy are in a desperate fight to save their jobs and factories. &
out of the 9 factories in Wales are threatened with closure this summer,
including the plant in Fforestfach. Swansea Remploy workers will be heading the
march on Saturday. Come along
and show your support!
“With jobs in
jeopardy, benefits being cut, and no possibility of employment, Remploy workers
have no alternative but to fight. Remploy factories are not for sale or
closure.”
“It’s
acceptable to bankroll RBS but not Remploy. This shows that this is all about
cuts saving and austerity and not about helping get more disabled workers into
work.”
Les Woodward,
Remploy Trade Union Convenor
Save Remploy!
Defend Pensions! Support those unions taking strike action on May 10th!
Fight the cuts!
“This Con-Dem government of millionaires and
for millionaires threatens disaster for working class communities like ours. Privatisation
and destruction of public services and for the workers that provide those
services, pay freezes, attacks on pensions and now regional pay.
But they can be
beaten. The huge strike of November 30 showed that trade unionists have it in
their power to defeat the cuts and defeat this government, if we stand
together. Support the May Day march to show solidarity with Remploy workers and
with trade unionists planning to take strike action on May 10.”
Ronnie Job
(Secretary, Swansea Trades Council)
For further
information:
Con-Dems declare war on disabled
The Evening Post today is reporting that a third of claimants for incapacity and disability benefits are being found 'fit to work' (over 37% in Swansea). This is hailed by the Tories as evidence that they were right to assess everyone on incapacity and disability benefits and that they are rescuing people from benefits and getting them back to work. It shows nothing of the sort.
Firstly, disabled people have no trust in the government's capacity to work tests - I saw a picture of a disabled person on a protest last week, carrying a placard which read "What does ATOS call someone having a seizure? Fit to work!"
Then, where are all these jobs that people who have suddenly been declared fit to work are going to go to? Con-Dem cuts have savaged the public sector and in the process decimated retail and manufacturing. There are no jobs and for the minority of firms looking to take on new workers the government has obligingly provided free slave labour in the form of their Workfare scheme - why pay somebody and train them when you can have as many free workers from the army of a million unemployed youth as you like?
What these figures really mean is that thousands of disabled people now face a cut in income and being harassed to take unsuitable jobs. As the Con-Dems are busy privatising benefit advice, in many cases this will be by a dodgy private firm, of the likes of A4e, paid by results, whose only concern is to get people placed as soon as possible and claim their bonuses.
This isn't enough for the Con-Dems though; they've declared outright war on disabled people on all fronts - adding to their crimes, plans to close 7 of 9 Remploy factories in Wales this summer.
End the harassment of disabled people!
Invest in public services!
No to workfare. For real jobs, with trade union rates of pay!
Save Remploy!
Firstly, disabled people have no trust in the government's capacity to work tests - I saw a picture of a disabled person on a protest last week, carrying a placard which read "What does ATOS call someone having a seizure? Fit to work!"
Then, where are all these jobs that people who have suddenly been declared fit to work are going to go to? Con-Dem cuts have savaged the public sector and in the process decimated retail and manufacturing. There are no jobs and for the minority of firms looking to take on new workers the government has obligingly provided free slave labour in the form of their Workfare scheme - why pay somebody and train them when you can have as many free workers from the army of a million unemployed youth as you like?
What these figures really mean is that thousands of disabled people now face a cut in income and being harassed to take unsuitable jobs. As the Con-Dems are busy privatising benefit advice, in many cases this will be by a dodgy private firm, of the likes of A4e, paid by results, whose only concern is to get people placed as soon as possible and claim their bonuses.
This isn't enough for the Con-Dems though; they've declared outright war on disabled people on all fronts - adding to their crimes, plans to close 7 of 9 Remploy factories in Wales this summer.
End the harassment of disabled people!
Invest in public services!
No to workfare. For real jobs, with trade union rates of pay!
Save Remploy!
The majority of cuts are still to come
George Osbourne has announced that 30% of the proposed cuts agenda has been carried out over the past 2 years.
Even the numerically weak amongst us can work out that this means we have 70% more cuts to come over the next 3 years!
These cuts will devastate public sector jobs and services but no other political party other than TUSC are prepared to stand up and oppose these cuts.
The election postcard that TUSC has produced really does sum up the position of the main parties:
TORIES = VICIOUS CUTS
LIB DEMS = PROGRESSIVE CUTS
LABOUR = BETTER OUR CUTS THAN THEIR CUTS
PLAID = WELSH CUTS ARE BETTER THAN ENGLISH CUTS
TUSC = NO CUTS!
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