TUC Congress 2011

I’m here at Congress House for the TUC Congress 2011. I am a member of the UNISON delegation from the NEC. This is the first time I have been a delegate to conference although I did go as a visitor a few years ago. I’ll try and post as often as I can during th enext few days. The TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber was the first speaker (see picture).

He spoke about the history of this building which was bought as a home for the TUC for £25,000 during the Second World War on a 999 year lease. This is the first Congress to be held in London since 1902. Two years previously the Labour Party had been formed. He condemned the recent riots and pointed out the vast majority of victims were frightened ordinary people in working class communities. The cuts are not to blame for the riots but is obvious that they will make the underlying causes worse. The government says nothing about the morale disintegration of the rich. The super tax breaks that steal from hospitals and schools.

The cuts are “hurting” but are not “working”. In America the President has a new initiative to promote growth but is being opposed by the republicans. It is about time that the Tea Party crazies woke up and smelt the coffee. Growth is the answer to the deficit. The government is putting the long term pension security of public sector workers at risk for the short term cut in the deficit. Brendan called for affiliates to help form a mass movement for an alternative that no government cam ignore and build on the diversity of anti-cuts campaign.