Saturday, April 30, 2016

Mary Locke for Bournvill Ward, May 5 2016

This picture collage is from last Saturday, when I went to Birmingham to support my UNISON NEC colleague, Mary Locke, who is standing to be a Labour Councillor in Bournville ward, Birmingham next Thursday 5 May.

Mary would make a fantastic Councillor. She is a top trade unionist, hard working, dedicated, sincere and honest. With Mary, what you see and hear is what you get.

Bournville is the home of the famous and iconic chocolate factory. There are currently 2 Tories and one Labour Councillor. The current Labour Councillor is stepping down due to ill health and Mary is hoping to be elected as his replacement.

UNISON NEC members James Anthony and Abiola Kusoro, also came to support her. Mary works for the NHS and half of the two teams out campaigning that day were either nurses, a GP or other NHS staff.

Check out my post on my last visit to support Mary. This time I had to get back to London and missed the post canvass meal.

Friday, April 29, 2016

"London Mayoral election - a week till polling day" - West Ham Campaign plan


"If you have any time over the next week you could ensure we get London a Labour Mayor. And if you can join us on 5 May please let us know. It's actually quite fun.... (honest...)

Shop at the Co-op?
If you've received a ballot paper please Vote Yes to Motion 12 to ensure the Co-op Group carries on working with the Co-op Party.

TONIGHT - Weds 27 April
Canning Town North, 6pm, St Lukes Church, Tarling Road,
Plaistow North, 6pm, outside Plaistow Station
Stratford and New Town, 6.30pm, Maryland Station, Leytonstone Rd, E15 1SA

Thursday 28 April
Canning Town North, 6pm Carson and Cambus corner E16 4BG
Green Street West, 6.30pm, entrance East Shopping Centre, Green Street, E7 8LE

Friday 29 April
Forest Gate North, 7-8.30pm, meeting junction of Field Road and Suffolk Street, E7 9DW, contact – Anam
Saturday 30 April
Forest Gate North, 10.30am, meeting junction of Sebert Road and Woodgrange Road, E7 0NG, (contact – Wendy)
Green Street West, 11am, entrance East Shopping Centre, Green Street, E7 8LE Custom House, 2pm, with London Young Labour, meeting Custom House library, E16 3JJ
West Ham, 2pm, ATL cafe, 125 Plaistow Rd, E15 3ET
Stratford and New Town, 2.30pm, West Ham Labour office, 306 High Street, E15 1AJ


Sunday 1 May
Canning Town South, 11am, corner Carson and Cambus Rd, E16 4BG
Custom House, 11am, Custom House library, E16 3JJ
Forest Gate South, 11am, 2 York Road E7 9HT
West Ham, 11.30am, ATL cafe, 125 Plaistow Rd, E15 3ET

Monday 2 May
Custom House, 11am, Custom House library, E16 3JJ
Stratford and New Town, 2.30pm, outside Sainsbury’s Local/Neighbourhood, Celebration Avenue, E20 1DB

Tuesday 3 May
Custom House, 6.30pm, Custom House library, E16 3JJ
Plaistow South, 6.00pm, Barking Road Community Centre, Pragel Street, E13 9EZ
Green Street West, 6pm, entrance East Shopping Centre, Green Street, E7 8LE Wednesday 4 May
Plaistow North, 6pm, outside Plaistow Station
West Ham, 6.30pm, ATL cafe, 125 Plaistow Rd, E15 3ET

Thursday 5 May. Election Day! We'll have central points around West Ham for you to come to. More info soon...

Best wishes
Julianne

PS. If you can't come out to help, could you help by donating to the campaign? You could even win a signed Sadiq T-shirt! click to donate here.

Julianne Marriott
Vice Chair Campaigns and Comms, West Ham CLP
t: @westhamlabour
e: westhamlabour@gmail.com
w: westhamlabour.wordpress.com

Wednesday, April 27, 2016

UNISON London APF AGM & Shadow Minister Angela Rayner MP

 




Picture from last weeks UNISON Greater London region "Labour Link" Political committee AGM. I was pleased to be re-elected as Chair for the next 2 years.

Our first speaker was Joanne McCartney AM, who gave a London Assembly report on the latest attempts to hold lazy posh boy Tory Mayor, Boris Johnson, to account and what the Labour candidate to replace him, Sadiq Khan, will do to improve our Housing, Transport and Policing.

Re-elected Committee member, Mike Katz, is also standing for election to the GLA as a list Assembly member. He pointed out that TFL management are finally admitting that Sadiq plans for transport are affordable and will save money.

I was really pleased to introduce our keynote speaker, Shadow Pension Minister, Angela Rayner MP. Angela is a former UNISON branch secretary and Regional convenor who was elected last year to represent Ashton-under-Lyne. She rapidly became a junior whip then in the last reshuffle, the Shadow Pension minister.

I have been privileged to know Angela and her fellow UNISON activist husband Mark for a number of years. At UNISON conferences over the years I have enjoyed seeing them and their lovely children.

Angela spoke about being a home carer and 16 year old single mum without any qualifications. She was written off by many but thanks in part to her union she was able to become one of the very few former manual workers to become an MP in the last election.

She described how difficult it was at first and the lack of support that new MPs get and the attacks against her by the right wing media. She was told by an old hand MP that she should see these attacks as a compliment since they are only attacking her since she being effective.

Angela is bright, super capable and driven but she is also a great example of how UNISON can help grow its activists and I am super proud of her and can't wait for her to be a Pension Minister in government ASAP. 

Tuesday, April 26, 2016

Junior Doctors Striking to #SaveourNHS

Solidarity to NHS Junior doctors on their 48 hour total strike today and tomorrow. Doctors will only strike as an absolute last resort and only when they think that their interests co-inside with patients.

Doctors are already overworked and the last thing we want is even more tired and knackered doctors looking after us. 

This government is proving to be dominated by hard right ideological extremists and fanatics such as Jeremy Hunt. 

This is not about improving health care. It is about cutting costs regardless of the impact on the service. Never forget that this modern generation of Tories such as Hunt and Zac Goldsmith want to first destroy the NHS in order to then fully privatise it.

Sunday, April 24, 2016

International Workers' Memorial Day - wreath laying event: "Clasping hands" statute


Everyone is welcome to attend this event on Thursday. UNISON estimates that up to 1,000 British workers die every week from work related ill health and incidents.

This will be a simple wreath laying ceremony and if you cannot make 1pm then please be free to come another time and show your respects. The "Clasping Hands" statute is simply beautiful and in my view, one of the most important examples of working class art in London. The heroism and self-sacrifice of those 3 workers who died trying to save a comrade should never be forgotten.

You can walk to the site from Stratford or Bromley by Bow station (15 minutes) or park in nearby Tesco’s Supermarket (free but buy something from the store) and walk across the Temple Mills Bridge (2 minutes).

Saturday, April 23, 2016

Friday, April 22, 2016

"Newham councillor gives gift of life with bone marrow donation"


Check out this report in this week's Newham Recorder. Well done to Rokhsana for undergoing this operation to try and save a young child's life. I must admit I winced at the thought of donating a pint and a half of my bone marrow. I have been a potential donator to the Anthony Noland trust for many years but have never been called.  I hope that her example will encourage more Newham residents to volunteer.

"Is there a better feeling than giving something that may save a life"

"For Cllr Rokhsana Fiaz, who has donated 900ml of her bone marrow, the answer is a firm ‘no’.

“I feel so proud and so privileged to have been able to help someone like this,” she said.

Cllr Fiaz doesn’t know who her marrow will help, but was told the patient is a young girl following Thursday last week’s procedure with the Anthony Nolan and Delete Blood Cancer charities.

“That makes it even more profound for me,” she said. “Helping a child, you know they have their whole life in front of them.”

Her main inspiration for undergoing the operation – which she said was “remarkably smooth and painless” – was a memory.

“When I was 16, I saw my father crying inconsolably because his sister had died of leukaemia,” she said.

“I just want to know that I can help someone – I don’t need to know the person’s identity – and that’s enough for me.”

The recent high-profile bone marrow appeals of Lara Casalotti – whose mum is Thai and UEL lecturer father Italian – and Tommy Simpson – whose parents are also of different races – were on Cllr Riaz’s mind.

“With Lara, it was hard to find a donor because she was mixed race,” Cllr Fiaz said. “But I like that she used that as a call to action to get more people of mixed race identities to come forward.”

Cllr Fiaz was also told she will be given a call about whether the procedure works for her recipient.

“I really hope it succeeds,” she said.

Thursday, April 21, 2016

A Voice for the Co-operative Movement - Vote to keep the Co-op political voice



Dear John,

From today, many of the 2m members of the Co-operative Group will begin voting on ‘Motion 12’, on whether or not to keep the Co-operative Group’s link with the Co-operative Party
You may be eligible to vote if in the past year you have spent more than £250 in store using your co-op membership card, or if you have a Co-operative Bank account or Insurance policy.
How to vote
I’m proud to be a member of the Co-operative Group, a member of the Co-operative Party, and one of its MPs. I’m also particularly proud that this year the Co-operative Group’s Board have decided to endorse a YES vote for the continued relationship with the Party. It’s a huge endorsement of everything we’re achieving.

Whether it’s championing fair tax, training the next generation of co-operative activists, or taking on the payday lenders, I know first-hand the difference we can make when the movement and the Party work together.
So let’s keep it going. Let’s Keep it Co-op.
If, like me you are a member of the Co-operative Group- vote for motion 12.
Yours in co-operation,

Stella

Stella Creasy
Labour & Co-operative MP, Walthamstow
PS: In case you missed it, big news: the Co-operative Group's Board and National Members Council yesterday endorsed a YES vote - more details here

Wednesday, April 20, 2016

Sunday Night Live: "It's the end of the world as we know it"

It’s the end of the world as we know it: technology, automation and the future of work


"As the Labour Party embarks on the first steps of developing its 2020 Manifesto, with the launch of the Your Britain Agenda 2020 Policy Commissions, Sunday Night Live will examine what Labour needs to do to build economic credibility as the UK and the rest of the world prepares for the 4th Industrial Revolution which will fundamentally alter the way we live, earn and work.

Focusing on arguably the key priority policy area, this interactive and participatory session with keynote speakers and breakout groups will unpack the key economic, social and political dynamics that need to shape Labour’s Building a productive economy proposition; at a time when technological innovation is evolving at an exponential pace, disrupting almost every industry in every country and marking the transformation of entire systems of production, management and governance.

In addition to inputting into a Sunday Night Live submission to the Labour Party’s National Policy Forum by the 8th June, this session will explore:
  • How the Labour Party can address some of the most pressing economic issues of the 21st Century including widening income inequality due to technological unemployment
     
  • The case for a universal basic income
Whether the UK can create the right infrastructure for the economy of today and tomorrow? Don't forget we've changed venue to:

Gerry's Kitchen in Gerry Raffles Square, Stratford E15 1BG

Plus feel free to circulate this email to your networks! register here