West Ham Labour Street Surgery

 

After my static advice surgery on Saturday morning I joined local volunteers and Councillors to carry out a door by door street surgery in West Ham.

We knocked on the doors of residents and ask them if they have any problems or issues with Newham Council that they wish to discuss with their local Councillors. Usually, residents are pleased to see us (although a tiny number disguise it very well) and have nothing to report but are grateful for receiving our contact details and that we hold a local advice surgery every Saturday (apart from Bank holiday weekends and August). 

We started off with a modern housing association block managed by L&Q. I was concerned that there appeared to be some out of date notices regarding fire safety/disrepair actions posted on a communal board, which I will chase up with them. 

Next we knocked at a Council managed block which had recently had substantial environmental improvements but residents were very concerned with cleaning standards and access to recycling bins. There was also reports of ongoing damp and mould problems, which I will also follow up. Overcrowding is a huge issue with adult children forced to stay at home since they cannot afford alternative accommodation. 

I was pleased to see that the old Britannia Pub has also been refurbished and modernised. It will hopefully reopen soon. 

The final door knock was Victorian street properties and discussed reports of ASB, rodents and tree pruning. 

In total we had 87 contacts and finished off with a late brunch in a nearby cafe. 

On the way home I looked for a plaque on a wall in an adjacent street, which I believe is connected to a 1733 boundary post I came across the previous week while canvassing in Stratford see John's Labour blog: Labour Street Surgery in Stratford. I found the plaque which I had posted upon here in 2013 John's Labour blog: West Ham doorstep & Leaflet drop. 

It seems that land in Stratford and West Ham had been donated to support St Mary's Church in Rotherhithe. I wonder what the legal situation is nowadays? I am meeting former Councillor John Saunders on Tuesday evening and will ask him if he knows more. 

It's a gray area...

 

For transparency - no known family connection (maybe some long lost Scottish cousin - this is the second time in a week I have made this declaration) and I have no idea about what really has happened except that it indicates that the  Labour Party does have problems in many places and at many levels.  This is not a great look but hopefully it can learn and move on.  

I will also say that it is more than a shame that a respected public servants career appears to have ended in this way.  

Check out what Labour List reports today:- 

Sue Gray: Did she turn down nations and regions envoy job or was it withdrawn? - LabourList .

Is this the final chapter of the Sue Gray saga? - BBC News

"Bill will make game-changing improvements to working life, says UNISON"

 

This is special. A very welcome day. Good news for workers and responsible employers. Still lots to do. 

Fair pay agreement in social care will be an historic step

Commenting on the publication of the employment rights bill today (Thursday), UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea said:

“At last the lives of millions of employees across the UK look set to change for the better. The bill lays the groundwork for a brighter future for everyone at work.

“There’ll be improved protection from the first day in a job and more family-friendly roles. Bad bosses won’t be able to exploit at whim using dodgy ‘fire and rehire’ tactics, and it’ll be easier for unions to offer support to all employees.

“The means to create a fair pay agreement to increase wages for care workers in England is game-changing. It’s an historic first step towards transforming a sector that’s been neglected and ignored for far too long. The result will make a world of difference to people who need care and to their families too.

“The two-tier workforce will be no more, with penny-pinching employers no longer able to treat outsourced workers less favourably than everyone else.

“A new body to negotiate pay for school support staff will bring a much-needed boost for the low-paid, mostly female workforce and attract recruits into currently hard-to-fill roles.

“The bill marks a sea-change in industrial relations after years of worsening workers’ rights and unnecessary hostility towards unions. It’ll stop employees being penalised for going on strike* and bring union ballots into the digital age.

“All this can only help the economy thrive and improve services to the public. Good employers have absolutely nothing to fear, but the bad ones won’t like it one bit.

“This is a complex programme of legislation, and the details will need to be fine-tuned. There’s still much work to do. But the government has stuck to its pledge to overhaul working life, a huge achievement in less than100 days.”

Labour Party Conference Fringe 2024 ‘A new deal for working people – how will investors react?’

 Labour Party Conference Fringe 2024

‘A new deal for working people – how will investors react?’

Sunday 22 September, 12.30 – 13.30, Room 6, Liverpool Arena

SPEAKERS

· Liam Byrne MP, Chair, Business and Trade Select Committee and Chair, Global Parliamentary Network on the World Bank and IMF

· Janet Williamson, Senior Policy Officer Corporate Governance Policy and Collective Bargaining, TUC

· Cllr John Gray, Vice Chair, Local Authority Pension Fund Forum (LAPFF)

· Chair: Clive Betts MP, Chair Local Authority Pension Funds Westminster Forum

I am looking forward to the Labour Party conference and intend to visit as many Social housing and pension fringes as possible. On Sunday I am taking part in a panel debate on behalf of the Local Authority Pension Fund Forum.

Supporting Melanie & Uma in Maryland

 

I had to attend a national virtual meeting of Council Pension committees Chairs beforehand (and complained bitterly why on earth this meeting was taking place during a general election) so was a little late for this canvass, but it was great to support Melanie & Uma with comrades from Newham and Tower Hamlets.  

Vote Labour for Change - Manifesto Day Canvass in Beckton, East London

 

This evening I went on a canvass with our Labour by election candidate, Blossom Young and activists in Beckton ward. We went to new build housing developments, owned by social landlords (secure tenants, shared ownership and market rents). 

Both Blossom and I work in the sector and we did come across a number of serious housing issues (as do all political canvassers in Newham and elsewhere). To me, it is so important that we get a Labour government elected committed to address the housing crisis and everything else that is so wrong in our broken Britain. 

I was really impressed with Blossom handling a couple of difficult conversations on the doorstep. By listening, being honest, polite and respectful, she at the end won over all of them. The canvass itself was overwhelmingly positive for Labour. Residents want a change in Government. 

They know that the General election is pretty much a simple choice between Labour and the Tories. In my personal view, a vote for anyone else but Labour is likely to be a vote for the Tories. 

Today the Labour Party issued its manifesto which I am wading through but can see lots and lots of great stuff.

Labour’s first steps for change

 

The country needs change and Labour has a plan to deliver it.

Keir Starmer has set out Labour’s five national missions to get Britain’s future back. The missions are long term, fully funded aims that will guide a Labour government’s decisions to deliver a decade of national renewal.

These first steps build towards the missions by setting out how Labour would make an immediate impact to people’s lives and kickstart a real process of lasting change.

Check out more Labour's first steps for change – The Labour Party

Double West Ham canvass for Sadiq Khan & Labour

 

This has been a busy Labour Movement few days with Workers Memorial Day on Friday, TUC Regional Council AGM yesterday (followed by my first ever visit to the Victoria & Albert Museum - which deserves a future post) and today, campaigning for Sadiq Khan as our Labour London Mayor and all London Assembly Labour candidates in West Ham ward. 

My ward Councillor colleague, John Whitworth and I (both of us UNISON members) did a double morning and afternoon canvass and street surgery in our ward, West Ham. 

The weather was wet in the beginning so we canvassed some of our low rise blocks, which meant lots of up and down communal stairs. Great exercise, who needs to join a gym if you are a Labour Party activist? In the later part of the afternoon the rain stopped and the sun came out which was lovely. The blossom may have largely gone but the greenery is very lush in the sunshine after rain. 

We had full English breakfasts for lunch at the Olympic cafe in West Ham Lane (we sneaked into Stratford ward). 

Highlights of the day was a long discussion with an elderly resident, who was originally from Latvia and by coincidence, I had watched last night a film called "The Rifleman", which was about the dreadful first world war (and aftermath) experiences of a Latvia soldier. The resident was an ethnic Russian, whose father had been a prisoner of war during world war 2. It was unclear due to language difficulties who his father was taken prisoner by.  

I took a wrong turn and got locked into a rear communal garden, where you needed a key to get out (which is a risk in these blocks) and had to be rescued by John W. 

We had 161 contacts and I had some very good political discussions on local and national issues. While I did not win everyone over to Labour, the response overall was very good. The depth of support and loyalty to the Labour Party by so many residents is simply humbling. 

St Georges Day 2024 - Message from Keir Starmer

"On behalf of the Labour Party, I wish everyone a happy St George’s Day.

Let us be proud of our national identity, confident on the world stage, and sure of our country’s future".

Keir Starmer

Rachel Reeves Explains Labour's New Deal For Working People

Hat tip TUC. Good stuff!

Thank you from UNISON & Good Luck to Jamie Dickinson in the Labour Party!

 

There was a lovely informal "leaving do" this evening in the Unison centre for our former UNISON activist and national officer, Jamie Dickinson (front centre) . Jamie supported our International and Labour Link Committees. He is leaving UNISON to join the Labour Party. 

I have known Jamie since he was a young activist in UNISON and lately, as a member of UNISON National Labour Link Committee, I  have appreciated his officer support to us and also his enormous everyday cheerfulness and enthusiasm. 

UNISON's loss is the Labour Party's gain. 

I have no doubt he will be doing more than his bit as a Labour staffer to win the next general election. 

It was great to see our former General Secretary, Dave Prentis here to thank and wish Jamie farewell. 

Under the Conservatives: Dentistry isn't working

Hat tip Labour Party & Ken Penton. A powerful image and caption

"Yesterday, hundreds of people desperate for an NHS dentist appointment queued for hours when a new practice opened in Bristol.After 14 years of Tory decline, this is the Britain we live in today. It's time for change.

Labour has a fully funded plan to rescue NHS dentistry with 700,000 emergency appointments and new dentists where they're needed the most".

100 years of Labour achievement: 1924-2024

"January 2024 is the 100th anniversary of the first ever Labour government.

In the election the previous month, Labour secured its best result up until that point, pushing the Liberals into third. The Conservatives failed to get an overall majority and Labour, tacitly supported by the Liberals, formed a minority government.

The men and women who formed Labour’s government included many of the greats who had led Labour in its first quarter-century. Ramsay MacDonald was Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary, Arthur Henderson the Home Secretary and Philip Snowden Chancellor of the Exchequer.

The election had also seen the election of the first three female Labour MPs: Margaret Bondfield, Dorothy Jewson and Susan Lawrence. Bondfield would later become the first female cabinet minister and the first woman to be a privy counsellor in the UK.

Although the first Labour government only lasted nine months, it achieved much, including the Wheatley Housing Act that saw half a million council homes built over the next decade. Labour also planned new and improved schools, improved pensions and benefits, and laid the foundations for the extension of voting rights to millions more.

Perhaps its greatest achievement was lasting as long as it did, brought down in the end by dirty tricks and lies in the press. Labour had proved it could be a party of government, competent in office and achieving results for working people. The political landscape in Britain had changed forever.

Since 1924, Labour governments have been beacons of progress and social justice. Through times of struggle, of conflict, of economic depression, it has been Labour that has fought for working people here and around the world. A Century of Progress". https://labour.org.uk/about-us/labours-legacy/a-century-of-progress-1924-2024/

LHG Annual General Meeting 2024 - Sat 9 March in Central London or virtual

(the Labour Housing Group is a "socialist society affiliated to the Labour Party we work within the movement, both nationally and locally, to develop and promote workable socialist housing policies through our members" - For Labour Party supporters). Dear LHG Member, We're delighted to invite you to our 2024 AGM on the 9th March, taking place in Camden, with an option to attend virtually. Timetable and agenda 10.45 - Coffee and registration for in-person meeting 10.50 - Online attendees join 11.00 Meeting starts 11.10 Keynote speakers (to be announced) 12.00 AGM business 12.45 Discussion of motions 1.15 Discussion: Campaign strategy for the General Election 2.00 End of meeting Keynote Speakers: Angela Rayner MP (Shadow Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing, and Communities, & Deputy Leader of the Labour Party) (Invited) Matthew Pennycook MP (Shadow Minister for Housing and Planning) (Invited) Motions Any paid-up member (individual or organisation) may submit a motion for discussion at the AGM. It should be no more than 200 words in length, and should be concerned with a contemporary topic that is relevant to the objectives of LHG. Please send any motions to the Secretary by Saturday 10th February. Any Other Business Please let the Secretary know if you have any other urgent items by Friday 2nd March. A link to register will be sent closer to the date"

 

 

Newham Voices: "East End Pubs" December 2023

 

I have finally got around to reading the December version of "Newham Voices". It has been a busy few weeks.  Lots of good stuff about politics and planning but my eye was caught about this review by Phil Mellows, of a new book called "East End Pubs". 

I agree with Phil that it is a shame that the book is only confirmed to pubs in Tower Hamlets and Hackney (I have worked in Towers Hamlets for 30 years, so know a few of their pubs as well). The Newham pub gems mentioned are all my favourites (especially the Eddies and Black Lion). 

Tonight, I had some different drinks and a great meal in a Bulgarian bar/cafe in Stratford High Street called Rodina-2, with Labour Party comrades, John Saunders and John Whitworth (we are known in West Ham as the "Three Johns").   

I genuinely wonder, that if in the future it survives, the Rodina-2 , will eventually be recognised as the latest version of a traditional "East End" pub? I hope so. 

Labour Unions Christmas Shop

I have just ordered a "Labour New Deal for Working People" mug for Christmas. Check out other gifts https://labourunions-shop.org.uk/

 "Dear John,

With Christmas almost upon us, a reminder that our Labour Unions Campaign Shop carries a range of gifts for the trade unionist in your life.

Whether they’d prefer to drink their coffee out of a New Deal for Working People mug, or if they’d rather their tea to declare Never Cross a Picket Line, we’ve got you covered.

Or perhaps one of our New Deal posters will hit the spot.

Head over to our Labour Unions shop for all the solidarity stocking fillers you might need.

labourunions.org.uk/campaignshop

Yours in festive solidarity,

Helen and Robbie"

The EastEnders Effect. Episode 28: Representation in the East End

It is a bit long but a fascinating interview by my (he lives in my ward that I serve as a Councillor and is also a UNISON member) constituent, Ade Adeyemi, of my UNISON comrade, Joseph Ogundemuren. Joseph  speaks from the heart about growing up as a working class black male in an East London Council estate from immigrant parents. His experiences as a mega UNISON activist and rep, as a homeless charity trustee in Newham and also a Labour Party Councillor in next door Hackney wick. 

Joseph makes it clear that he would like to be a MP and that there is likely to be a selection process soon for the new West Ham and Beckton seat.... Watch this space. 

East Ham Newham Voices - By Elections Hustings

 

Yesterday morning I went to the hustings in East Ham Library organised by Newham Voices. Picture is of Labour Candidate for Boleyn Ward, Sofia Patel (Stephanie Garfield, Wall End Labour candidate was unable to attend) telling it as it is on - fly tipping, sex education, hate speech, housing, policing and diversity. 

I admit that I am biased but I genuinely thought that Sofia was head and shoulders above everyone else on the panel. Dispite a rather vile sexist and anti working class question directed at her by those who claim to be pro equality (aka posh middle class white Green male's) that since she worked for the Labour Party she must be a Personal Assistant. However, she kept her cool and answered this and some other unpleasant attack questions with dignity, passion and great skill. 

Many thanks to Newham Voices for organising this event and to all the candidates and all residents who attended (even the sexist bigots, who hopefully learnt some things - probably not).

I hope that there is a good turnout this Thursday 13 July, at the two by elections and we must let the People of Wall End and Boleyn wards decide (but don't forget to bring your photo ID!)

Fathers Day 2023

Today is always a little difficult for me (and no doubt my sisters Helen and Lucy) despite it being over 21 years since we lost our father, John Gray, in 2002. 

Picture from his Labour Party election leaflet for Buckley Town Council in late 1950's.

But I do get great joy at all my family and friends who genuinely celebrate or remember their Fathers on this day. 

Nuf said.

A Leader Called Keir

"A brilliant video from our President, Richard Leonard MSP" https://www.keirhardiesociety.org/