Trade Union Phonebank. Join the calls for change!☎️

 

Back from visit to North Wales (mostly related to family issues) and now home in East London and ready for the fray. 

I hope to attend this Labour Unions for Labour phone bank TRADE UNION PHONEBANK – MONDAY 10 JUNE, 6-8PM | Labour Unions and organise others for London UNISON Labour Link members (and of course West Ham and Beckton)

LabourUnions

@labourunionsuk

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Trade Union Phonebank. Join the calls for change! The #NewDeal for Working People only happens if we win a Labour Government. Let’s win it together. June 10 6-8 PM Central London Limited spots!

No one voted for this.

Well said. Johnson withdrew probably because the economy is in such a mess and Truss is well gone but let no one forget that while Rishi is thankfully competent, he is a right wing rich posh boy. 

We need a General Election now but since Turkeys do not vote for Christmas then it seems very unlikely any time soon. But after recent political events who knows...

"We need grown ups in charge of the country. We need a general election"

 

"Not only did Truss trash the economy, she trashed the Tories’ own economic record of the last 12 years. But this isn’t about the Conservative party, this is about the country. We need grown ups in charge of the country. We need a general election".

Well said UNISON General Secretary Christina McAnea.

 https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m001d7z4/sunday-with-laura-kuenssberg-16102022

West Ham Labour informal social - good to meet up again

 

Picture from an informal social of West Ham CLP members that I happened to have in my phone's contact list. Apologies for those I missed out on the invitation. Let me know for next time. 

There was about 25 members who came and went. As you would expect for August, I had a number of apologies from members on their holidays. 

 It was really nice to meet up again after so long (first Covid and then the suspension of the Newham CLPs for membership irregularities & other matters)

We will meet up next month (and Labour Party conference?) in a restaurant or for a BBQ? 

I think that apart from it being so nice to meet socially, everyone is aware that there could be a general election announced in the next couple of weeks (unlikely but probably sooner rather than later). 

West Ham CLP use to be able to send scores and scores of experienced teams of canvassers to London and other Labour Party marginals during past General Elections. We have to win the next General Election, whenever it happens and we need to mobilise and organise our activists to get out there and campaign for a Labour victory. 

An election is coming, make sure you're registered

"Before you can change anything, you need to vote and before you vote you need to register!"

130 years of West Ham North MP's

Hat tip to excellent local history website "E7 Now & Then" for a fascinating and topical post on the MPs who have served the Forest Gate part of West Ham North.

Amazing that we once had an Austro-Hungarian Baron as our MP,  another who was responsible for getting the elderly a state pension and one  who called his local Labour Party (that had deselected him) "100 per cent Trotskyist, Militancy Tendency, Communist and IRA supporters".

"If we had AV last year there could have been a Labour LibDem Government"

This morning while listening (yet again) to "Today" on the way into work, they interviewed John Curtice, professor of politics at the University of Strathclyde. He number crunched that if we had AV in the last election, there could have been a Labour led Coalition government. Presumably, at the expense of Tories MP’s .

In 1997 he claimed that there would have been an even bigger majority for Labour under AV

I actually think that no-one really know how the Great British Public will actually vote in a AV election. Asking people for the last 20 years who are their second preference is not that useful if you have a First Past the Post system in place. If voter’s thought that their second preference vote actually meant something - this could change peoples voting behaviour.

I cannot see at all what is wrong with the principle that every single MP is supported by at least 50% of voters?

While, if like me, you think there is a progressive majority in this country, who when presented with credible progressive parties and policies they would (usually) support them. Then I think the case for AV is unanswerable.

A Labour led Coalition with the “Orange Book” Liberal Democrats such as Clegg would have been a nightmare at times but when compared to this horrible reactionary Government, which is hell bent on destroying our public services and our welfare state, then the choice I think is clear.

Vote Labour and Yes to AV.

Of course. In my opinion. For what it is worth.

Labour Manifesto 2010: A Future Fair for All

Labour Matters – General election called and Brown's Ale consumed

The General election campaign is now officially “on” at long, long last. To celebrate I went off after work and delivered local Labour ward leaflets in some pretty well managed tower blocks in West Ham which have recently been refurbished and brought up to the “decent homes” standards.

As I walked through the estate you had to acknowledge the local top class sports and leisure facilities provided for local people by a Labour government, a Labour Council and local Labour councillors. If the Tories had been in power these past 13 years these communities and housing would have just been left to the market and rot.

See photos from the 21st floor of the historic West Ham Church to the east and Gotham city to the west. There must be some deep symbolism in these pictures somewhere.

The local Council election campaigns in London and elsewhere are already in full swing. I understand that there will be elections in around 50% of England and Wales Councils on the same day as the general election which I suspect will be good for voter turnout and good for us.

At work today there was some gentle teasing from colleagues about the election and who they will be voting for but this was mostly at my expense (as usual!). I guess that given the work that we do and the very high density of UNISON Labour Link levy payers they will be pretty solid Labour.

As the West Ham CLP agent and a local Labour candidate (details to follow next week) I will be just a little bit busy over the next few weeks so blogging will be reduced and comments probably not responded to that quickly (if at all).

I suppose I could have called this post something edgy such as “Game On!” or “Down with the Tory Posh Boys Party” but I decided to use “Labour matters” since this election is so important not only the Party but the whole wider Labour movement. The damage done to the movement and ordinary working class people, pupils and pensioners by the election of another Tory government would be immense and devastating.

We should win this election. We have been right from the get-go on how to save the economy from a depression while saving jobs and homes; we have put real money in the pockets and purses of pensioners and the low paid; built literally thousands of new schools, hospitals and Sure Start centres and employed hundreds of thousands of new front line nurses, teaching assistants, Police staff and carers. We don’t yet live in Nirvana and probably never will but Labour has delivered. We need to build on these achievements and do more.

To mark the occasion I am now quaffing my “Nick” bottle of Newcastle Brown('s) Ale that I obtained here last week. In the early hours of May 7th I plan to toast the Labour victory by consuming my “Gordon” bottle of Newky Brown.

Can’t wait!

Petition: Don’t hold an Election Until 2010

"We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to Not Hold a General election before 2010".

"In order to have the time to fully implement its manifesto commitments and fulfil its electoral mandate the Prime Minister should consider waiting until 2010 before holding a general election".

In response to Tory spam on this blog (and others) to sign the Petition at the 10 Downing Street site calling for a “general election in 2007”, I have created the above petition. It was rejected once for being “political” and having “duplicates” so I have had to change it. It was approved this afternoon and so far it has one signature on it – Me!

http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/GenElection2010/

and the answer to the question is no, I haven’t got anything better to do…..

Harriet Rallies Labour Red Army

Harriet gave a rousing speech at the end of conference today. Psyching the activists up for a snap general election? I simply don’t know. As I left Bournemouth this afternoon, many people thought it “likely”, especially if the Tories mess up their conference next week with internal rows and division.

Tactically it does make sense, as everyone in the Labour movement at this moment is united and confident (for admittedly different reasons), the economy is going OK and Gordon is clearly ahead in the polls.

Highlight of today was Housing minister, Yvette Cooper’s, speech when she was given a standing ovation at the end of it. As the Chair, Keith Vaz said afterwards - it was the first time in 25 years that he has seen a Labour conference give a Housing minister such acclaim! That remark made Dennis Skinner MP laugh – first time I had seen him do that during the entire conference.

Steve Warwick from UNISON Labour Link gave a well received speech on affordable housing as well.

I’ll do some more posts later on the conference which was great fun and politically stimulating. As was said again today – Politics matters.