Remember the dead but fight for the living

Yesterday was International Workers Memorial Day.  London UNISON Regional Health and Safety committee marked the occasion in two ways. 

Firstly we remembered those who had been killed at work or who had died from work related ill health by holding a minute’s silence at noon before the start of our Safety network meeting.  Secondly we had invited trade union solicitors Thompsons to give a legal presentation and Q&A to the network meeting on “Risk Assessments”.

“Risk assessments” are key to ensuring safety at work.  I will post on this excellent presentation when I get sent the handout (we ran out of copies). 

The London UNISON Safety network is a meeting of elected regional committee members and branch health and safety officers.   All branch health and safety officer should get invites via their branch.

Later that day at the very successful West Ham Labour Party AV debate (which I will post on next) our local MP Lyn Brown kindly donated a Bottle of House of Commons Whiskey to be used as a raffle prize for a health & safety charity.   She will get some senior politicians to sign the bottle while I work out the best way to hold the raffle and maximise the money raised.

Today is Workers' Memorial Day: Cuts Cost Lives

Don't forget to stop for a minute at noon today and remember those who have been killed at work or have died of work related diseases or ill-health. 

Check out Workers Memorial Day and details of UK events at the TUC website. 

It is also an important campaigning day on health and safety and to protect the living.

The TUC is encouraging unions to use Workers Memorial Day on 28th April to campaign against the cuts in HSE and local authority funding and enforcement activity.

Previous post and links are here

London asked to help give Cameron and Clegg a "savage" Council election beating

In London there are no local elections this year. UNISON Greater London have distributed the following list of 11 target Council's in areas surrounding London.  So, if you want to send a real message to Cameron and Clegg about what you think of their "savage" Cuts, their attempts to privatise our NHS and to destroy our welfare state. Then get out and mobilise the vote against Tory and Liberal Democrat Councillors in these target seats.

If these CONDEM Councils get completely smashed on May 5th then this will make the local Tory and Lib dem MP's think again about the Cuts. If the defeats are really deep and profound then think "rats and sinking ships" - a real election beating may even help result in this Coalition's well deserved early demise. Even if you don't usually support Labour you can see this makes political sense. So if you live in London and really hate what this government is doing and want to do something positive and practical to oppose it, then get yourself out there and help defeat them on May 5th.

5 MAY 2011 LOCAL ELECTIONS

TARGET SEATS OUTSIDE LONDON

"On 5 May local elections will be taking place outside London. UNISON's objective is to sustain our anti public sector cuts campaign by defeating Tory and Lib Dem councillors and returning Labour controlled Councils where we can. Eleven target Councils have been identified in surrounding areas where I would encourage activists and members to volunteer some time to help campaign to defeat the Lib Dem and Tory Councillors who currently hold those Councils.

The list of 11 target Councils is attached along with the contact details for the local campaign organisers. Please cascade this request for volunteers encouraging them to give up a few hours of their time to ensure that Labour is successful in these elections. 

Council area linked	Reg	Name	Phone	email
Bedford	East	Lou King	01234 272472	louisejacksonking@gmail.com
Brighton and Hove	South East	Paul Barlow	07966 260262	paulbarlow@me.com
dover	South East	Paul Harrington	07545 421412	paul_harrington@new.labour.org.uk
Gravesham	South East	Simon Wady	07843 344318	simon_wady@new.labour.org.uk
Harlow	East	Charlie Cochrane	01279 625870	charmal@ntlworld.com
Luton	East	Francis Steer	01582 730764	francis-steer@luton-labour.org.uk
Reading	South East	Ben Zielinski	07743 595426	benzielinski@gmail.com
Stevenage	East	Joseph Sherry	01279 625860	joe_sherry@new.labour.org.uk
Thanet	South East	Michelle Fenner	07766 452552	mhfenner@gmail.com
Thurrock	East	Richard Speight	07794 307840	rspeight@gmail.com
Watford	East	Steve Cox	07505 843553	steve.cox2@virgin.net

Picture basin of gravy

RIP Poly Styrene - "Punks' First Lady"

I'm not sure that Poly Styrene of X-Ray Spex (Marianne Joan Elliott-Said 3 July 1957 – 25 April 2011) would have been all that pleased with the "first lady" label.  Farewell Poly and thank you and your comtempories for the sheer glorious pleasure your music has given me over the years. 

Those were the days when songs had proper tunes and lyrics you could sort of understand (but not admittedly make much sense of)
:)

FAIL! New campaign video - Vote YES for fairer votes on May 5

This morning I've sent off my postal ballot and voted "Yes".   This new campaign video by Yes2AV makes the case in a short and effective way on why AV just makes sense. 

I have responded to comments made on my previous post that if we had AV last year we could have had a Labour Lib Dem Government with this updated quotation “the worst day of a Labour led  Government is better than the best day of a Tory one”.

Remember there is a progressive majority in this country.  Why else are the Tories opposed?

ps don't forget the Alternative Vote Debate at UEL Stratford, E15

"The Labour Party AV Debate is taking place on Thursday 28th April between John Denham MP for YES and Margaret Beckett MP for NO. It is being held at the University of East London Stratford Campus, Room CC101, Computer and Conference Building, The Green (off Water Lane), London E15 4LZ. Doors are open at 7pm for a 7.30 start. The venue is about 15 minutes from Stratford tube station, 5 minutes from Maryland station and can be accessed by a number of buses along Romford Road. The event is being organised by West Ham CLP and Lyn Brown MP.  It is sponsored by UNISON Labour Link. All Labour Party members and affiliates are welcome".

Tossa de Mar

Off message-ish homily rather than homage to a relaxing short break in Tossa De Mar, Costa Brava, Catalan. The resort is famous for its medieval walls around the old town and sandy beaches. It is also far more popular with locals than Brits and other northern Europeans.  I last visited the town about 15 years ago and I was pleased to see it had hardly changed and it was as pretty and pleasant as I remembered.  

Some fantastic free walking maps from the local tourist information office. Along the coast (1 hr) and the hills behind the town (no shops so take all the water and snacks needed - 4 hrs). The route descriptions and way marks (see red and white strips in picture) are a little unclear at times but you should not get lost if you take your time at junctions. A less successful walk (supposed to be 3.5 hrs but took 4.5 hrs) from Tossa to Lloret spent too much time walking past endless holiday and retirement bungalows although the final couple of km along the coastal path was magnificent and made up for it. The wild spring flowers found everywhere were simply gorgeous.

As usual avoid the fixed price menus at the seafront restaurants like the plague. The better value ones tend to be the furthest away from the front. I would however recommend watching the sun go down with a cold beer from the bar in the old town overlooking the walls and the beach. During the civil war a British destroyer took off foreign nationals trapped by the fighting from this beach. 

What is striking and a joy to behold is the Catalan love of their family and especially children. The grumpy and officious bus driver who refused to let us on the bus 2 minutes early then held up the queue of passengers while he made a number of attempts (unsuccessful) to make a toddler smile. On the journey itself another passenger spent most of the trip trying (equally unsuccessfully) to persuade the child that he had stolen his nose. In a restaurant a teenage girl at a family meal completely unconsciously loudly kissed and hugged her grandmother. Dogs are numerous and also clearly adored. I had thought this was a particularly British canine love affair. The near constant cacophony of barking dogs is seemingly ignored. In London this would have resulted in at the threat of an ASBO! As for the Catalan’s loving football; try finding a bar or restaurant that didn’t have a massive TV on as loud as possible when local team Barcelona played on Wednesday evening (alas impossible)

Goggling Tossa I was pleased that I had a sort of excuse not to have gone swimming (the sea was freezing) by finding this report.

Btw for the avoidance of any doubt the title of this blog is no geographic reference whatsoever to any other (unison) blogger :)

3 Companies Project Awards

Organising, organising, organising...our new trade union mantra, especially in the outsourced private sector. The initial joint UNISON/SEIU 3 Companies project is now over. The self organising stage is next.

Good to see Bob Oram speaking (standing for re-election to NEC in North West region)

(Actually its always been about organising).

Socialism Free Purity Pledge

I'm back.  Came across this "pledge" here.  It reminds me of this.  Enjoy....

"For the Tea Party crowd, other socialists and I invite them to take the pledge and spread it around at every event they may hold.
I, ________________________, do solemnly swear to uphold the principles of a socialism-free society and heretofore pledge my word that I shall strictly adhere to the following:

I will complain about the destruction of 1st Amendment Rights in this country, while I am duly being allowed to exercise my 1st Amendment Rights.

I will complain about the destruction of my 2nd Amendment Rights in this country, while I am duly being allowed to exercise my 2nd Amendment rights by legally but brazenly brandishing unconcealed firearms in public.

I will foreswear the time-honored principles of fairness, decency, and respect by screaming unintelligible platitudes regarding tyranny, Nazi-ism, and socialism at public town halls. Also.

I pledge to eliminate all government intervention in my life. I will abstain from the use of and participation in any socialist goods and services including but not limited to the following:

* Social Security
* Medicare/Medicaid
* State Children’s Health Insurance Programs (SCHIP)
* Police, Fire, and Emergency Services
* US Postal Service
* Roads and Highways
* Air Travel (regulated by the socialist FAA)
* The US Railway System
* Public Subways and Metro Systems
* Public Bus and Lightrail Systems
* Rest Areas on Highways
* Sidewalks
* All Government-Funded Local/State Projects
* Public Water and Sewer Services
* Public and State Universities and Colleges
* Public Primary and Secondary Schools
* Sesame Street
* Publicly Funded Anti-Drug Use Education for Children
* Public Museums
* Libraries
* Public Parks and Beaches
* State and National Parks
* Public Zoos
* Unemployment Insurance
* Municipal Garbage and Recycling Services
* Treatment at Any Hospital or Clinic That Ever Received Funding From Local, State or Federal Government
* Medical Services and Medications That Were Created or Derived From Any Government Grant or Research Funding
* Socialist Byproducts of Government Investment Such as Duct Tape and Velcro
* Use of the Internets, email, and networked computers, as the DoD’s ARPANET was the basis for subsequent computer networking
* Foodstuffs, Meats, Produce and Crops That Were Grown With, Fed With, Raised With or That Contain Inputs From Crops Grown With Government Subsidies
* Clothing Made from Crops (e.g. cotton) That Were Grown With or That Contain Inputs From Government Subsidies
If a veteran of the government-run socialist US military, I will forego my VA benefits and insist on paying for my own medical care
I will not tour socialist government buildings like the Capitol in Washington, D.C.
I pledge to never take myself, my family, or my children on a tour of the following types of socialist locations, including but not limited to:
* Smithsonian Museums such as the Air and Space Museum or Museum of American History
* The socialist Washington, Lincoln, and Jefferson Monuments
* The government-operated Statue of Liberty given to us by the French
* The Grand Canyon
* The socialist World War II and Vietnam Veterans Memorials
* The government-run socialist-propaganda location known as Arlington National Cemetery
* All other public-funded socialist sites, whether it be in my state or in Washington, DC
I will urge my Member of Congress and Senators to forego their government salary and government-provided healthcare.
I will oppose and condemn the government-funded and therefore socialist military of the United States of America.
I will boycott the products of socialist defense contractors such as GE, Lockheed-Martin, Boeing, Northrop Grumman, General Dynamics, Raytheon, Humana, FedEx, General Motors, Honeywell, and hundreds of others that are paid by our socialist government to produce goods for our socialist army.
I will protest socialist security departments such as the Pentagon, FBI, CIA, Department of Homeland Security, TSA, Department of Justice and their socialist employees.
Upon reaching eligible retirement age, I will tear up my socialist Social Security checks.
Upon reaching age 65, I will forego Medicare and pay for my own private health insurance until I die.

SWORN ON A BIBLE AND SIGNED THIS DAY OF __________ IN THE YEAR ___.
_____________ _________________________

Signed Printed Name/Town or City"

Intermission

Taking a break from blogging for a bit. Back soon.

My filled out London Community UNISON NEC ballot paper 2011 - hint, hint

Most UNISON members will have different ballot papers depending upon their region and service group.  The trotskyists (aka the splitters and wreckers) are apparently too ashamed this time to call themselves "united left" anymore and are trying to pretend they are not (in my view) ultra left extremists. 

As a rule of thumb if in any election statement you find WE ARE SO VERY, VERY ANGRY...WE WANT TO STRIKE ALL THE TIME... FIGHT EVERYONE WHO DOES NOT AGREE WITH US...END UP WITH YET ANOTHER GLORIOUS DEFEAT then they are what they are....

 Check LONDON SEATS advice here

These are my recommendations for National Health Care Seats: James Anthony (General Seat), Eric Roberts (Male Seat), Ann Moses(Women's Seat) & Christine Sullivan, (Women's Seat)There are two women's seats

National Higher Education Seats: Alison Shepherd (Women's Seat)

National Local Government Seats: Peter Crews,(General Seat) Paul Gilroy, (Male Seat) Lynne Poulton, (Women's Seat) and Julie Robindon (Woemn's Seat)There are two women's seats

National Young Members Seat: Graham Smith

National Black Members Seats: Mark Clifford (male seat), Liz Cameron (Women's seat), Gilly Anglin-Jarrett (Women's seat)
There are two women's seat.