Libel Reform Celebration

Last Wednesday evening I was invited to take part in an event organised by the Libel Reform campaigners to celebrate the Defamation Act which received Royal Assent in April.

This Act has been achieved very much against the odds and is a real victory for free speech, reasoned argument and citizen power.

It has still not been "enacted" and there are concerns that much of the detail on regulations and procedures have not been clarified. Also Northern Ireland needs to ensure that citizens have the same protection as elsewhere. But the Libel Reform campaign has been incredibly successful in such a short period of time (2009). There is still more to do of course.

I met my old blogging mucker, fellow Labour Party loyalist and Libel Survivor Dave Osler in the Betsey Trotwood Pub beforehand. At the event (next door at the Free Word Centre in Farringdon, London) itself we met up with Alex Hilton (see photo right) and Libel freedom fighters David Allen Green,  Robert Dougans and Nick Cohen.

After the event we retired back to the Betsey to continue putting our world to rights. Interestingly, Dave Osler is going to provide me with evidence that Trotsky was actually all the long a mixed economy reformist - just like me :)

(sorry picture is a little flat but surprisingly cannot find anything better on internet to pinch)

London UNISON Labour Link says "Happy 30th" to Jeremy

At the recent meeting of London UNISON Labour Link, Islington North MP Jeremy Corbyn came to give us his regular Parliamentary report. 

We ambushed him with a "Congratulations" card celebrating the 30th anniversary of his election as an MP. 

UNISON also sponsored a Party held last Sunday at his constituency.

Branch Outreach Worker Job Advert

Salary: £33,440 (+ £4947 London weighting) and 1% pay rise from July 2013

Hours: 35 hours - 3 month Fixed term contract (may last longer)

Job location: North London base (N7)

Reference number:

Job description: UNISON is the biggest trade union for people working in housing. Our members work in housing associations, trusts, groups and co-ops in the London and South East area. UNISON Housing Associations Branch has around 3200 members working in social housing in the Greater London Area. Our members work for over 180 employers. We have 11 workplaces with over 100 members, and many other workplaces with smaller groups of members. We organise and represent all staff, whatever post they hold. We recruit in every group of workers; Support Workers, Team Leaders, Housing Officers, Cleaners, Housing Managers. UNISON recruits temporary and agency workers. Sixty seven per cent of branch members are women. We have over 100 elected local representatives. We are recruiting for a Branch Outreach Worker. The overall aims of the job are: Delivering casework and development support in equal measure to the Housing Associations Branch, showing flexibility in responding to varying peaks in demand; Providing advice to and representing members of the Housing Associations Branch, where there is no local representative or where the local representative requires additional support; Referring cases on to the UNISON Regional Officer where a legal opinion is sought; Recruiting members to the Housing Associations Branch; Recruiting, developing and training Stewards and other activists; Negotiating with employers on behalf of UNISON members; Implementing Branch Development Plan; and advising Branch Officers on recruitment strategies and difficulties.

Closing date: 28 Jun 2013 17:00

Contact for more information: Interviews: TBC but likely to be in week starting 8 July 2013. For an application form, job description and person specification email info@unisonhablondon.org or contact UNISON Housing Associations Branch, Resource for London, 356 Holloway Road, London N7 6PA. (TUC vacancies Website)

The quiet & retiring Pete Willsman speaks to West Ham GC

Each month West Ham Labour Party invites a guest political speaker to our General Committee meeting. All party members are also invited to attend (non voting).

Our speaker last month was the secretary of the Campaign for Labour Party Democracy (CLPD) Pete Willsman.

It is the 40th anniversary of the CLPD. He promoted the 3 websites that they run including Left Futures. Which he claimed was not only for "lefties" but admitted that not many contributors were from Progress!  Mind you he praised Peter Mandelson for his loyalty to the Party.

He promoted CLPD rule changes for the 2013 Labour Party conference including making political levy payers full members of the Party (they use to be), an electoral collage to elect local Labour Group leaders, the Party should have an independent ombudsman to investigate complaints and the right of members to select who are their Parliamentary candidates.

Pete predicted that after the next general election there may be a split in political parties and that Cameron Tories, Orange Book Liberals and Progress will break away and join up together. He finished his barnstorming speech by asking the Blarities currently criticising the Party to all "shut their mouths"!

Pete gave a hugely entertaining, tub thumping and colourful speech which demonstrated his lifelong passion and commitment to the Party even though I am not that sure how many in the room he persuaded to actually join up.

(Picture Pete, Chair Charlene and Ali G)

A message to London UNISON members of the Labour Party

Dear John

UNISON London Labour Link is supporting Sanchia Alasia and Ivana Bartoletti in the London wide MEP ballot for the following reasons:

Sanchia Alasia

·Will use her campaigning experience of defeating the London Regional Coordinator of the BNP, Robert Bailey in Barking, to defeat the far right across Europe

·Is determined to defend and strengthen the social Europe agenda, building on the victories of part time and agency workers rights to get a better deal for hard working Londoners

·Has been an active campaigner for equality and workers rights for the past seven years

Ivana Bartoletti

·Has an optimistic vision for Britain in Europe. She does not accept the Tory and UKIP narrative of Europe in decline, and will fight for reform, jobs and growth.

·Has spent over a decade with the European Left, and at every level: on the doorstep for Labour, working with women to organise the fight back, and with Labour sister parties, at both grassroots and the heart of government.

·Is proud of her Labour values, and to have made her career in the NHS. As MEP, she would take Labour values to Brussels and help give London the partner there that it needs.

It is really crucial that UNISON members vote in this ballot to rank candidates from 1 to 6 to determine their order on the list. The London region needs strong voices in Europe, people with the drive and determination to work with the trade unions in Europe on equality and employment issues. With the experience and skill of Sanchia and Ivana, they will be able to make very positive differences and will be proactive MEPs for London, representing the interest of ordinary workers at the European level.

We urge UNISON and Labour party members to support Sanchia and Ivana in the ballot.

With best wishes

Linda Perks

Regional Secretary, UNISON Greater London Region

P.S you can get in touch with the candidates using the details below:

Sanchia Alasia Email: sanchia4europe@yahoo.co.uk Twitter: @sanchia4europe #sanchia4mep Facebook: facebook.com/sanchia4labour Website: www.sanchiaalasia.com

Ivana Bartoletti Email: ivana4mep@ivanabartoletti.co.uk Twitter: @ivanabartoletti #ivana4mep Facebook: facebook.com/Ivana4mep Website: www.ivanabartoletti.co.uk

NHS is safe under the Tories?

No its not.

Right wing plonker, "idiot" and moron Alex Jones on BBC Sunday Politics

By chance this morning I watched live the American radio "Shock Jock" Alex Jones make an utter fool of himself and his kind on the the BBC Sunday Politics Show. Jones is a complete and utter moronic "conspiracy theorist".

He even makes the other guest on the show, controversial London Times columnist David Aaronovitch seem moderate, sensible and reasonable!

I don't think I have ever agreed with presenter Andrew Neil either but today I did agree that he had an "idiot" for a guest.

What is wrong with these people? I suspect that it is nothing to do with the issue in hand but all about "bigging" themselves up and feeding their gigantic egos. Vulnerable people with similar personality disorders are just their fodder.

Not sure in a free society what we can do about it? I suspect nothing but just treat them all as just plain stupid dipsticks. I believe in free speech and understand being stupid is not catching, so who really cares what they say I suppose?

RIP Emily Wilding Davison 100th Anniversary

 















The 4th June was the 100th anniversary of the death of Suffragette Emily Davison who stepped in front of the Kings horse at the Epsom Derby in 1913. Hat tip video Captain Swing.

Newham Councillors Bike Ride

The picture collage is from this mornings bicycle ride of Newham Councillors and local residents which was led by members of the London Cycling Campaign (LCC). I think there was in total 14 Newham Councillors that turned up for the ride which started at the View Tube cafe which overlooks the Olympic Park in Stratford.

The ride had been organised by Newham Cycling Tzar, Cllr David Christie.  The weather was lovely (as it always is in Newham of course) and cycling around the beautiful waterways and historic buildings of our borough was great fun and fasinating.

I had cycled into work from Forest Gate to Bow for over 10 years and I had thought that I knew all the good cycling routes but I was totally wrong.

We ended up at with tea and coffee at the "Docklands Community Boat" in Cody Dock (named incredibly after American cowboy and showman Buffalo Bill).

I think that Newham has a fantastic future not only a place that people want to work, live and stay but also visit, explore and enjoy.

I will post more pictures on Facebook next. Update: Check link here for album.

Ed Miliband Speech on One Nation Social Security at Newham Dockside

Yesterday I was at the Newham Council Dockside building to hear the keynote speech by Labour Leader, Ed Miliband on "One Nation Social Security" (it's not to be called "welfare" anymore).

The backdrop behind Ed is London City airport and (out of photo) the Tate and Lyle sugar factory. Local and London wide residents, Councillors and journalists were present as was our MPs Lyn Brown and Steve Timms, as well as local London Assembly member, John Biggs.

Newham Mayor, Robin Wales, welcomed and introduced Ed as our next Prime Minister, who in turn was very complimentary about all the good things being done by the Flagship Labour Council in Newham.

You can check out the full speech on Labourlist here but I will concentrate on some of the things I found particularly interesting.

Ed reminded us that "Labour", the clue is in the name, is the Party of work and that social security spending went up more under recent Tory government than new Labour because we got people into work.  Labour made work pay by introducing tax credits. Just because there is a small minority who don't want to work - there is a far greater majority who are simply desperate for work.

He spoke about the people who work hard, long, long hours but who live in poverty due to low wages. If a local authority can demand that its contractors can pay a living wage why can't a private company do the same?

For every pound that employers pay above the minimum wage towards a living wage, government would save 50 pence in lower tax credits and benefits and higher revenues.

We can’t afford to pay billions on ever-rising rents, when we should be building homes to bring down the bill. Thirty years ago for every £100 we spent on housing, £80 was invested in bricks and mortar and £20 was spent on housing benefit. Today, for every £100 we spend on housing, just £5 is invested in bricks and mortar and £95 goes on housing benefit.

He also I think appealed to "white van man" by arguing that the self employed and others should get more national insurance benefits depending on how long they have been contributing. Which I think is a very attractive policy politically (which the Tories may well nick - the problem for Labour of announcing policies 2 years before an election)

His key argument is only Labour can tackle the growing cost of social security because only Labour will deal with the underlying causes. Labour will get people into work and off unemployment benefits, increase real wages and shift from housing "benefits to building".  Good stuff Ed.

My question to Ed was that it great to hear his plans on the living wage to tackle employers who pay poverty wages but surely there is a logic that there should be a living pension and sickness benefits as well? Since while it would be marvellous if everyone had a living wage, if people then retire and have no living pension, they will be in poverty again and the taxpayer will have to make up the difference? He gave a cautious response about the need to investigate further around the whole living wage issue.

Overall, even though I had reservations about some issues I was convinced by many of the arguments and felt this was really a clever thoughtful speech of real substance.

Hat tip picture Cllr Ayesha Chowdhury.