Le Chant des Partisans

"The piece was written and put to melody in London in 1943 after Anna Marly heard a Russian song that provided her with inspiration. Joseph Kessel and Maurice Druon wrote the French lyrics. It was performed by Anna Marly, broadcast by the BBC and adopted by the maquis. The lyrics of the song revolve around the idea of a life-or-death struggle for national liberation, and they also carry elements of a communist political message (for example, calling upon the workers and peasants to rise up).
After the war the Chant des Partisans was so popular, it was proposed as a new national anthem for France. It became for a short while the unofficial national anthem, next to the official La Marseillaise"

Hat tip Captain Swing 

West Ham Labour Party Christmas Quiz – Fri 5 December

Hat tip Julianne at West Ham Labour blog. "Our Christmas social and quiz is back by popular demand. Quizmasters, Conor and Dianne, will be testing us again with a new twist on ‘guess the crisp flavour’ (and plenty of other questions) and as we had such a brilliant feast last year we’re again asking you to bring along food to share.

We’ll be starting from 7:30pm, with the quiz beginning about 8pm (but you can arrive any time and still take part). And don’t worry if you don’t know many other people – you’ll be able to join a team on the night.

There’s no charge for our Christmas social – but we will be very much encouraging you to buy lots of raffle tickets.

Family and friends are very welcome and if you’re able to let us know you’re coming that would be really helpful (but don’t worry if you haven’t – please still turn up and join us).

Just to recap:

When: 7.30pm Friday 5 December (but you can join us anytime).

Where: Vicarage Lane Community Centre, Glovier Close, E15 4HW

What: Chatting and catching up, Christmas quiz, raffle and lots of lovely food

Look forward to seeing you there".

Motion on "Union Busting in the UK Housing Association and Charitable Sector"

This motion to our National Service Group conference was passed by Greater London UNISON Housing Association Executive last week.

It is of course completely unacceptable for any employer to attack the human rights and freedoms of their workers.  The fact that in the UK this attack is being joined by a tiny number of rogue Housing Associations and so called "charities" is shaming the whole sector and bringing it into disrepute.

The branch will also be seeing if we can get this motion sent to as many Councils and other public bodies as possible and even the Labour Party conference next year. Enough is enough. If these employers won't respect human rights and accountability then they are simply not fit to receive any form of public money or support.

"This conference notes:-

That a small number of Housing associations and other Charities in our sector are openly hostile to trade unions, carry out American style anti union practices and refuse to recognise trade unions.

The right of free assembly and collective bargaining is a fundamental human right enshrined in international law. Any failure by any employer to honour these rights with regard to trade unions means they do not respect human rights.

We note that most Housing Associations are also registered charities and should share a similar social ethos with regard to good governance and respecting human rights.

Organisations which do not treat their staff with respect will not treat their clients or residents with respect either.

Replacing free and democratic trade unions with internal “staff associations” is historically a central plank of the philosophy called corporatism which has direct links with far right political groups in the UK and abroad.

The sector as a whole is still hugely dependent on public procurement and funding, direct or indirect, while at the same time paying its senior management huge amounts of money.

Many supporters of national charities would be horrified to find out that these charities refuse to recognise or engage with independent trade unions.

There is a huge reputational and financial risk to the whole sector by charities engaging in such anti-trade union busting.

This Conference Calls on the Service Group Executive to:-

Actively support and help campaign against union busting by Housing Associations and Charities.

Draw up a campaign plan on how to organise in Community organisations that we do not currently have trade union recognition.

Call upon Labour Link to examine whether local Councils and a future Labour Government should debar any organisation that does not recognise trade unions from access to public funding.

Call upon the Government to hold an independent public enquiry into the governance and democratic deficit in the charitable sector".

"Six myths about how the unions are ruining Britain"

"Don't believe everything you read about the trade unions – particularly if it's in the Daily Mail" Top article by Guardian columnist Ellie Mae O'Hagan.

I particularly like the myth "The unions do nothing for ordinary people" and her response "Actually this one's true. Except for paid holidays, the eight-hour day, paid sick leave, bringing an end to child labour, fighting for equal pay, better health and safety regulation, fighting workplace discrimination, the unions have done absolutely nothing".

"The Infidel - The Musical" at Theatre Royal

Yesterday I went to this fantastic musical at the  Theatre Royal in Stratford East for its final matinée showing.

I wasn't that sure what to expect since I hadn't seen the original film and was a little sceptical how the subject matter (a British Muslim finds out he was born a Jew) could be funny or a musical.

Well, it was funny and the acting, music, songs and dancing was marvellous. A great live event.

The audience was pretty exclusively white which was a bit worrying but I know a group of Muslim Labour Party colleagues went to the show last week and thought it was "hilarious".

The show is now finished but in the theatre bar I did overhear someone say that they had heard a whisper that it was going to the West End. If so thoroughly recommended.

"They’re all the same. Oh no they’re not"

This is a great post on Redbrick defending Ed Miliband and the Labour Party on its housing policies. I am afraid that my old libel mucker, Alex Hilton, is on the wrong side of this argument.

Ed Miliband's Promises to Britain

"People sometimes say that they don't know what we — what I — stand for, so I'll put this in the simplest terms I can, John. This country is too unequal, and we need to change it.

So here are the promises I'm making to you about the kind of Britain I will lead:

First, I will undo the damage the Tories have done to our country:

• I will scrap the Bedroom Tax, which unfairly punishes the disabled and the vulnerable
• I will scrap the Health and Social Care Act, which damages and undermines our NHS
• I will scrap the gagging law, which limits our freedom of speech and right to campaign
• I will reverse the Tories' £3bn tax cut for millionaires, so we get the deficit down but do it fairly

Second, I will take on the powerful vested interests that hold millions back:

• I will force energy companies to freeze gas and electricity bills until 2017
• I will give power back to those who rent their homes, by scrapping letting fees and stabilising tenancy agreements
• I will raise money from tobacco companies, tax avoiders, and a mansion tax to fund doctors, nurses, careworkers and midwives for our NHS
• I will reform our banks so that they properly support small businesses
• I will stop recruitment agencies hiring only from abroad

Third, I will start to rebuild a fairer, better Britain:

• I will raise the minimum wage, to ensure that everyone that does a hard day's work is properly rewarded
• I will promote the living wage by giving tax breaks to companies that pay it
• I will ban the damaging zero-hours contracts that exploit British workers
• I will bring in a lower 10p income tax rate, cutting taxes for 24 million workers
• I will support working parents with 25 hours of free childcare for three- and four-year-olds
• I will help more young people get on the housing ladder by getting 200,000 homes built every year 

Goodbye-ee says Gray-ee

Great First World War song and YouTube video. Just saying. Picture on far right reminds me of someone?

Don't be USED by UKIP

The video of UKIP leader, former stock market trader, Nigel Farage, telling supporters in 2012 that our NHS should be privatised and replaced with an USA insurance scheme is very telling.

Farage was filmed saying “I think we are going to have to move to an insurance-based system of health care. Frankly, I would feel more comfortable that my money would return value if I was able to do that through the marketplace of an insurance company than just us trustingly giving £100bn a year to central government and expecting them to organise the health care service from cradle to grave for us.”

If you value a free at point of need NHS then do not support UKIP and treat their disclaimers that they are not a racist party with the same large handful of salt.

Hat tip Caption to Mark Rayner.

"Why don't defrauding bankers go to jail?

This is "a great rant" on Channel 4 news of BBC Economics editor, Paul Mason, following the report yesterday of yet another Banking Fraud. 5 major banks allowed their traders to fiddle foreign exchange rates to defraud their clients and increase their bonuses. Paul is clearly very angry that we have fraud after fraud after fraud in the City and nothing ever gets done about it. He calls for full and effective regulation of the sector and banks should stop whingeing about being held to account.

I totally agree but think that share owners also must share the blame for failing to act as owners and take responsibility for the companies they own. We in theory appoint the executives at annual AGMs to run these companies on our behalf and it is clear that we can be pretty rubbish at it. We often seem to appoint "numpties" to do this who are at best incompetent or perhaps equally dishonest.

Hat tip to Sunny Hundal on Facebook for clip and a great title.

In my world I see people being jailed for defrauding the state of relatively small amounts of money for claiming benefits and not declaring a partner or a part time job. Yet none of the the bankers who have defrauded the state of billions of pounds have seen any porridge? This is unfair.