WITCHHUNTS

http://4glengate.net/node/399

The above link outlines the distressing case of two comrades who have just been expelled from the Labour Party , apparently for being members of the Alliance For Workers Liberty. I am NOT a member of that organisation . If I were, would that be grounds for expelling me ? A question I pose as I do know several AWL supporters and would not like to see them thrown out. As far as I know, AWL does not stand at elections nor oppose Labour. If that's so, how can these two comrades have been expelled? If there are any messages of support we can send can I be informed. Thanks. Because if there is one thing I cannot stand, it is witchhunts.

THE WITCHING HOUR

Pendle Hill is only 10 miles or so from here but tonight I won't be boarding my broomstick and trotting off to cast some spells ( tempting though it is) . Instead I am celebrating Halloween with an important CLP meeting . I read with some amusement today that a woman called Emma Angel ( really) is leading a campaign for Jack Straw to posthumously pardon those executed for witchcraft 400 years ago. Including of course the Pendle witches. A worthy cause no doubt but probably not my top priority at the moment. Even if I am officially lighting the bonfire tomorrow in Hebden Bridge......

NORTHERN ROCK PROTEST MANCHESTER

NORTHERN ROCK PROTEST - STOP THE REPOSSESSIONS!
11am
Saturday November 1.
Northern Rock, 1 Princess Street, Albert Square , Manchester

Protestors are gathering outside Northern Rock’s Manchester HQ to campaign against Northern Rock’s policy of repossessions on a scale twice as fast as any other bank in the country.

Supporters of the Convention Of The Left which has organised the protest, say nationalised banks should be run in the interests of working people and that Northern Rock should not be pursuing a policy of taking their homes and making them destitute.

More information at http://www.conventionoftheleft.org/resources/Northern%20rock_homeprint.pdf

WOSS THE PROBLEM

When one is firefighting problems of a political and financial nature, it tends to dampen enthusiasm for blogging. Hence a recent sparseness of posting on this blog.
But the latest furore over Jonathan Ross is worthy of note for several reasons.
Ross, who reportedly earns £6million a year, is facing the sack following the "prank" he and Russell Brand engaged in . Namely leaving obscene messages on the answerphone of Andrew Sachs, most famed as Manuel in Fawlty Towers.
To be honest, I have never been a fan of Ross's brash, egotistical style of TV presenting. But his infantile antics are only symptomatic of a "culture" which panders to the modern taste for car crash TV and innuendo about the personal lives of celebrities.
What concerns me more is the inflated salary, the casual disregard for people's privacy, and the gross disparity between overpaid presenters and BBC journalists facing cuts and redundancies.
Should he be sacked ? Well, let's just say I won't be losing any sleep if he is.

POETRY IN MOTION

Tonight to Ted Hughes Festival closing ceremony. Wish I could have attended more events but clashing political engagements ruled it out, It is such a refeshing thing to escape the wrangling of Labour Party life . Well done to all who made it happen and will do my best to support via local council.

NARROWING THE GAP......

The news in today's Independent that the Tories are now only eight points ahead is a welcome respite from months of bad news for the Labour Party. See what nationalising the banks does for our standing with the electorate! The problem is of course that they have not been wholly nationalised and unfortunately the deal is when they're back in a healthy shape they will be sold off again. Maybe.....
Can you imagine how popular Labour would be if we now took on the fat cat utilities, took them back into public ownership and slashed people's fuel bills just in time for Christmas.Just a thought.
Meanwhile the Glenrothes by-election is coming up and who knows maybe Labour can hang on. I hope so because as things stand we're facing the prospect of a hung Parliament. Compared to the scenario in the summer, that's pretty amazing. But we have to put clear red water between us and the Tories - or events could yet upset the applecart. George Osborne may be toast thanks to his friendship with Russian oligarchs but the spectre of Peter Mandelson is still of course lurking in the background. The "People's Programme" advocated by the LRC is the best way forward of convincing ordinary voters that the vast majority of Labour Party members and a sizeable chunk of MPs are still on their side.You can see Andrew Fisher of the Left Economics Advisory Panel being interviewed on BBC News 24 about the crisis here

WHAT'S LEFT OF THE PARTY.......

The chances are that I will go to my grave as a Labour Party member. I have lost count of the number of times in the last few years I have defended my ongoing membership and urged people a) not to leave b) to re-join or c) join the LRC.
Unlike many on the Labour Left, I did attend Labour Party Conference ( some of it) but it would be an utter lie to pretend I found it an enjoyable experience. A resolution we had worked hard on to get onto the agenda was effectively killed by our "Real Labour" trade union leaders and the rest was an endless stream of Ministers and hand-picked speakers .
The real debates were over the road at the Convention Of The Left. Knocked by some as a "talking shop" but in terms of comradeship and debate an experience far more gratifying than the insular bubble of Manchester Central.
There are some within our Party who seem to think we should not engage with socialists outside our comfort zone. That it's a waste of time trying to find common ground with progressives who do not share our urge to try and re-claim the Labour Party . That is a position I have no time for and frankly do not understand.
But Let me make one thing absolutely clear.
I do not think a new Left Party is the way forward. I think the LRC still has a valuable role to play carrying on its often thankless work aiming to change the structures, widen democracy and get socialsim back on the Party's agenda. But I also think the LRC CAN do far more than that. #
My union, the NUJ, is not ( and will not) affiliate to Labour or any other Party but it IS part of a new alliance - the Trade Union Co-ordinating Group - led by LRC members which has an invaluable role bringing together radical voices who do not kow-tow, roll over and die at every given opportunity while proclaiming their "Real Labour " roots.
It will also, I hope, give us all the opportunity to campaign on the issues which unite us and support a programme of change to protect people currently facing the prospect of a desperate recession.
The collapse of the New Labour neo-liberal consensus is not a time to turn inward and become sectarian, nor is it time to march out of the Labour Party. But it IS an opportunity to look putward and build what alliances we can to fight together with people disillusioned by the status quo.
The new apetite for radical change is also an opportunity to build the LRC nationally and campaign up and down the country wherever we can.
So, yes, I will be going to the LRC AGM. I will also be going to the Recall Conference called by the Convention Of The Left which will debate the current crisis we face.
And I will still be trying to bring in people locally to the Labour Party though God knows the machinations of the NEC and vicious campaign waged by some of our "comrades" against our PPC makes this a pretty dispiriting business at the moment.
In short, I am not giving in.
In the past year I have spent much time traipsing backwards and forwards to London for National Committee meetings ( four hours each way from Hebden Bridge) .I've convened fringe meetings, helped launch the West Yorkshire LRC and frankly worked bloody hard instead of whingeing about things and doing nothing. I would like to think the contacts I have made and the work I have done in 32 years of Labour Party membership and 20-odd years as an NUJ activists also equip me somewhat for a very difficult task - helping build the LRC into a truly national organisation. And that is why I will be asking for support and standing as Vice-Chair of the LRC.

NOT A GOOD READ

Today I had a four-hour round trip into Manchester for a meeting of Mayors For Peace - which our council is signed up to. To while away the journey I took with me a birthday present - Cherie Blair's autobiography. Yes, he does have an extremely sharp sense of humour. ......
Actually, Cherie and I share one thing. A working-class, Catholic childhood in roughly the same era and fierce ambition academically. To that extent, I empathised with her . In fact, the first 100 pages were rather interesting . From then on in, my heart was sinking.
Aside from the rather prurient details of her sex life ( isn't three boyfriends at once rather greedy?) it is politics-lite with page after page of detail about hers and Tony's ambitions to be top of their particular trees. And of course much denunciation of "lunatic lefties. "
Oddly, though, the undoubtedly left-wing Tony Benn was drafted in to help Cherie's Parliamentary ambitions in Thanet North but I suppose a high-profile politician was useful to the campaign.
Cherie also claims to having been a member of the Labour Co-ordinating Committee. Which sits rather uneasily with her claims to have always been a New Labour kind of person. Only Labour Party anoraks will know this but the LCC was in fact a Bennite organisation - I used to be a supporter. So quite what she was doing there one can only speculate.
There has always been a myth that Cherie was always somehow more "left" than her husband. From the contempt with which the Labour Left is treated in the book, it is clear that is not the case. In short, after getting halfway through, and deciding things can only get worse, I am abandoning it in favour of better reading material for my weekend away from Calder Valley. Where allegiance to New Labour ideology would undoubtedly have cost us the seat at the last General Election.

MY PARTY RIGHT....OR WRONG

I have just got back very late from a meeting in Manchester to discover that our PPC selection is now on hold till...January. This is because certain members of our constituency have seen fit to go to the right-wing media with bogus, utterly unfounded allegations about our candidate which now have to be investigated. I really hope they are pleased that campaigning in this highly marginal constituency is now further on hold, which will only derail our chances of winning - already slight. It is utterly despicable conduct. Unlike them, I will not be ringing the newsdesks with further tittle-tattle which can only damage the Labour Party. But let me say that, if we on the left had lost the vote in July, it would have been regarded as a fair and square decision. It seems that some people cannot accept they have lost the political argument - and choose to resort to personal vendettas which, had we the financial wherewithal, would end up in the libel courts. An utter disgrace.

BAILING MYSELF OUT...

In recent weeks I have pondered various ways of making extra money. The latest was a book called Credit Crunch Tips on the lines of those household hints you see in women's magazines. I've had some good ideas. In Haworth on Saturday a friend and I came up with the idea of sharing pub lunches ( half the cost, half the calories) and , given the size of meals in Yorkshire, you don't even go hungry. I've also just signed up to something called Freecycle in the hope of culling a re-conditioned vacuum cleaner ( the cat has so far dispatched two this year) for nothing. Then I got an e-mail from a contact saying there would be no commissions for several months and reality broke into this whimsical musing. I'm now at that crunch moment when outgoings are exceeding incomings. I'm also a bit sick of red-stickered food and Christmas is staring me in the face with no prospect at all of new freelance work. In short, it's time to look for a full-time job. Labour movement, media-related. I give myself six months to find something and if that fails well, plan B.

WHY THE BAIL-OUT WASN'T ENOUGH .....

When the mines were nationalised by the Attlee Government after the war, someone (I can't remember who) famously said, "We are the masters now." Today's Guardioan front page makes it clear that despite Government intervention and part-nationalisation nothing much has changed in terms of command and control. The same people are still in charge and the taxpayers, who are bearing this burden, are not part of the process.

The chief executive of Lloyds TSB, one of the banks participating in the £37bn bank bail-out, has promised staff they will receive bonuses this year despite Gordon Brown's promise of a crackdown on bankers' pay following the investment by taxpayers.
Eric Daniels has told employees that the historic government intervention will not change the behaviour of Lloyds, which is in the throes of the rescue takeover of HBOS brokered by the prime minister.
In a recorded message to employees, Daniels stressed that the bank faced "very, very few restrictions" in its behaviour despite the injection of up to £5.5bn of taxpayers' funds. "If you think about it, the first restriction was not to pay bonuses. Well Lloyds TSB is in fact going to pay bonuses. I think our staff have done a terrific job this year. There is no reason why we shouldn't," said Daniels.

MANDELSON MAKES HIS MARK....

It did not take long for Peter Mandelson to get cracking on his new New Labour agenda .Barely is the ink dry on the promised concessions in working practices to help parents ( a key component of Gordon Brown's Conference speech) than Mandelson is trying to undo the good work and saying the time is not appropriate.....and there is also the business of Royal Mail provatisation, which he is said to be in favour of.
It is ironic that at a time when the economic climarte and the general mood of the country is rather sober and austerely turning leftwards that the High Priest of neo-liberalism should be so utterly out of sync. Why should working parents be the ones to suffer because of capitalism's excesses.?

BRASSED OFF....

Tonight to Hebden Bridge Brass Band concert - yes I know they are a Northern cliche but being a sentimentalist and a Northerner I adore brass bands so well done all and very enjoyable, too. Finally celebrated birthday yesterday in a manner NOT befitting a woman of my years. 3am is far too late ..... my excuse was it has been a stressful week . In case anyone out there is wondering, yes there have been a series of events in my local constituency which I intend to comment on at the appropriate time. Which isn't now. It is a pity that the self-styled "loyalists" have not shown the same discipline. And concern for the long-term chances of us winning this seat at the next Election.

LA LUCHA CONTINUA.......

..Which , translated from the Spanish, means "the struggle continues". So thanks to all who attended the AGM of the West Yorkshire LRC. We had representatives from nine constituencies across the region, an excellent chat, and even some food and time for a drink or two afterwards.
Yesterday, I had an e-mail from someone at the meeting who had gone home and joined the LRC on-line immediately afterwards as he was so impressed.
That's not because I am Rosa Luxembourg - it is because it is sadly rare to be able to go to a meeting of people in the Labour Party and find that everyone is pleasant and comradely and you can actually have a discussion without descending into rancour and faction-fighting.
The sad thing is that of the people there only a handful of us are going to be going down to London for the LRC AGM on November 15 . Because the reality is that getting to London for 10am on a Saturday morning is pretty difficult for most people up north.
One of my hobby horses is getting organisations like the LRC OUT of London and into the regions because it is only by truly reaching out across the country that the Left has a cat in hell's chance of becoming a significant force again in the Labour Party.
To that end, I will be moving a resolution that we build our base via regional forums ( ie South and West Yorkshire LRC) on maybe a twice a year basis and try to hold key events regularly outside the capital. People say you won't get the numbers outside London but i think the Convention Of The Left, which over 5 days was attended by over 2000 people, has proved everyone wrong on that.
As of last year, I will be standing for the LRC's National Committee and given our success in building membership in West and South Yorkshire I'm also going to be standing for one of the 2 LRC Vice-Chair positions. If elected, my pledge is that I will go out and speak to any CLP interested in having a debate. Or, for that matter, groups outside Labour. Even if they profoundly disagree..... because it is only by getting out there and talking to people that we will convince anyone that the Labour Left is worth getting involved with. Talking to ourselves - and preaching to the converted - just isn't going to do it.

TRUE COLOURS ?

Earlier this week, after an ( inquorate ) Branch meeting, a few of us gathered to discuss Gordon Brown's handling of the current crisis. A friend of mine was rather delighted that the PM had "shown his true colours" and was coming round to the view that maybe he really was a closet socialist. The right-wing press has also been full of scaremongering on a scale which might suggest New Labour had nationalised the 250 monopolies under workers' control with no compensation. The reality is rather less exciting.
Last night I caught the News late to find that Gordon Brown is now being hailed as the "saviour of global capitalism." That's a position I have no doubt he will bask in and, from a statesmanship point of view, there is also no doubt that Brown's authoritative handling of this crisis will have improved his standing in the eyes of many people - and probably will give Labour a boost in the polls. But let us not confuse an expedient act with ideological commitment to socialist values - which would have seen a very different way forward and long-term perspective on how society deals with the meltdown of capitalism

TODAY IS THE FIRST DAY OF......

The rest of my life....... For the past two months, I have lived with a small but significant possibility that I might have a curable but serious illness which might require extensive treatment. So even good things which have happened have been clouded by considerable anxiety.
Yesterday, at the Bradford Royal Infirmary, I was given the all-clear and have to say that ersatz instant NHS coffee has never tasted so good. Indulged myself afterwards with late lunch of sirloin steak, chips and large glass of red wine followed by lots and lots of sleep. Today, I'm resolving the following five things.
1. Buy second-hand bicycle to improve fitness
2.Get stop-gap job to tide me over till Christmas
3. Eat more healthily
4. Read at least one Improving Book every week
5. Use public transport to access moors and nearby countryside.
Right, now back to the politics.......

42 DAYS BINNED

So. After all the arm-twisting, all the drama, 42 Days as a counter-terrorism is binned. It took one of the biggest defeats ever for the Government in the House Of Lords for this unnecessary and unwanted legislation to bite the dust. Hope Mandelson enjoyed his debut in the Upper Chamber. ......
In a bald statement to the media, Jacqui Smith makes it clear there will be no renewed battle in the House Of Commons. Why? The whole issue was only ever about Gordon Brown's authority and, now he has reassserted his leadership due to the financial crisis, the Government can just afford to let it go. One should be glad the legislation is history but I wonder what all those MPs who were cajoled into voting for it now think. Yet again, the Labour Left has been proved right. Time to get on properly with nationalising the banks, then......
As Mark Serwotka said at tonight's LEAP rally in London "The thought of New Labour nationalising banks would have seemed absurd even a few weeks ago. Now up to £500 billion is being made available to prop up the banking system in these unstable economic times.
"We should look at the conditions attached to the massive injection of taxpayer’s money into the banking system. There should be controls on top pay, and restrictions on repossessions, with future profits from the banks going to the public purse. The trend of offshoring to avoid taxation must be brought to a rapid halt too.
"The arguments for more free markets, less regulation, and more privatisation have now been found wanting and hollow. No one trusts the smooth tongued financiers anymore

PETERS AND THEIR FRIENDS

Apparently, the PLP were clapping and cheering when Mandelson returned from exile last week. Well, some of them were. And I daresay the bubbly will be flowing for Peter's friends today as he is exalted to the House Of Lords.
In the great scheme of things, Mandelson's return, though unwelcome, is a minor irritant,
Have just returned from a trip to my bank (Lloyds TSB) where exchanged some banter with a cashier over possible nationalisation.She seemed to think it would be A Good Idea.
In times like these one needs to retain a sense of humour so last night I watched Peter Kay do a spoof of Pop Idol.This now world-famous Boltonian used to be an unassuming bloke who carried on working in his local cinema long after he started being popular on the Northern comedy circuit. Phoenix Nights was utterly brilliant. Made on a shoestring, its depiction of working-men's club culture was affectionately spot-on, and on occasion made me absolutely helpless with laughter. Not so last night's offering. There was the odd inspired moment but it was a bit of a vanity project which went on and on and on. And, without being overly PC, the running joke about a band with two disabled women wasn't actually that funny.And the "spoof" was so close to the real thing that it wasn't actually satirical. You also know you're in trouble when people like Paul McCartney start being drafted in as guest stars and Gary Barlow writes specially-commissioned tunes. Like Steve Coogan, Peter Kay has become a bit TOO famous. And the massive budget which last night's show had did not improve him one iota. There comes a poinmt where affectionate observation of Northern working-class life becomes , actually, taking the piss. And Peter Kay is close to stepping over that line.

IS THIS OUR CLAUSE 4 MOMENT....

The reason I haven't been saying much about the financial meltdown we've witnessed in the past few weeks is very simple. I'm not an economist, I'm not qualified to comment at length and frankly I think the nuts and bolts of what is going on are best left to others who are au fait with finance.
But nevertheless it is kind of heartening to watch the Sunday night News and hear the pundits predicting that this really could be the end of the Thatcherite consensus and the notion that markets can be left to go their own sweet way - with no control or regulation. We have even heard Gordon Brown criticise the City bonuses and greed which have contributed to this collapse.
Now maybe it is time for the Government to take a deep breath and commit to full-scale nationalisation of the banks and finance institutions - ie what we used to call "the commanding heights of the economy" not a bail-out which as far as I can ascertain is unfortunately playing fast and loose with taxpayers' money.
LEAP - the Left Economic Advisory Panel - is suddenly to the fore in all this commentary and an emergency rally is being held tomorrow night in the House Of Commons , Committee Room 10, at 7.30pm. More details on the LEAP blog. I look forward to hearing all about it from those who live rather nearer to Westminster than I do.

WEST YORKS LRC AGM TOMORROW

Just a final reminder that the West Yorks LRC AGM is TOMORROW at the Trades Club, Hebden Bridge, 2pm. There will be food, there will be discussion and there will be a collection towards our affiliation fee...... might even be time to discuss the imminent collapse of capitalism. You don't have to be an LRC member to come - all welcome. ( but you do have to be an LRC member to vote )

WHY TRIBUNE IS DYING

I was saddened to read this week that Tribune is likely to fold Not so much because it is a fantastic read. It's not. But at one time Tribune truly was the voice of the Labour Left.In its heyday in the 1940's and 1950's , contributors included such luminaries as George Orwell, Harold Laski, Aneurin Bevan and J B Priestley.There was also of course the Tribune Group of MPs which at one time had almost 100 Parliamentarians. The Sunday night rallies at Labour Party Conference were THE event to go to.
Tribune lost its way with the demise of the Tribune Group , which started with the schism in 1981 over Tony Benn's candidature for the Deputy leadership . Chris Mullin was editor for a bit then Mark Seddon, whose departure a couple of years ago also left it floundering.
I cancelled my subscription some years ago. Why? Because there really wasn't any point in Tribune any more. Mildly critical of New Labour, but not really offering any serious analysis, its content had become anodyne and largely provided by ex-hacks from the Daily Mirror, no doubt doing favours to their former colleague Chris McLaughlin. Fair enough given the plightof the publication - but not a challenging read. The Letters page had the same contributors every fortnight and the Diary page was simply awful. Reviews likewise. Neither a newspaper nor a magazine, neither left nor New Labour, Tribune has simply lost its way.
Yet there is a space for a serious left publication. Last year the Labour Briefing AGM made the (wrong) decision not to become LRC Briefing. Websites are great and in some respects they have replaced the printed word - but political journals still I think have a role to fill. If Tribune does bite the dust, I hope the Labour left can re-claim something from the ashes. In the early 1980's there was a short-lived but excellent publication called New Socialist ( nothing to do with New Labour) . Maybe the title should be revived......

KEEPING TRACK OF THE CRISIS.....

There is some seriously expert commentary on the current crisis over at the LEAP blog. Latest to contribute is the LSE's Rosamund Stock, who took part in the Convention Of The Left a couple of weeks ago in Manchester. All the contributions are academic but also accessible and cogent explanations of why the markets are failing and why they will always fail society in the long-term. Recommended reading for anyone who wants to keep track of the case for a socialist economy - explained by those who seriously know what they are talking about
http://leap-lrc.blogspot.com/

WHEN LABOUR WAS LABOUR......

My thanks to Labour Home for providing a link to the 1983 Election Manifesto. This has long been derided by the right as the "longest suicide note in history." Well , now we've all stopped being " intensely relaxed" about the filthy rich younger comrades may find it strangely relevant. Frankly, I still agree with every word.

Emergency programme of action
Within days of taking office, Labour will begin to implement an emergency programme of action, to bring about a complete change of direction for Britain. Our priority will be to create jobs and give a new urgency to the struggle for peace. In many cases we will be able to act immediately. In others, which involve legislation, they will take longer to bring into effect. But in all cases we shall act swiftly and with determination.
This is what we plan to do. We will:
Launch a massive programme for expansion.We will:
Provide a major increase in public investment, including transport, housing and energy conservation.
Begin a huge programme of construction, so that we can start to build our way out of the slump.
Halt the destruction of our social services and begin to rebuild them, by providing a substantial increase in resources.
Increase investment in industry, especially in new technology - with public enterprise taking the lead. And we will steer new industry and jobs to the regions and the inner cities.
Ensure that the pound is competitive; and hold back prices through action on VAT, rents, rates and fares.
Introduce a crash programme of employment and training, with new job subsidies and allowances.
Begin to rebuild British industry, working within a new framework for planning and industrial democracy. We will:
Agree a new national economic assessment, setting out the prospects for growth in the economy. Prepare a five-year national plan, in consultation with unions and employers. Back up these steps with a new National Investment Bank, new industrial powers, and a new Department for Economic and Industrial Planning.
Repeal Tory legislation on industrial relations and make provision for introducing industrial democracy.
Begin the return to public ownership of those public industries sold off by the Tories.
Start to create a fairer Britain, with decent social services for all. We will:
Raise child benefit, and give special help to one-parent families and families with disabled dependants.
Uprate the pension by the full amount needed to protect against inflation
Provide more resources for the health service with an increase of at least 3 per cent a year in real terms.
Improve the personal social services, such as meals on wheels and home helps, with an increase of at least 4 per cent a year in real terms.
Spend more on education, including on essential books and equipment; end the assisted places scheme; and stop selection in secondary schools.
Begin to develop comprehensive care for the under-fives.
Begin to develop a strategy to eliminate low pay.
Introduce positive action programmes to promote women's rights and opportunities, and appoint a cabinet minister to promote equality between the sexes. We will:
Strengthen the Equal Pay Act and the Sex Discrimination Act.
Improve child care and other social services.
Take steps to end discrimination in education and training.
Reverse Tory cuts in maternity rights.
Increase the maternity grant.
Encourage and assist local authorities to begin a massive programme of house-building and improvement, through an immediate 50 per cent increase in their housing investment programmes. Priority will go to the urgent repair and replacement of run-down estates. We will freeze all rents for the first full year.
Begin a major programme to stop the waste of energy. We will stop Sizewell and abandon the Tory PWR programme; and open urgent discussions, with the unions and management in the coal industry, on a new Plan for Coal.
Give more help to public transport, with funds to improve services, keep down fares, and increase investment - especially in rail electrification and better freight facilities. Councils will be given new powers to support local services.
Act to improve the environment and deal with pollution - including a ban on lead in petrol. An urgent start will be made on improving our inner cities, including action on derelict land and buildings.
Introduce a positive action programme for ethnic minorities. We will also introduce citizenship and immigration laws which do not discriminate against either women or black and Asian Britons.
Give a new priority to open government at local and national levels, and give local communities greater freedom to manage their own affairs. We will also introduce an early Bill to abolish the legislative powers of the House of Lords.
In international policy, we shall take new initiatives to promote peace and development. We will: Cancel the Trident programme, refuse to deploy Cruise missiles and begin discussions for the removal of nuclear bases from Britain, which is to be completed within the lifetime of the Labour government.
Ban arms sales to repressive regimes.
Increase aid to developing countries towards the UN target of 0.7 per cent.
Re-establish a separate Ministry of Overseas Development.
Take action to protect the status of refugees in Britain.

WHY A BAIL-OUT COULD COST US DEAR

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/oct/08/creditcrunch.banking
Posted on Comment Is Free earlier today.........

CREDIT CRUNCHED

In times like these, it helps to have a bit of gallows humour. So I am sitting here in the gathering gloom with the central heating switched off and contemplating the worst financial times I personally have had since 1980.
My bank balance arrived earlier which curtailed any thoughts of blogging as I frantically wrote the two articles this week which will earn me some money. It's a far cry from the years when I wrote two articles a DAY but so it goes in freelance journalism.
I'm only scraping by because I don't drive and have an extremely low mortgage.But even the scraping is starting to get difficult.In starting this blog two years ago I rather burnt my bridges as suspect my previous job as part-time press officer for the Government might not be up for grabs. So what to do?
Well what I won't be doing is building up any more credit - an bitterly regretting a recent splurge which will take me months to pay off. Rule 2 is also not to panic .Rule 3 cut out unnecessary trips to the pub, outdoor coffees, impulse shopping. And most of all Rule 4. Start looking for full-time employment.

CRISIS CALL FOR PEOPLE'S PROGRAMME

From today's Guardian : Actually, I would go further and say let's nationalise the utilities NOW!

The government needs to act urgently to protect the British people against the economic turmoil that was not of their making, but is now resulting in them losing their jobs and struggling to pay their rent or mortgage and fuel bills. There should be no blank cheques to bail out the banks that contributed to this crisis.
We are calling upon the government to implement a people's programme to protect our people from the crisis, not just the bankers, including:
1) Nationalising the banks and establishing democratic control over banking decisions, ensuring democratic representation on boards, ending the bonus binges, controlling executive pay and shareholder rewards;
2) Cutting interest rates significantly and immediately, restoring democratic control over key economic decision-making by not only widening the remit of the Bank of England beyond ensuring price stability to advising on the wider economic health of the country, but also reverting the Bank's role to being one voice among many others to be taken into account;
3) Securing people a home by converting repossessions to social rentals so that people have a "right to stay" in their homes and embarking on a massive council housebuilding programme;
4) Enhancing security in employment by ensuring people have a say over the future of the companies by strengthening rights and representation at work;
5) Bring fuel bills under control with price controls on the consumer price of gas and electricity, so that people are not being forced to choose between heating and eating this winter, with the threat of nationalisation if needed.
John McDonnell MP Chair, Left Economics Advisory Panel

BACK TO THE BLACKSTUFF....

Bernard Hill famously starred as Yosser Hughes in Boys From The Blackstuff, Alan Bleasdale's seminal drama about Thatcher's Britain. It was kind of apposite that, on the night it's announced the Govt is bailing out the City, he should appear in another drama about desperate lives.

The rather more limited Steve Coogan played someone addicted to gambling in Sunshine, a reflection on working-class Manchester life, a darker version of Phoenix Nights.

Leaving aside the slight problem that both Coogan and Craig Cash are beginning to be parodies of themselves ( they are both after all now very rich men) and don't quite convince as ordinary Manchester "lads" the drama was about the seductive " appeal of "easy money" to those on low incomes with low expectations of how life is going to turn out. On that level, it worked very well indeed. On another level, it was a well-acted morality tale which could equally apply to how the banks and the credit companies and indeed the Govt have simply relied on the expectation of a never-ending scenario of prosperity and never-ending credit. But now, on a scale I never frankly expected to see in my lifetime, the chickens really have come home to roost. As this must have been filmed at least a year ago by the BBC, it was a nice accident of timing.

NATIONAL ECONOMIC COUNCIL - THE MISSING LINK

http://www.johnmcdonnell.org.uk/2008/10/government-of-city-by-city-for-city.html

Still re-booting after illness so only just caught what's now the lead story on Labour Home ie the setting up by Brown of a National Economic Council. When I saw the headline I had ( early 1970's ) visions of something akin to the the National Enterprise Board, beer and sandwiches at Number 10 , a real rapprochement between the unions and New Labour. As the above link illustrates , I was very wrong. Business ie big business as usual

PEOPLE'S PROGRAMME

http://leap-lrc.blogspot.com/2008/10/peoples-programme-for-crisis.html
See above link for the LEAP - Left Economic Advisory Panel - statement on the current financial crisis.

CONVENING AGAIN...

Can't be bothered commenting on the last batch of mediocrities to be appointed to junior positions - ie Sion Simon, Chris Bryant. Tonight going into Manchester for a feedback meeting on the Convention Of The Left. Not navel-gazing but I hope a constructive discussion of where we go next. I'm about to write a short report for Labour Briefing about it and will post a copy up here soon.

CREDIT TO CRUDDAS.....

Not one of my most common headlines I concur but fair play to the man, who apparently turned down a Ministerial job. A wise move. With news of Blunkett's alleged return, Gordon's increasingly implausible Cabinet is beginning to resemble the crew of the Titanic. Resurrected.
Basically, I think anyone with an ounce of principle must distance themselves from this desperate throw of the New Labour dice - which is all now about damage limitation and installing Purnell after the next General Election. Miliband, in true ruthlessly Blairite fashion, blew it and has obviously been discarded. We on the Left have to start planning now - time is rapidly running out.......I hope ( but do not expect that ) the renaissance of Mandelson might just have opened the eys of a few blinkered trade union bureaucrats. But in the end, it's up to us the rank and file to turn things round....however difficult.

OFF TO CHURCH.....

Am out of the house shortly for the first time in days to attend anniversary celebrations of St James's Church in Hebden Bridge. Don't think I can muster Victorian period dress (optional) but certainly have the pallor of those whose lives disrupted by hacking cough for days on end. The church graveyard is a sad testimony to the unhealthy Calder Valley climate and the unhealthy lives of the millworkers who once frequented the portals of St James. Many of the tombstones bear testimony to lives cut short - often pitifullly young. So i will drag myself up the road and spare a thought or two amid the celebrations for those not lucky enough to live in the age of antibiotics and the NHS.

ET TU, TRICKETT?

A year is a pretty long time in politics and to be honest it seems a very long time ago that I heard Jon Trickett speak at the LRC Conference in London. I remember the speech for several reasons. 1. It was way too long. 2. It was therefore pretty tedious. 3. It was a vicious attack on Gordon Brown and New Labour . And 4..... one of my West Yorkshire LRC comrades actually heckled Trickett for coming out with this guff yet only months earlier nominating Brown for Leader.
At the time, I thought this a little embarrassing and maybe OTT as we were all, er, trying to build bridges. Well guess what "left-winger" Trickett, the man who quit Compass over 42 days , has been appointed as PPS to Gordon Brown. Yes, the very same Gordon Brown he denounced so strongly a year ago. Bit of a Damascene conversion, no?
I don't suppose I am surprised but it is a depressingly familiar tale in the PLP - and no, it's not Gordon creating a big tent. It's Gordon buying people off. So next time you see Trickett on a "left-wing" platform, feel free to heckle as loud as you like......I doubt we will be seeing him at this year's LRC Conference, though

NEW LABOUR'S GROUNDHOG DAY

The disparity between the Labour Left grassroots and the Party in Government has never been greater. So much so I am at a bit of a loss what to say about it all.
One of my LRC comrades said something the other day about his "scissors hovering over the Party card" and as far as I'm concerned the rehabilitation of Mandelson has also left me appalled and horrified. But, with a weary sigh, I conclude yet again that tearing up one's Party card is not the thing to do.
In a parallel universe, the one many were expecting to inhabit in June 2007, Brown would have spurned New Labour, reinstated the "broad church" approach and brought some lefties back into the Government, brought the troops home , re-nationalised the railways. Yeah, yeah, and changed his name by deed poll to Harry Perkins..... sadly that is not where we are.
It is in fact , Groundhog Day. Mandelson and Brown ( with Blair lurking somewhere in the background) running things their way and the trade unions and the rest of the left-of-centre labour movement can go to hell in a handcart. In case you're wondering Compass supporters, that also includes you.
New Labour has returned from the dead. And it's time to come out fighting. The LRC National AGM on November 15 will give us an opportunity to discuss where we go next. At the moment, the path ahead is not exactly obvious.

PRINCE OF DARKNESS RETURNS......

I've been feeling pretty poorly and out of it for the past few days - so much so that I had no idea till just a few minutes ago that Peter Mandelson had returned to Government. Let's just say it has not improved my health one iota.

One can only echo John McDonnell's response ie to being "gobsmacked" at this appalling development . The appointment is also of course an utter slap in the face for all those soft lefties who have been rallying round to Brown's defence in recent weeks.

I include in that people like Jon Cruddas and of course the trade union leaders who have deluded themselves that Brownism is somehow different from Blairism. Tony Woodley 's justification for not demanding more radical policies is always that at least it's not the "Blair witch project." Today, according to the Independent, they were "too shocked " to comment.I bet they are. Becayse the Blair Witch project has risen from the dead , is back in the Government casting spells , and frankly we might as well bring back Blair because he never really went away. So if there is anyone out there still with hopes that Brown would herald a bew political era, prepare to bury them once and for all now. Mandy, and all he represents, is back in Government. UPDATE 6.07pm. Just seen Mandelson on news and Brown's justification for bringing him back. This is truly a last ditch throw of the dice for New Labour. Now I shall resume trying to get over vile virus......

WERE WE BUGGED?

A day spent largely trying to shake off a hideous bug which has already lain me out cold for 48 hours. I'm determined it will not destroy my birthday, which is tomorrow. So an industrial strength curry it is and several large hot toddies as recommended by Mr Bill Stickers . Have spoken to several people who also attended last week's Convention Of The Left in Manchester and it seems many have been similarly afflicted . Clearly, not a sectarian strain. Tomorrow's birthday is not in any way significant but the older you get the more significant all birthdays become. Because there are fewer of them to come....so I had better make the most of it.

LOBBY YOUR MP TO SUPPORT THE EMPLOYMENT BILL!

Parliament resumed on Monday and one of the first pieces of looming legisaltion is the Employment Bill , which urgently needs support.
This article is by John Hendy QC, National Secretary and John Usher, Director, United Campaign to Repeal the Anti-Trade Union Laws .My powers of editing are limited due to hideous cold but it requires none anyway. Please lobby and support........

The United Campaign has launched a postcard campaign in support of amendments to the Employment Bill. Please download a model letter from our website at www.unitedcampaign.org.uk, or contact us at info@unitedcampaign.org.uk for copies of the postcard. We are hoping to reach as many of our supporters as possible in the short space of time that we have. The card is for your MP. The Employment Bill will be back before the Commons soon after Parliament resumes on 6 October. We need to fill MPs postbags with as many cards and letters as possible to raise the profile of the amendments. They are a step forward to reclaiming the fundamental trade union rights recognised in every significant human rights treaty and constitution put in place since World War II. The rights for everyone to form effective trade unions, with the ability to engage in collective bargaining and to withdraw labour, have been recognised as fundamental in international law – including Treaties ratified by the UK and binding on it. But these have been seriously eroded particularly in the UK to such an extent that unions are almost powerless to prevent the growth of poverty and inequality. Pay and pensions do not keep pace with inflation and are falling in value. Dignity and equality in the workplace are under pressure. Democracy suffers. Yet the fundamental legitimacy of collective rights cannot be denied. The Canadian Supreme Court, only last year said: “Recognizing that workers have the right to bargain collectively as part of their freedom to associate reaffirms the values of dignity, personal autonomy, equality and democracy that are inherent in the Canadian [Constitution].”
The European Court of Human Rights (also last year), in deciding that the UK law that forbade unions from expelling fascists was in breach of the European Convention, held that the Convention protects “the right of trade unions to draw up their own rules and to administer their own affairs.”
The United Campaign continues to promote the issues contained in the TUC backed Trade Union Rights and Freedoms Bill which the government failed to support last year. The trade union movement now has the opportunity for positive amendments to the Employment Bill, currently in Parliament. Everyone can help by spreading our postcard campaign encouraging MPs to support amendments and following the Campaign as events unfold.
We understand that there may be three areas of the Employment Bill which can be amended to strengthen trade union rights. These would provide for:
Better protection against dismissal or victimisation of workers taking part in lawful industrial action.
Filling loopholes in the law to prevent the use of agency workers replacing striking workers
Fairer balloting procedures cutting the 'red tape' that unions face when balloting members for industrial action by placing a duty on employers to supply information that trade unions need to comply with notice and balloting requirements.
There may be more. The three listed are moderate in the extreme. Whilst we all appreciate that, if enacted, they would still not be enough for the UK to come into compliance with the international conventions on labour rights which it has ratified, the amendments would still be a significant step towards that goal. Please support the campaign by sending a postcard or a letter to your MP or you can write to them via the website at www.writetothem.com. Order more postcards from info@unitedcampaign.org.uk or download a model letter from our website at www.unitedcampaign.org.uk