OFF ON HOLIDAY.....

Having spent the past few weeks to-ing and fro-ing across the country I'm finally getting a break and travelling to France tomorrow night for a few days in Normandy.
But first, I will be chairing the afternoon session of the Labour Briefing AGM which has the theme of "What's left of the Left?"
I've been reading the recent biography of Ken Livingstone and it's bizarre to find that almost everyone quoted is someone you know which made it fascinating, despite the fact the author clearly has little time for left-wing politics and a very jaundiced view of the Labour Left.
In the 1980's I was on the periphery of all the faction-fighting mentioned in the book but remember CLPs in Brent South where a couple of hundred people would be arguing the toss. For reasons which I've gone into at length elsewhere, tonight's CLP AGM in Calder Valley is unlikely to prove so crowded. The recent furore over our PPC has led to several people I know resigning from the Party and others contemplating it.Nevertheless I will be there and expect to be there long after the votes are cast at the General Election.
On the way home last night, it was a surreal experience seeing many on the train from Manchester singing and dancing to "Rockin' Robin" as the news broke that Michael Jackson had died. Bit like an episode of Shameless.......
Calder Valley has its own Robin who is standing as CLP Chair and, in the interests of an end to the ideological schism which has torn our constituency apart, I hope he wins. Right, I'm off to do my packing......... back Thursday.

TIME TO RE-CLAIM THE UTILITIES......

Last night I attended a People's Charter meeting in Manchester which amongst other issues discussed the reasons why its frankly modest aims would strike a chord with voters. As John Hendy QC, one of the architects of the Charter, said, what's really astonishing is why the Government doesn't "get it" that obvious steps like stopping the profiteering of the banks and private utilities would not only be morally right, but electorally popular. The Morning Star outlines why below ......


http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/index.php/britain/energy_bills_soar_by_42

IRAQ INQUIRY - LABOUR REBELS

Thanks to a Westminster source for passing on the list of Labour rebels who joined the call for an open, independent and publicly transparent inquiry into the Iraq War. There has been much spin that Brown has done a U-turn on this one. Not so. A concession, true, it is that some parts will now be in public but most of the hearing will still be in camera - and those conducting the inquiry do not have the independence needed to make it anything more likely than another whitewash. It truly beggars belief that only 19 Labour MPs had the guts to stand up and be counted on this one. The rebels were:

Jeremy Corbyn, Parmjit Dhanda, David Drew, Paul Farrelly, Frank Field, Mark Fisher, Paul Flynn, Roger Godsiff, Kate Hoey, Kelvin Hopkins, Lynne Jones, Andrew Mackinlay, Bob Marshall-Andrews, John McDonnell, Gordon Prentice, Alan Simpson, Sir Peter Soulsby, Gavin Strang, Mike Wood.

Ths extract from Hansard outlines John McDonnell MP's intervention:

regret to say this, Madam Deputy Speaker, but the problem is the Prime Minister. The fact is that he does not understand that he does not understand. He came along last week to announce the inquiry and he handed it down like tablets of stone. What he basically said is, “We are the Government, so we decide.” That simply will not do. Things have moved on since last week. We were told that it was going to be a Franks-style inquiry—quite wrongly, I think, for reasons I have explained—but it has now mutated into something completely different. The Prime Minister and, downwards from him, his advisers, were panicking, so he wrote to Chilcot and asked him to see what he could do about having some sessions in public, using what is said in their phrase to be some “equivalent to the oath”. There is no equivalent to the oath; there would be more value in the wolf cub’s promise than what they are proposing. That is the fact of the matter. There is no such equivalent to the oath and the Prime Minister knows it. [Interruption.] If the Minister thinks I am wrong, I repeat my call for him to explain when he replies from the Dispatch Box what this equivalent is that will have the force of law and criminal sanctions if it were ever to be abrogated.
As I have said, the Prime Minister does not understand that does not understand. The real test of all the stuff he has been saying about rejuvenating Parliament—he almost puts the blame on the rest of us for bringing Parliament into disrepute—is whether he is prepared to acknowledge that this Parliament has the right to decide the nature of the inquiry into why and how it was misled on the Iraq war. I am buttressed in my arguments by many of the people the Prime Minister relied on to say what a good idea a Franks-type inquiry would be. One after the other over the past seven days, those civil servants and members of the judiciary, for example, have said that that idea is nonsense. A few nights ago, I cheered when General Mike Jackson said on “Newsnight” that evidence to the inquiry must be given under oath. It showed that the Government cannot hide the fact that some military people who have seen the conflict and seen the evidence knew what was going on. They say this must be an independent inquiry and that evidence must be given under oath. Why does the Minister not understand that? Why does his boss the Prime Minister not understand that?
It is time the Minister went behind the Chair and phoned the Prime Minister to tell him to accept the motion. If the Prime Minister does not do so, he may win the vote—I am not certain—but he will certainly lose the debate. The arguments for an independent inquiry will go on and on and on until one is conceded.

And George Galloway said.........

'People have queued up to say they have nothing against the membership of the inquiry. Well, I do. The more the Foreign Secretary adumbrated their distinguished characteristics, the more I saw a parade of establishment flunkeys—Sir Humphrey This and Sir Humphrey That. Those who are not just grey blurs are in fact partisans. Freedman is one of the authors of the intellectual case for the war. He and his neo-con friends were the people who made the then Prime Minister’s bullets for the war. Gilbert hailed Bush and Blair—imagine, they are already two of the most discredited political figures in the world, and history has not even started on them yet—as akin to Roosevelt and Churchill. Yet both Freedman and Gilbert are among the very small group of people who will conduct the inquiry.'

WHAT WE NEED IS A LABOUR PARTY.......

Ex Blairites like Polly Toynbee and Simon Jenkins are now a bit like ex-smokers in their resolve to cast off the fumes of an ideology they once fervently espoused. In his call for a renwed Labour Party, Simon Jenkins gives little credence to the notion there is much left of the democratic socialist tradition. He should get out beyond the Westminster bubble but nevertheless an interesting piece which gives weight to my current plea to people NOT to leave the Party. One I make with rather more vigour since the dire Euro results......


http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/jun/23/labour-left-democracy

THE LOTTERY OF THE RAILWAYS.....

I spend an awful lot of time ( too much) travelling up and down to meetings in London so I'm probably the world's expert on cut-price deals. This morning for example I boarded a train at St Pancras, got off at East Midlands Parkway onto a coach which took me direct to Halifax. The cost was........£5.50. £1.50 more than it cost me to get the Tube to St Pancras.
Last Friday evening en route to another meeting the cheapest option was a First Class Virgin Trains ticket from Manchester which for £34.00 brought with it limitless coffee, a couple of G and Ts, sandwiches and fruit. On Saturday I'm off to France but such is the Lottery of cheap tickets that I'm going to be Paris-bound on the bus from Victoria over the Channel ferry - £25.
It makes one yearn for the days when you could walk into a station and buy an affordable ticket without booking three weeks in advance, going on line and going through all kinds of credit card convolutions to get on track. And, fun though it is to pay peanuts for the Megabus/St Pancras deal, which is truly astonishingly cheap, this particular aspect of de-regulation is merely a loss leader till East Midands Trains gets sufficiently full to make as big a profit as possible.
Most importantly, what happens if you have a family crisis and need to get somewhere fast, have an early morning meeting in London, or are for whatever reason unable to indulge in off-peak travel at rock-bottom prices. That's right- you pay through the roof.
If people really are to leave their cars behind in bigger numbers we need accessible, affordable railways. As long as the private companies are running the show, it will continue to be a bizarre Lottery.

GOOD LUCK TO TRIBUNE......

One of my abiding memories as a Labour activist was the Tribune rally in 1981 at the Labour Party Conference in Brighton. The one where ( at the risk of sounding like an episode of Friends) Margaret Beckett threw down the gauntlet to Neil Kinnock for not backing Tony Benn as Deputy Leader.
Earlier this year, Tribune faced oblivion but it's been re-launched and the link below shows the recent celebration in Parliament. Beckett features along with John Prescott and Peter Hain plus Billy Hayes and Tony Benn. I wish it well and as Benn says it's " a beacon of hope." So are the MPs who maintain our hope in democratic socialism as New Labour implodes. Let's not give up on the Labour Party. The fact Tribune is still around is a cause for optimism.

http://www.labourhome.org/forum/?p=6031

THE GHOST OF TONY BLAIR......

When Tony Blair resigned as Labour Leader two years ago many hoped it would be a fresh start. Yet the dead hand of Blairism continues to wreak havoc at the heart of Government - and Labour's chances of getting re-elected.
Today, the Observer alleges it was Blair who advised Brown to hold the inquiry into the Iraq war in private - against the advice of many in the Cabinet and to the chagrin of many MPs who now face a backlash of opposition and accusations of yet another whitewash.
The news comes following the horrific deaths of two more British hostages and at a time when people are demanding open and transparent Government at all levels. Why don't they get it?
At yesterday's Morning Star Conference, speaker after speaker expressed their anger at the Government's dogged refusal to change direction - and stop the Tories getting in at the next election.
It's a sign of the current anger that UNISON's Dave Prentis has called for a halt to funding for Labour and clearly if the Government doesn't listen then more trade union dissent - and disaffiliations - will be the consequence.
At the Conference, the LRC held a well-attended workshop on the Welfare Reform Bill and the consequences of effectively punishing the most vulnerable at a time of rising unemployment - while billions are lost in tax avoidance by the rich and bankers continue to give themselves big bonuses and carry on unregulated despite partial nationalisation
Yvette Cooper, who has taken over from James Purnell at the DWP, says she will not be revising any of its draconian measures. She should think again. If you're not convinced, read the following statistics supplied by LEAP - the Left Economics Advisory Panel

Tax havens cost the UK Exchequer at least £18 billion per year.

Over the last 15 years, executive pay has risen at 7 times the rate of the average worker.

The poorest 20% of the population pay nearly 40% of their total income in direct and indirect taxes, compared to 34.8% for the richest 20%.

In March 2009, the government announced £2bn to bailout failing PFI schemes.

If unemployment benefit had kept pace with earnings since 1980, JSA would be worth over £100 per week today. Instead it is £64.30 or £50.95 for under-25s. If an earnings link had been introduced in ‘97 it would be £75.

In 1980, the basic state pension was worth 23% of average male earnings, now it is worth 14%.

At 17% of average earnings, the UK state pension is the lowest in Europe (the EU average is 57%!!!!)

13.2 million people live in poverty, including 2.1 pensioners and 3.9 million children.

Over 20% are officially income poor, in 1979 it was 13%. However, 58% of British Asian and 40% of Black British people are income poor.

The gender pay gap is 17% for full-time work and 38% for part-time work.

BLACKOUT ON MPs' EXPENSES

Inexcusable, unacceptable and not what Gordon Brown promised to the PLP two weeks ago. An unbelievably stupid own goal. You couldn't make it up......

HAZEL SHOULD GO - BUT SHE WON'T

I've just watched Channel 4 News with footage from Salford where Hazel Blears as I write is facing a no-confidence motion from the CLP. Here's my prediction. She will survive. She will survive, not because she should, but because the CLP delegates will be under tremendous pressure and because many are scared of appearing disloyal in an area where comradeship still really means something.

I have the fondest of memories of my years in Salford - and of the Party members many of whom are sadly no longer with us. Hazel took over the seat from the late Stan Orme who spoke at a memorial service some years ago for the splendid left-wing MP Frank Allaun. Both were a credit to their Party and, in Frank's case, a lifelong supporter of CND.

Quite frankly, both these stalwarts would have been disgusted at the way Hazel Blears cravenly hung onto Cabinet office in the face of serious alegations and then plotted to bring down the Prime Minister. And I know that many members of the CLP are. The argument I've just heard from the CLP Chair that it would be wrong to pass a no confidence motion is I'm sure well-meant but utterly misguided. It would send a powerful message to the electorate if the constituency did what it should do tonight. Sadly, I don't think that will happen. Salford deserves better. And so does the Labour Party. UPDATE: Unfortunately, I was right. Bad call, comrades.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/mps-expenses/5572418/Hazel-Blears-survives-deselection-vote.html. .

NOW KITTY USHER GOES.....

Within a 20-mile radius of Hebden Bridge, there are several constituencies. Burnley, 10 miles down the road, is now to lose its MP Kitty Usher as a result of her avoiding capital gains tax and being told that her position was untenable. In Bury North, about 15 miles down the road, David Chaytor is standing down. One wonders who will be next. Just out of interest, I would like to know why Kitty has been told she must go yet Hazel Blears, surely guilty of similar manipulation, hangs on. I might also be considering my position in the light of all these unexpected vacancies........

BLEARS - WHY THE DISPARITY

NEC member Peter Kenyon rightly pointed out the other day that the Special Endorsements Panel set up in the wake of the expenses scandal was supposed to be in charge of whether Mps had transgressed the rules so unacceptably they should be de-selected. But only, it seems, if you are a backbencher. So far Ian Gibson, Elliott Morley and David Chaytor have announced they won't be standing again after being interviewed by Cath Speight and co. In Gibson's case, he has resigned. It seems Jim Devine, who inherited the late Robin Cook's seat, has also been told to walk the plank. Yet Blears is seemingly only at the mercy of her CLP, who will allegedly back her in a no-confidence vote tonight. Where is the equity in this? Last I heard the final say would be down to the NEC. Why is there one rule for ex Ministers and another for those who can more easily be dealt with. In the interests of fairness, Blears should be referred to the panel and the last shout, as Peter says, should not go to the CLP. Especially as in the case of Ian Gibson his CLP did NOT want to de-select him. But of course the NEC has a long track-record in imposing one set of rules for New Labour - and sweepng their misdemeanours under the carpet.

ANOTHER WHITEWASH ON IRAQ

Bob Piper says it doesn't matter that much as what's done is done and what should not have been done can't be changed now. Jeremy Corbyn disagrees

NORTH AND SOUTH

I have been out of blogging action for the past couple of days as I went down to Brighton to join MP Kelvin Hopkins at a UNISON conference fringe meeting organised by leading activist Marsha jane Thompson of the LRC National Committee. Kelvin is often descrobed as the "alternative Chancellor of the Exchequer". His grasp of economics is way beyond most of us but he manages to explain it all in a way so accessible one can only wish the current Chancellor would take note. A report of the meeting is in today's Morning Star ( see link below).

As I was making the long trip back North from Brighton, Dave Prentis was urging the Conference to suspend payments to Labour CLPs on the grounds that UNISON should not be funding a Party which does not carry out its policies in Government.

The problem though is possibly more the MPs than the ordinary members, who are consistently frustrated and opposed as they move progressive policies at Party Conference and the National Policy Forum - only to have them kiboshed by the leadership.

UNISON has a large tranche of sponsored MPs in Parliament , many of whom ignore their calls against more privatisation in the NHS, and concerns at public sector pay. It is certainly time to call them to account.

http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/index.php/britain/brown_must_start_taxing_the_richest

CALL FOR A COMMONS DEBATE ON TRIDENT

No time to blog today really as heading south to speak in Brighton at a fringe UNISON meeting tomorrow but this is interesting reading in today's Morning Star

http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/index.php/britain/commons_committee_calls_for_trident_debate

BRING ME THE FINEST WINES KNOWN TO HUMANITY.......

Today I gave in and bought the Sunday Times purely on the basis it had a DVD of Withnail and I. This is now a cult classic and I adore every anarchic minute of its evocation of the 1960's but the film actually came out in 1987 at the height of Thatcherism. I remember a colleague going to interview director and writer Bruce Robinson at Manchester's Cornerhouse, It came...... and went. It's only in the years since it has acquired iconic status. I've never done the "drinking game" which I understand is popular with male students whereby you neck back every substance mentioned in the film as it progresses......however I did go to Penrith recently. And last I heard the tumbledown cottage owned by "Uncle Monty" was up for sale.

One other random point I wanted to make this sunny Sunday is that since I dropped the anonymous messages I've noticed all the people who post here are male. Is that because women don't read political blogs? Or is it because they are less opinionated? If there are any leftie women bloggers out there who I've not linked to already ( ie the excellent Harpymarx and Stroppyblog) do get in touch. And now I'm off for a trip to Chesterfield......nothing to do with politics but even I have weekends off.

NO CONFIDENCE IN HAZEL.......

Life is full of strange coincidences and one of the strangest is gatherng dust on my bookshelves in the form of a yellowing newspaper cutting. Back in 1990, a very young Hazel Blears was with me at the opening of the ( as then was) Labour History Museum in Manchester and Guardian photographer Don MacPhee captured this moment for posterity.A couple of years later, up popped Hazel again as a would-be PPC in Salford.
It was in the days when Branches actually got to question candidates and suffice to say my vote went to someone else. I left Salford shortly afterwards but have retained an interest in my old CLP - particularly the news that someone has been brave enough to table a "no confidence" motion in Ms Blears at next week's constituency meeting.
Already Hazel is eating humble pie and has conducted a contrite interview in which she expresses regret at doing the Party such damage by resigning on the eve of Euro polling. It won't wash.
Her expression as she was photographed post resignation was one of smug triumphalism. The wearing of the "Rocking The Boat" badge was both childish and inflammatory, to say the least. But it didn't work. Mandelson steadied the ship and the North West has ended up with Nick griffin as one of its Euro MPs . Blears must take part responsibility for that. Let me just say that if I were still a member of Salford CLP I would be voting for her to stand down. Apology or no apology. As my late mother used to say when I had misbehaved, sorry is too late.........

CHANGE - OR FACE A CHALLENGE

John McDonnell explains the background to last week's attempted coup - and why the left is pressing for change as the only way of saving Labour from electoral meltdown

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/jun/12/labour-change?commentpage=1&commentposted=1

WHICH WAY FORWARD?

There is a bit of a debate going on on the Hebweb about Labour's future. The following is a shorter version of my post on what Labour should do to recover lost ground.

New Labour was the result of many years of Tory Government and sheer desperation that Labour would never win office again. So many (myself included) were prepared to conpromise. In Tony Blair we (rightly) assumed we had an electable Leader who could win over a broad coalition of support. That broad coalition has now fallen apart and in its desire to keep Middle England sweet, Labour has lost much of its core support. Most siginificantly that of the working-class .
No-one disputes the achievements of the 1997 Govt. Surestart, Minimum Wage, Northern Irealnd, devolution. But in 2003 Tony Blair took us into an illegal and immoral war in Iraq which for many was the tipping-point out of the Labour Party. We have yet to recover from that.
When Gordon Brown became Leader many also hoped for a change in direction but it has not happened. Far from it. New Labour continues on its road of unnecessary and unpopular privatisations, ie Royal Mail, presides over a society in which the gap between rich and poor has widened, not lessened, and we have a tax system which remains beneficial to the rich. Well-off people actually paid more tax under Thatcher.
In 1997, we said we would re-nationalise the railways and not introduce tuition fees. We reneged on the promise re the railways and did what we said we would not do on top-up fees.We continue to allow the rich to get away with billions in tax avoidance.
Tax credits have helped many people but welfare benefits are derisory. According to the TUC, Jobseekers Allowance should be about £100 a week just to keep pace with inflation. It is about £60.00.
Yet we have committed billions to a new generation of nuclear weapons. At a time when four million people are on waiting-lists for council homes.
So it's not enough to say the Tories would be worse. The fact is many simply don't believe that. What to do? New Labour's status quo is not an option.
Labour backbenchers and trade unionists need to put pressure on the Government to put into place the policies which would win back support. Old state nationalisation might not be the answer but there are many models of social enterprise and alternatives to the iniquities of global capitalism - currently in meltdown.
We need to call for:
A fairer tax system
Millions more investment in social housing
More accountability for the banks we have bailed out.
Scrapping ID cards and Trident
The return of the private utilities into public ownership (doesn't have to be a State monolith) to end the profiteering which is leading many millions into fuel poverty.
The Socialist Labour Party and No2EU are not to blame for the BNP winning. Their vote was frankly, derisory.It says far more that Labour's vote collapsed and we got a BNP Euro MP. If people in the Labour Government are not prepared to listen to that message, then we really are doomed to have a Tory Government.

LRC HEADS UP MORNING STAR CONFERENCE

On Saturday June 20 the Labour Representation Committee will be providing key speakers at the Morning Star 's annual conference at Congress House. Theme for the day is Surviving Capitalism's Crisis. The day opens with a speech from Jeremy Corbyn and there will be a series of workshops on everything from the state of the NHS to climate change . The LRC's workshop is on the Welfare Reform Bill and there will be lots of opportunity for discussion and debate plus the opportunity to meet activists and trade unionists from across the left. More details here.
http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/index.php/conference

JEREMY CORBYN ON WHY GORDON SURVIVED - AND WHAT LABOUR MUST DO NOW

Last night's PLP was not the bloodbath the media were hoping for. Jeremy Corbyn explains why..........

http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/index.php/features/brown_lives_to_fight_another_day