Labourhome - Stories by wat tyler

Labourhome - Stories by wat tyler http://www.labourhome.org/ Back to the roots... en-us Copyright 2007 - LabourHome.org Sun Sep 7 20:05:27 2008 Labourhome Labourhome Labourhome http://www.labourhome.org/favicon.ico http://www.labourhome.org/ [Blogs] Foreign Affairs Committee Inquiry Must Act On Nuclear Proliferation. http://www.labourhome.org/story/2008/9/2/15039/55213 The Global Security: Non-Proliferation inquiry launched by the Foreign Affairs Committee provides an opportunity to speak out on the UK’s non compliance with the NPT.

The inquiry, which will be taking evidence until the end of this month aims to examine the efforts made by the government to work towards the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s policy goal to counter nuclear weapons proliferation and its causes, in addition it will consider how to counter the proliferation of chemical and biological weapons and the role of ballistic missiles.

In particular the inquiry will focus on the government’s approach to non-proliferation as set out in the National Security Strategy, the efficacy of the current rules-based system used to curb proliferation and the potential merits of diplomatic initiatives such as the 2010 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference.

CND members from around the country will be writing to the committee to remind its members that despite signing the NPT in 1970 the UK, along with the other members of the P5 (China, France, Russia and the US) has not honoured its commitment under Article 6 of the treaty to work towards ‘general and complete disarmament under strict and effective international control.’

In fact all the P5 have instead modernised their nuclear arsenals putting a treaty which has done much to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons at risk of collapse.

This inquiry provides a real opportunity for the government to be sent an uncompromising message that it must take a leading role in honouring its commitments under the NPT by abandoning its plans to renew Trident and turn the money released over to peaceful purposes at home and abroad.

The government must also send a clear message to the US that it will not allow the bases at Fylingdales and Menwith Hill to be used as part of the missile defence system and does not support the decision made by the US to site missile interceptors in Poland, a move which has already provoked a dangerous response from the Kremlin.

The recent conflict between Russia and Georgia has provoked fears of a new Cold War and the revival of the arms race, there has never been a more urgent need to support and comply with the NPT.

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]]> 2008-09-02T15:00:39-05:00 [Blogs] No More False Dawns? http://www.labourhome.org/story/2008/6/17/54733/7772 Stoke-on-Trent City Council looks to appoint a high flying team to lead its £2billion push for regeneration.

Yesterday the Evening Sentinel reported that six high-flying project directors are to be appointed to lead the £2billion transformation of Stoke at a cost to the public purse of £500,000.

Once appointed the directors will oversee the following projects, the creation of a £120million Business District in Hanley, a £250million University Quarter in Stoke, a £42million plan to tackle long term unemployment across the city, creating opportunities for enterprise and innovation, a £256million East/West Precinct development in Hanley and the marketing and re-branding of the city.

Elected Mayor Mark Meredith promised the appointments would mean no more ‘false dawns’ in the process of regenerating a city that has been battered over the past decade by the decline of the pottery industry.

He told the Sentinel: ‘The purpose of these new appointments is to ensure that we hit every milestone for every stage of the regeneration strategy.’

There is no doubt, following a report written by Will Hutton of the Work Foundation earlier this year which criticized previous attempts to regenerate the city and claimed that it could take up to thirty years for Stoke to get back onto its feet, that something must be done to turn around the city’s failing fortunes.

Judging by the reader comments posted in the Sentinel the six new directors will have their work cut out convincing a sceptical public there really are going to be no more ‘false dawns.’

Many of the comments are critical of the salaries that are to be paid out to the six new directors, £85,000 per annum, at a time when many people are being forced to tighten their belts and one comment, made by an independent Councillor and not yet confirmed, claims the council has not been consulted over the planned new appointments.

The responses to the article and the silent majority of public opinion they represent prompt the question where does understandable caution over such a large capital expenditure end and outright cynicism begin?

If the city is to achieve the regeneration it so desperately needs drastic steps have to be taken and capable people have to be appointed to take charge of the process. It is the job of councillors and concerned citizens alike to monitor how the people appointed to these posts do their jobs, not to damn them as failures before they have even started work.

]]> 2008-06-17T05:47:33-05:00 [Blogs] Power to the People? http://www.labourhome.org/story/2008/6/5/142758/3859 A piece of unsolicited mail prompts some thoughts about where the Labour Party goes from here.

This week I received a letter from the Communities and Local Government Secretary Hazel Blears commiserating with me over my failure to win a seat at the Local Elections.

It also announced her forthcoming white paper on the subject of ‘community empowerment’ and asked the question ‘how can labour pass more power to local people?’

The easy and comfortingly cynical answer would be to say the party could start by passing some meaningful power back to its grassroots members; the trouble with cynicism though is that it often prevents you from taking a proper look at the situation in which you find yourself.

For example, last week the long awaited report of the governance commission noted a deep seated malaise in the political life of Stoke-on-Trent, however questionable the other conclusions drawn by the commission might be that fact is painfully obvious.

Why else would the BNP have nine councillors in Stoke and be confident enough to consider standing in every ward next time round?

Grumbling is not the answer; it changes nothing, but getting out of the committee rooms and onto the street just might though.

Doing so won’t, of course, be a comfortable experience, local party members will have to listen to a great many things they won’t like, that’s why we should be out there doing it in the first place.

If it is truly serious about empowering communities, and I sincerely hope it is, the government as a whole will have to have a similar experience between now and the next election.

You can rig a focus group, but you can’t rig genuine contact with the public, a big conversation where you do most of the listening.

What you can get though is some honest answers about how people feel, what concerns them and what you can do to help.

After the tribulations of the past few months what Labour needs more than anything else is honest answers to awkward questions.

]]> 2008-06-05T14:27:58-05:00 [Blogs] Are Stokes' Independents Showing Their True Colours? http://www.labourhome.org/story/2008/5/28/62523/4528 Worrying signs of support for a far right councillor as Stoke City Council divides up its committee chairs for the next year.

At the annual meeting of Stoke-on-Trent city council two candidates were put forward for the city’s seat on the Staffordshire Police Authority, Clive Brian (Conservative) and Michael Coleman (BNP), Councillor Brian won by 37 votes to twenty.

Deep concern was expressed by local anti-fascist group NORSCARF when it was revealed that 12 non BNP councillors had supported Michael Coleman, described by NORSCARF as ‘an old style Nazi and holocaust denier’, in the past he is alleged to have boasted to the Sentinel of being proud to be a racist.

The twelve councillors who supported Coleman were:

B. Beeston (City Independent Group}
M. Bell (City Independent Group)
J. Bridges (Conservative)
J. Davis (City Independent Group)
T. Follows (City Independent Group)
D. Hall (City Independent Group)
A. James (City Independent Group)
P. Kent-Baguley (Potteries Alliance)
I. Mitchell (City Independent Group)
R. Naylor (City Independent Group)
A. Rigby (Conservative)
B. Ward (City Independent Group)

Commenting on this show of support for the far right by a majority of the Independent Group a NORSCARF source said of Coleman ‘He is not fit to serve on the Police Authority, and it is a disgrace that so many councillors, particularly so-called Independents voted for him.’

In a further unwelcome development Councillor Coleman was also elected Chair of the Children and Young People’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

While the law as it stands gives even the loathsome representatives of the BNP the right to claim key positions on the council the fact that they have managed to do so should be seen as a dramatic wake up call to Labour councillors and activists in the city.

Righteous indignation alone will never clear the council chamber of the menace posed by the far right and the ‘useful idiots’ such as the members of the Independent Group who supported the odious Mr Coleman, the job can be done in only one way; by defeating the BNP at the ballot box in two years time.

]]> 2008-05-28T06:25:23-05:00 [Blogs] Ambition Must Not Come Before Survival Following Defeat In Crewe. http://www.labourhome.org/story/2008/5/26/6835/80875 Two senior figures offer advice to Gordon Brown in the wake of the result in Crewe and Nantwich.

Following the defeat of Tamsin Dunwoody in the Crewe and Nantwich by-election former Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett told the Today programme: ‘of course this was a bad result for the Labour Party but we have the right ideas and the right leader to continue to deliver for Britain.

She went on to say: There is absolutely nothing to say that provided we listen to the electorate and learn from their clear desire to see a change of course the result of the next election is set.

Her view was echoed by Labour Peer Lord Paul in the Sunday Telegraph, who said that Gordon Brown must be much tougher and that although his agenda is clear he must ‘get on with the job’ if he wishes to survive.

Both Margaret Beckett and Lord Paul are right, Brown does have to find something positive to talk to the electorate about, he also has to prove that his agenda is a progressive one not merely a sort of reactive fire fighting conditioned by the latest nasty thing said about him in the right leaning press.

As for ‘getting on with the job’, that should be applied to the legions of senior figures past and present who pitched up on television over the weekend to either make veiled hints about their intentions were a leadership race to take place or to talk up the cause of their favoured candidate.

The Labour Party has a leader; many people may not be happy with either the manner by which he was appointed or the way he’s carried out certain aspects of his job so far, but part members in or out of government have a duty to stand by him. Only by doing so can we hope to halt the party’s slide down the opinion polls and find the positive message that could prevent the defeat at the next General Election we must all be realistic enough to see as a real possibility turning into a disaster from which it may be impossible for the party to recover.

]]> 2008-05-26T06:08:35-05:00 [Blogs] Agreement promises Fairer Deal for Agency Workers. http://www.labourhome.org/story/2008/5/20/15257/4259 The Government, TUC and the CBI have reached agreement on improving the rights of agency workers.

Retail union USDAW today welcomed the announcement of an agreement meaning that agency workers will receive the same treatment as their full time colleagues after completing a twelve week trial period.

USDAW General Secretary John Hannett said the agreement was ‘an important step forward in achieving equal treatment for agency workers.’

The new legislation would, he said, ‘tackle employers who exploit agency workers and undercut existing pay and conditions by paying agency staff less than permanent staff.’

USDAW and the trade union movement as a whole have been pressing the government for some time to grant equal rights to agency workers Mr Hannett said today that he was ‘pleased to see the Labour government had listened to and acted on our concerns.’

The TUC executive, the government and the CBI have agreed a joint statement that will be subject to agreement by the General Council of the TUC later this week.

]]> 2008-05-20T15:02:57-05:00 [Blogs] Retail Union Expresses Concern Over Proposed Dismissals Register. http://www.labourhome.org/story/2008/5/14/102423/740 The proposed introduction of a National Staff Dismissal Register has attracted criticism from retail union USDAW.

USDAW, the union representing the majority of Britain’s retail workers has expressed serious concerns at the proposed creation of a National Staff Dismissal Register, if the plan goes ahead employers will be able to use the online register to search the details of individuals who have left or been dismissed from their jobs for a range of acts including theft and damage, regardless of whether or not they were later prosecuted for any wrongdoing.

The union’s main concern is that people who have left their jobs on such grounds, might, where no further investigation has been undertaken by their former employer or there is a suspicion any accusations against them may be false, may be put at a disadvantage when looking for work in future.

USDAW General Secretary John Hanett said on Monday: ‘Employers can already use CRB checks to ensure they are making safe appointments. To blacklist those individuals where there has been insufficient evidence to prosecute is grossly unfair.’

The system would, he said, be ‘open to abuse with a limited right of appeal against the false recording of information.’

He concluded: ‘We will be raising our concerns with the government and supporting any of our members who are victimised in this way.’

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