Labour’s recently issued One Nation Society document is as a clear an indication as one can find about the policies which will be in the election manifesto for 2015. It is a 60-page document of which 8 pages are given to education. In the second paragraph we read “One Nation Labour will put raising the […]
Posts under ‘Local Government’
Labour councils must offer more than cliques and cuts
Jan 21st, 2014 by Thomas Butler.There was once a great, enchanting, romantic dream of local government. And that’s a dream idealists are prompted to look back to when the reality becomes far too overwhelming. In 2014, that reality is staring at us full force in the face. The present model of local government has run its course. The town halls […]
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Boris Johnson: by their outbursts shall ye know them
Dec 1st, 2013 by Michael Meacher.The boisterous pantomime that is Boris Johnson may well have taken a step too far in his irrepressible flair for self-publicity. To observe that “as many as 16% of our species have an IQ below 85, while about 2% have an IQ above 130″ in order to justify ‘shaking the pack harder so it will […]
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Mayoral candidates: a manifesto for London’s women?
Sep 28th, 2013 by Christine Quigley.One of the most interesting fringes at Labour conference was a Demos fringe on London after Boris. Given the speaker list (Andrew Adonis, Tessa Jowell, Sadiq Khan and David Lammy), I was fully expecting it to be the first hustings for London’s Labour Mayoral candidate in 2016. And given the large numbers queuing to enter […]
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Eighty per cent want public ownership option
Aug 5th, 2013 by Newsdesk.A new poll finds 80% of the public think there should always be a public sector bid when a public service is contracted out. The public rejects default privatisation by 10:1. The poll was carried out by Survation and commissioned by We Own It, a new organisation committed to “Public services for people not profit” which launches today with […]
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Fairness in tough times: coping with 40% cuts to local government
Jun 27th, 2013 by Alice Perry.Yesterday the Tory-Lib Dem coalition once again slashed funding for local government. Disgracefully, the country’s most deprived communities are receiving the biggest cuts. My local authority has suffered another £20million a year cut. This £20million is in addition to the eye-watering £120million a year cuts we have already received. Basically, since 2010 our budget has […]
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GMB members in dispute to break Kitcat
Jun 12th, 2013 by Andy Newman.GMB General Secretary Paul Kenny is to lead a march and demonstration of GMB members employed by Brighton & Hove City Council who will be striking over proposed cuts to their take home pay. Saturday 15 June 2013, 11:30 AM Assemble at Cityclean Depot, Upper Hollingdean Road, Brighton, BN1 7GA Meanwhile, GMB has welcomed a commitment […]
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Brighton Green council planning strike busting measures
Jun 5th, 2013 by Newsdesk.The Green party in Brighton & Hove is planning ‘contingency measures’ in an attempt to bust a strike in Brighton by GMB members seeking to defend themselves from cuts in take home pay of up to £4000 a year. Yesterday GMB wrote to the Green leader of the Council, Jason Kitcat, to warn him that the use of agency […]
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Len McCluskey & Lutfur Rahman uniting the community of East End battleground
May 14th, 2013 by Jon Lansman.There are two stories here. The first is that Unite the Union’s strategy of taking trade unions into the community was launched yesterday in a particularly tangible way with the opening of the first Unite Community Centre. The second is that it represents a collaborative enterprise between Len McCluskey and Lutfur Rahman, independent Mayor of […]
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In Tower Hamlets, now the accuser is accused
Apr 5th, 2013 by Jon Lansman.Just 2½ years ago, Lutfur Rahman was selected as Labour’s candidate for Mayor of Tower Hamlets with 433 votes compared with 251 for local London assembly member, John Biggs, and 157 for council leader, Helal Abbas. Shortly afterwards, Rahman was accused by Abbas of fraudulently recruiting members, including at fake addresses, paying their subscriptions, and […]
