STYLE COUNSEL FOR NEW YEAR'S EVE.....

The tabloid pictures of Paul Weller in a drunken heap in Prague are a timely reminder to my generation that some things just aren't done anymore. And collapsing in a comatose state with your better half is probably top of anyone's list. I am about to embark on a sub-zero tour around the town with several friends and experience has taught me not to go out before 9pm and to make an orderly exit from the pub well before midnight.........that is the plan anyway.Just before Big Ben strikes I will smoke one of the cocktail Sobranies a friend bought me for Xmas and I am giving the rest away. 2009, if nothing else, will be a fag-free year.
As for 2008 well like most years after a certain age it has been a mixed bag of good and bad stuff and I expect the same of the New Year. One thing I do hope is that I will end it a bit healthier so to that end I will be taking a bit better care of myself . I suggest P Weller does the same unless he really does want to be a sad old git! A Happy New Year to all blog readers ........

FROM THE PALESTINIAN SOLIDARITY CAMPAIGN....

(Lebanon, Tuesday 30 December) - Today the Free Gaza ship "Dignity"carefully made its way to safe harbor in Tyre, Lebanon's southern-mostport city, after receiving serious structural damage when Israeli warships rammed its bow and the port side. Waiting to greet the passengers and crew were thousands of Lebanese who came out to show their solidarity with this attempt to deliver volunteer doctors and desperately needed medicalsupplies to war-ravaged Gaza. The Lebanese government has pledged to provide a forensic analysis of what happened in the dark morning, when Israel rammed the civilian ship in international waters, and put the people on board in danger of losing their lives.The Dignity, on a mission of mercy to besieged Gaza, was attacked by the Israeli Navy at approximately 6am (UST) in international waters, roughly 90 miles off the coast of Gaza. Several Israeli warships surrounded the small, human rights boat, firing live ammunition around it, then intentionally ramming it three times. According to ship's captain Denis Healy, the Israeli attack came, ""without any warning, or any provocation."Caoimhe Butterly, an organizer with the Free Gaza Movement, stated that,"The gunboats gave us no warning. They came up out of the darkness firing flares and flashing huge flood lights into our faces. We were so shocked that at first we didn't react. We knew we were well within international waters and supposedly safe from attack. They rammed us three times,hitting the side of the boat hard. We began taking on water and, for a few minutes, we all feared for our lives. After they rammed us, they started screaming at us as we were frantically getting the life boats ready and putting on our life jackets. They kept yelling that if we didn't turn back they would shoot us."
Cynthia McKinney, former U.S. congresswoman and Green Party presidential candidate, was traveling to Gaza aboard the Dignity in order to assess the impact of Israel's military onslaught against the civilian population of the Gaza Strip. According to McKinney, "Israeli patrol boats...tracked us for about 30 minutes...and then all of a sudden they rammed usapproximately three times, twice in the front and once in the side...the Israelis indicated that [they felt] we were involved in terrorist activities."The Dignity departed from Larnaca Port in Cyprus at 7pm (UST) on Monday 29 December with a cargo of over 3 tons of desperately needed medical supplies donated to Gaza by the people of Cyprus. Three surgeons were also aboard, traveling to Gaza to volunteer in overwhelmed hospitals and clinics. The ship was searched by Cypriot Port authorities prior to departure, and its passenger list was made public. Israel's deplorable attack on the unarmed Dignity is a violation of both international maritime law and the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea,which states that "the high seas should be reserved for peaceful purposes."Delivering doctors and urgently needed medical supplies to civilians is a just such a "peaceful purpose." Deliberately ramming a mercy ship and endangering its passengers is an act of terrorism.
CALL the Israeli Government and demand that it immediately STOP attacking the civilian population of Gaza and STOP using violence to prevent human rights and humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people.Mark Regev in the Prime Minister's office at:+972 2670 5354 or +972 5 0620 3264mark.regev@it.pmo.gov.ilShlomo Dror in the Ministry of Defence at:+972 3697 5339 or +972 50629 8148mediasar@mod.gov.ilMajor Liebovitz from the Israeli Navy at:+ 972 5 781 86248

A HAPPY NEW YEAR?

As the bombs and rockets continue to rain in the Middle East, all that talk just a week ago of peace and goodwill rings more than a little hollow. Watching the appalling scenes in Gaza is enough to make one despair at man's inhumanity to man. But at least people round the world are registering their horror at the carnage and calling for a ceasefire now. It is utterly horrendous that Israel continues this obscene onslaught on a country wherem as Jeremy Corbyn points out, the vast majority of people are struggling to even survive.
The Govt has announced some £6million in humanitarian aid for Palestine which is good news but of course it will not get through until the killing stops. That is why all of us must do what we can in protest - be that braving the cold to wave banners in Hebden Bridge, going to London or Manchester for the national demonstrations on Saturday, or even just thinking beyond our immediate concerns to imagine how horrendous life must be in Gaza at the moment for all the Palestinians .
It is hard to imagine this will be a happy New Year for any of them.If you want to join in any of the demonstrations , details are on the stopthewarcoalition website....

GAZA VIGIL HEBDEN BRIDGE

Had call earlier tonight from friend who with thousands more had braved sub-zero temperatures in London to make the Gaza protest outside the Israeli Embassy. Well done to all the thousands who are protesting all over the country. Tomorrow night at 5pm we are doing out bit here in Hebden at 5pm at the traffic lights in the centre of town. I will be there. Bring a candle....

FAG END OF THE YEAR.....

It's that time of year when you find yourself mooching round the house and getting a bit melancholy - thinking of the past year's disappointments and also safe in the knowledge that 2009 will also have its fair share of knockbacks. There is also the dreadful news from Gaza and no doubt there will be more before the current wave of violence ends.
In my mooching I just came across a speech I wrote in 1981 when I was trying to stand as a local councillor in south-east London. It is hand-written and, amazingly, legible, as things had to be in those days before computers. I would have written it in one draft and it is VERY long.The interesting thing is, of course, that most of what I said then I would also say today so either I am utterly immature or else capitalism and socialism are, now as then, mutually incompatible.It's interesting to ponder what would have happened to my life had I actually been selected as the candidate for Anerley ward .The chances are that I would have stayed in London instead of moving back north in 1984. Who knows.
Today there is a Gaza vigil in Halifax which I can't make due to another commitment but let's hope for some better news and let's also hope that the election of Barack Obama brings us some positives.
At the fag end of the year, I also resolve that once again I will give up smoking - the "sneaky fags" partaken of at times of stress have escalated to the pitch where I can no longer pretend I am not a smoker - and after my recent bout of flu and several chest infections in 2008 it is utter madness to carry on.

KEIGHLEY PARLIAMENTARY SELECTION

I have been bloggingfree for the past few days as I have been very busy writing my CV form for the forthcoming Parliamentary selection in Keighley. It has taken many hours and has been perused by one of my most trusted comrades so here's hoping that I get through the first stage - which is to be nominated by a Branch or affiliate. Some have counselled that I have no chance as a left-winger but let me just say that if someone with 30 years' experience in the Labour Party and trade union movement cannot at least have a go what kind of Party are we in ? I leave it to the members in Keighley to decide. In 2007 they wished to nominate John McDonnell as Labour Leader and so did the sitting MP Ann Cryer so let's just see what happens.... Obviously I have a campaign strategy and tactics but I will not be revealing them on the blog .But journalists in the area who wish to interview me are of course welcome to get in touch......

DEATH OF A RADICAL

Youth so they say is wasted on the young - not sure whether that's true or not but my leftie rhetoric is definitely wasted on my sister's kids, who have somehow missed out on the political gene enjoyed by previous generations and can't be doing with any of it. Which is fair enough. They are nice kids, intelligent and I have doted on them since they were babies but it is kind of dispiriting that they say they "don't believe in" anything. I don't mean to sound pious ( probably do) but I find the notion of life without some sort of moral compass very bizarre, indeed pointless. Today as we entered the No Man's Land between Xmas and New Year I was reading Harold Pinter's obituary ( predictably I suppose I have always been a fan) and the following quote from a recent lecture leapt out at me.

"Sometimes a writer has to smash the mirror- for it is on the other side of that mirror that the truth stares at us. I believe that despite the enormous odds which exist, unflinching , unswerving, fierce intellectual determination, as citizens, to define the real truth of our lives and our societies is a crucial obligation which devolves upon us all. It is in fact mandatory.

If such a determination is not embodied in our political vision we have no hope of restoring what is so nearly lost to us - the dignity of man." Quite.

HEATHROW EXPANSION SET FOR GREEN LIGHT FROM GOVT

Influenza has turned my brain to mush in past few days so thanks to Comrade Curlew ( she knows who she is! ) for alerting me to the fact that Gordon Brown is, against all received wisdom, and in the face of serious opposition, seemingly hell-bent on Heathrow expansion.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2008/dec/20/heathrow-third-runway-brown

See also John McDonnell's blog for comments and video from the recent Climate Change demonstration.

HAVE YOURSELF A. MERRY LITTLE CHRISTMAS

I try not to be cynical at Christmas. And four days comatose with flu ( from which still recovering) has left me weakly succumbing to seasonal schmaltz even more than I usually do . My annual helping of kitsch classics normally includes The Railway Children ( filmed just down the road on the Keighley and Worth Valley line), The Sound Of Music and, if possible, Meet Me In St Louis. The latter film also includes my favourite Christmas song ever ie Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas. Why so? Because, unlike many other seasonal ditties, it recognises that, for most of us, this time of year is tinged with sadness as well as happiness. It also recognises that the best way to deal with the whole process is to concentrate on the positives rather than negatives. And, trite as it sounds, count one's blessings. Thus, I have managed to get out of bed, will make the HB carol service in the square at 6.30 and then train to Manchester where tonight and tomorrow will spend Christmas with my immediate family, most notably my 88-year-old dad whose health gave us serious cause for concern earlier this year. We shall drink champagne ( bought by said parent) , eat a splendid meal ( which I don't have to cook) and do the same things millions of other families across the country do. It's not the stuff of Hollywood movies, it's not going to be anything spectacular. But there is still plenty to celebrate. I wish all my blog readers a " merry little Christmas " Even those who don't agree with a word I say......

LEFT IN THE LURGY....

As happens more or less every Christmas , I have been csuddenly poleaxed by flu and a vile chest infection so don't expect much blogging over next few days. Trying desperately to get well for Christmas Day and can hardly make it to computer......

LET'S NOT BE LOAN SHARKS....

I'm glad to note that one of my local MPs, Burnley's Kitty Ussher, has moved fast to retract claims the Government was considering imposing interest rates of 27 per cent on social loan payments. Joined , also by former Labour Leader Lord Kinnock and Terry Rooney MP who is chair of the relevant Select Committee. But it's sadly a measure of how far things have moved that anyone would even consider it was true. And, frankly, I wouldn't put anything past James Purnell. Update: Sorry about earlier typo to which Duncan has drawn my attention!

NO SPLIT FOR LABOUR LEFT

Jon Cruddas's latest predictions that the Labour Left is set to leave Labour are way off the mark. I don't know how he has the gall to predict that our masterplan is a new left Party when it has been made clear by the LRC time and again that we do not regard this as a viable or desirable strategy.
In a webcast "conversation" with the IPPR and that great socialist Martin Kettle, he baldly states that John McDonnell and other left MPs are planning to up sticks and that the Convention Of The Left - which he played no part - was a surrogate bid to go in that direction. Which is utter nonsense. So there are two conclusions.
Either Cruddas has been wrongly informed, which is excusable, or he is being deliberately provocative in a bid to badmouth the LRC and misrepresent its policy position.
The COL was NOT, repeat not, an attempt to set up a new party. Had it been so, we would not have got involved. If he had done his research properly, he would know that. Such public statements are reprehensible and , as Vice-Chair of the LRC, I'm absolutely outraged he should make them.
The Labour Left has every right to fight its corner, win or lose, within the Labour Party. That's where we are and where we are staying. To suggest otherwise is either wishful thinking or downright malicious.

GORDON AS THE GOOD SAMARITAN

The Times reports an interesting exchange between the Archbishop of Canterbury,
seemingly against interventionist moves by the State in the current economic crisis, and the Prime Minister
Drawing on the parable of the Good Samaritan, Gordon has reportedly said: “I think the Archbishop would also agree with me that every time someone becomes unemployed or loses their home or a small business fails it is our duty to act and we should not walk by on the other side when people are facing problems. "
I entirely agree with what Brown has said and I applaud the fact that the Government did intervene to stop the banks spiralling into financial meltdown. I also applaud the fact that the language is getting tougher on fat cat profits by the City - and there will be more help to homeowners facing unemployment and the prospect of losing their homes.
I just wish the Government would ditch its ideological obsession with privatisation , which in the case of the Royal Mail will lead to more job losses, stop dreaming up punitive legislation on Welfare Reform, adopt a more humane policy on immigration, support a more progressive, equitable tax system so the investments needed to create jobs and make people more secure in their homes could be made. And, above all, recognise that fairness for all, especially the "hard-working families" we hear so much about, is just not compatible with the enthusiasm for globalisation and market -led capitalism which New Labour is still advocating.

BAH HUMBUG.....

I could blame it on the fact I have attended at least half a dozen Christmas plays and carol services in my Mayoral capacity. Could blame last weekend's whistle-stop tour of France and London involving sundry political meetings.

The fact is that every Christmas I end up utterly panic-stricken in the last three days and posting cards on the very last day where it's humanly possible they get there in time. Presents still remain to be bought and I have just done a rabbit caught in headlights tour of the local shops to get the pressies for the friends am meeting tonight for dinner.

One year I got so panic-stricken that I ended up buying the same book for a friend I had bought him for his birthday ( Karl Marx by Francis Wheen) . This year on my birthday he returned the compliment by buying me a DVD version of a video bought several years before.......I hope this experience is not repeated tonight when we all meet up at the St Petersburg restaurant in Manchester. A new culinary experience which I also hope is better than my last experience of Russian food in Leningrad in 1989, when our delegation all ended up with food poisoning. To be honest, it's got to the stage where my dearest wish is probably an alcohol-free few days at a vegan health spa. Still, on with the festivities......

SPIES IN THE CAMP....

It now becomes clear why Derek Draper wished to attend our left-wing bloggers' forum Monday Night. Seems he is lining up his own "bloggerati" brotherhood - needless to say my fellow leftie bloggers are not on DD's invite list which has been leaked to the Guido Fawkes blog.

HELLO, DOLLY< WHAT WORLD ARE YOU LIVING IN?

When you are part of the New Labour elite, life is a parallel universe. One in which you are immensely privileged and get more access to the media than the rest of us .So Derek Draper, writing in today's Guardian, seems to believe a rejuvenated Labour Government is on the up and that it's glad confident morning again for his cronies.
Derek, aka "Dolly" Draper, was one of the architects of The Project and a bag-carrier for Mandelson - he's recently been rehabilitated ( like his boss) Bizarrely, he almost turned up to our meeting the other night of the New Left Media Forum. It would have been interesting if he had because he might have been challenged for once in his take on political life.
I get back from France to find the Royal Mail being privatised, unemployment at its highest for many years and of course the wheels in motion to punish the poor and vulnerable via the Welfare Reform Bill .
We on the left will continue to fight those measures but if they do go through it will be with the help of the Tories who will block a backbench rebellion.
The good news is that the troops are seemingly on the way back from Iraq and due to their complete ineptitude the Tories' lead has been narrowed in the polls.
But that is a hell of a long way from what Draper describes as a " a shift towards Labour values." and a government which is on the side of working-class people. Whatever the empty rhetoric people like Draper and Purnell come up with.

HOME AGAIN

It was an excellent trip. Bizarre. But nevertheless fun to leave HB at 6am on Friday, fetch up in our French twin town via Dover and suddenly be enscogood idea nced at the Xmas party for council workers in St Pol de Ternoise. The trade unions had shelled out on champagne and the mood was grand as Pere Christmas arived with presents for the kids. Then the difficult bit.
Being shipped out on my own to stay with the new Mayor who is a Sarkozy man. As I speak hardly any French, and he likewise Anglais. not an appealing prospect. I waved goodbye to Socialist Party chums with a sinking heart but of course just had to make the best of it in the interests of "jumelage" . The Hebden Bridge Junior Band played splendidly , and much merriment was had despite the freezing weather. Then on to London for a couple of meetings , including last night's Left New Media Forum. Tonight I was in Leeds for a meeting of the Leeds Campaign Group, which is in the process of affiliating to the LRC. So I am utterly exhausted.....
Not least because my haul from across the Channel included a bottle of Grand Marnier for the female friend I was staying with last night in Chiswick. NOT a good idea to open it on returning from Westminster. Tomorrow morning am meeting a trade unionist from Australia so I think it best to crash out immediately......

BLOGGING BREAK.....

Up at 5am tomorrow to embark on marathon coach journey from Hebden Bridge to our twin town in St Pol sur Ternouise - an hour's drive from Calais but 10 hours from HB. Then on to London Sunday night via Dover and not back here till Tuesday.May. or may not, get time to check in. Get those letters/e-mails written to your MP re Welfare Reform Bill.....

WHY WE'RE OPPOSED TO WELFARE REFORM BILL

I watched Channel 4 News last night in disbelief as the normally combative Jon Snow allowed Minister Tony McNulty to baldly state the case for these disgraceful measures as if they were eminently acceptable. The Guardian has also suggested the reforms are broadly acceptable to Labour backbenchers. They are not.
As LRC Chair John McDonnell said yesterday:
"The Government has got its priorities all wrong. It has allowed the bankers to get away with extravagant bonuses and yet is turning on the poorest and most vulnerable.
"It is lunacy to force people into jobs that are not there and to force lone parents to take-up childcare which is either unaffordable or non-existent.
"There is widespread and growing dismay at the Government's dismantling of the welfare state built by the post-war Labour government. This smacks of unfairness and will cause revolt and revulsion across the labour and trade union movement."
Today I also received a missive from a comrade in Islington North CLP who has written to his MP Jeremy Corbyn stating the case against the proposals. It is very clear and a useful template for anyone else wishing to lobby their MP . As follows:

In July the Government published the Green Paper ‘No one written off: reforming welfare to reward responsibility' announcing plans to change the current provision of support.

Many of the plans were unacceptable when they were first published and the worsening economic situation should lead to a fundamental rethink. However the government is pressing ahead despite the current global economic downturn which is leading to increasing levels of unemployment. As a result we have come together.

The government's proposals remove entitlements and fail to value the important work of parents and carers. Parents with young children, carers, sick, disabled, people with mental health problems and other vulnerable groups face tougher tests to qualify for benefits. If they fail they could be cut off with no support. The economy should be geared much more towards caring services for other people, instead of profligate and unsustainable consumerism that only adds to human unhappiness and environmental degradation.

We are opposed to the abolition of Income Support which ends the principle that those in need deserve help. We are opposed to compulsory work for benefits. People should be paid the rate for the job or at the very least be paid the national minimum wage. Why is it that the government is continually obsessed with cracking down on the poor and their benefits, while rich tax dodgers avoid paying their fair share with impunity?

Jobseekers Allowance is shockingly low at less than £10 a day, if it had increased in line with earnings over the past 30 years the rate for a single person over the age of 25 would be more than £100 a week.

The government wants more of the welfare state to be handed over to the private sector. It is wrong to profit from the sick and unemployed. There is also the intention to share information with the police which raises real concerns about civil liberties.
We want voluntary skills training and life long learning opportunities for unemployed people. The government should focus on ensuring that there is more support to access jobs that have fair pay and decent conditions with a guarantee that when people cannot seek work they will not face poverty.

The government should introduce positive measures to challenge discriminatory attitudes held by employers, encourage flexible working practices and expand the provision of affordable childcare.

HOME TRUTHS

Nipped over to Wythenshawe today with some Chinese food and a couple of Tsing Tao beers for my dad whose earlier plan to meet me in Manchester today for lunch was cancelled on doctor's orders.
My dad has voted Labour since 1945 and at 88 remains a Labour man but finds it mystifying that James Purnell is joining forces with the Tories on Welfare Reform.
As he said, it's strange that the Govt can find billions to bail out the banks yet benefit claimants are to be punished in the measures which are causing such widespread revulsion across the labour movement.
Aside from the morality of the issue,why does a Labour Government persist with these draconian "reforms"which, like the 10p tax fiasco, will cost us dearly at the next election?
It's time for all of us in the Labour Party and beyond who are violently opposed to this legislation to stand together and mount a national campaign -lobbying our MPs, getting out onto the streets and making it clear that we did not join Labour to punish people for being out of work. The Welfare Reform Bill is absolute anathema to anyone who regards themselves as a socialist. Let's mount the biggest rebellion yet -and stop it becoming law.

FAREWELL COMRADE NOGGIN

As a child I absolutely adored the TV sagas of Noggin the Nog (and Nogbad the Bad) so a comradely farewell to Oliver Postgate, creator of the aforesaid Nordic hero and sundry other cartoon favourites, including Bagpuss. As well as delighting generations of youngsters, Postgate was a lifelong socialist, CND supporter and pacifist. His mum was the daughter of Labour Party Leader George Lansbury.

WELFARE TO WORKHOUSE- THE FIGHT GOES ON

From the Press Association........
Concern grows over benefit reform
41 minutes ago
The Government faces growing concern from backbench Labour MPs about the scale of welfare reform ahead of moves to get more claimants off benefits and into work, it was warned.
A White Paper will be published on Wednesday, which is expected to signal that claimants could have their benefits cut for failing to attend interviews aimed at helping them find work.
Lone parents could also face a stricter regime as part of the Government's drive to get more people into work, including those on incapacity benefit. Labour MPs who campaign on behalf of trade unions in Parliament said opposing the welfare reforms will be one of their main priorities in the coming months.
John McDonnell (Hayes and Harlington) said: "The Government has got its priorities all wrong. It has allowed the bankers to get away with extravagant bonuses and yet is turning on the poorest and most vulnerable.
"It is lunacy to force people into jobs that are not there and to force lone parents to take-up childcare which is either unaffordable or non-existent.
"There is widespread and growing dismay at the Government's dismantling of the welfare state built by the post-war Labour government. This smacks of unfairness and another 10p tax rate, which will cause revolt and revulsion across the labour and trade union movement."
Child Poverty Action Group chief executive, Kate Green, said: "The new bill should not reform an inadequate welfare state into an authoritarian welfare state. We need to create an active welfare state for the 21st century that empowers the powerless by breaking down barriers to work, increasing economic equality and enabling high-quality, self-directed skills development."
Charity group One Parent FamiliesGingerbread has criticised the Government's decision to force single parents with children aged one and upwards to get job-ready or face benefit cuts as "unnecessary and inappropriate".
Chief Executive Fiona Weir said: "We know that single parents want to work when it is right for their children, but asking them to jump through additional jobcentre hoops is not the way to help them achieve their ambitions. As the Government's own research shows, the threat of benefit cuts has a negligible impact on parents' decisions about when to work.
A Government-commissioned report last week called for unemployed people to do a 9-5 day looking for work or undertake community service-style duties such as digging gardens. Work and Pensions Secretary James Purnell strongly welcomed the report, saying its "direction of travel" was the right way.

SPREADING THE WORD......

Tonight back to The Crescent, one of my old haunts from Salford days, to a meeting of the Salford Left Forum, which was originally an offshoot of the Convention Of The Left and now doing very nicely in its own right as a meeting-point for young socialists (note lower case) . Obviously I do not qualify for the latter accolade but I was asked along to say a word or two about the LRC and why I think the Labour Party is still the place to be etc etc .
The meeting was a really interesting mix of socialists, anarchists, members of Young Labour and one or two people I remember from my days in Salford Labour Party. One young optimist described Hazel Blears as a "class warrior" - well, anything is possible in the current climate I suppose. But all in all a friendly evening and, because I am a little older than comrades who are no doubt still arguing the toss in the pub, I am too tired to comment any further and off to bed. Well done, Alex, get those LRC leaflets circulated lad........

DOG WHISTLE POLITICS CAN ONLY AID THE BNP

My little corner of West Yorkshire is a strange little bubble largely populated by white, middle-class liberals. In nearby Halifax, Bradford and Keighley there is a large Asian and ethnic population and, sadly, lots of support for the BNP.
The way to counter racism is not by pandering to dog-whistle attitudes of the kind espoused by the Daily Mail yet today the Mail is positively triumphalist at the news the Government is to crack down even further on benefits and housing for immigrants.
Under new legislation announced by Minister Phil Woolas, some immigrants will have wait up to 10 years for the right to claim UK benefits and council housing
All legal migrants will have to serve a five year 'probationary citzienship' before being considered for a passport.Some will be eligible for benefits one or two years afterwards.
But others will have to wait another five years before they can claim any benefits at all.
Mr Woolas is quoted thus 'Entitlement to benefits should be for citizens of our country, not other people. If you are a citizen you have earned the right to benefits. People must show they are here to work.'
Such rhetoric is singularly unhelpful and profoundly distasteful from a Labour Minister . In areas like West Yorkshire, it can only serve to fuel the racism of the BNP. If we're in favour of "Hope Not Hate" this is not the way to go.

TRIBUNE SAVED BY MYSTERY BUYER.....

I'm glad to note that Tribune has apparently been saved by a mystery buyer. But the jury is out as to what it will morph into after being jettisoned by the union conglomerate which kept it going in recent years. The mystery benefactor wants to broaden it beyond the Labour Party and include more European news and features.
So the danger is it will become another amorphous left-of-centre magazine - and even less appealing. Tribune was once a serious must-read on the Labour Left but lost its major editorial strength when the Tribune Group of MPs disbanded in the early 1990's. It means well, but it is meaningless without a power base in Parliament. And in recent years many of the articles have been ( excuse my language) piss-poor. Still, I wish the editorial and production staff whose jobs have been saved all the best

TIME TO GET TOUGH WITH THE BANKS

For the past few years I have had what's called a "tracker" mortgage. I took it out a couple of years ago in anticipation of falling interest rates. And guess what, Lloyds TSB has now withdrawn it . Still, I'm one of the lucky ones. Unlike many of the High Street leanders, Lloyds is one of the passing on the full interest rate cut to its borrowers. Many of the rest, including those part nationalised by the Govt, are refusing to do so. People are not impressed with this disgraceful attitude -so much so that John McFall MP was on the news last night calling for full nationalisation unless they did the decent thing and responded to the Bank Of England's one per cent reduction. He seemed to see this as a regrettable threat. I think it should be a promise to all the taxpayers who have helped bail out the banks and mortgage companies from imminent collapse.
Gordon Brown told GMTV yesterday: 'I think banks should really pass on the interest rate cut. We are talking to the banks. Remember last time there was a cut, we had to speak to them before it was passed on and we will be speaking to them again.'
Actions speak louder than words, Gordon. Let's stop the banks and lenders taking the mickey and go for full nationalisation and public ownership.It's our money which is propping up these arrogant profiteers after all .

TOP 40 REBELS WITH A CAUSE........

..The numbers reflect the number of times each MP has rebelled since Gordon Brown came to power in 2007. Compiled by a team of academics and the subject of much column inches in today's papers, the figures make for easy tabloid fodder. Yet no Labour MP votes against the Government without serious thought beforehand. And even the most rebellios largely votes WITH the Government. On issues of principle, from the Trade Union Freedom Bill to 42 Days and the up and coming Welfare Reform Bill, we should be glad there are MPs who are prepared to stand up for their beliefs. They are the conscience of the PLP.

Corbyn, Jeremy 148
Drew, David 75
McDonnell, John 128
Hopkins, Kelvin 97
Hoey, Kate 77
Simpson, Alan 90
Davidson, Ian 37
Taylor, David 52
Jones, Dr Lynne 80
Mitchell, Austin 26
Field, Frank 27
Wood, Mike 47
Flynn, Paul 41
Marshall-Andrews, Bob 58
Prentice, Gordon 39
Riordan, Linda 40
Truswell, Paul 26
Abbott, Diane 37
Burgon, Colin 27
Cook, Frank 22
Fisher, Mark 56
Clark, Katy 36
Godsiff, Roger 24
Havard, Dai 21
Skinner, Dennis 34
Cousins, Jim 21
Grogan, John 32
Campbell, Ronnie 16
Dunwoody, Gwyneth 26
Gibson, Dr Ian 42
Kilfoyle, Peter 25
Mackinlay, Andrew 13
Meacher, Michael 26
Dismore, Andrew 13
Caton, Martin 7 19
Gerrard, Neil 25
Clapham, Michael 26
Dobson, Frank 20
Cohen, Harry 23

NEW ADDS TO BLOGROLL

Welcome to Northern Ireland's Johnny Guitar aka Your Friend In The North and Charlie Marks

DISABLED TAKE TO STREETS IN PROTEST AT WELFARE REFORM PROPOSALS

PEOPLES' DIRECT ACTION NETWORKPRESS RELEASE
Instead of celebrating the International day of Disabled People today, we -and our supporters - are in central London protesting against the government's"Employment Support Allowance" (ESA) and "Work Capability Assessment" (WCA)which are replacing "Incapacity Benefit" (IB).
This punitive economic attackwill hit thousands of the poorest in society, forcing them further into poverty and a discriminatory job market, while thousands more are losingtheir jobs due to the deepening recession.
A DAN spokesperson said: "If the government were sincere in their attemptsto help Disabled Claimants, they wouldn't be cutting benefits or adding new hoops in the process. They would target discriminatory employers and fully appreciate the difficulties those with Invisible and Fluctuating conditionswill have in the job market.
This is a cynical exercise designed to move thegoal-posts in assessments and ensure that many will no longer qualify forthe benefits they have been legitimately receiving."*
Political and media spin - suggesting there has been significantincreases in Incapacity Benefit claims - is misleading. The DWP confirmsthere has actually been a drop in IB claims since 2000.*
A much higher percentage of Disabled People than previously are now livingin the community and claiming benefits, rather than being institutionalised.*
A long hours / short breaks culture (instead of providing flexi-time orwork from home) makes it harder for Disabled People and those with medicalconditions to cope with employment.*
There is a lack of access to meaningful education and training forDisabled People, leading to a lack of qualifications, job skills and therefore decent jobs with adequate incomes.*
ESA and the WCA is an even more punitive benefit and assessment than theprevious procedure . Claimants who fail the new assessment will lose entitlement to Disability Living Allowance (DLA) as well as ESA.
CONTACTS (ON ACTION):Barry: 07508 634 228Clair: 07970 959 791FOR PHOTOS (ON ACTION):Nick: 07956 682 830PRESS CONTACTS:Stella: 07904 935 413Mike: 07956 856 060

WHAT KIND OF WORLD ARE WE LIVING IN WHEN....

Labour Ministers are listening to a crackpot who proposes that "Unemployed people could also be forced to carry out "community punishments" such as litter-picking or gardening if they miss meetings designed to help them back into the workplace."
There are also plans for lie detectors. Work camps , anyone?

ADD YOUR VOICE TO THE STORM OF PROTEST.....

The compass website has an on-line copy of the joint signatory statement on welfare reforms which hundreds have already signed. You can add your voice and find out more by going to the following links........


http://www.compassonline.org.uk/campaigns/campaign.asp?n=3451

http://leap-lrc.blogspot.com

http://www.pcs.org.uk/en/campaigns/welfare-reform/welfare-for-all.cfm

WELFARE TO WORKHOUSE

At the recent LRC conference, our Secretary Simeon Andrews referred to a "tidal wave of disgust" at some of New Labour's more reactionary policies. I predict this tidal wave will become a tsunami as James Purnell and Gordon Brown relentlessly try and steer Parliament into voting for punitive welfare reforms - a regime which will be backed by a newly privatised jobs agency. As a member of the Labour Party, it makes me sick to the stomach to read reports such as this one from the Press Association.
In the past few weeks, thousands of job losses have been announced. There will be more as the recession bites. This is what our Labour Government is planning........ no wonder decent people on the left are leaving the Party in droves

James Purnell is considering suspending benefits for some unemployed people
Unemployed people should do a 9 to 5 day looking for work or undertake community service style duties such as digging gardens under moves to tackle the hardcore of joblessness, the author of a Government-commissioned report said.
Professor Paul Gregg said there should be a completely new approach towards people such as parents of young children and those on incapacity benefit.
Virtually everyone on benefits should be required to take steps towards finding a job and should face having their benefits stopped for up to four weeks if they repeatedly refuse to co-operate with attempts to find them work, it was suggested.
Work and Pensions Secretary James Purnell said he "strongly welcomed" the report, adding: "
A welfare reform bill will be included in the Queen's Speech on Wednesday, and the report is part of the Government's drive to get more people into work and cut down the numbers on benefit.
Mr Purnell said: "The approach that virtually everyone should be doing something in return for benefits is the right one.
Professor Gregg, of Bristol University, recommended that sanctions should be quicker, clear and more effective, with a simple system of fixed penalties and an escalating series of sanctions for repeat offenders.
The report recommends a swift escalation of sanctions for jobseekers who fail to turn up to meetings and interviews.
Mr Purnell and Prime Minister Gordon Brown have visited Work Directions, a private sector organisation providing employment support and advice to those on incapacity benefit or income support.
Speaking afterwards, Mr Brown said: "We want to get opportunities for people to get jobs. We want to give them all the personal support that is necessary. We want to provide a personal service to everyone. I can assure people, having been here, that there are thousands of vacancies that can be taken up. We are determined to help people." This is not the way to do it.

STOP PUNISHING THE VULNERABLE AND STOP THESE REFORMS IN THEIR TRACKS

On Saturday our local LRC Branch resolved to run a campaign on the horrors of the Government's plans for welfare reform. We were a bit slow off the mark as yesterday's Observer featured a letter signed by a raft of trade union people , anti-poverty campaigners and other interested parties urging a re-think. The statement, co-ordinated by the PCS and signed by Gen Sec Mark Derwotka and Paul Kenny of the GMB, has a raft of signatories including LEAP's Andrew Fisher and Neal Lawson of compass. We will be using it as the basis for our campaign - here's the original text.

As the Observer reported on November 2nd the governments own adviser, the Social Security Advisory Committee has raised concerned about the latest welfare reform proposals.
The welfare state is one of the UK's greatest achievements and supports us all especially vulnerable and unemployed people and their families.
In July the government published the green paper ‘No one written off: reforming welfare to reward responsibility’ announcing plans to change the current provision of support.
Many of the plans were unacceptable when they were first published and the worsening economic situation should lead to a fundamental rethink. However the government is pressing ahead despite the current global economic downturn which is leading to increasing levels of unemployment. As a result we have come together.
The government’s proposals remove entitlements and fail to value the important work of parents and carers. Parents with young children, carers, sick, disabled, people with mental health problems and other vulnerable groups face tougher tests to qualify for benefits. If they fail they could be cut off with no support.
We are opposed to the abolition of Income Support which ends the principle that those in need deserve help. We are opposed to compulsory work for benefits. People should be paid the rate for the job or at the very least be paid the national minimum wage.
Jobseekers Allowance is shockingly low at less than £10 a day, if it had increased in line with earnings over the past 30 years the rate for a single person over the age of 25 would be more than £100 a week.
The government wants more of the welfare state to be handed over to the private sector. It is wrong to profit from the sick and unemployed. There is also the intention to share information with the police which raises real concerns about civil liberties.
We want voluntary skills training and life long learning opportunities for unemployed people. The government should focus on ensuring that there is more support to access jobs that have fair pay and decent conditions with a guarantee that when people cannot seek work they will not face poverty.
The government should introduce positive measures to challenge discriminatory attitudes held by employers, encourage flexible working practices and expand the provision of affordable childcare.
We want the government to rethink its plans. Support our campaign to help create a better welfare state and society.

A HEARTFELT THANKYOU...

To all of you who raised £500 tonight for Overgate, our local hospice. It was a magnificent total and I'm proud of all of you. Particularly the staff at Il Mulino who handed over their tips to help those with life-threatening illnesses. Thanks too to MC Dave Boardman and all the Labour Party and Liberal Democrat councillors who gave support.
There are very few of us who are untouched by the distress which cancer brings. My mother and sister both died of cancer and that's why I chose the hospice as my charity. Tonight, we did our best in their memory and now well on way to achieving my goal of £4000.

BACK TO THE FUTURE

There are journalists - and there are writers. Some exceptional talents manage to be both. Last night I sat up reading till 3am as I was unable to stop perusing Engleby, by one of my favourite writers Sebastian Faulks.
It was a bit of a parallel universe experience as it's about a working-class kid who goes to Cambridge in the 1970's as a bit of an outsider and later falls into journalism, interviewing the rich and famous.Unlike the protagonist, I'm not violently psychotic nor likely to end up in an institution but there were some remarkable episodes which mirrored my own life.
One is an encounter with Ken Livingstone. Faulks used to work on the Independent and clearly uses a real-life encounter with the former GLC Leader which was uncannily similar to mine in the late 1980's. Like me, he did the homework and was pretty keen to make a good impression. Like me, he fell foul of Ken's (understandable) suspicion of journalists and found it all a difficult and rather surly encounter. One which I have to say has rathered coloured my view of the man ever since. Incidentally, there is also a name-check for my LRC National Committee comrade Ted Knight !
The places I used to eat in a a student ( the Whim, the Mitre) and many of the campaigns we were involved in politically also feature in what is a brilliant tour de force from one of my favourite writers.
Engleby himself may be a weirdo but the book also manages to be a brilliant evocation of the last 30 years of political life.It is also extremely funny despite its more harrowing elements. This morning, I feel pretty exhausted and I'm off to a meeting in a bit but it was worth staying up for. As for Livingstone, well since his demise the Socialist Campaign Group News he part-funded has closed down and he's off on another trajectory which suits his chameleon-like ability to survive the slings and arrows of political life.And I'm sure eventually there will be a by-election.......

PUT THE ROSETTES BACK IN THE ATTIC.....

A week ago things were getting quite feverish as the papers - and Number 10 - spun talk of a snap election. A new poll for the Guardian, giving the Tories a 15 per cent lead, is likely to end all the speculation. Other polls suggest things aren't quite so bad but don't expect an election any time soon.

People are worried about their jobs, their homes and their prospects for the future. Promises of tax cuts fior the rich if and when Labour wins an election in 2010 - and a small cut in VAT - are both too little in terms of policy shift and maybe too late in their ability to shift public opinion significantly.

Tonight as I made my way back over the Pennines from seeing my dad in Manchester, the shops were awash with cut-price offers in a manner only usually seen a few days before Christmas. People are clearly too scared to spend what money they have. With good reason.

In the past couple of years on various platforms I have often heard Tony Benn say that for the first time in his life the general public are to the left of a Labour Government. I think that's right. I think they want to see fairness, they want to see working people being treated decently. And they will not be content with sops or gimmicks any more. Labour has to re-gain the people's trust.

Some on the soft left have had a go at me this week for not being ecstatic about Darling's pronouncements. Judging by the new opinion polls, I'm far from alone. It's time for a proper, socialist alternative. and fundamental changes to address basic inequalities in our society.

As LEAP's Andrew Fisher rather more succinctly puts things on their excellent blog.

Our job is to keep the pressure up on the Government to ensure they do not row back from these moderately redistributive steps, and that the Crown Dependency Review results in a clampdown on tax havens. Then there are the welfare cuts to campaign against, council housing (still off the agenda) to campaign for , and bank nationalisation too . . .

CONVENTION OF THE LEFT 2009

At the LRC Conference, a resolution in support of plans for a Convention Of The Left in Brighton next year was overwhelmingly passed. No tine to blog at length today but I have posted something on it here

KILROY WAS THERE....

Someone ( it may even have been the man himself) once said of Robert Kilroy Silk that he was too handsome ever to have been the Leader of the Labour Party. Close observers of his most recent TV antics might wager there were more valid reasons why he never made it to the top flight of Labour politics.

I must make it clear that I'm not a regular fan of I'm A Celebrity......but the other night I was too knackered to be bothered switching it off and got sucked into its grisly habitat.

At pushing 70, RKS clearly still thinks he is king of the jungle. Vanity reeks from every pore - yet this is a man so stupid he managed to get the Chancellor's name wrong. Alisdair Diamond, anyone ?

Fortunately, the Great British Public has booted him out .Which must have been a major blow to this man's oversized ego. Someone else said all political careers end in failure. His has ended in the ignominy of being first man out of a show which makes Celebrity Big Brother look like the Brain's Trust.

DON'T SPEND IT ALL AT ONCE........

Like most on the left. I'm a bit of a fan of the co-op and at the beginning of this year I was pleased to join the newly invigorated local society and eagerly looked forward to my "divi" at the end of the year. I had already decided it would be spent on luxuries like cava and smoked salmon so imagine my excitement when on getting back from London this afternoon the long-awaited letter was on the mat. However what a sad disapointment to discover my share of the profits for 2008 will be....... £3.74. Just about enough to buy a discounted bottle of plonk - or scrabble together a breakfast of smoked salmon and scrambled eggs. Commiserations to others in Calder Valley similarly disappointed......

POWER OF THE INTERNET.......

Monday was an unprecedented day for this blog. I had 398 hits and I wish I could say three times as many people as usual had had a Damascene moment and logged on to Grimmerupnorth. The fact is I had a link from the BBC after comments made on the pre-Budget report. Still, all grist to the mill and so was last night's real time meeting at Westminster where we launched what will hopefully be a New Left Media forum for those of us on the left who want to garner support for all kinds of initiatives in the months ahead.
I re-met Stroppy Blog, Dave Osler , David Semple who writes the excellent Though Cowards Flinch and, encouragingly, other younger bloggers and IT experts. We are having another meeting in December. More news of it anon.

PIPS NEED TO SQUEAK MUCH LOUDER......

Assiduously been listening to the bulletins etc on the
Government's U-turn on the economy. It's a step in the right direction but not exactly grounds for hoisting the Red Flag from my front door.
LRC Chair John McDonnell MP has today been explaining what the Labour left's take is and the link to his Comment Is Free piece is below.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/nov/24/pre-budget-report-taxandspending

THE PIPS BEGIN TO SQUEAK AGAIN...

For over 11 years Labour Governments have refused to increase direct taxes - that's all changed with the current economic crisis we face. Chancellor Alistair Darling has announced an increase to 45 pence in the pound for high earners - and an immediate cut in VAT. As far as the VAT goes, the reduction is a small one which won't make a huge amount of difference to people facing hard economic times this Christmas. There are other caveats which mean the news is not quite so dramatic as it might be. The higher taxes won't be until the next Parliament which means they will only happen if Labour win. What is actually needed is a far more profound redistribution of wealth and a more progressive tax system as outlined here.
However, the fact that the Government is at least prepared to open up a clear divide between Labour and the Tories and use taxation as an election battleground is to be welcomed. Thanks to BBC News for the plug......... which has already tripled the number of hits I normally get . And counting.....http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7740897.stm

SWITCHED ON......

Christmas is pretty picturesque in Hebden Bridge. I could pretend this picture is me and fellow Labour councillor Janet Oosthuysen talking politics but in fact the two of us joined forces to switch on the Christmas lights in town yesterday. In my hand is a microphone ( which didn't work) and carol sheet . Janet did an excellent job handing out the swets and satsumas to the kids ( guess which went first....) The weather was freezing but we had a brass band in Victorian dress, the square was packed and it was all very jolly.
Those of you who live locally note that a week tonight is my fund-raising night for Overgate Hospice at Il Mulino and tickets are now on sale at the Town Council offices....More pics on the Hebweb.....

WELFARE TO WORKHOUSE.....

Harpymarx ( aka Louise W) has an excellent post re the punitive welfare reforms backed by James Purnell - some of which are effective from Monday. And why they must be opposed....

WEST YORKSHIRE LRC MEETS IN HUDDERSFIELD

A week today Saturday November 29 the West Yorkshire LRC will meet at the Irish Centre, Huddersfield , a few minutes walk from the railway station. The meeting starts at 2pm and , aside from the usual routine business, Alice Mahon and I will be talking about the National Conference and the need to take serious steps to regionalise the LRC and how we should go about it. Ed Doveton, who narrowly failed to get onto the National Committee, will be contributing too.

We will report back what you say to the next NC meeting and, as newly-elected LRC Vice-Chair, I promise I will also do my best to get more commitment to events being staged outside the capital and more national input from the various LRC branches within a 100-mile radius of Hebden Bridge.

Next Saturday's meeting is open to anyone supportive of the LRC. You don't have to be a paid-up member. Just come along and join in the debate. Oh... forgot to add the bar will be open so we can have a pre-Christmas drink afterwards.

ELECTION SPIN BACK ON THE AGENDA

I don't mind admitting when I'm wrong and I couldn't have been more so about the trajectory for Gordon Brown. In September, it looked as though he would be out by Christmas but politics is a volatile game, his stock has risen over the Government's handling of the economy and today the pundits are yet again predicting a snap General Election in June.
Which means Downing Street is seriously considering the scenario.
They did so of course in September 2007 when a snap GE was called off at the last minute. Brown lived to rue the consequences but now things superficially seem to have turned around. That superficiality would IMHO be a reason for deterring.
If Brown has re-gained public confidence that could easily dissipate if he is seen once more as an opportunist
Thousands of jobs are going down the tubes, repossessions are rising every day and we are on the cusp of the depths of winter with many too scared to turn their central heating on in case they can't afford the bills. Frankly, the Government should be concentrating on thise issues rather than encouraging more election speculation. UPDATE: Gordon Brown now "vehemently" denying the rumours. I hope that's true as a snap election just might rebound on him.

TO THE BARRICADES.....

Tonight I'm off to see Calder Valley Youth Theatre perform their version of Les Miserables. It will be the third time I have seen the show. The first time was at a press premiere in Manchester in 1992 only days after Labour had lost the General Election so the songs had a certain political redolence. Sadly for the audience, the barricades on-stage broke down halfway through and the show was postponed to another date. Meanwhile, we all decamped to a hotel opposite the Palace Theatre where impresario Cameron Mackintosh had laid on the most lavish of buffets. So gutted was I by the election debacle that I spent several champagne-fuelled hours droning on about it to the then Deputy Leader of Manchester City Council as everyone else wolfed down vast quantities of food.

We were called back a couple of weeks later to see the show in full by which time I was a little less "miserable" Anyway, amid sudden talk of a snap General Election, I look forward to tonight's youth version and let's hope there are no such gremlins at work....

THE NAKED TRUTH

Occasionally, I like to depart from the strictly political and venture into other arenas.

I spend a lot of time these days travelling between Yorkshire and London and to speed up last week's journey I read Are You Somebody? a marvellous memoir by journalist Nuala O'Faolain, who died earlier this year. It's a must-read for any woman brought up as I was in the strictures of Roman Catholicism and I heartily recommend it for its honesty and poignancy.

Indeed, I was so taken with the book I was Googling around the internet to find that O'Faolain's former partner, the Republican feminist and journalist Nell McCafferty, is currently kicking up a storm in Ireland over a nude portrait published in a major art exhibition. Why? Well, she looks , to use her own terminology, utterly fucked. No airbrushing , overweight, and.....to put it bluntly.....old.

Society demands that women try and turn back time. We rarely see images of older women as they really are .

Perhaps because these are images no-one really wants to see. We all cling to the illusion that youth is forever and that we will all somehow manage to look like Helen Mirren does in her early sixties. Chances are that we won't.

Anyway, because I was so moved by the O-Faolain memoir, and because I get so fed-up of older women being written off, I'll seek out her memoir too as she is obviously a brave and feisty woman. As they say in Ireland, fair play to you, Nell.

BNP WATCH.....

This afternoon like many on the left I was forwarded the link to the list of BNP members. Many of my NUJ colleagues who have bravely taken the BNP head-on have found themselves on the vile Redwatch website -targetted as people to be intimidated . So once I get back from tonight's council meeting, I will be scouring that list closely.
Update: According to last night's Newsnight, a fair proportion of BNP membership is based around Blackburn and Halifax - both towns on my doorstep and both extremely vulnerable to being targetted by the BNP due to high levels of unemployment and deprivation.It's depressing news but hardly unexpected to anyone living in this corner of England. Burnley, just 10 miles away, is also BNP heartland. Though the heartening news is that groups like UNITE have won successful battles to see off most of the BNP councillors elected in recent years. Apparently, police are now perusing the list to see if any of their officers are signed up . The list also stretches into the teaching profession. I'm sad to report that it's common knowledge round here that one local teacher told a pupil who espoused interest in the Labour Party that she would "rather vote BNP."
Coupled with the recent glossy PR campaign being conducted by these right-wing scum, the truth is we have to take them head-on and defeat their foul racism. Once confined to the very fringes of political society, they are now mainstream

QUANTUM LEAP......

I may no longer spend most of my days in a newsroom but good to know have not lost my political nous. Newsnight led tonight on the Tories abandonment of triangulation and the aparent divide opening up between Labour and the Tories. They also interviewed Graham Turner, one of the advisors to the Labour Left. Before you start singing the Red Flag, it might be helpful to take a look at the new Red Papers which have been produced by the Left Economics Advisory Panel. They are here

CLEAR RED WATER NEEDED

David Cameron has just announced an end to Tory-lite - and abandoned plans to stick to Labour's spending plans. Is this a panic move as opinion polls continue to cut a swathe in his lead? Could it also be that he is returning to the Party's comfort zone in a bid to woo back diehards appalled at his tiuchy-feely brand of Toryism.
Whatever, political pundits seem to be hailing the Government's neo-Keynesian plans to restore health to the economy as a move back to traditional Labour ground.
Coupled with the recent ( part) nationalisation of the banks. this seems an attractive scenario - and at least the unalloyed New Labour worship of neo-liberalism and market forces as panacea seems to be on hold.
But let's not forget the Government is still demonising immigrants (Phil Woolas) paying for huge ad campaigns on benefit fraud ( no I don't condone it but let's start attacking the real thieves in the City of London) and supporting ever more punitive welfare benefits. #
And just to dclare a persobnal interest here time and again the low-paid and single are forgotten in whatever tax breaks and means-tested credits are handed out to "hard working families." .
Inflation may be falling but repossessions are on the up with Shelter predicting 45,000 this year.Unemployment is also rising - a piece in yesterday's Media Guardian was a depressing read for journalists like me currently facing challenging - no let's be honest - difficult times economically. 5.4 million households live in fuel poverty.
So glad though we are that the Tories have revealed their true colours, there is no room for complacency. No more fudging which sounds nice. We need clear red water between us and the Conservatives . And we need it fast. It is time for the trade union and labour movement to mobilise on behalf of the low-paid and everyone about to feel the impact of the coming recession.

LRC CONFERENCE AND OTHER ISSUES

I got home tonight after a six-hour journey - plenty of chance to mull things over on the bus.
Including this blog. I've had nearly 80,000 readers since it started in 2007 which is hardly hits of the Iain Dale variety but as Labour Left blogs go it's one of the most popularAnd I really appreciate all the positive comments and support I have had along the way.
Yesterday's LRC Conference was an extremely successful one. More people than last year. More input from the regions. Great speeches from all the platform. But still not enough representation from outside London on the National Committee or indeed in the audience. Those two issues need addressing in the coming year.
I was particularly pleased to learn LRC Scotland will be launched early in 2009 and I intend to be there in Glasgow and meet many of the people who were unable to make the journey south yesterday. I was also pleased that our resolution supporting plans for another Convention Of The Left was overwhelmingly supported .
The message yesterday from LRC Chair John McDonnell was clear - the LRC must work within and outside Labour if it is to fulfil its role as a focal point for campaigns and positive strategies to combat New Labour. And we cannot afford, as LRC Secretary Simeon Andrews so rightly said, to stay in the "comfort zone" of purely Labour Party activity.
Before heading back this afternoon I attended a meeting of the NUJ Left at which several LRC members were present. We are already planning for a conference in the spring.
But conferences and meetings are not enough.
It's fairly easy to attend these events if you're a seasoned activist but the really hard bit is getting out on the front line and building the contacts and respect only earned by hard campaigning graft. Comrades in Manchester, for example, are regularly picketing outside Northern Rock, newly nationalised but repossessing homes at a scandalous rate. I would like to see the LRC involved in more campaigns of this kind.
My commiserations go to the comrades from the north and other parts of the country who did not get elected. Perhaps we need to look at how the NC elections are structured to give them a fairer chance but that's an issue for another day.
Congratulations due to Alice Mahon, though, who got a huge amount of support - she will be a tremendous asset to the National Committee.
Above all, I hope we can all work together in a positive and constructive way to build the LRC. We have done well in West Yorkshire but I acknowledge there is a long long way to go.
I hope that the election of a Vice-Chair from outside London will send a message of solidarity to the comrades in places like Newcastle , Sheffield and Liverpool that their voices are just as important. And it should also be acknowledged that their task , so far from London, is that much harder. I do not think this is always appreciated by those who live south of Watford Gap.
Finally, a heartfelt thankyou to all those who helped me get elected.

THANKS FOR ELECTING ME LRC VICE-CHAIR....

A quick thankyou to all who voted for me yesterday at the LRC AGM. I was delighted to be elected joint Vice-Chair of the LRC with Maria Exall and I hope that together with the rest of the officers and National Committee we can help build LRC membership and get involved in lots of campaigning over the next 12 months. As I said in my supporting statement, I regard it as an absolute priority to visit as many LRC regional groups and constituemcies as possible.It's also vital we get more regional representation and events/campaigns outside the capital. I promise to help make that happen,

VOTE FOR REGIONAL REPRESENTATION!

Today I'm going down to London for the LRC AGM and I will be standing for one of two posts as Vice-Chair of the LRC.
Firstly, thanks for the nominations received, which include Socialist Youth Network, Greater London LRC and West Yorkshire LRC. Thanks too to Alice Mahon, one of the best socialist Labour MPs we have ever had. Alice is standing for a seat on the LRC National Committee and I urge everyone to vote for her - we need more Northern commonense! The West Yprkshire line-up is completed by Patrick Hall of leeds campaign Group and Ed Doveton from Colne Valley CLP
I have been a Labour Party member for over 30 years and an NUJ activist for 24 years. I have held many officer positions within the Party, and am currently Branch Secretary of my local Party and a member of the Calder Valley constituency executive.
For the past five years I have served as a Town Councillor , and am currently Hebden Royd Council Chair and Town Mayor. I have also stood as a candidate for the Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council and am Chair of the Calderdale NUJ.
In recent years I have actively campaigned on a national basis for the Labour Left. Until last year I was a National Committee member of Save The Labour Party and support the Grassroots Umbrella network, which brings together all left groups within the Party at Conference. I have also been an active supporter of the Campaign For Labour Party Democracy . In May, I was elected to the Editorial Board of Labour Briefing and I am a regular contributor.
Last year I organised a successful launch conference in Hebden Bridge which was a springboard for all the regional LRCs and I have just been re-elected Secretary of the West Yorkshire LRC, which is now one of the biggest regional groups in the country. But the plain fact is that much more needs to be done to build the LRC into a truly national organisation.
One of the key tasks when the LRC was founded was to try and re-claim the Labour Party for socialist values. That is still a task which I regard as absolutely fundamental. As I have said many times on this blog, I do not believe anything can be achieved by leaving the Party other than political oblivion.
But I also strongly believe we must build bridges with those who stay outside the Party for reasons of disaffection and disillusion. That's why I got involved in the Convention Of The Left - a coalition of socialists who managed to forget faction-fighting and organise a tremendously successful event in Manchester to counter the official Labour Conference.
What divides left activists inside and outside Labour ? The truth is very very little. We can stand shoulder to shoulder with them on issues ranging from the economy, trade union rights, climate change , and peace . That work must go on.
We need an active Vice-Chair who puts in the work required over the next 12 months to build the LRC and raise its profile . If elected, I promise to do that. Within the Labour Party but also outside it in the wider labour movement. We also urgently need to ensure that comrades outside London get their voices heard. If you are going to be there on Saturday, and if you want the LRC to reach out nationally and get the message across there are still thousands fighting for socialism within the Labour Party, vote for us.

CHUCK THIS MINISTER ON THE DOLE!

I've been a bit more measured in my blogging of late. This could change after watching Channel 4 News and the smug visage of Employment Minister Tony McNulty pontificating like a hard-line Thatcherite
Basically, as unemployment reaches its highest levels for 11 years, how dare a Minister earning approx £180,000 a year lecture the unemployed and talk about financial "welfare traps" when the topic is raised by the TUC of extra money in benefits to help the jobless . According to McNulty, this cannot be countenanced. I daresay he left the TV studio and spent more on his dinner than the average jobseeker gets in a week.
Such rhetoric, though we've heard it all before from the likes of James Purnell, is still shocking and unacceptable. In fact, I couldn't quite believe what I was hearing. But we should be used to it by now. Clearly, only "hard working families" are going to be helped by New Labour.
Jobless folk must either find work, or somehow manage on below-breadline benefits. They will be bringing back the workhouse next.

CONVENTION OF LEFT HEADS SOUTH

Last night an inquorate Branch meeting. By way of contrast a friend of mine in West London went the other night to a packed meeting in Ealing called by the Convention Of The Left. Around 60 people were there and speakers were John McDonnell MP and Andrew Fisher from LEAP. You can read a detailed account of the evening from Andrew on the blog.
On Saturday, I will be moving a resolution at the LRC Conference urging support for another Convention Of The Left in Brighton 2009. This is NOT to replace Labour Party activity. We must continue to build the LRC as much as we can across the country and I'm committed to devoting as much time to that as I can. But the harsh fact is that the Labour Left within the Party is currently pretty demoralised
Im West Yorkshire, we have been fortunate enough to build an LRC which I hope will contiunue to grow - but it can be utterly soul-destroying being the only leftie in a constituency. By meeting other like minds, not all necessarily in the Labour Party, we can at least discuss issues and plan joint campaigns, without handing in our Party cards. We also pass on the vital message there are still socialists within Labour and even persuade others to join us.
The Manchester COL group meets Monday night at the Friends Meeting House 7pm. And there is a Recall Conference now re-scheduled to Saturday January 24 2009. Post to go up shortly explaining all about that.

MEDIA CAN BE OUR MESSAGE......

Owing to dire financial circumstances, I have just had to cancel my on-line subscription to the Morning Star. So it's good news that the only left daily paper in the UK is apparently to be free on the internet come January.

The news is particularly welcome as Tribune seems to be terminally ill, and last week I heard that the monthly Socialist Campaign Group News, admittedly dull and worthy but one of the few media platforms there is for the Labour Left, was also to go under.

It could well be that the days of viable left print publications are numbered. And for a long time it has been seemingly an impossible task to sustain them. Lack of advertising and a myriad of other problems saw off the left-of-centre News On Sunday within weeks way back in 1987.

In an ideal world, I still think the LRC should have its own publication but unfortunately attempts to make Labour Briefing the official voice of the LRC came to nought last year. And it could well be that we have to find new ways of operating and gettting our message across. An on-line Labour Left publication could well be the answer.

All it takes is people with the appropriate IT expertise, others with the ability to write and comment and of course boundless enthusiam and commitment because there is never any money..... I hope this is something we can address early in the New Year when we should give the new re-vamped Morning Star on-line as much support as we possibly can. It's by no means perfect as a publication. But in a media world dominated by the metropolitan Islington mafia , the Star is one of the best assets we have.

REMEMBERING WAR

Tuesday marks the 90th anniversary of Armistice Day. The end of the "war to end all wars" in which both my grandfathers fought and in which they were among the lucky ones who survived.
I spent most of yesterday at church services and parades in Hebden Bridge and Mytholmroyd where many people gathered to remember the war dead - military and civilians. As we braved filthy rain and cold one of the local Vicars remarked it was appropriate weather to pay tribute to those who had endured unimaginable horrors in the trenches. That was putting it mildly.
Ninety years on the killing goes on .
Today, the BBC reports that at least 28 people have been killed by three bombs that exploded just moments apart in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad.
The first two blasts were car bombs and then a suicide bomber detonated his charges in the crowd that had gathered to help.Another 68 people were injured in the blasts, which took place during morning rush hour in the Shia area of Kasra.
Over the weekend, there were reports that troops could be out of Iraq by April . With the advent of Obama in the White House, one can only hope there is soon a prospect of bringing the troops home - all of them.

PRESCOTT, CLASS AND IDENTITY CRISES

Late home from a council meeting just caught back end of Newsnight re Obama and found myself watching the Prescott documentary on class. I say "documentary." It was of course an utter stitch-up designed to make the man look ridiculous and more fool him for agreeing to take part.

But nevertheless interesting in some ways.

I found it ironic that everything Prescott said was absolutely right on class divide, the absolute disparity between state and public schools, and general lack of serious social mobility in any real sense. He kept quoting a figure which was that only seven per cent of our children go to public schools yet command something like the top 90 per cent of jobs in relation to income and prestige. Yes, I agree, an utter disgrace.

Yet it was Prescott, erstwhile Deputy Prime Minister, who presided over the introduction of top-up fees, backed a regime which was "intensely relaxed" about the filthy rich, and indeed himself enjoyed all the trappings which go with very senior office. Without a murmur.

What happened to his "class warrior" stance when he helped Tony Blair become Labour Leader. Prescott was seen as some Real labour buffer to Blairism. It all went out the window post 1997. It is clear to my mind that some residual guilt about abandoning class politics governed this TV project which, sadly, was designed to make him look a buffoon.

As for social mobility, well the reality is that most of us are now facing tough times thanks to the iniquity of a system which puts profit before people. In short, capitalism fails the vast majority. And it's rather a shame that John Prescott is making even more money out of spurious faux proletarian grandstanding - having let down those who relied on him to be their voice in Parliament. And the Labour Party.....

LET'S HOPE AMERICA CAN CHANGE

Only a churl of the most curmudgeonly variety could fail to be pleased that Barack Obama is to be next President of the United States. I did not stay up to watch as probably I should have done however good to get to the computer this morning and see McCain wiped out .

It was interesting to see that even he, with some dignity, hailed the advent of an African American as a positive way forward for the US . And it is. Unthinkable only a generation ago.

Even in the recent past of 20 years ago I remember travelling south from Washington on a Greyhound bus ( my Paul Simon phase) towards the outer limits of the Mason-Dixon line to Richmond, Virginia, and it was utterly clear that the old divides between black and white were lurking only slightly beneath the surface. And let's not get too excited . They still are.

Obama may say "anything is possible" in America but despite being the richest nation in the world it is also one where the divides between the haves and have-nots are tremendous. The US needs a radical reform of its (grossly inadequate) welfare system and is facing economic meltdown so, yes, change urgently is needed. It won't be "left" in the sense we understand it here in the UK>

Obama's policy programme was not even as radical as Hilary Clinton's nor John Edwards, the first Democrat to fall in the primaries

But one major major plus in all this is that Obama's election will at least draw a line under the fundamentalist Republican militarist fervour of George Bush and - let's hope - a change in policy in Iraq and Afghanistan. It is also at least a signal that no country should countenance racist bigotry, white supremacy, or any of the more despicable varieties of intolerance which lead to fascism and genocide. Congratulations to the Democrats and the US for backing a black American

CRUNCH EMPLOYMENT BILLVOTE

This is happening tonight in the House Of Commons so good luck to the trade unions and MPs who have lobbied for so long to overturn the worst aspects of Tory anti trade union laws. Guardian today reported only 36 Labour MPs were set to rebel and try and tighten up the legislation so that strikers are protected and fascists expelled from union branches. Last year the Trade Union Freedom Bill was of course filibustered out in the House Of Commons so let's a hope a similar fate does not befall the amendments backed by Labour MPs like Dennis Skinner, John McDonnell, Jon Cruddas and Andrew Dismore as well as unions like UNITE, RMT and the Bakers' Union. And apologies for the earlier inertia .

FIVE YEAR PLANS....

Tonight I realised with some astonishment that it is FIVE years, not the four I had somehow morphed it into, since George Bush came to the UK on a State Visit that had hundreds of thousands of us on the streets of London protesting.
It was one of those many days in 2003 in which one felt deeply ashamed at what the Government and in particular our then Prime Minister Tony Blair had done in our name in Iraq - but such events bring the consolation of solidarity with others and many of the people I met on that cold November day in 2003 have since become good friends.
We all marched behind the Labour Against The War banner and I remember someone burning a US flag as we marched down Whitehall and into Trafalgar Square. I also remember talking to someone who was a civil servant and hiding his face from the TV cameras.
At the time, I was working for the Government 's press office in Manchester and not supposed to be politically active. So I made up some excuse as to why I would not be in work that day. But as I recall it people in the office just exchanged wry smiles ( well, the ones who knew me well). And now the Bush era is almost at an end .
In 24 hours' time America chooses a new President. Chances are it will be Obama. At least I hope so. Because whatever the shortcomings of the Democrats in the US, it will be the end of the George W years - and that has to be for the good. One can only hope that a change in the White House will bring some resolution to the situation in Iraq and Afghanistan - where five years down the line the killing goes on.

REMEMBRANCE SUNDAY

A couple of years ago I spent a week in Tuscany Driving back from Florence on a baking hot day, we noticed a sign for a war cemetery where hundreds of young men who had fought on the often forgotten Italian front lay buried. We stopped off to pay tribute to those lives lost in battle. Most were in their early twenties - most from the UK, Canada, the US and Australia. It was a sad and sobering experience.
The Second World War was just round the corner for most of my generation. Our parents had all fought in the War, endured the horrors of the Blitz, terrible family losses and of course the advent of the nuclear age, with its prospect of an horrific Armageddon for all of us.
In 1989 I was part of an official delegation who were taken to is a war cemetery near St Petersburg where the thousands who had died in the Leningrad Siege against the Nazis lay buried in mass graves - each one marked not with names but with the year they had died. Auschwitz and Birkenau, where no-one remains, are equally terrible testaments to man's inhumanity to man.
Today, we're faced with genocide in the Congo , and needless deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan. The suffering goes on.
Which is why next Sunday I will be laying wreaths at two Cenotaphs in the locality - and attending the memorial services afterwards. And I will also be wearing a red poppy. Not to glorify war, but to remember its tragic consequences. And hope that at some point in the future the killing will stop.

SELF IMMOLATION IS NOT THE WAY FORWARD FOR THE LRC

My sympathies still go to the AWL comrades seemingly expelled from the Labour Party without the chance to make their case. My understanding always was that the AWL was a sect, not a Party. However it seems I was wrong. Apparently, AWL is registered as a political Party and that means of course skating on extremely thin ice which could see all its membership being expelled from the Labour Party
I therefore note with some concern ( and I really did NOT want to go here again) that the AWL has a motion - the same tired old motion - to this year's LRC Conference calling for support for non-Labour candidates.
Let's be clear. This hasn't got a cat in hell's of being passed. Why? Because the LRC is not into self-immolation and as we all know support for non-Labour candidates is a GUARANTEE of expulsion. Spontaneous political combustion. To be blunt, you just cannot have it both ways, ie be in the Labour Party and also part of another Party. But what you can do is work with comrades outside towards a common goal of socialism
The West Yorkshire LRC resolution urges support for working with conrades outside Labour but NOT in an electoral way. We hope it will be possible to have another Convention Of The Left in Brighton next year and that the LRC will play a significant role in that .
Unlike AWL, supporters of the Convention ( which is NOT an organisation) are not resolutionisisng about new parties. But what we are doing is working together on campaigns, protests and radicalisation of people through a positive dialogue and events to build bridges between the Labour and non-Labour Left. That dialogue will continue at the Recall Conference in Manchester on November 29. And it breaks no Labour Party rules.
I know and like several comrades in the AWL and would hate to see any of them expelled but by advocating what they are advocating they really are in severe danger of being kicked out of the Labour Party. Because the rules are quite clear. I'm sorry comrades but the vast majority of us in the LRC prefer to stick to them and continue to fight our corner with a Labour Party membership card. In short, guys, your resolution is utter madness. I urge you to withdraw it.

BAILED OUT BANKS MAKE FOOLS OF GOVT

Vince Cable gets front page billing in today's Guardian ( which probably means someone on the Labour Left told him about it originally)
The Libs' finance spokesman rails at the fact that the Royal Bank of Scotland, which is being bailed out with £20bn of taxpayers' money, has signalled it is preparing to pay bonuses to thousands of staff despite government pledges to crack down on City pay.
The bank has apparently set aside £1.79bn to cover "staff costs" - including discretionary bonuses - at its investment banking division .
The government had demanded that boardroom directors at RBS should not receive bonuses this year and the chief executive, Sir Fred Goodwin, is walking away without a pay-off. But below boardroom level, RBS and other groups are preparing to pay bonuses to investment bankers who continue to generate profits.
This is a nonsense - we need controls , regulation and representation for the taxpayers whose hard-earned cash is paying for these people to carry on laughing all the way to the partly-but-not-properly nationalised bank.