All the union news that's fit to blog...
I am sending this out (hopefully) today to the 1000 members of my branch who are members of the Labour Party supporting affiliated fund.
“Support Jeremy Corbyn, Owen Smith or make no nomination?
Dear Labour Link (APF members).
You should all by…Read more…
In a victory for free speech (and common sense) yesterday the High Court struck out a claim of libel against me by Kamran Malik (see judgment and order below). Mr Malik objected to me republishing here a government press release that described his impr…Read more…
Picture from early on this evening at the UNISON centre with my social media comrade, Dave Osland, enjoying some beers to celebrate another freedom of expression legal victory at the Royal Court of Justice.
Further details on the case …Read more…
Off message. I am trying to catch up on my walking posts. Following the May 5 election I went on a walking weekend with Gill to get away from politics and enjoy my “hinterland”. We have been trying to complete the London Loop since las…Read more…
“In 1966 the powerful Cathy Come Home shone a light on the desperate housing problems gripping Britain at the time. When the programme first aired, the extent of the crisis shocked the nation – 3 million people were living in slums or stuck in a brutal private renting market. It was a far cry from…Read more…
“Prior to our pause for the August break, come join us at our Sunday Night Live Summer Salon where we’ll be discussing the rise social movements, implications for politics and political parties.
The fastest growing political movements across the left and right the world over are those who…Read more…
I think this is one of the real reasons for Brexit. No wonder so many people feel angry and betrayed in the face of such a massive cut in wages.
Employment may be relatively high but evidently most of these jobs are insecure and have rotten…Read more…
Check out MJ article (Municipal Journal – you need to have a paid account unfortunately) on the up to 50 objections by residents in different Councils (including Newham) at the use of “controversial Lender Option Borrower Option (LOBO) loans,
Hat tip Peter Daley. Read more…
All eligible Unison members who pay the political levy (known as Labour Link or APF) should have got this email. Let our National Labour Link Committee know your views about who to support (I am also on the Committee).
Your chance to …Read more…
I am not the greatest fan of Hilary Clinton nor the USA Democratic Party but this speech yesterday by Michelle Obama to the Democratic National Convention is just incredible and well, well worth 15 minutes of your life to watch. Much to my s…Read more…
The picture is from the reception held this evening in the Palm Tree, Romford Road to honour the recent election of my good political comrade (and friend) Anam Islam, as a Councillor for Forest Gate North.
I was invited with other Coun…Read more…
The press has been full of headlines about vile UK retailer “Sports Direct” as being a “workhouse employer” who treats its workers like dirt.
Where women give birth in its toilets and fleets of “999” ambulances have to be sent out to aid wo…Read more…
I have finally got my act together and am planning to complete an Olympic distance Triathlon with fellow West Ham Labour Councillor, Terry Paul, in Newham on Sunday 18 September 2016. We will invite all other Newham Councillors (and anyone else) to tak…Read more…
I am starting to get enquiries from UNISON members at my branch about whether or not they are eligible to vote in the leadership elections.
It is somewhat “complicated”.
There is a really useful page on the UNISON website here
“The Labour Party is…Read more…
“David Cameron had the worst housebuilding record of any Prime Minister since 1923. An average of 123,560 houses were built in England and Wales during each year of his premiership, according to data released by the independent House of Commons library…Read more…
This was the written question I put to the Newham Deputy Mayor and Cabinet member for Finance, Lester Hudson, at the Full Council meeting last week
To the Executive Advisor on Finance, Cllr Lester Hudson
“Last week 3 more employees of Barclays Bank w…Read more…
Checkout this report by employment law expert Daniel Barnett. Workers should not fool themselves that the law protects them at work.
Despite our faults, trade unions are the only real defenders of your rights at work. To get any chance of …Read more…
Back this evening from a rerun of the Newham Co-operative Party AGM. Due to “irregularities” at the AGM in January the AGM was rerun with Co-op Party officials chairing the meeting.
I was really pleased that longstanding Co-op Party stalwart, Gill Hay…Read more…
At a time when ANC membership was banned, its activists executed or imprisoned, exiled leader Oliver Tambo lit the fuse on a plan that saw young women and men travel to South Africa disguised as honeymooning couples, tourists and business trippers.