This morning I was outside Plaistow Underground station with West Ham Labour Party comrades handing out leaflets on fare rises to commuters going into work. Outside railway and bus stations across the country, Labour and trade union activists wer…Read more…
Save Our NHS Bursaries
I have just signed the Parliamentary Petition here to keep bursaries for trainee NHS Nurses. The petition has 148,815 supporters (according to the map on the site 250 have signed from my West Ham Consistency.
Parliament will debate this petition on Ja…Read more…
A “New” Labour Year
In between Christmas and New Year I was laid low with the lergie so stayed in and managed to finish off inputting the “marked register” data for the ward onto the Party database “Contact Creator” for the 2015 General Election.
The register is an actua…Read more…
My Favourite Picture of 2015
Off message but been looking through my albums for my favourite photo from 2015. This one is from a walk up and down Place Fell, in the Lake District narrowly wins. Click on photo to bring up more detail.
See my post on the walk here.
Take only…Read more…
Bliadhna Mhath Ùr!
Happy Hogmanay!
See, I told you I was Scottish 🙂Read more…
Newham United Against Austerity: Keynote speaker John McDonnell MP
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Anton Moctonian RIP
Sad news to hear about the sudden death of Anton Moctonian. He was a former UNISON activist but I knew him as a Trade Union studies tutor.
He was a great tutor not only because he was an experienced trade union steward who knew practice as well as the…Read more…
HeartUnions Week: 8-24 February 2016
“8‑14 Feb 2016 / The heartunions week of action celebrates the great work done by union reps and members in our workplaces and in society. We’re proud of our unions and reject the government’s attempts to damage them with the trade union bill”. Check out the new TUC website here…Read more…
Room with a view
Off message but this has been the view greeting me in the morning for the last few days. Sheep, foxes, rabbits, grouse and various other birds (real photo edited with “painting” software). An always changing landscape where you never get bored looking …Read more…
“Dealing with debt”, Osborne-style
Can someone please tell me just why the Tories have this reputation for economic competency? Hat tip Joel from Debt Resistance. Read more…
….and a Happy New Year
Me and my mate. Read more…
Having an Amazon Free Christmas
Hi John,Just a quick note before Christmas to say a HUGE thanks for donating to send the tax-dodging Amazon ad van out on the town!
It made a bit of a splash – circling Amazon’s HQ, and then cruising through London’s busy shopping streets: exposi…Read more…
Communist Christmas Eve 2015
This is my traditional Crimbo Eve Video. Christianity and most other religions have much in common with Communism and Democratic socialist values in theory but all beliefs and political creeds in reality, don’t tend to practise what they preach.
Never…Read more…
West Ham fight back against Tories
“While this year’s disastrous General Election result wasn’t what we had campaigned or hoped for, West Ham Labour have risen to the challenge to fight back.
We ended the year on a high with our membership doubling in recent months and it was great…Read more…
A Bridge Over You – NHS Choir (Cover of Fix You by Coldplay and BOTW by Simon & Garfunkel)
What a fantastic song. Support our NHS and buy it please! Hat tip Ian Dixon
“The song is available now on iTunes, Amazon, and others.
Download link (iTunes): https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/a-b…
Download link (Amazon): http://www.amazon.co.uk/Br…Read more…
UNISON THERE FOR YOU – WINTER FUEL GRANTS 2016
WORRIED ABOUT PAYING YOUR WINTER FUEL BILL?
With rising fuel costs and another cold winter looming many members on low income are worried about how they’re going to pay their winter fuel bills.
Help is on hand
‘There for You’ has set up a limited fu…Read more…
My Sunday News
Some random bits and pieces I found interesting this Sunday morning.
Corbyn against illegal budget settingSome Labour-led councils are reportedly considering drawing up budgets based on people’s needs, as opposed to council finances. In a letter to councillors, sent jointly with John McDonnell, the…Read more…
A Merry Christmas for the Very Rich
Check out this seasonal message from the ONS wealth data via TUC TouchStone
ONS wealth data: The rich just got considerably richer
18 Dec 2015, by Geoff Tilyin Economics In cash terms the top 10% now own £5.0 trillion of UK total household wealth, according to the latest ONS wealth and…Read more…
Labour List “Dave Prentis re-elected as UNISON General Secretary”
“Yesterday also saw the re-election of Dave Prentis as Unison general secretary. Prentis won 49% of the vote against three further left candidates, and the scale of his victory will be welcomed by Labour moderates. While the trade union backed Co…Read more…
UNISON Lay Presidential team statement on “tampered” recording
Subject: GENERAL SECRETARY ELECTION: COMPLAINT: GREATER LONDON REGION
TO: NEC
SENIOR AND NATIONAL MANAGERS
REGIONAL SECRETARIES
REGIONAL CONVENORS
SERVICE GROUP CHAIRS
RMT – GREATER LONDON REGION
Dear Colleague
As you know a number of serious all…Read more…