This is so, so true. There are a number of versions of this anecdote and this is one of best I have seen.
Hat tip Cleveland Watkiss via Facebook “The System In A Nut-shell.#2014”. Read more…
Tom Petty – I Won’t Back Down
Today I was driving solo back to London from a difficult but I think constructive hearing in Cambridge and I heard this record for the first time in years on “Absolute Radio 1980s”. Turn volume up to maximum and sing-a-long time. This is a fantastic so…Read more…
UNION BUSTING BY UK PUBLIC SERVICES PROVIDERS
The motion below on Union Busting has been sent to by UNISON Housing Association branch to next year’s Greater London Regional Council AGM in February 2014. If it is passed it will also be considered as a regional motion for the National Delegate Confe…Read more…
Class Action and stopping the endless drip, drip of corporate fraud
A very good article by lawyer Katherine Dandy on Class Actions in Pension Insight. I have added this comment to the on-line site.
“You make a lot of sense Katherine. There is also a wider governance point that Trustees should consider.
It is n…Read more…
Newsletters and Christmas Cards for Ilford North
This afternoon West Hammers went to Ilford North to help deliver a Labour newsletter and Christmas cards from local candidate Wes Streeting.
In the newsletter there is a picture of Wes from 2010 when he was President of the National Union of Stu…Read more…
the poorest pay 47% of their income in tax (the richest pay 34%)
Check out post at TUC Touchstone: “Saving Our Safety Net Fact of the Week: the poorest pay 47% of their income in tax (the richest pay 34%).
Why should the poorest pay the most and don’t let the Daily Mail continue to confuse income tax with all taxes…Read more…
UNISON LGPS Seminar 2014 – Time to govern YOUR money!
This was my welcome speech to the 120 UNISON reperesentatives who attended our National Local Government Pension Scheme seminar.
I chaired the meeting but stole most of this intro from the speech that our President, Lucia McKeever, was due to deliver….Read more…
A cooperative approach to public services
Hat tip Co-operative Councillors newsletter. “This short animation outlines a vision for a new approach to engaging with communities and delivering services to meet their needs and aspirations. It calls attention to the limitations of top-down, Whit…Read more…
International Human Rights Day
“The UN General Assembly proclaimed 10 December as Human Rights Day in 1950, to bring to the attention ‘of the peoples of the world’ the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as the common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations.
This year’s slogan, Human Rights 365,…Read more…
Cllr Seyi Akiwowo speech on diversity & heritage to Newham Council
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Upshire Walk & Site of Boadicea End Game?
Off message but went for a great country walk on Sunday around Upshire in Essex.
Check out the free Essex Walks website.
I thought that I knew the area quite well but this 5.5 mile walk was different and apart from the distant buzz of the M25 …Read more…
“You Cannot Pick & Mix Which Human Rights to Respect” National Express LAPFF14
The President of the USA Teamsters Union, James Hoffa, sent a video message to the LAPFF conference to thank them for our support in their campaign to stop the North American arm of British company National Express’s union busting.
Teamster Louis Mali…Read more…
Cherie Blair CBE QC “how better business practice can drive both market & social returns” LAPFF14
Picture of Guest Speaker at LAPFF conference, Cherie Blair, with the youngest member of the Newham Council Pension Committee (and possibly in the entire UK?) Cllr Seyi Akiwowo.
Cherie spoke about how when she started to practise law, human rights was …Read more…
Engagement Panel at LAPFF14
The next item at the Local Authority Pension Fund Forum (LAPFF) conference was a panel on “engagement” with Cllr Kieran Quinn GMPF, Chair Sir Merrick Cockell, Cllr Richard Greening LBI and Cllr Cameron Rose LPF.
Investor engagement is probably …Read more…
LAPFF Conference 2014: Public Funds & Public Purpose
Yesterday I came back from the Local Authority Pension Fund Forum (LAPFF) conference. I will post more on the conference later on.
It was I think the best attended LAPFF conference I have been to which reflects the huge changes and chellenges that the…Read more…
PSI names every single health worker killed by Ebola …
We were shown this powerful video at the UNISON National Executive meeting this week. The meeting also sent our support to the 1000 NHS workers who have volunteered to go to West Africa to fight Ebola. Many of whom will of course be UNISON members.
“O…Read more…
Why do the Tories love the financial services industry? Follow the money…
“The latest figures from the Electoral Commission reveal that in the last quarter, hedge funds gave the Tories £1.34 million in donations, bringing the overall total to £51.1 million. These are, of course, the same hedge funds which were given a tax cut worth £145 million by George Osborne in…Read more…
Debate on Local Government Pay dispute
Today during the meeting of UNISON National Executive Committee there was a wide ranging discussion on the recent dispute on Local Government pay. For some reason I was reminded of this lovely song. I have updated some of the words in honour of the occ…Read more…
“…And you complain that your neighbour is an immigrant?”
Your car is German.
Your vodka is Russian.
Your pizza is Italian.
Your kebab is Turkish.
Your democracy is Greek.
Your coffee is Brazilian.
Your movies are American.
Your tea is Tamil.
Your shirt is Indian.
Your oil is Saudi Arabian.
Your electronics…Read more…
London Labour Conference 2014 – Question Time Panel
Yesterday was the London Labour Conference 2014 which took place at Hammersmith Town Hall. I will post in more detail on the conference later this week but the picture is of me addressing the “Question Time with London’s MPs, MEPs, AMs and Cllrs”…Read more…