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Dust: Scargill’s dreams, and reality, Britain 1984-2012

April 8, 2012

Dust (Scargill’s dreams, and reality, Britain 1984 - 2012), written and directed by Ade Morris, received its English premiere at the Barnsley Civic theatre March 15-17. It was performed once before at the Edinburgh Festival last August.

Dust employs real and fictional characters to deal with issues arising from the national miners’ strike of 1984-85. Very little honest appraisal of that struggle has been made in the almost three intervening decades, which makes this production, however limited, worthy of some consideration.

The actors are outstanding and show all the emotions of those involved, from anger to desperation, and at times, humour. Having been a miner myself throughout the 1984-85 strike, I know that all these emotions were in play in that difficult and exciting period.

The play has many insights into the thought and conduct of former National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) president Arthur Scargill, who led the strike, but lacks political coherence. The dialogue reflects his views on many things, and he often comes off badly. However, certain fundamental issues are not touched upon.

Socialist Party defends betrayal of UK pension dispute

May 6, 2012

The decision of the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) to abandon a planned strike to defend public sector pensions has caused extreme embarrassment to the Socialist Party.

Not only does the SP have key figures on the PCS executive who backed the decision to call off the strike. But it is in alliance with numerous other pseudo-socialist and Stalinist groups in the Left Unity faction, which in turn works with PCS Democrats, a smaller group that includes various Labourites and a Liberal Democrat local councillor. As the Democracy Alliance, they collectively enjoy a sizeable majority on the executive. There are only three members drawn from the officially designated right wing on the 40-plus committee.

The SP has, in addition, boosted the PCS and its general secretary, Mark Serwotka, as the type of “fighting union” and militant union leader the working class needs—proof of the continued role of the unions more generally in supposedly defending their members.

The PCS was advanced as the head of a group of “rejectionist unions”, who opposed the decision of the larger public sector unions such as the GMB and Unison to end all opposition to government plans to double employee contributions and the switch to the lower index of inflation for public sector pensions.

Peterborough residents respond to SEP election manifesto

April 20, 2012

The Socialist Equality Party has found a large number of people have read the election manifesto delivered to homes in the Bretton North ward of Peterborough in support of its candidate Stephen Woodbridge.

William, an unemployed machinist, explained how he had been affected by the economic crisis. “I was made redundant last year from my job that was paying £14 an hour”, he said. “Now all the jobs that are being offered to me are temporary agency ones paying half that sum. You have to apply for six jobs a week or have your benefits stopped. I have had my money stopped twice, once for two months.

“I got your leaflet through the door and it was like a breath of fresh air. I agree with nearly everything it says.

“You are right when you say that all the main parties are for the rich. I’d never really thought about what the unions were up to, but the way they have given into the government over people’s pensions makes me sick.

“People can’t go on living like this. Something has to be done before it all collapses. I hope your party wins and that it spreads much further. You seem to be the only people with something positive to say.”

SEP (UK) election campaign: Oppose the privatisation of essential social assets

April 19, 2012

The following statement has been released by Stephen Woodbridge, the SEP’s candidate for the Bretton North ward in Peterborough in the May 3 local council election.

The last weeks have also seen the government announce that it will sell part of its share in the UK’s air traffic control and outline its schedule for the privatisation of Royal Mail.

Air traffic control was partly privatised in 2001, with 51 percent being transferred to the private sector including a consortium of airlines. The government plans to reduce its own share to around 25 percent, realising a projected £250 million.

Simultaneously, the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition set out plans for the privatisation of the Royal Mail next year. In preparation, the government is proposing to write-off £1 billion in public loans made to the service while the regulator Ofcom has said it will lift the cap on charges for first-class mail.

These plans are part of a massive programme of privatisation, the largest of which target education and the health service.

Forced resignation hits at heart of Cameron government after Murdoch testimony

April 25, 2012

Rupert Murdoch is to complete two days of testimony before the Leveson Inquiry into the British media today. But even as questioning of the multi-billionaire began, evidence submitted by his son, James, had forced the resignation of one ministerial adviser, and forced Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt to defend himself in parliament against allegations of collusion with Murdoch’s News Corporation.

The Leveson Inquiry was set up following the scandal involving the now defunct News of the World, involving widespread phone-hacking and the corruption, bribery and intimidation of police officers and public officials. The Leveson Inquiry, however, is limited to examining the “ethics, culture and practices” of Britain’s media in general.

The Murdochs last gave evidence before the Commons Culture, Media and Sports Committee in July 2011. At the hearing, both Murdochs continued to deny they had any knowledge of illegal activity at News Corps’ British subsidiary, News International—attempting to blame those on their payroll while denying any failure of “corporate governance”.

But in his evidence on Tuesday, James Murdoch, former head of News International, effectively lit a political fire under the Cameron government.

UK local elections: “The ill are being coerced, manipulated, into doing something they are not capable of”

April 28, 2012

Stephen Woodbridge, Socialist Equality Party candidate for Peterborough Bretton North, spoke to John Cyngier.

John had a heart attack in 2005 and underwent heart bypass surgery in 2011. Ever since he has been fighting to protect his social benefits from the Conservative-Liberal Democrats’ efforts to force the ill and disabled back to work by cutting benefits.

John explained:

The DWP [Department of Work and Pensions] said that my Incapacity Benefit will be cut from £156.75 a week to £111.45 a week. So I queried it.

I was asked to go for an incapacity assessment. I don’t know if the people doing the tests are from the government or health care professionals. I was asked about my medication. Had I known they would ask me this, I would have brought my medicines with me. I was able to remember most of the medicines, but not the dosages. I thought this information would be on their records, as already sent.

I found the whole thing horrendous and do not understand why the GP’s and consultants’ findings and reports are not used, which would eliminate the need for people suffering from serious medical conditions having to go through this.

Britain faces worst recession since 1930s

May 4, 2012

Britain is back in recession. According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the economy shrank by 0.2 percent over the first three months of 2012, following a 0.3 percent contraction at the end of 2011. It has now entered a double-dip recession, the first since the 1970s.

The British economy has flat-lined, showing zero growth over 12 months, joining euro zone members Greece, Portugal, Slovenia, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium and Spain in an official recession.

Commenting on the figures, the ONS states, “The economy is weaker relative to its pre-recession peak than at the corresponding stage of the depression in the early 1930s”.

The dire situation of the British economy is made even clearer in their accompanying graphic (see below).

This view is shared by other finance experts. According to Michael Saunders, an economist at Citigroup, Britain is experiencing “the deepest recession and weakest recovery for 100 years”.

UK: SEP candidate talks to students in St. Helens

May 1, 2012

Socialist Equality Party campaign teams at St. Helens College and in the town centre have spoken to a number of students and workers about the party’s programme. The SEP is standing Danny Dickinson for the St. Helens Town Centre ward in the May 3 local elections.

Patsy and Sarah are sisters who live in St. Helens. They are both students.

Patsy is at university and said, “I get £1,200 every three months to live on from student finance, from the government. I’m doing a foundation course for two years. I am paying £4,000 a year for my degree.

“I know people who have got degrees and they are working in shops. And they still have to pay off all their debts.”

Sarah, who is at St. Helens College, said, “I know people who want to go to college but they can’t get in. They won’t accept them. People at my college have just been made redundant. The attendance officers who’ve been there for years have gone.

“It’s disgusting. It’s really difficult to get jobs these days. It’s a waste of time going to university, isn’t it?”

Labour-run Newham council pioneers social cleansing in London

May 2, 2012

When the government imposed a cap on Housing Benefit payment available for private rented accommodation in April of last year, it was widely predicted that this would lead to a policy of social cleansing of the poor, particularly in London. Those predictions are now being borne out and it is Labour that is leading the way.

Reports are emerging that several London councils are considering sending Housing Benefits claimants to areas hundreds of miles away. The first to do so is Newham.

Last week it was announced that Labour-run Newham, in East London, which has around 32,000 people on its housing waiting list, has approached over 1,100 housing agencies in a bid to house around 500 families. They have contacted housing agencies across the Midlands including Stoke-on-Trent, 160 miles away.

Newham is one of the host boroughs for the Olympics this summer. In a letter to a Stoke-on-Trent housing association, leaked to the BBC, the council wrote that the local private rental sector was beginning to “overheat”. It attributed this to the “onset of the Olympic Games and the buoyant young professionals market” and said it could no longer afford to house tenants in private accommodation.

SEP (UK) public meetings: For a general strike to bring down the Cameron government!

February 2, 2012

On November 30, more than 2 million public sector workers struck against government plans to make them pay more, and work longer, for reduced pensions. It was the biggest strike for decades. The Socialist Party and Socialist Workers Party seized upon the stoppage as proof of the revival of the trade unions as organs of class struggle.

But within weeks, the Trades Union Congress Public Sector Liaison Group announced it was suspending any further action and had accepted the government’s “Heads of Agreement” proposals for public sector pension schemes.

The pseudo-left now claim that the Trades Union Congress can be pressured to reverse its betrayal. But all the unions are complicit in the scheme-specific approach to negotiations that has facilitated the TUC’s divide and rule policy. Their actions have given the green light to the government to step up its assault on pensions across the board as seen at Unilever.

From the outset, the Socialist Equality Party has explained that the trade unions are bitterly opposed to any genuine struggle against the attacks on pensions or any other aspect of the government’s austerity programme.