Fred Leplat, one of the signatories of the appeal for the 22 June People’s Assembly, appeals to all Left Unity supporters to mobilise for the demonstration in just two weeks.
Left Unity supporters should meet up at the Hilton end of Liverpool Road where the march will be assembling.
Trade-unions, the anti-cuts campaigns, the peace movement and the left are all getting ready to march on Sunday 29 September at the Tory party conference in Manchester. The message is simple: no to austerity, defend the NHS, we should not pay for their crisis.
The Tory chancellor claims that there are signs that the economy is moving out of recession. But what Osborne does not explain is who is paying for this recovery. The gap between the rich and the poor never ceases to increase with bankers earnings are at pre-crisis levels and a drop in earnings for the rest. Households have lost an average of £1,300 since 2010. There are over 50,000 households affected by the bedroom tax. And UNITE the union estimates that there are over 5million workers on zero hour contracts. So there is no recovery for working people, the unemployed and pensioners.
The defeat in Parliament for Government’s motion for war in Syria shows it is increasingly weak and vulnerable. Nobody believes that the NHS is safe in the Tories hands as more and more of its services are privatised.
It is still possible to win the fight against austerity and in defence of public services. That’s why it is important that all of us converge on Manchester to tell the Tories that is time to go!
After the 29th September, we will need to throw our weight behind the unions taking actions in defence of services, jobs and conditions. The NUT and NASUWT members are striking on the 1 and 17 October. The CWU is balloting for action while the government is preparing to privatise Royal Mail. Firefighters have voted overwhelmingly for the FBU to organise industrial action in defence of pensions while 12 fire stations are threatened with closure in London. Even members of the Bakers Union are on strike at Hovis in Wigan against zero-hours contracts.
The call for the demonstration came from the 4,000 strong People’s Assembly in June. It has since been taken up by all the major unions and campaigns. The TUC itself is organising the demonstration. Three special trains from London and scores of coaches around the country will converge on Manchester. Over 50,000 are expected to protest on the day, and all of us need to be part of the fightback.
Left Unity will have a strong presence on the demonstration. The recent National Co-ordinating Committee agreed to produce a new edition of the broadsheet. With the ongoing attempt by Miliband to break the link with the unions and his commitment that New Labour backs austerity, this is a good time to launch a new broad party of the left. With our founding conference just two months after the demonstration, our presence with the broadsheet on the demonstration should help convince the thousands who have signed Ken Loach’s appeal for a new party to become members.
TRANSPORT: to book seats on the train from London, go to the People’s Assembly website, and for transport from elsewhere, go to the TUC’s False Economy website.
ASSEMBLE: 11am, Sunday 29 September, Hilton end of Liverpool Road, Manchester, M3 4FP, marching around the Tory party conference to a rally in Whitworth Park
Left Unity is active in movements and campaigns across the left, working to create an alternative to the main political parties.
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Events and protests from around the movement, and local Left Unity meetings.
Saturday 21st June: End the Genocide – national march for Palestine
Join us to tell the government to end the genocide; stop arming Israel; and stop starving Gaza!
More details here
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Peace, planet, people: our common struggle
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BROKEN BRITISH POLITICS – WHO IS BACKING THE TORIES
Labour were often referred to as the Looney Left,hinting at Communism by Tories.The Tory Party are referred to as the Nasty Party by us the General Public,why – because they have no consideration for anyone except their Money Making Cohorts.They are Thieving from the Public Purse to Line their own pockets.Their Lies & Deceit hold no bounds.They have Isolated the Working Class ,Finance runs this Country we are no more than an International Money Laundering outfit for the Benefit of the Corrupt Money Moguls that back Privatisation.Privatisation deprives the ‘working class’ of any revenue for social cohesion.They massage the Unemployment figures for their own benefit because high unemployment doesent look competent but suits their agenda of an easily sackable work force to give Private Companies cheap Labour.Lansley ex Health minister is making a killing over the NHS,as are many others BS Tories.
http://brokenbritishpolitics.simplesite.com
Left Unity needs to be a broad party of the left and have a wide degree of tolerance. Please no arguments over the outcome of the Russian Revolution and the Spanish Civil War, for which left wing sects are notorious, and put off any normal person. The “Spirit of 45” is a revival of the values from which New Labour has deserted. The vast majority of people do not embrace revolutionary rhetoric but would support the changes that are needed that the Labour party are not prepared to embrace.
How about turning the protest into something practical and useful? I think down to earth direct action to help individuals in communities will be more productive for Left Unity than political demonstrations.
Peaceful protests and organised civil disobedience has to inspire the public en masse and/or ‘grab’ their attention, literally. Preferably in multiple destinations and even better, globally, at the same time… I say this as a journalist(freelance, before anyone has a go :P). Our once great and caring UK has been transformed ‘in the blink of an eye’ (a good three years to settle in is being over generous I think but artistic license is a far distant dream from me). I’m not being paid to think because I’m so severely disabled the DWP and even ATOS have given up allegedly ‘trying to trip me… That’s satire (or at least I like to aspire ;)… Not had any paid work and even anything I’ve ‘done’ has been expense out of my own and/or kindly out of other’s pockets but mostly vast amounts of time even typing leaning on my kitchen table, elbow crutch etc… I’m told by very wise medical professionals that ‘my kind of disabilities put me at great risk of falls, more serious seizures, chronic bloomin’ fatigue syndrome (which I’d never even had listened to almost four years ago… How wrong was I? We need a really good strong balance of all walks of life, situations, difficulties, empathy, expertise (for free… I do it for nothing, so should you ;) even an hour a week… There are over at least 30 million that could deliver a street full of leaflets… Even with half that number supervised by adults that’d be 15 MILLION!!! I can do basic maths and I only got a D at O Level but was very lucky to get a B at Stats. (weird :O)probably one reason why I slogged it out in the DHSS as it was then and Dept. of Energy Stats. and lies division for a number of years whilst getting my uni. fees paid for by a Thatcher gov.!!! Shortly after I was whisked away in to long haul flights for quite short journalism jobs which paid crap but made my conscience liveable with :P Now I’ve bored you all to death in the spirit of a great press release/conference, I shall leave you to do your own thing, no pressure, it wouldn’t be satisfying if you made it too easy… ;)
Please forgive me I was distracted by my ‘evil twin puss cats’… It’s only just over three years since I last worked, and worked for well over 20 years…xxx