2008 May Manifesto Petition
I put out this statement today - to sign up please email info@l-r-c.org.uk with 'petition' in the title and your name and CLP or trade union.
In the light of Labour's election defeat last week, John McDonnell MP is circulating a manifesto petition to Labour Party members, trade unons and MPs to gain large scale rank and file support for a new policy programme for Labour to bring about a radical change in political direction for the Laboour Government.
John McDonnell MP said:
"After the serious rejection of New Labour at the polls last week assurances that the Government is listening are simply not going to be enough to restore any sense of belief in the Labour Party. What is needed is a radical change of political direction.
"We have to demonstrate that change by introducing a new policy programme that specifically and very concretely addresses peoples' concerns raised on the doorstep. This May manifesto petition is launched so that all our supporters can have a say in pressing for the changes we need."
We believe that Labour can win back the support of our people by adopting a new 2008 May Manifesto, which should include:
- Nailing the 10p tax mistake by the introduction of a fair tax system removing the low paid from taxation and ensuring the wealthiest and corporations pay their fair share
- An increase in the basic state pension, immediately restoring the link with earnings, lifting people off means tested benefits and providing free care for the elderly
- An immediate start on a large scale council house building programme and assistance for those facing repossession
- Immediate end to programme of local Post Office closures and liberalisation of postal services
- An end to the privatisation of our public services
- A new pay deal for public sector workers to protect their living standards and tackle low pay
- Abolishing tuition fees and restoring maintenance grants for all students
- Scrapping ID cards and abandoning 42 days detention
- Introduction of a trade union freedom bill and measures to protect temporary and agency workers
- Rejecting the proposals to renew Trident
posted by John at 3:14 PM
16 Comments:
John,
The manifesto says nothing about restoring the democratic channels in the Labour Party. Surely such a demand should be included.
If Labour Party conference 2008 ratifies the Bournemouth agenda and enacts the effective abolishment of further conferences then all the petitions in the world will not change the course of New Labour.
Without a sustained and organised fightback from the affiliated trade unions, Brown will not change course. Without a change of course, we are likely to see a Tory government after the next election.
Good stuff John. I've publicised this as Labour Left Forum (along with the Labourhome grassroots survey, which is worth completing to get our view across too):
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=RaJcEPWIJsoDlMzfLql3Qw_3d_3d
I disagree about Post Offices, this is a Tory hyped up campaign. We should not be subsidising hardly used Post Office to the tune of billions so some Tory old dear can live some 1950s fantasy.
Surely the point of a Trade Union being affiliated to the Labour Party(R.I.P.)is to get proper recognition and representation.Given that Blair and then Brown have enthusiastically embraced the anti Trade Union laws, what possible link remains between the two set ups? New Labour does not like trade unionism because New Labour is pro the market and anti collective deals. New Labour believes public sector workers are irresponsible for wanting more than 2% pay rises while it trumpets the vision and wealth creation of so called business leaders who make a fortune out of legalised theft. Unfortunately, the affiliated Trade Unions won't make a fight of things because the leaders don't want to risk a major rift. Their first allegiance is to their members or rather, it should be. Alas, they want to endlessly say how bad it could get, and boy it's bad right now, but they'll not go beyond this. Any strike action going on just now gets pretty quickly pulled in or not openly encouraged by the leadership. Deals get too easily done while the membership is left shafted. There are a few notable exceptions.
Good to see you back in the news, I've signed the petition and look forward to helping you change the party for the better
To the first anonymous - rural closures affect the working classes in the countryside as well as pensioners and your comment about tory old dears living out 50's fantasies is both insulting and plain wrong.
Not just in the countryside. As I pointed out the last time this anonymous popped up: 50% of council tenants in my inner London borough pay their rent at the Post Office.
Some very good common sense proposals there, however although I know you had a EDM on the reforms, I am saddened there is nothing about repealing the draconian Welfare Reform Act: figures from the main disability welfare charities indicate that most IB claimants will be at least 1.85 worse off but some severely disabled claimants may lose up to 7.00 pounds a week, (though I suspect much more), and face an ever more harsh welfare regime.
While Purnell will push through the the Freud Review, (compiled in only twelve weeks!) where private companies and charities will be paid only by results increasing pressure on advisers and ensuring even more pressure and an increasing level of invasiveness in claimant’s lives.
I am aware welfare is not 'sexy' but to challenge the welfare cuts/regime it is surely morally right. I suspect that although there are constant media villifications campaigns against claimants when the general public find out genuine disabled people are losing out, they will be appalled and it may become another
'hot issue'
btw,
there is a fantastic article here
in the N/Statesman on the reforms.
Is Labour abolishing illness?
Alison Ravetz
Published 01 May 2008
* 32 comments
The new rules on incapacity benefit stake everything on a major gamble: that a large proportion of claimants are, in fact, well enough to work
http://www.newstatesman.com/200805010024#reader-comments
07 May 2008 11:06
I'm slowly working on some amendments to the current policy documents for CLPs, etc. to send in, many of them from John's May Manifesto. We have until 20 June.
My first drafts are over at Labour Left Forum.
Please give comments, suggest other amendments, and let us know if your meeting proposed any of these amendments so we can track them through the PiP process.
Any progress on this petition?
I can't find any references to it except for the couple mentioned here - there's not even a list of petitioners on this site!
John, could you blog a bit more, i know you are incredibly busy, but these are crucial times for the left and indeed the country and we need to know what you and the LRC, etc are thinking.
oh and if you can do reply sometimes
thanks
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Although, I have no objection to any of the demands, I think that the last one should be far more "generic": It should deal with the british "defense" strategy which is aligned to US imperialism. I heard nothing about the fact that tens of US military bases operate under MOD's name. Most notably, there is no mention to any sort of british troops withdrawal from Iraq and Afghanistan.
Trident upgrades, US bases in Britain, and deployment of british armed forces in a series of countries, are all parts of the alignment to US/NATO aggression.
I know that proposals for limiting the activities of US bases would not be universally welcomed, but I can hardly find anyone from the left who would oppose some sort of withdrawal from Iraq and Afghanistan!
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