Labour movement

Labour Party

No to Blairism! Yes to socialism!

Details: Tuesday, 23 April 2013; Written by Steve Jones, Romford Labour Party

Labour Party members and those in the movement fighting the brutal attacks of this Tory-led coalition government on jobs, benefits and services will be furious at the clearly co-ordinated efforts of the right in the party to push Labour back towards the so-called “centre ground” of the New Labour era. A selection of failed relics from the Tony Blair era have risen from the political grave to attack Labour’s “leftward” shift and to call for a return to the old “Tory-lite” approach.

Support Hull stand: defend councillors who defy the cuts

Details: Thursday, 04 April 2013; Written by Richard Vivian (Unite the Union)

Thursday February 28th will go down in local labour history as the day that three Hull Labour councillors stood up for their principles and voted against the Tory led coalition cuts. Socialist Appeal supporters spoke with these courageous councillors, who are setting an example for other Labour controlled councils across the length and breadth of the UK to follow, and of course for the whole labour and trade union movement.

Fighting the welfare attacks in Hackney

Details: Friday, 15 March 2013; Written by Adam Booth, Hackney North and Stoke Newington CLP

On Tuesday 12th March, over 100 local residents, trade unionists, and Labour Party members met in the Abney Hall in Hackney, London, to hear about the changes taking place to welfare and benefits and to discuss the way forward in the fight against these attacks. Adam Booth, Labour Party member from Hackney North and Stoke Newington CLP, discusses the attacks on welfare and benefits, and the need to fight back.

Hull councillors show the way!

Details: Monday, 04 March 2013; Written by Richard Vivian and Ben Curry (Unite the Union)

On Thursday 28th February 2013, three Labour councillors in Hull stood up in front of a packed and cheering public gallery at the Guildhall and laid out why they were going to defy the Labour whip and vote against the Coalition’s cuts, proposed by the controlling Labour Group. Such defiance marks an important turning point in the fight against austerity and should act as a rallying call for the trade unions and other Labour councillors across the country.

Hull councillors prepare to defy the cuts

Details: Monday, 11 February 2013; Written by Richard Vivian and Ben Curry (Unite the Union)

Within the next few months local councils will be voting through budgets for the coming financial year and are under extreme pressure from the government to make yet more serious cuts in jobs and services. Labour councils in particular are being asked to act as agents for the Tory-led Coalition at Westminster in the interests of big business. Socialist Appeal supporters interviewed several Labour Party councillors in Hull who are preparing to defy the cuts.

Letter on Rotherham by-election

Details: Monday, 19 November 2012; Written by Jim Reeves - Doncaster North CLP (Personal Capacity)

We have received the following letter from an LP activist, written as a personal contribution to the ongoing discussion now taking place in the local Labour and trade union movement, on the issues being raised by the Rotherham by-election due to take place on November 29th. In view of its length we are unable to publish it in its full form in the December issue of Socialist Appeal so we are making the complete text available online now in advance of publication.The author welcomes any comments on his letter.