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Website for the Socialist Party in Devon. We have members across the county who campaign on issues including Save our NHS, anti-housing privatisation, low pay no way and against the racist and divisive BNP. This blog is here to pass on news and events in Devon and nationally that will be of interest to members and other socialists, campaigners and trade unionists in Devon. Please contact us at socialistpartydevon@gmail.com if you have any questions, queries, suggestions or news.
What We Stand For
The Socialist Party fights for socialist change - a democratic society run for the needs of all and not the profits of a few. We also fight, in our day-to-day campaigning, for every possible improvement for working-class people.
As capitalism dominates the globe, the struggle for genuine socialism must be international.
The Socialist Party is part of the Committee for a Workers' International (CWI), a democratic, socialist international that organises in over 40 countries.
Our demands include:
Work & Income
- Trade union struggle to increase the minimum wage to £8 an hour without exemptions as an immediate step towards £10 an hour. For an annual increase in the minimum wage linked to average earnings.
- All workers, including part-timers, temps, casual and migrant workers to have trade union rates of pay, employment protection, and sickness and holiday rights from day one of employment.
- An immediate 50% increase in the state retirement pension, as a step towards a living pension. Reinstate the link with average earnings now.
- Reject 'Welfare to Work'. For the right to decent benefits, education, training, or a job, without compulsion.
- Scrap the anti-trade union laws! For fighting trade unions, democratically controlled by their members. Full-time union officials to be regularly elected and receive no more than a worker's wage.
- A maximum 35-hour week with no loss of pay.
Public services
- No to privatisation and the Private Finance Initiative (PFI). Renationalise all privatised utilities and services, with compensation paid only on the basis of proven need.
- Fully fund all services and run them under accountable, democratic committees that include representatives of service workers and users.
- Free, publicly run, good quality education, available to all at any age. Abolish university tuition fees now and introduce a living grant. No to academies!
- A socialist NHS to provide for everyone's health needs - free at the point of use and under democratic control. Kick out private contractors!
- Keep council housing publicly-owned. For a massive building programme of publicly-owned housing, on an environmentally sustainable basis, to provide good quality homes with low rents.
Environment
- Major research and investment into replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy and into ending the problems of early obsolescence and unrecycled waste.
- Public ownership of the energy generating industries. No to nuclear power. No to Trident.
- A democratically planned, low fare, publicly-owned transport system, as part of an overall plan against environmental pollution.
Rights
- Oppose discrimination on the grounds of race, sex, disability, sexuality, age, and all other forms of prejudice.
- Repeal all laws that trample over civil liberties. For the right to protest! End police harassment.
- Defend abortion rights. For a woman's right to choose when and whether to have children.
- For the right to asylum. No to racist immigration laws.
New workers' party
- For a new mass workers' party drawing together workers, young people and activists from workplace, community, environmental and anti-war campaigns, to provide a fighting, political alternative to the pro-big business parties.
- Trade unions to disaffiliate from the Labour Party now and aid the building of a new workers' party!
Socialism and Internationalism
- No to imperialist wars and occupations. Withdraw the troops immediately from Iraq and Afghanistan!
- Tax the super-rich! For a socialist government to take into public ownership the top 150 companies and banks that dominate the British economy, and run them under democratic working-class control and management. Compensation to be paid only on the basis of proven need.
- A democratic socialist plan of production based on the interests of the overwhelming majority of people, and in a way that safeguards the environment
- No to the bosses' neo-liberal European Union! For a socialist Europe and a socialist world!
What we believe - some useful links
- 2007 local elections manifesto
- Socialism in the 21st Century - written by Socialist Party Deputy General Secretary Hannah Sell
- Socialist Party policies on a wide range of issues
- Our views on the NHS
- Workplace campaigns and trade unions
- Archive of our positions on Iraq, Lebanon and war in the middle-east
Other Devon Socialist Party sites
Links of interest - socialist, trade union and campaigns we are affiliated to:
- Socialist Party
- Committee for a Workers' International
- Campaign for a New Workers' Party
- Campaign for a New Workers' Party blog
- Youth Fight For Jobs
- National Shop Stewards Network
- Liverpool 47
- Socialist Party South West YouTube videos
- Stop the Witchhunt against left activists in UNISON
- PCS Left Unity
- Socialist Party Teachers
- Classroom Teacher - a campaigning group within the NUT
- Socialist Party in UCU
- Socialist Party in UNISON
- Vote Robbie Segal - USDAW President and Executive
- USDAW Democrat
- International Socialist Resistance
- Socialist Students
- Youth Against Racism in Europe
- Ten Things They Don't Tell You About Trust Schools (Devon NUT)
- Blog written by David, a member of Devon Socialist Party
- A Very Public Sociologist
- Left-wing criminologist
- The Nation of Duncan
Other links of interest (the Socialist Party is not responsible for the content of these sites):
- Marxists Internet Archive
- Trades Union Congress - with resources and links to all affiliated unions
- LabourNet UK - TU and campaigning news and resources
- Jay's Leftist and Progressive Internet Resources Directory
- Cyber Picket Line - Trade Union links
- Families Against Corporate Killing
- Barnstaple and District TUC
- Plymouth labour history website
- United Campaign for the Repeal of the Anti Trade Union Laws
- Refugee Action Plymouth
- Refugee Support Group Devon
- Media Lens - 'correcting for the distorted vision of the corporate media'
- Indymedia UK
- Public Services Not Private Profit
- Keep our NHS Public
- Stop the War Coalition
- Rising Tide UK - 'Taking action on the root causes of climate change'
- Greenpeace
- GeneWatch UK
- Campaign for State Education
- Red Disability
- Surfers Against Sewage
- Military Families Against the War
- National Pensioners Convention
- Palestine Solidarity Campaign
- Justice for Colombia
- Iraq Occupation Focus
- Hands Off the People of Iran
- Cuba Solidarity Campaign
- Venezuela Information Campaign
- No One Is Illegal! Campaign
- No Sweat - 'Fighting sweatshop bosses, all around the world'
- Campaign Against the Arms Trade
- Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
- Exeter City Supporters' Trust
- Torquay United Supporters' Trust
- Plymouth Argyle Supporters Training and Development Trust
Blog Archive
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2007
(33)
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May
(9)
- 22/05 Exeter branch meeting report
- Grass Roots Union Member Support is Growing
- Next Exeter branch meeting - 22nd May - Israel/Pal...
- Campaign for a New Workers' Party conference - a r...
- Plymouth Power! A book review of Todd Gray's 'Bla...
- Exeter branch meeting 8/5/07
- Exeter branch meeting Tuesday 8th May - Can we fig...
- More photos from the Campaign for a New Workers' P...
- 3rd May elections and recent activity
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▼
May
(9)
Labels
- aggregate (1)
- Anne Widdecombe (1)
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- Barnstaple (13)
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- Blair (1)
- BNP (6)
- Bob Crow (1)
- Bolivia (1)
- Book review (2)
- branch meeting (12)
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- CNWP (14)
- CNWP Totnes (1)
- competition (1)
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- environment (3)
- European School (1)
- Exeter (20)
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- gas (1)
- Gaza (3)
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- goodbye (1)
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- health (1)
- help and advice (1)
- history (1)
- Housing (4)
- humour (1)
- Ilfracombe (4)
- imperialism (2)
- incinerator (1)
- inequality (2)
- internationalism (1)
- Iraq (1)
- Ireland (2)
- Israel (5)
- James Connolly (1)
- Janice Godrich (1)
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- Lindsey Oil Refinery Strike (5)
- Liverpool 47 (2)
- low pay (1)
- Mark Serwotka (1)
- Mark Steel (1)
- MFAW (1)
- national event (4)
- nationalism (2)
- neo-liberalism (1)
- New Labour (3)
- New website (1)
- Newton Abbot (3)
- NHS (8)
- North Devon (5)
- North Devon Branch (4)
- NSSN (1)
- NUT (4)
- opportunistic Tories (1)
- Pakistan (1)
- Palestine (7)
- PCS (5)
- Peter Taaffe (1)
- photos (1)
- Plymouth (5)
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- privatisation (12)
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- public meeting (1)
- public sector unity (6)
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- Rich get richer and we pay the price (1)
- RMT (1)
- Robbie Segal (4)
- rural poverty (1)
- Russia (1)
- save our NHS (7)
- Save Our Post Offices (4)
- Scotland (1)
- Shop Stewards Network (2)
- Sidmouth (1)
- Socialism 2008 (1)
- Socialist Students (1)
- solidarity (13)
- solidarity appeal (2)
- south west coordination (1)
- strike (18)
- SWP (1)
- Taunton (1)
- Teignmouth (3)
- terrorism (2)
- TGWU (2)
- the socialist (2)
- the State (2)
- Tiverton (1)
- Tolpuddle festival (1)
- Tommy Sheridan (1)
- Torbay (2)
- Tories (1)
- Torquay (1)
- Torrington (1)
- trade unions (2)
- TUC (1)
- UCU (3)
- unemployment (1)
- UNISON (11)
- Unite (3)
- USA (1)
- USDAW (4)
- victory (1)
- Wales (1)
- war (6)
- welfare (1)
- Workers Power (1)
- workers unity (1)
- Youth Fight For Jobs (1)
- YouTube (1)
Events calendar 2009
Saturday 10th January - 12.30pm - National demonstration against slaughter in Gaza - Starts at Speakers Corner, Hyde Park, London. March to Israeli embassy, High St, Kensington, London.
Tuesday 13th January - 7.00pm - North Devon Socialist Party branch meeting - Venue TBC - Discussion of organisational issues, as well as debate on the topic of 'Internationalism and the role of the Committee for a Workers' International' introduced by DL.
Monday 19th January - Friday 13th February - USDAW Presidential election - Socialist Party member Robbie Segal is standing, and campaigning for a campaigning, democratic union. See www.robbiesegal.org for more details.
Tuesday 10th February - 7.00pm - North Devon Socialist Party branch meeting - G2 room, Barnstaple Library - Discussion of organisational issues, and debate on Darwin and evolution, introduced by JL.
Wednesday 11th February - 7.00pm - Fight For Jobs public meeting - Exeter Community Centre, St Davids Hill, Exeter - Called by Devon Socialist Party and Exeter Socialist Students, this meeting will be a chance to discuss the current economic crisis and how workers and youth can organise to protect jobs and living standards.Saturday 14th February - 12-4pm - Car industry in crisis national meeting - The Birmingham and Midland Institute, Margaret Street, Birmingham - Organised by the National Shop Stewards Network. Please encourage your union to sponsor this meeting and send delegates (£5 per delegate or visitor). See also www.shopstewards.net or PO Box 58262, London N1P 1ET.
Thursday 2nd - Saturday 4th April - London - March for Jobs - Organised by Youth Fight for Jobs (for more details see www.youthfightforjobs.com)
Saturday 7th - Sunday 8th November - London - Socialism 2009
2 comments:
Bizzarely the bloke on the left of those photos looks just like a guy who turned up in the audience of the Stoke CNWP meeting! Culd he be a travelling CNWP groupie, intent on being present at every meeting around the country?
Heh heh, that's John Stone, he could well be a CNWP groupie, but I think I saw him in the latest Socialism Today as a Chicago stockbroker (p17) as well, so I don't know... he is very passionate about the CNWP though, and proves, as a non-SP member but highly respected local trade unionist, that the CNWP is striking a chord with significant layers of the workers movement, even to the extent of travelling all the way up to Stoke to attend meetings...
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