Support the council workers!

Tomorrow, 600,000 local government workers go on strike, which will continue through to Thursday. While inflation has significantly increased the cost of living, the Government has insultingly offered the people who keep public services working just a 2.45% pay 'rise' this year. Coming on top of the abolition of the 10p tax rate, this is yet another kick in the teeth for some of Britain's lowest paid workers.

Unison and Unite are therefore holding joint action, and the Socialist Party gives complete support to those on strike. The unions are asking for 6% or an extra 50p an hour, whichever is the greater. It should serve as a reminder as to the values of capitalism and its representatives and apologists in parliament that essential and valuable public servants such as refuse collectors, librarians and teaching assistants should have to strike to try and secure what is a very moderate demand, while billions are spent on war, diverting public money into shareholders pockets and tax cuts for the wealthy.

Unfortunately, Unison and Unite continue to fund the very party that is trying to cut the living standards of its members. They would be better placed for fighting for fair pay, union rights and defending jobs, pensions and public services if they broke with New Labour, which is just another party of big business, and helped form a new party that fights for workers and young people.

Devon Socialist Party calls for:

- United public sector trade union action, wherever possible.
- A Devon Living Wage at a level to be determined by the relevant trade unions and inflation linked.
- Laws limiting the ability of trade unions to be swept away, and for unions to be allowed to be more flexible in their actions and the use of their funds, and for solidarity strikes and picketing to be legalised.
- An end to cuts and selloffs in public services at local and national level.
- A new party of the working class to be formed, based on the unions and involving socialists, community campaigners, environmentalists, antiwar activists and young people.

Mid-year report - looking back and forward

The first six months of the year has seen increasing dissatisfaction with Gordon Brown and his New Labour government, the resurgence of the Tories, increasing union militancy and the continuing of the neo-liberal assault on public services and the authoritarian stripping away of our civil liberties. Troops remain in Iraq, and to a much greater extent, Afghanistan. Inflation is rising well above pay rises while tax has been hiked for the lowest earners. But don't worry, Tesco's and British Gas' profits are unharmed, in fact they're in fine shape.

For the Socialist Party in Devon, we have continued to support workers in struggle and build campaigns to defend public services such as the Fire Service and the Post Office. Our student members have been leading campaigns to stop the Exeter University Family Centre being privatised and to defenfd abortion rights. We continue to press the case for a new workers' party, a political voice for workers, unions, young people, campaigners and socialists and for continued united public sector strike action in the defence of public services, jobs, pensions, living standards and conditions.

Many new members have joined the Socialist Party over the past months. This allows us to meet more regularly in Exeter to plan and organise, and to campaign across Devon. The next six months will be critical for workers. As prices rise and wages stagnate, people's quality of life will decline. There will be increasing unemployment and cuts and privatisation of public services. The unions (public and private sector) must lead a fightback, but critically the organised working class needs a political voice. New Labour's defeat in the Henley by-election was notable for a number of reasons. One was that their candidate got less votes than the BNP. In times of increasing hardship, and with the remoteness and corruption of the mainstream parties, organisations like the BNP will grow in strength without a real alternative.

The main campaigning priorities are continuing defence of workers and public services, while building the strength of fighting and militant unionists throughout the trade union movement, while garnering increasing support for a left, worker voice on the political stage. The National Shop Stewards Network, which was an initiative of the RMT Union, seeks to do the former. The Campaign For A New Workers' Party campaigns for the latter. The Socialist Party is heavily involved in both organisations. Nationally and in Devon we seek to build these organisations and discuss the ideas behind them over the next six months.

If you would like to get involved in the fightback, and struggle for a better, democratic socialist world, email us at socialistpartydevon@gmail.com

Why do we need a new workers' party?

No one will deny that Labour has betrayed the workers. Life under New Labour has, amongst many things, taken this country to an unlawful war in Iraq, deepened Thatcheresque attacks on the public services through selling it off into business. This means instead of health prioritising in the NHS, now it is profit. Instead of education above all, it is profit. Instead of welfare, public protection and other services, profit will always come first. Our food prices keep rising every year, raising the average family’s shopping bill by £750 a year. This when Tescos have announced record profits of £2.85 billion this year already! Also, according to Energywatch, British Gas has raised our gas bills by 76.7%, to £653 per year, and our electricity by 74.3%, to £413. This might seem like British Gas has enforced this to keep the business from drowning in inflation. Yet British Gas has been able to increase profits from £95 million in 2006, to £571 million in 2007!

What has the government done? They provide tax cuts for business – from 30p to 28p - and lower public sector wages to below inflation. Inflation increases and yet business is doing better than ever. If this is the case, is it really true that society can no longer afford to give us all a decent pension, liveable wages, affordable food, etc? Personally, I’m sick of hearing the governments’ ‘justifications’ like the abused free trade metaphor, ‘a rising tide lifts all boats’. This is a remarkable form of economical thought, as the reality of this ‘rising tide’ is that in order for corporations to maximise profit, they must minimise expenditure - in other words - our wages! Gordon Brown justified his policies at a TUC conference, when he said they are “to prevent inflation, maintain growth, so we never return to the old boom and bust of the past”. So that is why we are all pushed face first towards an ever-nearing breadline?

The chair of the CNWP, Dave Nellist wrote of Gordon Brown’s comment:

“It is not a message he ever delivers to company boardrooms, where pay (sorry remuneration) can be counted in millions of pounds. For Brown, the rich getting richer is a positive sign of an economy doing well. But what about the millions in insecure, low paid, often temporary jobs, trapped at precisely the ‘minimal wage’? For them it is a sign of a government that despite what it says, just doesn’t care for the majority of ordinary working-class families. Part of that reason is that, when it comes to elections, Labour believes it can take working people’s vote for granted, because they have nowhere else to go.”

None of the ‘big three’ have spoke on behalf of the majority by condemning corporate greed and corporate disdain. Nellist believes that “Britain’s three main parties act more like three wings of the same party – united on privatisation and on working class sacrifices to preserve the economy for the rich”. Maybe then, as all parties on offer are following this line, it is understandable that voter apathy has set in.

However, there is only so much that the public can take. Under New Labour, the gap between the rich and poor has widened significantly in Britain and finally the public is starting to fight back. Workers are, to say the least, angry at their government for their betrayal. A general strike is back on the agenda and New Labour is quickly losing support. Of course, this indeed would be great if we already had an alternative for the workers’ on offer, but we don’t. So instead people are forced to turn towards the Tories, and yet again, our political history will repeat itself.

So now is the time to become active and work harder than ever before. We need to make the CNWP heard all across Britain. In every street, home and workplace people need to be presented with an alternative - an alternative which proposes the rational planning of society’s resources to ensure a decent life for all. It falls to us to encourage the masses that working towards a socialist planned economy is the only way of alleviating poverty and building a prosperous society for all. It falls to us to make sure this happens.

Stand up and stand together: join the Campaign for New Workers’ Party!

Article by ZS, the CNWP coordinator for Devon Socialist Party. The 2008 conference for the CNWP will be held in London on Sunday 29th June. Contact us at socialistpartydevon@gmail.com for more details.

No to post office cuts - reveal the list of closures now!

At a recent meeting in Torquay, Devon MPs were informed by post office officials of the latest round of closures, it now being the south west's turn, after a convenient delay in the post office closure programme during the election campaign.

The MPs have been asked to keep quiet until the formal public announcement on May 20th. Needless to say, a Socialist MP would not be doing the bidding of the Dr. Beechings of the Post Office, but already assembling a campaign to fight the closures.

Well, we might not have an MP, but we are organising a campaign. Our first point is that the MPs reveal the list of closures NOW.

Our second point is that while we have no illusions in the sham 'consultations' that will be held, we will be campaigning against the closures in a variety of ways. We can win this one - campaigners in Essex triumphed when the County Council took over the threatened Post Offices.

This national closure programme is the consequence of the New Labour government having transformed the post office from a public service into a profit making enterprise, and stripping it of some of its functions. They have also opened up the postal 'market' to competition by all sorts of private companies, looking to make a quick buck. These neo-liberal measures have resulted in a less effective, less convenient and more expensive postal service. They have also resulted in vicious assaults on the pay, conditions and pensions of Post Office and Royal Mail workers.

We make a stand against cuts, as we did when we supported the postal workers last summer/autumn. The three main parties offer nothing apart from a constant diet of privatisation and cuts. What is needed is for campaigners defending local services is to link up with other campaigners, trade unionists and socialists to form a new political alternative to the mainstream parties. Together we will be stronger, especially so with a united political voice.

If you would like to get involved in the campaign, email us: socialistpartydevon@gmail.com

Important articles to end the year

The view of the Socialist Party and the internation organisation we are affiliated to, the CWI, on the big national and international issues as 2007 draws to a close:

Socialist Movement condemns the killing of Benazir Bhutto

Defend Tommy Sheridan against State/Murdoch witchhunt

Committee for a Workers' International prepares for 2008

Problems of building new workers' parties

China's capitalist counter-revolution, a view on the nature of China's state.

Support the postal workers

With news that the Communication Workers Union are to stage two further 48 hour strikes from Noon on Thursday 4th October to Noon on Saturday 6th October and from 3am on Monday 8th October to 3am on Wednesday 10th October, the Socialist Party would like to express our support once more for the struggle of the postal workers in fighting job cuts, privatisation and pay cuts. We will be joining CWU members on picket lines and delivering leaflets outlining the case for the action by the striking postal workers to the public at large.

If you would like to help in these crucial acts of solidarity please email Devon Socialist Party at socialistpartydevon.gmail.com .

Despite UNISON members accepting a pay cut after minor concessions by the Government there is an excellent opportunity for the public sector unions to unite to oppose pay and job cuts, and the process of privatisation and marketisation that is destroying our vital public services.

Here in Devon we face post office closures, severe reductions in postal services, cuts in fire cover, library closures, benefit office closures and also reduction in the numbers of NHS staff ans services. There is also the ongoing scandal of a lack of quality affordable housing. Only a fightback by workers and campaigners can stem this tide. For this political and industrial struggles need to be united under the banner of a new party for workers, linked with the building of the Shop Stewards Network to link up fighting trade unionists in all unions.

CWU action and Shop Stewards Conference report

Postal workers staged a second 24-hour strike over 12-13th July. Devon Socialist Party members have again supported the strike across Devon. There will be a fuller report on this website on Friday, but briefly, it is clear that the strike was still near solid. Going by our experiences on the picket lines, the CWU's estimate of 90+% seems accurate. The Royal Mail's claim of 5-60% is laughable.

In parts of Devon, Socialist Party members have also raised money for the striking postal workers, written letters to local newspapers, and delivered union leaflets outlining the reasons behind the action, and countering the misinformation of the Royal Mail bosses.

The important thing now is to keep up the pressure on the arrogant Royal Mail management who refuse even to negotiate with the representatives of the people who actually make our postal service work, and don't get fat million-pound bonuses for it. Public sector unity in opposing privatisation is also essential, as all parts of the public sector face similar threats.

The National Shop Stewards Network held its first conference on the 7th July, attended by nearly 300 trade unionists, and addressed by RMT (Rail and Maritime Transport) general secretary Bob Crow (pictured, left), PCS (Civil servants' union) general secretary Mark Serwotka and PCS President Janice Godrich.

There is a full report on the Socialist Party website here, but it's worth putting on here the significance of the establishment of the network, which in the words of Bob Crow, "will be seen as the starting point in rebuilding the TUC". The network, when it grows and develops, will play a key role in uniting workplace struggles and fighting for decent pay and conditions and opposing pay cuts and freezes and privatisation.

Also significant was the closing address by Bob Crow:

"We can't separate the trade union and the political path. We can have a great shop stewards' movement that can get pay rises and so on, but when the economy goes down those gains are taken back. That's why I argue we need not just new militant trade unionism but an alternative political party."

We fully endorse that position, which we have been arguing for quite some time, and campaigning for it in the form of the Campaign for a New Workers' Party.

Good riddance

Devon Socialist Party would just like say, to ex-PM Tony Blair, a fond farewell. We have much to thank 'Tony' for, not least hundreds of thousands of dead Iraqis, Afghanis, Lebanese, British and Americans, low wage Britain being a haven for exploitative big business, the privatisation and destruction of the NHS, Royal Mail/Post Office, education and many others, the continued death of manufacturing and agriculture, racist attacks on immigrants, the continuing disgrace of public transport, the failure to build any affordable social housing, the fast erosion of civil liberties, keeping the most restrictive trade union laws in western Europe, and I could go on all night.

We welcome the new PM, Tweedledum to Mr Blair's Tweedledee, Mr Brown. Mr Brown excitingly promises a 'new kind of politics' and 'change'. It's a good job Mr Brown didn't vote for and support any of the things I outlined above, otherwise unkind people might call him an unprincipled careerist hypocrite, a warmongerer, privatiser and job slasher.

Devon Socialist Party (and the Socialist Party nationally) looks forward to fighting war and occupation, cuts and privatisations whenever they might be imposed by Mr Brown or his lieutenants - and work towards building a genuine alternative for workers, campaigners, socialists and youth, by campaigning for a new workers' party. If you want to join us in our campaigns and struggles, please email socialistpartydevon@googlemail.com or if you are interested in the Campaign for a New Workers' Party click here.

The man in the photo, by the way, is John Howson, who was protesting outside Downing Street this morning (when Blair was doing his usual hammy routine on the steps of Number 10) alongside other campaigners from Military Families Against the War.

Competition time

Devon Socialist Party are launching two new competitions with cash prizes!

The Socialist Party needs money raised from members subscriptions and through 'fighting fund' raised in order to print all our materials, maintain premises and equipment in our central offices, pay full-time party workers and arrange events, book venues etc. However, such is the nature of our party that our members are not wealthy and big business aren't queuing up to fund us like the three main parties! We therefore need to run competitions like these to raise funds to enable us to continue our work, fighting against cuts and privatisation and building the ideas of socialism and the Campaign for a New Workers' Party.

The competitions we are announcing today are a Rugby World Cup 2007 sweepstake and the 2007-2008 season football manager sack race sweepstake. Both are £2 for each entry, but there are cash prizes of £10 and £50 respectively for the winners.

The Rugby World Cup sweepstake is simple. You simply pay £2 and are randomly assigned a team.

The football manager sweepstake is nearly as simple. You pay £2 and are randomly assigned a number from 0 to 92. The numbers correspond to the number of Football League and Premiership teams who have the same team manager (or head coach in some cases) at the final whistle on the respective last days of the season, as at kick off on the first day of the 2007-08 season. For instance, if you get 64, you will be aiming for 64 Football eague and Premiership teams having the same manager at the end of the season that they started with.

Incidentally, to illustrate this post I have chosen a picture of Wigan boss Chris Hutchings. For no particular reason, naturally....

If you want to enter please email socialistpartydevon@googlemail.com or come along to an event being held by us (or email us and arrange to meet one of us at or on the way to a national event!). Hope to hear from you soon.

Grass Roots Union Member Support is Growing

Dear Comrades,

I am a Member and Branch secretary of the T&G. I am proud to be an active part of what I believe is a great Union. I am now actively seeking to encourage the leaders of My Union to Dis-affiliate from New Labour. I have started writing to other Branch secretaries and so far the response has been very positive, many members feel it is time to leave New Labour behind and stop funding a Party that offers us nothing.

I recently attended the CWNP conference in London and was very impressed by the commitment shown by all present. Despite differences between some groups the debate was healthy and productive. I believe the ball is now rolling and nothing New Labour or our reluctant Union leaders do will stop it. It is up to Union activists to come together and encourage members to make their feelings known to the leadership. Through our Branch structure it will be possible to remind Tony Woodley and his cronies that this Union is indeed member led, as they have said on many occasions in many Speeches. I have had many Branch secretaries respond to my letters positively and they have told me that they intend to discuss the CNWP at their next Branch meetings. I encourage Union activists to increase the pressure on our leadership to bring about the change needed to leave the New Labour Party and join the Campaign for a New Workers Party.

I would like to thank the Devon Socialist Party for my invite to the conference and wish them well for the future. I will be setting up my own blog-site detailing how my own campaign through my Union is going. I hope to put a link to my blog-site on here soon, if permitted by the owners of this page.

Yours fraternally

John Stone

T&G 177 Branch secretary

Campaign for a New Workers' Party conference - a report

On Saturday, four Devon CNWP supporters travelled up to London to attend the second national conference of the Campaign for a New Workers' Party (CNWP). The CNWP is a campaign aimed at building support among socialists, trade unionists and campaigners for the establishment of a new political party, one that explcitly campaigns for workers - a workers' party. Such a party would be able to provide an important united political voice for trade unionists in struggle and campaigners.

At the moment there are 2,500 supporters of the CNWP. In addition to events being held across the country like the one we had in Exeter a few weeks back, we try to gain support for the campaign in our workplaces, unions and campaigns.

The national conference was an opportunity to take stock of the successes and disappointments so far, and to debate and decide upon how further progress might be made. The general consensus seemed to be that steady, if unspectacular progress had been made. Many people have been disillusioned by new parties - the Socialist Labour Party, the Socialist Alliance, Respect - that had failed. Some people are willing to give Mr PFI Gordon Brown the benefit of the doubt. Also, a failure of the campaign has been local groups not notifying the Press Officer Pete McLaren of events that they have held and building they have done. We have been guilty of this, and it means he cannot publicise what is going on, giving the false impression of inactivity. Communications have been a problem in particular, and steps will be taken to send all supporters a monthly bulletin letting them know what is going on with the campaign and update the website more often.

Concerning the direction the campaign needed to take, the officers proposed a resolution updating the declaration to take account of new political developments such as the exit of Blair, as well as some basic points outlining what we stand for. Conference agreed it would put the horse before the cart outlining a fuller programme before a party is even formed, so these basic eleven points were agreed upon -

- Keep health and education public. Stop and reverse cuts in, and the sell off of, our public services. For properly funded, democratically controlled public services for all.
- For decent, affordable public housing for all who want it.
- No to racism and discrimination - oppose the divisive BNP. No to the specific oppression that people suffer due to their ethnic background, nationality, gender, sexuality, age, disabilities or health.
- For a living wage of at least £8 an hour, and a living pension - restore the link with earnings now.
- No to trident nuclear weapons - spend the £76 billion on public services.
- Ownership and planning of energy and transport, leading to massive investment and expansion of renewable energy and clean, public transport.
- Immediate withdrawal of the troops from Iraq and Afghanistan.
- For a democratic republic - a radical extension of democracy including all representatives elected by proportional representation, subject to recall, and paid the average wage.
- No to the capitalist profit system. For a democratic socialist society, based on public ownership of the major corporations that dominate the economy, and run to meet the needs of all, and to protect our environment for future generations, instead of the profits of a few.

There were some amendments put forward aimed at hemming the not-yet-formed party into detailed prescriptions and directions, but these were heavily defeated. Comrades from Workers Power, the Communist Party of Great Britain and the Campaign for a Marxist Party argued that the points outlined above set in stone a strategy of reformism (the idea that a democratic socialist society can be achieved gradually, with parliamentary legislation), as opposed to their proposals setting in stone a revolutionary strategy (proposing workers seize political and economic power now).

There are two arguments against their points. Firstly, the officers' resolution simply stated that we wish to replace the current capitalist system with "a democratic socialist society". The resolution rightly doesn't state how we get to that point - that is a matter for internal debate in the party once it is formed - the different organisations inside the party can argue for their point of view, it shouldn't be determined before the party is even set up. Secondly, the idea that a mass revolutionary party can be built at the present time in England and Wales is ludicrous. The workers movement is still barely recovering from the huge setbacks under Thatcherism, and confidence and political consciousness is still very low.

The debate was passionate but friendly, and there were some welcome new faces, particularly the comrades from the Democratic Labour Party in Walsall. The Democratic Labour Party was formed by socialists who had been chucked out of the Labour Party for being too left wing. They recently won a seat on Walsall council, and the two who spoke were clearly hard working, principled socialist campaigners, precisely the sort of people we need to get on board in this campaign.

There are more extensive reports and records of the motions passed and officer elections on the CNWP website.

More photos from the Campaign for a New Workers' Party meeting held in Exeter on the 19th April

3rd May elections and recent activity

On Saturday 28th April, Devon Socialist Party members and CNWP supporters leafletted the Ilfracombe East ward with anti-BNP leaflets. The leaflets put forward class arguments and posed the question of a new alternative to the main parties for workers. The BNP candidate subsequently failed miserably, garnering just 63 votes. Also on the 28th, members did stalls in Exeter and Taunton and sold over 30 newspapers. On the Sunday, members travelled up to Bristol to assist with Tom Baldwin's election campaign in Windmill Hill. He got a good vote in the end, and was praised by the PCS union for his answers to the questions they asked of all council candidates.

We expressed our solidarity with the striking PCS members on 1st May.

There will be a full analysis of the local, Scottish and Welsh elections on here shortly, including the votes for Socialist Alternative candidates, the state of the BNP vote and lessons for anti-fascist work and the situation in Scotland.

Exeter CNWP meeting on 19th April

Over 30 people attended a meeting on the Campaign for a New Workers' Party at the Exeter Community Centre last Thursday. Speaking at the event was Tony Mulhearn of the Liverpool 47, John Stone, Plymouth branch secretary of the TGWU (personal capacity) and Jim Lowe from the Exeter Save our NHS campaign.

After speeches, which included a wide ranging analysis from Tony on the nature and degeneration of the Labour Party and a reflection on the successes of the socialist Liverpool council and betrayals of the Labour Party leadership, there was a vigorous debate on the nature of the Labour Party, is a new workers' party needed, how can we campaign for one and what form it might take.

The meeting allowed us to launch the CNWP in Exeter and Devon, and gives us something on which to build.