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

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.