By Dave Carr - http://www.socialistparty.org.uk/articles/18129/12-02-2014/floods-misery-government-cuts-to-blame
While thousands of homes and shops are waist deep in toxic water, and flooding hits new areas, government ministers indulge in a blame game.
Stand-in environment minister Eric Pickles blamed the Environment Agency for not dredging rivers, while the department's incapacitated minister Owen Paterson was reportedly raging to Prime Minister David Cameron over Pickles' attacks.
In reality, the entire government is to blame for a lack of preparation and its outrageously inadequate response.
After all, climate change scientists have been warning for years about the expected increased frequency of extreme weather events - including unprecedented rainfall - caused by human induced global warming.
Moreover, instead of investing in measures that have enormous potential to defend people, land and property against flooding, the government has pursued a vicious austerity agenda of public spending cuts.
These cuts have been borne heavily by the Environment Agency, including its budget for flood prevention.
Incredibly, on top of previous cuts, some 1,500 agency jobs (15% of the workforce), including 550 jobs in flood prevention, are due to be axed by October.
Yet the cost to people's homes and the country's ruined infrastructure will run into hundreds of millions of pounds.
The floods have exposed how this government puts the interests of a rich elite above those of a long-suffering public.
It's high time that these 'Eton millionaires' are booted out and an environmentally sustainable plan of flood defences and infrastructure is put in place.
Showing posts with label Public Ownership. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Public Ownership. Show all posts
Tuesday, 18 February 2014
Friday, 3 August 2012
Southampton Labour councillors vote against cuts
By Southampton Socialist Party members
The stand taken by Coxford councillors Keith Morrell and Don Thomas to vote against the Labour council budget cuts and proposal to close Oaklands swimming pool has received enormous support from the local community and across the city. Importantly they have received the backing of local council trade unions.
It is now essential that this support is mobilised to maximize the pressure on the council, to reverse the cuts and save the pool. The council has reserves and borrowing power to raise the finance, after all millions were found to build the new Titanic museum!
No privatisation of Oaklands pool
It has been suggested that if the council hasn't got the money, the pool should be handed over to the community to run or a private provider found.
But then where would the money come from? The risk would be passed to the community and inevitably would mean going to the private sector that would end up running the pool for profit.
Private companies offer to run services not for the community but for profit. They do this by running down services, putting up charges and cutting staff and their pay and conditions.
Oaklands pool was built and paid for with public money and is an asset that should not be given away.Privatisation is no solution.
No need for cuts
The future of Oaklands pool is under threat because of the government cuts to council funding. The Con-Dems are cutting 25% of the money Southampton receives up to 2014, with further cuts promised.
But it is becoming clearer to everyone that the Con-Dem cuts are for the benefit of the super-rich, whose profits soar and who evade their taxes to the tune of over £120 billion.
Unite against all cuts
Everyone is being hit by cuts. Jobs, pay, pensions, benefits, schools, hospitals and social services.
A united campaign of the community, council workers and the trade unions must be built to oppose all cuts, redundancies and privatisation, to reverse the cuts and restore council workers' pay.
Such a mass campaign could put huge pressure on the majority Labour group not to implement cuts and to fight central government for the funding this city needs.
Support rebel councillors
Keith and Don now face disciplinary measures by Labour officials who want councillors to make cuts. Council trade unions must call on all councillors to join Keith and Don and oppose cuts.
Mass lobby against cuts
The next council meeting is on Wednesday 12 September. This will be an opportunity to mobilise mass support for the stand of the Coxford councillors and opposition to all cuts.
The Socialist Party gives full support to Keith and Don and will give support to any other Labour councillor who is prepared to join them.
The impact of their stand fully vindicates the election campaign of the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) in opposing cuts. We must now ensure this campaign grows in support.
The stand taken by Coxford councillors Keith Morrell and Don Thomas to vote against the Labour council budget cuts and proposal to close Oaklands swimming pool has received enormous support from the local community and across the city. Importantly they have received the backing of local council trade unions.
It is now essential that this support is mobilised to maximize the pressure on the council, to reverse the cuts and save the pool. The council has reserves and borrowing power to raise the finance, after all millions were found to build the new Titanic museum!
No privatisation of Oaklands pool
It has been suggested that if the council hasn't got the money, the pool should be handed over to the community to run or a private provider found.
But then where would the money come from? The risk would be passed to the community and inevitably would mean going to the private sector that would end up running the pool for profit.
Private companies offer to run services not for the community but for profit. They do this by running down services, putting up charges and cutting staff and their pay and conditions.
Oaklands pool was built and paid for with public money and is an asset that should not be given away.Privatisation is no solution.
No need for cuts
The future of Oaklands pool is under threat because of the government cuts to council funding. The Con-Dems are cutting 25% of the money Southampton receives up to 2014, with further cuts promised.
But it is becoming clearer to everyone that the Con-Dem cuts are for the benefit of the super-rich, whose profits soar and who evade their taxes to the tune of over £120 billion.
Unite against all cuts
Everyone is being hit by cuts. Jobs, pay, pensions, benefits, schools, hospitals and social services.
A united campaign of the community, council workers and the trade unions must be built to oppose all cuts, redundancies and privatisation, to reverse the cuts and restore council workers' pay.
Such a mass campaign could put huge pressure on the majority Labour group not to implement cuts and to fight central government for the funding this city needs.
Support rebel councillors
Keith and Don now face disciplinary measures by Labour officials who want councillors to make cuts. Council trade unions must call on all councillors to join Keith and Don and oppose cuts.
Mass lobby against cuts
The next council meeting is on Wednesday 12 September. This will be an opportunity to mobilise mass support for the stand of the Coxford councillors and opposition to all cuts.
The Socialist Party gives full support to Keith and Don and will give support to any other Labour councillor who is prepared to join them.
The impact of their stand fully vindicates the election campaign of the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) in opposing cuts. We must now ensure this campaign grows in support.
Tuesday, 13 December 2011
Revenue & Customs workers' lunchtime strike
By Nick Chaffey - http://www.socialistparty.org.uk/articles/13323/13-12-2011/revenue-amp-customs-workers-lunchtime-strike
As part of national industrial action on Monday 12 December, angry civil servants at HMRC Southampton held a lunchtime car park strike meeting to rally support for the continued attacks on sickness policy.
PCS rep Dave said: "Members are angry at the attempt to make sickness a disciplinary issue and means members are coming into work ill and in some cases taking leave days rather than report sick.
"We will continue to support action on this issue. We need to build on the support for 30 November, 80% came out here.
"I think we now have to consider escalating the action". Other workers raised the lack of trust people have in politicians and all the arguments put around to justify the cuts. Support for a united stand against all cuts got a good response as well as the need to stand anti-cuts candidates against the cuts establishment.
As part of national industrial action on Monday 12 December, angry civil servants at HMRC Southampton held a lunchtime car park strike meeting to rally support for the continued attacks on sickness policy.
PCS rep Dave said: "Members are angry at the attempt to make sickness a disciplinary issue and means members are coming into work ill and in some cases taking leave days rather than report sick.
"We will continue to support action on this issue. We need to build on the support for 30 November, 80% came out here.
"I think we now have to consider escalating the action". Other workers raised the lack of trust people have in politicians and all the arguments put around to justify the cuts. Support for a united stand against all cuts got a good response as well as the need to stand anti-cuts candidates against the cuts establishment.
Saturday, 14 May 2011
Government admits that privatisation doesn't work - at least for wine...
Government wine cellars have been in the news recently, spun both ways with some sources saying the cellars have avoided the government axes, while others using the same story to say it represents proof that we really are "all in this together"!
Now we know that is too hard to swallow, but not as hard as the top Tory Henry Bellingham who is quoted by the BBC - "...this is a resource that's used by government for government hospitality, for business hospitality, for visiting heads of state. If we sold the cellar we'd have to go out there and buy wine and ultimately that would be much, much more costly." In other words, privatisation doesn't save money and doesn't work! Well the Socialist Party could have told the government that. So why not apply that logic to the NHS, prisons, schools, etc? And while they are at it, the railways, utilities and all the other services and industries that have been flogged off over the years. Privatisation is legalised theft!
Now we know that is too hard to swallow, but not as hard as the top Tory Henry Bellingham who is quoted by the BBC - "...this is a resource that's used by government for government hospitality, for business hospitality, for visiting heads of state. If we sold the cellar we'd have to go out there and buy wine and ultimately that would be much, much more costly." In other words, privatisation doesn't save money and doesn't work! Well the Socialist Party could have told the government that. So why not apply that logic to the NHS, prisons, schools, etc? And while they are at it, the railways, utilities and all the other services and industries that have been flogged off over the years. Privatisation is legalised theft!
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