This blog is now archived

The Merseyside ARMS committee has agreed that this blog and the North West ARMS blog are mostly duplicating each other. From now on, all posts and information for Merseyside ARMS will be on the North West ARMS blog. This blog will remain for information purposes but there will be no further updates.

Please click here for the ARMS North West blog.

Socialist Party Public Meeting Supporting Jeremy Corbyn

The Merseyside Socialist Party congratulates Jeremy Corbyn on being re-elected Labour Party leader. This victory confirms that, in spite of the sustained campaign of vilification against him spearheaded by 170 members of the Parliamentary Labour Party and the exclusion from the vote of thousands of genuine supporters – the Party is determined to shuffle off the remnants of Blairism. We believe Labour Party members should have the right to begin the process of holding MPs to account and replacing those who are implacably opposed to Corbyn with candidates who are prepared to fight for working class interests.

Come and hear Tony Mulhearn at next Tuesday's public meeting (27 September) at 7.30pm in The Liverpool Pub (upstairs), 14 James Street, Liverpool, L2 7PQ (next to James Street Mersey rail station).

Hear the story of the Liverpool 47 and what really happened in the 1980s as opposed to the continued distortions expressed by the opponents of both Jeremy Corbyn and Labour Party democracy.

Hear also Sarah Sachs-Eldridge, national organiser of the Socialist Party, explaining the Socialist Party's campaign for its right to affiliate to the Labour party and its demand for a democratic rewriting of Labour's constitution.

**********

For further information contact:

• Hugh Caffrey on07769611320. Email: manc_sfe@hotmail.com 
• Tony Mulhearn on 07939098455. Email: t.mulhearn47@gmail.com

Merseyside ARMS all members meeting

• Date:  Thursday 29 September 2016.
• Time:  11.00 to 14.00.
• Place:  Robert Tressell Room, PCS Regional Office, 3rd Floor, Jack Jones House, 1 Islington, Liverpool L3 8EG
• Guest speaker: Tony Mulhearn, co-author of Liverpool: A City That Dared To Fight, and also Liverpool Labour Party City Councillor in the 1980s.
• Meeting open to:  Merseyside ARMS members - North West ARMs members and PCS branches are all very welcome as observers.

A unique opportunity to hear first-hand the experiences of the Liverpool Labour Council in the 1980s when tens of thousands of workers united to gain major concessions from an intransigent Tory Government.

Active in his trade union, the National Graphic Association, since starting work, Tony Mulhearn joined the Labour Party in Liverpool in 1963. He was Vice-President of the District Labour Party for 8 years, then its President for a further 5 years. Elected to the Liverpool City Council in 1984, he soon became a key figure in the council struggle, combining his position on the council with the presidency of the Liverpool District Labour Party, until his expulsion from the Labour Party after a Spanish Inquisition-style inquiry in 1986. Tony Mulhearn was one of the 47 councillors surcharged and disqualified from office by the unelected district auditor in March 1987. We hope that this account of Liverpool's struggle can play its part in the rearming of the British working class for the mighty battles to come.

Agenda

1. Welcome (11.00-11.05) 
2. Previous minutes (11.05-11.10) 
3. Guest speaker – Tony Mulhearn, former Liverpool councillor (11.10-12.30) 
4. Lunch (12.30-13.00) 
5. Clara Paillard PCS NEC (13.00-13.30) 
6. NW Regional Committee (13.30-13.40) 
7. National Committee (13.40-13.45) 
8. Finance (13.45-13.50) 
9. Activities (13.50-13.55) 
10. Close of meeting (13.55-14.00)

TUC should speak for rank & file

TUC general secretary Frances O'Grady calls for the Labour Party to look outward and deal with the Tories but she doesn’t identify the guilty party. Not a word of criticism of the Blairites who caused the divisions and chaos. She should declare that the rank and file Party members campaigning for socialist change are lions led by the Blairite donkeys of the PLP who are turning their fire on the leadership instead of organising to defeat the Tories. You can't be neutral in this situation; as the spokesperson for six million organised workers she should be demanding full support for Jeremy Corbyn whose policy is totally in accord with the TUC's policy of opposition to all austerity.

Tony Mulhearn ARMS Mersey

Miners' pension fund demo

Further to the post here on 31 August about the ongoing theft from the miners' pension fund, here are details of a demo in Liverpool on the issue on 27 September. There's also a petition here.

TUSC meeting for Corbyn, Liverpool

TUSC continues to support the campaign to re-elect Jeremy Corbyn and to elect an anti-austerity Metro Mayor.

Roger Bannister will speak at a meeting in the Casa, Hope Street on Saturday 3 September 2016 at 12noon.

Roger, TUSC candidate for Liverpool mayor in May 2016, is hoping to meet Labour’s metro mayoral candidate Steve Rotheram to explore a meeting of minds on fighting cuts.

Steve is committed to building council housing, to social justice and standing up for ordinary people, which are policies that TUSC has advocated at elections on Merseyside for 6 years.

Roger Bannister said: 'I commend Merseyside and Halton’s Labour members for rejecting the austerity agenda defended by the likes of Joe Anderson. In May’s mayoral elections in Liverpool I argued for: no more cuts to council services, no cuts to our colleges, save Liverpool Women’s Hospital and other threatened NHS facilities, and to defend the Mersey rail train guards and their service. I won over 5% of the vote which is a firm basis to build on.'

All are welcome to attend and broaden the campaign for the socialist alternative.

A display of the 1983-1987 Socialist Council’s achievements will also be on display.

Tony Mulhearn
ARMS Mersey

News updates - from the web

Our regular round up of relevant news items, by Steve Ion of ARMS Mersey.

One in ten over 65s in work - here.

Waspi: Jeremy Corbyn pledges support for pensioners - here.

Expats pensions possible impact - here.

Care home costs increase - here.

Potential plans to reform final salary pensions - here.