Call a conference now to mobilise support for Jeremy Corbyn

A media release from the Liverpool & District Socialist Party:

The Liverpool & District Socialist Party is calling on Jeremy Corbyn to call for mass conferences of his supporters in all major locations of the country, including Merseyside, involving all those who support Corbyn inside and outside the Labour Party. We also call for a national conference to co-ordinate the activities nationally.We are launching a petition to support this call now.

Tony Mulhearn for Liverpool & District Socialist Party said:

"The anti-Tory, anti-austerity movement stands aghast at the grotesque spectacle of right wing MPs who, instead of attacking a Tory government which is split from top to bottom, are turning their fire on the democratically elected Labour Party leader.

"Expressing the popular support for Jeremy Corbyn 4000 people marched through Liverpool last Saturday to defend him. We need to bring together the thousands in every city and town who support his anti-austerity message and oppose his would-be assassins in the Parliamentary Labour Party who have led Labour to its worst defeats in the post-war period. That is why we have launched a petition for an urgent conference to be convened now involving all those who support Corbyn: the trade unions, Labour Party branches and including all left and socialist organisations inside and outside the Labour Party.

"Jeremy Corbyn was elected to leadership by a popular uprising against austerity. The right wing action reveals their contempt for the will of rank and file. We support Jeremy’s firm stance in rejecting the hysterical demands of the PLP and their allies in the rabid media to quit. Now the labour movement, together with all those who are opposed to austerity, needs to mobilise to support Jeremy against the Blairite onslaught.

"We are urging all supporters of Jeremy Corbyn including the unions, Momentum and Labour party organisations to endorse this petition."

• Find the petition here.  
• Local progress with the petition will be reported on Facebook - here. 
• The Socialist Party on-line is here. 

For further information contact Hugh Caffrey 07769611320 or Tony Mulhearn on 07939098455.

Corbyn’s pledge to PCS

Jeremy Corbyn became the first ever Labour leader to address PCS conference and pledged that a Labour government would return national pay bargaining to the civil service and repeal the hated Tory Trade Union Act.

He also gave assurances on pay saying it was "time for the public sector (1%) pay cap to end and to restore good industrial relations in the civil service."

Condemning the Tory austerity agenda of cuts, closures and low wages he stressed that this was "a political choice being made by this government, not a necessity"; the cap on pay in the civil service continued, while consultants were brought in on very high levels of pay.

He also pledged that Labour would invest in HMRC, pointing out the inherent contradiction of the government cutting jobs in the department when billions of pounds were being lost in uncollected tax revenue. He said: "This government doesn’t seem to understand that job cuts mean tax not collected" and he called for “a properly staffed HMRC".

He also paid tribute to PCS as a "fantastic campaigning union", to which "the door is always open" and said he looked forward to working with the union on policy development.

Pensioners Parliament 2015

16 to 18 June 2015 in Blackpool - by Tony Mulhearn

• March to Rally: speakers Care Workers Doncaster out for 90 days. Queen singer supported them received national recognition, eventually secured settlement by their action

Sessions:

• The NHS and privatisation: speakers from Unite and GMB, Rhianna Hazam. Excellent presentations confirmed the wholesale assault on the NHS. Unite speaker particularly clear and incisive. 

• Making Transport accessible. Good discussion with suggestions on improving transport network and making provision for elderly users. Conclusion that transport integration only possible under public ownership. 

• One of the speakers highlighted an interesting statistic: in 2010 2.5million pensioners voted Tory and 3million voted Labour. 

• In 2015 2.5m voted Labour and 3m voted Tory. 

• Cameron guaranteed the triple lock where as Balls in 2013 stated he would cap pensions.

• Perhaps we need to analyse that at a future meeting. 

Last Day: 

• Where next after general election. CWU speakers Dave Ward and a speaker from a research organisation gave interesting speeches. Again a vigorous discussion. With the general feelings expressed that the pensioners movement is up for the struggle. Dot Gibson summed up the feelings of the gathering of about 800 people when she called for a united struggle against the attacks on pensioners services and also called for building the pensioners movement, particularly its finances as it is getting increasingly difficult to meet the financial demands of paying for the Parliament and the conference which will take place next year. 
• Merseyside was well represented. Speakers at the sessions were myself, Julie, Terry, Ann and Margaret, who got in twice in one of the sessions. 

• Altogether a worth-while Parliament with Merseyside making its mark.

National Pensioners Convention Parliament 2015

The National Pensioners Convention Pensioners' Parliament will take place in the Blackpool Winter Gardens, 16 to 18 June. It costs £8 for credentials for the whole event, or £5 for one day.

Please click here to download a booking form.