Email hucknalllabour@hotmail.co.uk
Can we all remember these headlines back in September 2008 ‘’Fears of a global financial meltdown grew yesterday as the world’s biggest bankruptcy plunged markets into turmoil. Investors were left reeling as the abrupt demise of the Lehman Brothers investment bank sparked the biggest shake-up on Wall Street in decades. Another of US capitalism’s biggest institutions, Merrill Lynch, is to be swallowed by Bank of America in a $50 billion takeover to save it from collapse.’’ (The Times)
Britain had to bail most of its banks out with tax payers money to the tune of approximately £70 billion in the first instance.
Just in the last few months we have seen the protests in Greece,Spain and Ireland to name a few, over the meltdown of the toxic banking culture that got out of hand all over the world. But why should we ordinary honest hard working people be made to suffer for thier mistakes. Since coming into power the Tories in this country have been putting a fresh spin on these historical events saying it was all Labours fault and they inherited the financial black hole because of Labour policies, well i’m sorry but that argument is very weak to say the least.The collapse was global.
Resist the cuts, Fight back, there is an alternative. For a start we should Claw back the reported 130 billion pounds per annum that rich individuals, company's and multi nationals tax dodge and bank offshore to avoid paying the British rate of tax.
Image: Police Cuts
In Notts the police are to consider closing the following eight police stations The eight police stations and contact points to be closed are in Wollaton, North Leverton, Bilsthorpe, Bingham, East Leake, Warsop, Misterton and Radcliffe-on-Trent. All are currently in use, apart from North Leverton, near Retford.
A further four existing shared community offices in Mansfield would also close under the plans. These are in Hickling Court, Barrowhill Walk, Shireoaks Court and William Kaye Hall. But a high ranking officer said officers will be able keep in touch with the public using mobile phones.
Police forces in England and Wales face funding cuts of 20% over the next four years
Government cuts will claim 28,000 police jobs, the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo) has said.
The Acpo estimate for England and Wales has been made in a confidential memo to ministers published in the Guardian.
Acpo predicts the jobs of 12,000 police officers and 16,000 civilian staff will be lost as a result of spending cuts.
Meanwhile, the Winsor review of police pay and conditions to be unveiled on Tuesday is expected to recommend cutting £180m in annual bonuses.
Greater Manchester Chief Constable Peter Fahy confirmed the job loss forecast - representing a reduction of about 12% of posts - to the Guardian.
He said: "We will have fewer staff, the same or more demands, and will need to incentivise staff to produce higher quality."
Pay structure
The government is planning to cut its funding for the police by 20% by 2014-15.
Image: county hall demo against the cuts
County Hall demo against the cuts.
£70 million will be cut from Notts county council budget this year, rising to £150 million over the next three years—out of a total budget of £470 million.
These are being implemented by appropriately named Thatcherite Kay Cutts.
Cutts’s cuts will mean slashing day care services, closing mental health day centres, and privatising all elderly persons homes.
She also wants to slash eligibility for home care for elderly and disabled people, and make cuts in the youth and the Connexions careers services.
The intention of the council is clear—to stop providing services itself and become a “commissioner” of privatised services instead.
A slogan on the Unison postcard at the event proved very popular. It read, “Mass clearance sale at County Hall: all public services must be sold—apply to Kay Cutts.
How do they sleep at night ??
Image: Ken Knight on the street
Ken Knight adding names to the petition against the selling off of the care homes by the Tory party.
‘No longer will wealth be an advantage nor poverty a disadvantage. Healthcare will be provided free of charge based on clinical need and not on ability to pay.’
Aneurin Bevan
Labour Founding father of the National Health Service
Image: Care homes petition
Ian Morrison, Keir Morrison & Ken Knight, outside Jubilee court care home for the elderly, on Nabbs Lane. Jubilee court is an almost new (seven yrs old) facility that is being sold off as part of the Tory ideoligy of cuts and privatisation.The petition had over 1000 signitures on it and was submitted to a full council meeting at County Hall.
A free health service is pure Socialism and as such it is opposed to the hedonism of capitalist society."
—Aneurin Bevan, In Place of Fear
While Royal Mail remains state-owned it cannot really go bankrupt, but selling it brings the risk of bankruptcy. A universal service still has to be provided so the innovations of privatisation include provision for taxpayers to bail out in the event of such a failure.
This amply demonstrates the huge risks that the coalition is taking with Royal Mail (RM). It has decided to take the gamble despite the fact that every opinion poll for the past 20 years has registered a large majority against. Even among its own voters, it’s going against public opinion. If its own supporters think privatisation will worsen services and increase prices, what’s the rationale for privatisation?
Business Secretary Vince Cable has said that only through privatisation will RM be able to compete. Yet this is not demonstrated either on an international or national level. Internationally, RM has weathered the recession better than its key privatised rivals, TNT and Deutsche Post. RM’s profit rose to £321 million in 2008-9 then by 26 per cent to £404min 2009-10. In comparison, in 2009, TNT’s profits were down by 25.4 per cent, Deutsche Post’s down by 36.5 per cent. Yet both companies experienced far smaller decreases in mail volumes and shorter recessions in their home markets. In addition, RM delivers letters at approximately half the stamp price of these two firms.
Image: keep the royal mail public
Image:
Keir Morrison John Wilmott & Ken Knight on Hucknall high street collecting signitures against the disgraceful sell off of the care homes.
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