PAN-EUROPEAN GENERAL STRIKE!!!

       

       As governments across Europe go into action in the class war struggle, swinging their hatchets, administering “fair austerity cuts”(attacks on workers living standards) the people of Europe are beginning to respond. Across Europe there have been several one day general strikes, in Greece, Spain, France and Italy with Greece planning its 5th general strike for today June 29th. which should shape up to be the largest so far in this recent class struggle. June 29th is also the date for another one day general strike in the Basque countries, Spain's CNT syndicalist union has stated that one day stoppages are not enough and has called for pan-European stoppages on the same day. They also said that governments will only back down from their “austerity” plans if the stoppages are made indefinite. The Confederaction Nacional del Trabajo has called for Spain's 5th general strike on September 29th. to be made indefinite.

      There is still enough time to make the Spanish General strike on September 29th the one pan-European and indefinite general strike. However, we here in the UK seem to have some way to go to catch up with our European friends. Our government seems to have hoodwinked a lot of the general public here into believing that these cuts are inevitable and for our benefit. Ask yourself, how can driving the living standard of the general public back to Victorian era poverty be in the interests of that same general public, while the millionaires' club of privileged parasites that drive these cuts, suffer nothing?

       They know it is a class war to safeguard their wealth, power and privileges, isn't it time we saw it in the same light, a class war to safeguard and enhance the living standards of all our people.

 
 

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THINK OF A NUMBER??

      

         So David Cameron, one half of the well manicured millionaire twins,  states we will be out of Afghanistan by 2015, making it a 14 years war on a poverty stricken country. Why 5 years, is that how long it will take them to complete their grand plan down to the last detail? If so what is their grand plan? Or is it just a nice number,  it sounds better than four and a bit years or there abouts, or, I'm not very sure. This 5 years is just an arbitrary number, a statement to please sections of the public but rather a callous way to approach the killing and maiming that is going on in that unfortunate country. Why not NOW, what will be different in 5 years? Does he know what state that country will be in in 5 years, can he tell us what will be regarded as a must for that withdrawal? How can he guarantee  they will have achieved their illusionary grand plan. At the moment the NATO forces are looking at an abject failure and defeat with an escalating rate of killing, but somehow in 5 years it will all be so different with peace and a true democracy flourishing in Afghanistan. The Karzai Mafia in Kabul will no longer be a cabal of drug barons, they'll be honest brokers seeking the well being of the Afghan people. Milk and honey will flow across the dusty plains of Afghanistan and our well manicured millionaires will be able to say it was all worth the sacrifice. Afghanistan will fade from the front pages, the killing will be forgotten and our troops will head off to fight another imperialist venture to make sure that the world accepts the might of Western corporate capitalism. Then the millionaires club at the Westminster Houses of Hypocrisy and Corruption will issue more lies about keeping Britain safe and building democracy in some other unfortunate corner of the globe, while issuing platitudes about the killing and maiming. Doesn't the system make you sick? We could work to change it!!

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LET'S ROAR.

     Budget day, we know the damage that is going to be inflicted on our class by the millionaires' club. Are we about to whimper in pain or are we about to ROAR, (Rise-up, Organise, Agitate, Revolt.) in anger and determination. ROAR our intentions that we will not sit quietly and let the milliomaire parasites inflict Victorian era poverty on us and our children.

LET’S ROAR.

The problem’s too big

the perpetrators unknown

you can’t beat the system

all on your own.

So it’s easy to withdraw

find your own little cage

turn a blind eye to the suffering

stifle your rage,

but the greed goes on

the poverty’s still there,

you can’t just leave it

for your children to bear.

Others feel as you do

eager to put things right

but locked in isolation

it’s a hopeless fight,

so don’t sit in silence

behind a closed door,

your voice can help raise

a whisper to a roar.

 

 

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KILL THE CUTS--CHANGE SOCIETY!!

     

     Tuesday sees well manicured millionaire Osborne, on behalf of the millionaires club, launch his attack on the working class via his emergency budget. This will be the first step to take the working class back to the thirties, back to Victorian poverty. We have to show that we are not going down that road just to save the bond markets and some of his other millionaire friends from suffering some financial loss. They want to safe guard their fortunes at our expense, they know it is a class war, we pay for the problems, not the millionaires that caused the problems. To them, that's the way it should be. We have to show that we also recognise this as a class war and we know who our enemies are. We are not in the same club as that bunch of pampered, parasitical, millionaire hypocrites.

         On Tuesday 22 June there will be a demonstration and rally in George Square Glasgow from 3pm onwards. There will be a host of speakers speaking out against the cuts but no doubt some will be asking for you to vote them into power next time round. That's not the answer, the rally and demonstration is all well and good as a first phase to show our opposition to this savage attack on our living standards and show that we will act in solidarity with all our communities. However the struggle must continue into the workplaces and the local communities. Standing in George Square listening to speakers will not stop the cuts.

        It was on July 31st 1925 that then Prime Minister, Stanley Baldwin made the following statement; “All the workers of this country have got to take reductions in wages to help to put industry on its feet.” Yes, they seem to have been a wee bit more honest in those days, no crap about us all being in this together for the sake of the country. Less than a year on from that statement Britain was in the grip of a general strike. The entire working class was solid but were sold down the river by the trade unions. We must learn from that and never let control leave the grass roots. All action against the cuts must be driven and controlled by the people involved, don't play follow-my-leader into the trap of change the party in power and waving at a new smiling shiny leader.

      Workers control, communities controlled by those in that community working in federation with each other to change society, not to change the leader. We don't need leaders, prime ministers, kings or presidents, their record doesn't stand up to scrutiny.

 

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WHO SHOULD PAY???

     

      Remember those Glasgow's arms length organisations, Steven Purcell's baby that brought him praises from Tony Blair and were supposed to save the city council taxpayers, millions, well those millions haven't quite materialised. They were projected to bring, for the year 2009/2010, a nice little sum of £7 million, however the have managed to amass a loss of nearly £5 million. This is a group of 12 organisations that were removed from the scrutiny and control of Glasgow's citizens and have become nice little earners for those appointed to run and oversee them. We also know that Purcell, who resigned after a drugs and cronyism scandal earlier this year was accused by some of offering up jobs in these organisations as “sweeteners” to friends and enemies alike. It was a nice little appointment as councillors could pick up £400,000 in extra salaries as directors of these organisations. The stench of corruption is the same no matter where it comes from, The Westminster House of Corruption or the headquarters of the Glasgow political Mafia.

     While this snouts in troughs act is going on we get information that ten of Scotland's councils are set to lose 10,000 jobs between them, our local Glasgow mob are about to shed 2,800. Some of the Scottish councils have said that they expect to to reduce staffing costs, (cut jobs) by 12% over three years.

      We should make no mistake, the plans that are being made at national and local level will mean massive job cuts, which will result in increased poverty among the ordinary people. Of course it will also mean a drastic cut in services for which we have already paid.

       Our aim should be to organise against these cuts, it is not somebody else’s problem it is right across our communities, we will all be hit, the only exemptions will be the millionaires club that organised the cuts. It is the wealthy, those how will not in any way be touched by these savage cuts that are telling us that it is necessary. They organise, we hurt, should we not be turning that around, we organise, they hurt.

 

 

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101 TRADE UNIONISTS KILLED!!!

       

       The capitalist system we live under always shows its true colours when it is up against those who fight for workers rights. The more active the individuals or groups become in defence of their conditions the heavier the system comes down. It will always go as far as it can legally and then resort to other more covert actions if the legal ones don't work, but they will do their damndest to eliminate all opposition to their grasp for profit.

     Too many ordinary people pay with their lives just trying to improve their living standards. The following short extract from Labourstart, says it all:

       The annual survey of trade union rights was released today -- and I'm sorry to say that the news is not good.

       According to the International Trade Union Confederation, 101 trade unionists were killed last year.

And that represents a 30% increase on the year before.

That even a single human being dies because they are members of a trade union is a tragedy.

That 101 are killed in a single year is a moral outrage.

   Only when the workers control the means of production and distribution will this moral outrage stop. as long as the interests of the corporate world hold sway over our lives we will have to defend ourselves against the violence inherent in this system of exploitation and repression.

 

 

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LET THE MILLIONAIRES CUT YOUR WAGES???

      

        As the European governments move in with the hatchets at the ready to slash and cut the living standards of the working class what will be our response? We have seen massive demonstrations on the streets in Greece. In Spain 75/80% of public sector workers  took strike action against a 5% pay cut. There have been and still are strikes and demonstrations in other countries across Europe. What will we, the working class in this country, do as the well manicured public school boys start swinging their hatchets?

       The next few months will be crucial, the cuts will come fast and furious as well as sudden, if our response is not equal to that we will have lost the momentum. We have to make it quite clear from the very start that these attacks on our living standards will not be accepted. This is a totally one side affair, all the cuts will hurt the ordinary people but will in no way affect those at the top who are responsible for this so called "massive debt".

         Let's not forget, these cuts are to protect the banks and bond holders from suffering any great losses. We are supposed to be the ones to carry the losses, why? Remember, the cabinet of this government has 23 millionaires in its little cabal. How will they hurt as they cut and slash? They know it is a class war and fight accordingly, isn't time we dealt with it in a similar fashion and fight it as an out and out class war. A pan-European class war linking up with the striking workers in all the other European coutries where the people are making a stand against this savage onslaught to their living conditions. Without a doubt the outcome of these cuts will be a return to Victorian poverty for our people, while the financial sector with its millionaire/billionarie friends re-arrange their balance sheets to their favour. Unless!!!

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PROOF THAT THE RICH GET RICHER AND THE POOR GET POORER.

     A recent study by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation found widening inequalities in all areas of life in Britain. The study, "Life in Britain: Using Millennial Census Data to Understand Poverty, Inequality and Place,"         Some of the key findings are:

       Areas with the highest levels of poor health also tend to have the lowest numbers of doctors, dentists and other health professionals (excluding nurses).

      Areas with high levels of poor health tend also to have high numbers of their population providing informal care for family and friend, as opposed to professional care.

       Areas with the highest proportions of unqualified young people tend to have the lowest number of teachers per head of population. The areas faring the best have four times the density of teachers and one third the rate of unqualified young people. 

       The financial hub of the City of London and the South East accounted for the overwhelming majority of "high-paid jobs." In most other areas, people with very good qualifications are more likely to be employed in lower-paid work. In areas of higher unemployment, those with jobs are less likely to work long hours, but unemployment itself is associated with physical and mental health problems.

      Approximately a million households have three or more cars. About the same number of households that might need a car (those with dependent children, etc.) have none.

      One comment sums it up, "--it is acutely disappointing to discover that so many opportunities and resources still depend on where people live. Wide and persisting inequality is reflected in big differences between 'rich' and 'poor' areas in terms of housing, education and health care as well as economic wealth. Perversely, people living in the poorest neighbourhoods with the greatest needs are often the least likely to have access to the services and support that would help them improve their lives and life chances."

      This failure can be attributed to successive Conservative and Labour governments. The areas with the highest life expectancy 10 years ago are the places that have seen the biggest increase in life expectancy since. Wealth lets you get health.

      Ben Wheeler stated, "The Census data show quite clearly that although living standards have increased in 60 years, the rich and the poor in Britain continue to live in two different worlds."

      The authors of the report have shown Britain as a severely divided society, between those with the greatest need for good health care, education, jobs, housing and transport who continue to have the worst access to opportunities and services 60 years after the founding of the welfare state, and a powerfully rich elite that continues to amass wealth and privilege. All indications are that this divide is widening.

        The rich have rigged voting to make sure nothing changes, if your poor why vote?

        That being the case what do you think will be the outcome of the slashing cuts that are heading the way of the ordinary people of this country? An ever widening gap with the poorest in society heading for deprivation not seen in this country since the 20s/30s.

        Now is the time to organise to protect our people, we can't wait until it is all over and then try to win back some of our conditions. You could fight for a decade and still not be back where we are at present, and that isn't too good is it?

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GAZA FLOTILLA DEMONSTRATION

 CORRECTIONS

We unfortunately did not include Palestine Solidarity Campaign -- one of the main organisers -- in the list of those calling for the Gaza Flotilla national demonstration on Saturday 5 June. The full list of organisers is Stop the War, Palestine Solidarity Campaign, British Muslim Initiative, Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and Viva Palestina.
Our apologies to PSC, whose website is http://www.palestinecampaign.org/
 
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RAGE AGAINST ISRAEL, NATIONAL DEMONSTRATION 5 JUNE

       

       The astounding turnout at Monday's emergency protest, when at only a few hours notice, thousands laid siege to David Cameron's residence in Downing Street and then marched to the Israeli Embassy

(see http://bit.ly/aEMHws), was a reflection of the intense rage at Israel's deadly attack on the Gaza flotilla, felt by millions worldwide.

        Ours was just one of hundreds of protests that took place in towns and cities across the globe.

A national demonstration in London this Saturday 5 June has been called by Stop the War, CND, BMI and Viva Palestina. The Gaza Flotilla March will assemble at Downing Street at 1.30 and march to the Israeli Embassy

        Monday's emergency demonstration showed how fast we can mobilise if we use all available means to spread the word as fast as possible. Please do all you can to publicise the demonstration among your friends, in your workplace, in your trade union, in your college or school, in your community group etc.

GAZA FLOTILLA MARCH: SATURDAY 5 JUNE

END THE SIEGE OF GAZA:   FREEDOM FOR PALESTINE

ASSEMBLE DOWNING STREET LONDON 1.30PM

        We urge all local Stop the War groups and trade union branches affiliated to Stop the War to bring their banners on the march.

FOR UPDATES,

PLEASE GO TO THE STOP THE WAR WEBSITE REGULARLY:  http://bit.ly/aEMHws

LONDON STOP THE WAR GROUPS AND SUPPORTERS:

Please note there is a protest today 1 June at 5pm outside the  Israeli Embassy, High Street Kensington.

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