Louise Nousratpour
Tuesday September 8, 2009
The Morning Star
Alistair Darling was challenged to listen to the left yesterday and implement a radical economic policy after he talked of "hard choices" on public spending.
In a speech on government proposals to "reprioritise" spending, Mr Darling declared that he "won't flinch from difficult decisions" before hinting at plans for more cuts and privatisation of public services.
But he stopped short of announcing what services were likely to be cut to address the public finance deficit, which has swelled in the past year due to the government's multibillion-pound bail-out of the banking sector.
Health unions are concerned that the NHS might be targeted after a leaked report last week revealed that ministers had been advised by private management consultants to "save" £20 billion by axing 137,000 health workers.
In his keynote lecture to the Chambers of Commerce at Cardiff City Stadium last night, the Chancellor said: "The global economic background means that spending will be tighter everywhere.
"This means more efficiency, continuing to reform, cutting costs, public and private sectors working together."
But left campaigners and unions argued that, rather than targeting essential public services, Mr Darling should plug the deficit by introducing progressive taxation, close down tax havens under British jurisdiction, scrap the multibillion-pound Trident nuclear programme and stop wasting young lives and public money on illegal wars.
The People's Charter - launched earlier this year in response to the economic crisis - also calls on the government to take control of the banking system and create new jobs through investment in productive industry, council house building and green technology.
Labour MP John McDonnell said: "Just like the great charters of the 19th century, the People's Charter is just a common sense distillation of what most people are increasingly calling for to tackle this crisis.
"If corporations and rich people who made fortunes out of us during the boom are not paying their fair share, then reform the tax system and close down the tax havens.
"If people need homes, then put councils and building workers to work to build them, buy up the empty ones and stop the repossessions.
"And don't tell us the money can't be found to do this because we now know from the bank bail-outs that, if needed, the resources can be found."
RMT general secretary Bob Crow, who is a signatory to the charter, challenged Mr Darling to consider the economic alternative put forward by the left.
"We now have a situation where both main political parties have got a consensus based around attacking public services through a severe programme of cuts," he said.
"But there is a very real socialist alternative which is mapped out in the charter based on redistribution of wealth and the protection and development of public services.
"It is a scandal that once again it is essential public services that are taking the hit rather than the spivs and speculators who engineered the economic crisis."
SNP Treasury spokesman Stewart Hoise MP had a "simple suggestion for Alistair Darling to cut his spending - abandon the unnecessary and unaffordable white elephant projects like Trident and ID cards."
And Communist Party of Britain general secretary Rob Griffiths said: "The reality is that both new Labour and the Tories intend to make deep cuts in our public services unless we organise to stop them. Mr Darling must now listen to the left."
Mr Griffiths added that a modest 1 per cent wealth tax on the super-rich would raise at least £20 billion, while the TUC has calculated that closing down tax havens could save the Treasury at least £4 billion a year.
Trident replacement is estimated to cost the public £100 billion over its lifetime and nearly £5 billion goes to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan each year.
Government told to follow lead of US
Louise Nousratpour
Friday September 4, 2009
The Morning Star
Campaigners have urged the government to suspend economic and diplomatic relations with Honduras's coup regime following a US decision to cut all non-humanitarian aid to the country.
The US has also stopped issuing visas to Honduras's de facto officials. The decision is part of international efforts to ramp up pressure on the coup government to restore democracy.
Campaigners welcomed the British government's plans to "explore with the EU the possibility of restrictions on travel for individuals associated with the regime," but urged ministers to speed up the process.
The Foreign Office made the comment after the Morning Star contacted officials regarding Honduras's de facto finance minister Gabriella Nunez's claim that she attended last month's G20 prefatory meetings in London on an invitation issued by "James Gordon Brown of Britain."
Desperate to legitimise her illegal government, Ms Nunez told the Honduran press after arriving back from London: "One of the achievements of the meeting was the recognition that the president of the Central Bank of Honduras, Edwin Araque, and myself received as the authorities responsible for economic policies in Honduras."
A Foreign Office spokeswoman strongly denied the allegations of "recognition" as "not true" and reiterated Britain's opposition to the coup regime.
However, she did confirm that Ms Nunez and Mr Araque had indeed attended a G20-related meeting in London on August 17.
The spokeswoman stressed: "Ministers had no contact with the Honduran delegation during the conference."
John McDonnell MP, who backed Jeremy Corbyn MP's early day motion condeming Honduras's coup, said: "Representatives of the regime should be barred from visiting our country and if they manage to gain entry they should be arrested for the crime they have committed against Honduran democracy."
Labour MP Colin Burgon, who is a signatory to the EDM, said that the Foreign Office's statement had "exposed Ms Nunez's claims of recognition to be lies."
Campaigners and MPs now want the government to impose an immediate visa ban on officials and supporters of Roberto Micheletti's regime.
Mr Burgon said: "I welcome the fact that the British government and EU is exploring the possibility of restrictions on travel for individuals associated with the coup regime.
"These should be acted on immediately."
Calvin Tucker, who reported for the Morning Star from Honduras during the coup, added: "The British government should back up its strong condemnation of the coup by insisting that all international insitututions immediately cease funding this illegal regime."
Friday September 4, 2009
The Morning Star
Campaigners have urged the government to suspend economic and diplomatic relations with Honduras's coup regime following a US decision to cut all non-humanitarian aid to the country.
The US has also stopped issuing visas to Honduras's de facto officials. The decision is part of international efforts to ramp up pressure on the coup government to restore democracy.
Campaigners welcomed the British government's plans to "explore with the EU the possibility of restrictions on travel for individuals associated with the regime," but urged ministers to speed up the process.
The Foreign Office made the comment after the Morning Star contacted officials regarding Honduras's de facto finance minister Gabriella Nunez's claim that she attended last month's G20 prefatory meetings in London on an invitation issued by "James Gordon Brown of Britain."
Desperate to legitimise her illegal government, Ms Nunez told the Honduran press after arriving back from London: "One of the achievements of the meeting was the recognition that the president of the Central Bank of Honduras, Edwin Araque, and myself received as the authorities responsible for economic policies in Honduras."
A Foreign Office spokeswoman strongly denied the allegations of "recognition" as "not true" and reiterated Britain's opposition to the coup regime.
However, she did confirm that Ms Nunez and Mr Araque had indeed attended a G20-related meeting in London on August 17.
The spokeswoman stressed: "Ministers had no contact with the Honduran delegation during the conference."
John McDonnell MP, who backed Jeremy Corbyn MP's early day motion condeming Honduras's coup, said: "Representatives of the regime should be barred from visiting our country and if they manage to gain entry they should be arrested for the crime they have committed against Honduran democracy."
Labour MP Colin Burgon, who is a signatory to the EDM, said that the Foreign Office's statement had "exposed Ms Nunez's claims of recognition to be lies."
Campaigners and MPs now want the government to impose an immediate visa ban on officials and supporters of Roberto Micheletti's regime.
Mr Burgon said: "I welcome the fact that the British government and EU is exploring the possibility of restrictions on travel for individuals associated with the coup regime.
"These should be acted on immediately."
Calvin Tucker, who reported for the Morning Star from Honduras during the coup, added: "The British government should back up its strong condemnation of the coup by insisting that all international insitututions immediately cease funding this illegal regime."
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