George Papandreou cabinet

Congratulations to the Leader of PASOK George Papandreou for getting together what I think is a very competent cabinet. Full marks for ensuring tha 40% of all Ministers are women and at least one third are Macedonian (largest province of Greece is Macedonia) also great news that my all time favorite Theodoros Pangalos (otherwise known for his abrupt manner towards American Presidents) has been given the job of Deputy. Brilliant news that my own friend Damanaki Daskalopoulou (responsible for the 2004 Athens Olympics) has been given a key role in the cabinet. Sad that Dora Bakoyianni (ex foreign minister under the now dead conservative government) will no longer be around. Perhaps she should consider joining PASOK? She did some good work in trying to get the return of the Parthenon marbles stolen from Hellas and kept by the curators of the British museum. That work needs to continue. But thank God that we have a Socialist Hellas again!!

The Tories are at it again...

Well we now know that at the national shower conference (Tory conference in Manchester) the whisper is that when they first come in ( a big if in my opinion) we will all have to wait until we are 66 to retire. This of course could mean that if you are in your mid 40s now there will be a few more changes before you are 66 and therefore work until you are 70 and that is what I really think we are going to have to deal with. The huge problem here is that if those of us in our 40s are not allowed to go at a reasonable age there will be fewer jobs for the younger generation and that, as far as I am concerned, is more unfair than anything else?

Socilalist PASOK returns to power in Hellas...

Historic general election in Greece Sunday 4th October with 87% of votes counted, the centre-left Pasok party was leading with 43% – giving it around 159 seats and enough to form a government in the 300-member parliament – while the centre-right New Democracy party had 34%.. If this is correct and my contacts in Athens tell me it is, then we will be seeing the return of the Papandrea dynasty otherwise called PASOK socialist party to power. George Papandreou who was the foreign Secretary under the brilliant Simitis government and the son of Andreas Papandreou, who was the post dictatorship leader of Hellas, will now be the 3rd Papandreou Prime Minister. His grandfather, George Papandreou, was dismissed by 24 year old King Constitine in 1966 which then led to the military coup in April 1967. I will publicly congratulate my own party PASOK for removing the Karamalis dynasty PM Costas. Maybe I should change my surname to Nikos Papandreou and then I could have a chance? Lets hope that George will not preach New Labour style ideas to a very angry and pro left Hellenic population!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3hdiKFYuwU

Priorities for the Trade Union movement

I would imagine that the priority for the TU movement in the UK should be to link in with the existing economic crisis and offer an alternative to working people who did not, for different reasons, in the past considered it relevant to join a union. The current 'credit crunch' which looks like subsiding slightly is only been eased off because of the pending election in May and once that is out of the way all hell will break lose. Any economist or accountant would tell you that the measures that have been taken so far to reduce the impact of the crisis will, in themselves, produce a more severe problem in the near future. So we should be developing tactics to fight back even stricter controls and step up our efforts to explain this to working people and increase recruitment of members. Increase and retain membership is therefore what the real priority should be. And it won't matter if we get a Labour or Tory government in. Labour will delay the crisis by a year or two and the dreadful Tories will go for immediate cuts. Our priority is to accelerate the recruitment process as of yesterday!

http://www.lgcplus.com/news/tackling-racism-in-londons-public-services/1281914.article

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/120/justice-for-jean---never-forget#

I am joining in with Jon today to ask people to sign the online petition in support of the campaign to get justice for the killing of an Innocent man. The establishment has shown again that what counts is the protection of its own instruments and not justice. Why am I not surprised? It could happen to anyone or anyone who looks foreign so that must be ok? Total disgrace! This must be taken to the European Court of Justice otherwise the famous concept that the rule of Law is supreme goes out and in the toilet.

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/120/justice-for-jean---never-forget#

http://www.lgcplus.com/news/union-welcomes-lambeth-lbcs-decision-to-bring-service-back-in-house/1341186.article

Free Nicosia

I received a somewhat cryptic message via the blog about my use of the term Free Nicosia which I won't publish. I am assuming that it wasn't from the Mossad as I think they are busy doing other things? They question the use of the word free. Well the term refers to the fact that some of the Capital city is still under occupation by Turkish troops who arrived in 1974 following an illegal invasion. That makes the rest of Nicosia a Free area and that part of it - the occupied part - a Berlin type of a city. The only divided city in Europe. A fact not picked up by most of the groups on the left in this country. But credit to Bob Crow and a few others that have tried to do something on this. So Free Nicosia is the part of the city in the government controlled area the rest is under occupation.

In defence of Labour..

Well looks like I am making myself more unpopular in my branch by defending Labour publicly again. All I have to ask is whether those who criticise can in all honesty say that a Tory government will be any better for us? What will happen to the Minimum Wage regulations and would we see the return of anti Trade Union laws? I accept that the image isn't right and that Labour should go back to the left (and get rid of the Miliband association) but that aside there is no real alternative, or is there?