I was explaining in some detail to my Branch committee this morning that we seem to be heading back to the old days when the Levithan (Lambeth Council) moved from one reorganisation to the next. We had service plans, the corporate plan, the Reg Race report, the post Appelby inquiry changes, MTFS 1,2 and 3, privatisations and a number of other local changes including the dreadful destabilisation of Housing which led to the setting up of the ALMO (otherwise called Lambeth Living). Then there were the budget driven cuts imposed because the Levithan got its financial planning wrong. Well we appear to be returning back to them bad old days.
We have of course seen it all before but what will make the new cuts even worst is the possible hatred factor that will be injected into the process by White Hall and by a nasty Tory government determined to punish public sector workers who have, in general terms, seen some improvements under the Labour government. So lets all be clear about the fact that irrespective of whether we win Lambeth and return a Labour administration (and we will do that!) central government under the Tories will come to us with a vengeance and we must be ready locally and nationally to fight the war with them and of course to do that we need to achieve the unity we showed when we fought and won campaigns such as the return to public ownership of the Benefits Division in 2001. We must and we will be ready!
It's nice to see someone talking sense Nick.
ReplyDeleteThe prospect of a Tory Govt does not bear thinking about.
Let's hope we don't have to face that prospect, cos the TU's will be the first people they'll have a go at.
Keep blogging it makes a nice change to see a banced argument instead of just far-left rhetoric.
Thanks mrcentreleft
ReplyDeleteI am on the left of the Labour party and as you probably know people like me are seen as the persistent left within that organisation. There is however a distinction to be made between being on the left, pragmatic and sensible and on the other hand belonging to very small groups (about 50 I think) with poicies that offer little chance of ever seeing the light of day. Saying that I would defend the right of anyone (apart from far right groups) to express their views and I agree with Jon Rogers on that when he says that whilst disagreeing with them he will fight to defend their right to free expression. And I also think that people on the sensible left worry too much about these groups and there is a certain degree of paranoia. They are too small and far disunited to be effective in fact they dislike each other more than than any of their 'enemies' so in that respect they are less than sensible I think...
Cheers mate