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All materials published and promoted by L Smith, PO Box 1109, London N4 2UU
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RESPECT'S VISION FOR LONDON
Extremes of wealth and poverty
Britain is a country of huge wealth, yet this remains in the hands of a tiny elite. Within a mile of the City of London lies some of the worst poverty in the country. Under New Labour the gap between the rich and the poor has widened. Millions of Londoners struggle to get by on poverty wages, and to pay increasing bills, especially for energy.
We call for a major increase in the state pension and the restoration of the link with earnings. We will support all trade union action to improve wages.
Affordable and sustainable public transport
New Labour has failed to solve London's transport problems. Public transport is expensive, overcrowded and unreliable. It has been starved of investment for decades. Public transport should serve the people of London, not make profits for big corporations.
We argue for a fully publicly owned transport system for London. It must be integrated, affordable and environmentally sustainable. We support massive new investment in, and extensions to, the public transport system, such as the West London
tram and the extension of services into South London.
The environment and energy
Climate change, resulting from global warming, is spiralling out of control. A disastrous rise in sea levels is under way as the ice caps melt. Extreme weather events are becoming more frequent and more severe; a sustainable energy policy must be framed in this context.
Environmental sustainability must be it built into every policy. With aviation the fastest growing source of greenhouse gases
we oppose the expansion of both Heathrow and Stanstead. We support punitive charges for the use of SUVs and other high pollution vehicles in London.
The war, human rights, and Islamophobia
We call for the immediate end of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the continued assault on the Palestinians. We condemn the July 7 terrorist attack on London, which killed 54 innocent people, but this was itself a product of the war drive. The way to make Londoners safe on the streets is to bring the troops home now.
We oppose all Islamophobia and the demonization of the Muslim community. We will oppose the shoot to kill policy, which resulted in the death of Jean Charles de Menezes. We will oppose all attacks on civil liberties such as the reintroduction of the 'sus' laws.
Trade unions
New Labour has retained the Tory anti-union laws. We will support the unions fighting to get these laws lifted, and in all their efforts to improve wages and conditions. The move to the right by New Labour has created a situation where working class people have no one to represent them. We will work with all who want to work for a new pluralist party to the left
of Labour.
We call upon the unions to step up campaigns to defend the public sector against privatisation and deregulation. We will support all workers who take industrial action to defend their wages and conditions. We would not use Tory laws against them.
Housing
Decent, affordable, council housing should be available for everyone. This involves building new council homes and improving existing stock. New Labour has failed to invest in council housing so that Londoners live in poor and overcrowded conditions.
Council house tenants should not be blackmailed by telling them that their homes will not be improved or maintained unless they agree to some form of privatisation. It is becoming almost impossible for first-time buyers to afford a home as they have been forced out of the market by landlords and second homeowners.
We call for a massive programme of publicly-funded housing. We oppose the transfer of housing stock to ALMOs. We will restrict the growth of buy-to-let landlords. London's many empty properties should be used to house people.
Education
A good Education is a basic right that should be available to all. New Labour has continued the Tories' attacks on comprehensive education. The result is a two-tier education system segregating young people into 'academic' and 'vocational' pathways, benefiting the well-off but condemning countless others to the low-wage economy.
We call for a fully funded comprehensive education system. We oppose the creation of Academies owned and run by big business. We are opposed to all forms of selection.
Public services
Londoners need good quality public services but New Labour has pushed privatisation into all our public services. It is a disgrace that whilst services are cut, City bosses pay less tax than their cleaners. The City's massive profits and bonuses should be taxed to provide services for all Londoners.
We will support all campaigns against privatisation and against the closure of NHS hospitals, health centres, schools, libraries, post offices and other public amenities. We demand better facilities for young people including job training and sports facilities.
Migration and Multiculturalism
We are proud of the multiracial character of London. The mixing of people over the decades has enriched the lives of everyone. Yet some politicians and sections of the media seek to scapegoat newcomers and those who have already settled here. New Labour has continued the worst aspects of Tory policy such as the denial of the right-to-work and has greatly increased deportations.
We defend multiculturalism. We reject the notion that migrants and asylum seekers are a burden on society, or that Britain cannot take any more people. We say that they are welcome here. We defend the right of asylum seekers and refugees to work.
Equality for all
Respect opposes all forms of discrimination. Women make up 50 percent of the British workforce, but still on average only earn 82 percent of a male wage. The high cost of nursery provision means that many women can only work part-time. We welcome the advances made on lesbian and gay rights in recent years, but note that prejudice and discrimination still need to be fought.
We will act against discrimination on the basis of race, sex, religion, disability, age or sexual orientation. We defend inclusion in all public services and the right of people to use their mother tongue. We are for a fully funded system of nursery provision.
The London economy and the Council tax
London is home to some of the wealthiest multinationals in the world, yet they pay some of the lowest taxes in Europe: they must be made to pay a fairer contribution. The Council Tax is an unfair tax which hits the poor hardest.
We call for the abolition of Council Tax and its replacement by a local income tax, equalised across London to ensure that the richest boroughs subsidise the poorest. The control of local government finances should be taken out of the hands of central government.
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games are looming like a corporate monster about to descend on East London. They show all that is wrong with a London dominated by big business. We are not against the Olympics, only this kind of event, which will make huge profits for big business but do nothing for the people of East London.
The Olympic developments should be for the long term use of local people and include new social housing. We would favour a People's Games with the big corporations kept out and with proper government funding linked to local communities. Funding for community sports provision and the arts should not be cut to pay for elite sports.
Democracy in London
We will campaign to strengthen and extend the powers of the London Assembly. Central government controls too many public services in London. All key public services in London, including the education and the NHS, should be brought under the control of the London Assembly. The Assembly must have the power to really improve the lives of ordinary people.
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News and articles of interest
Here are some articles and news reports we think are worth looking at
From Triumph to Torture by John Pilger
Two weeks ago, I presented a young Palestinian, Mohammed Omer, with the 2008 Martha Gellhorn Prize for Journalism. Awarded in memory of the great US war correspondent, the prize goes to journalists who expose establishment propaganda, or "official drivel", as Gellhorn called it.
SATs school tests criticised by official report by Harvey Thompson and Linda Slattery
In May, millions of school children throughout England undertook their Standard Assessment Tasks (SATs) in English, mathematics and science. The statutory tests are widely considered to be flawed and almost universally reviled by teachers and children alike.
Health: Who asked for choice? - Morning Star
IF Health Minister Ben Bradshaw believes that there is political capital to be made by taking on our NHS doctors, he will quickly come unstuck.
Afghanistan troop deaths outnumber those in Iraq by Angela Balakrishnan and agencies
Militants in Afghanistan killed more US and Nato troops than those in Iraq in June after a fresh spate of rebel attacks that highlighted the growing strength of the Taliban.
Iran legally entitled to develop nuclear energy, says UK MP
Iran is legally entitled to develop nuclear energy under the Non-Proliferation Treaty, according to a British MP visiting Tehran for the first time.
George Galloway, who was expelled from Britain's ruling Labor Party for his outspoken opposition to the Iraq war, also criticized the hypocrisy of Israel's belligerence towards Iran, which has its own illegal stockpile of nuclear weapons.
In the Cause of Fear and Ignorance by John Pilger
Muslims are alone as they watch the British state, with its "obstinate incomprehension" of their faith, do to them as it would never do to those of other faiths. Imagine Jews treated this way. You cannot imagine it; the profanity is too great. The silence of British Jews, who have the history, is also great.
Migrant Myths by Adam Ford
As part of her degree course, Kurdish migrant Filiz Celik researched the conditions that workers from overseas face in the United Kingdom. The full text of her study can be read here, but this summary by Adam Ford gives some idea of the reality behind the media-generated myths.
Tesco shareholders reject TV chef's chicken welfare call
Tesco shareholders today voted against a resolution from TV cook Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall which called for the retail giant to improve its chicken-rearing standards.
Academies expelled 10,000 pupils
Academies have been accused of excluding disproportionately high numbers of students after it emerged that they excluded nearly 10,000 pupils for poor behaviour last year.
Let companies run state schools for profit, says Sir Simon Milton
Private companies should be allowed to run state schools at a profit and be free to dismiss teachers who are not up to the job, the head of the Local Government Association (LGA) said yesterday.
For more stories, click here
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