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Galloway: We all have a stake in council workers' strike
Reacting to the news that members of the the largest council workers' union, Unison, have voted by 55 percent to 45 percent to strike over pay, Respect MP George Galloway said:

"We in Respect fully support Unison in its battle for fair pay. It has come to something when low-paid classroom assistants, refuse workers and admin staff are having to strike, probably for two days.

"The reasons why are familiar to anyone who is finding it difficult to pay a gas bill, put petrol in the car, do the weekly shop or otherwise make ends meet.

"Inflation is bearing down on everyone from council workers to tanker drivers to cleaners on London Underground in the RMT, who are due to strike this week, to the women who are turning up to my consituency surgery and reporting that their family's rice bill has doubled to £50.

"This is not simply a question for public sector trade unions - though coordinated strikes by those unions is vital and long overdue - it is a fundamental social issue affecting all working people here and, even more so, in countries such as Bangladesh and Egypt where food riots have returned.

"The true rate of inflation is at least double the government's preferred, massaged figure. Even the Bank of England has accepted that it is not the pay of teachers, council workers, and others that is causing price rises. People are putting in for pay increases, and some are fighting to win them like the Shell tanker drivers, as a result of inflation. "With the threat of recession this government should be investing enormously in housing, to ease the gathering respossessions crisis and cut housing waiting lists; it should be ensuring decent pay, controlling the prices of essential goods, and levying a windfall tax on the energy companies and supermarkets which are raking in billions.

"New Labour is in love with big business and the failed policies of neo-liberalism, so it won't do that voluntarily.

"Respect, however, will be advocating these measures and working with others to try to bring them about. We will do all in our power to support this action, as we did the recent strikes by teachers, lecturers and civil service workers.

"There will be insults and lies about the council workers from the billionaire-owned press, from the Tories and from government ministers. But I believe that if their case is properly made and explained, if it is made part of a popular revolt against profiteering by the likes of Shell and Tesco, if it is at the centre of a movement to change this government's wretched policies, then not only will it get the support of working people in all walks of life, but it can play a powerful role in winning some change for the better, rather than leaving it to the Tories to gain from the disillusionment sown by Gordon Brown's failed administration."

Pictures courtesy of Paddy Garcia
 

News and articles of interest

Here are some articles and news reports we think are worth looking at

Poll of polls shows Labour at its most unpopular since 1935 by Nigel Morris
Gordon Brown is leading Labour to its worst electoral defeat since the 1930s, according to a new "poll of polls" for The Independent. On current levels of support, Labour would lose almost half its MPs at the next election and David Cameron would become Prime Minister with an overwhelming majority. The backlash against Labour has left the party with the support of just 27 per cent of voters, the weighted average of last month's polls for The Independent shows.

Unmanned spy planes to police Britain by Kim Sengupta
The Government is drawing up plans to use unmanned "drone" aircraft currently deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan to counter terrorism and aid police operations in Britain. The MoD is carrying out research and development to enable the spy planes, which are equipped with highly sophisticated monitoring equipment that allows them to secretly track and photograph suspects without their knowledge, to be deployed within three years.

The Camp for Climate Action, at Kingsnorth, Kent, 3rd to 11th August - full details
Wednesday 10 am update. Local MP Bob Marshall-Andrews condems police action at climate camp (see BBC article), saying "I find the use of police in riot gear incomprehensible and I think it was a mistake." He also described the actions of the police as "provocation."

Diego Garcia: the UK's shame by Andy Worthington
The ancient Greek dramatist Aeschylus wrote: "In war, truth is the first casualty." These words are particularly apt in relation to the British Overseas Territory of Diego Garcia, leased to the United States in 1971, where the truth – that a secret "War on Terror" prison existed from 2002 until as recently as 2006 – has been persistently denied by both the British and American governments.

The Horror Of Israeli Occupation - documentary developed by Chaim Yavin West Bank Checkpoints
A video clip that dramatically portrays the meeting of Israeli solders and Palestinians at controversial West Bank security checkpoints. This clip is the second of a series taken from "Land of the Settlers", the acclaimed documentary developed by Chaim Yavin, Israel's premier news anchor.

Anger at police raid on green camp ahead of coal protest by Matthew Taylor
Environmental campaigners and politicians criticised the police last night after around 200 officers raided a climate camp, seizing hundreds of items that they claimed could be used to break the law. Activists at the camp, which starts today with a series of workshops on sustainable energy and social justice, said the raid aimed to disrupt legitimate protest.

Morning Star Back on Track After Office Fire by Tomasz Pierscionek
In the early hours of Monday morning (last week), an electrical fire broke out at William Rust House, the East London office of the socialist newspaper the Morning Star. The fire, believed to have been caused by a malfunctioning air-conditioner, broke out at approximately 3am and caused considerable structural damage to both the interior of the Morning Star's newsroom and the equipment within, knocking out both electrical power and phone lines.

Venezuela Bridges Diplomatic Fissures and Polishes Alliances in European Tour by James Suggett
Rounding off a diplomatic tour of Europe that began with Tuesday's controversial visit in Russia, Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez mended relations with the Spanish government, set up a bi-national commerce commission with Portugal, and eliminated visa requirements to facilitate bilateral accords with Belarus this week.

Why David Cameron Blames the Poor by Peter Taylor-Gooby
David Cameron's 'blaming the poor' speech in Glasgow may be more than just an attempt to placate the unreconstructed right of the Conservative party. It is not often recognised how far British public opinion has shifted towards a liberal individualist stance on social issues in recent years. In some ways we are more Thatcherite under New Labour than we ever were under the Conservatives.

Star names set to top the bill at Carnegie Festival - Dunfermline Press
TWO of the best-known faces on television will be making personal appearances in Dunfermline next month as part of the inaugural Carnegie Festival, from 21st August to 7th September. Evan Davis will be in dialogue with fiesty MP George Galloway in a conversation on Saturday, 23rd August, at 7.30pm in the Carnegie Hall. Tickets, priced £5, are available from the Carnegie Hall box office.

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