Miliband a safe pair of hands for the market?

Today Ed Miliband will address the CBI in a keynote speech in an attempt to prove to the markets that he if he was to become our next prime minister will be a safe pair of hands for capitalism. Milibands whose strategy that has ranged from responsible capitalism whatever that is surely it doesn’t exist to appearing at the Durham Miners Gala and getting booed at the TUC demonstration just gone. He is an odd character to say the least a person who hasn’t won over many so far as far as I can tell. He may end up becoming PM by default as the Tories look to be heading for a disaster at the next election if they don’t get defeated beforehand which we are all hoping. But Miliband who used his conference speech this year to The main theme of the speech - 'One Nation' - was the rehashing of an old idea, and an old Tory idea at that. In fact it was first raised by Tory leader Benjamin Disraeli 140 years ago. Miliband considers him a One Nation politician and he made sure we knew, using the phrase 46 times in his speech! He was forced to reflect the worries of ordinary people, the millions of us who can't find work or are struggling to make ends meet. He correctly said that the system doesn't work for them. But the idea of 'One Nation' cannot square the opposing interests of workers trying to improve their pay and bosses who are trying to cut it. We live under capitalism, a system where society is divided up in to classes. Rarely is this more obvious than now when the super-rich are continuing to rake it in while working class people are expected to pay for their crisis. With four out of five ministers in this government being millionaires it is clear who they represent. Bosses are getting cuts to their tax and to health and safety regulations, we're getting cuts to our pay, jobs and services. Unfortunately, what little concrete proposals there were in Miliband's speech made clear that fundamentally Labour will continue with the same agenda. In many local councils Labour councillors are already implementing huge cuts. They are another party of big business. The 'One Nation' rhetoric is simply a way of making their true intent, as the claim "we're all in it together" or the idea of the 'Big Society' were for Cameron. Ed Miliband was elected Labour leader two years ago, largely by the votes of trade unionists. Many hoped that he would lead a return to 'Old Labour'. This hasn't happened. Now members of Labour-affiliated unions should be asking why their money is still going to a party that doesn't represent them. We desperately need a party that will stand up for working-class and middle-class people. The Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC), supported by the RMT transport union and a number of leading trade unionists in other unions is an important step towards such a party. Miliband has his work cut out to convince many he is a worthwhile leader of the country but if he does happen to we can be assured who’s interests he will serve. He may pay lip service to the plight of ordinary people any politician can do that but do they really understand? I don’t think they can do. It’s clear we need our own party. A party of the mass of working class people to counter the arguments of the market and to offer a true alternative to this rotten capitalist system

Britain’s housing crisis deepens urgent socialist policies needed

As we hear every week now reports of the deeding housing crisis in this country we hear of young people sofa surfing, sheds with beds horror stories and many many more homeless people than ever before. All the mainstream political parties make noises about this crisis but none have any solutions to the crisis at all. Under the last labour government fewer homes were built and even fewer affordable homes were built and yet they today lecture us on housing, pretty hypocritical. More than 1.6 million people aged 20-40 are still living with their parents because they cannot afford their own home, a report suggests. More than 5,000 people were surveyed by YouGov for housing charity Shelter. Campbell Robb, chief executive of Shelter, said: "These figures paint a vivid picture of 20- and 30-somethings in arrested development." In May the Office for National Statistics said 2.9 million people aged 20-34 were living with their parents. But some of those may have been living at home for cultural, medical or other reasons. According to the survey of 5,379 people, 41% do not believe their children will ever be able to save up for a deposit to get on the housing ladder. Yet I'm faced with a choice between living with my parents in my mid-thirties, and paying rents I can barely afford while somehow finding a huge deposit for a mortgage.” End Quote Dan Montefusco Of those living at home, 59% said it was harder to develop new relationships because of their domestic situation. Mr Robb said the housing crisis was "putting the brakes" on young people's aspirations. He said: "Our chronic lack of homes that young people can genuinely afford to rent or buy is at the root of the problem. "There's no doubt that young people are grateful to be able to live with mum and dad to save money, but we have to question whether it's acceptable that this is becoming the norm for people to live at home into their mid-30s - when we know that they are desperate to be independent and make their own way in the world." Mr Robb added: "As rents soar and deposits become even further out of reach, the government needs to look seriously at how it can meet these young people halfway, and make housing more affordable so that this generation and the next can get on in life." The survey suggested 35% of adults had been forced to move back in with their parents while nearly a quarter said their relationship with their parents had deteriorated as a result. Dan Montefusco, 35, from London, said: "For my parents' generation, it seemed possible to get on the housing ladder and see a steady progression in front of you: a career, a comfortable home that they could afford, a family. "Yet I'm faced with a choice between living with my parents in my mid-30s, and paying rents I can barely afford while somehow finding a huge deposit for a mortgage. "I've had to move back in with my parents a few times when I struggled to pay rent or find somewhere to live." What we need is a real socialist solution to this crisis removing the market and the private sector entirely. What we need is not nice words from tired out capitalist politicians we need a real change in society where homes are built for peoples needs not for profit. We should remove the profit motive from housing for good. A first step for this would be a cap on private sector rents and un do the cap on benefits until enough housing is built which by taking the wealth off of the rich we can afford the rich and big business is sitting on a estimated 800 billion even just a fraction of that could be used to build genuine affordable homes for young and old to live in a comfortable, safe and decent home for life with no worry of rents which cost the world or any threat of loosing your home. A home is a basic human right we should fight for that and dump the market for good. Capitalism cannot meet people’s needs so a socialist plan for the economy and the 99% is needed. And soon! With extracts from the bbc

Keep the market out of our childrens education , say no to academies

The con-dem governemnt are using the tactic to try and make out failing schools who are under performing need to change to improve and by change they suggest turning into a academy. They are using official bodies like OFSTED to convince schools to make the change to come out of local authority funding and go it alone in the tories idea of a better education for our children.

Already education secretary Michael 'Royal Yacht' Gove has had to back down: one of the schools, Downhills School, where results have improved recently, will undergo an Ofsted inspection before any decision about a change of status.

New Labour used bribery to turn schools into academies with up to £2 million promised from a business sponsor. The coalition government are now using compulsion.

The Con-Dems argue that academies are the only way to raise standards in under-performing schools. Yet recent research publicised by the Anti Academies Alliance shows that in London, on the measure of five GCSEs including English and maths, the best performing schools are NOT academies. Nationally, 20% of academies failed to improve on their GCSE results in 2010.

As socialists we stand for free comprehensive well funded education for all with no exlusion based on any background or creed. Bringing the market into our childrens education is a disaster waiting to happen. If a academy fails or runs out of money what happens to the childrens education then ?

Haringey parents are right to call academies 'privatisation'. Already bigger academy 'chains' run more schools than some local authorities.

Oasis Community Learning, for example, runs 12 high schools all over England. Nine teachers were sacked at its Media City Academy in Salford at Christmas.

And ultimately, academies can pay staff whatever they like.

Despite business involvement, eight academies recently had to be 'bailed out' by the government for nearly £11 million.

An academy at Backwell near Bristol recently failed to enter 100 pupils for GCSE science exams. A parent commented: "I feel badly let down... now the school is an academy, who is it accountable to?"

Academy plans can be defeated. At St Leonards RC School in Durham staff voted 105 to 15 against academy status and the plan was dropped. Protesting parents stopped an academy project at Varndean School in Brighton. Teachers from Lancashire to Gloucestershire, from Coventry to London, have taken strike action against academy proposals. If the NUT and NASUWT teaching unions mobilise promptly, they can kill the plans before they get underway.

For coordinated strike action across schools threatened with academy status, backed by strong community campaigns
No to academies and free schools. Bring all schools under local authority control
We need high quality local comprehensive schools, under democratic control including students, parents and education workers
Haringey Labour MP David Lammy is opposed to compulsory academies, but not to academies themselves. None of the main parties opposes Academies. Elect trade union and community candidates to the London assembly and in town halls to defend comprehensive education.
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Demonstrate against academies!
Saturday 28 January, 12noon
Assemble at Keston Road N17
(Next to Downhills School)

March to Haringey Civic Centre

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Anti-cuts campaign

Hard Times - but not for the 1