Ed Miliband meets Barack Obama
Updated: 2011-05-31 04:34:54
On his state visit to Great Britain this week, Barack Obama and Ed Miliband held a 40-minute meeting at Buckingham Palace.
We owe it to Sarajevo and Srebrenica victims to ensure Mladic faces judgement of international law -Alexander
Updated: 2011-05-31 04:34:54Douglas Alexander MP, Labour's Shadow Foreign Secretary said in response to the arrest of Ratko Mladic:Sadiq Khan announces Labour's justice policy consultation
Updated: 2011-05-31 04:34:54Sadiq Khan MP, Labour's Shadow Justice Secretary, announces the members of the Labour Party’ justice policy working group and launches a website for consultation on Labour’ justice policy.BCC just the latest major organisation to downgrade growth forecasts - Leslie
Updated: 2011-05-31 04:34:54Chris Leslie MP, Labour's Shadow Treasury Minister, said in response to the British Chambers of Commerce’ latest economic forecast:Ramblers right to raise concerns about forest job losses - Creagh
Updated: 2011-05-31 04:34:54Mary Creagh MP, Labour's Shadow Environment Secretary, responding to comments by the Ramblers Association that Government cuts to jobs at the Forestry Commission are undermining the work of the independent forest panel said:Even the OECD is now saying the Chancellor should consider changing course - Ed Balls
Updated: 2011-05-31 04:34:54Ed Balls MP, Labour’ Shadow Chancellor, said in response to interviews in tomorrow’ Times and Financial Times with the deputy secretary-general and chief economist of the OECD:Business and the British Promise - John Denham's speech to IPPR North
Updated: 2011-05-31 04:34:54John Denham MP, Labour’ Shadow Business Secretary set out this morning the scale of the long term economic challenge facing the UK, saying in a ‘tate of Britain’speech that Britain’ economy is betraying the hopes of the young generation and failing to create the skilled, well paid jobs which make the most of and properly reward their skills and abilities.It is important our Forces have the best possible military equipment available to them - Murphy
Updated: 2011-05-31 04:34:54Jim Murphy MP, Labour's Shadow Defence Secretary, commenting on the Government's confirmation that Apache helicopters will be used in Libya, said:Cameron must drop his Health and Social Care Bill - Healey
Updated: 2011-05-31 04:34:54John Healey MP, Labour's Shadow Health Secretary, in a speech to the Royal Society of Medicine today challenged David Cameron to drop the Health and Social Care Bill and fundamentally re-write his plans, saying:New school admissions code will make it harder for the majority of parents - Burnham
Updated: 2011-05-31 04:34:54Andy Burnham MP, Labour's Shadow Education Secretary, responding to reports on the Government's new school admissions code today, said:Rtuc's Blog: PCS Ballot:
Updated: 2011-05-31 01:36:21Voting papers on their way 24 May 2011 Ballot papers are being posted to more than a quarter of a million PCS members who are being urged to vote in favour of a national strike against cuts to...ToUChstone blog: Will the Qatar World Cup be built on the backs of migrant building workers?
Updated: 2011-05-31 01:09:08
Amid all the furore about alleged corruption in [...]30 years of Amnesty trade union solidarity: Iraq: relocation, relocation, relocation
Updated: 2011-05-30 22:53:08Jamal Abdul-Jabbar is the President of the Kirkuk Oil and Gas Workers Union in northern Iraq. Recently, he led his members out on strike for safer working conditions, and more rights for contract...Stronger Unions: Act now to defend Iraqi oil union leader
Updated: 2011-05-30 21:28:25
The TUC is supporting a Labour Start appeal to defend the President of the Kirkuk Oil and Gas Workers Union, Jamal Abdul-Jabbar who has been forcibly relocated by his employers. International union...Union Futures: Southampton Industrial action update - next group on strike tomorrow
Updated: 2011-05-30 18:52:0040 UNISON and Unite members employed as Council Enforcement Officers, Parking Equipment Technicians and Cashier Driver / Collectors are the next group to strike in the campaign against pay cuts. read moreBrent TUC blog: Have your say on keeping the Health and Safety at Work act and the Equalities Act
Updated: 2011-05-30 17:16:31The Government is consulting on regulations that it wants to abolish at http://www.redtapechallenge.cabinetoffice.gov.uk. Particular targets in the press have been Health and Safety legislation and...Remembering Welsh Revolutionaires and Fusiliers
Updated: 2011-05-30 12:34:00
Former Plaid Cymru MP Adam Price giving the Harvard Graduate "English" address reminiscing (amongst over things) on George Washington's Revolutionary Army in 1775, dam's ancestors in he Royal Welch Fusilier's who opposed them as well as the 14 elsh signatories n the...First word: “Where are you?”
Updated: 2011-05-30 04:32:17Playing Mummy Originally uploaded by PhylB Those of you who have been reading this blog for two years or more might be wondering why I’ve been writing so little about Amaia’s language – after all, when Anna was one, I regularly wrote blog postings describing how her language was developing. The reason for this is [...]Newham Compass: What is Education for? 15 June 2011
Updated: 2011-05-29 09:00:00
Former Plaid Cymru MP Adam Price giving the Harvard Graduate "English" address reminiscing (amongst over things) on George Washington's Revolutionary Army in 1775, dam's ancestors in he Royal Welch Fusilier's who opposed them as well as the 14 elsh signatories n the...They were lucky Italy didn’t win
Updated: 2011-05-28 02:02:35The European Broadcasting Union have just released the details of the voting split of the recent Eurovision contest. On their website, it’s just numbers, so I’ve made a pretty graph to illustrate the difference between the juries’ opinions and how people voted in their living rooms: It is clear that they were very lucky Azerbaijan [...]Newham Council AGM: "...the kind of borough and place we want to live in..."
Updated: 2011-05-28 01:40:00
This speech was given by Cllr David Christie to the Newham Council AGM on May 19th.
"I have come to the conclusion that while this speech should extol the benefits of cycling, the starting point of any discussion on the issue should not be the pedal cycle itself but instead about the kind of...Battling for defined benefit pensions
Updated: 2011-05-27 22:03:00
rom May/June Engaged Investor John Gray of the Association of Member Nominated Trustees (AMNT) on the battle to keep defined benefit alive. The inaugural AGM of the Association of Member Nominated Trustees (AMNT) was held last month in Pension Corporation’s headquarters. Over 40 MNTs...The Spirit Level: IER & UNISON Thursday 9 June
Updated: 2011-05-26 23:59:00
By coincidence I have recently been trying to put together The Spirit Level Negotiator" briefing note (with help from others).
Just as it has bad outcomes for our society in general to have gross inequality of income, it is also harmful that there is such a huge gap between the top...Michael Gove's proposed changes to the School Admissions Code will help the least well-off
Updated: 2011-05-26 18:42:42
: SEARCH Blog Journalism Books Film Radio Toby's School Thursday 26th May 2011 Michael Gove's proposed changes to the School Admissions Code will help the least well-off A minor eathquake is about to engulf England's schools . Tomorrow sees the publication of the Department for Education's long-awaited consultation over changes to the School Admissions Code . This will be leapt on by Michael Gove's critics who will get out their political magnifying glasses , trying to find evidence in the small print that these changes will exacerbate existing social divisions . But even the most Talmudic of these Admissions Code scholars yes , Fiona Millar , I'm thinking of you will be hard pushed to do so . To read more , click here COMMENT COMMENTS SO FAR : 0 FIXED LINK EMAIL TO A FRIEND sarsboyScottish passports and the Scottish-English border
Updated: 2011-05-26 18:00:05
Most people have assumed that an independent Scotland won’t introduce passport controls at the Scottish-English border. I’m sure that’s not the intention, but as a blog posting on Better Nation pointed out today, Scotland will probably have to join Schengen at some point post-independence, simply because England will be seen as the continuation of the [...]"Go Now"... Message to the "Dark Side"
Updated: 2011-05-25 12:32:00After today's antics at UNISON Regional Council I thought I would post some apt mood music.
:) A message from "The Dark Side"
Updated: 2011-05-24 23:20:00
Email: A message from the "Dark Side": ello John,
I really shouldn't encourage you but thought it only fair to let you know that ***** Council's Labour Group are now planning on proposing a similar (if not identical) motion to the Newham one - after a little nudge from the UNISON branch's...President Obama has got our political class behaving like a bunch of overexcited schoolgirls
Updated: 2011-05-24 02:58:44: SEARCH Blog Journalism Books Film Radio Toby's School Tuesday 24th May 2011 President Obama has got our political class behaving like a bunch of overexcited schoolgirls Forgive me if I don't share in the Obama-mania currently sweeping the Westminster Village . It's as if the entire political class has suffered a collective bout of amnesia , forgetting that Barack Obama has shown scant regard for the special relationship in the past . This is the President who removed a bust of Churchill from the Oval Office and gave a box-set of 25 classic American films on DVD to our last Prime Minister when he made a state visit to Washington . As far as we know , they were not playable in the UK . To read more , click here COMMENT COMMENTS SO FAR : 0 FIXED LINK EMAIL TO A FRIEND AllanBeavis KeepNewham Council votes to support the LGPS
Updated: 2011-05-23 23:59:00
On Thursday at the Newham Council AGM, Councillors decided nanimously to oppose the Government's attempt to wreck the Local Government Pension Scheme. This is the speech by the proposer of the motion, Cllr Stephen Brayshaw (Majority Group Chief Whip and a ommunity Lead...New blog design
Updated: 2011-05-22 23:38:38Construction Signs Originally uploaded by jphilipg I’ve created an entirely new design for my blog. I had been looking for a newspaper-style layout, but I couldn’t find any that I liked, so I decided to create my own. It’s not entirely finished yet, but it’s good enough that I’m activating it now. Share and enjoy! [...]Snowden 2011: Ranger Path up and Rhyd Ddu down
Updated: 2011-05-22 23:20:00
On Mayday his year I walked up Snowden with my sisters, Helen and Lucy, for the pleasure of walking and o pay our respects to our father whose ashes we spread on the summit in 2002. This year Lucy's husband Rob and their (very) grumpy Border terrier, Chili, joined...Newham Council AGM: Royal Docks Enterprise Zone
Updated: 2011-05-21 22:59:00
t the Newham Council AGM on Thursday in the Old Town Hall in Stratford, Councillors Christie, Hussain and Robinson gave formal presentations. Cllr Forhad Hussain spoke bout he Royal Docks Enterprise Zone.
"Good Evening, I want to talk to you tonight about the future plan to...Indvandrerne er velkomne her
Updated: 2011-05-21 14:59:29Alex Salmond Orig. uploaded by Saül Gordillo Alex Salmond sagde flg. i Det skotske Parlament, da han var blevet genvalgt som førsteminister: Now these voices of the past are joined in this chamber by the sound of 21st-century Scotland. The lyrical Italian of Marco Biagi. The formal Urdu of Humza Yousaf. The sacred Arabic of [...]UNISON National Labour Link Forum 2011: London Motion on Public Housing
Updated: 2011-05-21 12:35:00
Motion 11 "The Death and Rebirth of Public Housing". 18 motions have been submitted to this year's National Labour Link Forum. Motion 11 is from London region. Another similar motion has also been submitted by my branch to UNISON National Delegate Conference.
"Forum notes:-
1) ...Councillor Ron Manley: 25 Years Award
Updated: 2011-05-20 22:23:00
Picture is from last nights Newham Council Annual General meeting in the Old Town Hall in Stratford, E15. Ron (2nd from right) is being presented with a picture of West Ham Church y Newham Mayor, Sir Robin Wales for serving the community as Councillor for 25 years.
Ron is...Does the great British public still love a Lord?
Updated: 2011-05-20 18:56:08: SEARCH Blog Journalism Books Film Radio Toby's School Friday 20th May 2011 Does the great British public still love a Lord Do the working classes prefer to be led by toffs Yes , according to the 89-year-old Sir William Dugdale , an ex Grenadier Guard and the former Chairman of Aston Villa . The thing is , and the Labour Party understimate it , but , if you ask the working classes who they want to lead them , they prefer to be led by a duke , he said while launching his memoirs Settling The Bill . To read more , click here COMMENT COMMENTS SO FAR : 0 FIXED LINK EMAIL TO A FRIEND wdjstraw Have a good one . Bet you can't keep away for three weeks , though 2 hours ago Twitter Facebook LinkedIn Wikipedia IMdb Email BEST OF THE WEB Labour should stop protesting about the cuts says former GenMyners Report: 10 Years On
Updated: 2011-05-19 22:36:00
Last week the Financial Times ran a number of articles on the anniversary of the Myners Report which was published in March 2001. This report was written by Paul Myners, former fund manager, Chair of Marks & Spencer and of course, a Labour finance minister in the last government.
In 2000 Myner...Why I never made it to the Rally Against Debt
Updated: 2011-05-19 14:17:42: SEARCH Blog Journalism Books Film Radio Toby's School Thursday 19th May 2011 Why I never made it to the Rally Against Debt I think I may soon have enough material for another comic memoir , this one charting my increasingly accident-prone career as a political campaigner . I’m not talking about setting up the West London Free School , which is still going swimmingly , but the strange direction my career has taken as a consequence of the political platform the school has given me . In How to Lose Friends Alienate People in Westminster , I would blunder from one disaster to another , giving Gordon Brown a run for his money as the Mr Bean of politics . Who knows , it could even become the basis for an amusing sitcom in which Simon Pegg reprises his role as me . Not so much Yes Minister asGoodbye and good riddance to Oprah Winfrey
Updated: 2011-05-19 13:50:07: SEARCH Blog Journalism Books Film Radio Toby's School Thursday 19th May 2011 Goodbye and good riddance to Oprah Winfrey Thank God Oprah Winfrey has brought her ghastly talk show to an end . So gargantuan is her ego , she announced two years ago that it would end this year . This was supposedly because 2011 was the show's 25th anniversary . Twenty-five years feels right in my bones , and it feels right in my spirit it's the perfect number , the exact right time , she said . In truth , it was because the show's ratings had been steadily declining for the last 10 years , plummeting from a peak of 14 million in 1998 to 7.3 million in 2008. To read more , click here COMMENT COMMENTS SO FAR : 0 FIXED LINK EMAIL TO A FRIEND If you Like my new Facebook page , you'll be notified whenever one ofMeasuring up the Tartan curtain
Updated: 2011-05-19 10:36:22Salmond stressed that an independent Scotland would have its own forces and foreign policy and expect control of almost all of the oil in the North Sea.
Is Labour doing a U-turn on free schools?
Updated: 2011-05-18 13:09:23: SEARCH Blog Journalism Books Film Radio Toby's School Wednesday 18th May 2011 Is Labour doing a U-turn on free schools Is the Labour Party about to embrace free schools I shared a platform yesterday with Labour's shadow education secretary at Education 2011 and he welcomed the free school that Peter Hyman is setting up in Newham . Here's the relevant passage from Andy Burnham's : speech While I have real concerns about the national programme , it does not follow that Labour will be opposed to every free school . We recognise that they are being set up by people with a genuine desire to improve education who are working within the options available to them Some proposals , like Peter Hyman's , are comprehensive , committed to fair admissions , and have the full backing of their local areaNick Clegg Song by Russell Howard
Updated: 2011-05-17 07:21:00Enjoy.UNISON Housing Association Branch: New Website
Updated: 2011-05-16 22:33:00
Picture left is a screen print from our new branch website. Many thanks to our branch manager or this update. The site is far more attractive and professional looking to download and to ccess information.
For a branch such as ours, which has 3500 members in over 180...Eurovision Contest Final
Updated: 2011-05-16 17:54:46I've had something of a diversion from politics this week with a visit to the Dusseldorf Arena in Germany for the final of the Eurovision Song. It was just a fun side trip while visiting friends on Cologne, so I'm...Heaven is a fairy tale, says British physicist Stephen Hawking
Updated: 2011-05-16 12:45:43
Heaven is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark, the eminent British theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking said in an interview published on Monday. Enden på den britiske kontraktpolitik i Danmark
Updated: 2011-05-16 05:51:56New Labour New Danger Originally uploaded by Dolores Luxedo I Storbritannien, hvor det p.g.a. valgsystemet er normalt, at ét parti har absolut flertal i parlamentet (omend dette ikke er tilfældet for tiden), har partiernes valgprogrammer (“manifestos” på engelsk) en nærmest mytisk status: Det regnes for påkrævet at gennemføre alt, der står i dem, og det [...]Motion on Local Government Pension Scheme: Newham Council AGM 2011
Updated: 2011-05-15 23:05:00Local Government Pension Scheme
Proposer: Councillor Steve Brayshaw (Labour)Seconder: Councillor John Gray (Labour)
Council notes: The Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) is a sustainable, good quality pension scheme that benefits from being funded and locally managed. It is valuable to...Libel Reform: Sign the Petition and write to your MP
Updated: 2011-05-14 20:35:00The Libel Reform Campaign is urging people to sign their petition and contact their MP and ask them to support Early Day Motion (EDM) 1636. The government published a draft defamation Bill in March.
"The Libel Reform Campaign led by English PEN, Index on Censorship and Sense About Science...What scrapping the Education Maintenance Allowance means to East London
Updated: 2011-05-14 16:41:00"...the Government is scrapping the EMA, a payment of £10 - £30 a week to low- income students who want to stay in post-16 education. At present 29 receive it in the City of London, 4,230 (41%) in Tower Hamlets, 3,078 in Barking & Dagenham and 5,771 (46%) in Newham. The scheme cost £560m...UK Catholics urged to shun meat on Fridays
Updated: 2011-05-14 09:49:58
Britain's Catholics have been urged to make more effort to follow religious custom and abstain from eating meat on Fridays."...the greatest threat to your pensions - Ever"
Updated: 2011-05-13 21:23:00
On Wednesday lunchtime there was a eeting of the UNISON London Region Pension network at ULU. This is a quarterly raining meeting of UNISON member nominated representatives who sit on London Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) committees and members who are interested in pension...Democracy: Near and Far
Updated: 2011-05-12 07:15:18
An old riend from University is on his way home from Nigeria, where he was an international observer on the recent general elections in that country. Some 500 people are estimated to have been killed during this election. Including 0 young students who were manning polling...Reminder: UNISON NEC Elections 2011
Updated: 2011-05-11 07:45:00
Ballot papers for this year's National Executive Council election need to be returned by this Friday 13 May (unlucky for some)!
So if you haven't voted yet please retrieve your papers from the kitchen drawer or where ever you have left them.
Have a look at the recommendations to my left (double...What Labour and the Conservatives need to do now
Updated: 2011-05-11 07:12:29As part of a discussion on the Better Nation blog, Chris Jones wrote: A couple of ideas spring to mind that would help Labour to get serious about Scotland: Re-organising around Scottish Parliamentary constituencies instead of Westminster CLPs – firstly to get the mindset into “Holyrood First” and secondly to ensure that where Holyrood constituencies [...]London Labour Housing Group Policy Day: Sat 11 June
Updated: 2011-05-10 19:39:00
Following the very successful launch of the London branch of the Labour Housing Group early this year in Westminister Hall.
There will be a policy day on Saturday 11 June 2011.
This will take place at the Labour Party Headquarters in Victoria. Guest speakers will be Ken Livingstone, Karen...The LibDems suffered because of incompetence in Scotland, too
Updated: 2011-05-10 00:47:06tavish speech 07 Originally uploaded by Liberal Democrats The English media have to a large extent described the LibDem collapse in Scotland in terms of dissatisfaction with the CoLD coalition. However, although this is bound to be part of the explanation, I don’t think one should underestimate the part played by their own sheer incompetence [...]Josh Peck New Labour Group Leader of Tower Hamlets Council
Updated: 2011-05-09 22:53:00
Cllr Josh Peck has tonight been elected as the leader of the Tower Hamlets Labour Group.
Congratulations!
I first met Josh during the 2005 General Election. He now I think holds one of the most difficult municipal political roles in the UK - bar none.
Good luck Josh!
I...Not too small
Updated: 2011-05-09 00:42:22
When ordinary Scottish voters are asked whether they’d vote yes or no to Scottish independence, one frequent response is that Scotland is too small to be independent. I really don’t understand how anybody can believe this. Surely it must be a consequence of living in a big country and being used to comparing yourself with [...]Just Pay: Fair Pensions (and the bleeding obvious)
Updated: 2011-05-08 21:51:00
missed the launch of the "Just Pay: Living Wage Campaign" y Fair Pensions last Monday. I hope it goes well. What a fantastic campaign. It calls on all the UK FT 100 companies to agree to being a Living Wage employer.
Check out Tom who points out that 3.5 million workers...Who’s left standing in Scottish Labour?
Updated: 2011-05-08 00:41:0920110323DSC_0174 Originally uploaded by redkelvin Labour’s ban on standing for election both in a constituency and on the list has led to a real loss of talent amongst their MSPs, and it’ll be very tough for them to find a new leader who can become leader of the opposition with experience and charisma. I haven’t [...]One Year on...West Ham Ward Election Declaration 7 May 2010
Updated: 2011-05-07 14:59:00Tempus fugit. It's been a year to the day since I was elected with Freda and Ron as abour Councillors for West Ham Ward in Newham, London. The term actually began officially n May 10. While in ondon (especially in the East) we defeated the Tories and wiped out the BNP,...UK Elections and Referendum Results
Updated: 2011-05-05 16:12:20And the result is: 69% in favour of retaining first past the post. It's Thurday 5 May and across the United Kingdom voting is underway. Polls close at 10pm. The elections are National referendum on whether to retain first past...