Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
What is different about TUSC?
I have lived in Harringay for 13 years. I have three children, all of whom go to South Harringay schools. I am a parent governor of South Harringay Infants School and Ladder Childrens' Centre.The Con-Dem government's systematic dismantling of the welfare state has put the very existence of local council services at risk. The Labour leader of Birmingham council has spoken of the 'end of local government'. Even the Tory chair of the Local Government Association has hypocritically warned that the funding squeeze on councils is 'unsustainable'.But it is not true that councils can do nothing but accept the government's attacks. They still control billions of pounds of public services and have powers they could use to resist cuts. Councillors have a choice. They can make a difference and take steps to improve the lives of millions of people - but only if they are prepared to fight.The Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) has agreed a policy platform to contest local council elections in 2014 which, if adopted by just a handful of councils, could make a difference. Even one councillor in each local authority arguing for the policies we outline, if they used their position in the council chamber to appeal to those outside, could give confidence to community groups and trade unionists to fight for change.TUSC councillors would:
- oppose all cuts to council jobs, services, pay and conditions. We reject the claim that 'some cuts' are necessary to our services or that the national debt is a reason for austerity;
- refuse to implement the bedroom tax. Haringey Council should write off all bedroom tax-related arrears, withdraw all court proceedings and eviction orders where the bedroom tax has been a factor, and call on Housing Associations to do the same;
- maintain the council tax, rent and service charges at current rates;
- say no to the racism of UKIP which divides our communities. UKIP aims to foster division between ordinary working people and sow the seeds of hatred while voting for cuts in the Civic Centre. Migrants are not to blame for the economic crisis;
- provide full funding for youth centres and clubs in every Haringey ward;
- bring Homes for Haringey back into council ownership and control, providing secure tenancies and genuinely affordable rents for all council house tenants;
- re-introduce rent councils, involving tenants, housing workers and trade unionists, to decide on affordable rents for private and council housing;
- vote and campaign against any move to sell off council housing stock to private contractors. You cannot control what you do not own. Spend Haringey's reserves on improving and building its housing stock;
- campaign for the introduction of a living wage, above the national minimum wage, including for council employees and those working for council contractors;
- vote against council cuts. Labour says there needs to be £50million of cuts next year. Use the £95million in council reserves in order to prevent further cuts in jobs and services. Set a budget that meets the needs of people in Haringey.
When other parties have been in control of councils, whether they are Conservative, Liberal Democrat, Labour or Green, all have implemented cuts. TUSC councillors will vote against council cuts. We are not part of the establishment parties. Vote for TUSC candidates in Seven Sisters (Derek Bishop, Jack Jeffery, Oktay Sahbaz) , Harringay (Patrick Burland, David Kaplan, Kiran Patel) and St Ann's (Simon Hester, Andrew Reid).Posted by David Kaplan, standing for TUSC in Harringay ward.Posted on behalf of TUSC candidates standing in Haringey.
Tags for Forum Posts: 2014 elections, council elections, election, elections, hustings, tusk
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Christopher Fowler on
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Is TUSC an SWP front organisation? Or is it totally independent of them?
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Permalink Reply by David on
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TUSC was set up in 2010 to enable trade unionists, community campaigners and socialists to stand candidates against the pro-austerity establishment parties. TUSC is a genuine coalition with a national steering committee which includes leading trade unionists from the RMT, the PCS civil service, the National Union of Teachers, the Fire Brigade Union and the Prison Officers Association. TUSC stood 120 candidates in the 2013 local elections and are standing more than 560 candidates in the the 2014 local elections. This is the largest trade unionist- and socialist-based electoral challenge since the immediate aftermath of the Second World War. Candidates include Keith Morrell, a rebel Labour councillor, who voted against cuts in jobs and services in Southampton, and Roy Dixon, a campaigner for the rights of victims of the Hillsborough disaster, who is standing in Liverpool.
Posted by David Kaplan, TUSC candidate for Harringay, along with Patrick Burland and Kiran Patel
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Just looked at their website. TUSC has SWP's fingers all over it. "Nuff said.
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Jenny Sutton, TUSC candidate for West Green ward, on behalf of TUSC candidates standing in the council elections, has replied to Mark Heath and Mary Langan. Mark works for Haringey's Mencap Advocacy service and Mary is a Haringey Learning Disabilities Partnership Board member. They have emailed all candidates calling on them to make a public pledge that they will not cut funding for services of vulnerable people in Haringey.
Dear Mark Heath and Mary Langan,
Thank you very much for the report that you have produced on the impact of cuts in Haringey to services for adults with Learning Disabilities. I am responding on behalf of the 20 Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition candidates who are standing in wards across the borough. We are united in our opposition to ALL cuts to services, and pledge to vote against them. In addition, if elected, we are committed to giving a voice to those who are suffering from cuts, and to support those who are fighting back.Your report was very clear about the critical importance of existing services to the well-being, independence and dignity of adults with learning disabilities. The responses from users also demonstrate that existing services are not enough, and more resources are needed in this area, not fewer. As a carer myself of a family member with mental health needs, I have direct experience of the inadequacy of provision for vulnerable people, and understand the strain that is suffered by carers trying to stretch themselves over the growing holes in the blanket of the welfare state. The coalition government has been shameless in slashing essential provision for the most vulnerable groups in society: disabled people, elderly people and those needing care have born the brunt of cruel cuts. It should be a matter of national shame that in one of the wealthiest countries in the world with more millionaires than ever before, one million people are having to use food banks and adults with learning disabilities are living in fear of being further isolated, marginalised and disempowered. It is also a scandal that the dedicated professionals who work with adults with learning disabilities are expected to work for less than the London Living Wage of £8.80 an hour to which TUSC is also committed as an absolute minimum.We believe that local councillors have a duty to oppose central government policies that are not in the interests of local people. Haringey councillors have shown that their first loyalty is not to their electorate, but to the Labour Party. They implement government cuts because their party is committed to the same overall strategy of cutting the welfare state to balance the budget, and they do not want to raise expectations that could not be met by a Labour government. As TUSC candidates, our position is clear; if the rich paid their taxes, there would be no deficit. We are opposed to all cuts to services, jobs and the welfare state, and will do everything in our power to champion the interests of the most vulnerable in our communities.Regards,Jenny Sutton (TUSC candidate for West Green Ward)Posted by David Kaplan, TUSC candidate for Harringay ward, along with Kiran Patel and Patrick Burland.
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Permalink Reply by Simon Hester on
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John McMullen claims that I apparently know nothing about the allegations of selection fraud inside St Ann's Labour Party. Not true, I have been aware of the allegations for some time. I think it is a shame that Zena, in particular, was dumped. I have more recently become aware of how deep the anger is amongst some Labour Party members locally such that they appear to have gone on strike for the duration of the election. I did consider how to deal with this in the election campaign but decided that focussing on this would detract from the big issues facing us all. I don't think that many people in St Ann's know or care very much about the internal Labour Party arguments - they have much bigger problems to worry about and I have tried to focus on those.
I don't know John McMullen and, to be frank, I'm not sure that a detailed knowledge of the internal affairs of the Labour Party or a regular presence on Harringay On Line are the critical qualifications for a "well informed and active member of the community".
I am a TUSC candidate in St Ann's ward
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Permalink Reply by John McMullan on
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Well you could at least spell my surname right. So why did you tell a certain Labour councillor that you were unaware of what had gone on in St Ann's?
It's funny but the rules that were broken were originally to stop hard lefties like you from infiltrating branches so I would have presumed that you for one, knew all about them. I guess it's in your interest to see the left of the Labour Party trashed in Tottenham.
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SPOT (Solidarity with People of Turkey) condemns Turkish government over miners' deaths
At least 245 coal miners have lost their lives in the western town of Soma, Turkey, after an explosion caused a pit to collapse. Dozens of miners have been injured, four of whom are in critical condition. Hundreds are still trapped underground. Soma K-mürleri AŞ privately owns the mine. The explosion occurred during a shift change, therefore it is still unclear as to exactly how many people are still underground in the mine.
The declaration of three days mourning; cancellation of the prime minister's travel plans; messages of condolence; the presence of a minister at the scene; these are all crocodile tears and attempts to hide the reality. The people have not forgotten that it was prime minister Erdogan who cried out "death is the destiny of coal miners" after a murder incident that took place in the mines a short while ago.
The "research and investigation commission" of mining risks proposed by the opposition parties CHP, MHP and BDP's members of parliament was rejected by the AKP government just 20 days ago. Motions forwarded by the HDP Istanbul MP Levent Tuzel in relation to the coal mining industry were brushed aside with excuses such as, "The relevant ministers are carrying out constant inspections."
The recent statement made by directors of the company that owns the mine, which bragged about reducing expenses by around 60%, also has not been forgotten. Reducing the workforce, compulsory redundancies of experienced workers, subcontracting inexperienced workers, these are just some of the tactics of the bosses in pursuit of higher profit margins.
One of the workers who died was only 15 years old; this clearly expresses the extent of the exploitation that is taking place.
The media exponents of the bosses and government speak of high standards of safety within the mines and refer to the incident as a "painful accident" in their headlines. Furthermore, the value given to workers is clearly expressed in the words of an "expert" of Soma coalmines, Professor Dr Orhan Kural, who said on a TV channel: "Dying from carbon monoxide is sweet; they would feel no pain. I wish myself a painless death too".
We the members of SPOT, Solidarity with People of Turkey, would like to express our condolences and deep sorrow for the working class, for those who died tragically and their families. We vow to expose the faces of those who are responsible for this tragedy, namely the government and the bosses who are more concerned with profit making than the welfare of the workers. We will not let all these deaths in the workplace go unnoticed. In the 12 year period of AKP rule, more than 14,000 work-related deaths have occurred. We will not ever forget them.
We call on all communities, democratic organisations and trade unions to voice their concerns on this matter and to join us in protesting to both the AKP government and those who value profit and capital more than the worker.
You can send the protest statement below to government officials in Turkey, listed below. We kindly ask that you also bcc spot.turkey@mail.com with your protest email.
Turkish President, Mr Abdullah Gül: Email: cumhurbaskanligi@tccb.gov.tr, Fax 0 (312) 470 24 33
Turkish Republic Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan: Email: bimer@basbakanlik.gov.tr, Fax: +90 312 422 26 69, +90 312 422 18 99
Turkish Republic Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources: Mr. Taner Yıldız, Email: bilgi@enerji.gov.tr Phone: +90 312 212 64 20
Should you need further information please do not hesitate to contact SPOT: spot.turkey@mail.comThank you in advance for your support, Oktay Sahbaz, SPOT
Model email:
The AKP government and the bosses are responsible for the coalminers' deaths in Soma, Turkey.
Dear ,
I, the undersigned, call on government ministers and senior officials in Turkey to launch a full independent investigation into the deaths of over 274 miners (and counting) at the privately run Soma coalmine.
I feel strongly that the deaths of the miners should not be categorised as "fate" or an "occupational hazard".
I urge you to listen to the demands of the Turkish public and international opinion, and call to account the owners of the Soma coalmine for the highly dangerous health and safety conditions that led to the disastrous death of hundreds of miners.
In Turkey privately run coalmines regularly expose miners to hazardous and life threatening working conditions, and it is well documented that the death toll in private mines in Turkey is eleven times higher than in state-owned mines.
Furthermore, the request made to the Turkish parliament on 29 April 2014 for an enquiry into the health and safety conditions at the Soma coalmine presented an opportunity to prevent the deaths of over 245 miners on 13 May 2014.
It is clear that the lives of thousands of miners have been risked as part of cost-saving measures, with tragic consequences for miners and their families.
The Turkish government must bring to account those responsible for the brutal corporate murder of the Soma coalminers and ensure that steps are taken to improve health and safety in the mining sector with the aim of preventing such "accidents" in the future.
Name:
Position:
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Posted by David Kaplan, TUSC candidate for Harringay ward, along with Kiran Patel and Patrick Burland, on behalf of Oktay Sahbaz, TUSC candidate for Seven Sisters ward
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Permalink Reply by Oktay Sahbaz on
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Hello Phil,
First of all my name is Oktay Sahbaz and I am the TUSC candidate for Seven sisters. I am also member of the management committee for Daymer, which is one of the biggest Turkish and Kurdish Community Centre here in Uk.
Looking at what you said I felt the need to express some points on how TUSC and trade unions have more common with the Turkish speaking community then the three political parties.
Lets start with the event which took place in Turkey over the summer of 2013. When things kicked off in Turkey in the summer, as a Community organisation based here in UK we felt it will be sensible to speak to the politicians, trade unions to put pressure on the turkish government to stop the barbaric attack on its own people. We made a call to all of the parties and expected them to support this call as things were getting worse by the day. Not one of these main parties have responded to our call to show solidarity with the people of turkey. Whats worse is, when Turkish speaking community living here in Uk were holding protest at Trafalgar square everyday for a month not one of the politicians showed up to express their wishes of solidarity. And even worse was the Turkish speaking councillors from these main parties, again not one of them turned up to express support. Apart from Nilgun who is the councillor at st Anns ward no one else got in touch. Baring in mind that there were on average 400-500 people at these protest in was very disappointing not be shown any respect. Also these gatherings were organised by all of the community organisation here in UK, from the most nationalist to socialist...
I'll tell you who was there, trade union unionist, socialist, community activists. Not only that they made sure that 'true news' about what was happening in turkey was spread around the country here in UK. Socialist also came, well you might say well they came to promote their paper, ideas etc..- well all could have supported and showed solidarity and all could have done the same. Not only that trade unionist from NUT, PCS, RMT have accepted our our request to go Turkey during the trouble and make observations - this was part of european wide initiative. Guess what, they went, and in fact all of them paid for their own flight and stayed in the cheapest hotels in Istanbul. They even had their own share of the tear gas! they were happy to come back and report back. They were also the key in forming the group SPOT Solidarity with people of TURKEY. TUSC and members of TUSC were also at these events showing solidarity, expressing support through out. Hence where how most of our members involvement with TUSC.
In terms of cynical TUSC Turkish posters - I'll tell you whats cynical, three main political parties forming groups called 'Labour for Kurds/Turks' 'Liberal Turks' and trying to attract votes from the community by getting careerist, self obsessed individuals, who have never done anything for the community to stand as candidates. Shall I tell you the line they use when they knock on Turkish speaking families doors 'Vote for me because I will care for Turkish people'. For years they did this and they continue to do so. I am now hearing that there are serious debates on the candidacy of some of the Turkish labour party candidates!
I'll give you another example, we have centre called North London Community Centre in Bruce Grove, this is a centre mainly attended mainly by Turkish and Kurdish community. It attracts over 200-250 young people, children and adults per week doing educational, cultural and social courses. One of the councillors for Bruce grove is Turkish, cllr Dilek Dogus, the centre has been there for 7 years, do you know how many times she visited the centre? Ones - to cut the opening ribbon!!! I think when it comes to being cynical no one can beat Labour and other main parties with their tricks.
TUSC is different simply because its not racist, not scapegoating migrant communities, they are against cuts and privatisation to public services that we all helped build - we all use public services regardless of our race, colour, religion and ethnicity. We all also need to protect public services regardless of our race, colour, religion and ethnicity. Labour Party has simply followed the requests of central government in imposing cuts and taking vital services away from us, youth centres (12 closed) community centres being closed, day care centres, libraries, parks - are they not services used by the Turkish speaking community? Off course they are, and just like everyone in Haringey we want to keep these services and make them better if possible. Labour's track record is out there, they are good at making the cuts, even when they seem like they don't agree with them, so is liberals and conservatives.
So TUSC is an option and a viable option. Regardless of what happens on Thursday, we will continue to build it. Simply because of the demands, we want councillors who will defend their community and look after it, we don't want careerist councillors who are willing to damage communities and services for their own political interest!
Apologies for the long response, I hope this makes sense. You are also always welcome to attend the North London Community House to have some Turkish tea and discuss this issue further.
Regards,
OKTAY
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Permalink Reply by Alison P on
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Hi David
I've got a question about rubbish and litter. I know it doesn't have the same impact on people's lives as say a lack of affordable housing, but it's one of those things that affects all of us every day and can make a real difference to how people feel about their neighbourhood.
So I'd like to know what your view is on the fortnightly collections, on how to deal with collections from HMOs and flats, and collections from businesses from Green Lanes. Do you think the current regime works, and if not what would you do to improve it?
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Hi, Alison.
I don't think the current regime works for everyone in the area. The level of service from contractors Veolia either is not being adhered to or is not sufficient to take account of the borough's refuse. Either way, the council cannot control what it does not own. Like other contracted council services, I think street cleaning/recycling needs to be taken back into direct council control so that there are more regular collections. In addition, rather than simply responding to complaints, the council could actively check if refuse is being left uncollected, and respond accordingly.
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Permalink Reply by markb on
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After reading point 1,3, 5, 7 & 8, I conclude this party is either genius or delusional.
No cuts, no redudancies, more services, no extra income through tax. Awesome! I want it.
How is Tusc going to fund it? Put advertising on every traffic sign? Get the national goverment to stump up the cash? Or borrow until bankruptcy?
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For those that don't get it, the real kicker with policy like that comes from inflation. At least raise tax in line with inflation or council employees won't be getting salary increases and you'll be getting less external services/materials, given the stable council tax income stream.
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