Twitter feed Respect For the Unemployed & Benefit Claimants

Please DONATE to our campaign !

Monday 8 April 2013

PROGRESS & Blue Labour - the end of the British Labour Party !!

Trade union activists & unemployed alike call on the labour party leadership in Westminster today to stop meddling in local party affairs following interference in the Falkirk by-election selection process.

What an utter disgrace, we have a Labour Party demonising benefit claimants & trade unionists on a daily basis - agreeing with the Conservatives on the 'cuts agenda. Respect For the Unemployed & Benefit Claimants stands shoulder to shoulder with Unite the Union in defending the reputation of trade unionists & benefit claimants alike.

We're sick & tired of the language & the PR spin from Blue Labour & the right wing organisation within the labour party Progress - enough is enough, why on earth should we ask our members to vote & support a labour government when that political party fundamentally fails to understand the ethos behind ...... 'RESPECT'.

The scandal comes in light of a report to the national executive of, allegedly detailing that party officials intended to produce a new shortlist of candidates.

The Campaign for Socialism (CfS) said it accepted and supported Unite's case that it had not been allowed to see the allegations made in the report.

CfS secretary Paul McFarlane said he hoped party HQ would leave Scottish Labour Party to resolve the dispute.

He indicated that the row was "all the more frustrating" given the recent front-bench appointments of MSPs Neil Findlay and Drew Smith - both The People's Charter supporters with trade union links.

But leader Ed Miliband's recent return to austerity rhetoric suggested "a co-ordinated rearguard action" to sever Labour's union ties instead.

The labour leadership & the NEC are not the sole proprietors of the 'labour party' the party was created by trade unionists, workers & ordinary people alike, to give ordinary people a political voice in parliament.

The labour party use to belongs to the 'labour & trade union movement' as a whole - it seems the right wing have stolen our political voice - This is a sad day indeed !!!


Labour Party has handed 'Falkirk Report' to police this afternoon
(5 July) “After consulting the party solicitor yesterday we will hand our Falkirk report and other evidence to the police this afternoon.”

Len McCluskey, the leader of the country's biggest union, Unite - Denounced the party's own “investigation” as scandalous in its shortcomings, McCluskey said in a letter to the party general secretary Iain McNichol that the report was: "Simply a ‘stitch-up’ designed to produce some evidence, however threadbare, to justify predetermined decisions taken in relation to Falkirk CLP.

"The report has been used to smear Unite and its members. Even if the allegations of people being signed up to the party without their knowledge were true, this had nothing whatsoever to do with my union.
 
"It is noteworthy that members of the shadow cabinet have been in the lead in initiating this attack upon Unite. Have they had sight of this report while I, the leader of the union put in the frame, has not had the courtesy of a copy?

"The mishandling of this investigation has been a disgrace. I, however, am obliged to uphold the integrity of Unite, and I can no longer do so on the basis of going along with the activities of a Labour party administration in which I can place no trust.

It all started when Lord Mandelson, or Baron Mandelson of Foy, as he should be referred to since he was packed off to the House of Lords by a small cabal, accused the Unite Union of ‘manipulating selection procedures’ in the Labour Party. He then went on to start a crusade against the UNION, warning Ed Miliband that this ‘stores up danger for a future Labour government’.

It was refreshing to read the fulsome riposte delivered by Unite general secretary Len McCluskey in The Guardian newspaper at the time. In our opinion, the active involvement of trade unions has led to a more diverse selection of candidates being selected.

Mandelson spoke at  a conference organised by the ‘Progress’ organisation, which is financed primarily by Lord Sainsbury, a former supporter of the breakaway Social Democratic Party SDP in the 1980s. ‘Progress’ has been heavily engaged in 'dictating' candidates to be selected in a number of constituencies.

Who are these MP's that seek to forced Ed Miliband to lurch to the right in - stereotyping benefit claimants & attacking our trade unions ?  Unite and the GMB are keen to see more working class candidates and union members selected to stand for Parliament - this seems to be at odds with the agenda being set by 'Progress'.

Rochdale MP since 2010 Simon Danczuk said: “If you’re involved in politics and don’t know anyone who chooses to live on benefits instead of working, you need to get out more”. Simon Danczuk wrote in
The Sun a 'gutter rag' newspaper, which is a supporter of the Conservatives : “The Left has to accept there are some people on the dole that don’t want to work, and we need to have a plan to get them into work.”

Labour MP Frank Field also attacks benefit claimants, he criticises the benefit cap calling it “a mega sum” in his constituency. He added: “We have been there before and we’ve ducked it before. So the real question is, as Labour now moves towards the general election, are we going to have an alternative?”

The following comment made by : SIMON DANCZUK, Labour MP

George Osborne says we need a welfare debate. I’ve got news for the Chancellor — it’s already happening. The word on the street in my constituency is way ahead of Westminster — and the Left of my party.

There are plenty of people capable of working in Rochdale that have been parked on benefits for years. There is nothing to be proud of watching people’s potential waste away, trapped on a life of benefits.

The Left has to accept there are some people on the dole that don’t want to work, and we need to have a plan to get them into work. Those trapped in welfare dependency will never experience the satisfaction of a hard day’s work.

Simon Danczuk defended George Osborne’s harsh benefits reforms on TV recently - were not his finest hour. In acrimonious exchanges — during which Danczuk launched repeated attempted ad hominem attacks on Owen Jones — the Rochdale MP backed changes which would leave many poor people at the mercy of foodbanks and payday lenders by repeating the mantra:
“we have to build self reliance amongst people”
His lack of compassion towards those finding themselves out of work is all the more surprising given his recent first hand experience of the devastation wrought by redundancy.

Having been hit hard by cuts affecting his public sector clients, Danczuk was forced to put the research firm he owned into voluntary creditors’ liquidation in June 2011 – with eighteen people losing their jobs.

OUR Conclusion:

Maybe Simon Danczuk  was not aware of a recent YouGov Survey produced within the last few days - asking if people could live on £53 per week revealed a resounding 70% said they could NOT!

Meanwhile 38% of 'Conservative VOTERS' said they could live on £53 and those earning over £70,000 per year were more likely to say they could.

Obviously the Conservatives & those like Lord Mandelson, Simon Danczuk & Frank Field are 'out of touch' with the general feeling of the people & their perception of benefit claimants is that of a minority.

Labour needs people from diverse backgrounds who are rooted in the Labour Movement, are trades unionists & ordinary members of the public - those who have struggled on benefits, those who have been forced to survive on the breadline - to create a real 'Labour Party' !

There is currently a cancer within the Labour Party, that cancer is: Blue LabourProgress  ! A 'party' within the Labour Party - a right wing' think tank that tries to set the agenda - they are trying to force the leadership of the party to the 'right' & in 'dictating' which candidates should be selected for elections in a number of constituencies.
Expel PROGRESS !

Expel Blue Labour & PROGRESS !

'Progress' are the ones behind the 'demonisation' of trade unionists & benefit claimants within the party. These MP's are pressurising and forcing Ed Miliband to lurch to the right & stereotyping benefit claimants.

Militant tendency was expelled from the Labour Party - it begs the question why dont they expel Blue Labour &  'Progress' ??

Email: respect_unemployed@ovi.com

Respect For the Unemployed & Benefit Claimants
Add us on twitter https://twitter.com/DoleQueueUnite .

12 comments:

unclegrumpy said...

So it's Ok for one of the rich Sainsbury clan to sponsor Progress, but it is not OK for Trade Unions to fund Labour! The Tories want Free Speech for the Rich, for Corporations and their PR Spokemen & women but SILENCE for the rest of us.

Master de blackyrose said...

The ***Labour Party*** is the cancer within the working class in the uk

ireallymeanthis2 said...

I agree, expel 'progress', they just want to keep blairism going.
I heard some blue labour opinion on analysis earlier( radio 4), and it's so depressing.
They should challenge the myths of 'welfare dependency','generational unemployment' and so on, not promote or endorse them.

Rob said...

"Militant tendency was expelled from the Labour Party - it begs the question why dont they expel Blue Labour & 'Progress' ??"

Because ever since Neil Kinnock's time the Labour Party has been desperately reinventing itself as a Tory party with less scary rhetoric. These days (see Ed Balls this week on continuing benefit cuts if labour are relected) they don't even bother with the "less scary rhetoric". just like the Tory Dems, they are a right-wing party flying a flas flag, and no self-respecting socialist has voted for them since the mid 1990s. The sooner Scotland becomes independent and can have a chance of real socialism for the first time in twenty years the better.

Rae said...

Rob is right the reason is tghat actually they are all a bunch of tories, they kicked the hard left millitant out then they worked on sideling the likes of tony benn john macdonald and putting themn in the minority recruiting mp candiates from students whove never worked who went straight from labour society in uni to a postion in the su to mp (usually from private school first as well). The labour MPs are out of touch because they are no longer from the labour movement they are careerists.

Anonymous said...

The grumpy progress filigree tendency are a finished brand. But my concern is that my boy Ed is wavering under their influence to become a sort of Houseplant! And the other Ed is like his Edifice to the world. Its deeply depressing!" I hope it is less then true!

hijimhere said...

Blue Labour is a good analogy. I can't express how disappointing it is to see the path that labour have chosen. It leaves us with no voting options that would be worth it. 40 years of progress wiped out in one parliament. Working mens clubs and pubs closing everywhere. I will stand against the tyrany of all parties until I can't draw breath.

Anonymous said...

I don't understand, given Labour's hasty retreat from the working class they are meant to support, why the unions so criticised by the Labour leadership continue to fund a party that is so obviously anti union or working class.

It is a long time since we have expected any kind of integrity from our politicians but this shower of Labour MP's have reached a new low

Boris Clover said...

For Mandlescum to accuse ANYONE of manipulating rules or procedures is rich, to put it mildly. He and the NEW Labour gang imposed their warped view of reality upon the Labour Party by exactly those means.

Anonymous said...

It seems more probable by the day that workers the disabled and benefit claimants need a new political party. It's members need to be street wise to the needs of their supporters. There must be a determination to single mindedly stand up for the rights of their supporters. Just as New Labour was meant to do.

Anonymous said...

Mandelson and Mr Rothchild are 'hand-in-hand' best pal buddies. Lord Mandelson is a senior figure in the Multi-billionaire Rothchild group and it is high time Labour severed this cracked and very broken link by jettisoning Mandelson and his ultra-poisoned extreme right wing influence.

Anonymous said...

Forgot to mention, Ed Milliband and his brother (and most probably Ed Ballsas well) ALSO belong to this ruthless Rothchild extremely pro-Tory group. So chuck THEM out TOO!