An historic two days - Labour Conference 2018

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Unite’s Sarah Hacker moves historic motion on women

Joy Johnson, Sunday, September 23rd, 2018
From: http://unitelive.org/historic-two-days/ 

Unite’s Sarah Hacker a delegate from the National Women’s Committee and a councillor in Reading made history yesterday (September 22) and today when she moved the motion on Women and the Economy at the National Labour Women’s Conference.

It was history because this was the first Labour Women’s Conference that was not only talking about policy but was making policy.

Yesterday nearly one and a half thousand women came together, and while all four of the motions important and there were powerful personal speeches, it was the motion on Women and the Economy that was chosen to go to Labour’s Annual Conference.

And it was Sarah who moved the motion at Labour Conference 2018 for a second time in two days.

She started her speech by paying tribute to women who had been at the forefront of progress throughout history from the rallying cry of ‘bread and roses’ so that women could live and not just exist to the matchstick-women and girls strikers.

From the machinists at Ford in both Dagenham and Halewood, who went on strike paving the way for equal pay for all women to the magnificent South Asian women who took to the streets in revolt at poor working conditions at Grunwicks.

Sarah also reminded conference that it was the Women’s Conference, all those years back, that first made the case for the national minimum wage.

We owe so much of the progressive change to so many robust and resilient, trade union and Labour women who continue to organise for equality for all women.

“It’s a struggle that goes on, she said, but we will persevere because it is what was do.”

Sarah then laid out why this motion on the economy should be supported starting with the appalling consequences of the Conservative’s policy of austerity.   An austerity that is quite clear an ideological choice and not an economic one.

Powerful
In a powerful section of the speech Sarah explained that every exploitative aspect of our economy harms women disproportionately.

Women are more likely to be on zero hours contracts. More likely to be in low-paid work – (two thirds of people earning below the Living Wage are women). And in the sixth-richest country in the world up to three million children spend their school holidays at risk of going hungry.

“There are Tories, Sarah said, who say they are proud that we have food banks, but it isn’t pride that they should feel, it is shame”.

She then turned her fire on the disastrous Universal Credit calling on the roll out to be stopped now and the whole policy to be scrapped all together.

“Today,” she said, “we are calling for mandatory equal pay audits and a duty to prevent sexual harassment and all harassment including third party and the enactment of equality act 2010.”

The motion called for more council houses to be built. “With Jeremy Corby in No 10 Downing Street and John McDonnell in No 11,” Sarah said, “we can be confident that they will be built.”

Sarah ended her speech with a rallying cry that we can’t achieve the transformation of our country until we win.

And quoted our new general secretary, Jennie Formby: “When Jennie was ward organiser she was thrilled when her ward won their first seat from the Tories in many years.  And her determination to win has never diminished. Our determination as women will also never diminish.”

So from moving the successful motion at the new policy making Labour Women’s Conference to now from the platform at Labour’s 2018 conference for the first time ever Sarah uttered those immortal words – “I move.”

Our NHS is in crisis - the Tories are failing it!

You can't move today for headlines shouting about how our NHS is struggling this winter.  It's not because the staff don't care, it's obvious they are all working extremely hard!  In Reading the Royal Berkshire hospital is asking staff to do extra shifts to ensure patients get the help and treatment they need.

From Twitter @RBNHSFT

This month tens of thousands of non-emergency operations are being cancelled which can be distressing to those waiting for them.   A&E units are under huge pressure because people are simply ill.  They are being asked to go to their local GP but getting appointments is getting harder and harder.  A £4.5 billion cut to social care funding has also heaped pressure on our health services.

Simon Stevens, the NHS chief executive told the Conservative government the NHS needed an extra £4 billion in 2018 however the chancellor Philip Hammond only allocated £1.6 billion.  The government did allocated an extra £350 million for the NHS but this is clearly woefully inadequate.

According to Theresa May, the Conservative Prime Minister, "The NHS has been better prepared for this winter than ever before". Well, Ms May, you've obviously not done enough.  It is very clear the NHS is not safe under the Conservatives. 

Here's is what the Labour Party will do for the NHS when it forms a government: 

Healthcare for all

 

The Budget - a lost opportunity to improve lives

I've just seen the budget.  I'm not sure what I was expecting - certainly not an end to austerity, despite it being clear it's failed.  I was hoping to see the government had listened and understood that living standards are being squeezed and people are struggling. I was wrong.

Forecasts for growth have been down graded from 2% to 1.5%. Pay continues to stagnate and public sector workers still face a pay cap. People are struggling to make ends meet and the budget has done little to lighten their load.  Food bank use continues to grow with ReadiFood delivering 135 parcels a week.  Food prices are rising as are energy costs, rents and house prices.

Stamp duty is being scrapped for first time buyers purchasing properties up to £300,000.  That's all very well but you have to be able to afford to buy the house first, have the salary to back up a mortgage plus be able to save a deposit. According to RightMove the average terraced property sold for £314,479.  Property ownership is now out of reach for many and rents, on average £1,079 for a two bed property in Reading, are also becoming unaffordable.

We face another winter where people will be faced with the choice of eating or heating.  This is nothing new, the government have not been taken by surprise. 

Some money has been thrown at the NHS.  There's £350m to address pressures in winter 2017/2018 but that won't go far when you take into account how far it's to be spread and additional pressures caused by cuts to council social care budgets and a GP service stretched to the limit.

Schools gets nothing extra in their budgets.  There is money available for secondary schools and collages for pupils taking maths at higher levels but nothing for the primary schools who have already resorted to asking parents for money to plug their budget gaps. The government really is just papering over the already deep cracks they have created.

The future really does look bleak under the Conservative government.  After 7 1/2 years of austerity it's still very much pain with little gain for the average family.

We need a change of government if we really want to see living standards improve, properly affordable housing, a well funded NHS and school budgets that provide a good quality and varied education for our children.  

We need a Labour MP in Reading West who stands up for every community, regardless of its prosperity.  

We need hope.

See Jeremy Corbyn's response to this shambles of a budget here:  Jeremy Corbyn Budget 2017 response

What would Labour do instead?  Find out here: Manifesto

An unexpected Corbyn connection

I love family history.  Who Do You Think You Are is one of my favourite TV programmes.  My own family history is a very mixed story.  I have ancestors who descended from the Danes in Yorkshire (allegedly), fled Russia during the pogroms of the late 19th century and with a political streak from Bradford and Glasgow.

My mum's family have been involved in politics for a long time.  Joseph Burgess is my great great grandfather.  He was a journalist and Labour politician and was active in the creation of the Independent Labour party and Labour party.  He was a member of Glasgow city council too - a city I have visited several times in the last few years.

My great uncle was Wilfred Feinburgh who was a Labour politician and MP.  This was something I've known about for some time but I only looked a little closer this weekend.  Goodness knows what my children thought had happened when I gasped audibly and said something along the lines of 'no way'.  My great uncle was MP for North Islington - where Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of the Labour Party, is MP!

The MP for North Inslington with the great niece of a former MP for North Islington

It was great to go out campaigning yesterday spreading the Labour Party's message of Hope.  The party, under Jeremy Corbyn's leadership accompanied by an excellent manifesto, is larger than it's ever been and it's filled with energetic, inspired members fighting to return a Labour government. Last year I proudly signed a letter supporting Jeremy Corbyn's second leadership bid.  I knew it was the right thing to do and it seems I was correct!

School funding cuts shouldn't deny children a full and varied education

School funding is being cut - there's little doubt about that.  Funding changes and increased costs mean schools in Reading have less money with which to provide your children with an education. The newly formed National Education Union have said:

Since 2015, schools in England have had their funding per pupil frozen while inflation and other costs rise, leading to an effective £2.8 billion real-terms cut.

Campaigning with the National Union of Teachers in October last year for investment in education, not cuts.

Talking to parents and teachers in Reading it's clear that these cuts are having a significant impact on schools.  Some departments are having their funding slashed.  I was talking to some art teachers last week who are struggling to buy supplies because there's little budget for them.

I know schools are reducing the number of teaching assistants they employ to save money.  This is denying children who require support, but do not have an Education, Health and Care plan, the help they need to thrive.

There is a Reading secondary school that has apparently cancelled work experience because they can't afford it!

How can we forget there is a school in Reading which wrote to parents asking for money to plug its funding gap?

Parents are being asked to pay for more and more of the activities that would have been covered by the school in previous years and this is while parents are facing their own budget struggles.  How long is this sustainable?  Will we see trips, cultural experiences and extra-curricular activities  disappear?  Will the curriculum be limited to only classroom based learning?

Each of these cuts is impacting on education.  Each extra activity that parents have to pay for is putting pressure on household budgets.  Each subject lost through budget cuts is a lost opportunity for our children to receive a full and varied education.

The Conservative government must review the way it's funding schools before our children are priced out of a full and varied education.

As Angela Rayner MP, Shadow Education secretary, said on a recent visit to Reading "It should be on the ability of the child to learn, not on the ability of the child's parents to pay."

From www.labour.org.uk/education