News & Action No 16 - now with a bit on Thatcher's demise

The views expressed in this email and blog are those of the individuals whose name is attached to the posting. They do not represent a collective position of the WLG or the Labour Party

Dear Comrade

As the Tory assault cuts deeper the demonization of the working class spills into the gutter; as ever the Daily Mail are leading the baying pack. We cover the usual issues and we highlight the threat of the politics of the right, why this is happening and how we can fightback. At the very minimum sign this petition about Iain Duncan Smith and his statement that he could live on £53 a week.

(This e-bulletin was put together before today’s announcement of Margaret Thatcher’s death and we will no doubt cover her legacy in more detail next time. For now, here are some well-made comments from Glenn Greenwald in The Guardian about ‘death etiquette’ and here is a piece from last year by Owen Jones about why he wouldn’t be celebrating Thatcher’s demise. DW)

Don’t forget that all our e-bulletins are available here.

Coming Events

·        Cardiff, Tuesday 9 April: Cymru-Cuba/UNA public meeting: Dr Stephen Wilkinson on ‘Current Changes in Cuba’. 7.00-9.00 pm at the Temple of Peace, King Edward VII Ave.

·        Swansea, Thursday 11 April: Swansea Anti Cuts Lobby of full Council meeting – assemble 4.30 pm at the main entrance, Civic Centre – information swanseaanticuts@gmail.com 07963 454041

·        Cardiff, Saturday 13 April: ‘Fight the bedroom tax’ workshop. 12.30–4.00 pm in the Unite Building. Email: cardiffagainstthebedroomtax@gmail.com, tel: 07940 108146.

·        Cardiff, Saturday, 20 April: Unite Against Fascism Wales conference 9.30 am–1.30 pm at the Unite Building Cathedral road: To register, email secretary@uafwales.com or tel. 07704 356894.

·        Cardiff, Saturday, 20 April – Cardiff Against the Bedroom Tax ‘welcome’ for Nick Clegg, who will be attending the Welsh Lib Dem conference. 12.00 noon at the Mercure Hotel, Newport Road.

·        Cardiff, Saturday, 20 April: Stop the Bedroom Tax demo. 1.00 pm at the Nye Bevan statue Queen St, hosted by Cllr. Siobhan Corria. More information on Facebook

·        Cardiff, Saturday 4 May: Cardiff Trades Council May Day March & Rally – assemble 12.00 noon at the southern end of St Mary St, under railway bridge: More information on Facebook

·        London, Saturday 22 June: People’s Assembly Against Austerity: http://thepeoplesassembly.org.uk/

Left week

Michael Roberts continues to outshine other commentators with his economic analysis. His posts on the budget and Cyprus certainly fit into this category and his latest accessible exploration of neo-liberalism and Keynesian theory should be taken seriously by all who still have inclinations in those directions.

Richard Murphy and Richard Brooks keep up a penetrating critique of tax evasion and the real workings of capitalism, always with suggested answers – details of Richard’s latest book are here.

Finally I found this article about community / workers’ control in Port Said – an insight into another aspect of the Egyptian resistance.

Labour Party

The Welsh Labour website is much improved, with a regular supply of news and the Welsh Labour conference speeches by Carwyn Jones, Owen Smith and Leighton Andrews posted in full. The main Labour party website includes this punchy leaflet attacking the Tory policy of giving tax cuts to millionaires.

Our last WLG bulletin No 15 covers the conference including the anti-austerity resolution; our conference bulletin and a report of the fringe meeting. There is also a report of the conference from a WLG perspective on the Left Futures website.

Reports of the latest NEC meeting are also available from by Grassroots Alliance NEC members, Christine Shawcroft and Ann Black.

The forthcoming People’s Assembly Against Austerity and the parallel development of the ‘Left Unity’ initiative have led to a debate about what ‘left unity’ may mean for Labour Party members. Peter Rowlands has been active in commenting, making the argument that an alternative party, even if desirable, would not survive without proportional representation. You may also be interested in this post and following discussion which covers a wide range of issues relevant to us as WLG. Labour List have also raised some specific issues about the direction of the party. On the same theme, there are another two excellent posts on the Red Pepper site here and here.

Len Arthur – WLG Assistant Secretary

Darren Williams – WLG Secretary