VICTORY FOR LEWISHAM HOSPITAL CAMPAIGNERS!

Great news! Press release from today "UNISON, the UK’s largest health union, today welcomed the High Court decision that Jeremy Hunt acted unlawfully in deciding that casualty and maternity services at Lewisham Hospital should be downgraded.

Dave Prentis, General Secretary of UNISON, said: “Today’s decision is a victory for all the local people who turned out time and time again to protect services at Lewisham Hospital. The High Court rightly ruled that the health secretary acted unlawfully in riding roughshod over the wishes of the community and that is a lesson that the Government ignores at its peril

“This decision will give heart to health campaigners across the country where other hospitals may be threatened by Government plans to close or downgrade much valued health services.”

The BBC reports that the challenge had been brought about by Save Lewisham Hospital and the London Borough of Lewisham and quotes Labour Mayor, Sir Steve Bullock, that "justice had been delivered to a hospital well-managed, highly-respected and financially solvent".

Hat tip Nicole Minet

UNISON National Delegate Conference 2013 :Tuesday

Today is the start of our National Delegate Conference in ACC in Liverpool.

I understand that there are 2500 delegates and visitors present and it is one of the largest trade union gatherings in Europe.

The conference was welcomed to Liverpool by a special guest, Comedy TV personality, Ricky Tomlinson. Ricky introduced his home town as a City with two famous football teams - Liverpool FC and Liverpool FC reserves! However he made a serious point about his conviction and that of  the"Shrewsberry 24" pickets who he believes were "fitted up" during the national building workers strike in 1972. 

After the President's Address, Standing Orders Committee, Annual and Financial report, business started on a Composite motion on Employment  and Trade Union rights. 

During lunch I went to a Fringe (which I will post upon later) then business started off at 2pm with th emotion "Kick it Out - Racism has no place in football". 

Next was our General Secretary Dave Prentis (see picture) who gave his annual speech to the conference. 
Dave's main announcement was to call on the TUC to organise a mass rally and lobby of this year’s Tory party conference, in defence of the NHS.“And if they don’t, we will because we are the folk to fight for it.” He also said “We need Labour on our side. But for too long we’ve built the careers of Labour politicians, only to be let down when we’ve needed them most.”

After his speech there were important debates on Outsourcing and Privatisation; NHS campaigning and NHS and Social Care integration.  Its now 4.40pm and I'm not sure if there will be time for me to speak on the housing motion 33 next?

Update: Nope - not enough time. Conference closed. Finance Fringe next. 

TUC #Oct20 March for A Future that Works

Another fantastic Labour Movement march and rally for an alternative economic policy,” A Future that Works”. 150,000 in central London and many more in Glasgow and Belfast. The weather held out for us. It was mild and balmy with lots of sunshine. A colourful, lively, noisy but peaceful protest against the wrecking of our economy by this one trick Tory Coalition of economic illiterates. 

I was in the main UNISON component near the front of the march, going to and fro from my Housing Association branch banner to the London regional one. In picture collage below you see UNISON comrades, my local Labour MP Lyn Brown with West Ham CLP; Newham folk gathering at Stratford Station, UNISON Regional Convener Gloria Hanson, Deputy Convener Conroy Lawrence, Regional Publicity Officer Lynn Bentley and NEC member Kim Silver. See also Labour Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Rachel Reeves.

We all booed Starbucks and Vodafone shops we passed by as being tax cheats and thieves.  

I heard that the selfish idiots who shamed our movement at the end of the march last year with their pointless yobbery tried to infiltrate our march this year wearing masks and were told in no uncertain terms by rank and file activists “Oi, take your masks off your cowardly b*****ds” and the 0.001%ers were “persuaded” to go forth and multiply elsewhere.

The Rally at Hyde Park was better organised than last year. Great speeches from Ed Miliband and Dave Prentice. Afterwards London region UNISON retired to the ‘spoons at Marble Arch to celebrate the March. The pub was packed out with marchers and you could not move around without finding people to argue and debate about putting the world to rights. Some made more sense than others but this is really why we were all there.

We did not march for marching sake but to make the case for an alternative economic policy. Austerity does not work. Our National debt is growing and our economy is still tanking. We need a different way to run our country.

(I'll post more pictures of the march on Facebook tomorrow).