Only One Prosecution For Blacklisting

Blacklist campaigner highlights injustice

ONLY one person has been prosecuted for their criminal culpability in the blacklisting scandal, with not a single construction director behind the illegal operation having faced charges.  However, Ian Kerr, the former head of the Consulting Association – the industry financed organisation that spied on union and safety activists and provided the information to major site firms – has now been joined by award-winning human rights campaigner Dave Smith, as the focus of a prosecution.

Smith, a blacklisted worker and secretary of the Blacklist Support Group, was found guilty last week but discharged at the City of London magistrates’ court for disrupting traffic in Park Lane, London, in a blacklisting protest in March last year.  Commenting after his conviction, he said since the scandal erupted:

'Only two people have ever been convicted because of their involvement with blacklisting — Ian Kerr and me.'  

Smith was not fined but the offence will be held on his record for the next six months.

The Green Party has come out in support of calls for a public inquiry into the practice of blacklisting trade unionists and campaigners.  Outgoing Green leader Natalie Bennett said:

'The time has come for a public inquiry into the shameful practice of blacklisting. It’s vital that those who were discriminated against, and the public, gain an understanding of how this information on suspected trade unionists was collected and how it was shared with prospective employers.'

Green Party member of the House of Lords, Jenny Jones added that companies caught using blacklisting should not be left with the responsibility for ridding the industry of the practice.  'That’s why parliament must step up and kick-start a public inquiry into blacklisting,' the baroness said.  'I’m also urging any worker who was discriminated in this way to speak to me about their experiences. I’ll do all that I can to take this forward in the Lords.'

Ÿ  Blacklist blog. Green Party news release. Morning Star.Road block: How blocking roads has become a great way of making employers change direction, Dave Smith, Hazards, 2016.

Rochdale Campaign Against Trident

Dear All,

If you can get to St Chads in Rochdale on Tuesday 9 February 2016, please reserve this date.

The meeting is supported by Rochdale and Littleborough Peace Group, Rochdale Green Party and Momentum (Rochdale, Heywood and Middleton).

Natalie Bennett (leader of the Green Party) and others will be speaking and we want a big turn-out to build support  both for the ongoing campaign against Trident and for the national demonstration on Saturday 27 February 2016.

Please, also:

1. Spread the word

2. Whether you are likely to want tickets for the Rochdale coach on 27 February 2016.

Best wishes,

Philip

Leader of Greens at Ashton Jobcentre protest!

Natalie Bennett - Green Party Leader

GREEN Party leader, Natalie Bennett, came to Ashton-under-Lyne on Tuesday to support a protest that has been taking place outside Ashton-under-Lyne Jobcentre, since August 2014, against unfair benefit sanctions and benefit cuts.  However, it is unlikely that you will read about this in Tameside's only local newspaper, the Tameside Reporter, now exclusively owned by New Charter Housing Trust Limited.  Yet, we are reliably informed that the press were briefed about Ms. Bennett's visit to Ashton yesterday, but as usual, were conspicuous by their absence. 

Councillor John (Wag) Taylor, the Deputy Leader of Tameside Council, was spotted skulking about across the road from the Jobcentre, observing the events that were taking place.  When invited to join the protest, he declined, saying that he was busy doing his shopping and was off like a rat up a drainpipe.

Councillor Taylor, a.k.a. (el Cabron), has voiced criticism on social media about the Jobcentre campaign and Green Party member, Charlotte Hughes, a leading figure in the campaign, calling her 'The Bag Lady'.  Apparently, Taylor thinks that Ms. Hughes, a self-employed single-mother of five, should spend her free time looking for work rather than protesting outside the Jobcentre against benefit cuts. 

We might well ask, when Councillor Taylor, intends to come off the public purse and get himself a proper job?  For the last 30-years, he has been a full-time Labour councillor sponging off the taxpayer.  No doubt, this wouldn't look good on anybody's CV, but as they say, people who live in glass houses, shouldn't throw stones!

Cllr. John ( 'el cabron') Taylor's Spanish Villa Casa Azul

We do wonder what is happening to the Labour Party today?  Although the Labour Party under Jeremy Corbyn, has vowed to fight the Tory government's austerity policies, the Labour controlled Manchester city council, recently tried to imprison seven people who had been living in tents to highlight the plight of the homeless in Manchester.  Rough sleeping in the area has risen 150% in the last five-years.  This case was rightly thrown out of court by Judge Allan Gore, who said the council's case was fundamentally defective.  Dismissing the council's case, he said:

 'there is no dates, description of behaviour or identification of which allegations are made against which defendant.  That is a fundamentally misconceived and inappropriate way to advance criminal proceedings when the council ... seeks to commit people to prison.' Striking out the council's application, he said the council must foot the bill for the defendants legal costs, which could amount to many thousands. 

Although the Labour Party now says it is committed to fighting austerity, Labour council's across the country, have collaborated with Tory government cutbacks at every step.  With the election of Corbyn, the time is now ripe to throw out these Labour Party carpet-baggers who are in it for the money, and put in their place, people who believe in socialist values.  If Corbyn's Labour Party are fighting austerity, when are the local Labour council's going to join in?  Trying to imprison courageous people who fight the government's austerity policies, was an appalling act of incompetence.  We call on Sir Richard Leese to resign!