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For the Many Not The The Sedgefield C.L.P. Newsletter November 2018 ISSUE 11 From the Chair, Paul Daly Sedgefield CLP has been extremely active in the last month and I for one am immensely proud of For the hard work of our dedicated activists. Our last CLP meeting saw our Political Education Officer, the Maria Cansella, deliver an outstanding session on the tenth anniversary of the financial crash. Our special many guests, UNISON's Claire Williams, Labour National Policy Forum member Harry Cross, Positive Money and Maria herself gave us some excellent information to use on the not doorstep in a thoroughly enjoyable session. Hot on the heels of this was our National Campaign Day in Newton the Aycliffe courtesy of the hard work of Chris Varty and Sam Forster, where we engaged with hundreds of few constituents. It was impressive to see the strength of our campaigning team and to hear the quality of the conversations from experienced and newer members. We have also been well represented at a number of events this month, solidifying bonds with local and national CLPs, Trade Unions and campaigning groups. The coming weeks look to be equally busy with a number of superb events planned. I am proud of our members' efforts to create a vibrant and engaging CLP. This community engagement is absolutely vital as we prepare for a General Election at the earliest opportunity. While the Labour Party is building a grassroots movement, the Conservative Party are falling apart. It would be comical if it were not so damaging to the country. In the sixteen months since the last general election there have been as many cabinet resignations for a variety of reasons – allegations of sleaze, Brexit and misleading Parliament to name but a few. While many in the media try to paper over the cracks by focussing on the Prime Minister's hapless dancing, this government is doing deep and lasting damage to communities all over the country with cuts to Education, Police and the Fire Brigade, and the cruel sanctions regime which disproportionately affects women and people with disabilities. I could go on. Meanwhile, so called Tory Rebels seem about as useless at rebelling as Theresa May is at achieving a good Brexit deal. While MPs like Anna Soubry claim to be against the government's appalling handling of Brexit (which she generally voted in favour of), a cursory glance at her voting record tells you all that you need to know. Voting for reductions in corporation tax, against banker's bonus taxes and reducing Trade Union rights is totally incompatible with the aims of our Party. We cannot rely on politicians from other Parties to keep their word. While many like Vince Cable would love to lay the blame for the botched Brexit deal at Labour's door, the fact remains that the vote to leave the EU was heavily influenced by the ideological austerity imposed on us by the ConDem Coalition and entirely the responsibility of the Conservatives under David Cameron and Theresa May. The best way to avoid a Brexit deal that will damage our country is to call for a General Election. The current lame duck Prime Minister is willing to cause permanent damage to the country in order to retain power. Her colleagues, while realising what a mess they have helped create, look unwilling to offer any kind of alternative. The Labour Party are ready, willing and able to take power, creating a society that works for the many, not the few. Throughout the country there are CLPs, ready like ours with enthusiastic and talented activists, who have created a mass movement with a mass membership. There is only one solution and one party, existing or planned, that can address the deep societal issues that we face. I am and always will be proud to be Labour. Phil’s Blog Spot The last few weeks in Parliament have proven how uncertain the future remains for this country. The Budget proved, if proof was even needed, that austerity is not over. Although there may be more money for Universal Credit, the on-going roll-out of the new benefit system is a nightmare for many recipients. They are still in need of the support of food banks. There are still unnecessary delays in payments. At the very least, Universal Credit needs to be paused, so the Government can get to grips with the fundamental problems with the system. The Government has lost any sense of priorities when it comes to education, with £420 million for fixing potholes and £400 million for schools so, according to the Chancellor, they can afford the ‘little extras’. Such a flippant remark did not go down well, especially when many schools have not got funding for the basics, such as equipment or teachers, let alone the ‘little extras’. The shortage of GPs in our communities is an issue I raised during the Budget debate. Since the Government started their recruitment campaign for a further 5,000 GPs in 2015, the number of GPs has actually fallen by 1400. The Government has also cut the training budget for doctors and nurses by £1 billion. At the time of the Budget, I also met the Housing and Homelessness Minister, Heather Wheeler, with Ron Hogg, Durham’s Police, Crime and Victims’ Commissioner, to discuss private landlords. Although the Government will not implement a national register of private landlords as detailed in my Private Members’ Bill which is supported by the police, the Minister was interested in looking at the possibility of a county-wide licensing scheme for County Durham. This is something I have been pushing the County Council to look at and I am pleased to say they will be building a case for such a proposal. The County Council is showing real leadership on this issue and it has my full support. Brexit No newsletter update would be complete without mentioning Brexit. I attended the People’s Vote Rally in London on 20th October and had the honour of addressing the 700,000 people who attended. The call for a vote on Theresa May’s deal is growing, with the majority of people in every Labour constituency supporting such a vote. The Withdrawal Agreement proposed by the Prime Minister to Parliament on 15th November pleases no one. I asked the Prime Minister whether, hand on heart, her deal was better than the one we have now as a member of the EU. The Prime Minister could not answer the question directly and only said that Britain’s “best days are ahead of us”! Deep down, the Prime Minister knows there is no deal that is better than the one we have now as a member of the EU. When you compare the agreement with the lies and fake promises made during the 2016 referendum campaign, there are no similarities. We will not be taking back control. The UK will continue to be a rule-taker, not a rule maker. Neither will we have control over our money, since we will need to pay £40 billion to the EU as part of the divorce deal. The backstop does not solve the problems with Northern Ireland and it will remain a significant issue. I doubt the agreement will get through Parliament and the disaster that would be a ‘No Deal’ Brexit will also fail. That leaves a General Election or another referendum. I cannot see the Conservative Party voting for a snap election, which will require the approval of two thirds of all MPs. That leaves a People’s Vote. For me, it is the only viable option. The people should have a say on whether they really want to go ahead with Brexit or remain and reform the EU from the inside. The Budget revealed pitiful growth figures for the UK economy over the next few years. Once the economic uncertainty of Brexit is added, the figures will be even worse. Any Labour Government will find it extremely difficult to put a real end to austerity because the money from a growing economy will simply not be there. I am afraid that if Brexit goes ahead on 29th March 2019, we will be talking about and feeling the consequences for years, if not generations, to come, from the construction of trade deals to food standards to workers’ rights. This is an historic moment for our country and we need to get it right. Contact As always you can contact my office on 01325 321603 or by email at [email protected] Alternatively, you can write to me at Office of Phil Wilson MP, 4 Beveridge Walkway, Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, DL5 4EE. 2 THE GLOBAL CRASH – TEN YEARS ON On 26 October, Sedgefield CLP hosted a Political Education session on the outfall of the Global Crash of 2008. The session was delivered by a prestigious panel comprising Clare Williams, Regional Unison Secretary; Harry Cross, NPF Northern representative; Richard Shelley , a Newcastle doctor; and Vince Richardson , a Sunderland hotelier. Richard Shelley and Vince Richardson were representing ‘Positive Money’ – a campaign for a money & banking system that enables a fair, sustainable and democratic economy: https://positivemoney.org/ The session was based around four key questions, and this is what our speakers told us: (1) DID THE LABOUR PARTY CAUSE THE 2008 CRASH? No, said the speakers; “it was the banks which crashed the global economy” … and then the Conservatives drilled home that it was Labour’s mess. We must, they explained, understand that 90% of new money is created by loans, which add to the money supply – “private banks create the majority of money in circulation” – and what happened in 2008 was that this got out of control, with huge loans to the sub-prime property market based, not on the ability to pay back, but on the assumption that property prices would keep on rising.
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