 I wanted to send you this message today to thank you and update you on our election campaigns. But it is important that I mention the events of the last few days.
Let me make it clear that Labour is implacably opposed to any form of racism, including anti-Semitism, and I will personally ensure that Labour introduces measures to take tough action on this matter. Next Thursday there are vital elections. Labour activists across the UK are working hard to elect our candidates and I want to thank every one of you that is knocking on doors, making phone calls and delivering leaflets. We rely on you and you make a huge difference. Thank you. Voters have a choice to make. Only Labour is on the side of the majority. Over the last few months more and more people are seeing the broken promises of this Prime Minister who simply can't be trusted. He can't be trusted when it comes to tax, he can't be trusted with strategic industries like steel and he can't be trusted to balance the books fairly. Labour is standing up, not standing by. We have run a strong election campaign everywhere. Over the last few weeks we have campaigned on housing and education, health, crime and policing, and the economy. I have been in our nations and regions taking our message to the voters. Our activists have knocked on millions of doors. In London, David Cameron's candidate has been blanketing voters with leaflets, adverts and press releases about the "Corbyn-Khan experiment". David Cameron even called Londoners "lab rats". More and more people in all parts of the UK are seeing our message of balancing the budget fairly, investing in public services and delivering a better life for all. Over the coming months I look forward to outlining my agenda for change. Thank you again for being part of this party as we campaign for a fairer and better life for everyone. Jeremy Corbyn Leader of the Labour Party
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 If you have been supporting the TUC in its fight against the Tory government's assault on British unions you may have received the following update as an email. If not make sure you get signed up to suppot the TUC in its ongoing fight. I wanted to write to say a heartfelt thanks for all your support so far in the campaign against the Trade Union Bill. We had a big result in the House of Commons last night, with confirmation of further government climbdowns to add to wins over the last 10 months.  http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/apr/27/eurosceptics-question-motives-for-trade-union-bill-climbdown
https://www.holyrood.com/articles/news/trade-union-bill-‘climb-down’-uk-government  People of England, Monday April 25, 2016.
Good evening once again. I find myself posting to you on the verge of an important yet regrettable day. Tomorrow and Wednesday, there will be a full walk out by junior doctors in England between 8AM and 5PM. This is in protest of an unfair and unsafe contract that the government decided to impose on them. I'm sat in clinic in this picture, but tomorrow I won't be there. I'll be in my consultant greens, carrying the crash bleep and manning the acute assessment unit. Let me make one thing very clear. Emergency service in hospitals will go on as usual. Consultants, non-training grade doctors supported by nurses, pharmacists, clinical support workers and other health professionals will ensure that you will receive emergency care should you require it. At our hospital, covering acute medicine alone, will be a team of consultant physicians with over 150 years of medical experience combined. We have full confidence that you will continue to have world class care over the next two days. If you should fall ill, please do not be hesitant to seek help. Hospitals, GP surgeries, Urgent Care Centres and NHS 111 will be on hand like we are everyday to help you. Please help spread this message by sharing or tweeting. To my junior doctor colleagues, we have your back so you can fight the good fight, take this opportunity to show the public your passion, and to show Mr Hunt and the Government how wrong they are. Good luck, and see you on the other side. Dr Philip Lee Consultant Physician in Acute Medicine and Care of the Elderly  Op-ed: WE the supporters, voters and members of the Labour Party are the PARTY. WE all need each other and right now with local elections weeks away it needs all willing and able hands on board.
But WE also need the best people for the job elected to the party's NEC, national executive committee. Divisions between the left and the right of the party mean that some who want to be elected to the NEC openly oppose Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn. Thanks to Kev Minnette, a prospective Labour councillor, for sharing the following: Dear Comrades For what is probably the first time the right wing slate for the NEC put together by Progress and Labour First is getting far more CLP nominations than the Centre-left Grassroots Alliance (CLGA) slate (excepting Ann Black). Progress is a very well-funded organisation with millionaire benefactors and probably has paid employees phoning round CLP’s to get backing for its slate. The CLGA of which CLPD is one of the main organisations, relies entirely on unpaid volunteer party members like yourselves. Therefore, we ask you urgently to do your very best to get CLP’s to nominate for the CLGA slate of Ann Black; Ken Livingstone; Christine Shawcroft; Claudia Webbe; Darren Williams; Peter Willsman. This is a vital task as control of the NEC will decide the future direction of the Labour Party. Yours in socialism Matt Stiles Asst Sec CLPD PS Comrades are also encouraged to press for good Annual Conference delegates from their CLP’s and where possible to stand themselves.  Dear Public
Please give me 3 minutes of your time to read this letter, which explains what is really going on with the junior doctor strike and what it is all about. I am really worried that people are believing the deceit and spin from the government and their cronies in the press. But the truth of the matter is so different to what they have been saying. Please read this short message from someone on the front line who knows the truth: 1.No one wants a strike. Especially not our junior doctors. They have promised to call off the strike if the government stop imposition of a contract which is not safe for patients and not fair for doctors. The government have refused and are putting political ideology in front of patient care. They could stop the strike now with one phone call. 2. Consultants and other senior doctors will be covering, so no harm should come to our patients because of the strike. The vast majority of senior doctors including myself support our juniors. We know why they are striking - to protect our NHS in the longer term. 3. Operations and clinics will be delayed and that is awful for those affected. But 1000s more operations have been delayed this years because of a bed crisis and underfunding, compared to the delays to elective care caused by the strikes. 4. The juniors are not striking because of pay - but because the new contract discriminates against female doctors, discriminate against those who work in specialities delivering care outside of 9-5 and will lead to an exodus of doctors from the NHS. It will make weekend emergency cover much harder to deliver because of a lack of doctors and patients will suffer. 5. Scotland and Wales NHS know this to be the case and are thus not going down this route of these changes of their Junior Doctors' contracts. 6. The junior doctor crisis is already here. Because of the way they are being treated, many are leaving the NHS. Rota gaps are now very common and patients are being put at risk because of this. Indeed an A&E in Lancashire had to downgrade from a full A&E at night as there was not enough junior doctors to staff the A&E department 24/7. 7. The biggest threat to the NHS is what happens when our disillusioned and depressed juniors decide to up sticks and leave their jobs when they rotate in August. We can cope with a short strike; we can't cope with an exodus of junior doctors in August. 8. We have 3 days till the strike starts. 3 days till we lose the goodwill of 54,000 junior doctors. Without this goodwill we cannot care for our patients as well as we do. Please email/write to your government MPs to put pressure on Hunt and Cameron to change their minds before it is too late. Please join demonstrations. Please help us change their minds. We can only hope that even though they may not listen to NHS staff on the front line who know what is happening, they may listen to their voters. This is the truth as I see it. I am someone who will not be personally affected by a new contract, but someone who cares passionately about his staff, his patients and the NHS. Please share and tweet so that people know the truth. Rob (A very concerned A&E consultant)  Malia Bouattia CREDIT: FACEBOOK Friday the Independent writes "Student groups across the UK join growing campaign for unions to ‘disaffiliate’ from NUS." "The move has come after the election of new NUS National President, Malia Bouattia, divided opinion following allegations of “anti-Semitism” which hit her campaign just last week. The following is her open letter response which is published online: Dear undersigned members, Thank you for bringing this letter to my attention and offering me the opportunity to respond. The letter talks of questions, so I respond first to the only direct question posed in the letter which was “why do you see a large Jewish Society as a problem?” The answer is that I do not now, nor did I five years ago when I contributed to the article cited in your letter, see a large Jewish Society on campus as a problem. I celebrate the ability of people and students of all backgrounds to get together and express their backgrounds and faith openly and positively, and will continue to do so. I want to be clear that for me to take issue with Zionist politics, is not me taking issue with being Jewish. In fact, Zionist politics are held by people from a variety of different backgrounds and faiths as are anti-Zionist politics. It is a political argument, not one of faith. We should be allowed to disagree on politics without this being a threat to the solidarity of the student movement. Debate and disagreement are vital to any healthy democracy. You raise two further issues of concern, one of which relates exactly to this point. At the SOAS event mentioned in your letter, I criticised the influence of organisations such as the Henry Jackson Society over policy making in the UK. I described it as promoting neo-con and pro-Zionist policies. In no way did I – or would I – link these positions to Jewish people, but to a particular (non-Jewish) organisation. I am alarmed that you have drawn a link between criticism of Zionist ideologies and anti-Semitism. I am sure many would strongly agree that they are not one and the same and making correlations between faith and politics is both unfair and unrepresentative. These correlations are dangerous and have become the excuse for many racist and fascist attacks up and down the country and in the world, which I am sure we all want to end. The second concern you raise is about my “relationship” with MPAC and Mr Raza Nadim. I do not have a relationship, in any shape or form, with this organisation or the individual in question. I have always and will continue to respect and uphold NUS' No Platform Policy. I have a public facebook page with nearly 5,000 ‘friends’ on it, many of whom have posted supportive messages to my wall. In all honesty, I was not aware of who Mr Nadim was or his position when he posted to my wall and responded in the same way I would to any post. This certainly does not constitute a relationship or accept an endorsement; it was just a generic response. Since being made aware of his position, I have removed both comments to avoid further doubts. In my role as the Black Students’ Officer I have a long track record of opposing racism – in all its forms - and actively campaigning against it. I am also an advocate of inter-faith work both inside of our union and beyond. I am open about my own faith, whilst also supporting students of all faiths, because I do believe in creating a cohesive and inclusive society and want to do my best to represent all students. Therefore, I am deeply concerned that my faith and political views are being misconstrued and used as an opportunity to falsely accuse me of antisemitism, despite my work and dedication to liberation, equality and inclusion saying otherwise. As president of NUS, I would continue to encourage students to oppose inequality, oppression – including racism – and injustice both at home and abroad. And in doing this, I am happy to be accountable for my views, offer opportunities to discuss them and used that openness and accountability to ensure that I can be representative of the student body as a whole, whilst respecting and encompassing the varied views and opinions held across our movement. I hope what I have set out above has answered your questions. Yours sincerely, Malia Bouattia Malia Bouattia elected NUS National President at Brighton conference The letter to Malia is reproduced below: Dear Malia, |
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