Comments for Lewes Labour - A strong voice for Lewes in tough times

Comment on Brighton Public Toilets threatened by Green Party by bill ball

bill ball — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 13:58:21 +0000

Nine public loos? That`s really taking the…

Comment on The Tories flounder, Osborne has failed, Labour fight on….. by bill ball

bill ball — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 01:31:18 +0000

Disagree with paragraph three.

We don`t need to act to show the Tories that there is another way. They already know that and don`t care.

We need to organize to fight them as we did on 30 Nov. And we need to organize to bring them down at the first opportunity

Comment on Support Public Sector Workers on November 30th by bill ball

bill ball — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 20:45:17 +0000

Check out “30th November great pensions robbery” FB page for photos of the Lewes Labour party banner on the picket lines. Solidarity forever. Many thanks to Pauline, David & Fran for their support today. You were part of history in the making. More importantly, you hammered the first big nail into the Tories` electoral coffin.

Comment on Support Public Sector Workers on November 30th by bill ball

bill ball — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 23:58:57 +0000

For any comrades who may be less mobile & have trouble getting up to County Hall, there will be a picket at Sackville House behind Tesco. Lewes District UNISON will be picketing Southdown House. There will be a picket at the college in Mountfield Road. Lewes District UNISON will also be running a leafleting stall in the precinct later in the morning.It would also be great if Labour comrades could support the protest picket by POA staff outside Lewes prison. Prison officers are banned from taking industrial action under the Criminal Justice Act. So the staff there will all be on leave or rest days.there picket runs from 07.00 -10.00. The County Hall picket runs from 07.30 -9.30.ish. labour party members with banners welcome. Also flasks of over sweetened coffee & bacon butties. A luta continua

Comment on Next Branch Meeting is Tuesday 29th November -7.30pm by bill ball

bill ball — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 21:07:15 +0000

Respect to Labour MSPs & AMs who are refusing to cross picket lines at Holyrood & Cardiff on 30 Nov. Hope for the same at Westminster.

Comment on Next Branch Meeting is Tuesday 29th November -7.30pm by bill ball

bill ball — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 20:36:05 +0000

Many thanks to Pauline & other local comrades who have advised the Trades Council that they will be supporting the Nov 30 pickets in Lewes with the Party banner. I would also ask that the Party considers supporting the POA`s protest against pension cuts which will be ongoing throughout the day on the pavement outside Lewes Prison. The POA is banned from taking strike action. So the protest will be by officers on leave or rest days. The POA is also campaigning for the restoration of full trade union rights. Jonathan & Pauline should be able to give out details at the meeting of where the picket lines will be situated. Let`s make Nov 30the first step in bringing down this obnoxious government

Comment on Drop The Bill by bill ball

bill ball — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 01:13:01 +0000

And Our Norm voted for it.

Comment on Next Street Labour Stall and table sale/fundraiser is November 24th from 10am by bill ball

bill ball — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 23:05:17 +0000

It will be good to see the political wing of the movement in the precinct in the run up to Nov 30th. All I would suggest is that you liaise with Lewes Stop The Cuts who will also be running their Defeat The Lansley Bill petition from 10.00 – 13.00 on Saturday mornings in the precinct. It would be good if you could work together to maximize the campaign against the Bill & support for the strike.

Comment on The Robin Hood Tax by bill ball

bill ball — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 07:13:19 +0000

If it is properly explained to people, it is a vote winner. Cannot understand why the national party has failed to run with it. Suspect they are afraid of flak from the press. The crook Murdoch still has an unhealthy influence on the manipulation of public opinion in this country. But keep plugging away. It is an idea that will take root in time.

Comment on Labours Plan for Jobs by bill ball

bill ball — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 12:37:07 +0000

Some interesting ideas. Push them a little farther & they could be election winners. Some suggested tweaks.

1. Bailing out the banks is what has damaged our economy. We got nothing for it. Now that the banks are back on an even keel it is payback time. They should be taken into public ownership if they have received a public bailout. Even Ted Heath nationalized Rolls Royce as the price of a bailout. We stood the loss. We should enjoy the profits.

The Tories are pushing most people into levels of poverty that make it difficult to pay mortgages, let alone buy new homes. The term “affordable homes” is becoming meaningless. A Labour government pledged to a massive council house building programme would be on a winner.

2. School building opens a can of worms. Tony Blair was actually not far off the mark when he said in 1997 that as well as building new schools, we`d need to spend £4 billion bringing existing buildings up to scratch. Labour also needs to factor in the reality that most schools are now taking on debt in the form of LEA authorized loans to maintain school buildings at present.Labour needs to get schools out of debt as a priority.

3.VAT is a tax on the poor. Labour would be better scrapping at it & looking at alternatives such as the Robin Hood Tax.

4.Denis Healey once talked of squeezing the rich until the pips squeaked. Abolition of VAT would help small businesses. It would also help lift low income families out of poverty. Make the rich pay. My old dad used to say that the Tories look after the bosses and Labour looks after the rest of us.

5. I would couple the tax break idea with regular increases in the national minimum wage. It`s a nice idea but we have to be realistic enough to see that the only long term way out of this mess- which will be far worse after 5 years of Tory screw ups – is to get people back to work. Once people are back in work, the Exchequer is getting revenue through taxation. We need to ensure that everyone is paid a fair days wage for a fair days work. Nothing will stimulate growth like people having a bit of money in their pockets. The Tories` answer is throw hundreds of thousands of people on the dole. It is always their answer. The way to rebuild the economy is threough investment, not cuts