The Popular Front for the Liberation of the C.P.S.A

ROUND AND ABOUT

BY JUDAS ISCARIOT - NOVEMBER 2010

Huddled in the trenches waiting for the storm to burst. All along the lines a dull boom rings, a reverberating roar of rumours of what the cuts are really going to mean. But when the first sparks fly with the sacking of three union activists in the Home Office including the Group President, MARK HAMMOND, no one knows what's going on or what Falconcrest intends to do about it.

HAMMOND was dismissed last month, following a Management investigation into an item in a branch newsletter (not apparently his own despite some rumours circulating outside the department) about the ongoing dispute around allowances. He was notified at home as he's currently on sick leave. Last week PCS representatives walked out of the Home Office's annual Trade Union meeting, in protest against disciplinary action taken against three union officials. FDA and Prospect representatives remained in the meeting.

According to Management, their man, DAVID NORMINGTON said: 'the PCS representatives at the meeting claimed that the disciplinary action represented victimisation of Union leaders for political purposes. I gave them my assurance that these members of staff were treated just like any other, impartially and absolutely in accordance with our procedures. I am, therefore, disappointed at the walk out. He continued 'The annual meeting is an important opportunity for me and other senior colleagues to hear from the trade unions about important issues facing our staff. I am sorry they decided to pass up that opportunity. Despite this walk out, management remains committed to constructive engagement with all Trade Unions as we tackle the Spending Review challenges.'

SUE KENDAL, an ex C&E G7 was also sacked last week, she was the branch secretary. There is speculation that the unnamed branch rep who sent out the controversial secret circular got away with a final written warning, on the grounds that he had conveniently dropped Hammond and co in the shit. JOHN OLIVER, branch chair and AGS has managed so far to keep out of the firing line. PAUL BEACHCROFT walked out of the GEC recently when acting president NIGEL BULLER made a ruling that MARK'S case could not be discussed. It's seems LU, having encouraged HAMMOND into this position, are now panicking, given the ramifications of these high profile sackings.

Also, the HO GEC have asked the NDC for a chance to go out on strike at ports for a further 2 and 8 days respectively on the UKBF integration issue. Which is a bit much given that ex C&E members won't be going out, nor the ISU and so there'll be loads of staff, including PCS members, to cover for the strikers.

Falconcrest has been fully briefed and the grandees are taking “legal advice”. That's all right then. Never mind MARK and SUE. You've still got time to appeal to the CSAB. The appeal board isn't going to be abolished until 30th November.

The ISU are now planning another of their 'told you they were bonkers trots' recruitment campaigns on the back of all of this, which is unwelcome, but hardly surprising news.

Meanwhile the grandees had bigger fish to fry at the special one day session of the NEC in October arguing for a call on the TUC to hold a national protest against the cuts before Christmas, preferably not in London.

The grandees are led by former members of the old Mendicant faction. Most are now in the “Socialist Party” or its Scottish twin called the “Scottish Socialist Party (of course). They ran a 30 strong slate at the last general election under the banner of the “Trade Union & Socialist Coalition” or TUSC, which was led by maverick RMT leader BOB CROW. During the campaign their leading lights claimed that Labour was little or no different to the Conservatives and that the major task for working people was to build TUSC and not keep CAMERON out. They expected a Tory landslide, a Labour slump and a rise in support for the racist BNP. It wasn't quite like that on the day was it? The Labour vote largely held. The Tories got in on the backs on the Liberal Democrats and the BNP were smashed. Oh, by the way, TUSC won a magnificent 0.04 per cent of the vote...

Any doubt that a Tory-led government would be much worse than a Labour was easily dispelled by the Budget and the public service cuts that could lead to the loss of one in five member's jobs over the next four years. Barely a day passes without a Coalition announcement of more reviews and cuts to come in the drive to destroy what's left of the public sector and the welfare state in the name of cutting the budget deficit. While “fairness”, whatever that's supposed to mean, is the watchword of the Tory/Liberal Democrat coalition there's nothing remotely equitable about the Government's plans to slash public spending, along with the jobs and services it provides and scapegoat the poorest and economically weakest in society to justify it.

Though the Tories tell us that these draconian measures are “fair”, necessary and unavoidable they are nothing of the kind. They go far beyond the cuts planned by the last Labour government and they're motivated as much by the need to ensure that working people carry the entire burden of the slump and by Tory dogma that has always been opposed, even in the good times, to public spending and the welfare state.

Those unions that can fight, like the firefighters and those in transport or the BBC, have already entered the fray over pay, pensions, terms and conditions. Others are preparing to support the TUC's national demonstration planned for London on 26th March next year.

The grandees think March is too late and want some sort of mass national protest now. Their chief guru, JOHN MCINALLY, says that the cuts “are not inevitable” *(True. Nothing ever is). BIG MAC and all his brethren up and down the land argue that "the left and organised labour movement's role can have a decisive impact in rejecting the fake idea that all must suffer to rescue the fat cats. Despite the GOEBBELS-style media drumbeat of the ‘cuts are inevitable” they are not. A massive movement of lobbies, demonstrations and industrial protest needs to be built to both drive this lesson home and build public support for an alternative path” is how Ken Ferguson the Scottish Socialist national officer put it in the Morning Star last week (Yes, in theory but how do you build it and what's the “alternative path”?).

4TM's Gang of Four on the NEC think the grandees want a demonstration outside London because if it's seen as a flop they can blame it on being outside the great metropolis. But the main reason is that they know that there's going to be a national anti-war demonstration in late November and after that there's nothing doing until after Christmas and the New Year. They also know that any TUC demo in London will be dominated by an “awkward squad” platform in which Sertwotka and Crow will be decidedly out of place. The giant unions may indeed be looking for a fight but they also want to see the speedy return of a Labour Government. So this whole debate has been one of pointless posturing on the NEC…

What would it matter if, for the sake of the Christian Church, one were to tell a big lie?"

Martin Luther

1483-1546

We'd also like to mention the passing of MARION CHAMBERS aged 76, who as CPSA President had the good humour to put down all points of order raised at CPSA Annual Conference against PFL with the phrase "That's not a point of order, you don't have to read it." But she did read it, and on one occasion parrotted one of our made up "things they never said", telling Conference that for lunch she was going to have "just a small Ryvita".

Long-term unemployed "to be beaten with sticks and made to dance like bears"

Workshy benefit claimants could be forced to dance like bears and be beaten by sticks under proposals being put forward by Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith, it has emerged.

Long-term dole claimants could be put on makeshift trestle stages and encouraged by their keepers to jiggle about and growl for the entertainment of passers-by in market squares in England and Wales.

Mr Duncan Smith said his plans were designed to give people new skills, to encourage a routine and to make them ultimately more attractive to an employer.

“Our focus group was very clear. Many long-term unemployed have little experience of the habits and routines of working life. Spending most of your working day doing something repetitive and humiliating in front of people you hate is the perfect preparation for a life as a lowly civil servant."

Anyone refusing to take part or failing to turn up on time to work could have their £65-a-week Jobseekers Allowance stopped, or they could choose to be stoned to death.

“We have seen a large number of unemployed people express an interest in the latter option, but we're not sure they fully understand it” he continued.

Other News

The Department of Health announced today that, following George W. Bush's comments on the benefits of waterboarding, the treatment would become an integral part of the care offered to NHS patients nationwide.

‘It is important that we offer the general public the best possible medical service,' said a junior health minister, ‘and it is beyond doubt that waterboarding is a lifesaver. There are many advantages to this treatment, above and beyond its life enhancing properties. For a start, it is cheap and reliable. It is also of near universal application. We plan to implement it nationally in all intensive treatment units in all of our hospitals. If you compare the costs, the figures speak for themselves. If someone suffers life threatening complications in open heart surgery we have previously had to spend a considerable amount of money on medication and machinery to keep them alive. What is clear to us now is that all we need to do is to lie them on the floor, cover their faces with an improvised, non-sterile cloth, and pour a steady stream of water over their faces. There is no further medication cost, and we are able to use staff that require no formal qualifications or training. This will save us millions.'

‘The plan will involve tests in a number of specimen areas,' he continued, ‘and these will give us reliable data on which to move forward. In the first place, we will implement the new treatment in only the most tried and tested hospitals, with Stafford and Basildon hospitals taking the lead roles.'

Late News

Nick Clegg is to be grounded for a month following David Cameron's anger at "wild parties with your student mates in our home while I'm away"