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

"Together we'll stand, Divided we'll fall, Come on now people let's get on the ball, let's work together… "

Marching down the line with a cheery smile of confidence singing blithely of the prospect of another big push, an air of steely determination spreads across the entire front. And while old hands prepare the picket rotas the eerie words from a Canned Heat Christmas hit from way back when echo up and down the trenches…

Download it for 99p and 40p goes to the Age charridee. The video's OK, musically meh, but the idea is to get it on the radio playlists – a Number One for N30. Just buy and download it, you can always delete it. The 40p donation is enough to get grannies teeth cleaned every 3 months in her “care” home. What was that about pensions, I seem to have forgotten? Silly me, I must be getting forgetful…

Yes! next week is going to be big and for the first time PCS has been easily overshadowed by the giants of our heroic union movement. Over 20 unions voted to strike on 30 th November including biggies like Unite and Unison, major teaching unions and the mandarins of the First Division Association. If all goes well on the TUC 's Day of Action over three million workers will take industrial action, greater than the 1.75 million who downed tools during the General Strike of 1926 and making Pension Justice Day the biggest stoppage ever in British labour history. No surprise that Cameron and Maude are rattled “Jobs will be lost, it will cost the country £M500…irresponsible to take action while ‘negotiations' continue…bring your child to work…only go on strike for 15 minutes so you won't lose money...volunteers sought to man border controls… millions queueing at Heathrow and stranded on planes that will run out fuel and crash...any volunteers for airport flight control…? “I sure picked the wrong week to give up governing responsibly and negotiating properly…"

At Chateau Falconcrest the grandees have been working like Trojans to get a big turn-out on the day, while our leaders have jumped at every chance to put the members' case to a wider audience in the search for photo-opportunities and media sound-bites. SERWOTKA made good use of his time on the BBC talking about the cuts, LANNING been doing his usual bit for the Palestinians and LEON BOFF has gone to St Paul's at least three times to visit the “Occupy London” crowd. He even sallied forth to DALE FARM to show solidarity with the Irish travellers and gypsies booted off their camp site by the heartless minions of Basildon council. We should make it clear that BOFF's meanderings were in his own time and at his own expense and he did not seek any publicity for himself (or PCS for that matter): how many of you so-called socialists can emulate that. Not that BOFF is claiming "solidarity credentials" - (and he'd better not), our agents saw him. So, big up to OUR CHRIS for a pleasant change.

BOFF, of course, always has his eye on the main chance given that MAREK'S health isn't getting better. Though he's got a dodgy ticker our great and glorious leader has actually put on weight in the past few months and no one would be surprised if the doctors order him to take early retirement in the not too distant future.

Meanwhile the titanic struggle for control of the DWP continues as the grandee move to remove the JANE AITCHISON and ROB WILLIAMS clique goes into top gear for the AGM season. The whisper campaign that began at this year's conference in Brighton (reported by PFL) focused on JANE and ROB's decision to send their offspring to an elitist private school rather than the plebeian comprehensive schooling upheld by her onetime SOCIALIST PARTY comrades (along with unreported, at the time, claims that she was a practising lay Methodist preacher, like her parents, and insisted that ROB attend her preachings).

You don't have to be a non-believer to be a member of the Socialist Party. Even their more hard-line MENDICANT predecessors never made atheism a condition of membership. But opting out of state education was a real embarrassment for the RED camp already dissatisfied with JANE'S refusal to heed the advice from leading comrades like BOFF on DWP issues. This was made clear in this recent SOCIALIST PARTY statement :

The Tory/Lib coalition cuts programme is the biggest threat to working people for generations. A central feature of their plans affects the benefits system, largely delivered by PCS members in the DWP. This represents a massive attack upon members in the DWP and the millions who rely on the vital work we do. As the biggest group in PCS , DWP can play a vital role in the campaign of opposition to the governments programme by taking a clear and firm stance against the cuts. Crucial to our success is the relationship between the DWP and the national union leadership: working with, not against, the national leadership, who have built PCS into the influential campaigning union has made November 30th possible

Unfortunately the present DWP Group President Jane Aitchison and Rob Williams, NEC member and Assistant Secretary in DWP group, have come into conflict with the national union on industrial strategy. The DWP Group has a proud tradition of union organisation and fighting to defend members' jobs and conditions. It is the biggest group with the highest levels of membership in PCS but unless there is a change of direction all of this will be put at risk, which will be a major setback to the working lives of our members in this area.

The fundamental difference is that both these comrades have blocked, obstructed and manoeuvred against the Group Wide Campaign in DWP. This is a vital part of the strategy, endorsed by national and DWP conference policy, which reinforces national industrial action, links up all areas of the union, and is agreed by all groups at the National Campaign Liaison group and endorsed by the NEC. Many other groups have developed their group plans, balloted their members and are acting on them to supplement the national campaign.

Jane and Rob are not only failing to give the lead needed to counter the massive attack we face in DWP but actively obstructing a serious fight back in the biggest group in PCS . Jane has delayed and obstructed attempts to draw up a group wide campaign in line with both group and national policy. Her refusal to accept the need to build an overall campaign of opposition to the attacks we face, rather than dealing with them on a piece meal basis, has left members isolated and vulnerable. When they were challenged within the Socialist Party on this position rather than argue their case they resigned.

On office closures Jane believes “each office is unique, making a single campaign difficult”. This leaves offices facing closure, to fight alone with no effort to develop common demands and link the offices in one campaign against closure, therefore preventing compulsory redundancy/relocation with members left at the mercy of a draconian selection policy based on performance and attendance.

DWP management, who are in breach of the national jobs protocol and the DWP/ PCS agreement, have now targeted the first group of members for compulsory redundancy. Jane and Rob have tried but failed to bounce the GEC into accepting a policy that gave them authority to decide what information from management should be kept secret and what could be published to members. At the same time without consultation with PCS , DWP management told members in 13 offices facing closure that the clock was now ticking for compulsory redundancies. Reps and members in these offices are rightly angry about the lack of support they have received.

In the Corporate Centre Jane has refused to face up to the scale of the attacks posed by management, seeking to down play the risk of redundancy these members face. We must urgently demand DWP management comply with the national jobs protocol and DWP/ PCS agreement on avoidance of redundancies whilst at the same time campaigning and preparing for action if the employer refuses. This is what our Corporate Centre members expect and deserve.

The potential for a DWP group campaign is enormous: office closures, redundancies, misuse of FTA's, understaffing, increasing outsourcing and so on. For example only at the insistence of national officers did Jane act on positive legal advice that the DWP were acting unlawfully towards FTAs.. The government's Welfare to Work Programme should be the cue, as laid out in conference policy, to build links with external groups who share our aims, building closer links with our commercial sector members. Jane has bitterly resisted consulting DWP members in support of the UK living wage and bargaining rights for the growing numbers of PCS members treated so abysmally in Welfare to Work contracts. Scandalously, in her own words “the commercial sector want us to fight their battles for them” The Group should be following the example of the national union and HMRC group on Tax Justice, develop our alternative and start to build links for that broader campaign to defeat government plans. Sadly, this is not a priority for Jane and Rob, it was left to the NEC to recommend and develop the Alternative Welfare pamphlet. Jane even resisted attempts to allow a presentation on this at the 2011 DWP conference.

Rather than put in place the means to develop these strategies, these comrades have resisted and portrayed encouragement from the national union as “interference”, an argument that is deeply divisive and very dangerous in the current climate. Jane and Rob fight bitterly against holding campaign group and officers meetings, standard practise both nationally and in most groups, they claim it is “undemocratic”. We believe the overwhelmingly majority of hard-working and committed DWP GEC and activists agree with the need for a serious united fight in DWP. The current method of leadership is an obstacle to this. There is a growing distance between the branches and regions and the Group. We need to be out there, amongst our reps and members building and convincing members, raising consciousness etc, And while most GEC activists get out far and wide connecting with members and activists Rob, but especially Jane, barely move from Leeds Group office. This is not what we rightly expect and demand from leading activists. It is not the way to build.

As always, the Socialist Party is willing to take part in an honest and constructive debate that takes the union forward. However, we totally refute dishonest accusations. For example, incredibly, Jane claims the SP, which gives the fullest support to the issue of equality, wants to abolish the equality committees. During the call centre dispute they claimed management had rejected ACAS talks but it was revealed that no request for ACAS talks has even been put to the employer. Jane then argued (on 24th May, 2011 ) that no written request was needed as DWP management would be aware of the union's position from the emergency motion and the weekly bulletin! When the national union sorted this matter out they shamefully claimed AGS Chris Baugh had intervened with ACAS and advised them that no action would be agreed to before 30th November. A blatant untruth about an elected Senior National Officer.

The DWP group needs a group president prepared to work in an open and inclusive way. We need to re-engage with reps and activists who should be properly involved in shaping the revitalised group campaign we need. The Group should have a united leadership. That is why SP withdrew its support from Jane and why we cannot support Rob for the NEC, it cannot be right that any activist is happy to sign up to national strategy at the NEC but then do all he can to frustrate it at group level.

Regrettable as all this is it is at times of the sharpest struggle people reveal their weaknesses, in Jane and Rob's case it is a fundamental lack of confidence in the ability of DWP members to struggle in this period. That is why they are not being supported. This is a political issue. We call on comrades to support this slate with the outstanding youth and DWP activist Helen Flanagan as the team to deliver for PCS . Helen is an independent in Left Unity.

National Executive Committee – please support Mark Baker, Alan Brown, Clive Bryant, Alan Dennis, Helen Flanagan, Cheryl Gedling, Kevin Greenway, Sam Hall, Zita Holbourne, John Jamieson, Andy Jennings, Emily Kelly, Adam Khalif, Marion Lloyd, Dominic McFadden, Lorna Merry, Chris Morrison, Andy Reid, Dave Richards, Derek Thomson, Hector Wesley, Paul Williams

Madame AITCHISON has been fighting a rearguard action in a bid to retain the DWP President nomination when the BIG TENT meets to endorse its list for next year's group and national elections. She's been trying to woo the SWP with promises of extra seats when she wins but that is highly unlikely and the Socialist Wankers, like the grandees, were not too happy at the way JANE handled the DWP Contact Centre campaign.

JANE, who once thought of herself as the natural successor to JANICE GODRICH, is now no longer on speaking terms with the President. And a once cordial relationship with erstwhile comrade FRAN HEATHCOTE (you'll recall we said last issue she'd never been a member of SP? You have no sense of irony!) has now degenerated to vulgar abuse. At a recent DWP Womens' Seminar JANE launched a brutal and personal attack on FRAN, denouncing her as a lazy drunk. Almost like the halcyon days of CPSA…

Talking of which JIM HANSON, the last of the summer wine at Falconcrest, is back in the news following his latest attempt to pull one over his former employers. JIM agreed to drop his ET in return for a buy-out early retirement last summer ( PFL passim ad nauseam). But as soon as he got his hands on the money he filed another complaint to the tribunal with the same argument he'd used in the original complaint – that he'd been forced out due to religious discrimination against his “Moderate” (as in the RAMSBLADDER faction) beliefs.

This ludicrous argument was dismissed as frivolous by the Tribunal when it met last month. The chairman told HANSON he would have to meet the legal costs of £1,500 and added that he was amazed that a man who had been a full-time officer for 27 years could present a case that had no merit whatsoever. Nevertheless the court has now decided to give JIM leave to appeal and case will be heard at Croydon ETO on 15th December. All are welcome to attend to witness PCS paying yet another £4500 of your subs to a QC rather than pay Hanson off which would only cost a few pints in the Falcon, and is marginally less.

I like treachery, but I cannot say anything good of traitors.

Emperor Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus

63 BC – 14 AD

RECENT PHOTOS

End of Jarrow march, Trafalgar Square, London

Erratum. Cardinal McWho is from Newcastle, Not Jarrow, which is next door but is North of the Thames, so that's OK. And Boff's from Durham which is also so far north it'll make your nose bleed. Our snapper caught him in karaoke mode, a second before he fell over, still unused to "T'Smoke", as he now lives in The People's Republic of Bromley.

Simon COLLIS (ex-4TM NEC, now PCSD hopeful) sent us this one from a Colchester Against The Cuts demo on Nov 12th. He'll be the main speaker at the local N30 march and rally. He's the portly one in the middle being eyed with suspicion by the pretty blonde lady on the left.

IRAN ON THE BRINK OF ACQUIRING WIND FARM TECHNOLOGY, WARN EXPERTS

Iran is facing growing international condemnation after the international wind energy watchdog (IWEA) revealed the country is on course to have a fully operational wind turbine by the end of 2012. The IEWA report concluded there was evidence that Iran had embarked on a credible programme of wind technology and that the country had repeatedly sought to acquire the raw materials for production including solenoids, rivets and large rotary blades.

The hard-line regime, however, insists its wind energy programme is purely for civilian purposes and is essential if it is to meet its target of twenty percent of energy production from renewables by the end of 2030. The controversial programme has reignited the fears of conservationists across the region that Iran is hell-bent on creating a series of highly unattractive wind farms that would have a detrimental effect on the entirely barren featureless landscape and the region as a whole.

Experts believe the Iranian turbine could produce in excess if 80KWh, a fraction of the energy unleashed at Hiroshima, depending on exactly how windy it is. And sources claim it could be switched on in less than forty five minutes. Meanwhile, Iran's neighbours have complained that its presence could seriously destabilise the region or at least the bit of ground that it stands on.

The news has sparked growing fears of a green energy ‘arms race‘ across the Middle East with Israel already threatening to retaliate with a pre-emptive programme of gigantic solar panels targeted directly at Iran. The plan is to catch the sunlight by wiggling these about from side to side in a really annoying fashion. Yet many analysts believe it will make little difference and that the prospect of a world in which an Islamic turbine operates at two hundred revolutions per minute is now a foregone conclusion.
Ali Al Chakrabati , a spokesman for the regime last night hit back at critics claiming,

‘The forty five minute claim is a nonsense propagated by pig-dog Zionists and their cronies in the White House. It takes at least that long to power the generator up. Besides – I didn't hear anyone complain when Israel erected that great big mobile phone mast right next to the Gaza Strip.' He added, ‘The people's wind turbine will significantly reduce our carbon emissions and there's every chance that this is one success that could go absolutely nuclear.'

‘Shit. What am I saying?'