Union leader threatens public sector strikes to disrupt London Olympics

Taken from tomorrow's Guardian. Here's some of the best quotes:

Government attacks on public sector justify targeting 2012 Games, says Unite general secretary Len McCluskey

"If the Olympics provide us with an opportunity, then that's exactly one that we should be looking at," said McCluskey.

"Our very way of life is being attacked. By then this crazy health and social care bill may have been passed, so we are looking at the privatisation of our National Health Service. I believe the unions, and the general community, have got every right to be out protesting."

"Our parents and our grandparents, having defeated fascism in Europe, came back determined to build a land fit for heroes. They gave us the welfare state, the National Health Service, universal education. All of that is being attacked," he said. "I, for one, am not prepared to stand by and have my children or grandchildren say to me, what did you do when this was being taken away from us?"

Read the full article here

Rejected: EDF injunction against peaceful anti-nuclear protests

Taken from a press release

Today in the High Court of Justice, EDF Energy failed to win an injunction against a number of anti-nuclear power campaigns. The energy giant is seeking permission to build a new nuclear power station at Hinkley Point in Somerset but is facing major opposition at a local and national level. In a clear attempt to suppress opposition to its highly controversial plans, EDF has not only sought the eviction of individual protestors occupying farm land near to the proposed site, but also attempted to secure an injunction against four anti-nuclear groups: South West Against Nuclear, Stop Nuclear Power Network UK, Stop Hinkley and Stop New Nuclear to prevent them protesting on the land in future.

Mr Justice Floyd granted a possession order against the defendants camping on the land, but refused to grant the injunction application against the four anti-nuclear groups describing it as ‘inappropriate’. Stop New Nuclear, the campaigning network which includes CND, welcomed the judge’s verdict.

Kate Hudson, General Secretary of CND, representing Stop New Nuclear at the Court, said:
‘We regret that the protestors will be evicted and admire their principled stance, but we are delighted that Mr Justice Floyd has upheld the right of freedom of speech and protest. As governments around the world are rejecting nuclear power it would be scandalous if British people were deprived of the right to speak out and campaign against nuclear power and to change government policy. Today that right has been upheld. We invite all concerned citizens to join us at Hinkley Point on Saturday March 10th – to surround the site using public footpaths and rights of way – in a totally peaceful and legal protest against a dirty, dangerous, expensive and totally unnecessary form of energy.’

Message from the Communist Party of Greece

Recently, demonstrations have been held in many countries across the world under the "umbrella" of slogans of "solidarity with Greece" and "we are all Greeks". Working class and popular solidarity are powerful weapons in the struggle of the peoples. But the workers must deal with any attempt to mislead them.

Which Greece needs solidarity? The Greece of the capitalists, who seek to acquire new loans from the EU and the IMF in order to strengthen the profitability of their capital, to reinforce their position against the people, or the Greece of the working class and the other popular strata, who are suffering due to the consequences of the capitalist crisis, for which they bear no responsibility?

In many of these events this issue remained unclear. And this is the case because there is an effort by certain forces (mainly of social-democracy, the opportunists of the Party of the European Left and the "Greens") to use vaguely the "solidarity with the Greek people" to whitewash their support which they had provided in the past to the Maastricht Treaty, and the other Euro-treaties, to the EU of capital itself, which is reactionary and in no way can be "democratised", as they are even now claiming.

2012 Party Campaign Plan

The following text is taken from the introduction to this year's party campaign plan
COMMUNIST PARTY CAMPAIGN AND DEVELOPMENT PLAN 2012

1. The Communist Party's central objective in the current period remains that of turning the financial and economic crisis of capitalism into a political crisis for the Con-Dem government and the ruling class. In the course of this struggle, it is likely that deeper questions would be raised within the working class and progressive movements about relations between the battle for reforms, political representation of the working class and the fight for state power.
2. Our strategy is to build a broad, democratic, popular anti-monopoly alliance aimed at the big capitalist monopolies and the British state power which promotes their interests. Such an alliance would have to be firmly based on the leading role of the organised working class, developing its power and winning recognition by trade unions, campaigning organisations and local communities of the class nature of the crisis. It also demands that divisions within the working class are overcome, notably between public and private sector workers, the employed and unemployed, men and women workers, workers in the regions and nations of Britain and between those of different national or ethnic origin, while also combating false-consciousness notions of 'Middle England', the so-called 'squeezed middle' and who is or not 'middle class'. We need tactics and slogans which emphasise collective interests and the common enemy, for working class and people's unity against the Con-Dem government and monopoly capital.

Morning Star National Conference

This government is an unelected bankers’ dictatorship, alongside the other dictatorships already imposed by the EU in Greece and Italy. A broad mass movement can force it to retreat, thereby preparing the ground for its removal – and progress towards alternatives based on the People's Charter and the Alternative Economic Strategy. The labour movement - and the trade unions within it - have to meet and plan strategically if they are to win victories. How can we make the Labour Party leadership be part of the solution, not part of the problem? How can we forge a mass broad alliance?

Speakers include: Michael Meacher MP, Michelle Stanistreet (NUJ), Sally Hunt (UCU - tbc), Len McCluskey (Unite), Bob Crow (RMT); Kelvin Hopkins MP, Bill Greenshields (People’s Charter), Anita Halpin (Morning Star Management Committee); John Haylett (Morning Star political editor) Owen Jones (author of "Chavs: the demonisation of the working class"), Megan Dobney (SERTUC), Hugh Lanning (PCS), Paul Mackney (former UCU Gen Sec, Vice-Chair of the Coalition of Resistance)

Download the full flyer here

Broadening the Battlelines

This pamphlet by CP Chair and former NUT President Bill Greenshields addresses the immediate issues confronting public sector trade unions in their battle against the ConDem governments plans.

Open publication - Free publishing - More britain