Divide and evaporate the Lib Dems

In contrast to the smiley happy people around the cabinet table, the Lib Dem leaders in local government have finally woken up and smelt the coffee.

'Put people at the heart of public service reform' - Mike Kirby

The Scotsman reports on UNISON’s submission to Scotland’s Christie Commission, which is looking at the future of public services, the union set out five key public service principles - democracy, investment, fairness, excellence and partnership.

Tory snouts in the City trough

At a time of renewed attack on the Union-Labour link (from inside and outside of the labour party), it is worth noting yesterday’s FT report that the ‘Conservative party has attracted a surge in donations from London’s Square Mile, with funding from financiers and City firms accounting for more than half of the £22.5m the party pulled in last year’:
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/132d302c-33c1-11e0-b1ed-00144feabdc0.html#axzz1DXS2sTAz

Social workers deserve respect and support

UNISON GS Dave Prentis writing on Left Foot Forward blog comments on the Munro review of child protection set up by the Government last June. http://www.leftfootforward.org/2011/02/social-workers-need-support/

We are fighting a war of attrition and we will not give in

UNISON Policy Chair Jane Carolan, speaking at the Institute Of Employment Rights ‘What Now for Trade Unions?’ conference, outlined in clear and precise detail the way the Tories are pursuing a political goal to end the post war welfare consensus in the UK. Outlining the stupidity of making massive cuts now, Jane stressed the need for an industrial response and community unity in defending the basic public services relied on by all working people.

Con Dem Cutastrophe in Manchester

The cuts programme has so far been regarded by many in our communities to be something of a phoney war. Job loss numbers have been known but no one quite knew which jobs would go. Local residents knew services would be cut but not which services they would lose. But the phoney war is now over and the battle of the cuts has truly begun.

Public Services Industrial Complex under scrutiny

A Daily Mirror investigation into Health Secretary Andrew Lansley has forced the Government’s top civil servant to investigate serious allegations of Tory sleaze. Cabinet Secretary Sir Gus O’Donnell has received a letter from Labour MP Grahame Morris demanding he probe links between Mr Lansley and private health firms. http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/2011/02/09/officials-probe-tory-healthcare-sleaze-115875-22909442/#ixzz1DRgbtJim  

Unbelievable: More tax breaks for fat cats

If you are wondering what the noise is, it's me grinding my teeth. Forget young Gideon Osbornes's protestations about how he is being terribly strict on the banks actually. The pitifuly small measures he is shouting about conceal the reality of how the Tories are helping their friends and shafting the rest of us. http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/feb/07/tax-city-heist-of-century

What now for trade unions? - IER conference report

The always excellent Institute Of Employment Rights set itself a high bar with a conference entitled ‘What Now for Trade Unions?’ http://www.ier.org.uk/node/472  Like the search for alchemy, a future that is golden for trade unions is no easy prescription.
Steve Farley (Chair North West TUC) in opening the conference reflected on the serious damage the Tories will do to the Region and especially its young people.

Market fundamentalists out to destroy our NHS

'In attempting to gain support for their 'reforms' of the NHS (ie, the further marketisation, privatisation and fragmentation of the health system in England) it would be political suicide for the Conservative-Liberal government to refer to the USA as the example to follow.