Corbyn's Fighting Stance

This is the spirit that will defeat the Tories, the political wing of the hedge fund managers:

"Don’t wake on up on 9 June to see celebrations from the tax cheats, the press barons, the greedy bankers, Philip Green, the Southern Rail directors and crooked financiers that take our wealth, who have got away with it because the party they own, the Conservative party, has won." Jeremy Corbyn - when launching his manifesto. 

Right-wing Labour MPs who continue to snipe at Corbyn should be given notice: support JC’s fighting stance or get out now.

Tony Mulhearn

ARMS

MPA calls for a socialist Labour manifesto

The following statement was agreed by the Merseyside Pensioners' Association (MPA) at its meeting on Wednesday 19 April 2017.

This MPA regards the general election called for June 8 2017 as an opportunity to get rid of the Tory government once and for all. We call on Jeremy Corbyn to fight the election on the policies which propelled him to the leadership.

We call on him to continue to fight for

a) The complete public ownership of the NHS

b) The nationalisation of rail, energy, the Post Office as the first step of moving toward socialism

c) Support for a crash council house building programme

d) The repeal of the Tory anti-trade union legislation

e) The retention of the triple lock to protect pensions

We call for the organisation of mass rallies throughout the country, beginning in Liverpool, to mobilise maximum support for a Corbyn victory. This will be essential to combat the poisonous anti-Corbyn media campaign which will take place.

We also declare that those Blairite MPs who continue to undermine Jeremy's leadership will be acting as agents of the Tory government and will be guilty of treachery to the working class.

We resolve to apply all our energies to ensure a Corbyn victory.

TUSC announce candidate for Liverpool Metro Mayor

This is taken from a press release from the Trade Union & Socialist Coalition (TUSC) sent to me by Tony Mulhearn of PCS ARMS. Angela Grant, council candidate (see below), is a PCS DWP GEC member. If there are any other progressive PCS members standing for election in the North West, let us know for a mention on this blog.

The Trade Unionist & Socialist Coalition has announced that Roger Bannister has been selected as candidate for the Liverpool City Regional Mayoral election which is taking place on 4th May 2017.

Roger stood for Liverpool city mayor last year and won 4950 votes, beating the Tories and far-right candidates. Roger has pledged to take only a worker's wage if elected City Region Mayor; he will donate the rest to campaigns and working class communities fighting to defend their jobs and services.

Roger said: "I am about opposing austerity, defending the guards on the Merseyrail trains and keeping Liverpool Women's Hospital open. The City Region Mayor should be standing up for the people of the region who deserve investment into public services and a better future, not endless austerity.

"Labour is pushing through the 'driver only operation' on Merseyrail to the point where rail-workers feel no alternative but to strike on the 8th April. Labour is wobbling over hospital closures but united on making more cuts to council-run services. TUSC and I have no such doubts: we support the rail guards, we defend our hospitals, we keep our council services.

"Our message is clear: no more austerity, no more cutbacks, closures and job losses. We need to stand up to the Tories and their super-rich mates, who are responsible for the economic savagery unleashed on the living standards of the many across the city region."

TUSC is also fielding candidates at council by-elections in Liverpool and on the Wirral.

Leon Wheddon, council candidate for the Claughton ward on the Wirral, said: "I joined Labour last year looking for an anti-austerity organisation, but found that here it is still the party of Tony Blair. So I switched to TUSC. In Claughton, I will offer an alternative to the 'Tory-lite' policies of Labour's local representatives: we need more public services not less, more affordable housing not more unaffordable developments, and to look after our environment not concrete it over."

Angela Grant, council candidate for the Wavertree ward in Liverpool, said: "Our Women’s hospital is at risk of closure and we've got tent cities of the homeless in the city centre. The Tories will keep kicking us until we fight back. Liverpool Labour has no intention of mounting any effective resistance to the government, but TUSC does and that's why I'm proud to be standing for TUSC again."

ARMs National Committee - ballot results

The results of the election for the associate and retired members (ARMs) national committee are now available.

Candidates elected unopposed:

• Chair - Phil GREEN
• Vice chair/editor - Eddie SPENCE
• Secretary - Brian HERBERTSON
• Assistant secretary/organiser - Barry FUGE
• Treasurer - Sandra DURKIN

Ordinary Members
Total number of votes cast: 1,451
Number of votes found to be invalid: 5
Total number of valid votes to be counted: 1,446

Result (6 to elect)

• GALLOWAY, Margaret - HMRC ........................................ 1,043 Elected
• THOMAS, Kevin - HMRC .................................................. 1,008 Elected
• HADFIELD, Jacqueline - DWP .......................................... 1,004 Elected
• PARK, Jim - HMRC ............................................................ 953 Elected
• ION, Steve - HMRC ............................................................ 900
• GIBSON, Brian - MoD ....................................................... 830 Elected
• BRYANT, Anne - Met Police .............................................. 674 Elected*
• ST BARTHOLOMEW-BROWN MORGAN, L (NAW) ........ 557

*elected due to the requirement that no more than half the elected candidates must be from the same employer.

Click here to see the result on the PCS website.

Use your vote in the ARMS National Committee election

You should have by now received your copy of the most recent edition of PCS People (Issue No 3 - 2016). PCS ARMs members will find inside a ballot paper for the election of up to 6 members of the ARMs National Committee (the Officers of the National Committee have all been elected unopposed). Please note that voting closes at 12:00 noon on Friday 21 October 2016.

Owing to problems with ballot paper distribution, the decision has been taken to extend the balloting period to 12:00 noon on Thursday 27 October 2016, with the results announced the following day.

Also, the envelope provided has 2nd class postage. If posting close to the deadline, we suggest you apply a 1st class stamp.

The table below lists the nominations made by the NW Regional ARMs Special General meeting held on the 24 August for those Committee posts. You may wish to consider supporting these nominees when casting your votes.

Committee Member (6 to be elected)	Former PCS Group	ARMs Region
1. Margaret Galloway	HMRC	Northern Ireland
2. Brian Gibson	HMRC	South West
3. Jacqueline Hadfield	DWP	North West
4. Steve Ion	HMRC	North West
5. Kevin Thomas	HMRC	South East

NW Regional ARMS Committee Special General meeting

To: North West Regional ARMs Committee members and all ARMs members in the North West.

As you may be aware, following on from the 2016 ARMs Forum held in June, arrangements have now been put in place to hold elections for the ARMs National Committee.

The first step in this process (which is set out in detail on the PCS National ARMs web-page ( ARMS latest news - PCS ) will be for the NW Regional ARMS Committee to hold a Special General Meeting (to which all ARMs members in the North West are cordially invited) to consider putting forward nominations for the National Committee. Accordingly, the Special General Meeting will be held as follows:

• Date: Wednesday 24th August 2016
• Venue: PCS Regional Office, 3rd Floor, Jack Jones House, 1, Islington, Liverpool, L3 8EG
• Time: 11:30 am – 2:00 pm

This is the first opportunity in over two years that members will be entitled to participate in the election process for the ARMs National Committee, so it is hoped that as many members as possible will be able to attend the meeting, As it is a special meeting, the question of nominations will be the only item on the agenda, so that the meeting will not be expected to last more than an hour, even though the meeting room has been booked for longer. Nominations are invited for the following National posts: Chairperson; Vice Chairperson/Editor; Secretary; Assistant Secretary/Organiser; Treasurer and Committee member (6 posts).

In order to facilitate debate at the meeting, any NW Regional ARMs member who wishes to submit nominations for the ARMs National Committee should send the details (via hard-copy or e-mail) to the NW ARMs Regional Secretary so as to reach him no later than 5:00 pm on Wednesday 17th August 2016.

Yours sincerely,

Phil Green
Secretary
PCS North West Regional ARMs Committee

E-mail: p.c.green@ukgateway.net
33 Cambridge Avenue
Churchtown
Southport PR9 9SA