BRITISH ELECTION 2015
CHALLENGES FACED BY THE WORKING MEN, WOMEN AND THE YOUTH
Election circus has arrived again as it does every five years. And all
the political gladiators are in the ring to out-manoeuvre each other in
throwing all sorts of promises at us, knowing fully well they mean
nothing. Suddenly the people you may never have seen in the past five
years are out and about knocking our doors, visiting our workplaces,
shaking hands on high streets and kissing our babies. Pretty obviously
they are after our votes. Indian Workers Association (IWA) Great Britain
appeals to the working men and women and the youth of this country to
challenge these politicians on the following burning issues that are
making our lives miserable:
1. Stop the Austerity measures: All parties are all trying their
best to make us believe that this country can only be saved from the
ongoing economic recession by the so-called austerity measures, where as
in reality these measures are the actual cause of the misery brought
onto the people. The economic recession has caused a drastic rise in
youth unemployment and poverty in the UK in recent years. As happened
during the earlier recessions, many families remain partly or fully
dependent on benefits for extended periods of time. It is evident that
the austerity measures and benefits cuts are hurting the poor working
class families because the benefits system is more strongly targeted at
low income groups.
When it came into office in 2010, Prime Minister David Cameron's
coalition government promised to the people that they will eliminate the
budget deficit by 2015. But now the Chancellor Osborne outlined his
strategy saying that four more years of austerity is “a price that works
for our country”. According to the Institute for Fiscal Studies, the
total government spending is going to reach to its lowest level as a
proportion of national income since before the Second World War.
Whatever party or coalition of parties comes to power after the general
election, Britain will find itself halfway through a nine-year stretch
of spending cuts, with both Conservatives and Labour determined to
shrink and redefine the role and shape of the state beyond recognition.
So far, £35bn has been cut; the plan is to cut a further £55bn by 2019.
According to recent estimates, more than 13 million people live in
poverty, including almost one-third of all children. The working poor
make up the largest number of those in poverty, with millions struggling
to make ends meet on low-pay and often zero-hour contracts. At the
other end of the social spectrum, Britain’s mega rich have not only
recovered everything they may have lost in the immediate aftermath of
the 2008 economic crisis, but became filthy rich. The Sunday Times has
published a “Rich List”, according to which, there are now some 104
billionaires in the UK, three times the figure from a decade ago.
2. Stop the Private Finance Initiative (PFI) and Cuts to NHS:
Privatisation of NHS is a direct result of Private Finance Initiative
(PFI). PFI schemes were introduced to the UK under the John Major
Government in the 1990s, which were significantly expanded by Tony
Blair’s New Labour Government. Despite opposing the PFI program whilst
in opposition, in 2011 Chancellor George Osborne continued, rebranding
it as "PFI 2". Rather than Central Government directly funding
infrastructure works like schools or hospitals, PFI means a consortium
of private sector banks and construction firms finance, own, operate and
lease them back to the UK taxpayer, over a period of 30-35 years. NHS
Trusts owe £80bn in PFI loan repayments and the extortionate ongoing
running costs of maintaining PFI hospitals via PFI - where private
contractors are granted 30- year monopoly rights to deliver maintenance
and services. The number of NHS Trusts in financial trouble has doubled
in the last financial year and several A&E units were shut down or
downgraded. NHS is being increasingly privatised. This must be stopped.
3. Abolish the Tuition fee in Universities: The
tuition fee of £1000, introduced by Labour Party in 1998, became £9000
by 2010 under Conservatives. In November 2010 students staged a series
of marches and demonstrated against the proposed increase in the rise of
tuition fees. Despite these protests the Conservative/Lib Dem coalition
government won a vote in the House of Commons, which resulted in
universities eventually being able to charge students up to £9,000 a
year for the annual tuition costs. The government crushed the students’
agitation by deploying hundreds of police and arresting many students
and their leaders. As a direct result of the rise in tuition fee,
students from poorer families are not able to go for higher education
and as a result they are remaining unemployed or under-employed due to
lack of proper qualifications and training. Talking about election
promises, Nick Clegg of the Lib Dems
signed a pledge in 2010 election not to raise tuition fees. After the
elections however, his party voted to triple the tuition fees.
4. Repeal all anti – Trade Union laws: Between 1980 and 1993, several anti-Trade union
laws were introduced by the Tories under Margaret Thatcher’s regime.
Not a single one of them was repealed during 13 years of Labour in
office. All 3 parties are in favour of strengthening these laws never
mind repealing them. These draconian anti-union laws have increasingly
restricted the unions' ability to undertake lawful industrial actions
and have taken away the working class’s collective power to fight for
better wages, better working conditions and a right to decent
living standard. These laws have made it illegal for workers even to
show solidarity across departments and companies. The government has
made closed ballots mandatory and is now thinking of introducing
compulsory postal ballots to Trade Union decision making.
The Conservatives are drawing up radical anti-strike
laws. They have included banning of strikes by public sector workers in
health, education, transport and fire services without the support of 40
per cent of union members entitled to vote. This is hardly opposed by
Labour and Lib Dems, proving their anti-working class nature. All these anti-Trade union laws must be repealed and the democratic rights of the workers restored.
5. Stop Spending on wars of invasion at the expense of NHS, education and welfare: All
major parties are pro-war and for more wars. Having destroyed Iraq,
Afghanistan, Libya and Syria with 1.5 million people’s blood up to their
elbows they are dutifully following their White House master's war
cries in Ukraine. They don't have money for NHS, Education and Welfare
but are all in favour of spending £100 billion for upgrading Trident, a
new generation of nuclear weapons system. David Cameroon is ready to
send Navy to the Mediterranean Sea to sink the boats that are used to
carry thousands of desperate Libyan people, who are trying to escape
from the wrath of lawlessness and the raging civil war after Gadaffi was
killed and his legitimate government was overthrown as a result of the
covert British operations.
6. Stop the Anti-immigrant xenophobia and the racist election campaign: For
the last fifty years or so immigration has been an issue in every
single general election. The abominable UKIP Party has now given lead
in the raciest campaign against the immigrant population. Immigrants,
especially from Asia, Africa and the Caribbean, are being blamed for the
shortage of jobs, housing, hospital beds and lack of places in schools.
With the ongoing civil wars in Syria and Somalia, demonisation of
Muslim population is on the rise. With UKIP and the notorious English
Defence League we are experiencing the return of racist propaganda from
the 1960s and 1970s. The Tories, Liberal Democrats and the Labour Party
are trying to out-manoeuvre each other by coming up with new figures and
ways of curbing immigration. They want to take the racist lead from
UKIP. Just for the sake of wining the votes of the native British
population, every parliamentary party is racing with each other, trying
to pit the native white working class against their own brethren from
other ethnic backgrounds. On the other hand, the
Eastern European immigrant working class, particularly the Romanians,
are portrayed as criminals and thugs. UKIP leader Nigel Farage (other
parties are no exception) is campaigning that immigrates are the cause
of unemployment, where as the truth is that unemployment and economic
recessions are inherent characteristics of their own capitalist system
and are inevitable. The fact that the multicultural Britain that exists
today has been created through generations of immigration is completely
being ignored. Little is said about the substantial contribution made by
the immigrants to the British economy and culture.
7. Implement the Section 9(5)a of the Equality Act 2010: In
March 2013 Parliament agreed the legislation to outlaw Caste
discrimination in some of the Asian population of Britain by considering
Caste as an aspect of Race. The Government has been failing the will
the of Parliament by not bringing into force Section 9(5)a of the
Equality Act 2010. There have been numerous reports that points to the
wide spread existence of discrimination based on Caste in the Britain.
The Government is failing the victims of Caste Discrimination by not
making this practice illegal immediately.
Indian workers’ association, Great Britain appeals to the working men,
women and youth of this country to unite to fight against the austerity
measures, cuts in NHS, cuts in education, and cuts in welfare. We must
all unite and challenge the politicians who come to us asking for our
votes, on their anti-working class, anti-people, and anti-immigrant
policies and the wars of aggression in the Middle-East and elsewhere. We
must challenge this exploitative system and fight for a just society.
- No more austerity measures! Stop the cuts in social securities!
- Stop the privatisation of Public Sector - the NHS and Education
- Repeal all the draconian anti- Trade union laws! Restore the legitimate right to strike!
- Stop the anti-immigrant xenophobia and Islamophobia!
- Capitalism is the cause of economic recessions and unemployment - Not the immigrants!
- Stop the wars of Aggression! Bring all troops back home from Iraq and Afghanistan
- Implement Equality Act 2010! Stop the Caste discrimination in Asian Communities!
Indian Workers’ Association, Great Britain
Central Organising Committee
Charan Atwal (Chairman) Lekh Pall (Secretary)
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