Sussex LRC

As massive spending cuts threaten all communities, some seek to scapegoat ethnic minorities, refugees and migrants.

Their rights are now under attack. These rights form the basis of an open, diverse and multicultural society.

Discuss with leading campaigners what can be done to defend these rights, and oppose racism and bigotry.

Speakers:

• Jeremy Corbyn MP,  Labour MP for Islington North
• Mark Serwotka, PCS General Secretary
• Zita Holbourne, PCS Exec & co-Chair BARAC
• Michael Abatan, Justice for Jay, the brother of Jay Abatan, a PCS member killed by a racist attack in central Brighton in January 1999
• Stafford Scott,  Broadwater Farm Defence Campaign
• Nic Eadie, Gatwick Detainees Welfare Group (GDWG)
• Chris Whitwell – Friends, Families & Travellers

7pm – 9.30pm, Tuesday 22 May 2012

Brighthelm Church & Community Centre

North Road, Brighton BN1 1YD

£10 waged; £5 concessions

Buy your tickets here

The Tory cuts agenda is set to cause great damage to our public services, jobs and the quality of life of all our communities.

Nationally Cameron and Osborne are carrying out cuts on a scale that Thatcher could only dream about.

There is an alternative to this attack. This timely meeting will bring together leading figures to discuss building the widest possible alliances against the Tory cuts and the progressive alternatives we need.

Speakers:

Teresa Pearce MP, Labour MP for Erith and Thamesmead

Kevin Maguire, Associate Editor, Daily Mirror

Andy Winter, Chief Executive of Brighton Housing Trust (BHT).

Andrew Fisher, co-ordinator of the socialist economists’ network LEAP – the Left Economics Advisory Panel, and he is also the Joint National Secretary of the LRC.

2pm – 4.30pm, Saturday 19 May 2012

Brighthelm Church & Community Centre

North Road, Brighton BN1 1YD

£10 waged; £5 concessions

Buy your tickets here

The LRC will be making the headlines at the Brighton Fringe this year with a series of events on a range of topics during May 2012.

IN CONVERSATION WITH TONY BENN

And what a way to start the series. Over three weeks, around 675 events will take place during the Fringe but only one of these will bring together Tony Benn, John McDonnell MP and Owen Jones for an afternoon of discussion and questions and answers with the audience.

This is an unprecedented opportunity to hear from three of Britain’s most prominent socialists on today’s key issues, with only limited tickets available.

Speakers:

Tony Benn is a former Cabinet Minister and the longest-ever serving Labour MP. After 50 years in Parliament, he stepped down in 2001 to “spend more time on politics”. As well as writing and publishing his diaries, Tony is currently President of the Stop the War Coalition.

John McDonnell is MP for Hayes & Harlington in north-west London and Chair of the LRC. Amongst other posts, John is also Parliamentary Convenor of the Trade Union Co-ordinating Group of ten left-wing trades unions, representing over half a million workers.

Owen Jones is the author of “Chavs: The Demonization of the Working Class”. He regularly writes for The Guardian, The Independent and The New Statesman and recently appeared on the BBC’s ‘Question Time’.  In September 2011, Owen was voted the most influential left-wing thinker of the year by readers of the Left Foot Forward blog.

2 – 4.30pm,  Saturday 12 May 2012

Brighthelm Church & Community Centre

North Road, Brighton BN1 1YD

£10 waged; £5 concessions

Buy your tickets here

The next meeting of Sussex LRC takes place at Community Base in central Brighton at 19.30 on Tuesday 7 February 2012.

Our guest speakers will be Mark Seddon and Michael Chessum, NUS National Executive Council.

Speakers:

Mark Seddon is a previous editor of Tribune and was a constituency representative on Labour’s NEC for 8 years during Blair’s leadership before leaving the UK to become Al Jazeera’s correspondent at the UN in New York. Mark has recently published “Standing for Something: Life in the Awkward Squad”; see here. Mark will entertain us with reflections on his experiences and a life being lived on the Left.

Michael Chessum is one of the leaders of the student protests, as a member of the NUS National Executive Council and co-founder of the National Campaign Against Fees and Cuts. See: http://anticuts.com/ for more information on the work of NCAFC and try this link here for Michael’s defence of student protesters reacting against police provocation, when interviewed live on BBC News in December 2010. Michael will update us on the student protests, including those of 9 November 2011 which were overlooked by most media. What is being considered next? Where does the movement go now and who or what are its primary targets?

19.30, Tuesday 7 February 2012

Community Base, South Wing Entrance,

113 Queen’s Road, Brighton BN1 3XG

FREE – register now by email: sussexlrc@hotmail.co.uk

Click on the image to download the colour welfare flyer.

The welfare state is under increased attack from the coalition government. Since coming to power they have announced over £20bn in welfare cuts, while giving £25bn in tax breaks to businesses.

The LRC is urging all members to fight against attacks on welfare by challenging anti-welfare attitudes within the Labour Party and in wider society (download new LRC flyer ‘Defend Welfare’) and by taking direct action in conjunction with other organisations. If you are a Labour Party member, please get this model motion passed in your CLP.

It is important that we demonstrate the Labour left’s commitment to the welfare state and that we do not share the bigoted attitudes of the Labour Party leadership and former secretaries of state for welfare. The LRC has produced a new flyer for members to download, print and distribute. Download the LRC’s Defend Welfare flyer.

If you would like bulk hard copies of the flyer email info@l-r-c.org.uk with the quantity you require.

Resources / further reading:

• Disabled People Against Cuts website
• PCS pamphlet – Welfare: an alternative vision
• Boycott Workfare website
• CarerWatch website
• National Pensioners Convention website
• LRC flyer: Defend Welfare
• Sarah Evans on Britain’s care home shame
• Andrew Fisher on defending welfare
• Louise Whittle on workfare
• John McDonnell MP on the 2009 Welfare Reform Bill
• LRC: Fight to defend welfare goes on

A great opportunity for those of us who can’t attend the trade union protest in Manchester to still rally together against Tory Party conference. The meeting will start at 19.30 but you will be welcome to arrive from 19.10.

Speakers:

Janine Booth, RMT Executive – who will discuss the role of trade unions in fighting government cuts and the historical example of Poplar Council

Maria Exall, CWU Executive & TUC Council – another leading trade unionist who’s been busy fighting plans to privatise our postal services. Maria will discuss tactics for fighting privatisations and saving our services.

We should also be joined by Jon Rogers, UNISON Executive – currently campaigning against the spread of school academies and confident that the recent campaign has succeeded in preventing Brighton’s Varndean comprehensive from being turned into an academy, but continuing to stress the need for vigilence to protect our schools everywhere.

We will receive short updates from the local area LRC sub-groups in Hastings, Worthing/West Sussex and Brighton & Hove, with a special report on the re-founding of Worthing & District Trades Council and information about the Lewes Festival of Socialism (running during October).

19.30, Tuesday 4 October 2011

Community Base, South Wing Entrance,

113 Queen’s Road, Brighton BN1 3XG

FREE – register now by email: sussexlrc@hotmail.co.uk

Andrew Fisher, LRC joint secretary, reports on the LRC’s fringe at Labour Party Conference and looks ahead to the LRC’s AGM. 

The Labour Representation Committee fringe meeting at Labour Party Conference was a massive success for a number of reasons. It attracted over 150 people (the highest attendance for four years), including dozens of delegates from Conference, local Liverpool party members, trade unionists and activists.

The platform of speakers included union general secretaries Christine Blower, Mark Serwotka and Len McCluskey alongside three generations of LRC stalwarts in Tony Benn, John McDonnell MP and Owen Jones. They no doubt encouraged people to attend, but part of the attraction was not just the opportunity to listen, but the chance to speak and debate.

Interspersed with some excellent speeches were even better contributions from the floor – from people desperate to speak about policy based on their daily experience. When the chair asked for contributions from the floor, a sea of hands went up – and nearly all were heard.

Read more…

In the week that the Archbishop of England attacked the Tory-led coalition over savage cuts while the media went berserk over alleged ‘splits’ in the party, the launch of Sussex LRC was a breath of fresh air. It was a refreshing and inspiring meeting which showed all socialists a united way forward.

The Chair welcomed a packed hall of people from all parts of Sussex, including Lewes, Uckfield, Hastings, Worthing and Midhurst, who were were able to mix and chat over refreshments, and also meet delegates from GMB national conference coincidentally in Brighton that week.

This fostered a feeling of strength and solidarity which many had mislaid when the general election turned back the tide on twenty five years of Labour gains in Sussex.

It was emphasised that  the LRC wants to unite the Left and welcomes non-Labour Party members who do not oppose Labour candidates in elections.  It was stressed, however, that anyone can fight the Tories, but it is only possible to fight the Tories and win from inside the Labour Party.

Read more…