Video: Is It Time To Re-Nationalise UK PLC?

Is It Time To Re-Nationalise UK PLC?

Sussex LRC event for PCS conference and Brighton Fringe 2014

Recorded Tuesday 20 May 2014

1. Janine Booth –  London Transport workers representative on the RMT Executive until January 2014 and author of “Plundering London Underground”, which covers the effects of private finance on the tube under the Blair and Brown governments of 1997-2010.  Janine tweets as @JanineBooth 
2. Andrew Fisher – founder and co-ordinator of LEAP – the Left Economics Advisory Panel – a network for socialist economists, and the author of “The Failed Experiment – and how to build an economy that works”.  Andrew works as a Policy Officer for the PCS trades union and tweets as @AndrewFisher79  
3. Maria Exall – CWU activist and member of the CWU’s Greater London Combined Branch which produced the pamphlet “Telecommunications – the case for public ownership”.  Maria also sits on the TUC’s General Council.
4. John McDonnell MP – Labour MP for Hayes and Harlington, the national chair of the Labour Representation Committee (LRC) and the Socialist Campaign Group of MPs, and a prominent supporter of the Trade Union Co-ordinating Group (TUCG).  John tweets as @johnmcdonnellMP 
5. Carol Wilcox of the Labour Land Campaign outlines the case for a Land Value Tax.  The Labour Land Campaign tweets as @LabourLand
6. John McDonnell MP and Janine Booth reply to audience questions on public ownership as a vote-winning policy for Labour, rail re-nationalisation and the strength and persistence of disabled people campaigning against cuts.  Warning: contains some swearing.
7. Maria Exall and Andrew Fisher reply to audience questions on the exploitation of consumers by telecoms and other private companies, the popularity of re-nationalisation of Royal Mail and rail, and the wastefulness of privatisation/private tendering, with particular reference to the provision of services by the DWP.  Warning: contains some swearing.
8. Speakers’ concluding remarks – contains some swearing.
9. The Red Flag sung to conclude the meeting, led by Tony Dines.
10. View our photos of the meeting