Further savage cuts!

Council leaders in Coventry say they need to save £61m over the next three years to help meet a budget shortfall. The council said the measures it was looking at included cutting £3m from its community services, including adult social care, libraries and wardens. Leaders at the Labour-run council also say council tax will increase by 2% next year. Previously they were also said to be cutting up to 800 jobs. Union officials said the cuts could potentially mean “Armageddon”.

Councils are beginning to determine our local services throughout the coming weeks. As well as further National cuts over the forthcoming years, Birmingham City Council has just announced £600 million of new cuts with the leader saying ”This is the end of local government as we have known it”. Surely yet another attack upon us all and the Pensioner Movement. Please attend our meetings and help to make a difference.

The number of job losses planned at councils in England and Wales because of Government spending cuts has increased to over 37,000 in recent weeks. The GMB union said 27 local authorities had announced or threatened staff losses, with many more set to follow suit as the scale of their budget cuts becomes known. Thousands of workers in Birmingham, Walsall, Croydon, Sheffield and Rhondda Cynon Taff faced having new terms and conditions imposed on them, while councils across the country were having to make huge savings over the next four years, the union added. And please remember only 76 percent of the current cuts have yet to be implemented. We need to plan for even more affective campaigns in the New Year. Happy Festivities!

The Failure of Economics in our NHS!

It was about eight years ago that I felt assured enough and to the best of my knowledge that the economy was going to 'go bust'. Very cheap and easily obtained mortgages was just one of the clues, backed up by historical facts and a little economics. Most economists got it completely wrong, often because they were in complete denial or wanted to protect their own interests in a speculative and so called free world. This continues today. Now things have edged forward, I wish I had been wrong. Please do not believe the new 'green shoots debate'. We simply have to start talking about a different society.

In the meantime, lets try to protect our NHS from any further fragmentation and privatisation. The Clinical Commissioning Groups will play a major role in commissioning health services and will have a nationwide budget of billions of pounds at their disposal. They are tasked with developing Commissioning Plans and replacing the role of Primary Care Trusts.The CCG’s will have responsibility for commissioning or buying health and care services including non-specialist acute services, community services, and continuing healthcare, Mental Health and other important services. The big move to privatisation is the requirement upon CCG’s to contract with any qualified provider’.

Influence over the CCG’s is therefore of paramount importance. Meetings need to be convened to involve local people in campaigning to pressure their CCG’s to make changes to their constitutions. Ivor Timson Diary date: 10th November 2012- Birmingham- 1-15 pm 0nwards. Carr's Lane- Church Centre, Birmingham UK. Who owns our NHS? Speakers and refreshments. Please view this in my wordpress blogs as service does not allow paragraphs and things. Thanks. http://ivortimson.wordpress.com/

Twaddle from the USA!

The Government is failing in its pledge to rebalance the economy, which is now more dependent than ever on financial services and still remains hell bent on destroying our National Health Service. Of course, it has little chance of rebalancing the economy, particularly as it is in denial about so many economic facts. But it can reverse some of it's lunatic policies of further fragmentation of our healthcare system and privatisation.

The worldwide system of capitalism is in a deep and irreparable state of crisis. And do not believe the twaddle from the USA economists. It is a tissue of lies. If you live in or around Birmingham UK- join us at the following meeting.

March and Rally- Who Owns the NHS? 10th November 2012- 1-15pm The list of speakers for this important meeting and rally is now confirmed as; Peter Last WMPC- Chair, Joe Morgan- GMB Regional Secretary, Dr Jacky Davis- NHS Consultants Association, John Partridge- Unite Regional Assistant Secretary, Mary Locke- Unison NEC and Health Worker, Gail Adams- Head of Nursing- Unison- Chair of Mary Seacole Committee- Unison. Meeting at Carr's Lane Church Centre, Birmingham City Centre, Near Birmingham New Street Station- Saturday 10th November 2012- 1-15pm- 5-0pm. Plenty of opportunity for all those attending to speak and contribute to this important debate. Ivor Timson MSc (Econ)

Two diverse societies!

Banks became "detached from society" and still need to reconnect with their customers, the chief executive of Royal Bank of Scotland has admitted. In an interview with the BBC's Today programme, Stephen Hester said the industry was "coming down to earth with a bump" following recent scandals. “The converging problems of climate change, growing population and limited resources, which are unevenly distributed, require a change of approach. Capitalism as currently practised exacerbates these problems.” “The corporate world needs to include social responsibility in its policies. Neo-Con capitalism favours consumption and competition, whilst denying and avoiding any responsibility for consequent hardships. “Money as a token of exchange is fine, but when it functions as a lever of unregulated power it becomes corrupted.

Other values that cannot be measured are dismissed – truth, fairness, empathy, aesthetics, ethics. “The corruptions are subtle and pervasive; honesty, for instance, becomes that which is not illegal, and examples of this excuse for unfairness are legion (MPs expenses, tax avoidance, disproportionate remuneration). “If we continue as we are the gap between rich and poor will eventually produce two very diverse societies. The potential exists in that situation for massive social disturbance. It is not often that I quote at this length, but all this seems so relevant to my blog.

The system is unable to contemplate the abyss and modify their political beliefs, before some bright spark found a convenient scapegoat that allowed them to hold onto their convictions and pursue their illusions. Economists, bankers, politicians and presenters are all in denial of the crisis facing us all. And in the meantime and according to a recent report: a global super-rich elite had at least $21 trillion (£13tn) hidden in secret tax havens by the end of 2010, according to a major study. Time for realists and progressive people to take control for all our sakes and for our future. And it is now half a decade since the crisis started, which some of us predicted.

Sack the lot!

The corrupt and greedy bankers have clearly let down their very own system. So much for responsible capitalism. Surely, now the time has come for an accountable National Investment Bank and a People's Bank aligned with all the Countrywide Credit Unions.

The system is in disarray and totally discredited and even the deficit reduction plan has failed. Time for a real campaign and genuine discussion on these alternatives and a new and fair system. We simply cannot allow our precious services to be further fragmented and privatised for the Banks incompetence and failure.

Eurozone Vision?

The European Central Bank president Mario Draghi described the current set-up of the eurozone as "unsustainable". There were rumours that Spain had already gone to the IMF, after the Spanish deputy prime minister went to meet the IMF's managing director Christine Lagarde. "My desire is to not come out and deny these rumours because they are senseless," Spanish Economy Minister Luis de Guindos said on Spanish television. Spain has taken Greece's place as the epicentre of the eurozone crisis as concerns over the health of Spanish banks have shaken markets. Bankia, Spain's fourth largest bank, has asked for another 19bn euros (£15bn) recently from Madrid, but many questions as to whether Spain will be able to afford it. Speaking to the European Parliament, Mr Draghi said: "Can the ECB fill the vacuum of lack of action by national governments on fiscal growth? Can the ECB fill the vacuum of the lack of action by national governments on the structural problem? These questions must be answered.

The next step is to clarify what is the vision for the Eurozone years from now. The sooner this is specified the better. But with no benchmark or alternative policies, surely no real vision is possible. EU economics commissioner Olli Rehn said more austerity was needed if the eurozone was to avoid disintegration. Yes, more cuts and printing even more money. Will they ever learn! We really must organise for even more effective action and resistance to all austerity which only patch up a crisis; caused by the banks and the corrupt systems they support. Ivor Timson MSc (Econ)

The IMF and the Worldwide Slump!

The International Monetary Fund has said the UK’s continuing economic weakness means authorities should consider more quantitative easing- printing money and even cutting interest rates. The body stressed the risks to the UK of the eurozone crisis. “Unfortunately the economic recovery in the UK has not yet taken hold and uncertainties abound,” said IMF managing director Christine Lagarde.

Anyone who witnessed her press conference and her blunderings, would surely have concluded that this unelected figurehead, simply did not understand or comprehend even her own utterings. True there is a Eurozone crisis and the crisis of capitalism is worldwide and includes the bankrupt USA economy. So clearly, creating more fictitious capital and again hitting the older person’s savings will not solve this crisis.

In the UK, the richest 1000 persons increased their wealth over the past three years by £155 billion. That would pay off our entire budget deficit and would still leave this 0.003% of the population with £30 billion spare. We are experiencing a worldwide slump which needs our urgent attention.

Economists and gobbledegook!

The Government recently offered i'ts "final offer" on pensions. Danny Alexander stated that "the new pensions will be substantially more affordable to alternative providers. By offering transferred staff the right to remain members of the public service scheme, we are no longer requiring private, voluntary and social enterprise providers to take on the risks of defined benefit that deter many from bidding for contracts in the first place." Similarly, in his first letter of remit to the new chairman of the School Teachers Review Board, Michael Gove asked them to report on "how the pay framework for teachers should best be made more market facing in local areas," with reference to the private sector. It is not just education that is under attack.

The same process is being carried out across all public services, as the recent passage of the high-profile NHS Bill shows. Against this background interest rates remain at 0.5 per cent which we all subsidise at the expense of savers and others. We face not just savage austerity cuts, but a politically motivated attempt to completely restructure the British economy and effectively abolish the public sector. The economists continue to re- write their own history and talk gobbledegook. This helps to pave the way to move again to a private sector for all, which has been deemed a complete failure as has the capitalist system. And the rich get richer, while many suffer in poverty.

Another wages perspective!

Fightback on wages as the rich get richer. Result of years of below-inflation pay increases, a two-year pay freeze since 2010 and refusal by local government employers to pay the Chancellor's promised £250 to the 69% earning less than £21,000 during the pay freeze, have recently emerged. For part time workers - more than half the workforce - purchasing power is now at 2002 levels and many are working in poverty. Near were I live in Birmingham, the Council prepare for even more cuts which should be resisted.

Key findings from the report from Unison, titled Living on the Edge include: 1. 1.7 million people worked in local government in England and Wales in 2010 - around a quarter of the 6.9 million working in the public sector. Three quarters of the local government workforce are women. Well over half of the workforce works part time.

2. Local government (like the rest of the public sector) has a much higher proportion of women in its workforce than the private sector. Local government has a much higher proportion of part time jobs than the rest of the public sector.

3. Two thirds of the jobs in local government are manual or clerical jobs - almost exactly the same proportion as in the private sector. In the rest of the public sector, only one third of jobs are manual or clerical.

4. Eight per cent of full-time workers and 38% of part-time workers in local government earned less than the Living Wage of £7.20 an hour in 2011. This is a quarter of the workforce.

5. Both full time and part time hourly earnings in local government are well below those in the public sector as a whole. Part time hourly earnings in local government are above those in the private sector (where a quarter earned £6 an hour or less in 2010).

6. High inflation coupled with a pay freeze that began in April 2010 slashed the real value of earnings in local government by 13% between April 2009 and February 2012. A fall this big is unprecedented. Continuing high inflation means that earnings will fall further still.

7. Thanks to the pay freeze and inflation, typical fulltime hourly earnings in local government have sunk back to the levels of the early 1990s. Typical parttime hourly earnings have fallen back to 2002 levels.

8. Low paid local government employees usually need benefits and tax credits to keep their household out of poverty. The higher but still modest minimum income standard is rarely reached.

9. Low paid local government workers and their families are in a financially precarious position. A reduction in hours, a child leaving school or a partner whose eligibility for contribution based social security ceases can all take the household to the edge of poverty. This is despite the fact that the local government employee continues to work. Pay for these workers is poverty pay.

10. Quality of service considerations – and in the case of care workers and others in personal service occupations, considerations of the human rights of clients – are grounds for improving the pay and conditions as well as the training of local government employees.

The pretence that jobs such as caring for elderly, frail or otherwise vulnerable people requires but little skill is a symptom of our society’s inability to recognise and value some of the things in life that matter most to most of us. Thanks to Unison and False Economy.

Mass Campaign to retain our NHS!

The coalition’s NHS ’reforms’, the biggest shake up of the health service in 60 years, are a “damaging, unholy mess ” that will need overhauling in five years’ time, the editors of three leading healthcare publications claim.The health secretary, Andrew Lansley, will attempt to soothe the anger of critics, particularly in the House of Lords where the health and social care bill will return next month, by proposing 200 amendments to the legislation later this week. “The government’s NHS reforms have proved divisive and destructive.

They have slowed the improvement of NHS services and cost the UK money that it can ill afford.” So many other organisations are vociferously opposed to the changes. So for us all, it is still not too late to campaign to overthrow these changes to our precious National Health Service. Please, write, telephone, e-mail, text or visit your MP and a Peer of your choice. Join or form campaigns in your area. Please see the many articles on our websites/ blogs, and please act now on a very urgent basis.

Any alternative and a genuine democratic society must surely have at it’s core, a system of health care which provides a comprehensive range of health services, which are free at the point of use to all residents. The various forms of ‘responsible’ capitalism now being discussed are full of contradictions and can never survive. We need real change with no more tax dodgers, corrupt bankers, politicians, speculators or generic phonies!

Poor standards!

Poor Standards. France has lost- its top AAA credit rating from Standard and Poor's and eight other eurozone governments have also been downgraded by the ratings agency. But who are these people with a very discredited history? And now they seem to have the power to destroy millions of peoples lives. hopes and are accountable to no one. Again, they are speculators and merchants who are desperately trying to save the failed capitalist system. So much for democracy!

Economists and our bonkers system!

How can making millions unemployed make any economic sense? How can continuing wars make any sense? How can bailing out the Banks and Bankers make any sense? Is there any sense left! And there are still buffoons who still advocate- let the market prevail. There is a sound moral and economic case against the policies now unfolding. We must continue to develop radical alternatives to these ‘Tea Party’ politics, which will change the social and political landscape and scapegoat the poor and our services; in favour of the rich and the multi-corporations.

The rich get richer as I type and the tax dodgers still dodge. Lets start a new society based upon grass root democracy, involving all communities. Perhaps, we can start with a huge campaign of resistance which is beginning to develop!