“Our great monopolies are worked for the benefit of the few”

One hundred years ago this November Reuben George was standing as a candidate in a local election, having completed his six years as an Alderman. George was one of a group of councillors supported by Swindon Trades Union Council (the body which had been founded in 1891 and drew together for mutual support the local Trades Unions). Although the Labour Representation Committee had been founded in 1900, becoming the Labour Party in 1906, there was to be no local branch in Swindon until 1916. So Swindon TUC coordinated the effort to have a group of working class representatives elected to the local Council, which united the Old and New towns only in 1900.

By 1909 George was a well known local figure. He had been a Liberal, but he broke with the party as well as the established church, over their support for the Boer War. He had held a well attended meeting in the Mechanics Institute to explain his decision. He declared himself a socialist and the Liberal Party to be of no use to the working class.

Alfred Williams Heritage Society

An Alfred Williams Heritage Society is being launched in Swindon on December 8^th at 7.00 p.m. In Swindon Central Library. The Society has been set up with the motivation of popularising his writing, putting it on a website, and finding a home for a permanent exhibition and collection of his work, manuscripts, letters etc. The Society has made an application to the Lottery for a grant to organise a two day festival in November of next year, which is the 80^th anniversary of Alfred’s death.

Its website can be visited at: www.alfredwilliams.org.uk

Who was Alfred Williams? He was a rail worker in the giant Swindon Rail Works of the Great Western Railway. He was a ‘hammerman’ in the forge. Williams developed something of a reputation because of his poetry and prose writing, appearing in national newspapers. His picture appeared in the Daily Mirror under the title of ‘the poetic blacksmith’. His reputation was based partly on the quality of his writing but also the rarity of a workman being a published poet. Originally an agricultural worker (he moved to the factory for the higher wages) he wrote about rural life in Wiltshire. A journalist suggested to him that he should write something about his experience in the factory, and so he set about doing so. “Life in a Railway Factory” was written after a hard day’s work, and a four mile journey to his home in South Marston, in 12 weeks. It was written in 1911 but not published until 1915, in the expectation that its publication would lead to his dismissal by the GWR. However, Williams was forced to leave the factory as a result of the drastic impact of working conditions on his health. Confined to his bed by violent pains below the heart, his GP reckoned that the smoke from the forges had destroyed his digestive system. As a consequence he left in September of 1914.

Postal workers: striking is the only option

This is from today’s Swindon Advertiser

POSTAL staff feel they have a moral obligation to strike even though they are frightened about the consequences of taking on Royal Mail bosses, says a union leader.

Chris Rye, branch secretary of the Communication Workers’ Union (CWU), spoke last night only hours before 1,010 Swindon postal workers were set to strike.

He said workers from the Dorcan Mail Centre – including employees from the mail centre, logistics, delivery and handling departments – were striking for 24 hours from 4am today.

His comments came days after it was announced that the company was to recruit around 30,000 temporary employees in the lead up to Christmas – action the union calls “illegal and unethical”.

The Swindon strike will be followed by a 24-hour walkout of almost 700 employees in Wiltshire, from 4am on Friday.

CWU strike in Swindon

CWU pickets at the Dorcan Mail Centre in Swindon this morning. There was a larger group of workers present as well. As you can see Alan Crozier is very popular with staff. Though Peter Mandelson would probably run him close.

Why we should support the Postal Workers

This is a letter sent to the Swindon Advertiser

Why we should support the Postal Workers

The dispute that is currently taking place at Royal Mail is not the result of postal workers being bloody minded. They are defending their interests in the face of a bullying management which wants to manage by dictat and to break the power of the CWU.

Behind these dictatorial management methods, though, lies the process of ‘liberalisation’ of Postal Services introduced as a result of European Union legislation. Unfortunately the current government was so enthusiastic about liberalisation that it introduced it earlier than legislation required it to do.

Questions and Answers – Part 2

At the Council meeting last Thursday, in Public Question Time, I asked a number of questions in relation to the possible ballot of Council tenants on transfer to a Housing Association. (See the questions and answers at: http://swindontuc.wordpress.com/2009/09/25/balloting-tenants-questions-and-answers )

Asked if they agreed that tenants “have the right to hear the case for and against transfer before deciding whether transfer was in their best interests” the answer was evasive. It seems that tenants will have “a range of opportunities” to “engage in the process before voting takes place”. We can no doubt expect ‘engagement’ as practiced in the recent consultation: that is where officers meet tenants individually and public discussion is carefully avoided.During the recent consultation we are told that “tenants have been presented with a balanced case” and should the Council decided to proceed to a ballot, “that will continue to be the case.”

Tenants ballot not yet decided

This is a letter to the Swindon Advertiser in response to their report of last Thursday’s Council meeting.

The Adver report of last week’s Council meeting was deficient in one important respect. It gave the impression that a ballot of tenants on transfer of our housing to a Housing Association will take place in the autumn of 2010. Unfortunately the report did not explain the content of the resolution which voted through by the ruling Conservative group.

Tenants should be aware that the decision to ballot was “subect to” the government department confirming the writing off of Swindon’s existing housing debt and the “current arrangements” for transfer still being available. The Council will seek clarification as to whether or not this is the case.

Balloting Tenants – Questions and Answers

Below are some questions I raised during Public Question Time at the Swindon Council meeting yesterday, and the answers from the Lead Member for housing. You can judge for yourself whether the answers are satisfactory. I will comment on them in a later post.

NHS paying hig price for bungled hip replacements at private centres

People having hip replacements at private treatment centres brought in to cut waiting times are up to 20 times more likely to need painful and expensive repair work. Many operations are having to be redone in NHS hospitals, at great cost and with serious staffing implications for the health service.

A study by orthopaedic surgeons in Cardiff found that of 113 hip operations on patients sent from their NHS trust to Weston-super-Mare NHS Treatment Centre between 2004 and 2006, two thirds showed clear evidence of poor surgical technique, such as poor cementing of the hip.

Council Housing update

Why is Swindon Council rushing to ballot tenants when the government’s Housing Revenue consultation is not even finished?

In July the ruling Conservative group on Swindon Council decided to withdraw its resolution to ballot tenants for transfer of our Housing to a Housing Association, owing to the announcement of a government consultation on Housing Finance. The government intends to end the current Council Housing Subsidy system and has published draft proposals for what it calls a ‘self-financing’ system. The ruling group decided to assess the implications of the draft proposals for the town’s Council housing finances.