Greater Manchester Respect

The ConDems are no friends of democracy or democratic process. The manipulation of the Oldham East and Saddleworth by-election with the Liberal Democrats choosing the date (it was previously held by Labour so should have been chosen by Labour) was an unpleasant example of the desperation of this government. The date chosen - 13 January 2011 - makes it impossible for an effective election campaign to take place so weakening democratic process and choice.

George Galloway noted that ‘these are the very politicians that pretend they wish to make Parliament more democratic while ignoring their own manifesto and all pledges, especially on tuition fees. The Liberal Democrats want to avoid the consequences of putting the Tories in office and joining them in unholy pact. It will not work’.

The eruption of a student protest movement and against the ideologically motivated austerity programme will destroy the Liberal Democrats in the cities where, like second hand car salesmen, they told voters that they were anti-Tory.

The Oldham East and Saddleworth by-election arises from the disqualification of Phil Woolas after his election campaign circulated dishonest comments on his opponent. The comments were designed to whip up racist sentiment typified when his campaign team talked of ‘getting the white folks angry’. This strategy of deliberately stoking up divisions in the community on the basis of demonizing the Muslim population was for short term electoral gain but does huge damage locally. It is shameful that the Labour Party has not distanced itself from him in Oldham, expelled his campaign team or apologized for the racism of his campaign. As a result, racism will remain a key election issue in Oldham.

The huge assault on our public services is beginning. Already, Oldham council has been told by the ConDems that it will suffer a 19% cut in its central funding from next year. This will be devastating for schools, services, libraries and our council tax. Four hospitals are being told to cut their Accident and Emergency units in the Greater Manchester area, including Oldham. The disaster of the ‘academies’ strategy is dragging down the schools, infuriating parents and teachers who campaigned against it. The cuts so far are ‘Labour cuts’ brought in by the dying Labour government. The situation will worsen for our communities and services unless we protest.

The Tories, Lib Dems and Labour are all wedded to austerity. They all want working class people to pay for the crisis of the banks. Their strategies will increase inequality and poverty. Respect calls for investment in jobs and services as the best way to bring the economy out of recession and increase tax revenues. We also believe in collecting tax from those such as Gideon Osbourne, the Tory Chancellor, who exploited tax loopholes of £1.6 million last year.

The Green Party has declared a candidate. Peter Allen is an active trade unionist, environmental and peace activist. Most importantly, he is opposed to the divisive politics of racism and a supporter of Palestinian solidarity. He has worked with Respect for many years on joint projects and Respect has no wish to compete with such an excellent candidate.

Respect will therefore not stand and will support Peter Allen. We share a common strategy of investment not cuts, investment in green jobs and services and support for the protest movement that can unite the people of Oldham, instead of the poisonous legacy of Phil Woolas.

On Thursday, 9 December, MPs will vote on the ConDem proposal for tuition fee rises that will make it impossible for working class children to attend university.

The ConDems are scrapping Aim Higher, Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) and reducing every other initiative that is part of the ladder for our children to pursue education.

Every parent should be encouraged to join these demonstrations and support the occupations of the colleges. Just the rise in tuition fees is enough to choke off the future for most children. Parents with a five year old child that save £100 each month (how many of us can do that now?) until the child is 18 will still be unable to pay for these fees. Yet the millionaires, public school boys and baronets running the ConDem government received free university education but now want to deny it to working class people.

But the situation is worse than £9,000 per year tuition fees. The abolition of the Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA), the Aim Higher scheme and the slashing of the Future Jobs Fund and Young Person’s Guarantee worsen the position of any working class teenager wanting to study. The Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition is kicking away the ladder for our children in education and creating a new elite system. The future is not education but attempts to find work at a time of mass unemployment and lower incomes.

We know that the Conservative Party is populated by public school boys from wealthy backgrounds. We know that many ministers went to schools such as Eton and then on to Oxford and Cambridge where they did not pay a penny for their education. Worse, we now know how much energy these ministers put into avoiding tax and pushing money offshore to make themselves richer while making the country poorer.

The Liberal Democrats pledged to oppose a rise in tuition fees before the 2010 general election knowing they had already planned to ditch the pledge if entering government. They campaigned for anti-Tory support and then joined the Tories in government. To do so, the Liberal Democrats sold the future of our children. The Labour Party has fared little better, having been left in the pathetic position of being unable to effectively oppose the rises after it brought in tuition fees, ditching its own 1997 pledge.

Salma Yaqoob, Respect Party leader explained that ‘The student protests are piling the pressure on our hypocritical politicians. They are an inspiration to everyone to make their voices heard. It is a disgrace that politicians, who got their university education for free, along with a grant for living expenses that they did not have to pay back, should now deny this to the student generation of today.’

This is why we should support the students and join them in protesting. These protests are about giving our children a future and so are protests for us all. We cannot let the ConDems kick away the ladder for our children. Greater Manchester Respect will be marching with students, FE college students and school children to stop the ConDems kicking away the ladder.