June 2007 edition of E-News from UnionsTogether.

[Big Daz]

Dear Subscriber,


Welcome to the June 2007 edition of E-News from UnionsTogether.

In this edition we have news surrounding the Leadership & Deputy Leadership Elections of the Labour Party, an article by Dave Prentis entitled "Leadership debates - Start of a new direction?" & a reminder about the Compass Conference on 9th June 2007.

We hope that you will enjoy the E-News and that you will visit www.unionstogether.org.uk to read previous editions of the E-News and find out more about the Deputy Leadership Candidates views on issues for working people.

Regards,

The TULO Office

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Leadership & Deputy Leadership Elections of the Labour Party

With the elections for the Deputy Leader of the Labour Party now in full swing UnionsTogether has been playing it's part in the process. Our new election page is up and running and you can find the following information about all the candidates;

Statement
Biography
Survey Results
Video Interview
Ask the candidates a question
Candidates contact details
Since the website went live 2 weeks ago we have seen the number of visitors to the website more than double!

UnionsTogether is also running 3 hustings events in Bristol, Newcastle & London. Please contact the regional office of your union if you wish to attend one of the hustings.

The Newcastle event is this Sunday and the Bristol event was last Saturday. The Bristol event was a great success and all union members who attended had a wonderful time. Members had the chance to quiz the candidates at the hustings, but also had the opportunity to mingle and talk with Gordon Brown & the Deputy Leadership candidates before and after the event.

If you cannot attend one of our hustings but would still like to ask a question then please visit www.unionstogether.org.uk/leadership07/Askquestion.html and submit your question to one, or all, of the candidates.

If you would like to view the hustings online you can visit www.unionstogether.org.uk/leadership07/Hustings.html where you will be able to view videos of the hustings.

Regards,

The TULO Office

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Leadership debates - Start of a new direction?


This is an article by Dave Prentis, General Secretary of UNISON, which first appeared in the Guardian newspaper last week.

"This is an absolutely critical moment for the Labour Party. Mid-way through a third term, the debate around the new leadership offers a unique opportunity to reflect on our situation and set our course for the future. In the coming weeks there will be hustings around the country for the election of deputy leader and a chance to question Gordon Brown publicly. This is a great opportunity for all in the trade union movement to place our issues at the heart of the debate. We look to those seeking to lead our party and our government to listen to these issues and begin the process of rebuilding our party and reconnecting with ordinary members and the concerns of our communities.

The past ten years have seen real achievements, but also real frustrations and some serious mistakes. There is much to build upon and celebrate, but also some serious issues that need to be tackled if we are to rebuild our movement, regain public trust, and face down a revived Conservative Party at the next election.

Public services are at the heart of any progressive agenda. One of the most important achievements of this government has been arguing a popular and credible case for the role of public services in supporting a more equal, more cohesive, and more democratic society.


Education and training, health and social care, local and environmental services all play an essential role in redressing disadvantage, binding us together as a community, and enabling everyone to play a full and active part. Three times now the electorate has voted for investment in our public services over tax cuts. Now even the Tories dare not own up to their plans for cutting back provision, even though that is what their policies entail.


And the new investment has brought about real improvements - shorting waiting, higher standards, and in some areas, real qualitative transformation. This is what we must build upon.

But Labour faces a serious challenge - it is in real danger of losing the public's trust on public service issues. Polls and surveys tell us that, despite having positive experiences of public services themselves, voters are losing faith in the government's ability to manage them.


How has this happened? It is now becoming clear that the government made a fundamental error in its approach to public services.


Instead of engaging with the people who deliver public services to find ways of improving them in response to the needs of users, the government became obsessed with restructuring them along market lines.


In service after service we have seen the same template imposed. Public organisations broken up and forced to compete, with each other and with the private sector, for customers or contracts. We've seen it in local government. It's now being inflicted on the health service. Next up is the Probation Service.
The theory is that market forces will drive improvement and innovation. But there is no evidence of this working in practice. Even the government's favourite examples do not bear scrutiny. Ministers like to claim that Independent Sector Treatment Centres (ISTCs) have reduced hospital waiting. But the Health Select Committee found no hard evidence that the private sector has contributed anything that couldn't have been achieved at lower cost by investing in NHS capacity.


Meanwhile, the forces of commercialisation are doing real damage to the public ethos upon which these services rely.


The imposition of market models has lead to fragmentation, financial instability, increased transaction costs, and short term cost-cutting. Working conditions have deteriorated and fundamental principles of social equity and public accountability have been compromised.


These problems are demoralising those who deliver public services, and undermining voters' trust in the claims made by politicians about the results of investment.

Debate has become polarised around a simplistic notion of 'reform' that sends mixed messages to the public, and fails to address the real challenges of developing new and better services.


As all now realise, this could endanger the very project of rebuilding and renewing our public services over the years ahead.


That is why UNISON welcomes the opportunity the leadership hustings provide for starting a new debate about the future of our public services, one that looks at how to respond to changing needs by mobilising the commitment and creativity of staff.


For behind the headlines, there have been numerous examples of positive reform in our public services in which employees and their unions have been centrally involved.


Where they have been properly consulted, and offered genuine security and opportunity through the process of change, they have taken the lead - in redefining professional roles, rethinking organisational boundaries, or harnessing new technologies.


We hope that all the candidates will engage seriously in this process
With members to help rebuild confidence in the democratic process, and show that they are not just listening, but are prepared to act."

Yours sincerely

Dave Prentis General Secretary, UNISON

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Shaping our global world: less than 2 weeks left to book!

The biggest independent gathering of progressives in the UK takes place on Saturday 9 June 2007 at Central Hall Westminster, London - in just under 2 weeks time...

This year's event will include over 1500 people in attendance and 70 major speakers including: Ken Livingstone; Dave Prentis; Jon Cruddas; Frances O'Grady; Jon Trickett; Neal Lawson; Helena Kennedy; Martin Bright; David Held; Shami Chakrabarti; Dawn Butler; John Harris; Gareth Thomas; Emily Thornberry; Keith Sonnet; Murad Qureshi; Claire Fox; Miranda Grell; Paul Mason; Helen Goodman; Pam Giddy; Hilary Wainwright; David Aaronovitch; Sukhvinder Stubbs; Mark Seddon; Tony Benn; John McDonnell; Nick Pearce; Tony Breslin; Kate Hudson; Catherine Fieschi; Angela Eagle; Gemma Tumelty; Sue Palmer; Sami Ramadani; Antonio Miranda; Colin Burgon; Franisco Dominguez; Hugh O'Shaughnessy; Katinka Barysch; David Goodhart; Roger Liddle; Vicky Pryce; Owen Tudor; Derek Draper; Neil Jameson; Catherine Howarth; Deborah Littman; Julie Camacho; Ahmad Amir Ali; Louise Bamfield; Collins Magalasi; Simon Dubbins; Tim Horton; Gibril Faal; Nic Marks; Brendan Martin; Yasmin Alibhai-Brown; Sue Ferns; Will Hutton; John Evans; Alan Whitehead; Steve Reed; Stella Creasy; Jane Roberts; Paul Hilder; Christine Blower; Lord Layard; James Purnell; Cecilia d'Felice; Chuka Umunna who'll be joined by a broad-range of ministers, MPs, trade unionists, commentators and leading figures from across the democratic left and the wider progressive community...

With over 40 breakouts and fringe events organised by the leading NGOs, pressure groups, publications and think tank organisations to include amongst others: POWER, Unison; New Policy Institute; Barrow Cadbury Trust; Foreign Policy Centre; CRE; TULO; Friends of the Earth; SERA; Demos; nef (new economics foundation); Searchlight; War on Want; Citizenship Foundation; Liberty; CND; Red Pepper; NUS; Action Aid; Young Foundation; New Statesman; Unions 21; NLGN; Tribune; Centre for European Reform; Venezuela Information Centre; Renewal; Public World; The Fabian Society; Campaign for Therapy; The Fawcett Society; IPPR; T&G; NUT; CORE; Compass Youth; Labour Left Briefing; Citizen Organising Foundation; London Citizens; African Foundation for Development; LabOUR Commission; The Co-Operative Party...

The issue at this year's much anticipated event is not whether we globalise but how? Technology makes globalisation inevitable and provides a platform on which the centre-left can make the whole planet, and not just the Western world, more equal, democratic and sustainable.

At this year's Compass conference we want to ask you to answer the question: what shape should our global world take and what are the tools we need to form it in line with our values of equality, liberty, solidarity and democracy?

Book now to guarantee your place - only 2 weeks to go and over 60% of places now taken. For more information, the full agenda and to book your place please visit http://www.compassonline.org.uk/conference

Gavin Hayes
General Secretary
Compass - direction for the democratic left
Southbank House
Black Prince Road
London
SE1 7SJ
T: +44 (0) 207 463 0633
M: +44 (0) 7900 195591
gavin@compassonline.org.uk
www.compassonline.org.uk























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