POLITICAL FUND EXEMPTION NOTICE

[johnston65]

HERE THEY ARE BOYS AND GIRLS..PRINT IT AND DISTRIBUTE IT TO AS MANY AS POSSIBLE!

UPWARDS AND ONWARDS

[wakkono]

whats that all about then dude?

[IWW Fellow Worker]

whats that all about then dude?

Here you are mate. Just one of many dealing with the way the Labour Party treat the workers.

http://www.royalmailchat.co.uk/forum/vi ... bour+party

[POSTMAN]

Part of this convo.

http://www.royalmailchat.co.uk/forum/vi ... php?t=3322

[IWW Fellow Worker]

And this:-

http://www.labourhome.org/story/2007/8/1/165117/4646

[nelson]

johnston65

POLITICAL FUND EXEMPTION NOTICE

Thanks for that sent today

[POSTMAN]

And this:-

http://www.labourhome.org/story/2007/8/1/165117/4646

f***ing tax dodging students!

[lovejoy]

Although this may seem a dig I want to make sure anyone who withdraws from the political fund knows what they are doing.

The main issue on here seems to be that the Labour party isn't doing the business for us! I 100% AGREE WITH THAT BUT WITHDRAWING FROM THE POLITICAL LEVY ISN'T THE ANSWER.

Obviously we are all aware that the CWU gives financial support to the Labour party. The sums involved are large but they are only a small chunk of our political levies. Other things our political levies are used for at national / branch levels include

Rallies / political meetings
Financial support to all parties/organisations that support us
Costs of lobbying MPs (travel costs etc)
Campaigning right across the political spectrum
Supporting good local councillors
Political adverts - like the recent ones in national press

There are all sorts of other things / events that branches spend their political funds on in order to benefit the membership.

If you are agrieved at the Labour party then I suggest that rather than withdrawing from a fund that is used in the majority to help you, it would be better to chose another option. Maybe putting pressure on your reps and passing a motion in your branch calling for the withdrawell of all support for the Labour party would be better? Your Branch could then write to HQ, Raise the issue at National meetings and start a nationwide movement for this option.

Lets not cut off our noses to spite our faces here!

JUST A VIEW

[TrueBlueTerrier]

But a good view matches mine. Although I don't agree with the Political stance of the union and I think we should withdraw from Liebour, I am going to continue paying my levy for a least 1 more year. If we don't separate I may change my mind.

[IWW Fellow Worker]

Although this may seem a dig I want to make sure anyone who withdraws from the political fund knows what they are doing.

The main issue on here seems to be that the Labour party isn't doing the business for us! I 100% AGREE WITH THAT BUT WITHDRAWING FROM THE POLITICAL LEVY ISN'T THE ANSWER.

Obviously we are all aware that the CWU gives financial support to the Labour party. The sums involved are large but they are only a small chunk of our political levies. Other things our political levies are used for at national / branch levels include

Rallies / political meetings
Financial support to all parties/organisations that support us
Costs of lobbying MPs (travel costs etc)
Campaigning right across the political spectrum
Supporting good local councillors
Political adverts - like the recent ones in national press

There are all sorts of other things / events that branches spend their political funds on in order to benefit the membership.

If you are agrieved at the Labour party then I suggest that rather than withdrawing from a fund that is used in the majority to help you, it would be better to chose another option. Maybe putting pressure on your reps and passing a motion in your branch calling for the withdrawell of all support for the Labour party would be better? Your Branch could then write to HQ, Raise the issue at National meetings and start a nationwide movement for this option.

Lets not cut off our noses to spite our faces here!

JUST A VIEW

And it's a view you are entitled to although not one I would agree with. I don't want any money, no matter how small the sum involved to go to any political party.
There are many parties and organisations which have offered postal workers support. Without too much effort I can think the following parties: Socialist Party, the Socialist Party of Great Britain, Socialist Workers Party, Communist Party and (eventually) the Communist Party of Great Britain. Then there are the following organisations: Class War Federation, Solidarity Federation, Workers Socialist Movement, Anarchist Federation, Industrial Workers of the World and Libcom.
I'm not aware of any of the political fund finding its way to those parties and organisations.

I certainly would consider opting back into the political fund if the union stopped supporting the Labour Party and you make a fair point, but while the likes of Billy or Dave Ward remain members, I can't see that happening.
I heard Pete Keenlyside and Maria Exhall were working on a pamphlet aimed at persuading us (the CWU) to continue funding Labour. I like Pete and would be interested in reading his views, but I just can't see me supporting Labour. Two very good books 'Unpeople' and 'The Web of Deceit' by Mark Curtis are a good start for anyone who thinks the Labour Party has anything at all to do with socialism. You won't want to fund that shower after reading those.

[lovejoy]

IWW I don't need to read any books to educate me on the values or history of socialism. I do not support the Labour Party and I 100% back calls for the withdrawel of funds to the Labour party.

I have also worked with the SWP during this dispute and they have been very helpful in producing leafets, campaign material etc.

Just to reiterate though the political fund is there to basically push our views to a wider audience and sadly for whatever reasons the organisations you quote remain very much in the background when it comes to serious influence.

I am not saying this is right or wrong but I know that the average postal worker (i'll say in my branch but I feel confident that it is a wider held view judging by what reps across the UK tell me) think that organisations such as the SWP are an irrelavance and I have witnessed anger from my own members who do not want to be linked to some of the SWP members.

I can see from your previous posts that you have (and rightly so) anti labour government views. I suggest that rather than spending time supporting organisations that have little or no influence in the grand scheme of things you should back real campaigns.

Just because Billy Hayes and Dave Ward remain Labour members means nothing. This year the NEC headed by these two voted to support Allan Johnson for the post of deputy labour leader. This decision was then overturned at annual conference leaving Mr Hayes with egg on his face. This change was made because CWU reps and members across the UK stood together and forced the leadership back. I suggest that annual conference 2008 will see the full withdrawel of support for the labour party (if it does not happen before)

[IWW Fellow Worker]

I'm not a fan of the SWP myself. I merely mention them and the other organisations because you said in your post that the political fund was used to support ALL parties/organisations that support us. I can see that relatively small revolutionary groups might not seem relevent to many CWU members, but it gives me quite a bit of hope that a growing number of people see the choice of voting for three different capitalist parties as also irrelevent and the whole Westminster pantomine has little to do with democracy at all.

[lovejoy]

Agreed.... I think the whole country is crying out for credible, honest working class represenation. Sadly it's nowhere to be seen!

[blackdog]

Thanks for that Johnston, I will have mine in the post tomorrow.
Tired of funding a party that cares nothing for the working man.

[sammysammy]

hay mate you are the MAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!