Yeovil Labour Party

Latest Newsletter - Edition 2

2009-09-04T11:55:00.001+01:00

My latest newsletter is now available for download from my personal website, click here.

Curry Night

2009-08-19T14:29:00.001+01:00

We will be holding a curry night on August 31st starting at 8pm. It will be at the Akash Balti Restaurant on Middle Street, Yeovil. The tickets will be £13 per person.

If you want to come please reserve a place by either emailing me on lskevington@gmail.com or calling 07931686410.

Details of my Surgery

2009-08-03T19:22:00.001+01:00

Lee Skevington, Labour Parliamentary Candidate for Yeovil holds at least one local surgery each month.

The next surgery will be held on:

Wednesday 12th August
1pm till 4pm

at

The Labour Party Office
Unity Hall, Central Road
Yeovil, Somerset

This surgery is to discuss local issues only. If you need to discuss benefits or immigration issues please contact David Laws, MP for Yeovil.

The Big Labour Quiz

2009-07-31T15:07:00.001+01:00

We will be holding a quiz night on Tuesday August 11th at the Yeovil Labour Club to help fund my campaign. Further details on the event can be found here.

I hope you will be able to come along!

2009-07-31T01:39:00.001+01:00

To download a copy of my newsletter, click here.

Do you want to work on my campaign?

2009-07-29T16:58:00.003+01:00

I am currently seeking a Campaign Intern to work in my office based in Yeovil Town center. If you're interested please go here for more information.

New Parliamentary Candidate

2009-07-23T15:28:00.003+01:00

The Yeovil Constituency Labour Party has selected Lee Skevington as its new parliamentary candidate. You can find more information from:

Website: www.leeskevington.co.uk

Facebook Group: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=125823637068&ref=mf

Yeovil PPC

2009-02-02T11:55:00.003Z

Paul Smith, Labour PPC has unfortunately made the decision to withdraw as PPC. Yeovil CLP is currently on the search for a new candidate. I will post further details at a later date.

Israel Arms Embargo Petition - Please Sign!

2009-01-12T19:29:00.002Z

Dear Comrades,

I ask that you all sign the petition on the Downing Street website calling for an arms embargo of Israel. You can find the petition here. Please pass the link on to your friends and ask them to sign too.

Regards,

Lee Skevington
CLP Secretary

Israel Protest, Saturday 10th January

2009-01-07T13:11:00.004Z

Yeovil Labour would like to remind all of its members that a protest of the Israeli attack on Gaza will be taking place on Saturday 10th, 12:30pm at Speakers Corner, Hyde Park, London.

After hearing from the speakers including Tony Benn and George Galloway there will be a march on the Israeli embassy.

I'd like to remind all of our members that the Yeovil & Sherbourne Stop the War Coalition are running a coach to London to attend the protest for £10 a seat. This is much cheaper than driving, taking a train or a standard coach. Please contact Vivian of Yeovil Trades Council at vivianvjw@aol.com to reserve a seat!

The nearest tube station is Marble Arch.

Celebration of the Cuban revolution

2008-12-14T21:03:00.004Z

The Yeovil TUC are holding a celebration marking the 50th anniversary of the Cuban revolution on Friday 30th January 2009 at Unity Hall, Central Road, Yeovil BA20 1JL. Between 8pm and 11pm. Featuring music, speakers, and a DVD presentation.

For tickets contact Joe on 07801817963 or Mark on 0779198374 or e-mail Vivian. Tickets £5 pp. Price includes one free Cuban Cocktail.

Yeovil branch resolution on banking

2008-11-18T01:56:00.004Z

The following resolution was recently passed by the Yeovil BLP.

We recognise that the actions the Prime Minister and the Chancellor of the Exchequer have taken in recent months have been the examples the rest of the world has followed in the fight against the global economic downturn.

We believe this situation gives the government a unique opportunity to look into other forms of banking, ones based on mutuality and co-operation. including the growing Credit Union.

By introducing the principle of mutuality into a publically owned banking system we can invest and safeguard business, savers and home owners from the speculation and gambling that has become rampant in the banking system over the last few decades.

We encourage the government to take control of the banks. We have already used a huge amount of public cash to rescue the banking system from utter collapse, we should ensure that it never happens again by placing it under our control.

CLP Secretary Report

2008-10-21T21:46:00.003+01:00

Greetings Comrades,

I have uploaded my report for the month of October for you to view. Click here to view my report.

Regards,

Lee Skevington
Secretary, Yeovil CLP

Resolution on South Ossetia conflict

2008-09-01T02:02:00.004+01:00

The following resolution has been submitted to the Labour Party conference.

We, the members and representatives of this constituency Labour Party, call upon this Labour government to effect a change in their thus far biased position towards the conflict in South Ossetia and to rightfully admit that the conflict is the result of Georgian aggression and American foreign policy objectives in the region.

We request that the Labour government recognise that the brutal manner in which Georgia carried out its assault, largely against civilians, which resulted in half of the population of South Ossetia fleeing into Russia, was an attempt at ethnic cleansing.

We call upon the Labour government to strongly condemn Georgia for their actions against the people of South Ossetia, end its demonization of Russia, and recognise the Republics of South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent nations.

The importance of public healthcare

2008-08-14T20:35:00.001+01:00

The National Health Service is probably the single greatest achievement of a British government in history, founded under the Labour government of Clement Atlee in 1948 it insured free healthcare for everybody in Britain.

In Western Europe and the United States we see insurance schemes, masses of paper work that people need to worry about, yet here we only have to worry about the treatment, not how we’re going to pay for it or if our particular insurance scheme or company health policies cover the treatment we need. In many ways it is a model the rest of the world should follow.

The Tories have systematically tried to discredit and run down the NHS. They don’t like the idea of something being run in the public interest, with no place to make any money for shareholders. They attack it, not to try and improve it, but to try and get rid of it. Ten years ago the Tory anti-NHS machine was in full swing; fortunately thanks to NHS funding being almost tripled the NHS has survived.

However nowadays the struggle comes in a more subtle form, and disappointingly has been spearheaded by the New Labour government. We see privatisation slowly creeping over the NHS, this not only transfers public money and puts it into the pockets of private business, it also drains other resources from the NHS, like staff and equipment, we see this particularly hard in dentistry, where I’ve heard stories of some practises in Yeovil trying to push patients off the NHS and onto private. It also risks a huge conflict of interest, instead of getting people back on their feet, with private business involved there no doubt would be at least some temptation to keep people ill for longer to make more money out of them.

Willing to admit it or not, the Tories and some Liberals would no doubt would like to see the NHS dissolved, or completely privatised and some sort of insurance scheme setup in its place. Abolishing public healthcare would certainly be a radical transformation, but I don’t think anyone could possibly argue that this would be the best solution for the British public. Today the NHS’s problems come not from having enough money, but from being forced to compete with the private sector, and from the private sector slowing taking hold of areas within the NHS. To secure the long-term future of the NHS, I believe the only solution can be a healthcare system based on strong foundations of public ownership then the NHS instead of having to worry about the private sector leeching its resources can deliver the best healthcare possible, to the widest number of people possible.

Postal Liberalisation talk

2008-07-01T03:07:00.001+01:00

The Yeovil Labour Party has invited Phil Chadwick of the CWU to give a talk on the liberalisation of the postal services that have been carried out by the New Labour government and the European Union over the last decade or so, and what developments are likely in the future. The meeting will be held on Thursday the 3rd of July at 19:00 at the Labour Club, all are welcome to attend.

Submitted Amendments to Crime, Justice, Citizenship and Equalities Policy Document

2008-06-19T17:01:00.002+01:00

As many of you will know recently the Yeovil Labour Party held its policy forum to discuss the Crime, Justice, Citizenship and Equalities draft final year policy document. At the meeting the following proposed amendments to the document were recommended by the members present. The amendments were as follows.

1. 42 Days Detention and Civil Liberties : Amendment Proposed by CLPD and LRC.
Delete, page 11, line 31, "We are also bringing forward new proposals on pre-charge detention, so that in exceptional circumstances, and with strong parliamentary and judiciary safeguards, there can be a temporary and non-renewable extension of the limit for up to 14 days so that the police can continue to hold terrorist suspects while pursuing their investigations in complex cases".

Supporting Argument :
A further curtailment of civil liberties by extending detention without charge could undermine the flow of information about possible terrorism. There is a growing concern that the muslim community is being targeted as a religious group because of its opposition to US military action in the Middle East.

2. ID Cards : Amendment Proposed by CLPD.

Delete, page 11 line 42 to Page 12 line 14 inclusive

Supporting Argument :
This removes the commitment to ID cards. The National Identity Register would be the world's biggest biometric database, holding 52 pieces of information on every adult who remains in the UK for longer than 3 months. As well as being a waste of public money, the scheme will cost us personally, financially and in terms of our privacy and relationship with the state. Opposition will continue to grow as more people understand these costs and doubt the accuracy and security of such a huge government database. They will change our society and the way we live, forever.

3. Fox Hunting : Amendment Proposed by Helen Weeks.

Add, page 7 line 43.

New Paragraph to Insert:
We will ensure that the ban on hunting with hounds is properly enforced by inserting a new clause of "cause" or "permit" to the Hunting Act 2004 (this can be through a Hunting ( Amendment) Bill, and that offences under the Act be made notifiable and proper penalties for offenders are introduced.

4. Monitoring of Privatised Contracts in the Police Force : Amendment Proposed by Bill Byrd.

Add, page 11 line 4, insert AFTER "By improviding working practices, cutting red tape..."
"closely monitoring and reviewing privatised contracts throughout the police force and encouraging the public service ethic".

Policy meeting to discuss Crime, Justice, Citizenship and Equalities

2008-06-10T02:28:00.002+01:00

The Yeovil Labour Party will be holding a public meeting on Monday the 16th of June at 19:00 at Unity Hall, to gather feedback from both Labour Party members, trade unions and the general public to formulate a response to one of the party's Partnership in Power documents tackling crime and justice, citizenship and equality.

Once the meeting is concluded the response will be sent on to be voted on at the annual conference.

Report on Yeovil Sports Zone meeting

2008-06-08T00:02:00.003+01:00

For those who couldn't make it to the meeting on the Yeovil Sports Zone project last month with Tim Caroll (leader of South Somerset District Council) and Ashey Strelling (of Save Mudford Rec), the report is up on the Yeovil TUC's website.

The War on Democracy

2008-05-17T21:47:00.006+01:00

We'll be showing John Pilger's film the War on Democracy on Thursday the 17th of July at 19:00 at Unity Hall (opposite the bus station).

The ruling elite in United States likes to go on about how they spread democracy, but this film shows the “hidden war” that is being waged against democracy - how democratically elected governments are overthrown and replaced by dictatorships who represent US corporate interests. It shows what the United States really likes to spread is capitalism, free markets and the neo-liberal doctrine against all public ownership, it shows how the people of Latin America are plunged into poverty by economic “shock treatment” consisting of massive privitisation. And it shows how the people are fighting back in Venezuela and other countries of Latin America.

Here's what John Pilger had to say about the film:

The film is about the power of empire and of people. It was shot in Venezuela, Bolivia, Chile, and the United States and is set also in Guatemala and Nicaragua. It tells the story of “America’s backyard,” the dismissive term given to all of Latin America. It traces the struggle of indigenous people first against the Spanish, then against European immigrants who reinforced the old elite. Our filming was concentrated in the barrios where the continent’s “invisible people” live in hillside shanties that defy gravity. It tells, above all, a very positive story: that of the rise of popular social movements that have brought to power governments promising to stand up to those who control national wealth and to the imperial master. Venezuela has taken the lead, and a highlight of the film is a rare face-to-face interview with President Hugo Chavez whose own developing political consciousness, and sense of history (and good humour), are evident. The film investigates the 2002 coup d’etat against Chavez and casts it in a contemporary context. It also describes the differences between Venezuela and Cuba, and the shift in economic and political power since Chavez was first elected. In Bolivia, the recent, tumultuous past is told through quite remarkable testimony from ordinary people, including those who fought against the piracy of their resources. In Chile, the film looks behind the mask of this apparently modern, prosperous “model” democracy and finds powerful, active ghosts. In the United States, the testimony of those who ran the “backyard” echo those who run that other backyard, Iraq; sometimes they are the same people. Chris Martin (my fellow director) and I believe “The War on Democracy” is well timed. We hope people will see it as another way of seeing the world: as a metaphor for understanding a wider war on democracy and the universal struggle of ordinary people, from Venezuela to Vietnam, Palestine to Guatemala.

Everybody is welcome to come along, after the film we'll throw the floor open to discussion on topics raised in the film.

Beyond the Market Economy conference

2008-05-17T01:20:00.004+01:00

The Labour Representation Committee are holding the LEAP Conference 'Beyond the Market Economy' on Saturday the 24th of May between 11:00 and 16:30 Birkbeck College, University of London, Malet Street, WC1E 7HX.

Both Tony Benn and John McDonnell MP will be there making an address, and they'll also open up for a Q&A session.

A few topics on the agenda are:

Securing housing for all
Ending corporate power: 21st century models of social ownership
Drowning in debt: transforming the financial system
Defending pay, pensions and jobs in a global market economy

The agenda can be downloaded here and the 'Red Papers' from here. For those comrades interested in attending (£10 / £5 unwaged) you can register online on the LRC website.

Yeovil Labour Party supports Liberal Democrats in Chard by-election

2008-05-16T22:47:00.005+01:00

The Chard Crimchard by-election is on the 29th of May and the British National Party are fielding a candidate, Robert Baehr to contest the seat, the Labour Party isn't putting forward a candidate in this election.

In order to send a clear message that the people of Chard and the Yeovil constituency as a whole do not want a nationalist to represent them we are encouraging our supporters to vote for the Liberal Democrat candidate Jenny Kenton.

2008 May Manifesto Petition

2008-05-07T01:10:00.011+01:00

From the Labour Representation Commitee:

In the light of Labour's election defeat last week, John McDonnell MP is circulating a manifesto petition to Labour Party members, trade unons and MPs to gain large scale rank and file support for a new policy programme for Labour to bring about a radical change in political direction for the Laboour Government.

John McDonnell MP said:

"After the serious rejection of New Labour at the polls last week assurances that the Government is listening are simply not going to be enough to restore any sense of belief in the Labour Party. What is needed is a radical change of political direction."We have to demonstrate that change by introducing a new policy programme that specifically and very concretely addresses peoples' concerns raised on the doorstep. This May manifesto petition is launched so that all our supporters can have a say in pressing for the changes we need.

"We believe that Labour can win back the support of our people by adopting a new 2008 May Manifesto, which should include:
Nailing the 10p tax mistake by the introduction of a fair tax system removing the low paid from taxation and ensuring the wealthiest and corporations pay their fair share
An increase in the basic state pension, immediately restoring the link with earnings, lifting people off means tested benefits and providing free care for the elderly
An immediate start on a large scale council house building programme and assistance for those facing repossession
Immediate end to programme of local Post Office closures and liberalisation of postal services
An end to the privatisation of our public services
A new pay deal for public sector workers to protect their living standards and tackle low pay
Abolishing tuition fees and restoring maintenance grants for all students
Scrapping ID cards and abandoning 42 days detention
Introduction of a trade union freedom bill and measures to protect temporary and agency workers
Rejecting the proposals to renew Trident

Those interested in signing this petition should e-mail info@l-r-c.org.uk, include petition in the subject and your name and CLP or trade union. Now's the time to push for genuine working class policies and boot the neo-liberal agenda firmly out of the party, to turn the Labour Party into what it should be - the political wing of the working class.

Yeovil Sports Zone discussion

2008-05-07T01:02:00.002+01:00

The Yeovil TUC are holding a meeting to debate the planned re-development of Mudford rec. Ashley Strelling from "Save Mudford Rec" will be presenting the case for opposition of the development, while Tim Carrol leader of South Somerset District Council will be making the case for the development.

The meeting will be held Wednesday 21st May starting 19:30hrs at Unity Hall, Central Road, Yeovil.

The 10p rate of tax

2008-04-17T22:31:00.006+01:00

From this April the 10p rate (the starting rate) of income tax was abolished. This was announced in last year's budget. At the time it was hardly reported at all - with many media stories talking up the tax-cut from 22p to 20p for the basic rate, leaving many low-income earners out in the cold.

Labour introduced the 10p rate (the lowest level income tax in over three decades) and lowered the basic rate to 22p from 23p in 1999. This along with the minimum wage helped things on the ground a lot.

Why Gordon Brown carried this out in the last budget escapes me, at the time I thought it was simply a matter of scrapping the 10p rate to fund his 2p tax cut for the basic rate, and get all the praise from the media before he entered number 10, perhaps that should still be considered the leading hypothesis.

There have been a number of motions put forward expressing concerns over scrapping the 10p rate, as of writing 73 Labour MPs have so far signed them. Hope isn't lost yet for reversing this change, a number of Labour MPs have said they will try and fight the government over this issue, parliament returns on the 21st, so we'll see what happens.

The Tories are of course using this to their advantage, of course they have no alternative and if they were in power they would never of introduced anything this radical in the first place. I've yet to see any Tory MPs joining the rebel Labour MPs in support for reintroducing the 10p rate - don't hold your breath on that one, they're more interested in getting out of inheritance tax on their £1 million homes.

Where do I stand on this issue? Short term, the 10p rate should be reintroduced. If that means putting an extra couple of pence on the higher rate (over £36,000 per year) of income tax to fund it, so be it.