The Socialist 15 March 2007

£billions for rich... Pennies for us!

Minimum wage insult

UNISON Health group votes for summer demo

Hewitt's 'day of exchange'

Fighting the cuts in Camden

Lambeth council attacks services for vulnerable people

Barking BNP don't oppose council cuts

Lewisham council's outrageous attack

Kurdish asylum seekers living in fear

Northern Ireland Assembly elections: Another sectarian headcount...

We Won't Pay Campaign conference success

Solidarity builds party profile ahead of elections

February revolution 1917 - what lessons for today?

US continues threats over Iran's nuclear ambitions

Iraq war: Convicted Bush official is 'fall guy' over WMD scandal

Celebrating International Women's Day

Tenants vote no to council housing sell-off

Market-driven 'social housing' threatens tenants

Will government plans stop climate change?

Build the campaign to defeat fees

International Socialist Resistance (ISR) and Socialist Students conference

Trade Unions and the Labour Party: CWU branch asks some awkward questions

Campaign for a New Workers' Party conference

Reinstate Dave Condliffe now

UNISON leaders lead members into dead end

SOUTHAMPTON council strike

PCS prepares for more struggles

Right wins lecturers' union leadership - on a 14% turnout

Previous issues, etc

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Lewisham council's outrageous attack

A RECENT meeting of Lewisham council's con-stitutional working party discussed a Labour and Lib Dem-backed proposal to limit the number of motions a councillor could propose or second to one per council meeting.

For some reason, however, this would only apply to political groups with less than three councillors. Entirely coincidentally, of course, New Labour have 27 councillors in Lewisham, the Liberal Democrats 17, the Greens six, the Tories three and the Socialist Party... two!

If this wasn't an outrageous attack on democratic rights it would be comical. But it is a disgraceful attack and it's not funny. The Socialist Party will launch a national protest campaign if this plan is pursued.

Fat cat housing chiefs

AT THE same time as these changes (see above) are being wrought in social housing for the low-paid, the average pay of Housing Association chief executives rose 7.9% to £110,000 in 2005-06.

John Belcher, boss of Anchor Trust, got an 11.1% increase to bring his pay to £241,000 per year and others are not far behind.

Social Housing magazine calculates the chief executives' annual cost per tenant. Even in very large associations where the cost is divided between many tenants it is often over £5 per tenant. Devon Community's boss, however, costs each tenant £75!

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£billions for rich... Pennies for us!