On 12 November protests took place, part of an international day of climate solidarity. In Blackpool, protesters combined climate issues with the cost of living.
Blackpool
Hundreds marched. The trade union council and a group of NHS campaigners were vital to organising our protest. The most deprived areas, like Blackpool, receive the worst levels of healthcare.
This protest was about showing solidarity with striking workers fighting for inflation-proof pay rises. Solidarity is not just a nice word to be saved for special occasions. It is our most powerful weapon against the bosses and their capitalist media, who try to divide workers and fuel division between trade unionists and climate activists.
There was massive support for taking energy and public utilities out of the hands of the profiteers, and bringing them back under public ownership, run for need not profit.
The protest also said no to fracking at Preston New Road, or anywhere across the world. We celebrated the important victory of twice defeating the Tories’ fracking plans. This shows the power of determined protests.
There was a call for a ‘climate jobs plan’, and for trade unionists to come together to develop a real alternative to create thousands of new jobs in north west England to:
- Cut greenhouse emissions
- Generate vast amounts of clean energy
- Retrofit clean, affordable heating systems
- Insulate homes and public buildings, and a council housing building programme of properly insulated homes,
- Expand green, affordable public transport and the training for the new jobs
To achieve all this requires trade union action to fight for a living wage, workers joining a union and getting organised, supporting the pay strikes, and reversing the cuts to public services.
Chris Baugh, Lancashire Socialist Party
Newcastle
There was lots of anger against greenwashing companies, such as Coca-Cola, which was named the world’s leading plastic polluter but is a major sponsor of COP27.
There were lots of calls for system change, but I didn’t hear any of the platform speakers mention the ‘S’ word – socialism. And I didn’t hear of them call for nationalising oil and other utilities.
Climate campaigners are right when they say there is no planet B. We need to shout out that capitalism is incapable of keeping our planet safe. The system change needed is socialist change.
Elaine Brunskill, South Tyne and Wear Socialist Party
Bristol
700 marched. One of the speakers was Sheila Caffrey, Socialist Party member and Bristol Trades Union Council president. She said: “Profit caused this crisis – a capitalist system which exploits the planet’s resources. not for the benefit of all, but for the benefit of a handful of billionaires”.
Roger Thomas, Bristol Socialist Party
