Workers' Liberty

Articles in the 8 and 9 May editions of the Guardian provided yet more evidence of how left-wing Ken Livingstone and his coterie are not.

Over on Stroppyblog, Janine warns of a gloomy result in the London elections and picks apart how we got into this state; and looks at the Left List's response.

No, readers of Solidarity should not vote no.1 for Ken Livingstone for mayor of London. Despite all the frantic appeals to us to vote for him as a "lesser evil" than Boris Johnson, he deserves no credit or endorsement from working-class people.

The new issue of Tubeworker assesses the contest between Boris Johnson and Ken Livingstone for London Mayor.

For the first time in its history, the annual conference of the National Union of Teachers debated a motion submitted by LGBT teachers from their own conference.

Particularly since it expelled the bulk of its founders and trade union activists in 2006, the Workers’ Power group has been notable for combining rhetorical ultra-leftism with opportunism and wild political zig zags. Now the r-r-revolutionaries have surprised even the most jaded sectarian-watchers by supporting a first preference vote for Ken Livingstone,

“Red” Ken Livingstone’s campaign for re-election is being supported with a high profile statement signed by... trade union militants? left activists? anti-cuts campaigners?

Let’s look on the bright side first. SWP-Respect is reaffirming the need for a left challenge to Livingstone as London mayor.

The knives are out for Ken Livingstone. He is targetted by the main London paper, the Evening Standard. He is the subject of a sustained smear campaign — he’s a drunk, a secret “Trotskyite”.

Questions from a friend: "How stupid are these people? How wrong can they be?"

These notes are an analysis of the magazine of the Socialist Action group over the period 1989-93 and deal with the collapse of Eastern European "Communism", the Stalinist coup attempt in Russia of August 1991 and the 1990-91 Gulf war.
The period begins with the final withdrawal of Russian troops from Afghanistan at the beginning of 1989 ("Defeat in Afghanistan" - SA no.2, March-April 1989) and ends with SA justifying Russian nationalism.

See also: "The strange history of Socialist Action"

I sent this letter to the Guardian, but unfortunately they didn't publish it.

Ken Livingstone has a habit of trumpeting his commitment to a decent living wage for Tube cleaners. Problem is, they ... er ... don't get a decent living wage. Ken's excuse? He doesn't have the power to impose decent wages on the cowboys who hold the contracts.

So Tubeworker was intrigued to read this little snippet on Unison's website ...

London Underground cleaners in the RMT continue to organise. About three weeks ago, cleaning staff at Morden Underground depot succeeded in fighting their management's imposition of a new 7-day a week roster, which would have allowed them no days off!

On 7 October, supporters of the Iranian regime are organising an “Al Quds Day” demonstration in London (assembling 12:30 at Marble Arch).

Management have put back the implementation date for the ticket office cuts and closures from March 2008 to 'at least' next Summer. This follows a letter from RMT demanding that unless LUL shelve the plans, the union would be in dispute. Well, if one stiff letter can cause a delay to the plans, then imagine what a concerted campaign could do!

Listening to the news, we are told that Ken is secretly cheering that this strike is calling into question the Public Private Partnership.

Ken Livingstone's latest newspaper for Londoners carries an article about the Metronet collapse. On first reading, it is a welcome condemnation of PPP and Metronet's management, but a closer read reveals why we can not trust our fat-cat Mayor.

I have reported to blog readers before that I am receiving unsolicited 'spam' email from Jon Cruddas' campaign, who seem to think there is some reason why I might back their man. Me being a principled socialist, there is not.

Former London Underground tsar Bob Kiley has told the press "I do very little work for my £737,000".

By Amina Saddiq

Ken Livingstone’s wonderful world

Ken Livingstone, god bless ’im, is holding a conference on 20 January under the title “A World Civilisation or a Clash of Civilisations”.

From a witness

Last Thursday, 7 December, the London Jewish Forum was launched at City Hall. There, the Mayor of london, Ken Livingstone surprised the audience by apologising for the offence he caused with his "nazi camp guard" jibe at the Evening Standard journalist, Oliver Feingold.

Four quid for a Zone 1 single cash fare?! Is Livingstone having a laugh?! He might thing he is encouraging people onto Oyster, but the truth is that he is ripping passengers off. And to think this man made his name over twenty years agao with a policy called Fares Fair!

Asked by a business owner what to do with a worker who has been off sick for several weeks, Ken Livingstone replied:
(a) allow their doctor to help them recover their health?

...To go from vaguely calling Finegold a “German war criminal” when he thought he was a mere employee of the Evening Standard, to pointedly comparing him with a Nazi concentration camp guard when he learned that he is Jewish, does exhibit the typical pseudo-left reflex of identifying Israelis or Jews whose politics or activities you don’t like with some aspect of Nazism. The impulse is to hurt, wound, kick in the crotch.... By John O'Mahony

This summer, the Mayor of London gets new power over housing and planning in the capital. He says he will use these powers "mainly to ensure more affordable homes are built for Londoners."

The Zionist connection. News Line editorial, Saturday, April 9, 1983

A powerful Zionist connection runs from the so-called left of the Labour Party right into the centre of Thatcher's government in Downing Street. There is no difficulty what ever in proving this.

Images accompanying this story: Newsline of 9 April 1983, page 8 and page 9; Labour Herald caricature of Begin. And click here for the text of the Newsline editorial of 9 April 1983 and Ken Livingstone's accompanying comment.
A drunken Ken Livingstone, the mayor of London, leaving a party, accused an Evening Standard journalist of being the equivalent of a Nazi concentration camp guard.

A contested election for the Labour leadership would be “virtually meaningless” as “there's such an overwhelming consensus that Gordon will succeed”.