The Emperor’s New Clothes

Last night we leafleted for Medway TUSC outside the local cinemas after the Russel Brand film, if you don’t know what it is all about I’ve copied the synopsis at the bottom of this post and embedded the trailer so you can check it out.

We met quite a few voters that were really upset about the current state of affairs in our country but really don’t know what to do about it, in my view the first thing you need to do is talk about it with your friends, family and social media, make your feelings known. The more of us that say something the louder our voice will be, don’t be afraid to “talk politics” we’ve all been downtrodden to such an extent that doing so has almost become taboo!

Lastly and perhaps most importantly, look for alternative parties on your ballot paper like TUSC (Trade Union and Socialist Coalition) protest against the establishment parties, make yourself heard and remember it is only a wasted vote if you DONT vote!

Things Can Change – we just need to make t happen collectively…

If you missed it on Tuesday, dont worry because it’s showing again in selected cinemas and available on demand from Friday 24th April.

SYNOPSIS – THE EMPEROR’S NEW CLOTHES

Definition: Fairytale, allegorical

1. Collective ignorance of an obvious fact, or deception, despite undeniable evidence.

World-famous British comedian and activist Russell Brand joins forces with acclaimed director Michael Winterbottom on a polemical documentary about the financial crisis and gross inequality we currently face. Starting with the genesis of today’s economic policies, with the arrival of Milton Friedman’s school of thought in Reagan’s leadership and Thatcher’s UK, the film explores how these policies have come to dominate the western world. The rich have got richer; where a CEO of a major British company used to earn 10 times the average wage of his workers, now they earn 200 times. According to Oxfam, the richest 80 people in the world own as much as the poorest 3.5 billion. It would now take 300 years for the average cleaner, cleaning the offices of his senior boss, to earn the same salary taken home by the same boss last year.

Milton Friedman once said that every crisis was an opportunity. The financial crisis of 2008 should have been a chance to reform the system for the benefit of everyone. But instead, austerity for everyone throughout Britain and Europe was the price to be paid for supporting the financial sector, with £131 billion spent by UK tax payers to keep the financial system afloat, while $30 trillion in support and subsidies went to Wall Street in the US.

Using a mixture of documentary, interviews, archive footage and comedy, Russell Brand takes us from his hometown Grays in Essex, to the heart of London ‘City’ and on to the Big Apple. This daring film will shake up the world by revealing the bewildering truth about how the people at the bottom are paying for the luxuries of those at the top.

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Leafleting for TUSC in Strood

Today Steve Wilkins (Medway TUSC Council Candidate for Hempstead and Wigmore) and myself were out leafleting in Strood market again, and imagine my surprise when walking through the market I bumped into Eric Pickles!

Not literally of course, however he was rather hard to miss 🙂

I recognised him but couldn’t remember his name at first but I knew he was a Tory minister, you could tell because he had a massive entourage and 2 or 3 photographers taking pictures of him looking very stately, staring slightly upward at the sky, you know “that” look.

A short while later the procession of Tory campaigners came wandering past Steve and I which made me laugh because Steve started shouting “No More Cuts… Save the NHS… Stop Privatisation… No More Austerity…” etc. etc. I even heard Eric say “Oh How Lovely” then a couple of the Tory campaigners came past with Kelly Tolhurst and offered me a leaflet “It’s ok” I said “I’ve already read it and binned it, but you can have one of mine if you like”

I wonder if they decided to pop down because TUSC have been campaigning in Strood Market for weeks? Maybe it was just a coincidence, but I think maybe we are starting to scare them, and Kelly Tolhurst’s answer to a couple of Socialists giving out leaflets and talking to people was a “Shock and Awe” visit from Mr Pickles 🙂

Made me giggle anyway…

Historic Moment

History was made this evening with the very first Party Political Broadcast on behalf of TUSC.
Plain speaking, no clever marketing just working class people standing and being counted.

It was aired by the three main channels at three separate times and laid the blame for the current economic problems that working class people are experiencing, firmly where it belongs. At the door of the political elite, International Casino Banks and corporations who gambled with our money on dodgy debt packages. Then when it all went wrong expected us to give them even more money to help them maintain their lifestyle.

Watch and you will find out there is an alternative, a different way to tackle the gross inequality and poverty without wrecking all our public services and driving even more people further into poverty.

Use your vote to protest against the establishment politicians…

First Day Out for Medway TUSC

A few people have said I should write a bit more personal stuff on my blog, so here we go! It has to be said that I am not a natural writer in fact I was in remedial English for a couple of years when I was at school but I will do my best as I always have 🙂

Today I had my first day out leafleting and talking to people in Strood about Medway TUSC, it was a lot harder and more tiring than I thought it would be and reminded me a little of my days in the Army “on parade” but enjoyable non the less and I look forward to doing it again.

Here are a few Highlights

The overwhelming consensus of all the people I spoke to was that “politicians are all a bunch of liars and you cant trust any of them!” well you know what, I totally agree with them which is why I have chosen to support TUSC a party full of ordinary people, speaking FOR the people and doing extraordinary things.

An elderly gentleman approached me and asked “who is paying for all this then?” to which I replied “do you mean the leaflets?” the man said yes so I informed him that they had been paid for out of the candidates own pockets and donations from volunteers. “That’ll be the day!” the man said before walking off, I did not blame him for his disbelief because if I were not actually involved myself I too would find it hard to fathom, how any election campaign could possibly be funded pretty much out of the pockets of those who have volunteered to stand as candidates, a few dedicated trade union members and socialists.

Compare that to the £MILLIONS and £MILLIONS that the other mainstream parties including UKIP receive from big business all of whom have their own agenda, and think about this for a moment, they will obviously want something in return for their donations and I’m not talking about just a posh meal in a swanky venue…

Another couple said they would not be here on election day so they would not be able to vote, so I suggested a postal vote however at the time I had no idea how this was done, so I found out and if you find yourself in this boat make sure to visit this page and get registered ASAP:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/apply-for-a-postal-vote

Perhaps the best thing about the whole experience was two different people came over and patted me on the back “well done for standing up for the people and doing something” I was really moved by this, and whilst it was only two different people who said this from the hundreds that walked on by, I wondered how many others would have felt the same way if they had only taken a moment to either read the leaflet or listen to what TUSC is all about.

 

Where Will YOUR Vote Go?

I’ve created a quick poll below, please think about it and then vote:

I got the inspiration for this poll from a TUSC postcard which you can find here:

TUSC Bob Crow Postcard

 

TUSC Manifesto 2015

At 11 o’clock this morning in the ‘belly of the beast’ – Canary Wharf, home to some of London’s biggest financial institutions – TUSC launched their 2015 manifestos for the general and local authority elections.

5 Key Pledges:

• End cuts and austerity. For a democratic socialist society run in the interests of the millions not the billionaires.
• Trade union rights to fight low pay. £10 an hour minimum wage now, scrap zero hour contracts.
• A mass council home building programme and immediate introduction of rent controls.
• Scrap student fees. Free education as a right for all.
• For democratic public ownership of our NHS, railways, public services, utilities and banks.

TUSC is fielding the fastest growing general election challenge, standing in over 130 parliamentary seats and over 600 council seats on May 7, it is the newest political party to have an election broadcast this year on Friday, 17 April 2015.

TUSC’s rapid growth is down to its unique anti-austerity policies.

If you want to know more, please visit TUSC2015.com
You can also download the full TUSC Press Pack Here