{"id":6946,"date":"2016-12-27T15:25:03","date_gmt":"2016-12-27T15:25:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/litci.org\/en\/?p=6946"},"modified":"2016-12-27T15:25:03","modified_gmt":"2016-12-27T15:25:03","slug":"osac-standing-in-the-mayoral-election","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/litci.org\/en\/osac-standing-in-the-mayoral-election\/","title":{"rendered":"OSAC: Standing In The Mayoral Election"},"content":{"rendered":"

Standing In The Mayoral Election (if we raise enough money). <\/em><\/p>\n

End Austerity <\/em>
\nOld Swan Against Cuts <\/em>
\n2017 Programme for Mayor<\/em><\/p>\n


\nOld Swan Against the Cuts End Austerity achieved 12% of the vote in the local election in May 2016. We intend to stand in the combined authorities mayoral election. But, the government wants \u00a35000 from candidates.
\nWe will try to raise that money, but if we do not raise enough we will use all money donated in the anti-cuts and end austerity struggle.
\nCheques can be made out to Old Swan Against the Cuts, and sent to News From Nowwhere – News From Nowhere, 96 Bold Street, Liverpool.<\/strong>
\nThe Tory escalating austerity policy has led to frightening levels of poverty, and insecurity in working class homes and communities. A world crisis of capitalism exploded in 2008 \u2013 this is the root of austerity. The crisis, created by incompetent and greedy speculators and bankers, is continuing to grow.
\nIn order to regain profit and the wealth of the very rich, an austerity programme is in place that takes from the poor, the working class and immigrants.
\nAusterity means:
\n-undermining pay and conditions, destruction of jobs and services
\n-draconian attacks on benefits
\n-destroying rights and post-war gains
\n-Public service privatisation eg NHS
\n-environmental destruction
\n-ending the welfare state<\/p>\n

The Labour party under Corbyn\u2019s leadership claims to be anti-austerity. But we need to fight austerity now; we cannot wait or rely on promises tomorrow<\/span><\/span>. Furthermore, Labour has made clear its intention to continue cutting already decimated services, despite the devastation being wreaked on communities and lives.
\nWhat have Merseyside Labour councillors voted for recently in the councils, Fire Service and Transport voted for recently?
\nThey are cutting fire engines and staff, which has already contributed to deaths due to fire. They have voted for driver only operated trains, which means cutting safety standards and protection for the traveling public. They were even shown a video about the death of one person on a train where there was a fire and no guard, but that harrowing story made no difference.
\nWe demand all councils to set a needs budget, use reserves and borrow resources. Stop the cuts and privatisation and fight to restore all services and jobs.
\nToday\u2019s generation is materially far worse off than the preceding generation \u2013 this should not be the case! But this will continue and worsen. The only way for the working class is an alternative to capitalism \u2013 we need a socialist welfare state, and only by fighting for socialism can we end austerity.
\nWe Stand For: <\/strong>
\n\u2022 A socialist welfare state
\n\u2022 Tax the rich
\n\u2022 Defend pay and conditions
\n\u2022 Keep all services under public ownership, fully funded and fully staffed
\n\u2022 Homes for all. Stop cuts in social housing benefits and selling off of social housing.
\n\u2022 Decent emergency accommodation for homeless people
\n\u2022 Fully comprehensive, integrated, publicly accountable and publicly provided, free at the point of delivery NHS, based on need
\n\u2022 Fully funded fire and transport services
\n\u2022 Keep education public at all levels: no fees, no cuts.
\n\u2022 Real contracts for all workers \u2013 permanent jobs! \u00a310 an hour minimum wage
\n\u2022 An end to zero-hour contracts
\n\u2022 An integrated transport system in public ownership
\n\u2022 Free public transport for young and old
\n\u2022 Rights for pensioners\u2019 and disabled people \u2013 including access to the physical environment
\n\u2022 Stop disabled people\u2019s benefit and motorability reductions
\n\u2022 Stop Employment and Support Allowance, JSA and tax credits cuts. For real benefits safety net
\n\u2022 End sanctions, the Bedroom Tax and workfare
\n\u2022 Full rights of all \u2013 End oppression based on gender, race, sexuality, and religion
\n\u2022 All refugees welcome \u2013 full rights and access to work, services and benefit
\n\u2022 Close detention centres! End deportations!
\n\u2022 Renewable and sustainable energy
\n\u2022 Frack free Liverpool
\n\u2022 Full public disclosure from Liverpool City Council of all Devolution (privatisation) plans
\n\u2022 Support for international workers struggles
\n\u2022 End the bombing and genocide in Syria
\nSection 1 <\/strong>
\nEnd Austerity \u2013 Old Swan Against Cuts has consistently fought the government\u2019s austerity plans and implementation by Liverpool Labour Council.
\nTogether with residents and others, we stopped the closure of 11 libraries; organised a successful grass-roots No Austerity conference and demonstration; fought for the rights of homeless people; stopped a banning order barring homeless people and activists from the city-centre.
\nWe won by working with others and building mobilisations and activities on the streets and sticking to the principle of putting the needs of people first.
\nEnd Austerity \u2013 Old Swan Against Cuts continues to fight cuts and austerity: to keep Old Swan and other libraries open and public; to end attacks on social care and housing; for equal access to Old Swan and Liverpool for all residents \u2013 able and disabled, young and old; to end draconian punishments on those in receipt of benefit \u2013 such as cruel sanctions and the bedroom tax.
\nSection 2 <\/strong>
\nMartin Ralph, our candidate, is a socialist and has lived in Old Swan for 15 years. He helped establish Old Swan Against the Cuts over three years year ago.
\nOf all the candidates standing in this election, Martin Ralph is alone in being committed to fighting against all the cuts. Martin is also a member of International Socialist League and has been an active trade unionist all his adult life.
\nSection 3 <\/strong>
\nWe want to fight for a socialist society and an end to austerity: a society with banks and public services under common ownership with a socialist welfare state; full trade union rights; full employment for all; end attacks on the unemployed; opposing and ending oppression and discrimination based on gender, sexuality, race, religion, disability or immigration status.<\/p>\n

Section 4 <\/strong>
\nWith vicious housing benefit attacks, rising evictions and homelessness we need a programme of homes for all \u2013 a million sustainable council houses, secure tenancies, rent control and affordable rents.
\nThere are plans to close supportive social housing including domestic violence refuges, and homeless hostels.
\nSection 5 <\/strong>
\nSuccessive governments and councils have disenfranchised young people; their interests are not represented.
\nPermanent jobs for young people \u2013 many are forced to take casual jobs; work on zero hour contracts; apprenticeships paying as little and \u00a33.30 an hour, with no guaranteed job.
\nEducation is Right \u2013 Free education for all \u2013 restore the grants; end tuition fees; end education cuts and restore student grants.
\nSection 6 <\/strong>
\nWe support workers in struggle – the fight against victimisation at Liverpool City College; against the blacklisting of building workers on sites in Liverpool – Alder Hey and Royal Hospital; Junior Doctors and Fire Fighters; and all workers in struggle to defend jobs and conditions.
\nSection 7 <\/strong>
\nIn its endless desire to own and control the world\u2019s resources, this government has helped create unprecedented numbers of refugees \u2013 leading to tragedy after tragedy across Europe as refugees fleeing war and terror drown, starve or freeze to death. Fortress Europe responds by erecting more borders and fences to keep them out! Immigration controls kill; they are cruel, inhuman and racist. They are used to divide us, to scapegoat immigrants (in the same way they scapegoat the poor and unemployed), to divert attention away from the cuts and lack of investment in our communities and services. End the persecution and war \u2013 refugees welcome.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Standing In The Mayoral Election (if we raise enough money). End Austerity Old Swan Against Cuts 2017 Programme for Mayor<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6947,"menu_order":1521,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"litci_post_political_author":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3499],"tags":[22,772,3646,6092,3705,3706],"class_list":["post-6946","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-britain","tag-isl","tag-jeremy-corbyn","tag-liverpool","tag-mayoral-election-2017","tag-old-swan-against-cuts","tag-osac"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/litci.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/osac.jpg?fit=620%2C374&ssl=1","fimg_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/litci.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/osac.jpg?fit=620%2C374&ssl=1","categories_names":["Britain"],"author_info":{"name":"litci","pic":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c5ccde5393ccb83747702c5ca92f55d8fdaf99be9432d0142571c6d437fbaadb?s=96&d=mm&r=g"},"political_author":null,"tagline":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/litci.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6946","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/litci.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/litci.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/litci.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/litci.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6946"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/litci.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6946\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/litci.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6947"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/litci.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6946"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/litci.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6946"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/litci.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6946"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}