Ken thanks London UNISON for help during Mayoral campaign

This letter from Ken Livingstone was sent to Linda Perks, the London UNISON Regional Secretary and circulated to our regional committee.

"Dear Linda
Thank you for everything you and London Unison did to help with the London Mayoral election campaign.

London Unison has been fantastic - not simply by donating, but through unwavering support, the ideas you contributed and the campaigning you undertook.

Please also accept my thanks for the very excellent work of London TULO, without which we would have been far less effective.

The trade union movement is central to achieving progress in our society.  From the outset I wanted a campaign that worked with the unions, that knitted in the progressive ideas of the trade union movement, and sought to address the very issues faced by our trade union members.  I am proud that we worked so hard to achieve those goals.

Many people wrote the campaign off from the start and could not have expected it would come so close. I am sorry that I was unable to pull off a victory that so many hard-pressed Londoners were depending on.

We didn't win, but the idea of a fairer London should not be lost.  Our policies showed a fairer way forward for the Capital's residents: cutting fares; improved neighbourhood policing; introducing a London EMA; providing better and cheaper housing; helping people with the cost of living from affordable childcare to reducing price of household energy bills.

Please ensure my thanks are passed on to everyone in the union who played their part.

It has been a great inspiration to be part of this London election campaign with you. I very much look forward to working with you again in the future.

Thank you again.

In solidarity

Ken Livingstone

Mistley Dawn

This is off message but picture from Mistley Quay this morning at dawn of the drop dead gorgeous Stour Estuary (double click to bring up detail) . This weekend was R&R after the GLA election and the marathon. Two wonderful walks to Constable Country and Harwich. A little bit wet at times. Local people were genuinely concerned at the flooding in the valley from recent heavy rains (unheard of in their life times). Global warning??

I was born and raised near the Dee Estuary in North Wales so I always feel at home near tidal rivers.

What was disconcerting is that behind the Quayside cottage I was renting was the "The Thorn Inn" (now a hotel serving great food) but where in the 17th Century, Witch-finder General, Matthew Hopkins is reputed to have lived and to have interrogated some of his victims. Some 300 women were tortured and murdered by Hopkins as "witches".

How can somewhere so lovely and beautiful be the home of such evil?   

Boris wins, London loses and do all political careers end in failure?

So it was a close run thing after all. Ken loses to Boris by a 3% tiny margin. 

It was not all bad. Labour did very well nationally winning 823 Council seats, it won Birmingham and saw off the nats in Glasgow.  Labour picks up 2 extra seats in the London Assembly (but not enough to block the Mayors budget).  Most importantly Labour has began to win in parts of the South East of England. It needs to win outside its traditional heartlands to stand any chance of victory in 2015.

In City and East (Newham, Tower Hamlets, Barking & Dagenham and the City of London) our Labour Assembly member John Biggs was re-elected with over a 100,000 votes winning nearly 63% of turnout.

I wonder about this famous quotation by Enoch Powell (about Conservative politician Joseph Chamberlain) "All political lives, unless they are cut off in midstream at a happy juncture, end in failure, because that is the nature of politics and of human affairs". Is this true?

I suppose that if you are obsessed with politics you will go on and on until in the end you lose. I'm been trying to think of any prominent post war British politician whose career did not end badly? Think back on Brown, Blair, Major, Thatcher, Callaghan, Wilson, Heath etc

Ken himself I note has said he will not stand again for election but not that he is retiring. I can't imagine him ever giving up politics as long as he has breath in his body so watch this space and see what happens.

Anyway, roll on European elections 2014.

Out and about for Labour in West Ham

Today I took annual leave from work and campaigned for Ken and Labour in my ward, West Ham. In Newham there were a number of target wards in which we ran full GOTY (Get out the Vote) sessions with polling agents and "knock up" teams. In the rest of the borough we had smaller teams "working their ward" to maximise
turnout.

It was a great day. The rain held off (only a little bit of drizzle now and then - nothing like what we have had in recent weeks). Collage Picture of key West Ham Labour activists John Whitworth, Montrose Matty, Councillor Ron Manley and Freda Bourne (double click to bring up detail). I only heard one negative political comment all day from the hundreds we came in contact with (an attack on Ed Miliband coupled with a tease about "Red Ken").  The majority of "West Ham-mers" were genuinely open and enthusiastic about voting for Ken and Labour (although one person said she would normally vote Labour but she use to be a waitress and she once served him but he didn't give her a tip! I said I am sure that there must have been some sort of a misunderstanding).  The ward is a traditional Labour heartland (as is most of Newham) and the support for the Party amongst all parts of the community is genuinely humbling. Afterwards we went for a beer and a curry in the excellent Manus Palm Grove Restaurant in West Ham Lane.

The London Count does not start until tomorrow morning and the results not expected until late Friday.  I am sure that Labour will do well but turnout is key. Will Tory supporters do what Labour supporters do when they are "unhappy" with a Labour Government and sit on their hands and not vote???    

London: Send Cameron & Clegg a message by Sacking Boris!

Not only in London but up and down the Country people should vote Labour to make this Tory Government stop and think again about its policies.

In London the Labour candidate Ken Livingstone will cut Bus and Train fares, restore Police numbers, EMA and increase the supply of affordable housing.

There is no real alternative to the Tories but the Labour Party.

In London due to PR every single vote will count. Don't let Boris continue to destroy London. Send a message to this Tory Government. Turn out of voters today will mean everything.

So get out and Vote Labour!

UNISON phone bank: 500 calls for Ken!

Picture is from last night's phone bank on the 5th floor of the UNISON HQ in Euston.  After some previous teething problems this high tech system really worked. The software enables you to go from call to call to call entering information via clicks on a mouse.

We made over 500 calls to UNISON members in Tower Hamlets. Far more than if we had to use the traditional pen and paper system.

At home recently I have been tele-canvassing my ward and it is so slow and cumbersome. Then you have to get the information manually inputted into Contact Creator (the Labour Party Election computer programme).  

This is exactly the sort of "hands on" political organising that trade unions need to do. Instead of just writing cheques and making supportive statements we need to be out there engaging with our members.

Interestingly members on the whole were pleased to be contacted by their union and I had some decent conversations with them about a number of issues not just elections. So I think its good for the Union to have this contact with our members as well.

Vote Anyone But Boris: If you want a Fairer London

The non-political campaign group "My Fair London" has sent out this email yesterday to supporters following the refusal of Tory Mayoral candidate Boris Johnson to pledge to take action to reduce inequality. Vote anyone but Boris? Needless to say. I agree! (but the only way to stop Boris is to put Ken 1st or 2nd on your ballot paper).

"Dear John,
This Thursday Londoners will have your chance to chose the next Mayor of London. As a signatory of our e-petition you want the next mayor to take action on inequality in London. Ken Livingstone, Jenny Jones, and Brian Paddick all agree and have signed up to our five-point plan of action. Only one of the main candidates is not prepared to take action on inequality: Boris Johnson. So we're calling on you to vote against Boris on 3rd May.

The My Fair London campaign is non-party political. We have engaged equally with all of the four main candidates. We have spent the last few months presenting The Evidence to them, which is that:

• the gap between rich and poor in London is at its highest point in a century;
• evidence proves this gap is bad for society - undermining trust, increasing crime, destroying social mobility, and worsening health; and
• the vast majority of Londoners back action to reduce this gap.

Three of the candidates - Ken, Jenny and Brian - listened and responded by signing up to our five-point plan. One candidate - Boris - ignored both the evidence and Londoners' views. It's time to send a message: since Boris doesn't care about inequality in London, he won't get my vote.

But this is not just about decisions made in London. The result of the mayoral election sends a message to the politicians in Westminster. They make the key decisions that drive inequality in London. We need a mayor who lobbies the government to address the gulf between rich and poor that divides Londoners. Boris has spent recent years doing the opposite: he has been a consistent critic of the 50p tax rate. He has finally got his way: George Osborne's budget slashed the top rate of tax for those earning £150,000 or more. This will put an average of £10,000 back in the pockets of each top rate tax payer.

Not content with that, it seems Boris wants the Chancellor to slash taxes for the rich even further. In an interview for the Sunday Telegraph this weekend Boris called for making London more tax competitive, interpreted by most commentators as a thinly-veiled reference to the need to cut taxes for the highest earners further.

With the mayoral race neck and neck, Boris' victory is far from guaranteed. It's time to say no to soaring inequality and no to Boris Johnson.

You are one of 850 Londoners who have signed our online e-petition. Thank you! You have been critical to the success of our campaign. There is still time before the election to get more Londoners to sign up. Please take 2 minutes to email 10 of your friends, family and colleagues to sign our e-petition at http://www.myfairlondon.org.uk/sign-the-petition/.

Thanks again for your support,

Peter Robbins
Chair
London Equality Group
www.myfairlondon.org.uk

"We are Londoners, not actors"

The Tory bloggers are being even more silly and desperate than usual by getting themselves in a lather over false claims that Ken's Public election broadcast here was by actors not ordinary Londoners. Also that Ken was not genuinely emotional at the launch of the broadcast.

What is wrong with these people? The nasty party getting worried that Ken will win I suppose. Click here to donate to Ken's fighting fund and Eddie Izzard with double your money!  

Party Election Broadcast 2012 by Ken Livingstone

UNISON London Mayor and Assembly telecanvass bank

This is a great photo I think of some of the UNISON Labour Party activists at the telecanvass bank in our headquarters in Euston this evening. I helped out tonight for the first time and was very impressed with the modern technology that UNISON has and the ease of contacting members.

We rang UNISON members for voter identification purposes in the London Mayoral and Assembly elections. By coincidence this evening we called up UNISON members in my own Borough, Newham.

There was a software training session beforehand but once we were up and running we contacted 200 members in just over an hour. Which is pretty good going.  Double click picture to bring up detail.

UNISON Housing Association branch Chair (and Chair of National Young Members) Joel Bodmer was one of the team (see picture on right). After all that talking some of us had to retire to a local hostelry to refresh ourselves (and once again put the world to rights)

Ken visits Stratford Station to talk to commuters about Fare Deal

Guest Post from Tahmina Rahman, Forest Gate North Labour Party Secretary (3rd from right in photo) “A really positive response yesterday lunchtime from the local Newham residents and visitors at Stratford station. Labour Mayor Candidate Ken Livingstone was joined by Val Shawcross who is the deputy Mayoral candidate and local East London Assembly candidate, John Biggs.

Together with other local Labour Party activists we handed out leaflets and talked to people about “Fare Deal” and how the average Londoner could save a £1000 over 4 years".

Standing Up for Public Services

These message have been sent out to the 130,000 UNISON members who live in London about the forthcoming GLA elections. By post, phone, email and text.

"All members living in London
　
UNISON Membership No: ******
　
Date: 23 March 2012
Ken Livingstone has published six pledges to address the increasing cost of living in London. These are: cut fares by 7%, saving the average Londoner £1,000 over four years; reverse Boris Johnson's police cuts and restore local sergeants to Safer Neighbourhood Teams; help reduce rents and provide more secure tenancies through a London non-profit lettings agency; tackle heating bills, help households save over £150 a year; restore the London EMA, up to £30 a week to help young people stay in education; support for childcare with grants and interest-free loans, and campaign against Tory cuts to childcare tax credits. All are costed and affordable within existing budgets.

 Make sure you have YOUR say in London's future on Thursday 3 May when Londoner's elect the next London Mayor and the Greater London Assembly. London members have a chance to make a difference. Your vote WILL count. Register to vote or for a Postal Vote at http://www.aboutmyvote.co.uk/.
　
UNISON Greater London Region - Standing Up for Public Services
　

Homes For London

Great new videos from Housing Charity "Shelter" launching their "Homes for London" Campaign. Shelter want the London Mayor candidates to commit to setting up a "Homes for London" agency if they are elected. Similar to "Transport for London".

Our Part Time London Mayor

Newham Tells Ken

The picture College is from the "Tell Ken" event in Newham on Monday Evening (sponsored by London

UNISON Labour Link).

Labour Party candidate for London Mayor, Ken Livingstone has held "Tell Ken" events at all of the London 32 boroughs. His last one was in Newham on Monday which is of course a Labour stronghold.  I've posted on the
day events here.

This well attended "Tell Ken" event was chaired by City and East London Assembly member John Biggs. East Ham MP Stephen Timms introduced Ken.

Ken's speech was very, very good. The Q&A also went well. He judged the audience perfectly. I could see people nodding and agreeing with his points. His convincing narrative is that of an ordinary working class Londoner, who wants lower bus and tube fares, more housing, is tough on crime yet passionately believes in social justice and equality. Compare Ken and his love of London with the rich Old Etonian gadfly who regards being our  Mayor purely as a stepping stone to Number 10. It was a good night (pictures also from the Theatre Royal visit and of Ken with Becton Ward Councillors).

TELL KEN: Didsbury Centre, East Ham Mon 30th Jan

Next Monday January 30th Labour candidate for London Mayor, Ken Livingstone, will be spending the day in Newham campaigning. In the evening 7pm to 8.30pm there will be a "TELL KEN" event at the Didsbury Centre, 2 Didsbury Close, East Ham, E6 2SX (5 minutes walk away from East Ham Town Hall). This is sponsored by Greater London UNISON Labour Link.

Further good news today about Ken's campaign. Another
opinion poll has put him (narrowly) into the lead. "

Tessa Jowell said today, “This poll shows that Boris Johnson is increasingly out of touch with Londoners facing a squeeze in their living standards. They know that under Boris Johnson, fares have gone up; violent crime including knife crime and robbery are rising while the numbers of police keeping Londoners safe are being cut. Ken will put Londoners first by cutting bus, tube and train fares and making the streets safer by protecting police services.

Eddie Izzard and Ken launch Fairer Fares campaign

"Ken Livingstone and Eddie Izzard will launch a campaign for 'Fairer Fares' today (Wednesday 21st September) following Boris Johnson's decision to increase bus, tube and train fares last week.

Ken and Eddie will call for Conservative Mayor, Boris Johnson, to end his high fare policy which has committed London to 20 years of 2% above inflation fare rises. They will call for a fairer approach to the cost of public transport.

Last week's announcement by the Conservative Mayor means bus, tube and train fares will have risen under Boris Johnson since 2008, including:

• A single bus ticket up is 56%, costing Londoners £260 a year more

• A weekly bus and tram pass is up 47%, costing Londoners £317 a year more

• A weekly zone 1-4 travelcard up 23%, costing Londoners £416 a year more

• A weekly zone 1-6 travelcard is up 22%, costing Londoners £509 a year more

Boris Johnson called these fare increases, ‘fair and reasonable’.

Ken and Eddie will visit Finsbury Park tube and bus station on Wednesday morning to meet commuters and go on to meet students at Bsix college, Hackney.

Eddie Izzard said, "It's the Mayor's job to make transport better for everyone who relies on the tube, trains, trams and buses everyday. Yet Boris Johnson's fare increases threaten to price thousands of Londoners off public transport.

'I think its time for Boris Johnson to rethink these steep fare rises and put Londoners first. His decisions have meant that it now costs two to three hundred pounds more a year just to use public transport.

‘At this time when the cuts are biting and the economy is in trouble, it’s the wrong time to be make the cost living higher for people

It's time for fairer fares in London and a Mayor of London who is on the side of Londoners."

Ken Livingstone said, "With the cost of living rising in London, last week's decision by Boris Johnson to increase fares again was ill-judged and unfair to Londoners who need the Mayor to be on their side. It’s increasingly clear that under the Tories, Londoners are less well off with every day that passes.

'The Conservative Mayor must put Londoners first and rip up the commitment he has signed that fares will rise above inflation for 20 years."

Nuff said...