Aneurin Glyndwr

Is The Mask Slipping From Dave's Party?

Tory Councillor John Major is accused of the ‘shame he is black’ comment following a councillors' meeting to appoint a new chief executive at Monmouthshire council. A spokesman for the Conservative party in Wales has confirmed that Mr Major, will be investigated.

A witness said: “I couldn’t believe that anyone would say such a thing. The candidate was very impressive and Mr Major made a complimentary remark, but immediately followed it up with the appalling statement ‘shame he is black’.

When asked about his behaviour John Major gave an unconvincing account: this is from the BBC

"I've thought back about this and at no time did I say the words 'pity' or 'shame'. I mentioned to my friend that he was black but I didn't mean it in any derogatory way.

"I was thinking he was like Obama, although I didn't say that - that was going through my mind."

Compare and contrast with the same BBC report of his account to them:

 But Mr Major denied allegations that he said it was a "shame he's black" after the candidate impressed them.

"I said he was a breath of fresh air. Like [President] Obama," he said.

This is obviously pure invention by Tory Major: it is what he now wishes he had said at the time. Compare this with the account he previously gave to the Western Mail last Saturday, there is no mention of Obama in his thoughts or words at all:  

Last night, Mr Major said from his home in Magor: “I made a remark which I intended to be complimentary about a gentleman we had just interviewed. I am shocked that it has been taken out of context.

“What I said was, ‘He’s a breath of fresh air – and he’s black’. I didn’t use the word ‘shame’. I never said that at all.”

 So AG has two questions for Tory Major and Dave the Chameleon:

1. John: Why did you, in your words, ‘mention to your friend that he was black’ at all? Unless that was because you, Sir, are a racist?

2.  Dave, why don’t you sack him?

 

No Show Bethan

Curious that Bethan Jenkins, self-styled 'conscience' of Plaid and militantly anti-Labour, failed to turn up as billed in the Evening Post and by the organisers, for an important campaign meeting in Swansea to fight the BNP.

Around 50 activists heard Peter Hain call for 'unity in action' at the event convened by Unite Against Fascism and planned action for the future.

Contact UAF at  unite@ucu.org.uk or visit http://www.uaf.org.uk/

What's Europe ever done for us? Part 6

Signed the Social Chapter and introduced measures including:

four weeks’ paid holiday;
a right to parental leave;
extended maternity leave;
a new right to request flexible working;
and the same protection for part-time workers as full-time workers.

Cameron says that his "top priority" is to pull out of the Social Chapter - by voting Labour at the European elections can you safeguard your holiday entitlement and other rights at work.

What's Europe ever done for us? Part 5

Labour helped win valuable reforms to the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) to promote sustainable and environmentally friendly farming within Europe.

British business can't afford Tories European policy

With the European elections just around the corner, let's remind ourselves exactly what a victory for the Tories would mean.

David Cameron's policy of isolation in Europe and promise to abolish Regional Development Agencies would be a double blow to British business.

RDAs drive their regional economies forward, pulling together European investment and identifying local priorities to deliver for business. Independent auditors recently found that, overall, every pound invested by Regional Development Agencies grows the local economy by four times that.

As Glenis Willmott MEP, Labour's leader in the European Parliament, wrote in an article for Progress online: "As the European Parliament closed last week, Tory MEPs lined up to criticise David Cameron's policy on Europe. The Tories' own Shadow Business Secretary, Ken Clarke, thinks their attitude to the EU is 'absurd' and 'crackpot'. The Tories' incoherent European policy is an approach that British businesses can't afford."

What's Europe ever done for us? Part 4

More and better jobs through agreement of the Lisbon Agenda for economic reform – millions of new jobs have been created across Europe since 2000.

What has Europe done for us? Part 3

We know many people are worried about the impact that the recession will
have on them and their families – which is why the EU has invested £1.5
billion in Wales as a whole, creating 40,000 jobs and getting 85,000
back to work. A further £1.5 billion will be invested again over the
next seven years.

Labour MEPs have brought in measures to give part-time and temporary
agency workers the same rights as full time workers as regards pay,
terms and conditions, pensions, leave, working time, vocational
training, health and safety, and maternity leave.

Labour MEPs have brought in a raft of tough new legislation to give
consumers a better deal, including: a two-year guarantee for electrical
goods, a 14-day cooling off period for people buying timeshare
accommodation, new Europe-wide rules which
protect consumers from rogue traders, dodgy property share schemes and
bogus prize scams and a ban on pharmaceutical companies from promoting
their products directly to patients over the heads of doctors.

Labour MEPs have banned tobacco advertising across Europe and required
all tobacco products in Europe to carry illustrated health warnings.

Labour MEPs have worked to ensure that the EU remains the global leader
on donor financing for the Millennium Development Goals and secured
reforms to make EU development aid better targeted, more coordinated and
more effective.

Labour MEPs have made Wales a safer place, by creating a Europe-wide
arrest warrant, adopting legislation to prevent money-laundering and
introducing a new law to crack down on the supply of illegal weapons
from other European countries into the UK.

What's Europe ever done for us? Part 2

Strengthened minimum environmental standards across Europe. Our rivers, beaches and water are now the cleanest they have ever been.

Minimum wage victory

John Prescott’s Wage Concern campaign has defeated the Tory bill to abolish the minimum wage. The shopworkers union USDAW and UNISON had organised a Lobby of Parliament on the day of the second reading of the Employment Opportunities Bill. The bill was withdrawn by Chope at the last minute and rescheduled for June 12th. But as it is 11th on the order paper for that day, the bill is effectively defeated.A victory for all who campaigned along with John on this crucial issue.

British jobs for American workers?

We’ve all seen the photos of “British workers” on the BNP’s posters and leaflets except they are not even British –they are in fact American models.

The doctor who claims he will be voting for the BNP won’t – he too is an American model and the retired couple are Italian parents of a photographer who are not even entitled to vote in this country.

Don’t be fooled by the lies on this leaflet. The BNP is a vile, racist, fascist part and it’s proven to be dishonest.