North Korea Increases Aid to Russia, Mos... Tue Nov 19, 2024 12:29 | Marko Marjanovi?
Trump Assembles a War Cabinet Sat Nov 16, 2024 10:29 | Marko Marjanovi?
Slavgrinder Ramps Up Into Overdrive Tue Nov 12, 2024 10:29 | Marko Marjanovi?
?Existential? Culling to Continue on Com... Mon Nov 11, 2024 10:28 | Marko Marjanovi?
US to Deploy Military Contractors to Ukr... Sun Nov 10, 2024 02:37 | Field Empty
Anti-Empire >>
A bird's eye view of the vineyard
Alternative Copy of thesaker.is site is available Thu May 25, 2023 14:38 | Ice-Saker-V6bKu3nz
Alternative site: https://thesaker.si/saker-a... Site was created using the downloads provided Regards Herb
The Saker blog is now frozen Tue Feb 28, 2023 23:55 | The Saker
Dear friends As I have previously announced, we are now “freezing” the blog.? We are also making archives of the blog available for free download in various formats (see below).?
What do you make of the Russia and China Partnership? Tue Feb 28, 2023 16:26 | The Saker
by Mr. Allen for the Saker blog Over the last few years, we hear leaders from both Russia and China pronouncing that they have formed a relationship where there are
Moveable Feast Cafe 2023/02/27 ? Open Thread Mon Feb 27, 2023 19:00 | cafe-uploader
2023/02/27 19:00:02Welcome to the ‘Moveable Feast Cafe’. The ‘Moveable Feast’ is an open thread where readers can post wide ranging observations, articles, rants, off topic and have animate discussions of
The stage is set for Hybrid World War III Mon Feb 27, 2023 15:50 | The Saker
Pepe Escobar for the Saker blog A powerful feeling rhythms your skin and drums up your soul as you?re immersed in a long walk under persistent snow flurries, pinpointed by
The Saker >>
News Round-Up Fri Apr 04, 2025 01:36 | Richard Eldred
A summary of the most interesting stories in the past 24 hours that challenge the prevailing orthodoxy about the ?climate emergency?, public health ?crises? and the supposed moral defects of Western civilisation.
The post News Round-Up appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
Vegan Activist Almost Kills Stolen Lamb After Attempt to Hand-Rear It Thu Apr 03, 2025 19:00 | Will Jones
A vegan activist who stole a lamb from a farm and almost killed it with her botched attempts to hand-rear it has been sentenced to a 12-month community order and banned from owning?sheep.
The post Vegan Activist Almost Kills Stolen Lamb After Attempt to Hand-Rear It appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
Female Fencer Takes a Knee and Refuses to Fight Transgender Opponent as She Tells Ref: ?I Will Not F... Thu Apr 03, 2025 17:00 | Will Jones
A female fencer was disqualified from her tournament after taking a knee and refusing to compete against a?transgender?opponent, telling the referee: "I will not fence against a man."
The post Female Fencer Takes a Knee and Refuses to Fight Transgender Opponent as She Tells Ref: “I Will Not Fence Against a Man” appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
David Lammy Spends Over ?1 Million on Private Jets in Three Months Thu Apr 03, 2025 15:24 | Will Jones
David Lammy has spent more than ?1 million on?private jets?in just three months despite Labour?s vow to crack down on expensive ministerial flights and the Government's Net Zero fanaticism.
The post David Lammy Spends Over ?1 Million on Private Jets in Three Months appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
Elon Musk Says Reports of Him Quitting DOGE Are ?Fake News? Thu Apr 03, 2025 13:00 | Will Jones
Elon Musk has said that reports of him quitting DOGE ? a claim put out yesterday by Politico ? are "fake news" as officials say he's going nowhere until his "incredible" work is finished.
The post Elon Musk Says Reports of Him Quitting DOGE Are “Fake News” appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
Lockdown Skeptics >>
Voltaire, international edition
Voltaire, International Newsletter N?126 Fri Mar 28, 2025 11:39 | en
The International Conference on Combating Anti-Semitism by Amichai Chikli and Na... Fri Mar 28, 2025 11:31 | en
Western Europeans Deprived of Defense, by Thierry Meyssan Tue Mar 25, 2025 06:04 | en
The Arab-Islamic Committee and the War in Palestine Sun Mar 23, 2025 11:32 | en
Voltaire, International Newsletter N?125 Fri Mar 21, 2025 11:48 | en
Voltaire Network >>
View Comments Titles Only
save preference
Comments (10 of 10)
Jump To Comment: 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1Let's be a bit more accurate about this. "Community Gateway" is a glossed up form of stock transfer. That is transfer from public ownership to private ownership. Despite the fripperies involved, the housing stock is transferred from Council ownership to a housing association. It fits squarely into the New Labour policy of destroying council housing.
This absolves the Council from responsibility for the homes. It also attacks the idea that housing is a right replacing it with the idea of private charitable housing provision. It makes sure that no new housing will ever be built as council housing by that local authority.
As if that wasn't enough, tenants find their tenancy agreements replaced by less secure arrangements. With the change in tenancy agreement it becomes much easier to be evicted for such crimes as falling behind in your rent payments.
Tenants activists have been campaigning against the stock transfer in Preston. Respect have been recruiting its architect. I know which side I'm on.
Comment on Indymedia UK
'Preston Housing & Elaine Abbot
10.05.2004 18:53
I think you'll find if you dig a little further that Elaine Abbot wasn't involved in privatisation.
The stock transfer scheme that Preston Council are investigating - Community Gateway - is sponsored by the Cooperative Union and the Confederation of Cooperative Housing organisations. My understanding is that it would replace council ownership with a cooperative form of organisation in which tenant control and participation was guaranteed.
Now personally I would always prefer Municipal/State ownership over co-operatives, but there are many on the left who would disagree and see co-ops as a better and more radical alternatives to council ownership that involves the tenants very little.
On the left we should be able to debate the issues sensibly, but it is rabid sectarianism of the worst kind to denounce looking at it locally. Especially when it is clear that the status quo will result in crappy housing conditions so long as the present parties are in government. The key issue is that the tenants of Preston will have the final say on whether they want to move into a co-operative organisation or stay as council tenants. In any case, inevitably, the New Labour government are dragging their feet on this alternative and it may be some time before it gets off the ground.
Certainly Elaine Abbot is well known in Preston for sticking up for the side of the tenant and opposing any kind of privatisation. So let's consider both sides of the argument.
Mike from Preston'
Galloway is a charlatan and a chancer. Any socialist grouping should be secular, but I guess the swp see this as a way of recruiting disaffected Muslim kids.
I suppose they justify it to themselves as just that, but then what do we expect from (particularly the British) swp?
Recruit
Sell the paper
Build the movement.
The movement is happening over the heads of the swp. It’s a pity, because there are some genuinely good people in there.
Thank you all for your kind and not so kind remarks.
Let me assure Mike from the SWP (or Respect) that I did indeed read the reports in British "Socialist Worker". The Nablus incident is all very interesting, although a little reminiscent of the kind of tokenism that Councilors of all stripes engage in.
But British "Socialist Worker", like Irish "Socialist Worker" and the Respect website still fails to mention two vital things. It doesn't tell us of Councilor Abbots deselection from the Labour Party before she began her road to Damascus conversion to opposing Blairism.
Most importantly it doesn't tell us that her only contribution to politics in Preston has been to mastermind the town's biggest ever privatization scheme, a job she was in right up until Respect recruited her.
Can Mike enlighten us as to why Respect and both the British and Irish editions of the "Socialist Worker" fail to mention what are after all very important facts? Can Mike tell us if such economy with uncomfortable truths is considered an asset in a "Socialist Worker" journalist?
i think if maurice had bothered to carry out a cursory search in SW uk he would find a proper background to the story.
She quit labour over a cynical attempt by labour to twin preston with nablus. lavellette suggested the twinning last year. labour rounded on him.
This year labour proposed to twin the two towns.
what changed labours mind?
I would suggest the local elections on the 10th of june are a major factor. lavellette does have the support of the muslim population mainly because they have been let down by labour over its support for the war and the no soloution of muslim only action will not get them far. The swp and the StWC organised and have won some confidence. hence labour trying to catch up and win some support back.
The SWP not overly scrupulous when it comes to grabbing hold of what looks like a chance! Never!
"Why would Respect or the SWP want to recruit someone whose only contribution to political life has been to try and introduce privatisation? Are they really that desperate?"
Yes they are!
Are you surprised?
It took me a minute to get my head round all the stuff in the story but when I did I found it a bit fucked up. Why would Respect or the SWP want to recruit someone whose only contribution to political life has been to try and introduce privatisation? Are they really that desperate? I followed the links and it looks like it's all true, unless there are two councillor Elaine Abbots in charge of Prestons council houses. Or unless Preston Councils website is lying about it all, and neither of those options seem very likely. So whats going on?
Re accurate reporting; not at all like the "Socialist Voice"...eh Maurice?....do better next time please!!
We stand for:
An end to the war and occupation in Iraq. We will not join any further imperialist wars.
An end to all privatisation and the bringing back into democratic public ownership of the railways and other public services.
An education system that is not dependent on the ability to pay, that is comprehensive and gives an equal chance in life to every child no matter how wealthy or poor their parents, from nursery to university.
A publicly owned and funded, democratically controlled NHS, free to all users.
Pensions that are linked to average earnings.
Raising the minimum wage to the European Union Decency threshold of £7.40 an hour.
Tax the rich to fund welfare and to close the growing gap between the poor and the wealthy few.
The repeal of the Tory anti-union laws.
Opposition to all forms of discrimination based on race, gender, ethnicity, religious beliefs (or lack of them), sexual orientation, disabilities, national origin or citizenship.
The right to self-determination of every individual in relation to their religious (or non-religious) beliefs, as well as sexual choices.
The defence of the rights of refugees and asylum seekers. Opposition to the European Union's 'Fortress Europe' policies.
We will strongly oppose the anti-European xenophobic right wing in any Euro referendum. But we oppose the 'stability pact' that the European Union seeks to impose on all those who join the euro. This pact would outlaw government deficit spending and reinforce the drive to privatise and deregulate the economy
and we will therefore vote 'No' in any referendum on this issue.
Support for the people of Palestine and opposition to the apartheid system that oppresses them.
An end to the destruction of the environment by states and corporations for whom profit is more important than sustaining the natural world on which all life depends.