Clacton Labour Party

The Coalition Government is hell bent to destroy the future of our country’s young people

Last Updated on Monday, 06 June 2011 12:47 Written by Keith Henderson Thursday, 06 June 2013 00:00

It seems this coalition government is hell bent and fiercely determined to destroy the future of our country’s young people. The latest is the overnight and brutal scrapping of the School Sports partnership, an initiative introduced by Labour when in office. It was a tremendous initiative that brought competitive sport to young people for the first time for a generation. The Labour government came to office 1997 facing a generation of kids gripped by lethargy and obesity, due in large part to the Tories selling off of school playing fields to the highest bidder which led to the abandonment of school sport, the place where young people traditionally received their exercise. Not under the Tories of Thatcher and Major and now it seems not under the Tories of Cameron and Osborne. When the last Conservative government left office in 1997, only one in four children at state schools was given the statutory minimum of two hours' PE per week. By the time Labour left office this year this figure had reached 95%. This was all organised for each area under the banner of the 449 Schools sports partnerships. In our area there are two school sports partnerships that have been scrapped without warning without notice, covering Colchester and Tendering. Michael Gove education secretary spoke about protecting the "Olympic legacy" however in not only scrapping the SSP’s but also the rules that state each child should have a guaranteed 2 hours PE a week, Gove has flushed the future of our children’s health alongside the so called "Olympic legacy" down the plughole. All for the sake of a paltry £162m school sport, our kids health and futures have been sent back to where they were under the last Tory government, nowhere and with no future. As can be seen by the improvements that this initiative and our Labour government proudly had on developing the health, competitiveness and sporting prowess of our youth it is only a Labour government that can deliver on this issue. This coalition government has only contempt for our kids and their future.

Keith Henderson
Clacton Labour Party Parliamentary Spokesperson

We need campaign to save coastguard

Last Updated on Tuesday, 30 November 1999 00:00 Written by Keith Henderson Sunday, 21 August 2011 11:25

It is now clear that iconic pictures on the front page of the Gazette did not stop the proposed closure of the Walton coastguard service, will not stop job losses and will not save lives.

Quite clearly the opportunist photo opportunity jumped upon by our Tory MP Douglas Carswell, which showed local coastguard PCS union representative Karen Paradise handing over a 3,000-strong petition against the closure was nothing more than that, a photo opportunity.

While petitions and strongly-worded letters have a role to play, it is now clear that a far more serious approach will have to be adopted if there is any chance to prevent the closure going ahead.

If the coalition Government, which Douglas Carswell is a part of, stays in power, it is clear that the coastguard closure will take place by 2014. Even if the coalition falls and is replaced by a Labour government, it is still possible the closure could go ahead.

That is, unless a grassroots campaign is adopted, which will commit the Labour party to reversing these closures, is put into operation.

Links should immediately be made to contact all other stations facing closure, to start developing a nationwide campaign, to get the closure policy reversed.

Lobbies of party conferences in the autumn, participation in the autumn strike action over pensions, highly visible demonstrations on workers’ memorial day and a strong intervention at the coastguards union conference next year should be organised. This is now what is on the order of the day.

Letters, petitions and appealing to the better nature of those whose Government is responsible for making the cuts clearly hasn’t cut the mustard.

This is the price we are all having to pay for bailing out the bankers and the other tax-avoiding workers in the so-called “finance industry”.

Keith Henderson
Clacton Labour Party Parliamentary Spokesman

FEAR OVER TENDRING DISTRICT COUNCIL TORY PROPOSALS

Last Updated on Tuesday, 30 November 1999 00:00 Written by Keith Henderson Monday, 06 June 2011 13:25

Clacton Labour Party is lining up alongside the local trade unions to express its fears at proposals being put to a special meeting of Tendring District Council on Tuesday evening.

The Conservative administration is putting forward proposals that would give the council’s chief executive sweeping powers to axe staff, alter council policy and amend the council’s constitution without scrutiny or agreement by council committees.

Keith Henderson, Labour’s parliamentary spokesman for the Clacton Constituency, says

“These proposals would mean that the Tories would allow the council’s chief executive to make sweeping cuts in staff and services without first proving to elected members that they were necessary or in the best interests of the district. The implications of these Tory plans are truly frightening.”

Because the Conservatives have an overall majority on TDC they are in a position to force through the changes at Tuesday’s meeting but Labour councillors intend to speak out against the proposals during the debate and local trade unionists are being urged to join a lobby of the council meeting by protesting outside the Town Hall at 6.30 PM.

“The Tory cuts will affect everyone in the Tendring District but their proposals will prevent elected councillors from effectively scrutinising them,” continued Keith Henderson. “It is very important that everyone is aware of what the Tories are planning and equally important that they tell the Tories that they will be held to account for their actions.”

I still have great faith in the youth of today, despite riots

Last Updated on Tuesday, 30 November 1999 00:00 Written by Keith Henderson Sunday, 21 August 2011 11:15

In this country we have a generation of youth who have been abandoned and left adrift, without hope.

There are 1.5 million young people who are not in employment education or training, termed Neets.

As a result of the economic crisis this situation has only worsened, youth unemployment has hit record levels, university fees have been raised to a level by this Government putting university out of reach, the EMA has been scrapped placing further strains on the youth.

Even if a young person finds a job, it is likely to be low paid, without career prospects and temporary or flexible hours.

Unfortunately last week, starting in London and spreading throughout the country, we have witnessed a social explosion of the disaffected youth.

Tragically, many people have lost their homes, and many more their workplace, potentially their job and income too, some even their lives.

There is obviously a criminal element which has jumped on the bandwagon, but let us not make the mistake of thinking this was organised criminality, this was a social explosion from the belly of society.

If it was purely criminality, why not last week or the week before that? The roots of it are in the economic crisis, that, let’s not forget, was caused by the wanton corruption and criminality of the bankers and financiers.

One would search in vain for mass arrests and an increase in police presence and the threat of water cannon to hunt for the real criminals who caused the crisis we are now living through.

This Government has pledged to restore order to our streets and to have enough emergency services to deal with the situations that prevailed. It is the same Government which is savagely cutting our public services, including police and fire service numbers. We say reverse all cuts and protect and develop our public services, so they can be equipped to deal with a crisis like this.

Keith Henderson
Clacton Labour Party Parliamentary Spokesman