Oasis' Noel Gallagher meets Ken Loach CENTRE PAGES - PLUS 'LAND AND FREEDOM' REVIEW, KEN LOACH INTERVIEW 28 October 1995 5 FF • $1 • 2DM 1500 lire • 30BF• f1 CABINET DIVISIONS meant Michael Howard did not announce the details of new immigration legislation at Tory party conference as expected. But that doesn't mean that this attack has been shelved - though it is unlikely to contain fines for bosses who employ those without status.
Certainly we know from Social Security Secretary Peter Lilley's announcement that a seekers will have their benefit stopped from January 8, 1996 • a change doesn't require an Act of Parliament, just new In addition, the Queen's speech at the opening of the new parliamentary session is likely to contain proposals to • imPOsE immigraton checks on those claiming benefits, health care, housing • DENY these services to a large number of people whose status is not settled, as well as to so called illegals"
• LIMIT the number of countries from which asylum requests will even be • IMPOSE further visa restrictions on countries from which asylum seekers come • WITHDRAW the right of I STOPE Late unite seekers The impact of such changes, with their emphasis than border controls, would be an extremely negatie one not only for refugees and asylum seekers but for all black people in this country. The proposal for checks on the status of service users will require policing by working people, many of them active trade unionists.
While many anti-racist organisations have been Union leaders must be a part of organising the anti-racist struggles for more than one day a year organising conferences and meetings to discuss the likely changes, very little has happened so far within the unions - which must be a central focus for organising resistance, UNISON did organise a conference in October but it was not seriously built.
Over the last decade there have been some successes in forcing trade unions to fight racism; most notably in taking up deportation cases affecting their own members, but also in pressuring the TUC itself into calling demonstrations such as that on October 28. unionist in unions whose members will be called on to implement these pernicious measures is to fight for their of non-cooperation against these proposals. Many workers will be angry about the idea that they should police trade union organisation there is a danger that they will either feel impotent to achieve anything or will end up being picked off individually. Collective action with official trade union support could inoperable - it must be fought for vigorously.
SOCIALIST OUTLOOK No. 92, October 28 1995, Page 2
THAT AN agarnse
Behind the Tories immigration witchunt: pages 8 &9