Socialist Alliances
Bristol campaign home in on education, privatisation, racism … and Primarolo
Socialist Outlook supporter and Labour Party member, Brian Drummond has been selected as the Socialist Alliance candidate to fight Bristol South against Treasury Minister Dawn Primarolo.
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Brian is a longstanding NUT activist and member of the Socialist Teachers Alliance. He was secretary of the local FACE campaign which helped to prevent the closure of 10 local schools.
He has been centrally involved in Bristol Socialist Alliance since its inception four months ago. Brian has been excited by the potential of this new development which has more than 100 paid up members in the city and is able to act more effectively than the different left organisations could by organising separately.
One of the more innovative initiatives of the Alliance in Bristol has been the way they have intervened into the local referendum being carried out by the local Labour group as a cover for cuts.
The Alliance has put forward a fifth proposal of "No rise in Council Tax, no school closures, tax the rich at a high rate and for central funding of education". This has received wide support.
Brian explained to Socialist Outlook why he had taken the decision to stand.
"Like many other Labour voters I have been bitterly disappointed by this government which as a Chair of a Ward Party in the City I helped elect.
"As a teacher and parent, education is a particularly important issue to me.
"Today the threat of privatisation is greater than it was under the Tories. The introduction of Education Action Zones has allowed private companies into our schools nationally.
"The curriculum has been developed in line with the Thatcherite plans of the nineties. Many children are subject to an arid skills and academic based curriculum which in no way addresses their needs.
"Teachers are still teaching large classes and subject to the immense pressure of Ofsted, performance management and poor wages
"Here in Bristol the Labour controlled council has managed to remove two secondary schools from the community of Knowle. They are proposing to close two primary schools in the Hartcliffe and Withywoon areas of the city. The Bristol Socialist Alliance has been heavily involved in fighting these alongside local parents.
"Since it was elected in 1997, the Labour government has continued to attack sections of the community including single mothers and the disabled. In particular it has developed a policy of criminalisation of youth with policies such as the imposition of curfew.
"The racist treatment of asylum seekers through the introduction of vouchers and the dispersal system has been impossible to stomach.
"Local MPs, with the sole exception of Roger Berry, have been abject supporters of the worst of these policies.
"In terms of the economy the government has pursued neo-liberal policies . The massacre of jobs in the car industry, the collapse of the privatised steel industry and the continued and relentless loss of jobs across the whole of manufacturing is the result.
"The disasters we have seen on the Rail network cry out for renationalisation. That is why we were happy in Bristol to be part of the Socialist Alliance campaign against rail privatisation, mounting a picket of Temple Meads station. The response of the government to the experience on the railways - to privatise air traffic control and the London Underground - beggars belief.
"New Labour plans to take Britain into the Euro as soon as in feels confident of winning a referendum. This would result in acceleration of manufacturing job loss, further privatisations and regulations which strengthen the hand of the international cartels.
"As Treasury Minister, Dawn Primarolo must take responsibility for the failure to renationalise the rail and the unpopular and highly inadequate local bus service. Treasury policies have led to the attacks on manufacturing - on our car and steel industries.
"On the international stage, Blair has shown his support for George Bush's 'son of star wars' project, which may rely on the use of Fylingdales and Menwith Hill. And British troops will be used as a police force for NATO in an increasing number of wars across the globe.
"I have consistently opposed the use of British troops in foreign wars - most recently in the Gulf and the Balkans - and so these are also issues I will seek to highlight through standing in this election."