Professional Documents
Culture Documents
GET YOUR
THIEVING
TORY HANDS
OFF
childrens centres
IMMIGRANT MYTHS
For hundreds of years, Kent has seen immigrants arrive in the
county - often enroute to London and further afield. They have
come for a whole variety of reasons. Many have been escaping
persecution in other countries, some have simply been seeking to
make a better or different life.
Politicians of the main establishment parties, and the far-right
racist fringe seek to blame immigrants for many of the failings of
the exploitative economic system they all support. When there are
no jobs, they say, foreigners must be taking them. Similarly with
homes, hospital places and benefits.
The truth is that migrants quickly become part of and enrich our
communities. They are work colleagues, school and college friends.
We say: theyre welcome here.
Kent International Socialists are part of the fight for a
fair, peaceful, socialist world.
The present capitalist system is run for the enrichment of the
small minority by the exploitation of the vast majority. The
capitalist class, who own and control society, are engaged in a
constant global pursuit of profit. The economic system is prone to
regular crises, creates poverty amidst plenty, wars, racism and
worldwide environmental destruction.
Socialism is the achievable alternative to that system. It cannot be
handed down from above by politicians who make promises and
do much the same as the last lot, nor is it about an authoritarian
state controlling our lives.
Socialism can only be built by the vast majority who have to sell
their labour to make a living (the working class) recognising their
power and coming together to fight for a world based on human
need, not profit. Where people can develop freely and
cooperatively and where the earth is not regarded as merely
something to exploit.
Join us in that struggle.
EMAIL: kentinternationalsocialists@gmail.com
WEB: kentsolidarity.com PHONE/TEXT: 07947 424505
ChILdRENS CENTRES
in Kent are facing
swinging cuts as part of
the 273 million budget
savings by Tory-led
Kent County Council.
Hannah Arnold, a parent in Whitstable
who helped set up a successful
campaign against the closures Save
Kents Childrens Centres spoke to
Solidarity this week about the
campaign.
ACTIVISTS
I set the campaign up as many
parents felt an overwhelming anger and
disbelief at KCCs proposals to close
twenty three childrens centres.
Once the campaign had been set up,
Mary Sullivan from the Canterbury and
Whitstable Stop the Cuts group
contacted me to offer their support.
Demonstrations were organised, the
local trade union movement and anticuts activists mobilised in support, and a
petition was signed on stalls and online
across Kent.
PRESSuRE
Under pressure from parents and
activists, KCC conceded some of our
REduCEd
Furthermore, the centres that have
won a reprieve will face reduced hours,
job cuts and a loss of expertise and
knowledge.
This is because KCC are determined
to cut a further 2.5 million from the
childrens centres over the next two
financial years. The closures and
reduced services will affect all families in
Kent who have children under the age of
five.
INVEST
Nevertheless, we are continuing the
campaign. KCC have already caved in
under pressure from us, so we have
every reason to think we can fight and
win to save the twelve centres now
designated for closure.
All of us need to invest in our
childrens future. We urge you to get
involved with the campaign. Our first
action this year is a march in
Canterbury on 15 February.
Join us.
Atos:
Food banks:
Services:
ALWAYS APPEAL
AGAINST ATOS
COMMuNITY uNITEd: union leads protest against Benefit Street
reasons to be cheerful
Exposing the
doings of
hypocrites, the
scoundrels, the
rotten and the just
plain nasty ...
Deep thinking
Down Under!
TONY ABBOTT, Australian Prime
Minister is not known as a modern
day Confucius.
H claimedClimate change is
absolute crap when pressed on
global warming as leader of the
opposition. Red Sauce is pleased to
see hes not let power change him!
On Syria - The difficulty in Syria
is that - as I famously, perhaps
infamously said during the election
campaign - it often seems like a
case that involves baddies versus
baddies.
Wait, a conservative populist who
lacks nuance when dealing with
foreign policy and prefers simple
stories? Well, thats just unheard of.
Ruling Class
Rebel News!
STANLEY JOhNSON, father of
pretend reasonable adult Boris
has caused somewhat as a stir
demanding a popular uprising.
What got him so riled up? Was it
savage cuts that cost lives? The
ongoing violent and racist tactics of
the Met? The housing crisis?
Of course not!
Hes worried about disruption to
his cosy life in his 4m Camden
Mansion.
Apparently its an affront to his
human rights, that it could adversely
affect his properties value.
But its not just human rights! Hes
also concerned about security.
What about terrorism? With HS2
these young girls are going to get
down from Birmingham 20 minutes
quicker.
We are in favour of anyone using
public transport to get away from this
rambling bigot 20 minutes quicker!
Strangely Bumbling Boris said he
1
opposes the planned HS2-HS1 link
through Camden, despite backing
the development generally.
Water cannon
plan wins Met
police backing
BORIS JOhNSON supports the
Mets idea to use the water
cannon in London.
The police have suggested
ongoing and potential future
austerity measures are likely to
cause disturbances on Britains
streets.
Atos Boss in
Bogus Claim
AN Atos boss claims the hated
benefits assessor is popular with
the public.
However disability charities
described Atos as farcical after it
told nearly half of all people suffering
from crippling life-long diseases like
Parkinsons that they would get
better!
Iceland Three
ChARGES hAVE been dropped
against the Iceland Three.
The Crown Prosecution Service
has decided to drop its case against
three men caught taking food from
bins outside an Iceland store.
The CPS had previously stated
there was significant public interest
in prosecuting the three men.
They were caught last year taking
tomatoes, mushrooms, cheese and
Mr Kipling cakes from the dustbins
behind a branch of Iceland.
The CPS reversed their decision in
the wake of huge public outcry about
the case.
Workfare will
set you free!
WORK ANd PENSIONS Secretary
Ian duncan Smith has been a
leading light in the battle against
slavery.
He has championed making
vulnerable people homeless through
the hated bedroom tax, subsisding
private business by making
unemployed people use Workfare
just to get their JSA, and sanctioning
cancer suffers who dont find work.
huMILITY
In a stunning display of humility, he
claimed the devastating changes to
welfare policy hes responsible for
are a journey from dependence to
independence. And that he was part
of the Conservatives historic
mission just look at Wilberforce
and Shaftesbury.
Its a great achievement in twisted
logic, that the man in charge of
wrecking so many lives has
convinced himself that hes actually
more like an abolitionist.
We wish someone would set him
free from office!
3
Who do they
think theyre
kidding?
LIBERAL dEMOCRAT Vince Cable
has been in a defiant mood
recently, claiming he will not
support George Osbornes latest
round of 30 billion cuts.
He has found his moral centre
and realised that Tories might have
an ideological goal of a smaller
state?
The Liberal Democrats will reduce
the debt burden but ensure this isnt
done at the expense of public
services and the most vulnerable in
society.
Red Sauce hates to be awkward,
but someone should remind the
Business Secretary hes been part of
this ideological axe-swinging
government since the formation of
the Con-Dems in 2010!
Do we really need to go over the
damage hes done to working class
people, unemployed, students, the
disabled, pensioners etc? Or maybe
he doesnt consider these groups as
vulnerable enough.
Thirty years since the start of the Great Miners Strike 1984-1985
The Miners
Were Right
to Strike
bRITAINs gRowTH as the
greatest industrial nation was
powered by coal. Despite this
miners have never been held in
regard by those for whom they
worked, at times being referred to
as the scum of the earth or the
enemy within.
immigration my
DaviD CaMErON wants to
renegotiate the UKs relationship
with the European Union to
enforce a cap on migration. He
claims to be troubled about the
effect of migration on the
conditions of British workers.
Ed Milliband, Labour leader
echoed the anti migrant rhetoric.
Bunny La Roche seeks out the
facts.
MIGRANTS
HOLD
DOWN
WAGES
MIGRANTS
BURDEN
ON OUR
NHS!
we HeAR stories all the time about record numbers of
eastern european migrants attending A&e departments.
But, research carried out by Adam Steventon from the Nuffield
Trust found that migrants use the NhS less frequently than British
born people. Steventon concluded: In fact, admission rates were
around half that of english-born people of the same age and sex. In
reality, overcrowded A&es have been caused by hospital cuts,
slashing services in residential and community care and the serious
disintegration of mental health services.
Additionally, statistics from the think tank health and Social Care
Information Centre (hSCIC), published in the Guardian recently,
show that the NhS will be under severe strain as many services it
offers rely on migrant labour. The report prompted the British
Medical Association to observe that without the contribution of nonBritish staff, many NhS services would struggle to provide
effective care to their patients.
MIGRANTS
GET TOO
MANY
BENEFITS
CAmeRoN, Ukip and others suggest that migrants come
here to claim benefits as britain is considered a soft
touch. evidence points otherwise:
Migrants represent 13% of the workforce in england and Wales.
Only 7% claim out-of-work benefits.
Migrants from outside the eeA (the eU plus Norway,
Lichtenstien and Iceland) represent only 9-10% or workers; only 5%
claim benefits.
All migrants from the eU who arrived after 2004, with one years
residence, are legally entitled to claim benefits. however, they are
60% less likely to claim them than British born people.
Migrants from the eU actually contribute to public services. They
pay around 30% more in taxes towards services than they take from
them.
MIGRANTS
DRIVE
UP
RENTS
TAKE
BRITISH
JOBS!
The loss of one million public sector jobs, the closure of Pfizers in
Sandwich, Kent and the national closure hMV and Comet stores
was not the fault of migrants. Neither are they responsible for
slashing tens of thousands of jobs in the manufacturing industry.
Again, blame lies with the Tories, the bosses and the system which
seeks profits above all else, mindless to the needs of the many.
In 1992, when unemployment was at its highest, more people left
Britain than entered it. When unemployment started to fall, more
people came here. When the jobs market suffered another slump,
again, migration fell. At the end of June 2012, net migration fell by a
third in comparison to the previous twelve months, but joblessness
rose.
The recent rise in immigration is due to the entry into the eU of
some eastern european countries. The workers from those
countries came to take advantage of job opportunities. however, as
soon as the jobs dried up, the majority went back home.
A government study from 2006 has shown that migration from eU
member states has been unexceptional. But, as the economic slump
really begins to bite, studies have found that migrants are likely to be
the first to lose their jobs.
The top five countries for arrivals to the UK are: China, India,
Poland, US and Australia.
Migrant
Children
Jean, a teacher in a
Kent secondary
school, talks about
life in a multi-cultural
school
EXPERIENCE
In response to the most recent wave of anti-migrant
propaganda against eastern europeans, from the politicians
and the British media, I would like to focus in particular
students from Slovak, Czech and Bulgarian Gipsy
communities since they, historically, have been the most
universally marginalized. The views expressed here are based
on my personal experience.
When the first Gipsy students arrived they had to endure
hostility both from other students and, I am ashamed to say,
some staff. There were unfounded rumours circulating that
the Roma were work shy, criminal and even forced their
daughters into prostitution.
SUCCESS
There are too many individual success
stories to detail here but I am proud to
mention Patryk, a Czech Gipsy who is head
of college and an articulate and
compassionate spokesperson for his
community who plans to go to university
next year. And Maria, a Slovak Gipsy, whose
shyness when she joined the school rendered
her unable to communicate, but who is now
a confident and highly motivated member of
the sixth form. Urariwan, a Thai student
who entered the school in year 7 without any
english and was scoring within the top 5 in
her group within six months. Stiv, a
Bulgarian who spoke no english when he
joined us but has achieved a meteoric rise to
the top in all subjects. Chimamandanta,
from a minority group in Nigeria also sets a
high standard in terms of motivation and
behaviour in the top group having entered
the school with no english.
PRESSURES
There are, of course many english born
students who have managed to overcome
formidable barriers to learning. Chelsea, for
example, had to contend with the stigma and
economic pressure placed on her
MILLIoNAIRES
An uneducated population will be easier to
exploit and control. A divided population will
be unable to organise against the vicious
cuts being inflicted on the welfare state by an
ideologically driven Tory-led government.
It is in this parliament of millionaires
interests to keep us ignorant and at each
others throats. Our defence against
their attacks must include equal
educational opportunities for all,
without exception.
argument
Kent Uni staff join action
DIRTY bus
The Priva
sINEss
Solidarity
KENT INTERNATIONAL SOCIALISTS BuLLETIN No. 2 2014 70p
No to Islamophobia
Yes to diversity
22 MARCH
Stand up to
RACISM and
FASCISM
Rally and Demonstration
Rally and Demo marking UN Anti-Racism Day
Assemble 11am Central London (venue tba)
Central London Backed by TUC, Unite Against Fascism
CoACHES FRoM KENT: call 07947 424505 or
emai: eastkentuaf@gmail.co for details