Green Party Conference supports Gary Lineker on his 'entirely valid' point about Tories' cruel approach to asylum policy

 The Green Party has just passed this resolution at its Conference. Unanimous in the conference room and just one against online.

Green Party conference expresses solidarity with Gary Lineker and instructs the External Communicator to call on the BBC to reverse the decision to remove him from Match of the Day. The party believes in the principle of BBC impartiality and is clear the organisation is making a mockery of its own policy in this instance. Instead, they are bowing to party political pressure and undermining free speech in the process.

We believe that the point Gary Lineker was making around the deliberately cruel approach to Conservative asylum policy was entirely valid. The Conservatives’ deliberate stoking of this issue as part of their incessant culture war also serves as a distraction from the urgent humanitarian crisis on our doorstep. The issue of desperate refugees should not be used as a political football.

Paul Lorber: Why I stand with Gary Lineker. Words and Actions Do Matter

 Guest post by Paul Lorber

In the 1930s under Adolf Hitler Nazi Germany introduced oppressive policies against their Jewish Nationals. Jews could not own businesses, work for public bodies, could not go to restaurants, theatres and parks, their children could not attend public schools or universities, their property was stolen. Normal life was impossible.

Many countries around Germany, including Slovakia introduced similar policies. 

In the meantime countries around the world started closing their borders as politicians claimed that their countries were being swamped by aliens with foreign culture and should not allow any more to enter. 

In 1938 my aunt who was Slovak and her husband who was German managed to escape to Argentina. When my parents tried to get permission to leave for Argentina that country also closed its border to escaping Jews.

The ‘words and actions’ of the pre 2nd World War years had a devastating impact as millions of innocent people ended up in Nazi concentration camps.

Both my parents suffered this fate - they were lucky to survive.

The world has not learned from our recent history of the 1930s and the war that followed. There are still oppressive regimes and people are still trying to escape devastating wars where the aggressor targets civilians.

“Words and Actions do matter”. The language (and actions) of politicians need to be challenged and this is why I Stand with Gary Lineker.

I would not want the horrors experienced by my parents to have to be experienced by others. You can read my mother’s story HERE.

Chai and Palestinian Stories on Sunday in Harlesden - registration needed

 

Latin Community Wellbeing Day tomorrow Saturday March 11th - 2 Scrubs Lane NW10 6RB

Free healthy lunch at Chalkhill Health & Wellness event Wednesday 15th March 1pm to 6pm

 

Renters score £400k victory on unsafe homes

 

From London Renters Union

 

Hackney members of the London Renters Union have won a massive £400,000 investment in housing safety, following the launch of our #SideWithRenters campaign!

 

1.6 million children live in damp and mouldy homes. But when renters report unsafe housing conditions to their local authorities, many go ignored.

Everyone deserves a safe home. It is outrageous that many renters are forced to forfeit half of our incomes for housing that makes us sick.

That's why we launched our #SideWithRenters campaign last year to pressure councils to stand up for renter rights and tackle unsafe housing.

Members in Hackney came together and held negotiations with the council in April last year, and again in February this year. The message from our members was clear. Hold landlords accountable!

Earlier this week, Hackney Council announced it will invest a further £400K in the housing standards enforcement team to crack down on mould and damp. Stronger enforcement means that is harder for landlords to get away with forcing us into dangerous conditions.

This win was only possible because of the way we're building renter power in the city. But there's so much more to fight for...

 

 

Join the fight.

London Renters Union is a member-led union fighting to transform the housing system. From resisting evictions to campaigning for lower rents, we are fighting for a housing system that prioritises human need over profit. The more we grow, the bigger we win. Join the London Renters Union today. LINK

SOS NHS DEMONSTRATION – END THE CRISIS – SUPPORT THE STRIKES Saturday 11 March – 12 noon – Central London, NW1 3AA

 

 

From SOS NHS

We do not need to remind you about the unprecedented crisis in the NHS, but we do need to ensure our voice is heard. We also stand by NHS staff forced to take strike action and seek to expose the political choices this Government is making to underfund and privatise the NHS.

This is also a moment ahead of the Spring Budget to bring people together around an issue that unites us all. 

 

The demonstration will assemble at 12pm Midday, on Saturday 11 March, at the northernmost end of Tottenham Court Road (Euston end) opposite Warren Street Underground Station NW1 3AA and then march to Whitehall for a closing rally with speeches outside Downing Street.

 

 

ACCESIBLITY INFORMATION-SHORT MARCH

 

We’re doing all we can to make sure our event is accesible to all.

We will have short march which will assembly outside the north side of the National Portrait Gallery, 5 Irving St, Leicester Square, London WC2H 7AT
The short march will end in Whitehall at the main stage where we will have cordoned off area for wheelchair users and BSL users. 

 

The short march will assemble at the National Portrait Gallery (just opposite from the Garrick Theatre) from 13:00 and we expect the main march to arrive at some time between 13:30 and 13:45.

 

Further information https://sosnhs.org/events/

Kilburn Square development paused. All scheme options to be reviewed but Brent Council will still seek planning approval for the designed scheme.

The saga of the controversial Kilburn Square development continues with a letter distributed to residents today. The Council's plans have encountered much opposition,

Search 'Kilburn Square' on this blog for the previous posts.

As Life in Kilburn (highly recommended) pointed out on Twitter, this is the second site paused as Windmill Court was also paused. The two sites were allocated GLA money with a strict on-site start deadline of March 31st 2023. 

Newland Court in Wembley Park is also putting up resistance to infill proposals on their estate.

 The Planning Committee due to be held on March 15th, where the contested Planning Application may have been presented, has been cancelled.