Community organising is the way forward
posted by: Nick Lowles | on: Tuesday, 14 September 2010, 17:30
I've just finished speaking at a fringe meeting hosted by the National Union of Teachers on fighting the BNP. It was a really good meeting attended by about 60 people, which given all the other meetings going on at the same time was fantastic.
I was on a platform with Kevin Courtney, the union's Deputy General Secretary and Dagenham MP Jon Cruddas. Jon gave a really powerful speech about the loss of identity amongst many white working class people and how Labour had lost its link with its traditional communities. Kevin spoke about the support the NUT gave the campaign and the importance of teachers within communities. He also described as the organising model we used in the campaign as similar to that which the NUT is trying to implement. I gave a brief insight into the campaign and then focused on how racism could rise against the backdrop of the forthcoming cuts.
There was an excellent discussion with several contributors suggesting that the community orientated focus of our campaign was the way forward for the union more generally.
My day's been busy, with a series of meetings with national unions and regional officers. I hope to be announcing some really exciting initiatives over the next of days.
Posted: 14 Sep 2010 | There are 3 comments
Comments
Comment 1 | From: Mike McNutt | Date: 14 September 2010, 17:41
This type of hard work is essential in the me first climate that the present government will promote. I applaud all those able to contribute. We are one society, we are human and we all share this planet.
Comment 2 | From: David | Date: 14 September 2010, 19:33
Cruddas can say that as much as he wants, but by backing David Milliband he has sentenced the Labour Party to at least another three to four years of Blairism. That was the ideology that saw the rise of the BNP, with it's abandoning of working class estates in favour of the middle class, and David Milliband shows no sign to offering an alternative to this. Any engagement with the working class vote has been tokenism, apart from in wards that have some how retained decent councilors despite the purge post, and during, the Iraq war. The best we can hope for is the kind of 'race baiting' nonsense seen in Saddleworth recently. A patronizing, ''let's appeal to the racist in the working class because they're all thick'' mentality. You should be worried, Nick, because it is attitudes like those ones that will keep you on your toes for the next fifteen years.
Comment 3 | From: JAMES | Date: 7 June 2011, 05:58
Dear Mike Mc Nutt, I dont know what planet you live on as a BNP member, but it ist earth,emotional statements, moral statement,are not truths ,the ownly real truth is maths,Yes the national teachers union,is the problem ist it, a group of largly marxist people ,that if they had to live in the real world ,would shit themselves, Yes continue with your endless hate,What evr you do ,do do not promote maths engineering science, law do not deal with conplex ideas, yes just dumb down use
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