Labour MP for Erith & Thamesmead

Teresa Pearce MP


Archive for the ‘Labour’


Comrades come rally….. 1

Posted on June 07, 2009 by Teresa Pearce

I have spent many hours reading in newspapers and on blogs the thoughts of members on the current problems facing the Government and one of the things has become clear to me is this……..  In the main the members of the Labour party who are most vocal in shouting ” Change the leader, change the leader” are the ones who either joined the party since Blair or because of Blair and therefore have no real experience of what it takes to steer through such difficult times.  Those of us who stuck with the party through the awful years of Tory rule when admitting to people you were a Labour party member would get at best laughter or at worst abuse know that there are no easy or quick answers.

I would say to some of the “newer” members of the party that in a way you have had it easy, 12 years of being in a party in government with an opposition in tatters. But all that was possible because the party had strong roots which sustained it through the defection of previous cabinet members to the SDP, and kept the party alive so that it could regroup and refresh itself. The grassroots kept Labour going during those wilderness years and its those roots that must been drawn upon now.

You can rarely change the fortunes of a party by just changing leaders, this is evidenced by the number of leader changes the Tories have had since Thatcher which did not bring about any magical change in fortune for them. Cameron is doing better than the rest because parts of the PLP are so distracted with in fighting that he has been given a clear road.

Spin, cosmetic changes and personality contests do not run a country.  The Cabinet is dealing with rising unemployment, recession and a crisis of parliament not an episode of Changing Rooms, we need strong leadership not Llewelyn Bowen.  Being in the Labour Party especially when in government is not a popularity contest nor should it be. The right decision is not always popular but if it is right it may become popular.

I have always believed that the closeness between New Labour and the press was a huge mistake. Managing the media is one thing, operating through them is another.  It was no surprise that Purnell announced his resignation to the Murdoch press before he even told the Prime Minister. The press do not understand the Labour Party and never have , they think they do because they know some MPs and Ministers but that is not the party, its just a small part of a much much wider and more complex organisation.

The press have an agenda that is poles apart from ours they want to sell newspapers and have “interesting” stories. Things are ok is not a story, things are a disaster is.  Therefore much of the speculation we have seen is driven by a media that needs to fill a 24 hour rolling news agenda and politicians who want to be famous more than they want to be effective.

I would ask the PLP before tomorrows meeting to remember what your job is, why you are there and who you represent.  This is no time for posturing or sound bites. If you are not prepared to say what you mean out loud and to the party then maybe you should not say it at all.  Get out of the tearooms and the corridors of Westminster into the streets of your constituencies and start listening to your fellow members and constituents and maybe we will then regain trust and pespective which will give us a fighting chance at the next election.

Public service or private profit? 5

Posted on April 13, 2009 by Teresa Pearce

postieI give you two scenarios:-

 

1. A company run for private profit which benefits from little regulation and pays massive salaries and bonuses and indulges in aggressive tax planning which deprives the rest of us of the tax revenue that should be paid towards schools and hospitals.

 

2. A loss making public service that has had its most profitable parts cherry picked and tendered out to private companies. An organisation that provides a universal service no matter where you live in the country that is often a lifeline in rural areas and one which the vast majority of the public wants and needs.

 

Now which one would you think is worth public investment?

 

Astonishingly the government opted to save the first one, RBS, which made losses TEN times larger than the second example, The Post Office.

 

The current idea of selling off a stake in the Post Office is said to be to “modernise” and to inject “confidence, experience and capital”. Excuse me for thinking the world has turned upside down but would these be the same private investors that now hold their hands up at the current financial crisis saying “who knew? No one saw this coming”. The same private investors who milked the system when the money flowed and threatened to leave the country if regulation or fair tax was mentioned? The same private investors who the public distrusts so much they would rather go on TVs Dragons Den asking for investment than approach a bank? It’s a truly uncharted territory we enter when there are plans to part privatise the Post Office but RBS is taken into public ownership.

 

Lets not look to sell off part of the Post Office lets look instead to see ways it can build its business model. For instance currently the Post Office account is only used to receive benefits and pensions. Why? Open it up to be a “real” bank account a “peoples bank account” when you can get other monies such as occupational pensions and salaries paid in and from where you can pay your direct debits. A banking account system used by the public and owned by the public. Rather than RBS a banking account system that will profit the few and funded by the many.

 

Given the current financial crisis that our banking and business sector are in I think they are the last people we the public should be looking to for advice and or expertise.

 

These are the sorts of issues I have campaigned for in the past and in the present, not just something I am promising for the future in return for your backing. It is my delivery on the things that matter that led both CWU branches affiliated to Erith and Thamesmead to nominate me in the current selection process.

 

Welcome to the fold Comments Off on Welcome to the fold

Posted on March 30, 2009 by Teresa Pearce
Hipsey -Our newest Labour Councillor
Hipsey -Our newest Labour Councillor

Terry Hipsey, leader of Conservative-run Thurrock in Essex, who crossed the floor to join Labour last week gave this quote regarding Cameron’s inheritance tax plans. “I cannot justify his decision to make his number one priority a tax cut, which would give hundreds of thousands of pounds to millionaires, but do nothing for the majority of Thurrock families.”
I could not agree more. I for one don’t want tax cuts I want fairer taxes. This is something that I have strongly argued for many a year. Maybe Mr Hipsey would also like to join The “Other” Taxpayers Alliance which  exposes the dreadful Taxpayers Alliance as the right wing bunch that they are. Read more at http://www.taxpayersalliance.org/

Why I am Standing 2

Posted on March 28, 2009 by admin
Ms Pearce, smiling.

Ms Pearce, smiling.

I did not join the party with my sights set on the House of Commons, I joined because I wanted to change society. Now after 25 years of campaigning and organising I want to take that fight to where the laws are made. If elected you can expect a non stop effort from me I would hit the ground running, the role of candidate is crucial and demands full commitment from the moment of selection. We win peoples hearts and minds with the work done now rather than a few weeks before election day. I am a skilled organiser and together we can deliver a strong effective campaign and at the same time re vitalise the local party. I am energetic, enthusiastic and hardworking. I can motivate people and keep a sense of fun whilst running a well planned campaign.
Labour needs to win the next general election in order to protect the NHS and safeguard its future. You can’t leave peoples lives to the rigours of the market. Regeneration of industry is vital, a strategy for growth is not enough, we must have a strategy for jobs.  Without retaining power we can not change the system. Our ideals are born out of faith and, more importantly, understanding, of the lives of working people. Without these twin roots, policies are just pieces of paper. Labour candidates must have faith, understanding, strong campaigning skills and a proven record of hard work. I believe I am such a person.



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