May Day Celebrations in Newcastle
On Saturday, April 29, a May Day March and Rally took place
in Newcastle organised by the Tyne & Wear May Day Committee. The Felling
Silver Band led one of the largest May Day marches for a number of years
through the City of Newcastle with well over a thousand people taking part. At
the front of the march was carried a large banner: May Day, People Before
Profit, Peace, Jobs, Health, Homes. The Programme of Tyne & Wear May
Day 2000, which was sold widely, carried on the front cover a quotation from
Bertolt Brecht:
". . . it takes a lot of things to change the world:
Anger and tenacity. Science and indignation,
The quick initiative, the long reflection,
The cold patience and the infinite perseverance,
The understanding of the particular case and the understanding of the
ensemble:
Only the lessons of reality can teach us to transform reality."
The programme notes declared that in the May Day
celebrations "you will recognise this same theme running throughout -
people coming together and collectively upholding human values in the face of
the depredations wreaked upon us by the world capitalist system".
Among the contingents from the Newcastle Trades Union
Council, trade unions, communist and other political parties were several
hundred asylum seekers dispersed to Newcastle under the government's dispersal
programme for asylum seekers. The programme "welcomed all those people for
what ever reason, been uprooted from their homeland and found themselves here
in our region". The programme after condemning the utterances of
politicians of various political hues and journalists for using this situation
to promote racism went on to say: "Today, on International Workers Day, we
welcome our sisters and brothers from all corners of the globe who have found
refuge in our midst." The march was warmly welcomed by the people of
Newcastle and many people joined in as it made its way to Exhibition Park.
At around 12.30 pm the rally started in the Park. All the
speakers were received with warm applause and the speeches listened to
attentively by the mass of people gathered there. Doreen Purvis chaired the
proceedings on behalf of the Tyne & Wear May Day Committee.
Ann Harrison was first to address the rally from Newcastle
City "Save Our School Meals". She pointed out that she had always
been told then that we are here to help you, it doesn't matter where you come
from or how poor you are you can achieve. She said, "I was a product of
free school meals but I never thought I would be fighting to save free school
meals for my grandchildren or other peoples children in the 21st century."
She pointed out that children are targeted from every angle by the new
designated budgets under "Best Value". School meals are targeted,
social services and the National Health Service. "They are all being
starved of money and resources," she said. People who work in these
services are being battered down over the years, she said, emphasising the
stress and low morale that this was causing. She concluded by demanding
services for the city, jobs for people in the city, and said that the children
deserve the best and when people voted next week in the local authority
elections they should think about these people in their "ivory tower who
haven't got a clue where you or I live".
Jack Monedi then addressed the rally on behalf of the ANC.
He spoke about the situation in South Africa the need to deliver to the poor
and put South Africa on a vigorous developmental path. He praised the
progressive left in British politics that stood on the side of the liberation
movement.
Next to address the rally was Sandy from Tyneside Action
People and Planet (TAPP). He said we probably all come here because at some
level we believe in socialism. "We look around us and we see exploitation,
we see injustice, we see inequality between rich and poor growing." He
said that we see the social and environmental fabric being destroyed in the
name of profit. He pointed out, "It is not just that we see the injustice
but we know that there is an alternative." But, he said, the problem is
that we are in a minority not because people don't sense the injustice but
because we do believe there is an alternative and are prepared to stand up for
it. He went on after giving examples: "We don't believe the politicians
and the bosses who tell us there is no alternative." He said, "They
tell us we have got no option, they tell us that their hands are tied that you
can't beat globalisation and that there isn't an alternative." He appealed
to the people not to believe them. "They only have no option because they
choose to ignore the other options and that is because they put profit above
people." He said in conclusion that even if it is a Labour government or a
trade union boss, don't let "your loyalty get in the way of your common
sense".
The next speaker was announced as representing the several
hundred people claiming political asylum. He greeted everyone on May Day and
said how happy they were in joining in May Day and in this celebration. He said
he hoped it would be a positive step in bringing us together in order to solve
the problems asylum seekers are facing, not only in Newcastle, but in the whole
of Britain. He said that the asylum seekers hope, according to the United
Nations Convention on the rights of refugees, to be able to enjoy legal and
acceptable freedoms and social justice among the British people and with them.
He said, "We hope to be able to, alongside and shoulder to shoulder with
you, to work for the service of society." He pointed out that the problems
they faced were that the basic necessities of life were not available to them
and they were living in overcrowded conditions. He said, secondly, they had no
information on what was happening to them and that they don't not know where
their asylum applications are and who was dealing with them because they were
sent from Dover to Newcastle without any accompanying documentation. He
concluded by saying that he wished that in co-operation with each other they
would be able to solve their problems as soon as possible and then to be able
to work together in the future.
Tommy Commerford then spoke from Direct Action
Network for the disabled (DAN). He pointed out that there were soon to be
three days of activities in support of the rights of the disabled. He said that
the disabled want independent living just like any body else. He said that they
had been talking to the government and to the councils for years about these
demands. "Disabled people should not be paying for social services, that
is their right," he said. He said that disabled people need social
services like anybody else and he opposed the locking up of disabled people in
institutions. He said that this is degrading in the year 2000. He called on all
those present to support their forthcoming actions in Newcastle and to join
with them in a freedom march on Saturday, May 27, gathering at 12 noon at the
Monument, Newcastle.
The next speaker was Jenny from Campaign Against
Incineration of Refuse. She spoke about the campaign against the proposed
Byker incineration plant that would be burning 100,000 tons of Newcastle's
waste each year, a plan that would include 15,000 tons of tyres. This
incineration plant was right in the heart of a densely populated area where the
community is already seen as an area of special need by the Health Action Zone.
She pointed out that it is a fact that incinerators are built in the poorest
areas where the most vulnerable people live. She said that these incinerators
give off gases which contain arsenic, lead, cadmium and worst of all dioxins.
She said that despite these health concerns, despite the complete lack of any
argument for incineration, this Labour government is trying to flood the
country with a further 177 incinerators. She pointed out that these are worth
millions of pounds in contracts for the multi-nationals. The contract at Byker
alone is worth £115 million. She said that the campaign had been
successful by the use of direct actions in getting the plans at Byker put on
hold and in getting the council to remove the toxic ash. She said that the
issue was for the Council to move forward into the 21st century with a safe
waste management policy and this must include a commitment to re-use and
recycle. She pointed out that the people of Byker need a district heating
system which is cheap, safe and committed to moving forward with alternative
sources of power.
Bill Hopwood then spoke on behalf of the Tyneside
Socialist Forum. He asked how the New Labour government compares with the
vision of those who founded the Labour Party one hundred years ago. He pointed
out that the treatment of the asylum seekers was open racism by a New Labour
government. They are cutting school meals, children have no text books, he
said. Schools will now have to go to private companies so they will make
profits out of our children's education. And, he said, if you are one of the
lucky ones to get to go to University then New Labour says you have got to pay.
He said that it was ironic that all the New Labour MPs had got a free
university education but they were telling our children you have to pay. He
then said that since the election of the Labour government, 11,000 jobs had
gone on the Tyne from shipbuilding, oil rig construction and ship repair. He
said that this week they got £22 billion from the sale of phone rights.
"Are they putting it into education, are they putting it into housing
health saving jobs? No. They are giving it back to the bankers!" he
exclaimed. He said that in his view the National Debt should be cancelled. He
then pointed out that the gap between rich and poor has increased in the three
years since Labour was elected. He said that New Labour is not about justice,
education, reducing poverty or providing jobs. He said that it is a government
that had nothing in common with the Labour Party of the past. He pointed out
that it was noticeable that there was not one Labour Party banner on the whole
of the May Day demonstration.
When the previous speakers finished, the chairperson then
introduced the final speaker – Bill Speirs, General Secretary of the
Scottish TUC. He said that May Day was a day for international solidarity and
he was delighted to have received the invitation. He said that we stand for
solidarity whether it is in Zimbabwe, whether it is in Iran, whether it is in
Cuba, whether it is in Palestine or whether it is in the Balkans. He said we
stand firm in "solidarity among working people in Britain and in Ireland
and I think it would be appropriate to say to our comrades, our sisters and
brothers across the water that we stand in solidarity with them in their
efforts to bring about a political and peaceful settlement to the issue of
national self-determination in Ireland."
He said that closer to home again it is time for solidarity
among those who are in trouble, whether it be at Rover, whether it be in
shipbuilding or whether it be victimised miners, victims of Thatcherism. They
were not forgotten by the Scottish trade union movement and they were not
forgotten by the trade union movement in the North East, he said. He pointed
out that these people sacrificed a very great deal not just for their own jobs
but for the idea of a nationalised industry serving the people as something
that should be developed and not destroyed. He gave the position of the
Scottish TUC on asylum seekers. He said, "Asylum seekers are refugees and
are welcome here. They are welcome in Britain, they are welcome in Scotland and
they are welcome because they are fellow human beings." He went on to say
that it was one of the tragedies of our time that it is easier to move a tin of
beans around the world than it is to move a human being in the position we live
in at the present time. He said that the people who are here with us, the
asylum seekers, should be welcomed. He said that it was a disgrace that the
government has a company, Sodexho, to deal with the issue of vouchers. He gave
a quote from the letter the company had written out in relation to the voucher
scheme. "Don't miss this revenue making opportunity – vouchers are
the beneficiaries' only method of buying essential living products. No change
given, but you receive the full value of the voucher." He then said for a
Labour government to be putting anything of that kind out was a disgrace to
themselves and to the history of the Labour Party that was founded one hundred
years ago, and should end now.
The speaker then went on to point out what he saw as some
positive developments. He referred to the battles around what the World Trade
Organisation (WTO) had raised – the whole issue of how we organise
internationally. He said that it is not easy but vital. He said,
"internationally" also includes within these islands and not just in
relation to Ireland. He went on to say that this was a time for those of us in
Scotland and the North of England to look to ways in which we can work
together. He said we should look to make the constitutional changes work for
the benefit of all our people rather than fighting each other for spoils of how
the giant multi-nationals will inwardly invest in this country. The speaker
then spoke about a meeting they were planning with the Northern Regional TUC
and the successes they have had in unionisation among companies in Scotland.
After the rally concluded, people stayed to discuss and
listen to live music. In a large tent people visited bookstalls and discussed.
Hundreds of the May Day 2000 Call of RCPB(ML) were distributed and a large
number of issues of Workers' Weekly sold.
In a separate event, the previous evening, on South
Tyneside, a May Day Rally and social were held in Hebburn. The Rally was
attended by over 100 people and was addressed by Bill Etherington MP and Maddy
Nettleship, Branch Secretary of Gateshead UNISON Health Branch, who spoke on
her visit to Cuba last May Day. Dozens of copies of her Cuba Diary, produced by
Workers' Weekly Health Group, were sold at the Rally and over the May Day
weekend.
