[Respect] Renewal bulletin, 31 Jan 2008

[Editor]

Dear friend, below is the latest Respect Renewal bulletin

1) The new paper is out!

2) The Electoral Commission, Respect and the GLA

3) George Galloway to stand for London Assembly

4) Climate Change meeting & Climate Change Trade Union conference

5) Burns Night and other successes

6) Palestine public meeting this Saturday

7) Jobs spot

8) A charity appeal

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1) The new paper is out!

With articles on Brown's attacks on public sector pay, climate
change, the student movement, Iran, Palestine, the anti-war movement
and building the left as well as letters, reports from around the
country and reviews, it's a great read. We've got Andrew Murray,
chair of the Stop the War Coalition, Victoria Brittain, Brian Caton
from the Prison Officers' Association and loads more.

If you'd like to buy individual copies, they're
1 each. But we
really want the word spread, so we're offering "supporters'
subscriptions", where you'll get 7 copies sent to you each month for
just
4 a month. If you take out a 6 month supporters' subscription,
it'll only cost
20.

You can also buy 100 for
20 if collected from East London or
20
plus postage if not.

For individual orders or subscriptions, please email
subscriptions@respectrenewal.org or send cheques, payable to "Respect
Renewal Conference", to PO Box 1109, London N4 2UU.

2) The Electoral Commission, Respect and the GLA

Members and supporters should be aware that the Socialist Workers
Party, who split from Respect last November, have been trying to
persuade the Electoral Commission to hand over the name Respect to
the control of one of the breakaway councillors in Tower Hamlets. The
Electoral Commission has just ruled they have no power to do this,
even if they were persuaded to do it, which they are not. The name
Respect will therefore remain in the hands of Linda Smith, a founder
member of the Respect Renewal platform.

This effectively ends the SWP's attempt to hijack the party. In a
bizarre twist the SWP are holding a meeting tonight (31 Jan) to
deselect six of the 16-strong GLA list originally elected last year
and to launch Lindsey German's "mayoral" campaign. In yet another
obvious breach of Respect's constitution, this meeting has been
called by a body with no constitutional authority and involves the
unconstitutional "expulsion" from Respect of four of the GLA list
candidates - Linda Smith (the national chair), Councillor Abdul Karim
Sheikh and two young Bengali women including the vice chair of Tower
Hamlets Respect.

George Galloway and other prominent Respect members have made it
clear they cannot support the mayoral candidacy of Lindsey German
under whatever label she might eventually stand. George said, "It
would be self-indulgence, a luxury the left can no longer afford, to
stand a candidate of the left against Livingstone for mayor. The
danger of Livingstone being defeated by the right is too great.

"With opinion polls varying between neck-and-neck and a substantial
Tory lead, a left candidate opposing Livingstone really could aid the
Tories and risk handing the keys to City Hall to the rancid
reactionaries around Boris Johnson."

3) George Galloway to stand for London Assembly

A national meeting held on January 16th endorsed the proposal for
George Galloway to put together a list of candidates to stand for the
GLA list section in May. George has said he is willing to stand and is
actively seeking support from progressive figures and groups beyond
Respect as well as those who are already members. That broad
progressive list would probably not stand as Respect in the GLA
elections because it will consist of some figures who are not Respect
members.

Unfortunately, mischievous newspaper reports last week suggested that
George was therefore "quitting" Respect. Nothing could be further from
the truth. George has made his commitment to Respect absolutely clear
and intends to stand for the seat of Poplar and Limehouse as the
Respect candidate whenever the General Election is called. All the
indications are that, recent problems in Respect notwithstanding, New
Labour are frightened that Respect are poised for a dramatic
breakthrough in both Poplar and Limehouse and Bethnal Green and Bow
some time between now and 2010.

We are aiming to have our GLA list complete by the middle of February
and to officially launch the campaign then. We will need just 5%
across London to see a list candidate elected.

4) Climate Change meeting & Climate Change Trade Union Conference

There will be a very important public meeting in Bethnal Green, east
London, on Thursday 7 February organised by the Campaign Against
Climate Change, to discuss the issues around global warming.

Respect MP George Galloway will be speaking alongside Tony Kearns,
the Deputy General Secretary of the Communication Workers Union, Phil
Thornhill from the Campaign Against Climate Change, Green Party
councillor Romayne Phoenix and a speaker from the Heathrow Climate
Camp. The meeting is at Oxford House, Derbyshire Street (opposite
Bethnal Green Tesco).

How we respond to climate change is the biggest political challenge
of the 21st century. In countries like Britain it will be working
people and the poor who will be worst hit. Food prices have already
started going up because grain to make bread is being used as fuel.
In the developing world tens of thousands of people are already dying
because of changes in weather systems and disease caused by climate
change.

Please visit the Respect Renewal website for more details.

Then on Saturday 9th February Campaign Against Climate Change are
holding a trade union conference. Union activists from across the
country will be getting together next February in London for a day of
discussion and planning - speakers include FBU General Secretary Matt
Wrack, PCS General Secretary Mark Serwotka and Caroline Lucas, Green
Party MEP, Respect national vice chair Councillor Salma Yaqoob along
with a number of speakers from unions and political groups.

The day will be divided into workshops covering issues from
sustainable transport to greening the workplace.

Union members can play a key part in building the movement against
climate change into a mass movement - we urge all Respect members and
supporters to attend. Please visit the website for more details.

5) Burns Night and other successes

Last Saturday 110 revellers packed into the Cittee of Yorke pub in
London's west end to celebrate Burns Night. Dozens more had to be
turned away due to capacity constraints. A fantastic time was had by
all. George Galloway addressed the haggis and gave a eulogy to the
great poet and radical Robert Burns.

Food and company were terrific and everyone pledged to make this an
annual event. We are also currently exploring more events to
commemorate which will bring Respect members together in a convivial
social atmosphere. A huge thank you to everyone who made Burns Night
such a success and particularly Ghada Razuki.

Then on Wednesday a packed public meeting in Oxford Town Hall was
held with George Galloway in Oxford. More such meetings are planned
in Cambridge, Greater Manchester, South London and Bristol.

6) Tower Hamlets public meeting on Palestine this Saturday

"Mass murder in Palestine - End Israel's siege of Gaza" - organised
by Tower Hamlets Respect Youth

Speakers: George Galloway, Respect MP for Bethnal Green & Bow, Dr
Azam Tamimi, Director of the Institute of Islamic Thought in London,
Councillor Abjol Miah, Respect group leader on Tower Hamlets council
and Respect candidate for Bethnal Green & Bow and Dawood Abdullah,
Muslim Council of Britain

Saturday, February 2, 2008 6:30pm

Venue: Berners Hall, Berners Estate, Ponler Street, London E1 1QN -
nearest tubes, Aldgate, Aldgate East and Shadwell.

7) Jobs spot

Respect Renewal urgently needs a part-time worker to work on key
elements of office administration on behalf of the platform. The post
would be a short term appointment until the middle of May, a week or
so after the GLA and local council elections. We are inviting
applicants to email will@respectrenewal.org for more details, terms
and conditions or to apply for the post together with CV.
Remuneration will be a fee of
400 per month. We need to appoint this
post quickly, so please don't delay.

We are also looking for a volunteer to take on the responsibilities
of a membership secretary. This would be an unpaid post but of vital
importance for Respect Renewal. Again please email
will@respectrenewal.org if you are interested.

8) Help me raise money for charity

An appeal from Respect founder member Jay Stewart

"On Sunday the 13th April I will be putting my body through the
ultimate gruelling challenge The London Marathon. Its my third
marathon and I hope to beat my 2007 time of 3hrs 46min.

"I have decided this year that I will devote my attention to the
charity called 'Action on addiction' which deals with young people in
the vortex of addiction in one form or another. The reason I chose
this charity is because I have personal experience from the terrible
illness of alcoholism. My uncle almost died as a result of this
addiction. I'm aiming to raise
2000 and am about half way there. I
could really use everybody's help. It takes a couple of minutes on
line and any contribution big or small is extremely welcome. You can
go to http://www.georgegalloway.com for the link to my page or direct to
http://www.justgiving.com/jaystewart. Thanks to all and RESPECT!

Visit out website: http://www.respectrenewal.org