Dartford Labour Party

‘What’s Europe ever done for us?’ – UKIP exposed

Web manager — Mon, 20 May 2013 11:49:38 +0000

“About two million Brits live, work, study or are retired in other EU countries. Over 800,000 of them are estimated to reside in Spain alone; over one million if you include those who sojourn there for just part of each year.”

● Brits in Spain outnumber the Polish in Britain – but
what will happen to them all if the UK exits the EU?

This isn’t part of UKIP’s story. Nigel Farage was interviewed on a Spanish radio station for British expatriates, and could no real answer to what would happen to Britons abroad if we pulled out of the EU.

Jon Danzig

The case for membership isn’t being heard in the mainstream media. Award winning journalist Jon Danzig outlines here the real truth about EU membership, in contrast to the smears and falsehoods coming from many areas of the right.

European democracy

He exposes a number of myths:

“Europe is undemocratic”

“We’re run from Brussels”

“A&E waiting lists are the fault of immigrants”

“Foreigners are flocking here to use our NHS”

“We’re about to see an invasion of Romanians and Bulgarians”

“EU law gives all EU citizens an unconditional right of residence”

“EU migrants are automatically entitled to claim benefits”

Meanwhile, UKIP’s crude populism seems to be pressurising the Tories into evermore extreme, if vague, anti-eurpeanism. Peter Skinner MEP, Labour’s representative in the Southeast, comments in this video:

We are all trying to get our heads round the new globalised world, whether that’s about changes in manufacturing practices, about movements of capital or international taxation; about the rights of working people in the face of attack; about environmental change or disease transmission; even about global travel or international holidaying. What is self-evident is that pulling up the drawbridge and pretending it’s 1955 has no place.

Ed Milliband in action

Web manager — Fri, 17 May 2013 07:55:44 +0000

Thinking about joining the resistance?

Web manager — Wed, 08 May 2013 17:39:13 +0000

It’s becoming clear that the Coalition government is now making a full-scale attack on the welfare state, using “cutting red tape’ and ‘clearing up Labour’s mess’ as a cover for raiding some of the hardest up, as well as making all working people more insecure.

In a report today, the progress on reducing child poverty, perhaps Labour’s best achievement, is going into reverse, with a projected 3.4 million children in poverty by the end of the decade.

So listen very carefully: we will say this only once. The only major party committed to social justice is Labour, and the only way you can achieve it is by joining and getting active.

Click on the image below to download a membership form. By joining locally you get the reduced rate of £1.25 per month, or less if you’re in certain categories. Return the form to Membership, Dartford LP, 99 Kent Road, Dartford, DA1 2AJ and we’ll get in touch with you. If you want to join our mailing list, add your email to the box on the left.

Labour wins back Dartford North East

Web manager — Fri, 03 May 2013 16:38:46 +0000

Tom Maddison, after a hard-fought campaign, has been elected to represent Dartford North East, unseating the Tories. Tom gained 1267 votes to the Tory 1088, with Ukip making a poor showing against results elsewhere; and BNP nowhere. In Dartford East, Pat Kelly slashed the Tory majority, losing by only 57 votes.

Tom with key workers at the count.

Speaking after the KCC election results, Cllr Geoff Prout, Labour’s leader on Dartford Council, said:
“We’re delighted that Tom Maddison is the new Labour County Councillor for Dartford North East – he’ll be a fantastic representative for local people and his victory is a sure sign that Dartford voters are coming back to Labour.

“But the big losers today are the Tories. They scraped through in Dartford East, were haemorrhaging votes to UKIP across the borough, and couldn’t win in Swanscombe & Greenhithe – despite having the ‘help’ of several Tory MPs and countless local activists.

“Today’s result shows that there is increasing dissatisfaction with the Tories locally and nationally. Politics is about actions not words, and whatever the Conservatives may say, they know that their tax cuts for millionaires and failure to deliver on Lowfield Street have cost them big time.

“Labour’s team in Dartford will now be focusing on the 2015 council and general elections. We’ll be spending the next two years working with local people to restore some pride to Dartford, developing ways to get people back into work, and give the economy a much-needed boost.”

Full results