from Stuart Richardson

Dear Tim

Good news you have left a pro-war political organisation Bham Left Unity. I enclose the recent Bham StWC email bulletin. It deals with the prospect of a military conflict between China and US and British imperialism. Will Bham Left Unity support US and British imperialism in its military conflict with China?

 

The other question deliberately avoided by Bob in his reply to you is that given he supports the Tory government arming the right wing government in Ukraine is how you pay for these arm supplies. They have spent £8 billion on these arm supplies (it would cost £1.7 billion to reinstate benefits for the 3^rd or 4^th child). What benefits or public sector pay does Bob propose to cut to pay for this £8 billion cost of Ukrainian arm supplies?

   

Similarly the pro-war left (Ukrainian solidarity campaign) are also silent on the partial suppression of the Ukrainian trade union movement, banning the Ukrainian Communist Party in 2014 and the banning of 14 Left wing organisations in March 2022 (one with 10% of the MPs and several that obviously derive from the Trotskyist tradition).

 

The logic of their position is a victory for American imperialism!!

 

Stuart

Political education

Chris, please don't go against my request for circulation by assuming no-one would read it.

I read the more voluminous material, but excellent stuff, that Richard circulates.  Please do the same for me.  Or, give me the email addresses.  We are meant to be encouraging and supporting one another, as I do in helping Richard and you both, wherever I can.  I am still circulating our 'Nine Action Points' from you both, for example, at WMCA and LA meetings.  Another 100 printed tomorrow.

I think it is extremely important to please circulate my stuff, as you do with Richard's, to help understanding and to get others, like you and Bob to help me with the bleeding obvious!  And, to get our Nine Action Points more widely understood and implemented.

Political education of us all is vital and, from whatever source, e.g. Stuart Richardson whom Bob seems to have a problem with.  And Bob, what is your problem with me?  Please tell me!

You wrote, "We need more folks to take on roles in these meetings such as note taking, facilitation managing the tech and getting involved in things between meetings etc….etc etc…."
 
I am involved all the time in progressing, advancing our cause!  Honest!  But please help me as I am helping you in forwarding what I have asked you to forward to everyone in WMCC.  Bob, will you do it, please?

Stopping funding of extensions of Metro and Sprint is the FIRST and most BASIC step towards addressing the climate emergency and getting funding for retrofitting.  Why do you both not see that?

Keep up the good work - both of you.

to Stuart Richardson and Bob Whitehead

Good morning, Stuart - and copied to Bob Whitehead of Left Unity.  Both of you do an immense amount of good, indeed brilliant work to build that more sustainable, socialist and compassionate society we all want to see.

Why is the SWP not a member of this coalition, Progressive Alliance of the Left, please?

Do you agree that those of us on the left must unite and co-operate as much as possible?

Do you accept that spending over £500 million on destroying the UK's last, mothballed, principal mainline railway with the Dudley Tram is immoral, unecological and unsocialist in the light of the climate, cost of living and energy crises?

Do you accept that all spending is contributing to the one billion euros per day that Russia gets from W Europe in selling us their gas and oil?

Tim

to Stuart Richardson

Not "unfortunately" but fortunately! I've had a lifetime of very visible protest in non-violently resisting what my conscience tells me is wrong. And standing up for what is right and good. I've had some success, too but mostly failures!

You are doing brilliant work, Stuart and I want to always encourage you.

My work also involves engaging directly with our opponents and seeking to win them over to our world view, to eco-socialism and, justice with peace.

You are welcome to read my emails, Stuart!

to Stuart Richardson

COPIED TO Customer Services for any factual error to be put right, please when you reply

Thanks, Stuart.  Yes, indeed.  You are quite right about the reporting back.  Simon emphasised joining a campaigning group.  I was wanting more of our individual responsibility to act, in all good conscience.

It is over 100 towns and cities, worldwide that have FFPT, I believe.  Dunkirk and Luxembourg in western Europe are our nearest.  It's a carrot, not a stick like CAZ and, would end the woeful discrimination against the young and middle-aged.

MY SUMMARY for campaigning against Metro:

1. Metro is a wealth flaunting, self-aggrandisement, vanity, 'solution looking for a problem' project.  NOW BEING INDEPENDENTLY REVIEWED by the light rail industry after so much has gone so very wrong -  for years!
2. Construction is ten times more expensive per Km than the rebuilding of Scotland's Borders Railway in 2015.  This alone should be Metro's death knell.  Scandalous.
3. Metro has destroyed two mainline railways, nearly a third; caused deaths from accidents and turned a Wolverhampton principal railway station into a conference and events centre.
4. 11 different bus routes are now inconvenienced by being pushed out into narrow back streets on a diversion because priority is given to trams.
5. Five Ways underpass is blocked by the two most colossal concrete crash barriers I have ever seen.  Only the tram can use it.
6. Every bus has to join the traffic jam and traffic lights on the Five Ways roundabout.
7. Public transport is made worse. Simply for prestige and a cosmetic, all style over substance sham.
8. It is unreliable and every tram has been out of service since 13 November for at least four weeks.
9. Diverts attention and money from addressing the climate crisis by doing these things:
    MY CLUES FOR A CLUELESS, FLOUNDERING, WAYWARD G...

MY SUMMARY for being against Sprint -

• the bus that thinks its a tram on its own dedicated bus lane without the railway tracks;
• fewer stops than Platinum buses but they must be retained for all the stops that Sprint speeds past;
• grass, trees and front gardens get taken, so yet more concreting of Nature;
• prestigious, flash, new and absolutely irresistible to the car commuter who will gladly flock to the new, smart-looking Sprint bus, of course;
• yet more splashing out on unnecessary greenhouse gas emissions to speed us to merry extinction!

Tim

System Change and Climate Change

Dear Stuart

It was brilliant to hear you say that you have PV and don't have a car.  You're a better man than me and, have been a brilliant campaigner - I'm sure all your life.  In using solar and not car we are divesting from fossil fuels and cutting the profits of the fossil fuel industry.  VERY SATISFYING!

I've also been working for change for 40 years, since about 1980 when I saw a BBC 'Tomorrow's World' programme that, if I remember correctly, said that there were 200 greenhouse gases to make for climate change.

My own system change to reduce climate change:

The 80s and 90s saw two roads schemes that I worked hard to oppose: 16 Km KBH and the 87 Kms WOM.  The 90s and onwards has seen me asking that trains be returned to the Snow Hill to Wolverhampton Low Level Station.  But the "solution looking for a problem" and "bus on rails" tram line was done instead.  Just as is happening with the 120 Kms Black Country Mainline between Derby, Dudley and Devon.  Trams are going on two short, nibble-sized (officially "bite-sized") chunks totalling 6.7 Kms.  But there is still 49 Kms left for commuter and regional trains.  What do you think, Stuart?

Do I have your support over cutting GHG emissions by putting trains, instead of trams, on our mothballed or freight-only railways in the Black Country and Brum?  106 Kms, including the railway used as a cycle-walkway between Walsall and Lichfield when every motorway, road and canal crossing is in place for trains.

Switzerland electrified their railway network in the 1920/30s. The UK is nowhere near finishing after 70 years of trying and, certainly the Black Country, thinking that roads, trams and every building imaginable were meant to run along railway lines. Complete incompetence by everyone in the railway sector!

Stuart, do I have your invaluable support over opposing the £15 billion of GHG emissions for underground and overground tram extensions that Andy wants?  If so, why please?

Your wonderful eloquence and outspoken nature is a huge asset to all of us.  Did you get to speak at the climate rally on the 6th Nov?

Could I have the email address for Martin Lynch, please?  I'm desperate to win over the unions.  My really big FAIL!

All the best

Tim

PS I love your banners, behind you, on Zoom calls.  Absolutely brilliant!

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