countryside charter 2103 county council elections

County council elections May 2013 targeted

2013 is an opportunity to put the countryside back in to British politics. Rural workers have been left to rot for too long, the butt of public service cutbacks and a weak ministry. We have been pushed around between EU programmes, gangmasters, big farmers, monopoly retailers and a government of and for millionaires.

http://country-standard.blogspot.co.uk | http://twitter.com/CountryStandard the Country Standard Newsletter

UNITY CALL TO RURAL ACTIVISTS

What you can do:

• Select a candidate asap

• Establish a web site and other forms of social media

• Use village websites & noticeboards

• Hold ‘meet the candidate’ sessions for local electors

• Champion local issues

• Try to win over key individuals-parish councillors, teachers, doctors, nurses, vets and rural engineers/mechanics

• Produce a regular community campaign newsletter

• Find out trade union members/ activists and get them involved

• Hold a fundraising social event

• Maximise postal votes especially in isolated areas

• Get active in/with your local Trades Council

Country StandardFor Peace and Socialism in the Countryside

Country StandardFounded 1935 | Vol.14 No. 1 | Summer 2012 http://country-standard.blogspot.com | FREE

For Peace and Socialism in the Countryside

WE ARE THE MANY THEY ARE BUT FEW

“The Country Standard Collective urges you to supportthe TUC demonstration in London on 20 October”

Rural dwellers have a long and honourable history of standing up todespotic rulers. Proudly we hold high the Country Standard againstthe Tory led class warriors in Downing Street intent on destroyingthe Welfare State, Public Services, the NHS and Trade Unions asthey misrule on behalf of global capitalism.

This issue of CS highlights the ABC of resistance.A marks the start of our campaign to highlight the dangers of

Aspergillosis to protect the health of millions of landworkersand amateur gardeners,

B spells out the crying need for the introduction of speedyBroadband to our rural areas, and

C is our call to get cracking on the coming May 2013 councilelections – to show Cameron and Clegg where they get off.

Turn inside to get started.

Mary Creaghon foodpoverty

Page 3

CampaignCharter

Page 3 and 12

TolpuddleSupplement

Pages 7/14

Rebellionby poor men

6

A flamingspirit

Page 18

On the roadfor climatejobs

Page 20

Compostthe newasbestos?see page 10

In this issue of

the Standardwe talk

about landand forests,

food andfarming, the

People ofBritain andresistance.

PIC

: Rep

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with

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d pe

rmis

sion

Joh

n F

Fren

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ands

Off

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ests

@countrystandard

CharterC o u n t r y s i d e

Take the Charter in to every town and village

The


COUNTRY STANDARD SAYRESTORE AWB

READ COUNTRY STANDARD

• Restore the Agricultural Wages Board• Restore the Commission for Rural Development• Unite to save local schools, post and health services - build housing

• Break with EU Common Agricultural Policy• Extend the Gangmaster’s Act• Tax super profits of the giant food retailers• THE LAND TO THOSE WHO WORK IT

Speak out for workers and communitiesThe 2013 local elections followed

by the 2014 EU elections are a chance to campaign for progressive

change in the countryside.

Step forward the tens of thousands of community and environment activists, trade union representatives, pensioner campaigners and political activists who do so much to keep our rural communities ticking. We need to gather all the forces together – even those active at the base of the Countryside Alliance, which once promised to represent rural people, but was hijacked at the top by the class force that has stood by an watched the decline of our rural areas.

How much stronger would such a force be if it could link-up with those strong, honest voices found at local parish council meetings, in the columns of local newspapers and on community radio, with diverse faith, women and youth groups campaigning for change?

To help bring about such change, the Country Standard, published since 1935, has published the Countryside Charter overleaf.

We call for the broadest campaign and take warn against voting for UKIP. Read their neo-liberal programme carefully and beware of this wolf in sheep’s clothing.

We hope the Countryside Charter will enthuse the young and embolden the veterans, influence political party policy and give shape even to the voting preferences of independent

councillors. If you are not yet in a union or political party we ask you to join one.

Do not hold back, put yourself forward for local office. Rural communities need to survive and thrive – you can play your part to make this happen.

Growing anger in rural

communities against the ConDem coalition government throws a

challenge to all progressive forces to re-engage with rural

communities and to prove that

they are capable of offering leadership and hope.

The Country Standard will play its part in the process.


A Countryside Charter to change rural Britain

1. Work to convene a rural Convention, involving communities, councils, trades councils, unions, faith groups and rural focussed organisations such as Woodcraft Folk, Ramblers and the CPRE to develop a vision for rural living. 2. Create a ‘Rebuild Rural Britain’ bank working with the Coop bank and credit unions - to supply funds to councils and those creating jobs and services through coops in rural areas. 3. Clear out supporters of the food and farm monopolists to turn DEFRA into a ministry for the promotion and organization of quality rural living and employment, with a focus on sustaining the environment. 4. DEFRA should coordinate an emergency programme of job creation aimed at youth. 5. DEFRA to work with Transport and Employment ministries, to establish public rural bus and rail services. DEFRA to partner with Royal Mail to maintain local publicly owned postal services including village post offices. The Education Ministry must defend rural schools.

6. Implement a legally enforceable living wage for every rural worker - support for restoring an Agricultural Wages Board. We oppose the break up of national pay into a competing regional race to the bottom.

7. Councils should be allowed to raise funds to build and provide affordable rural housing to rent and buy. 8. Promote coops as a model for small farms, animal and crop production, construction, food processing, rural tourism

and retailing. Coops to be given preference in the allocation of council contracts. 9. Access for all to high-speed rural broadband.10. Provide proper resourcing for the Gangmasters Licensing Authority to enforce the law against cowboy agencies.11. Oppose cuts to rural services including those to library and ambulance services. No to privatisation of local police services.12. Support the development of allotments, urban gardens and food production. Promote ‘food webs’ through people’s and farmer’s markets.12. Extend greater decision

making in rural affairs to the Scottish

Parliament and Wales Assembly.

Support the establishment

of a parliament for Cornwall.

13.Re establish all-Britain sovereignty over decision making in farming, fishing and rural affairs.


CALLING COUNCILLORS, TRADE UNION

AND COMMUNITY ACTIVISTS

Use your campaigning

experience, your local

knowledge, enthusiasm

and networks to create a

power for progress in the

countryside so that it is

never again ignored by

policy makers, employers

or government.

countryside charter 2103 county council elections

Documents

local elections

rural activists

rural workers

local schools

rural development

rural areas

eu elections

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