Raise the banner high

Inequality is rife – and that’s why Unite believes it’s all about Putting the people back in politics  – the title of the Unite and Daily Mirror’s Real Britain fringe, on September 21.

Inequality costs Britain £39bn a year – the same as the annual spend on defence. That’s the real cost of dealing with the consequences of inequality – poor health, bad housing, and low educational attainment.

It harms community cohesion, trust and social mobility. It costs every man, woman and child in the UK at ÂŁ622 per year. And even an IMF study says inequality is damaging to economic growth.

And with Britain’s five richest families worth more than the poorest 20 per cent, it was no surprise that delegates and visitors packed into the Unite marquee to hear Unite general secretary Len McCluskey and campaigners Harry Leslie Smith and Gill Thompson.

Harry Leslie Smith at 91 described himself as “an old bloke.” The war veteran (pictured) has seen how devastating the effects of austerity and poverty really are – both in the 1920s and today.

He told how in the days before the welfare state he watched his sister Marion die “a horrible and pitiful death in the workhouse. She was 10 years old. We had no money to bury her and had to put her in a common grave.”

He told how most of his generation “had been denied a childhood.” When Harry’s father was injured at work, Harry had to go out to work – he was just seven years old.

He said, “Today austerity can be just as cruel. We must always be vigilant. We must make sure that every citizen regardless of wealth has the right to a decent standard of living, to education, healthcare and a pension. Everyone must assist and defend those less fortunate than themselves.

Equally moving was Gill Thompson, whose brother David Clapson, an ex-soldier who had been a full time carer for his mother, died as a direct result of benefits sanctions.

David was diabetic and was unable to store his insulin in the fridge – as he had no electricity. He was also starving. “When he died he had no money, six tea bags, a tin of soup and out of date pilchards. The post mortem found he had no food in his stomach,” she said.

“David was not a ‘scrounger’ – he needed his £71.70 a week minimum benefit to survive. And they cut his lifeline.

“He never complained, never made a fuss. The vulnerable don’t shout, they lay down quietly and say nothing. They suffer in silence. I just want lessons to be learned – if not more people will die.”

Addressing the fringe, MP Tom Watson said Labour had to listen to what speakers had been saying and take action. “Labour needs to respond to the challenges spoken of by Gill and Harry. If Ed does that Labour will be returned to government next May.”

The final speaker, Len McCluskey said he found the contributions to be “humbling.” In a fiery contribution against the present government’s policies, he urged delegates to get involved and fight back against austerity. People had to be put back into politics.

He said people needed, “a different type of policy. And if Ed supports our fight he will be in government next May.

“We need an alternative to austerity – it just isn’t working. A decent civilised society has to invest in communities, manufacturing and proper progressive taxation. This is a phoney government.

“The nation has its highest level of personal debt. There will be no sustainability unless there are real jobs with real wages.

“When people are engaged – like they were in Scotland – to get involved, we cannot be defeated.

“Let’s raise the banner high enough and sweep the Tories out of power. A Labour government will make a real difference.”