02.08.12 - President to stand in Cardiff South and Penarth by-election.

Socialist Labour Party President, and former resident of Cardiff South and Penarth, Andrew Jordan has been selected as the SLP candidate for the Cardiff South and Penarth by-election which is due to take place later this year.

Speaking about the announcement Jordan, who holds the second highest position in the SLP behind that of Party Leader Arthur Scargill, said that "It was an honour to be selected to contest the seat" and that as a former local resident he "Would contest the election to challenge the issues which face the people of Cardiff South and Penarth".

The 24 year old, who headed the SLP's list of candidates in the South Wales Central Region at last year's Welsh Assembly Elections when the Party trebled its support, said that "The people of Cardiff South and Penarth, have been let down both in Cardiff Bay and Westminster by the main four parties who have allowed a lack of investment in community health provision and pockets of deprivation within the constituency to exist." He added that "If elected I will challenge these issues as well as the issues which face people across the whole of Wales, and in particular our young people, issues such as the £600 per pupil funding gap between English and Welsh pupils which has been allowed to exist to the detriment of the Welsh education system and economy." Stating that "The people of Cardiff South and Penarth deserve and need an MP who will speak up for them and not one which will just tow the party line."

12.07.12 - Crane Regulations Protest.

On July 3rd a large protest was held against the governments Government's decision to end the crane registration regulations in which the consultation on it ends today and to revise, consolidate, or withdraw 15 Approved Codes of Practice (ACoPs) by the end of next year.

This protest was led by the Battersea Crane Disaster Group, the Construction Safety Campaign, Families against Corporate Killers (FACK) which were also supported and joined by trades unions UCATT, Unite, GMB and FBU and trades union councils and shop stewards committee organisations from various locations throughout Britain.

This began with a protest outside the offices of the Department of Work and Pensions with a delegation who unsuccessful sought to meet the minister Chris Grayling. This delegation consisted of families who have lost loved ones because of unsafe work, this was led by Liliana Alexa mother of Michael Alexa who lost his life after a crane collapsed in Battersea south west London in 2006.

Secretary of the Construction Safety Campaign, Tony O'Brien, told the 50-strong crowd of protesters that an early-day motion has been signed by 15 MPs to challenge the decision to remove the Notification of Tower Cranes Regulations. He said that every MP should sign this motion. In the afternoon a meeting was held in the House of Commons hosted by Jeremy Corbyn Labour MP.

In this meeting comparisons were made between the billions of pounds in fraud being carried out by bankers who's activity has now led to the austerity measures being suffered by the hard working people of Britain with major cuts to public expenditure and with it their attempts to greatly downgrade our health and safety, "O' Brien said if they get away with this then this will lead to thousands more deaths disabilities and industrial disease, we required better safety from work activities not less and therefore intend to fight these attacks, as such this will be the first of many protests to highlight our concerns."

10 REASONS TO KEEP THE CRANE REGISTRATION REGULATIONS

1) Remember: Peter Clark, Martin Burgess, Michael Whittard, killed at Canary Wharf 2000; Gary Miles, Stephen Boatman, killed at Worthing 2005; Michael Alexa, Jonathan Cloke, killed at Battersea 2006; Zbigniew Swirzynski, killed at Liverpool 2007; Mark Thornton killed at Liverpool 2007.

2) The UK was one of the worst countries for having tower crane accidents.

3) In the decade before the crane register HSE say there were 60 crane accidents, 9 deaths and 25 serious injuries.

4) Other countries have stricter crane safety laws including compulsory licensing (certification) of all crane operatives.

5) The crane hire industry is being allowed to police itself. Independent third party examinations under LOLER (Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998) are not compulsory. Yet when Falcon Cranes – the firm at Battersea – had its 180 cranes taken out by HSE in 2007 – 10% failed HSE tests.

6) The Canary Wharf collapse in 2000 was the third major safety scare involving cranes on Canary Wharf in the previous six weeks and investigations found the safety paperwork had gone missing.

7) The Löfstedt review wants self-employed workers who pose no risk to others to be exempt from health and safety laws, weakening of the Work at Height Regulations 2005, scrapping the Construction (Safety Hard Hat) Head Protection Regulations 1989, and the RIDDOR 1995 Regulations have already been watered down.

8) Deregulation is not going away – Cameron and his ministers have a New Year resolution to "kill off health and safety culture for good" seeing it as an albatross around the neck of British business.

9) Löfstedt is now working on "consolidating" 35 regulations – which could mean further attacks.

10) Because safety must come before profits and we must keep death off building sites.

CONSTRUCTION SAFETY CAMPAIGN - 07747795954.

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