More than 160 people, including children, injured as train hits bus on level crossing in suburb of Buenos Aires At least seven people were killed in a rush-hour crash involving two passenger trains and a bus in Argentina on Tuesday, authorities said. Police said 162 people were injured, many seriously, and were being treated at hospitals around Buenos Aires after the bus driver drove through barriers at a crossing in an attempt to beat the trains and get across the tracks. Argentina’s transport secretary, JP Schiavi, said the bus driver was among those killed. The vehicle was hit by an oncoming train as it attempted to cross the tracks and was crushed into a nearby platform. The train was shunted off the tracks, hitting another as it prepared to leave the station in the opposite direction. The force of the arriving train reduced the bus to a fraction of its width. Helicopters helped carry the injured to at least seven hospitals. Schiavi said children were among those injured in the accident, which happened at 6.15am (9.15am GMT) next to Flores station, where many parents use public transport to take their children to school. The transport secretary said the barriers at the crossing appeared to be functioning normally, but reporters at the scene said some witnesses had reported that one had descended only part of the way down, leaving room for the bus to try to drive across the tracks despite warning bells. Schiavi said investigators were studying videotape of the accident to determine exactly what happened. Argentina Rail transport guardian.co.uk
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‘Many tens of thousands’ of items discovered by News of the World publisher that could contain evidence of phone hacking The publisher of the News of the World has found “many tens of thousands” of new documents and emails that could contain evidence about the scale of phone hacking at the paper, it has emerged. News International subsidiary News Group Newspapers’ barrister Michael Silverleaf QC told the high court at a pre-trial hearing on Tuesday: “Two very large new caches of documents have been [discovered] which the current management were unaware of.” NGN was ordered in the summer to search its internal email system for any evidence that mobile phones belonging to a list of public figures were targeted by the paper. That search has not been completed, but some documents have already been retrieved, the high court heard. Referring to the emails that NGN has been searching through, Mr Justice Vos told the high court that “there is some important material in what has already been disclosed”. It also emerged today that lawyers acting for phone-hacking claimants have been a handed a 68-page document by police which lists the names of those who asked Mulcaire to engage in hacking, based on notes seized from the home of private investigator Glenn Mulcaire in a 2006 raid. Mulcaire had a habit of noting the names of people who asked him to target mobile phones in the left-hand corner of his notebooks, often using their initials or first name to denote their identity. The document cannot be made public because Vos has previously ordered that they remain confidential so the police inquiry into phone-hacking is not compromised. The fact the document compiled by Scotland Yard runs to 68 pages suggests it contains many names, however. Mr Justice Vos also gave NGN longer to comply with the earlier order requiring the company to hand over potential evidence to phone-hacking litigants. It must now do so by 30 September. NGN has previously said last year that it had lost some emails from the period when Glenn Mulcaire was most active, but subsequently said they had been found. However, the Commons home affairs select committee was told last week by HCL, which managed the IT systems of NGN’s ultimate parent company News Corp, that its client had asked it to to delete hundreds of thousands of emails on 13 occasions from April 2010 to July this year. It also emerged today that Glenn Mulcaire, the private investigator who worked for the paper, has told one alleged phone-hacking victim, Liberal Democrat MP Simon Hughes, that he cannot remember who at the paper ordered him to target the politician’s phone. Hughes launched legal action against the paper’s publisher in August and won a high court order forcing Mulcaire to answer questions about who asked him to target his phone. Although Mulcaire has now complied with that order, Hugh Tomlinson QC, one of the barristers acting for the phone-hacking victims, told the court today: “Mr Mulcaire has indicated in respect of every question raised that he has no recollection.” •
Continue reading …CNN’s Tea Party Audience Cheers Idea Of Leaving A Sick Uninsured Man To Die
September 13, 2011 No Comment
Click here to view this media Wolf Blitzer did his best to pin Ron Paul down on a health care question where a 30-year old uninsured person had six months to live. After getting a bit of a runaround, Blitzer flatly asked Ron Paul whether that person should simply be left to die. Before Paul could answer, the audience did, with cheers of “Yeah!” and applause. If anything comes of these debates, let it be this: Conservatives really believe people should be left to die with no intervention. Ron Paul answered the question after the audience cheered with an answer about churches taking care of their own. News flash for Ron Paul and his minions: Churches can’t do it all. They just can’t. It’s ridiculous to think so. And since Ron Paul has been in Congress longer than he ever practiced medicine, I doubt he has a clue as to just how expensive it is to get even basic health care, much less treatment for what might be a fatal disease. Watch that clip at your own peril. It’s bad for your health. Here’s the transcript: BLITZER: Thank you, Governor. Before I get to Michele Bachmann, I want to just — you’re a physician, Ron Paul, so you’re a doctor. You know something about this subject. Let me ask you this hypothetical question. A healthy 30-year-old young man has a good job, makes a good living, but decides, you know what? I’m not going to spend $200 or $300 a month for health insurance because I’m healthy, I don’t need it. But something terrible happens, all of a sudden he needs it. Who’s going to pay if he goes into a coma, for example? Who pays for that? PAUL: Well, in a society that you accept welfarism and socialism, he expects the government to take care of him. BLITZER: Well, what do you want? PAUL: But what he should do is whatever he wants to do, and assume responsibility for himself. My advice to him would have a major medical policy, but not be forced — BLITZER: But he doesn’t have that. He doesn’t have it, and he needs intensive care for six months. Who pays? PAUL: That’s what freedom is all about, taking your own risks. This whole idea that you have to prepare and take care of everybody — (APPLAUSE) BLITZER: But Congressman, are you saying that society should just let him die? PAUL: No. I practiced medicine before we had Medicaid, in the early 1960s, when I got out of medical school. I practiced at Santa Rosa Hospital in San Antonio, and the churches took care of them. We never turned anybody away from the hospitals. (APPLAUSE)
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Study of 42 countries also says UK failing to retain young in education, and may be overly concerned about class sizes The UK has the third highest university tuition fees in the developed world, according to analysis by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development . The annual Education At A Glance study (pdf) – conducted before fees almost treble next year to a maximum of £9,000 – shows the UK is the most expensive after the United States and Korea. The analysis compared the 34 countries of the OECD, plus Brazil, the Russian Federation and Argentina, China, India, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia and South Africa. On average, students in the UK paid just under $5,000 (£3,158) a year in 2008. In countries including Austria, Belgium and France, teenagers paid less than half this amount. In Sweden, Denmark and Norway, tuition is free. Andreas Schleicher, head of the OECD’s educational statistics and analysis division, said the US higher education system had priced many out of the opportunity to study at university. But he said the UK was unlikely to do the same because students have access to loans. “The cost of higher education has risen very dramatically [in the US],” he said. “It is very difficult for people to afford it because access to financing is much less well developed than in the UK.” The analysis, published in the OECD’s annual Education at a Glance report , also shows Britain does worse at keeping young people in education than most other developed countries. In the UK, 74% of 15- to 19-year-olds were in education in 2009, compared with an average of 82% across the 42 countries studied. Only Chile, Israel, Mexico and Turkey fared worse. This is despite the UK’s spending on education rising at a faster rate than in many other countries. Between 2000 and 2008, funding for primary and secondary education increased by 56% in the UK – the eighth highest increase of 30 nations. Spending on higher education grew by 30%, the sixth highest increase. Overall, spending on education in the UK was two percentage points below the OECD average of 5.9% of GDP. However, expenditure has shifted from public to private sources. Adults without “baseline qualifications” – the equivalent of five good GCSEs – have borne the brunt of the economic crisis, the report shows. The employment rate for these adults dropped from 65.6% to 56.9% – a fall four times greater than the average. At the same time, adults in the UK with degrees have an above-average earnings premium. Having a degree in the UK gives the average male adult an estimated extra $208,000 (£132,000) over his lifetime, the report found. The analysis shows that moving from school or training to the labour market in the UK is particularly difficult. Some 17% of 20- to 29-year-olds were in education in 2009, below the average of 26%. Only Turkey and Mexico did worse. And 4.9% of those without A-levels or qualifications above GCSE level were out of education and employment. The OECD’s average was 2.7%. Schleicher said the transition between education and work was “smoother” in countries with work-study programmes in secondary schools. He said the UK had only a small proportion of students on these programmes, compared with Australia, Germany, Austria and other countries. Class sizes at secondary school have fallen at a faster rate than other countries, the report shows. In the early years of secondary school, there tends to be 20 students per class in the UK, compared with 24 on average. However, at primary school, there are 24.5 pupils per class in the UK, compared with the average of just over 21. Countries that perform better than the UK in international tests “are generally prioritising the quality of teachers over the size of classes”, Schleicher said. The University and College Union (UCU), which represents college lecturers, warned that unless the government reversed cuts to further and higher education, the UK risked dropping further behind competitor countries. Sally Hunt, UCU’s general secretary, said the UK was “languishing in the relegation zone when it comes to public spending on higher education”. She said: “The UK’s poor record of investment in educating adults places us at a real disadvantage against other countries. We need an urgent debate about the importance of education and skills to our economy and society before it is too late. “As the OECD points out, public investment in education repays itself many times over, but government policy means our workforce is poorly prepared for life in the new knowledge economy.” Wendy Piatt, the director general of the Russell Group – a group of 20 leading universities including Oxford and Cambridge – described opportunities for 15- to 19-year- olds in the UK as “very disappointing”. “We are wholeheartedly committed to broadening access so that every student with the qualifications, potential and determination to succeed at a Russell Group university has the opportunity do so, whatever their background,” she said. “But one of the key challenges we face is that too few young people from disadvantaged backgrounds continue in education beyond the age of 16.” A spokesman from the Department for Education said the number of young people not in education, employment or training – so-called Neets – was “still far too high”. “We must ensure that all pupils get a good grasp of the basics before leaving education to help make them employable,” he said. “Currently over a third of pupils are still leaving school without the basic qualifications they need to move forward, most of whom are from low income backgrounds.” Tuition fees Higher education Schools Further education Young people Jeevan Vasagar Jessica Shepherd guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Study of 42 countries also says UK failing to retain young in education, and may be overly concerned about class sizes The UK has the third highest university tuition fees in the developed world, according to analysis by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development . The annual Education At A Glance study (pdf) – conducted before fees almost treble next year to a maximum of £9,000 – shows the UK is the most expensive after the United States and Korea. The analysis compared the 34 countries of the OECD, plus Brazil, the Russian Federation and Argentina, China, India, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia and South Africa. On average, students in the UK paid just under $5,000 (£3,158) a year in 2008. In countries including Austria, Belgium and France, teenagers paid less than half this amount. In Sweden, Denmark and Norway, tuition is free. Andreas Schleicher, head of the OECD’s educational statistics and analysis division, said the US higher education system had priced many out of the opportunity to study at university. But he said the UK was unlikely to do the same because students have access to loans. “The cost of higher education has risen very dramatically [in the US],” he said. “It is very difficult for people to afford it because access to financing is much less well developed than in the UK.” The analysis, published in the OECD’s annual Education at a Glance report , also shows Britain does worse at keeping young people in education than most other developed countries. In the UK, 74% of 15- to 19-year-olds were in education in 2009, compared with an average of 82% across the 42 countries studied. Only Chile, Israel, Mexico and Turkey fared worse. This is despite the UK’s spending on education rising at a faster rate than in many other countries. Between 2000 and 2008, funding for primary and secondary education increased by 56% in the UK – the eighth highest increase of 30 nations. Spending on higher education grew by 30%, the sixth highest increase. Overall, spending on education in the UK was two percentage points below the OECD average of 5.9% of GDP. However, expenditure has shifted from public to private sources. Adults without “baseline qualifications” – the equivalent of five good GCSEs – have borne the brunt of the economic crisis, the report shows. The employment rate for these adults dropped from 65.6% to 56.9% – a fall four times greater than the average. At the same time, adults in the UK with degrees have an above-average earnings premium. Having a degree in the UK gives the average male adult an estimated extra $208,000 (£132,000) over his lifetime, the report found. The analysis shows that moving from school or training to the labour market in the UK is particularly difficult. Some 17% of 20- to 29-year-olds were in education in 2009, below the average of 26%. Only Turkey and Mexico did worse. And 4.9% of those without A-levels or qualifications above GCSE level were out of education and employment. The OECD’s average was 2.7%. Schleicher said the transition between education and work was “smoother” in countries with work-study programmes in secondary schools. He said the UK had only a small proportion of students on these programmes, compared with Australia, Germany, Austria and other countries. Class sizes at secondary school have fallen at a faster rate than other countries, the report shows. In the early years of secondary school, there tends to be 20 students per class in the UK, compared with 24 on average. However, at primary school, there are 24.5 pupils per class in the UK, compared with the average of just over 21. Countries that perform better than the UK in international tests “are generally prioritising the quality of teachers over the size of classes”, Schleicher said. The University and College Union (UCU), which represents college lecturers, warned that unless the government reversed cuts to further and higher education, the UK risked dropping further behind competitor countries. Sally Hunt, UCU’s general secretary, said the UK was “languishing in the relegation zone when it comes to public spending on higher education”. She said: “The UK’s poor record of investment in educating adults places us at a real disadvantage against other countries. We need an urgent debate about the importance of education and skills to our economy and society before it is too late. “As the OECD points out, public investment in education repays itself many times over, but government policy means our workforce is poorly prepared for life in the new knowledge economy.” Wendy Piatt, the director general of the Russell Group – a group of 20 leading universities including Oxford and Cambridge – described opportunities for 15- to 19-year- olds in the UK as “very disappointing”. “We are wholeheartedly committed to broadening access so that every student with the qualifications, potential and determination to succeed at a Russell Group university has the opportunity do so, whatever their background,” she said. “But one of the key challenges we face is that too few young people from disadvantaged backgrounds continue in education beyond the age of 16.” A spokesman from the Department for Education said the number of young people not in education, employment or training – so-called Neets – was “still far too high”. “We must ensure that all pupils get a good grasp of the basics before leaving education to help make them employable,” he said. “Currently over a third of pupils are still leaving school without the basic qualifications they need to move forward, most of whom are from low income backgrounds.” Tuition fees Higher education Schools Further education Young people Jeevan Vasagar Jessica Shepherd guardian.co.uk
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Teenagers accused of causing spate of blazes across borough of Barnet in north London Six teenagers have been charged with causing a fire that closed the M1 in both directions in April. The blaze at a scrapyard under an elevated section of the motorway caused disruption for days. The six accused are among a total of 10 teenagers charged with a spate of arson attacks across Barnet, north London. Luke Matthews, 18, of Hatfield, Herts; Johno Johnson, 18, of Edgware; and four other teenagers, who cannot be named, were charged with arson offences including the M1 fire. Damien McQueen, 18, Hannah Parker, 18, both of Edgware, and two other youths were charged with two acts of arson elsewhere in the area. They have all been granted bail to appear at Hendon magistrates court on Tuesday next week. The M1 was closed between junctions one and four on 15 April. London guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Teenagers accused of causing spate of blazes across borough of Barnet in north London Six teenagers have been charged with causing a fire that closed the M1 in both directions in April. The blaze at a scrapyard under an elevated section of the motorway caused disruption for days. The six accused are among a total of 10 teenagers charged with a spate of arson attacks across Barnet, north London. Luke Matthews, 18, of Hatfield, Herts; Johno Johnson, 18, of Edgware; and four other teenagers, who cannot be named, were charged with arson offences including the M1 fire. Damien McQueen, 18, Hannah Parker, 18, both of Edgware, and two other youths were charged with two acts of arson elsewhere in the area. They have all been granted bail to appear at Hendon magistrates court on Tuesday next week. The M1 was closed between junctions one and four on 15 April. London guardian.co.uk
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Labour leader calls for ‘meaningful negotiation to prevent further confrontation’ in address to union delegates Ed Miliband was heckled by delegates at the TUC conference as he triggered trade union anger by describing strikes over public sector pension reforms as “a mistake”. In his first speech to the TUC as the Labour leader, Miliband stood firm on his position despite widespread unhappiness with his criticism of the industrial action on 30 June, when three education unions and one civil servants’ union joined forces in a mass walkout. Unions are gearing up for more industrial action in the autumn, which could involve huge numbers of public sector workers. The head of Unison, Dave Prentis, warned that a ballot of more than 1 million public sector workers was becoming inevitable because negotiators could not meet government deadline for reforming pensions. Some unions – possibly led by Unison – are widely expected to declare their intention to ballot when they take part in a debate on public sector pensions at the conference on Wednesday. But in a a speech later described as “brave” by the leader of one of the major unions, Miliband stuck to his guns, saying strikes were the wrong response to talks with the government which, unions say, are close to collapse. The Labour leader said the government had set about reform “in completely the wrong way” and he understood why millions of public sector workers felt angry. However, he added: “While negotiations were going on, I do believe it was a mistake for strikes to happen. I continue to believe that. But what we need now is meaningful negotiation to prevent further confrontation over the autumn.” Miliband faced further dissent from the floor during a 20-minute question-and-answer session with delegates after Janice Godrich, the president of the Public and Commercial Services Union, challenged him to “stand up on the side of hundreds and thousands of workers whose pensions are under attack”. Godrich reminded Miliband that the former Labour cabinet minister Alan Johnson, who struck a pensions deal with public sector unions in 2005, had said the outcome was “fair and reasonable” and the National Audit Office had recently concluded that public sector pensions “are affordable”. To applause, she challenged him to back further industrial action, saying: “Will you defend the negotiated settlement we agreed, and will you support trade unionists taking industrial action to defend that deal?” Miliband agreed that the Johnson deal “was a good agreement”, but went on to say that, “while this may not be popular with everybody in the room”, the John Hutton report on pensions was a “decent report” that looked at important issues. This included its call for the government to engage in meaningful negotiations with the unions. “That is what should be happening,” Miliband said to jeers. “What I’m going to say is that the best thing that can be done is to avoid industrial action happening by a government willing to properly negotiate. That is what needs to happen.” Mary Bousted, the leader of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers – one of three education unions that took strike action in June – told Miliband: “Just for information, the government are not prepared to negotiate. “All they are prepared to do is negotiate how to implement the changes they have decided. There are no real negotiations going on. We can give you chapter and verse about that.” The Labour party’s biggest donor, the Unite union, played down the impact of Miliband’s “mistake” line. Len McCluskey, the Unite general secretary, said: “I thought we saw a man there who was demonstrating that he wants to be on our side.” Nonetheless, McCluskey said Unite was preparing for mass strike action featuring more than 1 million workers, with the prospect that industrial action by a “community of resistance” will also take place next year. Asked whether Unite, which has 250,000 public sector members, would ballot workers, he said: “I think it is inevitable.” And questioned on whether strikes would take place next year, he said: “Without a shadow of a doubt. We are planning for it to be a long dispute.” Miliband also drew shouts of “shame” and disagreement when he defended academy schools in his constituency, which he said had made a big difference to education standards. The Labour leader also used his speech to urge unions to raise their game and show their relevance in meeting future challenges. Highlighting the fact that just 15% of the private sector workforce is unionised, compared with over half of the public sector workforce, he told unions they needed to change “if that is to change”. He said: “Unions can offer businesses the prospect of better management, better relationships, as you did during the recession. Of course the right to industrial action will be necessary, as a last resort. “But in truth, strikes are always the consequence of failure. Failure on all sides. Failure we cannot afford as a nation. Instead, your real role is as partners in the new economy.” Miliband drew applause for other parts of his speech, including his insistence that he would “resist” any attempt to break the link between the trade union movement and the Labour party. The three million trade union levy payers were a “huge asset” to the party, he said, adding: “They should never ever feel like passive or unwanted members of our movement. I want them to feel part of it.” Miliband made clear that a Labour government, committed to halving the deficit in four years, would also make cuts. “Like our plans for a 12% cut in the police budget – not the 20% being implemented by this government,” he said. “Like cuts to the road programme. And, yes, reforms of some benefits, too.” Miliband also called for a living wage for young people, and attacked the high level of executive pay. Union leaders gave a mixed reaction to his performance. Paul Kenny, the leader of the GMB, said: “I have to give him credit for his courage in coming here and speaking frankly to us. What comes across is that he is not ashamed of the trade union links to the Labour party.” But Bob Crow, the general secretary of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union, said: “Ed Miliband needs to decide just whose side he is on. “Criticising teachers and other workers taking strike action to defend jobs, services and pensions alienates core Labour supporters in their hundreds of thousands and is a political suicide mission. “You can’t play political games when workers are facing the biggest all-out attack on their rights and their livelihoods since the war. A Labour leader who doesn’t stand by the workers is on a one-way ticket to oblivion.” Asked about the prospect of Labour considering public ownership of the railways, Miliband said “all options”, including mutual, public and private ownership, should be considered. Miliband won the biggest applause when he attacked the “closed circle” of people who sit on company remuneration committees handing out pay and bonuses. Ed Miliband TUC Trade unions Labour Public sector pensions Public services policy Bob Crow Teaching Schools Hélène Mulholland Dan Milmo guardian.co.uk
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Labour leader calls for ‘meaningful negotiation to prevent further confrontation’ in address to union delegates Ed Miliband was heckled by delegates at the TUC conference as he triggered trade union anger by describing strikes over public sector pension reforms as “a mistake”. In his first speech to the TUC as the Labour leader, Miliband stood firm on his position despite widespread unhappiness with his criticism of the industrial action on 30 June, when three education unions and one civil servants’ union joined forces in a mass walkout. Unions are gearing up for more industrial action in the autumn, which could involve huge numbers of public sector workers. The head of Unison, Dave Prentis, warned that a ballot of more than 1 million public sector workers was becoming inevitable because negotiators could not meet government deadline for reforming pensions. Some unions – possibly led by Unison – are widely expected to declare their intention to ballot when they take part in a debate on public sector pensions at the conference on Wednesday. But in a a speech later described as “brave” by the leader of one of the major unions, Miliband stuck to his guns, saying strikes were the wrong response to talks with the government which, unions say, are close to collapse. The Labour leader said the government had set about reform “in completely the wrong way” and he understood why millions of public sector workers felt angry. However, he added: “While negotiations were going on, I do believe it was a mistake for strikes to happen. I continue to believe that. But what we need now is meaningful negotiation to prevent further confrontation over the autumn.” Miliband faced further dissent from the floor during a 20-minute question-and-answer session with delegates after Janice Godrich, the president of the Public and Commercial Services Union, challenged him to “stand up on the side of hundreds and thousands of workers whose pensions are under attack”. Godrich reminded Miliband that the former Labour cabinet minister Alan Johnson, who struck a pensions deal with public sector unions in 2005, had said the outcome was “fair and reasonable” and the National Audit Office had recently concluded that public sector pensions “are affordable”. To applause, she challenged him to back further industrial action, saying: “Will you defend the negotiated settlement we agreed, and will you support trade unionists taking industrial action to defend that deal?” Miliband agreed that the Johnson deal “was a good agreement”, but went on to say that, “while this may not be popular with everybody in the room”, the John Hutton report on pensions was a “decent report” that looked at important issues. This included its call for the government to engage in meaningful negotiations with the unions. “That is what should be happening,” Miliband said to jeers. “What I’m going to say is that the best thing that can be done is to avoid industrial action happening by a government willing to properly negotiate. That is what needs to happen.” Mary Bousted, the leader of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers – one of three education unions that took strike action in June – told Miliband: “Just for information, the government are not prepared to negotiate. “All they are prepared to do is negotiate how to implement the changes they have decided. There are no real negotiations going on. We can give you chapter and verse about that.” The Labour party’s biggest donor, the Unite union, played down the impact of Miliband’s “mistake” line. Len McCluskey, the Unite general secretary, said: “I thought we saw a man there who was demonstrating that he wants to be on our side.” Nonetheless, McCluskey said Unite was preparing for mass strike action featuring more than 1 million workers, with the prospect that industrial action by a “community of resistance” will also take place next year. Asked whether Unite, which has 250,000 public sector members, would ballot workers, he said: “I think it is inevitable.” And questioned on whether strikes would take place next year, he said: “Without a shadow of a doubt. We are planning for it to be a long dispute.” Miliband also drew shouts of “shame” and disagreement when he defended academy schools in his constituency, which he said had made a big difference to education standards. The Labour leader also used his speech to urge unions to raise their game and show their relevance in meeting future challenges. Highlighting the fact that just 15% of the private sector workforce is unionised, compared with over half of the public sector workforce, he told unions they needed to change “if that is to change”. He said: “Unions can offer businesses the prospect of better management, better relationships, as you did during the recession. Of course the right to industrial action will be necessary, as a last resort. “But in truth, strikes are always the consequence of failure. Failure on all sides. Failure we cannot afford as a nation. Instead, your real role is as partners in the new economy.” Miliband drew applause for other parts of his speech, including his insistence that he would “resist” any attempt to break the link between the trade union movement and the Labour party. The three million trade union levy payers were a “huge asset” to the party, he said, adding: “They should never ever feel like passive or unwanted members of our movement. I want them to feel part of it.” Miliband made clear that a Labour government, committed to halving the deficit in four years, would also make cuts. “Like our plans for a 12% cut in the police budget – not the 20% being implemented by this government,” he said. “Like cuts to the road programme. And, yes, reforms of some benefits, too.” Miliband also called for a living wage for young people, and attacked the high level of executive pay. Union leaders gave a mixed reaction to his performance. Paul Kenny, the leader of the GMB, said: “I have to give him credit for his courage in coming here and speaking frankly to us. What comes across is that he is not ashamed of the trade union links to the Labour party.” But Bob Crow, the general secretary of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union, said: “Ed Miliband needs to decide just whose side he is on. “Criticising teachers and other workers taking strike action to defend jobs, services and pensions alienates core Labour supporters in their hundreds of thousands and is a political suicide mission. “You can’t play political games when workers are facing the biggest all-out attack on their rights and their livelihoods since the war. A Labour leader who doesn’t stand by the workers is on a one-way ticket to oblivion.” Asked about the prospect of Labour considering public ownership of the railways, Miliband said “all options”, including mutual, public and private ownership, should be considered. Miliband won the biggest applause when he attacked the “closed circle” of people who sit on company remuneration committees handing out pay and bonuses. Ed Miliband TUC Trade unions Labour Public sector pensions Public services policy Bob Crow Teaching Schools Hélène Mulholland Dan Milmo guardian.co.uk
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