Charter
The
Countryside
Take the Charter in to every town and village
County council elections May 2013 targeted 2013 is an opportunity to put the
UNITY CALL TO RURAL ACTIVISTS What you can do:
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
• Select a candidate asap
ministry. We have been pushed
• Establish a web site and other forms of social media
around between EU programmes,
• 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
gangmasters, big farmers, monopoly retailers and a government of and for millionaires. Founded 1935 | Vol.14 No. 1 | Summer 2012
http://country-standard.blogspot.com | FREE
Country Standard @countrystandard
e F side Foorr Peac Peac e and ntrysid e and Socialism in the CCoouuntry Socialism in the “The Country Standard Collective urges you to support the TUC demonstration in London on 20 October”
WE ARE THE MANY In this issue of the Standard we talk about land and forests, food and farming, the People of Britain and resistance.
THEY ARE BUT FEW
PIC: Reproduced with kind permission John F French Hands Off Our Forests
• Use village websites & noticeboards
Compost the new asbestos? see page 10 Mary Creagh on food poverty
http://country-standard.blogspot.co.uk | http://twitter.com/CountryStandard
Page 3
Campaign Charter Page 3 and 12
Tolpuddle Supplement
Rural dwellers have a long and honourable history of standing up to despotic rulers. Proudly we hold high the Country Standard against the Tory led class warriors in Downing Street intent on destroying the Welfare State, Public Services, the NHS and Trade Unions as they misrule on behalf of global capitalism.
the Country Standard Newsletter
Pages 7/14
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 landworkers
COUNTRY STANDARD SAY
RESTORE AWB • 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
READ COUNTRY STANDARD
http://country-standard.blogspot.co.uk | http://twitter.com/CountryStandard
the Country Standard Newsletter
Speak out for workers and communities The 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
We call for the broadest campaign and take warn against voting for UKIP. Read their neoliberal 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 –
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.
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.
http://country-standard.blogspot.co.uk | http://twitter.com/CountryStandard
the Country Standard Newsletter
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.
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.
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
http://country-standard.blogspot.co.uk | http://twitter.com/CountryStandard
and retailing. Coops to be given preference in the allocation of council contracts. 9. Access for all to highspeed 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 allBritain sovereignty over decision making in farming, fishing and rural affairs.
the Country Standard Newsletter