FEAR GRIPS BRITAIN!! As Jerome Corbyn Rises with Socialism

Jeremy Corbyn (L), Explo-Nani Kofi (R)

By Duke Tagoe

Right wing and conservative forces in the two dominant political parties in Britain have been scared to their bones by the prospects of an openly declared socialist emerging as leader of the Labour Party.

First, they claimed that Jerome Corbyn could not get his name on the ballot and he proved them wrong.

Then they said there was no way such a hard line socialist could become leader of the Labour Party and Jerome is proving them wrong.

All the opinion polls indicate that Jerome Cobyn is far ahead of the two other contestants and may very well be on the way to becoming the Prime Minister of Britain.

Jerome is not new to Ghanaian politics. He is a friend to many Ghanaian left wing activists and was a key participant in the struggle for the restoration of multi-party rule in Ghana.

He joined many other British politicians including the Lord Eric Avebury of the House of Lords in calling for the release of left wing activists detained under Rawlings rule. These activists included Akoto Ampaw, Yao Graham, Kwesi Pratt Jnr and several others.

Jerome is also a member of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign and was active in the campaign for the release of the ”Cuban Five” from jails in the United States of America.

Two years ago, he joined several African activists in the Algerian capital, Algiers to demand independence for the Saharawi Arab Democrate Republic.

One of his closet Ghanaian associates is Explo Nani-Kofi, who was exiled from Ghana in the PNDC days for more than 20 years.

Comrade Nani-Kofi says that the strides being made by Jerome in his campaign clearly shows the relevance of socialism even in the colonial metropolis.

Jerome has himself said that his objective is to return the Labour Party to its socialist origins.

It is feared that having worked in the ranks of the “Stop The War Coalition” Jerome would support the referral of Tony Blair and others to the War Crimes  Tribunal for their roles in the Iraq war.

For now, British politics is seeing the rebirth of socialist activism on a scale that has shocked it’s very foundations.

Indeed both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown ,former Prime Ministers have thrown their full weight against the candidature of Jerome Corbyn.

Jerome is also stridently opposed to the prescriptions of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank (WB) for the economic recovery in the so-called Third World.

There are strong indications that Jerome Corbyn could win the labour leadership election by close to two thirds majority.      

Editorial

Solidarity With Jerome Corbyn

The Insight extends its unflinching solidarity to Jerome Corbyn, member of the British  Parliament and the working people of Britain  in their heroic struggle against decadence and for peace, social justice and democracy.

As far as we are concerned the campaign to get Jerome Corbyn elected as leader of the Labour Party is part of the general effort to halt the slide down the path of neo-liberalism and war.

Ghana today is a victim of this slide which has entailed the massive privatization of state enterprises, the withdrawal of subsidies on education and health, the retrenchment of Labour and the devaluation of the national currency.

The giant strides being made by the Jerome Campaign gives us hope that all is not lost even in the colonial metropolis and that the forces of change will win eventually.

 The position of Jerome Corbyn on the need to abolish war and to build a new world on the foundations of social justice, peace and democracy is shared by us.

We fully support Jerome Corbyn.

SFG ON DOCTORS STRIKE

SFG Convener, Kyeretwie Opoku

The Socialist Forum of Ghana (SFG) has asked both the Ghana Medical Association and the Government of Ghana to act in accordance with law and ensure that striking doctors go back to work immediately.

A statement issued in Accra and  signed by Comrade Duke Tagoe, for convener, rejected policies and actions influenced only by convenience.

 The full text of the statement is published below;

STATEMENT ON THE CONTINUING STRIKE BY SOME MEMBERS OF THE GHANAIAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION

The Socialist Forum of Ghana (SFG) unreservedly calls on striking members of the Ghana Medical; Association (GMA) to return to work without further delay in the interest of under privileged Ghanaians and themselves.

 The SFG notes that the on-going strike victimizes ordinary poor and disadvantaged Ghanaians who cannot afford the services provided  by private clinics and hospitals and who live in places where such private facilities are not available.

The refusal of the striking  doctors to heed appeals from Ghanaians from all walks of life, including faith based institutions, political parties ,trade unions, traditional authorities and youth and students groups could  very easily lead to their alienation and therefore the loss of sympathy and solidarity.

It is our strong view that the government of Ghana has the ultimate responsibility to ensure that all Ghanaians get healthcare irrespective of their social origins and political orientation. We therefore call on the Government to use all legitimate and legal means to ensure that the doctors return to work immediately.

In this connection, the SFG frowns on the policies and actions of convenience and urge the application of the full rigours of the law to ensure public safety and security. The Government of Ghana cannot and must not be allowed to act lawlessly in these trying circumstances.

Duke Tagoe

For Convener

LAWS MUST BE OBEYED

Austin Gamey

By Christian Kpesese

The Chief Executive Officer of the Gamey and Gamey ADR Institute, Mr Austin Gamey has stated that the first and urgent requirement for the creation of a peaceful, conducive labour environment and a harmonious society in general is for all citizens to obey the laws of the country.

The many strikes, threats of strikes on the labour front and the several disputes and conflicts in all areas of our national life he noted calls for a lot of work and responsibility from all stakeholders.

Mr Gamey bemoaned the lawlessness that has bedeviled the labour front in recent times with its attendant illegal strikes and urged that the laws of the land are obeyed to ensure sanity.

“Laws are made to be obeyed so that sanity prevails in human affairs” he stated.

The Labour/Human Resource Management Consultant made the call in Accra when he addressed participants at the end of the 17thProfessional Master of Appropriate Dispute Resolution (ADR) course organized by Gamey and Gamey ADR Institute in collaboration with the PULSE Institute, USA.

According to him, ADR has become acceptable world-wide as one of the cardinal ways to resolve conflicts such as commercial cases, labour disputes, family and marital disputes, land and chieftaincy conflicts.

He has therefore charged the participant to use the skills acquired in ADR to help citizens resolve conflicts to aid national development in peace.

The participants were for twenty five (25) weeks, taken through the provisions of the Labour Act, 2003, Act 651, the ADR Act, 2010, Act 798 and the People Using Language Skills Effectively (PULSE) principle to resolve conflicts.

The beneficiaries include Collins Arhin the honest man who returned a lost bag of money he found in a taxi to the owner, senior army officers, lawyers, Human Resource practitioners, managers, journalists, trade unionists among others.