PRESS RELEASE

As activists gathered for the Progressive London conference at the TUC Ken Livingstone today said that the latest polls showed that there was no groundswell of support for the Tories - and said the latest examples of a single digit gap between the two parties indicated they could be beaten if progressive political forces shift the terrain onto a fight between those who will protect the majority from the consequences of the recession and the Tories who will put only a rich few first.

Ken Livingstone said:

"Today's polls show the Tories have no groundswell of support. The shape of what a Tory government would be like after the general election gets clearer and more unpleasant every day. The core of Tory policy is that those not responsible for causing the financial crisis must pay for it. Those on average incomes, the least well-off, public sector workers and others would suffer the effects of a savage attack on social and public spending. Those with large sums of money to pass on as inheritances, and to a major degree bankers, would be protected. These are the real open class-war policies – with a vengeance. The Tories have reverted to Thatcherism II.

"We had a further warning this week of just how feeble the economic recovery is in the GDP figures, but the Tories threaten even that by reining back the stimulus to demand created by public spending.

"Despite strong media support and despite Labour being in office in the worst economic crisis for 70 years, the Tories have scarcely succeeded in raising their level of support above 40 per cent.

"The crucial issue is the need to develop and implement a progressive alternative to the Tories. Such progressive policies, to be effective, must support both those on middle incomes and the less advantaged. These together constitute a large majority of the electorate. That's quite different from concentrating on attempting to win over the best-off. The reason policies like the 50 per cent tax band, or the taxes on bankers’ bonuses, are popular is because they transfer resources from a small privileged minority to people on middle incomes and the least well off.

"The key terrain on which the election must be fought is the need to protect those on middle incomes and the least advantaged against the Tories who would transfer resources from the average elector to the well-off."

Ken Livingstone is hosting the Progressive London conference today. The cross-party event - "Progressive agenda to stop the right in 2010" - takes place at the TUC headquarters in central London.

ENDS

Press Release: For immediate release

The Progressive London conference, hosted by former Mayor of London Ken Livingstone, will discuss at one of its key sessions on Saturday 30th January the rise in homophobic attacks and the progressive policies that can halt the rising tide of this hateful and grotesque crime.
 
Speaking at the session on stopping homophobic hate crimes will be Mark Healey who was one of the pivotal organisers of the Trafalgar Square vigil following the brutal homophobic killing of Ian Baynman in October 2009.
 
Mark Healy founder of No to Hate Crime said:
 
“The brutal killing of Ian Baynham last year was a stark reminder of the human cost of homophobic hate crime, which is on the rise.   London has a proud history of coming together to oppose hatred and division; as was epitomised by the vigil we organised last year. It is critical that all those who oppose all forms of hate crime come and work together to improve our communities and rid our society of hatred." 
 
Joining Mark Healey at the session will be Kirsten Hearn from the LGBT Consortium and Vice-Chair & Independent Member of Metropolitan Police Authority, Daf Adley, NUS LGBT Officer and Pav Akhtar - Chair of Imaan, the Muslim LGBT support group
 
Host of the conference Ken Livingstone said:
 
"Those from the lesbian and gay community must be equal partners in our society. Recent high profile homophobic attacks remind us all that while we have made great strides in creating a fairer and more equal society we have by no means won the battle yet. 
 
I welcome Mark Healey, who was instrumental in highlighting the issue of hate crime following the murder homophobic killing of Ian Baynman to the progressive London conference where he will lead the session on stopping hate crime.” 
 
ENDS

Mark Healey, Kirsten Hearn, Daf Addley and Pav Akhtar will be speaking at the Proud London: Stop Homophobic Hate Crime session at the Progressive London Conference on Saturday. Click here to register and ensure your place.
 

This year’s above inflation fare increase will be felt by millions of Londoners returning to work after the Christmas break. Ken Livingstone has heavily criticised the fare increases and has said that fares should be held down by restoring revenue cut by Boris Johnson in order to protect London’s fare-payers.
 
Ken Livingstone said:
“Today the Mayor has hit many Londoners returning to work on public transport with a new year nightmare, a huge fare hike that includes a twenty per cent rise in the price of a single bus fare, combined with plans to cut to transport services. He is singling out bus users in particular, and hitting people in outer London with many big single tube fare increases outside zone one and whacking up tram fares.
 
“The burden of the fares is hitting those reliant on the bus the hardest, with a 20% increase on a single bus journey and the weekly bus pass, which will not only hit many of the poorest hardest but also hit hard those in those parts of outer London where bus services are often the main form of public transport.
 
“The fare increase is unnecessary. We are seeing the worst global economic situation since the second world war yet Boris Johnson chooses now to introduce the biggest fare increase in real terms since the mayoralty was established. The mayor should be holding fares down not hammering fare payers.
 
“This high fares mess must be undone through policies to make fares fairer. A future fares cut should be financed by through the restoration of the western extension of the congestion charge, both reducing traffic levels and generating at current figures £70million a year, alongside the introduction of a higher £25 charge for the most polluting gas guzzlers - which if it had not been axed by Boris Johnson would already be generating around £50million a year. These two measures would make it possible to hold down fares, not squeeze Londoners hard as Boris Johnson is doing.
 
“Boris Johnson has said that he is going to raise fares each year he is in office. The next mayor must reverse Boris Johnson’s policy of protecting polluters at the expense of fare payers and instead should cut fares.”