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date: 19 March 2004 embargo: None |
Attention: Industrial, political and social affairs correspondents
Unions say, 'apathy is the enemy of freedom and democracy'
Doing nothing is not the smart option when elections are looming. The deadline for registering to vote in the 10 June elections is 13 April.
Martin Gould, President of SERTUC, the regional TUC for London, the South East and the East of England said:
'1.7 million people voted in the London Assembly elections in 2000. If the turn out is the same in 2004, any party exceeding 85,000 votes will be guaranteed a seat in the London Assembly. That means there is a real and present danger of a racist or fascist being elected, not because there will have been anything other than a tiny level of support for them, but because too many decent people chose not to vote at all.'
And it is estimated that a party will need 11 percent of the vote to win an MEP seat in the East of England, 9 percent of the vote to win one in London and just 8 percent of the vote to do so in the South East. These are thresholds a racist candidate could not reach if there was a decent turnout, but the turn out is expected to be extremely low in the European elections.
Martin Gould , President of SERTUC, continued:
'All those that live and work in this region have a right to respect, both in the workplace and in the community, so the politics of hate can have no place here. Historically, unions have opposed racism and discrimination where ever we have found it. And when fascism threatened, trade unions were there to confront it and share in the struggle to defeat it.
'The first step in that struggle today is to urge people to check with their local authority that they are registered to vote.'
Notes to Editors:
SERTUC and Unite Against Fascism are organising a mobilisation event for trade unionists
Defeating Fascism in London, the South East and the East of England
It will be held 10am - 1.30pm, Saturday, 3 April 2004
Congress House, Great Russell Street, London
(Registration from 9.30am)
The event will comprise opening and closing plenary sessions and practical workshops to better enable trade unionists to effectively campaign against fascist parties
Every delegate will receive a copy of the TUC’s campaign guide
plenary speakers will include:
FRANCES O’GRADY Deputy General Secretary, TUC
LEE JASPER (on behalf of Ken Livingstone), Mayor of London and Chair of UAF
COLIN MOSES National Chairman, Prison Officers’ Association UK
CLAUDE MORAES MEP, London region
SABBY DHALU Unite Against Fascism, Joint Secretary
STEVE SILVER Searchlight
There will be workshops on:
Local campaigning and campaigning in the workplace
Using the media to defeat racists and fascists
Mobilising young voters
Busting the myths about asylum and immigration
For more information please contact 0207 467 1220 or dlewis@tuc.org.uk
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Contacts:
Media enquiries: Laurie Heselden
Acting Regional Secretary
020 7467 1292 or 0781 800 2877 or email lheselden@tuc.org.uk
Press release (600 words) issued 19 Mar 2004
