BY Salma Yaqoob, The Respect Party Leader

The best thing you could say about today's Budget speech from Chancellor Darling is that at least George Osborne wasn't delivering it.

New Labour has attempted to distance itself from Tory plans to immediately begin cutting public spending if they win the next election. They have even provided a tiny amount of stimulus to the economy to offset some of the worst effects of the recession. But these measures are pathetically small by international standards - any smaller and they wouldn't have registered at all.

But the really bad news is still to come. Over the next 5 years today's Budget plans to reduce public spending by one quarter compared to the expected growth in the economy. That means as our classrooms and hospital needs grow, New Labour intends to provide 25% less of the spending for those real needs. Disastrously, when the economy is already reeling from a collapse in investment, it also intends to reduce its own investment by over £10bn this year.

The strangest thing of all is that the Budget shows that stimulus works. The limited measures taken previously such as the VAT cut had the effect of boosting the economy and tax revenues. The government deficit actually came in nearly £10bn lower than forecast. And the the interest rate paid to the financial markets was also lower than forecast - so much for the foolish idea that cuts are needed to 'reassure the markets'.

But look what is happening to that windfall. Just £200m of it is going to prop up the economy, the rest is going to pay down debt. This is a windfall that could have been used to really get the economy going again and people back to work, spending and paying taxes. Instead, it's a windfall for the bond market. What a waste.

The following letter was published in today's Guardian (25/03/10).

We are concerned by the rise of Islamophobia, the negative coverage of Muslims in the media, the violent street mobilisations of extreme rightwing organisations like the English Defence League, and the rising electoral support for the British National party (The battle for Barking, Weekend, 13 March). Following Channel 4's recent inflammatory documentary, Britain's Islamic Republic, which saw concentrated attacks on the East London Mosque, the English Defence League marched through central London with placards including the demand "Close the East London Mosque now".

The East End of London is not new to having its communities attacked by fascists and the media. The 1930s saw the Battle of Cable Street when Oswald Mosley's blackshirts attempted to march into the Jewish community in the area. We cannot allow this terrible history to repeat itself. Further, the documentary, and articles since, have attacked the participation in politics by the Muslim community. We cannot stand by and watch this continue without remark or action.

In the runup to the general election, all parts of the population should be actively encouraged to exercise their votes. That is democracy. We welcome the work of organisations who work to this end. We call for solidarity and support for those organisations that work to encourage political participation from all sections of society, including Muslims, and condemn those who seek to undermine it.

Ken Livingstone

Bonnie Greer

Dr Abdul Bari Secretary general, Muslim Council of Britain

Brendan Barber General secretary, TUC

Sir Geoffrey Bindman QC

Dr. Edie Friedman Executive director, Jewish Council for Racial Equality

Diane Abbott MP

Neil Jameson Executive director, London Citizens

Jagtar Singh Sikh Secretariat

Tony Woodley Joint general secretary, Unite the Union

Bruce Kent

Baroness Helena Kennedy QC

Professor Eric Hobsbawm

Louise Christian Christian Khan solicitors

Billy Hayes General secretary, Communication Workers Union

Rabbi Lee Wax

Anas Altikriti Spokesperson, British Muslim Initiative

Caroline Lucas MEP

Professor Avi Shlaim

Lord Nazir Ahmed

Kate Hudson Chair, Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament

Andrew Stunell MP

Ismail Patel Co-ordinator, YouElect

Claude Moraes MEP

Rev. Alan Green Chair, Tower Hamlets Interfaith forum

George Galloway MP

Musleh Faradhi Central president, Islamic Forum Europe

Jean Lambert MEP

Salma Yaqoob Leader, Respect party

Jenny Jones AM

Steve Hart Regional secretary, Unite London Region

Andrew Murray Chair, Stop the War

Bell Ribeiro-Addy NUS black students officer

Sabby Dhalu Joint secretary, Unite Against Fascism

Leading Student Respect member Fiona Edwards is standing for the position of Vice President Welfare and Block of 15 in the forthcoming elections at NUS National Conference in April.

Student Respect has joined Bellavia Ribeiro-Addy (NUS Black Students’ Officer), David ‘Daf’ Adley (NUS LGBT Officer) and a range of other progressive activists as part of a united slate to give students the NUS leadership they need.

Fiona has the full support of Respect Party Leader, Salma Yaqoob, who says: “Fiona will ensure that NUS puts progressive causes at the heart of its agenda. From fighting the fascist BNP to demanding free education and opposing cuts, Fiona is a candidate with a proven track record.”

Respect Party MP George Galloway has added: “A vote for Fiona is a vote for an NUS that stands in solidarity with the occupied people of Palestine – unlike the current leadership of the NUS which even refused to condemn Israel’s massacre on Gaza last year. Her record of joining me in breaking the siege on Gaza and as an anti-war activist speaks for itself.”

The united slate, ‘For a Strong, Campaigning and Democratic NUS’, is standing for an NUS that leads an uncompromising campaign against any cuts to education; which opposes all tuition fees and student debt; and calls on the government to increase investment to fund free education.

As racism continues to soars across society, NUS must prioritise campaigns against all discrimination and bigotry and lead the fight for equality. We stand for a vigorous defence of diversity and multi-culturalism – reaffirming NUS’ commitment to no platform for the fascist BNP and campaigning against the English Defence League’s violent and intimidating campaign against the Muslim community.

Whilst our government claims free education is unaffordable and introduces savage cuts to public services, it continues to waste billions of pounds on the war on Afghanistan and the replacement of nuclear weapons. We will continue to campaign for international peace and global justice and make sure NUS does too – troops out of Afghanistan – free Palestine – end dangerous climate change.

We also stand for a strong and democratic union which engages students at every level. We would reverse the decision to slash delegation entitlements which has made this year’s National Conference more unrepresentative than ever.

For a Strong, Campaigning and Democratic Union we urge delegates to vote Bell for President, Daf for Union Development, Mark for Higher Education, Assed for Society and Citizenship, Fiona for Welfare and Nikita for Further Education.

To read Fiona’s full manifesto, policies and experience please click here.

Leading Student Respect member Ian Drummond has been elected as Vice President of the University of London Union, representing well over 100,000 students at the 22 colleges and institutes of the University of London, on a campaigning, anti-cuts platform. This follows recent election victories by left wing candidates such as Ashok Kumar at LSE and Michael Chessum at UCL; and the President-elect of ULU, Clare Solomon, who stood on a similar left wing platform to Ian.

A final year student at the School of Oriental and African Studies, Ian has been involved in student activism since he arrived in university, and his campaigning record goes back to 2003 when he was involved in an anti war walkout at his school.

Ian’s campaign focused on turning ULU, which is often seen as irrelevant by London students, into a campaigning union to fight back against the education cuts and rising fees threatened by the main parties. With Ian, and Clare, in the driving seat, ULU’s campaigning budget and ability to launch united, progressive campaigns to defend education across London campuses can be put to maximum effect.

As the econimic crisis continues to bite reaction is thriving. Racism continues to soar, threatening all Black, Jewish, Asian and Muslim students across society and unfortunately our campuses are not immune. Opposing the racist offensive and celebrating London’s multiculturalism will be a central campaigning focus for ULU students in the year ahead under Ian and Clare’s leadership.

It was played up in his election campaign, and probably key to his success, that Ian was one of the 500 international activists who broke the siege on Gaza in the latest Viva Palestina convoy in January. Students in London have an impressive record of campaigning for peace and international justice; now the leadership of ULU reflects students’ commitment to stand up for the right to education across the world.

Another of Ian’s key campaign commitments included support for the London Living Wage campaign. With Ian in office from August, ULU is well on the way to fulfilling its progressive potential.

Read about newly elected ULU President Clare Solomon’s mandate for resistance here: https://www.counterfire.org/index.php/news/60-ulu-election/4104-mandate-for-resistance-clare-solomon-elected-ulu-president

If you are a student in London and would like to get in touch with Ian about how you can get involved with these campaigns next year please contact us: students@therespectparty.info

By Fiona Edwards (Birkbeck & Palestine Solidarity Campaign Student Officer) and Ian Drummond (SOAS)

Destroyed buildings, piles of rubble and bullet holes met us on every street as we drove our ambulance through Gaza City one year on after Israel’s murderous assault.

Today, Israel’s war on Gaza is continuing, using its brutal and illegal blockade to collectively punish 1.5 million people by denying them access to food, safe water, medicine and all basic supplies necessary for human survival.

Plans are underway to make life for Palestinians trapped in Gaza even more intolerable. A steel underground wall is being constructed on the Rafah border between Egypt and Gaza. Sinking as deep as the water table, the wall will cut the people of Gaza off from their principal lifeline - the network of over 1,500 under ground tunnels which ensure the people of Gaza have sufficient food, water, medicine and other basic necessities which they currently smuggle in from Egypt; without the tunnels the Palestinians would starve to death.

We went to Gaza to raise awareness about the growing humanitarian crisis the Palestinians are facing, to show our solidarity and deliver millions of pounds of medical and humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza.

On 6th January 2010, alongside 500 humanitarian activists from 20 countries across the world, we succeeded in our attempt to break the siege on Gaza. The Viva Palestina Convoy, which was co-organised by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign and backed by the NUS Black Students’ Campaign, travelled for more than three thousand miles through Europe and the Middle East, picking up tremendous support, extra aid donations and volunteers in many countries along the way.

After one month on the road and tense negotiations with the Egyptian government we were granted permission to deliver our aid and stay in Gaza for 48 hours. Even this short stay proved long enough to witness the devastating impact of ‘Operation Cast Lead’.

In Gaza we had the privilege to meet lots of young Palestinians, who shared stories of the trauma and suffering they had endured during the war and on-going siege on Gaza. We met two students from the Islamic University of Gaza who had lost both of their legs during the war last year. Another student, Yousef Abdul Jabbar Al- Mughrabi, who is 21 years old, was blinded and paralysed on the right side of his body following an explosion of a drone bomb outside his home. The lost of his sight has meant that he could not complete his degree in Civil Engineering and he has been forced to start a new degree in Islamic Studies from scratch.

During last year’s war Israel extensively used chemical weapons including white phosphorus, a substance that burns intensely on contact with oxygen. A student told us of the horror she witnessed first hand, when the white phosphorus shells were raining down:

“The whole world was celebrating the new year with fire crackers in the sky. I thought Gaza was no exception when I looked at the sky! It was grey with a frightening light that looked like a ball of fire. We have never seen this before. Then, we started to hear the news on the radio and we knew that those balls of fire are called phosphorus shells.

Some were targeting the houses and others exploded in the middle of the streets. We tried to extinguish the fires with water. Suddenly, we found that this was not a normal fire. We were suffocating. The smell, the smoke, and the unknown chemicals were all life threatening. We had to put pieces of clothes that were soaked in water on our faces to breath through them. It was a nightmare that I don’t like to remember.

Some people got burnt with the phosphorus shells before the eyes of their loved ones. Most of those died on the spot. We could see their flesh dissolving with such weird chemicals and bombs. We stood helpless and hopeless.”

The immense suffering that these students have endured is an experience they share with all of the young Palestinians in Gaza. In the war many schools, colleges and universities, including the Islamic University of Gaza and the American School of Gaza, were damaged or destroyed. Over 1,400 Palestinians were killed, one third of which were children and many more young people were amongst the dead. The on-going siege means that Gaza’s educational infrastructure remains in ruins as no cement or building materials has been allowed in since the war. The siege also means that educational equipment such as paper, stationery, desks, books and other necessary materials are in very short supply. Electricity is routinely cut off for several hours a day in Gaza by Israel who controls the supply.

What is truly inspirational is that life goes on and that Palestinian students are absolutely determined to continue their studies, to gain an education, in these appalling circumstances.

The evening before we left Israel’s F-16s started to bomb Gaza. Several Palestinians lost their lives. The same evening we visited a tunnel in Rafah where we watched tunnel workers as they smuggled in refrigerators, which would help to keep the short supply of food in Gaza fresh. Thirty minutes later, as we were driving towards Gaza City we heard an explosion. Later we discovered that the same tunnel we had visited was bombed and two tunnel workers were spoke to had been killed.

Whilst much of what we saw and heard in Gaza was upsetting, the steadfastness and resolve of the Palestinian people to rebuild their society after Israel’s brutal attack last year was totally inspiring. Now more than ever we must redouble our efforts to demand an end to the siege on Gaza and for peace and justice for Palestine.

We have launched a national ‘End the Siege on Gaza’ student tour to report back our experiences from Gaza to campuses across Britain. For more information about the tour, including how to organise a meeting on your campus please contact the Palestine Solidarity Campaign at students@palestinecampaign.org.