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JOHN LISTER Socialist Alliance Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Oxford East. (www.oxfordsocialists.org.uk) PRESS RELEASE Immediate release: Tuesday May 8: Election set for June 7: Socialists ready to fight on public services OXFORD SOCIALIST Alliance has welcomed today’s final end to the protracted "phoney war", with Tony Blair’s announcement of a General Election on June 7. The Alliance is launching the biggest left-wing challenge to Labour since the war, with around 100 candidates in England and Wales, while co-thinkers in the Scottish Socialist Party are contesting every Scottish seat. "Part of the Alliance manifesto, to be published next week, will revive the old Chartist call for fixed term parliaments," says John Lister, selected as the Alliance’s candidate for Oxford East. "It is outrageous that Tony Blair has been able to leave everybody guessing about the election date, and it gives an unfair advantage to the sitting government." John Lister will challenge New Labour cabinet minister Andrew Smith, in what is generally regarded as one of Labour’s safest seats in the South East. John is pleased that New Labour has apparently decided to make public services the centrepiece of its campaign. He said: "Tony Blair has got a cheek demanding a second term to improve public services. What have they been up to for the last four years, when they had a majority of 180, no serious opposition, a massive budget surplus, and huge public expectations that they would reverse Tory policies? "Instead the public sector has been under the cosh. Gordon Brown forced the NHS and education to suffer three more years of vicious Tory cash limits, resulting in service pressures and growing staff shortages and demoralisation among teachers and health care staff. "Student grants were wiped out and tuition fees introduced: cash has been pumped into the chaotic privatised rail companies despite 76% of the public wanting renationalisation, and new privatisation under way includes the London Underground, Air Traffic Control, and the private financing of new NHS hospitals (under the Private Finance Initiative, or PFI) which will run up a massive £2.1bn a year rent bill by 2007, piling huge pressure on Trust budgets. "Anyone really wanting to defend and improve public services and roll back the tide of privatisation should not let Blair & Co do more of the same, but vote for me and the policies of the Socialist Alliance." CONTACT DETAILS: John Lister 07774-264112 (mob) 020 8960 6466 (office) |