I attended the London Labour Conference over the weekend, which was held online. I was lucky to be able to speak on CV19, public health and NPIs. This blog article reports on the notes of the speech, and the words of the motion.
These notes were transcribed from the notes I used, and read much better than them and of the speech itself. i.e. it differs, if we ever recover the video stream.
I am proud, or is it humbled to follow Connor Bollins who made such an excellent speech.
The virus does not recognise freedom day; we need to keep safe.
That requires that workplaces, venues and shops have an adequate CV19 Risk Management Policy. Sadiq has insisted on masks on TFL, but we still need social distancing. Labour’s front bench must continue to prioritise safety at work and not repeat the mistakes made last Sept and January when the NEU was demanding safe workplaces for their members and our children.
“NO ifs, no buts, get them back to school”! is missing the word safety.
We need an effective isolation and vaccination programme, and we only have ½ of this. We need a strong NHS to run the them, but one thing not mentioned in the NHS debates is the impact of Brexit, the loss of free movement and the immigration act’s minimum earnings requirement, exacerbating staff shortages in the health service and care industry and opening 100,000s or more to the hostile environment.
We need an effective Track & Trace, people need to be able to afford to isolate, and we need decent SSP and Universal Credit.
This motion is a start, please pass it and let’s ask the front bench to do something more than trail the Tories.
Dave Levy i.e. me
I am delighted that within hours, Angela Rayner had taken it up.
ooOOOoo
The words of the motion,
Covid-19
Despite the best efforts of London’s medical and public health authorities, London’s vaccination rate is one of the lowest in the UK.
Conference calls on the Labour leadership to join it in supporting:
- A comprehensive strategy to reduce Covid-19, based on tried and tested public health principles as the only alternative to this chaotic policy of living with the virus.
- The NHS-led mass vaccination programme must be combined with:
- An effective, local and fully-funded Find, Test, Trace, Isolate, Support operation run by the NHS and local authorities, providing full financial support and practical assistance to all required to self-isolate.
- All workplaces, including schools, colleges, and transportation, being made Covid-safe, and certified as safe by trade unions and/or public health authorities; and continued working from home supported.
- Continuing personal protection and mitigation measures including social distancing, handwashing, mask-wearing, and good ventilation.
- Effective measures to address international travel when necessary – including free testing and quarantine – based on public health requirements not immigration controls.
- Acting quickly to stamp out any new outbreaks.
- An immediate independent public enquiry.
- All measures necessary to ensure the speedy international deployment of vaccines.