Saturday, 19 June 2010, Congress House, Great Russell Street London WC1

CONFERENCE PROGRAMME

9.30 – 10 a.m. Registration

10 – 11 a.m. Plenary session: Star Gazing

The Morning Star is part of our common history. It is also the future! Put it all in perspective – Shine the Star on the problems!

Speakers: Professor Mary Davis

Megan Dobney (Secretary, SERTUC)

Joe Gill: on behalf of the Ken Gill Memorial Fund

Plus the premiere of an 80^thanniversary year dvd!

Chair: Liz Elkind(PPPS Management Committee Chair)

11 am – 12.30 pm DEBATES

a) The energy debate: “Keeping the lights on: coal, nuclear or renewables?”

Speakers: Chris Kitchen(National Secretary - NUM)

Keith Taylor(Green Party Member of the European Parliament for SE England)

Chair: Christiane Ohsan

b) The economy debate: “Public spending/services: should the axe fall?”

Speakers: Matt Wrack, FBU General Secretary

Michael Meacher(Labour MP for Oldham West and Royton)

Panos Rentzelas(UK branch of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE)

Chair: Jackie Simpkins

12.30 – 1.30 pm Lunch break: sandwich lunch; tea and coffee.

There will be two fringe meetings:see attached Guide below.       

You will also be regaled by the talents of the Birmingham  Clarion Choir in the lobby/exhibition

area outside the main hall

1.30 – 3 pm DEBATES

a) The trade union debate: “Trade union freedoms/the Labour Party: can you have one without the other?”

Speakers: Tony Burke(Unite Assistant General Secretary)

Bob Crow(RMT General Secretary)

Professor Keith Ewing

George Galloway( former Respect MP for Tower Hamlets)

Chair Carolyn Jones(Institute of Employment Rights Director)

b) The trade debate: “Trade : threat – or opportunity?”

Speakers: John Hilary, Executive Director of War on Want

 Andrew Love, Labour and Cooperative Party MP for Edmonton

Phineas Malapela, Anti-Privatisation Forum (South Africa)

3 – 4.30 pm Plenary session : Life, the universe and everything: the way forward in fighting capitalism

Speakers: Bill Benfield, Morning Star Editor 

Samuel Moncada, Venezuelan Ambassador

Carolina Amador Perez, Head of International Relations, Federation of Cuban Women (together with Ana Milagros Martinez Rielo,Department of International Relations)

Billy Leonard (Sinn Fein member of the Legislative Assembly for East Derry– Northern Ireland)

Chair Anita Halpin

FRINGE EVENTS  AT MORNING STAR CONFERENCE

During the lunch break, two fringe events will take place. These are:

In Congress Suite Two

Where next for LGBT Rights - under the ConDem Government?

an open discussion led by Dr. Peter Purton, Deirdre Costigan (LGBT LabourTrade Union Liaison Officer), and Thierry Schaffauser

Chair: Anton Johnson(Greater London Association of Trade Councils LGBT Officer)

organised by: Left Front Art - a network of progressive LGBTQ community activists, artists, academics and Labour Movement activists - promoting debate within LGBTQ communities for a progressive agenda for LGBTQ

In Congress Suite Four

PCS on Privatisation

A power point presentation by Enrico Tortolano and John Medhurst

PCS opposes privatisation, PFI and the sell-off of public assets.  But doing so involves more than just challenging individual privatisations, and lobbying political parties to change their minds. It involves challenging the failed ideology of marketisation and privatisation, and formulating social and economic alternatives to that ideology