A workshop conference addressing the politics, economics, and organization issues of New Labour's proposals for involving the private sector in the delivery of welfare state services.

Plenary Speakers
Colin Crouch - author of 'Postdemocratic Politics', David Price (or another member of UCL group) - author of numerous pieces on GATS implications for UK welfare state and on PFI, and Representatives of Left political groups including Labour if possible, Greens, Trade Unions.

Workshops
Intended to develop specific local and national action directed at defending the 'not for profit' welfare state.

Rationale
The publication by the IPPR of BUILDING BETTER PARTNERSHIPS - the report of the Commission on Public Private Partnerships, is a key event in the move towards the privatization of key public services in the UK. The report has to be set in the context of the implications of the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) for welfare delivery in Europe and in relation to the necessity for corporate capital to dismantle public provision of health, education and other social services precisely because these services represent the major area for the expansion of profits. Put simply, there is an imperialist necessity for capital to valorize welfare - for corporate capital to transform welfare in rich countries so that profits can be made from the delivery of tax funded services and from a private sector parasitic on those tax funded services. GATS means that even governments which are opposed to these developments may have them forced upon their citizens.

In the UK there seems to be little need for GATS. UK 'New Labour' is ideologically committed to massive privatization on the grounds that all that matters is what works. True, there has been what looks like a tactical withdrawal in response to trade union outrage, but it is all too easy for spin doctors to represent service workers as self-interested and conservative opponents to change. A 'producer only' strategy of resistance will not work in defending the closest thing to socialist forms in our sort of capitalist society. There seems to be an urgent need for socialists, greens and others who wish to oppose these developments to do the following:

• Think carefully and properly about the nature of these changes understood in terms of contemporary social and economic conditions.
• Consider how campaigns which incorporate but go beyond producer interests can be mounted to defend the welfare state.
• Point out how the current crisis of UK welfare has arisen in large part because the most affluent 5% of people in this country have had a massive reduction in the amount of taxes they pay.
• Recognize how unquestioning loyalty to the Labour Party - Bill Morris' 'my party right or wrong' - plays into the hands of those who are organizing this major transformation for the worse.

We want help and sponsorship etc. to make this happen.

What you can do
The people we are mailing this to are either academics with a record of defending the welfare state or activists in political organizations or trade unions. Many of course are all three. We need help to organize this event - first in terms of publicity and any cash sponsorship - the event will cost about £1500 in total. Publicize by letting people know about it now. Full details will follow but date and time are firm. Any cash sponsorship will help - we want to keep charges, particularly for un and low waged, as low as possible. We need commitments to participate, offers to lead workshops, offers to produce short (not more than 1000 words) position and analysis papers which we can post on a website in advance.

Contact
David Byrne at dave.byrne@durham.ac.uk