Latest news with #workingclass
Washington Post
10 hours ago
- Business
- Washington Post
Sanders says Harris fell short with working class. He has a plan to fix that.
Sen. Bernie Sanders is deploying his expansive political network to elevate left-leaning candidates and ideas in the midterm elections, accusing Democrats including Kamala Harris of falling short with working-class voters and raising fresh tensions in a party divided over how to rebuild. In an interview with The Washington Post during his 'Fighting Oligarchy' tour this spring, Sanders called Harris, the 2024 presidential nominee, a friend, but added that the campaign she ran 'went around the country with Liz Cheney, had billionaires talking for her, basically did not talk to the needs of the working class of this country.'
BBC News
a day ago
- General
- BBC News
New political party launched in Black Country
A new "community-led" political party has been launched in Black Country Party was formed by six borough councillors who currently make up the Dudley Independent Group, known as 'the Diggers'. They said they will aim to focus on local issues that affect working class people in the area at its launch on Friday. The party includes councillors Karen Westwood, Steve Edwards, Matt Cook, Peter Drake, Karl Denning and Pete Lowe. Wards Lye and Stourbridge North, Brierley Hill and Wordsley South, Brockmoor and Pensnett, Castle and Priory, and Coseley will now be represented by the Black Country Party on Dudley elected leader is Lowe, with Westwood elected as deputy who resigned from the Labour Party in January after being a member for 41 years, said: "To say I am proud to launch The Black Country Party is an understatement. "We have six working class councillors who have had enough of a failed party system which puts Westminster and personal ambition before people. "We believe politics needs to change and ordinary people need to have their voices heard."Both councillors said they had previously left the Labour Party due to cuts to the winter fuel allowance and "removal of support for vulnerable people".Westwood said: "I knew we had to be the voice for local people and offer something different. That is why we are launching the Black Country Party."A joint statement from the councillors said the government should be investing in local communities. Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
The Independent
a day ago
- Business
- The Independent
Bernie Sanders says one thing lost Kamala Harris the election
US Senator Bernie Sanders has attributed Kamala Harris 's presidential election loss to what he sees as her campaign's focus on billionaires rather than addressing the needs of the working class. Mr Sanders criticised Ms Harris's campaign for not prioritising issues such as raising the minimum wage, healthcare reform, and housing, and for associating with figures like Liz Cheney and Mark Cuban. Mr Sanders believes Ms Harris could have won the election if she had focussed on the needs of working-class Americans. Mr Sanders highlighted the growing income and wealth inequality in the U.S. as a core issue that the Democratic Party needs to address. He said that President Donald Trump 's victory was due to the Democratic Party's failure to respond to the economic struggles of average Americans, who feel Washington D.C. is not addressing their needs.
The Independent
a day ago
- Business
- The Independent
Bernie Sanders blames election loss on Kamala Harris listening to billionaires over the working class
Bernie Sanders has blamed Kamala Harris for her election loss to Donald Trump, saying she chose to cosy up to billionaires instead of addressing the issues faced by working-class Americans. The 83-year-old independent senator and former Democratic presidential candidate said while Joe Biden has faced plenty of criticism for the election loss, it was ultimately Harris's fault. 'A lot of the people are saying it was Joe Biden 's fault that Kamala Harris lost the election … not true. It was the fault of Kamala Harris and her consultants,' he said in an interview on BBC Radio 4's Today program. 'They did not run a campaign designed to speak to the American working class.' Sanders said he 'absolutely' believed Harris could have won, but she did not talk about the needs of working-class Americans. 'I ran all over the country trying to elect Kamala Harris and beg them talk to the needs of the working class, talk about raising the minimum wage to a living wage, talk about real health care reform, talk about building the kinds of massive amounts of housing that we need, putting checks on landlords,' Sanders said. 'But they used their billionaire friends.' He said Harris spent more time with Republican conservative Liz Cheney 'almost than with anybody else', and billionaire businessman and 'Shark Tank' shark Mark Cuban was a vocal supporter and spokesperson. 'What is that message out to working class people?' Sanders said. 'To my mind, that was a campaign that absolutely should have been winnable. But it gets back to the fundamental issue that that campaign was also run by consultants and billionaires.' He continued: 'And bottom line here is the Democrats have to answer a very simple question: which side are you on? And that answer has not yet been made.' Sanders, who has been running a 'Fighting oligarchy tour' with popular Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez that has drawn huge crowds across the United States, said the core issue in America today is that there was more income and wealth inequality in the country than ever before. He said the reason that Trump won the election was because the Democratic Party had not responded to that economic crisis. 'The average person out there who is working very long hours has less holiday time than many Europeans has, can't afford healthcare, can't afford to send their kids to college, childcare is a disaster in the United States,' he said. 'That person looks to Washington D.C. and says, 'hey what are you doing for me, I'm suffering, I'm hurting, and everything being equal … my kid is going to do worse than me'.'
RNZ News
2 days ago
- Business
- RNZ News
Christchurch protesters confront Finance Minister Nicola Willis over pay equity
Protesters outside Addington Raceway, where Finance Minister Nicola Willis addressed business leaders. Photo: Nathan McKinnon/RNZ Protesters have rallied against the government's pay-equity legislation at a post-budget business lunch featuring Finance Minister Nicola Willis in Christchurch. About 50 people chanted, waved banners and flags, and yelled through megaphones, as Willis entered the Addington Raceway event centre to speak to Canterbury business leaders. Public Service Association delegate and library worker Sioniann Byrnes, who was on parental leave, said the changes were an attack on the working class. "The library assistant pay equity claim was one of the 33 that was basically stopped in it's tracks," she said. "I think what they've done is shafted a whole lot of people, who've done a lot of robust work to try and fix pay and equity that has been going on for a long time. Protesters make their voices heard. Photo: Nathan McKinnon/RNZ "I think it is frankly disgusting." Byrnes hoped her four-month-old daughter, whom she was holding at the time, would not have to deal with the issue of pay equity in future. E tū delegate Keri Makiri was concerned about the effect of the legislation on partner, two taimaiti (children) and four mokopuna (grandchildren). "The changes are absolutely diabolical and rip the hearts out of lower-paid workers," he said. New Zealand Nurses Organisation delegate and nurse Maree Vincent was rallying for not just the pay equity of nurses, but also for carers and support workers. "'We're back to square one," she said. "All we are asking is to be paid the same as our male counterparts in our jobs and the same as our nurses in our hospitals." Budget documents revealed the tightening of the pay-equity regime - passed under urgency in early May - would net the government $2.7 billion every year or $12.8 billion in total over the next four years. The pay-equity changes meant workers would face a higher threshold to prove they were underpaid , because of sex discrimination. Finance Minister Nicola Willis addresses Christchurch business leaders. Photo: Nathan McKinnon/RNZ Inside, Willis told the audience that the savings were significant. "The government remains committed to the concept of pay equity and, in fact, New Zealand continues to have a legislated, workable pay-equity regime for the raising of pay-equity claims and for the settlement of those claims. "The government itself continues to have funding put aside to settle claims we anticipate will come through in the future." Willis said the pay-equity regime had departed from addressing sex-based discrimination into issues that could be dealt with in normal bargaining rounds. "Without teaching you to suck eggs, pay equity is different from equal pay. Equal pay is that you and you, if you do the same job, should be paid the same amount. "That concept is protected in law and must always be." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
