Archive for April 2001

6 April 2001

End The Low Pay Scandal

FOR MANY who voted for change in 1997, life under New Labour has been bitterly disappointing. Instead of fighting for ordinary working-class people, Blair, Brown and company have ingratiated themselves...

6 April 2001

George W reignites environmental anger

IN WHAT constitutes a major slap in the face, not to say a kick in the teeth, for the whole planet new US President George W Bush has rejected the Kyoto environment protocol, writes Guy Baker.

6 April 2001

Tube strike shuts down London

ON 29 March, London Underground was again brought to a halt by striking workers in the Aslef and RMT trade unions, writes Bill Johnson, London Underground worker.

6 April 2001

NUS Left must build campaigning opposition

AT THE National Union of Students (NUS) annual conference last week, New Labour and their allies retained their grip on the leadership, writes Keiran Roberts.

6 April 2001

After the suits had gone....

NORTHWICK PARK hospital, Harrow, has just completed a £3.9 million refurbishment to its accident and emergency department, writes Steve Harbord, UNISON rep, Kenton ambulance station.

6 April 2001

Mexico: Zapatistas and the struggle for power

MOUNTING EXCITEMENT gripped Mexico in early March as the 15-day "Zapatour" by 23 Zapatista (EZLN) comandantes and subcomandante Marcos made its way from Chiapas towards Mexico City...

6 April 2001

Socialist Party Wales prepare election challenge

TWO MEMBERS of the Socialist Party in Wales are standing as candidates at the forthcoming general election...

6 April 2001

Massive anti-nuclear protests in Germany

ONE MAJOR promise of the German SPD (Social Democratic Party) and the Green Party before coming to power in 1998 was to end nuclear power, writes Daniel Behruzi, Socialist Alternative - SAV, Berlin (CWI - Germany).

6 April 2001

It's Their Crisis - Make The Bosses Pay

Foot And Mouth Disease... Economic Recession...: AS TONY Blair dithered about the election date, like he dithered about how to deal with the foot and mouth crisis, the bill for the government's incompetence is slowly rising...

13 April 2001

Dinners For Them... Dole For The Workers

THE BOSSES have cottoned on that an economic recession is threatening and they're telling us we all have to make sacrifices. But these sacrifices are not all equal...

13 April 2001

Teacher shortage: Labour offers nothing

DELEGATES WERE heading to this Easter's annual conference of the National Union of Teachers (NUT) looking to step up the campaign to expose teacher shortages, writes Linda Taaffe, NUT national executive (personal capacity).

13 April 2001

Football trial fiasco will stoke anger about racism

What we think: THE HIGH-PROFILE collapse of the prosecution of Leeds United footballers, combined with other developments, has the potential to further inflame anger about racism in British society...

13 April 2001

Knowsley Unison - Council Concedes Historic 35-Hours For All Deal

UNISON MEMBERS in Knowsley council on Merseyside have won a major victory in defending their 35-hour working week and extending it within the council workforce...

13 April 2001

Socialists Gear Up For Election Campaign

THE DELAY in the general election campaign gives us longer to talk to working - class people and convince them to vote socialist...

13 April 2001

Bush's China Syndrome

AFTER A few months in power US President George W Bush, despite presenting himself as a caring conservative during the presidential elections, is pursuing a more hardline right-wing ideology both at home and abroad...

13 April 2001

Construction: British Industry's Killing Fields

IN THE year 1998-99 there were 66 workers' deaths in construction, 78 in 1999-2000 and this year there have been an average ten deaths per month...

20 April 2001

Fight The Job Cuts Avalanche

FOLLOWING THE pattern of closures and job losses across Britain, Scottish electronics has been faced with a series of blows in the last fortnight, writes Harvey Duke, Scottish Socialist Party prospective parliamentary candidate for Dundee East.

20 April 2001

Socialist Councillors Force Climbdown On Childcare Charges

COVENTRY LABOUR council have had to withdraw proposals to increase 'Wraparound' charges by 76% for low-income families...

20 April 2001

New Labour's menacing Zero Tolerance

A SPRING chorus of police chiefs and Home Office spokespersons are menacingly claiming this year's May Day anti-capitalist protests will be met with Zero Tolerance...

20 April 2001

Huddersfield: Growing anger at racism

A MOOD of anger and disbelief gripped Huddersfield's Asian community following the acquittal of Mohammed Asghar's killer at Bradford Crown Court three weeks ago, writes Mike Forster.

20 April 2001

Review: Preaching revolution or rhetoric?

Manic Street Preachers: 'Know your enemy' and live at Cardiff Coal Exchange March 2001, reviewed by SARAH MAYO...

20 April 2001

Cuba At A Crossroads

ONE OF the consequences of the worldwide revolt against global capitalism, is the newfound popularity of Cuba...

20 April 2001

Socialist Party fight right-wing smear campaign

SOCIALIST PARTY general election candidate Wally Kennedy has become the victim of a disgraceful smear campaign...

20 April 2001

Reinstate Martin Warsama

AFTER FIVE months of delay, Doncaster UNISON branch secretary Martin Warsama's disciplinary hearing has been organised for 2 May, writes Mike Forster.

20 April 2001

NUT conference For real unity through action

THE CONFERENCE of the National Union of Teachers (NUT) met at a crucial time for teachers. As well as conditions of service and salaries, the main issues concerning rank and file teachers were performance-related...

27 April 2001

Shut Down Capitalism

LEADERS FROM 34 nations from North, Central, and South America and the Caribbean gathered in Quebec to establish a new free trade zone - the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), which will further impoverish millions of people on the continent and throughout the world. Jason Baines, Socialist Alternative, Canada, reports from Quebec.

27 April 2001

Stop The Jobs Slaughter

Capitalism's destructive "logic": SIGNS THAT a worldwide recession is becoming closer gathered last week when the US Federal Reserve (the "Fed") cut US interest rates for the fourth time in four months, writes Kieran Roberts.

27 April 2001

Drug companies: so much for the free market

DRUG COMPANIES, making medicines that could save millions of lives, recently brought a court action against the South African government, writes Jon Dale.

27 April 2001

Tube workers: If we stick together, we can win

THE STRIKES against the government's PPP proposals for tube privatisation have been the most successful action on London Underground for years, writes Bill Johnson, RMT member London Underground.

27 April 2001

Middle East: A war by any other name

THE MIDDLE East took another shuddering step towards war with the first ever invasion of the Palestinian Authority (PA) territory by the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) on Monday 15 April...

27 April 2001

Germany: Building international socialism

SOCIALIST ALTERNATIVE (SAV), the German section of the CWI, held a well-attended weekend school - Sozialismus Tage - on 13-15 April, writes Sascha Stanicic and Per-ake Westerlund.