Archive for January 2010
1 January 2010
Stop slaughter of jobs and services
Cartoon by Suz
Pre-budget report: The pre-budget report marked the beginning of the 2010 general election campaign. Never before has a government tried to win an election by offering such a relentless diet of pain for the majority of the population, writes Hannah Sell, Socialist Party deputy general secretary.
1 January 2010
Tamil refugees: Australian government must follow words up with action
Immediate action to avoid humanitarian crisis: Ravie Kumar, speaking on behalf of the Tamil-speaking refugees on a boat in Merak harbour, Indonesia, has denied the allegation that the refugees are not wiling to cooperate with the Indonesian authorities...
6 January 2010
South Wales signal workers on strike
South wales RMT signal workers on strike, photo Socialist Party Wales
RMT signal workers are striking for a second six-day period in South Wales and the Marches in protest at attempts by management to ignore negotiated agreements, writes Ross Saunders.
6 January 2010
Academies: 'Hands off Weston Favell' wins!
TORY CONTROLLED Northamptonshire County Council (NCC) has been trying to force the infamous United Learning Trust (ULT) on Weston Favell school, in Northampton, in the form of the New Labour part-privatisation academies agenda, writes Lee Dunkley.
6 January 2010
Killing spree: TRIGGER HAPPY 'security guards' employed by the US company Blackwater have walked free from a US court where they faced manslaughter charges - accused of killing 17 Iraqi civilians in Baghdad in September 2007...
6 January 2010
Metaldyne workers fight bosses' sweeping attacks
Halifax: Workers at the Metaldyne engine parts manufacturer in Halifax are set for a third day of strike action over the imposition of shift changes and threats of further attacks on terms, conditions, pensions and pay, writes Ian Slattery and Alex Whatley.
6 January 2010
Support striking Devon health workers
Just before Christmas, low paid workers working for the private contractors Sodexo at North Devon District Hospital voted 97%-3% to take strike action, writes Jim Lowe.
6 January 2010
Support needed for socialists in Sri Lanka
Demonstration against the Sri Lankan government's attacks on the Tamils 11 April 2009, photo Paul Mattsson
SRI LANKA'S president Mahinda Rajapakse has called a presidential election for 26 January. At one of the most decisive moments since Sri Lanka's independence 62 years ago, the country's unity, the people's...
6 January 2010
British Airways cabin crew dispute
The union Unite is preparing to re-ballot British Airways cabin crew for industrial action following the court decision before Christmas that declared a planned 12-day strike illegal...
6 January 2010
Chilcot inquiry: Blair - a willing warmonger
IF ANYONE still believes that Tony Blair had to sanction the US-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003 to protect us from Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction (WMDs), then the ex-prime minister's recent comments to the BBC would have dispelled that myth...
6 January 2010
Members of the Transport Salaried Staffs' Association (TSSA), which represents ticket office staff within the rail industry, took strike action on 4 January as a result of a dispute with Virgin Trains management, writes Clive Dunkley, Coventry Socialist Party.
6 January 2010
Mark Serwotka, recently interviewed in The Socialist, has been re-elected as general secretary of the PCS...
6 January 2010
Comment: IT WAS great to see the anti-capitalist band Rage Against the Machine make Christmas No.1 against X Factor winner Joe McElderry, writes Dan Crowter, Coventry.
6 January 2010
Videos of Socialism 2009: Marx was right
Capitalism in crisis: Session one: Marx was right: the roots of the current economic crisis - Lynn Walsh
6 January 2010
Videos of Socialism 2009: In defence of Leon Trotsky
Peter Taaffe, general secretary of the Socialist Party, replies to the latest attacks on Leon Trotsky, leader with Vladimir Lenin of the Russian revolution and Stalin's foremost opponent.
6 January 2010
London Underground: Battle lines are drawn
RMT members on London Underground are justifiably annoyed at the paltry pay award. We were awarded only 1.5%, and at the same time Transport for London (TfL) have increased fares in the capital by record...
6 January 2010
Devon - waste incinerator plan shelved
DEVON COUNTY council has quietly shelved plans for a waste incinerator in Barnstaple, North Devon, writes Jim Lowe, Chair, Devon Residents Against Incinerators and North Devon Socialist Party.
6 January 2010
No more fare rises, no more cutbacks!
We Want Our Buses Back, photo by Yorkshire SP
South Yorkshire says: 'We want our buses back': South Yorkshire public transport users have had a double whammy this new year, with the usual annual rail fare rises coupled with the latest extortionate fare rises by First Group buses - averaging an 8% increase, writes Calvin Payne, We Want Our Buses Back campaign.
6 January 2010
Mandelson savages university funding
pic: Socialist Students
THE GOVERNMENT'S business secretary, Peter Mandelson, delivered a Christmas 'kick in the teeth' to students and university workers by adding a cuts package of £135 million onto cuts of hundreds of millions already announced, writes Matt Dobson, national organiser, Socialist Students.
6 January 2010
2010 - Savage social cuts, workers' resistance and growth of socialist ideas
Visteon workers occupied their plant last year, photo Paul Mattsson
The British capitalists, together with their counterparts worldwide, have unleashed a barrage of propaganda - disguised as "irrefutable facts" - to soften up working class people for an unparalleled assault on their living standards...
6 January 2010
Youth Fight for Jobs demo, photo Dave Carr
The New Year has begun with a stark reminder of the human cost of the bosses' economic crisis: young people are likely to suffer 'permanent psychological scars' as a result of unemployment, according to the newly released Prince's Trust YouGov Youth Index, writes Sean Figg, Youth Fight for Jobs national organiser.
8 January 2010
Videos: Bob Crow, Keith Gibson, Brian Caton and Peter Taaffe at Socialism 2009
Here are some of the speeches from the Socialism 2009 rally. We hope to add more soon. These speeches can also be viewed on our youtube channel.
12 January 2010
Launch of Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition
No2EU on G20 protest in London, photo Paul Mattsson
Editorial: After a series of discussions by participants in the 'No2EU-Yes to Democracy' European election coalition there will now be a general election challenge under the newly-registered electoral banner, Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC).
12 January 2010
Labour's leadership crisis - time for a new workers' party
Last week's crisis in the Labour leadership reveals how scared Labour MPs are of losing their positions in the general election. Two ex-cabinet ministers - Geoff Hoon and Patricia Hewitt, called for a leadership contest to challenge Gordon Brown, writes Steve Score.
12 January 2010
THE BIG freeze has shown the dangers faced by many old people in this unequal society. Every year, official statistics show what they call 'excess' deaths between December and March, but this winter's...
12 January 2010
Greece - on the edge of a volcano
Robert Bechert attended last December's successful congress of Xekinima, the CWI in Greece. This article by him on the present political situation in Greece is based on discussions that took place at that congress.
12 January 2010
Sri Lanka presidential elections: No to the two warmongers!
Tamil demonstration in London, photo D. Carr
LAST WEEK Channel 4 TV news broadcast further video footage which appears to show Sri Lankan army soldiers perpetrating atrocities against the Tamil-speaking minority, writes Senan, Tamil Solidarity.
12 January 2010
Corruption scandal grips Northern Ireland
THE JAWDROPPING seq-uence of events surrounding Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) MP Iris Robinson soliciting £50,000 from two millionaire property developers has opened a Pandora's Box of corruption. Gary Mulcahy, Belfast Socialist Party (CWI Ireland), reports.
12 January 2010
Protest against bankers' bonuses
Protest against bankers' bonuses
City of London
20 January 5pm.
See www.youthfightforjobs.com for more details or call 020 8558 7947
12 January 2010
Decent jobs - not slave labour
Youth Fight for Jobs presents petition to Downing Street
Want a job? Fine, but don't expect to be paid! That's the message from employers who put profits before young people's basic rights. Companies, such as the chain '99p Stores' which takes around £300 million a year, are asking people to take no pay during 'trial' periods, writes Ben Robinson, Youth Fight for Jobs.
13 January 2010
Signal workers, members of RMT, have been involved in two weeks of strike action over the imposition of new working conditions...
13 January 2010
The poor weather conditions did little to diminish the determination of the strikers at North Devon District Hospital last week, writes Jim Lowe.
13 January 2010
Buses - privatisation means worse services
The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has referred the UK bus industry to the Competition Commission because it has "evidence that limited competition between bus operators tends to result in higher prices and lower quality for bus users", writes Alistair Tice.
13 January 2010
There is a heavy cloud hanging over Teesside but it has nothing to do with the worst snow for fifty years, writes Ed Hamilton, Teeside Socialist Party.
13 January 2010
LESS THAN two years after winning the FA Cup, Portsmouth Football Club is a club in crisis. In unprecedented events for a club in English football's top division, Pompey have, for the third time this...
13 January 2010
Twinings workers, Usdaw members and supporters are holding a public meeting in Andover to protest at the threat to 400 jobs in Andover and North Shields, writes Nick Chaffey.
13 January 2010
No to County Council cuts in Warwickshire!
A proposed council tax rise of 2.5 per cent, combined with job losses and cuts to frontline services were announced on 6 January by Warwickshire County Council, writes Kyly Wilson, Coventry and Warwickshire Youth Fight for Jobs.
13 January 2010
Sheffield bus demo: AROUND 70 marchers braved the cold to join last Saturday's demonstration in Sheffield called by We Want Our Buses Back (WWOBB) to protest against First's 8% hike in bus fares, writes Alistair Tice.
13 January 2010
Israel: Instability, class polarisation and socialism
LAST MONTH, over 130 Israeli Jews and Arabs participated in 'Socialism Conference 2009', held in Tel Aviv in Israel and organised by the Socialist Struggle Movement in Israel, writes Socialist Struggle Movement, (CWI in Israel) reporters.
13 January 2010
Chile - Freedom for Elena Varela
THE WELL known left-wing Chilean documentary maker and journalist, Elena Varela, has been accused of "terrorism" by the Chilean authorities and risks 15 years in prison having stood up for the rights of indigenous Mapuche people...
13 January 2010
Fujitsu workers say: "Enough is enough"
Fujitsu workers, members of Unite, on strike in Stevenage, photo by Guy Smallwood
I spoke to Trevor Palmer, the local workplace rep at Fujitsu Stevenage when I visited the picket line on 11 January, writes Mark Pickersgill, Stevenage Socialist Party.
13 January 2010
Unison witch-hunt: Shock exposures at Employment Tribunal
Glenn Kelly addresses a lobby of Unison HQ against his three year ban, photo Alison Hill
Between 15 and 18 December 2009, the case of four Unison branch officers under threat of suspension from office reached its dramatic conclusion at an employment tribunal, a Unison member writes.
13 January 2010
Global warming chills the north
WHAT WOULD we do without some comic relief during this big freeze? Fortunately, we have Telegraph columnist Christopher Booker, writes Pete Mason.
13 January 2010
Call centres: Union campaign makes important gains
I was interested to read the recent article in The Socialist by John McInally about the work my union PCS is doing to improve working conditions in call centres in the civil service, writes Paul Newton, PCS rep.
13 January 2010
Leeds City Council Future Jobs Fund is no solution
LEEDS CITY council recently announced that they had secured funding for 734 jobs through the Future Jobs Fund, writes Iain Dalton.
13 January 2010
Iceland debt crisis: Make the 'dirt bags' pay!
ATTEMPTS TO make Iceland's population of 320,000 pay £11,000 each to bail out the bankers, has run into the buffers, writes John Sharpe.
14 January 2010
Haiti earthquake kills thousands - Impoverished masses face new disaster
Committee for a Workers' International analysis Disaster has struck the impoverished people of Haiti once again; a powerful earthquake, early on 13 January, toppled buildings in the capital Port-au-Prince. The 7.0 magnitude quake - the biggest recorded in this part of the Caribbean - left the capital’s 3 million people who live on hillside slums made of wood, tin and cheap concrete, particularly vulnerable.
19 January 2010
Civil service compensation scheme: A fight for jobs and services
When the government announced plans to tear up the longstanding agreement on the Civil Service Compensation Scheme (CSCS) they badly underestimated the anger of civil servants at this attack on their contractual redundancy and early retirement scheme, writes John McInally, National vice-president PCS, personal capacity.
19 January 2010
On 15 January, Sodexo workers at North Devon district hospital finally won their battle for pay rises, sick pay, and a lump sum payment of up to £3,600, writes Jim Lowe.
19 January 2010
South Yorkshire firefighters forced to strike again
South Yorkshire Fire Brigades Union (FBU) has called a strike for 24/25 January and another from 27 January to 4 February, writes Alistair Tice.
19 January 2010
Virgin Trains ticket office workers walk out
Rail union TSSA members in Coventry were on strike on 15 January for the second time in as many weeks, as the dispute with Virgin Trains management continues...
19 January 2010
Non jury trials undermine democratic rights
THE FIRST crown court non-jury criminal trial in England and Wales has begun, marking a serious departure from a fundamental principle of justice, writes Ray Burr.
19 January 2010
THE TEDIUM of the Chilcot inquiry into the Iraq war was briefly interrupted when Tony Blair's former spin doctor, Alistair Campbell, was summoned to testify...
19 January 2010
Comment: I am a student who enrolled on the 'Stepping Stones Employability Skills' course at Leeds City College, Park Lane Campus...
19 January 2010
LibDems show their true colours
As part of their 'progressive cuts' agenda, the Liberal Democrats have now backed down from their pledge of abolishing tuition fees, writes Paul Phillips Youth Fight for Jobs student organiser.
19 January 2010
On the day when the TUC and others write to the government to express their concern that 620,000 people have been out of work for over a year, we hear that Gordon Brown is to expand the army cadet forces in state schools, writes Sarah Sachs-Eldridge.
19 January 2010
European commission to withdraw special trade preferences to Sri Lanka
Senan, international coordinator of Tamil Solidarity, spoke at the EU trade committee hearing on 14 January which was held to debate the removal of the special trade preferences, termed the GSP+ concession, to Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka faces charges of human rights violations.
19 January 2010
Defend Jobs: Nationalise Bosch
After all the talking, Bosch are closing the plant taking the jobs of 900 workers and their families. Yet again, a multi-national company are moving out of Wales and the UK after years of profit-making at the workforce's expense and millions of Welsh taxpayers' pounds to make even more profit in the low wage economy of Eastern Europe.
19 January 2010
Youth Fight for Jobs - demonstrate on 13 March
Youth Fight for Jobs, photo Sarah Mayo
Barking in east London is a deprived area by most measures, consistently facing attacks on services, jobs and homes, writes Suzanne Beishon, Youth Fight for Jobs, London organiser.
19 January 2010
Education trusts are "academies lite"
Lewisham edutcation protest, photo Paul Mattsson
Education bosses in Greenwich have begun laying off workers and slashing and burning terms and conditions of some of their lowest paid workers, writes Paul Callanan.
19 January 2010
Stop the cuts in higher education
Youth Fight for Jobs called for free education as a right
The Russell Group, consisting of the top 20 UK universities has attacked the government's cuts in higher education, writes Matt Dobson, Socialist Students national organiser.
19 January 2010
Socialist Party and ISR members protest at the 2003 arms fair in Docklands, east London, photo Paul Mattsson
LAST WEEK the European Court of Human Rights ruled that 'stop and search' powers given to the police by the Terrorism Act 2000 are unlawful, writes Greg Randall.
19 January 2010
Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition gets started
From Vectis buses, to Vestas, to Fords, to Royal Mail and more; on every strike and picket line in Hampshire in 2009 we encountered workers' anger at their employers' attacks, but also their dismay at the failure of the Labour government to give them support, Portsmouth Socialist Party members write.
19 January 2010
Support grows for new Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition
HUNDREDS OF declarations of support have been received for the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (Tusc) election challenge to New Labour...
19 January 2010
Haiti - disaster compounded by capitalism
The humanitarian catastrophe that has befallen Haiti beggars belief. The powerful earthquake that struck on 12 January left many thousands dead, with estimates running to 200,000 and more. The flimsy slum...
19 January 2010
Haitians abandoned, bankers rewarded
Fight for a socialist world While desperate survivors in Haiti's destroyed capital of Port-au-Prince tried to find food, water and shelter, US secretary of state Hillary Clinton breezed into the main airport for a photo opportunity, diverting aid relief flights which included a field hospital from the charity Médecins Sans Frontières, writes Dave Carr.
19 January 2010
Defend jobs, nationalise Bosch
Bosch
After months of 'warnings', Bosch have announced that they will close their car components plant in Miskin, south Wales, in 18 months' time - and move production to Hungary, writes Mariam Kamish.
19 January 2010
Obama and the Democrats in power
US president Barack Obama supporter, photo Paul Mattsson
Feature ONE YEAR ago, on 20 January 2009, the largest gathering of people in US history witnessed the inauguration in Washington DC of Barack Obama as president of the United States. For many older African-American workers, this was viewed as the most important political event of their lives, writes Bryan Koulouris, Socialist Alternative (CWI, USA).
20 January 2010
Sri Lankan government condemned
ON 14 January, the European International Committee on Trade meeting in Brussels, Belgium, heard powerful evidence from Senan, the international coordinator of Tamil Solidarity, and from Joe Higgins, Socialist Party MEP, Ireland, of gross human rights violations by the Rajapakse government in Sri La...
20 January 2010
A Letter from your Postman by Roy Mayall: THIS EXCELLENT short book gives an insight into the current attacks on Royal Mail workers from the viewpoint of an 'ordinary postie'. It is not a political polemic or a campaign resource, writes Reviewed by Greg Maughan.
20 January 2010
Donate to help build a socialist alternative
2010 general election appeal: Without money to fund the work of the Socialist Party, the party would not be able to take its ideas to workers and young people, writes Nick Chaffey, secretary, Southern region Socialist Party.
20 January 2010
Socialist Party national committee
The Socialist Party's National Committee (NC) met on Saturday 16 and Sunday 17 January...
20 January 2010
Angry reaction to Unison witch-hunt
Four Socialist Party members who are members of Unison, Brian Debus, Glenn Kelly, Suzanne Muna and Onay Kasab, are being witch-hunted by their own union...
22 January 2010
About 300 Visteon pensioners from Swansea, Basildon & Enfield along with supporting trade unionists protested today outside the Welsh Assembly building in Cardiff, writes Rob Williams, Socialist Party Wales and Linamar UNITE convenor.
22 January 2010
Seventh day of national strike action at Fujitsu IT
It's not often you see Information Technology (IT) workers marching round a traffic island brandishing a Unite flag in one hand and a "Honk Your Horn" placard in the other...
22 January 2010
Hewlett Parkard strike on North Tyneside
Despite the cold and rain, picket lines at both entrances of Hewlett Parkard (HP) in North Tyneside were well attended with over 45 pickets...
25 January 2010
Glasgow City Unison fights back against cuts in jobs and services
Over 120 people, members of community groups and trade unions, attended a meeting called by the Glasgow City Unison branch, writes Ian Leech.
25 January 2010
Ticket office staff strike again
Members of the rail union TSSA walked out for a third time on 25 January as their dispute with Virgin Trains management continues...
27 January 2010
Support for the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) grows
Declarations of support have continued to come in for the newly-launched Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) general election challenge...
27 January 2010
South Yorkshire fire dispute Negotiations go national
South Yorkshire Fire Brigades Union (FBU) has agreed with their employer to refer the dispute over shift changes and other working conditions to the national bargaining body, the National Joint Council...
27 January 2010
Unison black members reject witch-hunt
"Unless Mr Kasab and his colleagues are punished, black Unison members can have no confidence in the union fighting racism." These were the words of the Unison national officer who acted as the prosecution in the union's case against four Socialist Party members, writes A Unison member.
27 January 2010
Haiti: Survivors shackled by huge debt and poverty
HAITI'S EARTHQUAKE survivors - overwhelmingly poor before the disaster struck - are now homeless and unemployed, writes Dave Carr.
27 January 2010
Cadbury's bosses opt for a sugary takeover
The 'patriotism' of Cadbury's bosses melted away after US company Kraft Food made a mouth-watering £11.9 million bid for the confectionary manufacturer, writes Clive Walder and Simon Carter.
27 January 2010
FOR A few hours on Saturday 23 January areas of Stoke-on-Trent city centre were turned into a battleground as English Defence League supporters fought with police and at times among themselves...
27 January 2010
'FEEDING THE car' has never been closer to the literal truth as the latest figures show that one-quarter of all grain crops grown in the US in 2009 ended up as biofuel for cars...
27 January 2010
In a renewed 'scramble for Africa', the continent is again a competing arena for all the big powers globally - China, the US, the EU, Russia...
27 January 2010
Unemployment figures don't tell the full story
The latest Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures showed a fall in unemployment from September to November 2009 of 7,000, to 2.46 million, writes Ben Robinson.
27 January 2010
Lewisham Socialist Party prepares for election
WITH A general election and council elections looming, all the main parties are boasting about the massive level of cuts they will make to public services, the worst cuts in forty years, writes Chris Newby.
27 January 2010
Cuts at Cardiff University must be fought
At Cardiff University 112 academic jobs are under threat after a round of cuts was announced earlier this month. Which staff are to lose their jobs is not yet known, writes Edmund Schluessel, Cardiff UCU (personal capacity).
27 January 2010
Outrage against bankers spurs Obama on
Editorial: "If these folks want a fight, it's a fight I'm ready to have," were the stirring words of US president Barack Obama when he announced plans to curb the major US banks...
27 January 2010
Temperature rises at British Airways
The battle between British Airways management and cabin crew intensified in the last week with a series of provocative moves by management in response to cabin crew re-balloting for strike action, writes Neil Cafferky.
27 January 2010
PCS members at Hewlett Parkard strike in Lytham St Annes and North Tyneside
Around 600 PCS members working for Hewlett Packard (HP) were on strike on 22 January over demands for job security, pay and trade union recognition, writes Ian Fitzpatrick, President PCS Commercial Sector.
27 January 2010
Prosecute the war criminal Blair
Death reaches out to Tony Blair from Iraq - cartoon by Alan Hardman
Iraq Inquiry: Tony Blair: war criminal! That would be the outcome of any genuine inquiry into the Iraq war. Tony Blair took us to war in Iraq on the basis of a lie. Now, Liar Blair has been called to give evidence to the Chilcot Inquiry...
27 January 2010
Bonuses for bankers but recession for workers
Youth Fight for Jobs campaign against unemployment - marching in Barking
My new year's resolution was to stop watching TV. This is not for health reasons but because I can't afford to buy a new one if I kick it in while watching the news! Who hasn't wanted to do that recently?
27 January 2010
University of Gloucestershire staff fight back
The University of Gloucestershire (UoG) is £36 million in debt and plans £3 million of cuts by July 2010, writes Chris Moore.
27 January 2010
Building the fight against education cuts at Leeds
Leeds Youth Fight for Jobs
Higher education: Cuts cuts cuts: Last year, Michael Arthur, vice chancellor of Leeds University, announced cuts of £35 million from the university's budget, the equivalent of 700 jobs being lost, writes Iain Dalton, Socialist Students Yorkshire organiser.
1 Dec Bristol North Socialist Party: The role of a revolutionary party
2 Dec Hackney & Islington Socialist Party: 100th year anniversary of the founding of the CP in Britain
9 Dec Hackney & Islington Socialist Party: Mental health and socialism
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