Link to this page: http://www.socialistparty.org.uk/issue/579/7283
From The Socialist newspaper, 13 May 2009
News in brief
Taking liberties
THERE HAS been a huge rise in the number of stop and searches by police - mainly in London, Birmingham and Liverpool since 2007 - using section 44 of the 2000 Terrorism Act. Figures released by the Ministry of Justice show that stop and searches under counter-terrorist legislation rocketed from 37,197 in 2006-07 to 117,278 in 2007-08. And according to the civil liberties organisation Liberty, only six in 10,000 people stopped were arrested for terrorism, let alone charged or convicted.
Included in the stop and searches have been tourists reading an A-Z street map, office workers commuting home, and Labour MP John McDonnell!
These figures also reveal that black and Asian people were disproportionately targeted within the use of stop and search operations in the aftermath of the failed London bombing in the Haymarket.
The number of black people stopped went up by 322%, compared with an increase of 277% for Asian and 185% for white people.
Robbing the NHS
AT LEAST £350 million of the NHS budget in 2008/09 - the equivalent of funding 9,160 experienced staff nurses - was spent not on front line health care but on paying for management consultants, according to figures obtained by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN).
The RCN reckons that 39% of the £350 million was allocated to 'market testing', 23% was used to support applications for foundation status, 13% to achieve "provider separation", and 12% to buy advice on the Private Finance Initiative (PFI).
PFI schemes are a license to print money for big business at the expense of publicly funded services. And a report earlier this year into up to 1,200 deaths in Mid-Staffordshire criticised the NHS Trust for being more interested in gaining foundation status than caring for patients.
Mail sell-off
WITH LABOUR determined to part-privatise Royal Mail in the teeth of widespread opposition, Gordon Brown's government is running out of limbs in which to shoot itself.
Despite the collapse of private banks, the disastrous failure of PFI schemes and the privatised utilities, government ministers continue to sing the praises of selling off one-third (to start with) of the postal business.
But even the business select committee of MPs voiced concern about the government's plans, arguing that the case for selling off a stake in the business had not been made.
Brown claims privatisation is the only way to save Royal Mail. In fact privatisation is the biggest threat, as profit hungry vultures vie over the profitable postal routes. Outlying and rural services would be most at risk as private firms drive to cut costs.
The CWU postal workers' union promise, to ballot members on withdrawing funds from Labour if privatisation goes ahead, should now be implemented. The CWU should disaffiliate from Labour and join the campaign for a new workers' party.
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In The Socialist 13 May 2009:
Thieving MPs
MPs live it up at our expense !
Socialist Party editorial
Sweep away the thieves and their system
Socialist Party news and analysis
Corus jobs slaughter - fight the closure
Linamar and Visteon
Linamar sack Swansea trade union leader
A victory at Linamar would be a victory for all workers
Visteon workers discuss socialism
Socialist Party election campaign
No2EU - Yes to Democracy campaign news
Youth fight for jobs
Youth Fight for Jobs Launch conference
International socialist news and analysis
Imperialism sucked deeper into Afghan quagmire
Socialist Party workplace news
Defending jobs and conditions at the Olympics site
Defending jobs and conditions at Fiddlers Ferry
Wales TUC: For trade union democracy and for trade union rights!
PCS conference: A fighting union that defends its members
NSSN - fight the bosses' offensive
NSSN Conference: Saturday 27 June
Marxist analysis: history
Education
Save our schools Weston Favell, Northampton
Lewisham Bridge primary school
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