Click image for PDF
What we think
Venezuela: resist the pro-imperialist coup!
The social, political and economic crisis which is currently rocking Venezuela poses crucial questions and lessons for socialists and the international working class.
Join the fight to defend women’s lives
Councils must save domestic violence services: Already this week, two women will have died due to domestic violence. By the end of the week, there will have been five domestic violence-related deaths.
News
“Christmas is only just over and it’s already the end of May”. That was the comment of one social media user after the government’s historic 15 January defeat in parliament on the Brexit deal.
Tory on homeless: “tear down these tents”
We say: tear down the Tory government!: Cardiff Tory councillor Kathryn Kelloway has sparked outrage by calling on social media for the tents of homeless people in the city to be torn down.
Liverpool Travelodge digger wrecking
Footage of a disgruntled construction worker, owed £600 by his employer, smashing the reception of a newly built Liverpool Travelodge with his digger has gone around the world. It has attracted humorous comments, condemnation and some sympathy.
Fresh inquest into killer air pollution: nationalise energy and public transport!
The family of nine-year-old Ella Roberta have been allowed to apply for a new inquest into the wrongful death of their daughter.
International socialist news and analysis
International solidarity with the struggle of the Sudanese people
For five weeks, demonstrations and mass outrage have continued in Sudan. This is the largest ever wave of protests against the economic policies and human rights violations of the Omar al-Bashir government.
Brazil: Hundreds die in avoidable dam collapse
Belgium: Movement against climate change grows
School student strikes hit a record high. 35,000 marched through Brussels on Thursday 24 January, triple the size of the week before. On Sunday 27 January, more than 70,000 marched on a national climate change demo in Brussels.
Germany: School student walkouts reject Coal Commission proposals
The Coal Commission, set to discuss the end of German coal energy to meet climate change targets, has presented its results – wait up to 20 years to shut down the last polluting plants while giving billions of euros to big business.
Workplace news
Tesco changes threaten thousands of jobs
Tesco has revealed plans to cut thousands of jobs as part of a new restructuring initiative. The cost cutting measures include removing counters in some stores, overhauling stock control and scrapping hot food provision in staff canteens.
PCS Left Unity chooses Chris Baugh – unite behind the left AGS and NEC slate
Left Unity, the broad left in civil servants’ union PCS, has voted for Chris Baugh to be its candidate for assistant general secretary (AGS).
Leicester college staff strike against low pay
Spirits were high on the frosty 29 January morning that striking further education teaching staff gathered outside Leicester College Freemen’s Park campus. The strike is over low pay as a result of what workers describe as “sustained underfunding”.
The recent indicative ballot of 82,500 teachers in England in the National Education Union (NEU) saw an overwhelming 85% vote for strike action.
Unison union campaigns for school support staff action
Unison has started a six-week consultative ballot of 150,000 school support staff in England for strike action against cuts to jobs, pay and conditions.
Trade unions protect rail workers’ picket line in Hull
More than 150 trade unionists and activists rallied to Hull and District trade union council’s call to defend the transport union RMT’s picket line on 26 January.
Campaigns and party news
Two years ago, Wakefield district’s council declared that it could no longer guarantee service provision for even the most needy.
Coxford ward byelection: No to cuts – defend our vital services
Following the resignation of independent anti-cuts councillor for Coxford Ward, Keith Morrell, Southampton Socialist Party has selected Sue Atkins to contest the forthcoming byelection.
Keep profiteering developers out!
Walthamstow: Hands off our public amenities: ‘We aren’t going away’. That was the mood of the public meeting of around 60 people organised by the Save Our Square campaign on 26 January.
A strategy to fight the far right
Around 20 people attended a public meeting in Leeds on 21 January to discuss ‘how to stop the far right – build a movement against the Tories and austerity’ – a topic on everyone’s minds since a group calling itself “Antifa Public Watch” tried to disrupt a Socialist Party meeting earlier in the month.
Want to oust the Tories and change the world? …Then give us the resources to do it!
We’re asking members to increase their subs to the Socialist Party. We need the resources to enable us to reach as wide an audience as possible in the developing political crisis.
Socialist Party Wales conference
The Socialist Party Wales conference opened in Cardiff with an emotional minute’s applause for the contribution of Beth Roper, chair of Cardiff Young Socialists, who died in tragic circumstances in December.
34 delegates attended in the recent East Midlands Socialist Party conference in Nottingham to discuss the political situation and prospects for building the party in 2019.
Opinion
Exhibition: Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms: Art, Word, War
As we left this engrossing exhibition at the British Library my friend said: “there is nothing new under the sun”.
Fiction: Tombland “The power of common people fighting for justice in the 16th century”
Tombland is the latest novel in the Shardlake series by CJ Sansom. It is a murder mystery set in the 16th century. There are no spoilers in this review about who the murderer was.
Letters to the Socialist’s editors including Grayling’s history fail and TV licences.
