In this week's issue:

The Socialist 26 November 2008, issue Spend, spend, spend on the banks but cuts, cuts, cuts for the NHS

Socialist Party NHS campaign

Darling's prescription... It's spend, spend, spend on the banks... but cuts, cuts, cuts for the NHS

WHILE THE government is bailing out failed banks to the tune of £500 billion, the Treasury is cutting back spending on NHS services by over £1 billion, writes Dave Carr.

Top-up payments for private health care another step towards two-tier National Health

Environment and socialism

Socialist 'deal' for environment needed

Climate change demo December 2007, photo Paul Mattsson

BARACK OBAMA put the environment at the centre of his US presidential election programme by pledging to bring in a 'Green New Deal' that could tackle the threat of climate change while generating many new jobs to combat the growing economic recession, writes Pete Dickenson.

Socialist Party editorial

Alistair Darling's pre Budget Report: Pain now, pay later

Alistair Darling reads the beginners guide to the economy, photo Suz

The government's Pre Budget Report (PBR), presented by Alistair Darling, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, marks a new stage in the developing economic crisis by proposing to inject £20 billion of public money into the economy partly through tax cuts to try and minimise the effects of the recession...

Unison witchhunt

Activists discuss how to reclaim Unison

Demonstration at Unison HQ against witchhunt of four unison members: protest letters handed in , photo Paul Mattsson

On 22 November, over 100 angry Unison activists gathered in Birmingham to discuss how to re-claim their union, a Unison member writes.

Meeting pledges to fight witch-hunt

Unison leadership takeover Newham branch

Socialist Party workplace news

Manchester: No redundancies at IMI!

At IMI Scott (IMI) in South Manchester, a factory specialising in the manufacture of electrical wiring, four of the twenty five shop floor workers have been made redundant due to a lack of orders, Wythenshawe and Sale Socialist Party members write.

Strike saves jobs at Fiddlers Ferry

Organise to save jobs

Anti-racism

BNP membership list: A weak divided party exposed

Despite the huge amounts of media coverage the British National Party has received over the years, the publication of their list of members, ex-members and others makes it clear that the BNP is a relatively small party, writes Naomi Byron, Youth Against Racism in Europe.

New Labour hypocrisy on racism

Youth Against Racism gig

Socialist Party campaigns

Campaigning to save post offices

AFTER THE announcement in June that 22 post offices would close in Leeds, three in the Beeston area alone, as part of the government's closure programme Beeston Communities Against Post Office Closures (CAPOC) campaign launched into action, writes Manny Dominguez.

Rover's ex-workers wage cut scandal

Socialist Party feature

China's food contamination crisis deepens

FISH, PORK, and chicken contaminated with the industrial chemical melamine, along with milk and eggs. China's food contamination crisis deepens by the day, writes Vincent Kolo, chinaworker.info.

Socialist Party women

Defend abortion rights

Protesting outside parliament in October 2008, photo Paul Mattsson

The 1967 Abortion Act made abortion legal and safe and available on the NHS. It was an important reform won by women demanding the right to have control over their own bodies, writes Elaine Brunskill, Socialist Party national committee.

Comment

Art and revolution

What is the relationship between art, revolution, capitalism and class struggle? This year was the first time there was a commission on 'art and revolution' at the annual summer school of the Committee...

International socialist news and analysis

Somalia piracy - a consequence of western powers' intervention

THE HIJACKING of the supertanker Sirius Star, carrying 2 million barrels of oil, has dramatically highlighted the problem of piracy along the Somali coast, writes Neil Cafferky.

France: Education strikes on the agenda