In this week's issue:

The Socialist 9 September 2009, issue We demand real jobs!

Youth Fight For Jobs march 2 April 2009, photo Paul Mattsson

One million unemployed young people: 'We demand real jobs!'

The head of the International Monetary Fund told a recent meeting of G20 finance ministers that the economic crisis has shifted from finance to a "third phase" of high unemployment, writes Ben Norman, Portsmouth Youth Fight for Jobs.

Youth unemployment: Future jobs or fake schemes?

On WednesDAY 16 September, Youth Fight for Jobs activists will be holding a protest at parliament at 11am to coincide with the latest unemployment figures, writes Ben Robinson, chair, Youth Fight for Jobs (YFJ).

Bring the troops back now!

Young people protest against war and terrorism in Manchester 2006, photo Manchester Socialist Party

End the war in Afghanistan: "I JUST don't want anyone else to feel as bad as I feel" said the girlfriend of a soldier killed just five weeks ago as she signed our petition to bring the troops home, writes Alec Thraves and Mike John, (Socialist Party Wales).

TUC conference: Workers willing to fight - in spite of leadership

This year's TUC conference takes place in Liverpool. There could not be a greater contrast between the city's working class, with their tremendous history of struggle and the TUC leaders, who lack any...

No to bosses' agenda

TUC fringe meeting: Respect the Irish 'No' Vote - Reject the Lisbon Treaty
Anti-Lisbon Treaty campaigners in the Irish Republic's forthcoming referendum are angry that two big corporations - Ryanair and Intel - are spending as much as 1 million euros on promoting a 'yes' vote...

Time to fight back!

Join the Time to Fight Back march on Sunday 13 September. Called by Liverpool trades council to welcome the TUC Congress to Liverpool. The demonstration demands:...

Workers' action can stop NHS cuts

NHS demonstration, photo Paul Mattsson

THE TORIES' scare tactic, exposing New Labour's threatened 137,000 NHS job cuts to save £20 billion, is sheer hypocrisy, writes Mick Griffiths, Unison Wakefield and Pontefract branch secretary (personal capacity).

PCS members prepare to fight cuts and privatisation

Unite election: United Left hustings

Witch-hunted Unison member given extra charge

Construction workers protest

Inaugural meeting to establish a North Wales branch of the National Shop Stewards Network

Socialist Party trade unionists meeting

Postal workers national ballot: Vote 'yes' for strike action

Postal workers protest against scabbing managers, photo Bob Severn

Postal workers in the CWU will soon be balloting for a national strike against cuts, job losses and attacks on the union, writes Jane James, Socialist Party industrial co-organiser.

Protesting against scabbing managers

RMT action: Bus workers strike for pay rise

RMT Tube workers strike, photo Paul Mattsson

Vectis bus workers in Newport and Ryde (IOW) took strike action on 3 September over pay. Their picket was well supported with Vestas RMT members joining in in solidarity. RMT branch secretary Keith Murphy...

Vestas workers: Stop the blades

Comment: Vestas protest

RMT wins no compulsory redundancy position but future battles loom

Marxists and the Second World War

Hiroshima and Nagasaki were a warning to Russia

The seventieth anniversary of the outbreak of the Second World War fell on 3 September, writes Peter Taaffe, Socialist Party general secretary.

Nuclear weapons were first obscenely deployed at the very end of the war on the people of Hiroshima and Nagasaki...

Return of al-Magrahi to Libya ignites a political storm

Justice Secretary Jack Straw has denied any 'oil for al-Magrahi' deal with Libya. However, according to The Times, Straw was personally lobbied by oil giant BP over Britain's prisoner transfer agreement...

Northern Ireland: Councillor joins Socialist Party

Failing academies

IN A desperate move to revive Labour's failing private academies scheme, education secretary Ed Balls has announced that the government is dropping the £2 million sponsorship criteria...

City of Life and Death

THE FILM City of Life and Death depicts the Japanese Imperial army's infamous massacre of the Chinese city of Nanking in 1937, writes Rob Bishop.