The Socialist 23 June 2010

No to Budget’s pay and benefit cuts

Stop budget attacks with mass action

Budget cuts hitting the poorest hardest

Young people: fight for your future!

Youth speak for jobs at UCU union rally

Anti-EDL protest

Protesting at Iain's Dickensian Society

The role of the NSSN in the battle to defend public sector jobs and services

Budget Day: workers' responses

Fightback to stop the cuts - public meetings

Bloody Sunday: Innocent protesters murdered by the British army in 1972

PCS union rejects 'inevitable' cuts

Unison election: Over 42,000 votes for socialist candidate

Unison leadership: Lack of anti-cuts strategy

Fighting cuts in Nottingham: Save the WAP day centre

Workplace news in brief

National Shrewsbury 24 Justice Campaign March and Rally

Refugee and Migrant Justice: Save this vital service!

Afghan war

Coventry rally against public sector cuts

Stop attacks on services for the vulnerable in Nuneaton

Birmingham: Growing anger against cuts

Save South Leeds Pool

Why BP should be nationalised

How deep is Britain's media crisis?

Ethnic conflict explodes in Kyrgyzstan

Donate to aid Greek socialists

Previous issues, etc

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Youth speak for jobs at UCU union rally

I was invited to address the UCU union's day of action rally in Nottingham on Sunday on behalf of Youth Fight for Jobs. I was joined by speakers from the UCU, NUT and Unison trade unions and the rally was filmed by regional TV. Also on the platform was Lillian Greenwood, Labour MP for Nottingham South.

Jethro Waldron

Lillian said that Labour would always defend education from cuts because Labour believes that education should be open to all. I was the only speaker to spotlight her hypocrisy, mentioning the fees review led by Lord Browne, a former head of BP who left under allegations of corruption. It was set up by Labour peer Peter Mandelson and looks set to recommend massive increases in annual tuition fees this autumn.

In response to the new Con-Dem Higher Education minister David Willetts calling university funding a "burden on the taxpayer", I argued that the only real burden on the taxpayer is the banking sector, which was bailed out using £850 billion of taxpayers' money. If the banks' profits went back into society, public services like education could be expanded dramatically rather than being cut.

I spoke immediately after Lillian and got a much bigger round of applause!

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Stop budget attacks with mass action