The Socialist 12 September 2012

Build a 24-hour general strike

Build a 24-hour general strike

TUC passes general strike motion

NSSN lobby demands a 24-hour general strike

Teachers must unite against Tories

Nationalise the banks

Cabinet reshuffle

Con-Dem housing measures - in 'the thick of it'?

After the Paralympics... Stop the Con-Dems' assault on disabled

Cable attacks health and safety

'Red tape' bonfire puts workers at more risk

More bad news from media mogul Murdoch

Quebec Solidaire's electoral gains show potential for left

Honduras: Privatised cities in the global economy

We need a political voice to fight austerity

Socialist students: Fighting for education

Bristol YFJ: "We're not lazy - we're fighting back"

Global youth unemployment rises

Youth Fight for Jobs in action! Coming events

Workers' unity against brutal bosses at Cranswick Foods

East Coast train cleaners on strike

RMT assistant secretary arrested on picket line

NHS under attack - Stop the closures, stop the cuts

Bromsgrove meeting opposes A&E closure

Demo against heart unit closure in Leicester

Sheffield Socialist Party pickets strike-breaking facility

Brent Labour: Making families homeless

Young tenants to lobby Leeds council over housing crisis

The Reunion rewrites history: the Poll Tax

The shame of sexism in sport

How we stopped the racist EDL

Previous issues, etc

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Cabinet reshuffle

Jeremy Hunt and demo rhyming chants

You might know Jeremy Hunt as just another Tory minister to get booed at the Paralympics. But this son of an admiral, Oxford educated and related to both the Queen and fascist Oswald Mosley, is now secretary of state for health.

His other 'achievements' include: a failed business in exporting marmalade to Japan, fiddling £20,000 in MPs' expenses; having to apologise to Liverpool fans and the families of victims of the Hillsborough stadium disaster after falsely claiming that hooliganism played a part in the 96 deaths; and avoiding paying £100,000 in tax after doing a nifty number through his company (nothing to do with marmalade!).

In his last post as culture secretary, after making department cuts of up to 50%, he hired his own parliamentary assistant, daughter of a Tory peer, on a permanent fixed contract.

He also played a part in the News Corporation scandal, overseeing the company's BSkyB bid which he refused to refer to the competition commission. The Leveson inquiry into phone hacking activities revealed Hunt's improper contact with News Corp's James Murdoch, congratulating him on the success of his bid. The bid was eventually dropped.

He was also responsible for the security at the Olympics in which private company G4S, having been awarded a lucrative contract, failed to provide sufficient security personnel. The deficit was only plugged by mobilising the armed forces.

So this is the guy Cameron thinks is the best man to run our NHS. Corruption and scandal seem to be the only way Hunt works.

Health workers will be thinking of some rhyming chants for demos as we continue to fight for our NHS!

A health worker

Other lesser spotted ministers

Out of 27 ministers, 17 are Oxbridge educated and only four are women. Among the reshuffled are:

Tory party chairman, Grant Shapps. Shapps was previously housing minister, but not a full cabinet member. Although he's been exposed editing his own Wikipedia entry, including deleting information about donations from estate agents, he has now been promoted to full cabinet status.
Maria Miller was made minister for disabled people when the coalition took power in 2010. Since then she has been trying to close Remploy factories and push disabled people further into poverty. As the new culture secretary she will also be responsible for women and gay rights policy. Her credentials for this include voting to cut abortion rights, being against gay adoption and in favour of defining homophobia, racial hatred and prejudice as "freedom of speech".
Lib Dem right-winger David Laws has been made a minister in the department of education two years after being forced to resign as chief secretary to the treasury over fiddling his expenses. He had to repay £56,000. As minister for children and families he will have a roving brief which, puzzlingly, includes responsibility for a review of the Trident nuclear defence system.
The new environment secretary is Owen Patterson, brother-in-law of climate change sceptic Matt Ridley. Patterson has opposed the building of wind farms in Wales and also called for the ending of wind and solar power subsidies. Instead, he wants to fast-track the use of shale gas - the extraction of which is considered environmentally damaging - virtually ripping up the renewable and greenhouse gas targets. His support for airport expansion also opens up the likelihood of a Tory u-turn over a third runway at Heathrow.

In this issue

Fight against austerity

Build a 24-hour general strike