Archive for July 2010

1 July 2010

Neath/Port Talbot Council cuts

Labour controlled Neath/Port Talbot council are threatening to sack its 7000 strong work force and to re-employ them on worse terms and conditions in a brutal attempt to close a £24 million gap in its budget by 2014...

7 July 2010

What the Socialist Party says

As has been explained in previous issues of The Socialist, this economic crisis was not caused by working class people and they should not pay for it...

7 July 2010

Housing benefit cuts - increasing homelessness

The budget changes to housing benefit will make the mass of working and middle class people far more insecure in their homes, writes The idea that 'an Englishman's home is his castle' clearly doesn't impress George Osborne!.

7 July 2010

Cuts to disability benefits will increase misery

In the short time since the Tory/Liberal budget, the full realisation of what these vicious cuts will mean is dawning on disabled and older people and family carers...

7 July 2010

How will George Osborne's budget affect families?

"It's class war, isn't it?" This was the view of a woman asked by the BBC what she thought of George Osborne's emergency budget, the day after it was announced, writes Eleanor Donne and Vicky Perin.

7 July 2010

Con-Dem budget cuts: Hitting those on benefits hardest

Hitting those on benefits hardest: "Yes it is tough; but it is also fair". This was how Tory chancellor George Osborne described his emergency budget on 22 June 2010. In fact the plans of this government of millionaires represent an enormous...

7 July 2010

Fight the savage cuts by Neath/Port Talbot council

Swansea Unison workers protest against cuts and privatisation in Wales, photo Swansea Socialist Party

LABOUR CONTROLLED Neath/Port Talbot council is threatening to sack its 7,000 strong workforce and re-employ them on worse terms and conditions in a brutal attempt to close a £24 million gap in its budget by 2014, writes Alec Thraves.

7 July 2010

South Africa: 5,000 sacked miners on strike

Socialist Party councillor (Australia) speaks to strikers: ON SATURDAY 26 June I travelled with two comrades from South Africa's Democratic Socialist Movement (DSM, the Socialist Party's counterpart in South Africa) to a mass meeting they had called in Rustenburg, about two hours north west of Johannesburg, writes Steve Jolly,.

7 July 2010

Kazakhstan: The fight goes on

Workers' leaders will not be cowed by persecution: Elizabeth Clarke recently made a visit to Kazakhstan. There she met with the leaders of 'Kazakhstan 2012', the increasingly well-known movement that unites workers and communities in struggle across the...

7 July 2010

Organise against academies now!

Defend state education: For their promoters, one of the selling points of the divisive and part-privatised academy schools programme is 'raised educational standards' writes Rob Spurr and Dave Carr.

7 July 2010

Limited new 'final' offer facing BA cabin crew

British Airways cabin crew on strike at Heathrow airport, photo Paul Mattsson

Although there are some guarantees on terms and conditions that were not in the last offer, the substantive issues that led to the strike have not been addressed, writes British Airways cabin crew began voting on 6 July on a new 'final' offer from the company. Despite the rhetoric of BA management the new offer seems to be similar to the old offer put forward prior to the last round of strikes..

7 July 2010

PCS will fight new attack on redundancy pay

PCS members striking against Labour's cuts, photo Paul Mattsson

On 6 July Tory minister Francis Maude announced new legislation to attack civil service workers' redundancy pay, writes John McInally.

7 July 2010

Unison by-election: fighting leadership needed

Unison conference 2009, photo Paul Mattsson

The public sector union Unison has announced the timetable for national executive (NEC) by-elections, including the local government male seat that was held by Socialist Party member Glenn Kelly...

7 July 2010

Unite general secretary election:

support Len McCluskey: The general secretary election in Unite will take place between 25 October and 19 November this year...

7 July 2010

Interview: Ken Clarke's prison plans

Genuine reform or further hypocrisy?: On 30 June Ken Clarke, the new justice secretary, made a speech addressing the problems of a soaring prison population...

7 July 2010

Pride, prejudice, fightback and hypocrisy

PRIDE STARTED 40 years ago as a political demonstration for gay rights. London Pride 2010 on 3 July was a carnival, with politics only at the fringes. The gay establishment claim that lesbian, gay, bisexual...

7 July 2010

Build united action to stop the cuts

No to privatisation of services

Government departments to prepare for cuts of 40%... civil servants' redundancy terms to be ripped up...housing benefit to be cut... plans to build new schools and hospitals to be scrapped...

Every day this millionaires' government announces another way it is going to heap misery on the population as it sets out to destroy our public services.

7 July 2010

'Godfather' turning in his grave

THE FOLLOWING letter by Peter Taaffe (general secretary of the Socialist Party) was sent in reply to an article in the Guardian by Hywel Williams on 3 July...

7 July 2010

Hull: Rallying against the austerity budget

AROUND 100 trade unionists gathered in Hull city centre on Saturday 3 July to protest at the shocking cuts coming to the public sector following the Con-Dem budget, writes Jack Walker.

7 July 2010

BNP forced to abandon its 'festival of hate'

Protest against the BNP's 'festival of hate', photo Jim Reaves

THE RACIST British National Party (BNP) has been forced to call off its annual Red, White and Blue 'festival of hate' which usually takes place in Codnor, Derbyshire, writes Pete Watson,.

7 July 2010

News in brief

Looting Afghanistan: FACED WITH an ever-increasing number of deaths of UK soldiers and Afghan civilians, prime minister David Cameron says this is a price worth paying for 'good governance' in Afghanistan...

7 July 2010

Shrewsbury Pickets march for justice

Socialist Party members formed a large, colourful, youthful and lively contingent on the Shrewsbury 24 campaign 3 July march and rally in Shrewsbury...

7 July 2010

Lindsey refinery fire death: inquiry needed

Tragically, a 24 year old pipefitter was killed in a fire and explosion at Lindsey Oil Refinery (LOR) near Immingham, South Humberside, on 29 June...

7 July 2010

Workplace news in brief

RMT conference: The 2010 RMT transport workers' union conference totally rejected the Con-Dems' attacks on the working class...

7 July 2010

NUS anti-cuts conference

Youth Fight for Jobs demo in Barking, East London, photo Paul Mattsson

Action needed: On 29 June, the National Union of Students (NUS) held a hastily organised conference to discuss the massive cuts looming in higher education...

7 July 2010

Socialism 2010 Saturday 6 - Sunday 7 November

Make sure you come to this brilliant weekend of discussion and debate - put the dates in your diary now...

7 July 2010

When the financial wizardry lost its magic

Steve Appleton reviews: Whoops! Why everyone owes everyone and no one can pay, by John Lanchester, published by Allen Lane, 2010, writes £20.

7 July 2010

Mali's master of the ngoni

If you define music as 'pro-fessionally' delivered crotch-grabbing and screeching, it was absent. The musicians did not pose in designer clothes of the latest haute couture; nor were there 50 underwear-clad...

7 July 2010

Youth Fight for Jobs Protest!

Youth Fight for Jobs will be protesting outside the Department for Business Innovation and Skills against the brutal attacks that young people face and to demand real jobs and free education.

Saturday 21 August 4pm
Department for Business Innovation and Skills
1 Victoria Street, London SW1H 0ET
Call 07716 610893 for details

7 July 2010

Mass action can stop cuts

Staff and students unite in protest at Sussex university, photo Socialist Students

No apology. No concern. No regret. Sitting comfortably and calmly in his Newsnight chair Michael Gove, education minister, had no qualms about claiming that cuts to frontline services are "unavoidable". Gove merely blamed the previous government. Now young people leaving university cannot get a decent job...

7 July 2010

A warm welcome at Summer Camp

I WENT to my first Socialist Party summer camp last year as a fairly new member. It was fantastic being in such a relaxed environment with everybody on the same political wavelength and with the same goals in mind, writes Katie Simpson, Cardiff East Socialist Party

8 July 2010

Mood for action in Neath

At the first emergency meeting of Unison members at Neath/Port Talbot council an indicative vote for industrial action was overwhelmingly passed by the hundreds of members who packed into Neath town hall...

8 July 2010

Linamar announces closure in Swansea: Union prepares challenge

208 workers at the Linamar plant in Swansea, and their families, face the dole as the Canadian car parts company announced the closure of the Swansea plant by the end of this year on Wednesday 7 July, writes Alec Thraves.

9 July 2010

Egypt: Thousands protest over brutal police killing

Spring wave of strikes and protests: Up to 5,000 angry demonstrators protested in Alexandria on Friday 25 June, after the brutal murder of a 28-year old man, 19 days earlier. Khaled Saeed was sitting in an internet café, writes David Johnson, on www.socialistworld.net, website of the committee for a workers' international, CWI

14 July 2010

Swansea Linamar plant: Reluctant vote for redundancy

Workers at the Linamar car parts plant in Swansea voted overwhelmingly to reluctantly accept the company's closure terms, at a mass meeting on Monday 12 July...

15 July 2010

Lib Dems propose student graduate tax: Students must fight for free education

The Lib Dem Business and Skills secretary, Vince Cable, has asked the higher education funding review, chaired by Lord Browne, to consider his proposal of a graduate tax as an alternative to higher tuition fees, writes Matt Dobson.

16 July 2010

NHS - obliterated by Con-Dem plans, not 'liberated'

Using the cover of 'saving' money to pay off the budget deficit by reducing 'bureaucracy', the Con-Dem government is effectively proposing the wholesale privatisation of the National Health Service...

21 July 2010

Warning: NHS under attack

THIS CABINET of millionaires plans to sound the death knell for the NHS. Tory health secretary Andrew Lansley said his proposals would bring 'power to the people' with control of most NHS spending in England transferring to "family doctors."

This is nonsense. Roger Shrives investigates the NHS's largest ever rash of privatisation.

21 July 2010

Swansea Linamar

Workers at the Linamar car parts plant in Swansea voted overwhelmingly to reluctantly accept the company's closure terms, at a mass meeting on Monday 12 July...

21 July 2010

Cuts blogger!

Members of the FBU in London were disgusted when brigade chief Ron Dobson threatened them with the sack on his blog...

21 July 2010

Fast news

Non-dom Lords: TORY DEPUTY chairman Lord Ashcroft became the focus of the non-domiciled 'non-dom' scandal, whereby rich tax exiles influence Britain's legislation...

21 July 2010

Lessons of the cuts

Reader's comment: I WAS born in 1936 and grew up with the welfare state, together with the nationalisation of many of the power industries, writes Ella Lane.

21 July 2010

Con-Dems propose denationalisation of NHS

Marching to defend the NHS

Using the cover of 'saving' money by reducing 'bureaucracy', the Con-Dem government is effectively proposing the wholesale privatisation of the National Health Service...

21 July 2010

Education workers must teach Tories a lesson

TRADE UNIONS organising education workers, including NUT, NASUWT and UNISON, lobbied parliament on 19 July against the disgraceful cancelling of building and repair work to be carried out under the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme and the undemocratic fast-tracking of the Con-Dems', writes Greg Maughan.

21 July 2010

Union recommends BT pay deal

BT and the Communication Workers Union (CWU) have agreed a three year pay deal which will be recommended to the union's members in a ballot, writes Clive Walder, Birmingham, Black Country and Worcester branch CWU, personal capacity.

21 July 2010

Stop the courts closures

The Ministry of Justice (MOJ) announcement of an 'estate rationalisation consultation,' threatening the closure of 103 magistrates' courts and 54 county courts, commencing on 23 June until 15 September, comes as no surprise to MOJ workers, writes Kevin Greenway, Public and Commercial Services union (PCS) national executive (NEC), personal capacity..

21 July 2010

Strike action wins at Tube Lines

Tube Lines is one of the maintenance companies on London Underground. The recent strikes and subsequent victory for the workforce were, on the face of it, about pay, job security and changes to working...

21 July 2010

TUC refuses national demo

After weeks of vacillation the TUC has finally agreed NOT to call a national demo against the cuts this year, writes Bill Mullins, Socialist Party industrial organiser.

21 July 2010

Keep probation services public

IN HIS interview (The Socialist 632), Brian Caton rightly highlights the hypocrisy of Ken Clarke's plans to cut the prison population by increasing community sentences, writes Barry Conway.

21 July 2010

Wales: No to fire service cuts

"It shows how far they'll go in making these cuts-they're willing to put our lives at risk. All the rich mates of these politicians have to do is whistle and they get handed billions of pounds of our...

21 July 2010

PCS: a strategy to stop the cuts

PCS members striking against Labour's cuts, photo Paul Mattsson

The PCS civil servants union's national executive committee (NEC) has met to discuss how to respond to the Tory/Liberal coalition government's cuts and privatisation programme, writes John McInally national vice-president Public and Commercial Services union (PCS), personal capacity.

21 July 2010

Unite the struggle to defend pensions

As if the threats to our jobs and wages weren't enough, the bosses are also baying to cut our pensions, writes Glenn Kelly.

21 July 2010

Funding the socialist fightback

S ocialist Party branches raised £23,763 fighting fund during the April-June 2010 quarter. This was a tremendous effort, as at the same time over £50,000 was raised to finance the standing of candidates...

21 July 2010

Harder work, longer hours... All part and parcel?

"ENOUGH IS enough" by Donna Summer and Barbara Striesand may not be the greatest song ever but the title illustrates the mindset of many a modern day worker, writes Martyn Yates.

21 July 2010

A testing 'pudding' for councillors

THE EDITORIAL about united action to stop the cuts (The Socialist 632) was spot on. I am writing on the question of involving Labour councillors in anti-cuts campaigns, writes Rob Windsor, Coventry East Branch.

21 July 2010

More join the Socialist Party in Yorkshire

The Socialist Party in Yorkshire started 2010 with a bang. The region saw a massive growth in party membership and activities during the first half of the year. The Socialist Party grew by one quarter...

21 July 2010

The Socialist Party needs you!

And you need the Socialist Party! If you agree with what you read in The Socialist please don't leave it at that, take the next step and join the Socialist Party, writes Hannah Sell, Socialist Party deputy general secretary.

21 July 2010

Youth and students: organise to fight for a future

Leeds Youth Fight For Jobs demo February 2010, photo Leeds Socialist Party

After New Labour's axe men began the education cuts, the Con-Dem butchers seem to have been let loose with a chainsaw. Proposed cuts to university budgets over the next two years amount to £1 billion. £340 million is being removed from college budgets. The UCU lecturers' union believes this will mean 34,000 job losses...

21 July 2010

Stand united, fight the cuts!

some 120,000 people staged one of Dublin's biggest protests in living memory over spending cuts, photo www.socialisme.be (CWI Belgium)

As Cameron and Clegg's government moves to dismantle public services, they could unleash a whirlwind of opposition as local public services anti-cuts alliances are formed and move into action.

TWO WEEKS - two meetings! The 'Hackney alliance to defend public services' has been formed. With 50 at each meeting from many unions and workplaces and community groups, a real buzz has developed to fight the cuts in Hackney.

22 July 2010

Building new workers' parties and the tasks of socialists

For many sections of the Committee for a Workers' International (CWI), the call for the building of new mass workers' parties has been a vital part of their political programme for almost 20 years. Paul Murphy, Socialist Party Ireland, reports on the discussion at the school.

24 July 2010

Set a needs budget: appeal against cuts

We reproduce below Nancy Taaffe's speech for the budget-setting Waltham Forest council meeting on Thursday 22 July...

26 July 2010

Swansea trades council launches anti-cuts campaign

On Wednesday 21 July delegates to Swansea trades council decided to launch a campaign to defend public sector jobs and the important services that public sector workers provide...

26 July 2010

Protest against Warwickshire fire service cuts

South Yorkshire firefighters demonstrate against cuts, photo A. Tice

Over 200 firefighters and people from towns in Warwickshire gathered outside Warwickshire county council's meeting on 22 July to protest at their plans to close three local fire stations...

27 July 2010

Coventry fights the cuts

Coventry youth workers' strike against cutbacks, photo Clive Dunkley

The newly formed Coventry against the Cuts campaign hit the streets for the first time on Saturday 24 July, building opposition to the savage cuts agenda being put forward by the ConDem coalition government.

Initiated by Coventry TUC, this campaign has already organised a 100-strong protest on the day of the emergency budget, and three meetings, Coventry Socialist Party members write.

29 July 2010

In defence of Leon Trotsky

Peter Taaffe answers the Hoover institute video debate on Robert Service's book on Trotsky

In defence of Leon Trotsky: Five part video discussion with general secretary Peter Taaffe

29 July 2010

Nancy Taaffe, TUSC candidate

Video: Nancy Taaffe, Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition candidate for Walthamstow

Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition candidate in general election 2010

29 July 2010

Stop Israeli state terror

Video: Stop Israeli state terror: demonstration in London against the killings on the aid flotilla

Demonstration in London 5 June 2010 after Israeli state killings on Gaza bound aid flotilla

29 July 2010

Shop Stewards conference

National Shop Stewards Network conference 2010

National Shop Stewards Network conference 2010 - click here for reports and more videos

29 July 2010

TUSC launch

Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition

Trade Unionists and Socialist Coalition launch March 2010

29 July 2010

Onay Kasab, TUSC candidate

Onay Kasab, TUSC candidate for Greenwich and Woolwich

Trade Unionist and Socialist candidate for Greenwich and Woolwich in general election

29 July 2010

Bristol anti-cuts lobby of minister

Cuts cartoon by Suz, photo Suz

On 8 July, Bristol had a good turn out at its anti-cuts alliance launch meeting with over 100 community campaigners and activists from across the trade union movement, writes Bob Marshfield, Bristol City Unison steward (personal capacity).

29 July 2010

Waltham Forest Labour councillors face opposition

Walthamstow Socialist Party protest, photo S. Kimmerle

On a lovely summer's evening a very dirty deed was done and probably only the first of many. At a full council meeting in Waltham Forest town hall, all 31 Labour councillors present slavishly raised their hands to vote through the first round of cuts brought on by the Tory/Liberal coalition government, writes Linda Taaffe, Walthamstow Socialist Party.