Archive for March 2002

1 March 2002

Striking Against Low Pay On The Rail

A NUMBER of trade unions have held strike ballots recently, which have resulted in big majorities for strike action

1 March 2002

Strike back at privateers

15 March - ISR education day of action: ON FRIDAY 15 March International Socialist Resistance (ISR) has called an international day of action against cuts and privatisation in education

1 March 2002

Students March Against Funding Nightmare

LAST WEDNESDAY thousands of students from around Britain marched through central London demanding an end to tuition fees, student loans and the reintroduction of the maintenance grant, writes Paul Hunt , Coventry Socialist Party.

1 March 2002

Bush Drives Tank Through Social Spending

LYNN WALSH, editor of the Socialist Party's theoretical journal, Socialism Today, looks at the problems facing George W Bush just over a year after he became US President

1 March 2002

Divisions open up in Israeli society

Middle East conflict: ISRAEL'S PRIME Minister, Ariel Sharon, said on TV that there would be no let up in military attacks on Palestinian areas

1 March 2002

NHS Crisis

Underfunded, Understaffed, Under Threat: OVER THE past week Tony Blair and health secretary Alan Milburn have been preparing the way for tax rises in the coming budget to pay for increased funding of the national health service, writes Jackie Grunsell, health worker.

1 March 2002

No More War

THE WAR in Afghanistan is not over. US bombs are still raining down on innocent Afghans. The UN says that the civilian death toll is definitely in four figures.

8 March 2002

Education - A Right Not A Privilege

ON FRIDAY 15 March thousands of students worldwide will join the International Socialist Resistance (ISR) day of action against education cutbacks, writes Clare James.

8 March 2002

ISR Day Of Action

THE INTERNATIONAL Socialist Resistance (ISR) day of action on 15 March against cuts in education will see many activities throughout England and Wales, writes Clare James.

8 March 2002

US Policy Goes Up In Smoke

AT LEAST seven US soldiers were killed on 4 March in Afghanistan's mountain ranges during brutal fighting when Al Qa'ida and Taliban fighters ambushed an American helicopter, writes Roger Shrives.

8 March 2002

What Future For The NHS?

Say no to the PFI!: THE NATIONAL Health Service is underfunded, understaffed and under great pressure from New Labour to look for private-sector answers

8 March 2002

Protest Against Privatisation

Fight the Post Office sell off: NEW LABOUR'S fixation with privatisation knows no limits. Our postal services are next for the 'fat cat' treatment. Tony Blair and the postal regulator want all business mail to be open to private companies.

15 March 2002

ISR day of action

No Education Cuts: THIS FRIDAY, 15 March, the European Council, part of the European Union (EU), is meeting in Barcelona. It will discuss the future of our education system throughout Europe, writes Amrita Huggins.

15 March 2002

Middle East Conflict: Horror Without End?

"IF THEY aren't badly beaten there won't be any negotiations. Only after they are beaten will we be able to conduct talks" - Ariel Sharon, 6 March

15 March 2002

US Prepares Invasion Of Iraq

AS US Vice-President, Dick Cheney, tours the world drumming up support for military action against Iraq, the Los Angeles Times has revealed that the US administration is prepared to use nuclear weapons in an offensive capacity against non-nuclear countries

15 March 2002

Lewisham: Battling Socialist Councillors Build Up Local Support

THE CAMPAIGN to re-elect Socialist Party councillors Ian Page and Sam Dias to Lewisham council this May, has begun, writes Chris Moore.

15 March 2002

New Labour And The Union Link: Feeding The Hand That Bites Us!

AS THE government tries to force through privatisation of the Post Office, health service, education, transport and other public services, more and more workers are questioning the link between the unions and New Labour

15 March 2002

Organise A One-Day Public Sector Strike

Stop the break-up and privatisation of the Post Office

• No to all privatisation of public services.
• Bring back into public ownership all industries and services privatised by Labour and Tory governments. Run them under democratic workers' control and management.
• No compensation to the fat cats but compensation to the small shareholders based on proven need.
• For a 24-hour public sector strike against privatisation

22 March 2002

Hands Off Our Council Housing

BIRMINGHAM CITY council is balloting council tenants. They are threatening tenants that their homes will be sold off to unelected, unaccountable quangoes, writes Clive Walder.

22 March 2002

Barcelona EC summit Biggest Anti-Capitalist Demo So Far

ON SATURDAY 16 March, half a million people marched through Barcelona as European Union (EU) leaders met to further 'liberalise' and privatise their economies

22 March 2002

Postal Workers March Against Privatisation

UP TO 3,000 postal workers joined a demonstration through central London on 16 March

22 March 2002

'Virgin Strikers' On The March

IN A week when MPs put their pay up to £55,000 and schools minister Estelle Morris' pay to over £135,000 - teachers in London went on strike to demand enough money to live on, writes Debra Morano, Newham National Union of Teachers (NUT) committee member, personal capacity.

22 March 2002

Fighting Back!

LAST WEEKEND over 500,000 marched through the streets of Barcelona against the European heads of states' meeting in that city. This was the biggest anti-capitalist demonstration yet, writes Hannah Sell.

22 March 2002

No Support For Bush's War

AS BRITAIN'S Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon sends 1,700 British commandos to fight al-Qa'ida and Taliban in Afghanistan, opinion polls suggest there will be big opposition if Blair backs US escalation of military action to attack Saddam Hussein in Iraq, writes Roger Shrives.

22 March 2002

Italian Working Class Moves Into Action

THE RIGHT-WING Berlusconi government has provoked a tidal wave of anger and struggle from the Italian workers, culminating in the three main trade union confederations agreeing to call a general strike in April, writes Peter Taaffe

29 March 2002

Say No To War

BUSH SAYS "inaction is not an option". Even with war continuing in Afghanistan, he is preparing for military action against Iraq - with Blair trotting loyally behind, writes Christine Thomas.

29 March 2002

Rising Anger At New Labour

ACCORDING TO a Sunday Times poll, New Labour are now just 7% ahead of the Tories - the closest gap since the general election

29 March 2002

Fight The Bosses' Jobs Massacre

THE POST Office bosses' mass redundancy programme must be resisted. 40,000 workers, one-fifth of the total, face the sack because New Labour is letting greedy privateers carve up the postal delivery market

29 March 2002

Council Housing Under Attack

Birmingham: Vote "No" to housing transfers: UNTIL 8 April, Birmingham city council are balloting all their 88,000 council tenant households on whether to transfer the housing stock to new private landlords

29 March 2002

Wars - The Horror Of Capitalism

GEORGE BUSH and Tony Blair's 'war against terrorism' is embroiling the two governments in further military action in Afghanistan and raising the likelihood of a wider conflict against Iraq

29 March 2002

Public and Commercial Services union elections: Time For Change

JANICE GODRICH, Left Unity candidate for national president of the Public and Commercial Services union (PCS) spoke to The Socialist about the main issues in the election and why she is standing

29 March 2002

Teach Labour A Lesson

Trade union action can...: NEW LABOUR were elected promising education would be their top priority. Five years later, schools are in crisis. Poor pay and conditions are driving teachers out of the classroom, writes Linda Taaffe, National Union of Teachers (NUT) national executive, personal capacity.

29 March 2002

Biggest Demo In History Engulfs Rome

SATURDAY 23 March will be one of the most memorable days in the history of Italy. Three million people, young and old, made their way towards the heart of the ancient city of Rome, writes Clare Doyle.