Them & Us

Childcare costs

Mothers with full time jobs and one young child spend a third of their salary on childcare - meaning they have to work for four months a year just to break even. On average a mother in Britain spends £7,127 a year on childcare.

Government ministers insist they want to see more women going back to work after having children. But they won't take any serious action to make this feasible - increasing the minimum wage and investing in subsidised childcare would be a start.

Bank let down

Yet more evidence has revealed that the government's attempts to appear tough on the banks are all a façade.

Cameron and Osborne claimed their levy on the banks would raise £2.5 billion. Instead it's going to raise £1.8 billion this financial year.

On top of escaping from part of the new levy, the banks are expected to benefit by £200 million from the cuts to corporation tax.

Teachers' morale

A survey carried out by YouGov for the National Union of Teachers has shown morale among teachers to be 'dangerously low'. 77% said the government has had a negative impact on education in England.

These results are unsurprising given the vicious assault on education being carried out by the government.

Academies are forcing teachers to put up with bullying managements and attacks on terms and conditions; sudden changes to qualifications are being foisted on them with little warning or consultation; children are coming to school hungry and unable to concentrate.

And Michael Gove is waging a propaganda war against them, even suggesting they have their pay docked for taking industrial action.

New year, new price rise

Train ticket prices have increased by an average of 3.9% this new year. But figures have shown that over the past 10 years they have increased by a whopping 50%.

Since the start of the recession in 2008 train fares have increased three times faster than wages. And then politicians have the cheek to tell us that unemployed people need to be more willing to travel to find a job!

Fiscal swindle

While big business politicians in the US Congress were scrambling to postpone the fiscal cliff they managed to find time to give themselves a pay rise - bringing their salary to $158,103 a year.

The Financial Times, covering the story, strangely said the pay rise wasn't high enough. In the Socialist Party our elected representatives proudly take a wage no higher than the average wage of those they represent.

Socialist Alternative (our sister section in the US) stood Kshama Sawant for the House of Representatives in Seattle.

She won 30,000 votes against Frank Chopp, a member of the Democrat Party and Speaker of the House.

Ian Pattison

Conflict of interests

The National Union of Teachers has revealed more Tory links with privateers. Several Department of Education advisors work as schools inspectors.

One, Wiola Hola, inspected a primary school which scored 'satisfactory' or 'good' in three out of four categories and yet claimed its performance was "significantly" below expectations. The school was then pushed to become an academy.

Others worked for organisations that run academies while also advising the government. No conflict of interests there then!

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Finance appeal

The coronavirus crisis has laid bare the class character of society in numerous ways. It is making clear to many that it is the working class that keeps society running, not the CEOs of major corporations.

The results of austerity have been graphically demonstrated as public services strain to cope with the crisis.

The government has now ripped up its 'austerity' mantra and turned to policies that not long ago were denounced as socialist. But after the corona crisis, it will try to make the working class pay for it, by trying to claw back what has been given.

The Socialist Party's material is more vital than ever, so we can continue to report from workers who are fighting for better health and safety measures, against layoffs, for adequate staffing levels, etc.
When the health crisis subsides, we must be ready for the stormy events ahead and the need to arm workers' movements with a socialist programme - one which puts the health and needs of humanity before the profits of a few.