The Socialist 24 October 2018

“May hanging by a thread” - Tories out, general election now

'People's vote' should be a general election

Support RMT strikes against the elimination of guards on trains

Glasgow council workers - historic strike for equal pay

3aaa collapses - 4,500 apprentices left guessing their futures

PCS legal win - build further pressure from below to defeat the Tories

Ladywood Primary school strike

Universal Credit could trap women in violent relationships

Blairites plan to expand their very own academy chain

Tories ensured Carillion meltdown went unchecked

MPs revel in £2m worth of free foreign trips

Them & Us

Welsh Labour leadership election: 'Corbyn candidate' must pledge end to austerity

Join the fight for refugee rights

Can you donate to the Socialism 2018 appeal?

Enthusiastic response to new podcast

Students and workers march for increased college funding

Joining the Socialist Party has helped me understand the world and how we can change it

Health services in meltdown - fight to save our NHS

Newcastle Utd fans' campaign against owner Mike Ashley continues

Germany: Bavarian elections and huge anti-racist demonstration mark an historic weekend

1821 Cinderloo uprising: "The crowd thought it had nothing else to lose"

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Them & Us

Them and us fishes, photo Suzanne Beishon (Click to enlarge)

Clegg in California

Facebook has hired failed politician Nick Clegg as head of global affairs. The Guardian said "when ex-politicians use their public profile to make millions, it feels like exploitation."

As a politician Clegg paved the way for trebling tuition fees and helped the Tories pursue vicious austerity when they couldn't muster a majority in parliament from 2010 to 2015. In a self-justifying article in the Guardian Clegg omitted to mention Facebook's paltry tax payments, privacy infringements, or his reported £1 million-plus pay.

Right-wing Labour MP Chuka Umunna came to Nick Clegg's defence after the Blairite himself landed £65,000 a year for 12 hours 'work' a month at a think tank.

Bonus embarrassment

After being asked about his £100 million bonus, Jeff Fairburn, the CEO of housebuilding firm Persimmon, walked off a BBC TV interview. Following an outcry, Persimmon's three-person senior management team agreed to give a proportion of their handout to charity taking home a mere £166 million between them.

Nurse pay

Nurses and doctors marching to save the NHS, 4.3.17, photo DavidMBailey Photography (Click to enlarge)

Nurses on zero-hour contracts at the Royal Free Hospital in London face hourly pay cuts of up to 91p according to the Ham and High newspaper. Already the nurses don't receive sick pay or holidays.

The hospital trust claims that nurses pay is topped-up to include the equivalent of other workers' annual leave. But some nurses estimate this latest cut will cost them £5,000 over three years.

Repeat racism

The police force that tasered its own race relations adviser, Judah Adunbi, has targeted him again. In Janaury 2017 they supposedly mistook the Bristollian know as Ras Judah for Royston McCalla, a man wanted on drug offences (see 'Bristol police taser own race relations adviser' at socialistparty.org.uk).

According to Judah Adunbi, a police car pulled up next to him and the officers were giggling and laughing "hey Royston, Royston" and "are you Royston or are you Ras?"

Costly cuts

Support in education is not up to scratch for children with special educational needs and disabilities according to a Guardian investigation. 89% of parents that challenged inadequate support were successful at tribunal hearings. In August, Bristol parents proved that £5 million worth of education support cuts by the Blairite Labour council were illegal.

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What we think

'People's vote' should be a general election