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What we think
Parliamentary ‘Brexishambles’ continues: Yet again as we go to press, the immediate future of the plans for Britain leaving the EU remains unclear.
International socialist news and analysis
Mueller report underlines Democrats’ weakness
The long-awaited key findings of Robert Mueller’s investigation into Trump’s ties to Russia have been made public.
40 years after Three Mile Island disaster
On the morning of 28 March 1979, pumps feeding water into the steam generator at Three Mile Island’s No.2 (TMI-2) nuclear reactor near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, USA, failed. Emergency shutdown systems appeared to have worked correctly – but they hadn’t.
Corporate capitalism jeopardises air safety
On 10 March, shortly after take-off, an Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 Max passenger jet slammed into the ground, killing all 157 on board. Months earlier another 737 Max, operated by Lion Air, crashed in similar circumstances, killing 189 passengers and crew.
News
Cuts and chaos. Enough. General election now!
There is so much empty noise around Brexit – so much so that Banksy’s artwork depicting MPs as chattering monkeys has been put back on public display.
End Tory cold cruelty: life under austerity in Merthyr
Scrap Universal Credit now: Merthyr has received a bad press as the “benefit capital of Britain”. The Mirror newspaper pointed out the average male life expectancy on one of the estates is lower than Haiti’s. But it’s a friendly town.
Working families in poverty: fund homes and childcare
In the UK, 2.9 million children from working families are now living in poverty, reports the Department for Work and Pensions. And more than a third of babies are living below the poverty line, according to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.
Toxic Grenfell fire residue threatens survivors
Cancer-causing chemicals and other potentially harmful toxins have been found close to Grenfell Tower in fire debris and soil samples, according to the University of Central Lancashire.
Poor doors, segregated playgrounds
Haven’t the Tories and Blairites got enough to answer for without barring poor children from playgrounds? An investigation by the Guardian has showed yet another side of life under the ‘Nasty Party’ and its shadows on the right of Labour.
Probation privatisation failure
“Irredeemably flawed” is the verdict of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Probation, five years on from the break-up and part-privatisation of the service.
Workplace news
Thousands of Honda workers march in Swindon
Nationalise Honda now!: Over 2,000 people marched in Swindon on 30 March in protest at Honda’s plan to close its plant in the town.
Greenwich Unite demands workers brought in-house
Unite the Union has blasted Greenwich council for the continuing uncertainty being suffered by over 700 staff at GSPlus/GSS – the company set up by the council to compete for contracts.
Well-supported strike against cuts at Bradfield school
Chesterfield hospital privatisation plans
Chesterfield Royal Hospital is going ahead with plans to introduce a wholly owned subsidiary company – Derbyshire Support and Facilitates Services.
Short reports of trade union struggles including strikes by government workers and train cleaners in London.
PCS elections
PCS elections: Support socialist candidates
National elections in the PCS civil servants’ union start on 16 April and finish 9 May. They are for the national executive committee (NEC), which is elected annually, and the assistant general secretary (AGS) position – elected for a five-year term
Socialist Party reports and campaigns
Socialist change not climate change
Young people are taking up mass protest action as a means of defending our planet from the ravages of environmental destruction.
Vote for socialist mayor and council candidates
Devastating 62% cuts in Leicester: In Leicester, spending on all council services, excluding social care, has been slashed by no less than 62% in ten years. This has had a devastating effect.
NHS marches in Yorkshire and London
Campaigners and trade unionists came together to march through Leeds city centre and say that, despite the government’s chronic paralysis over Brexit, the Tory plans to destroy our health service are still ongoing.
The Socialist Party stands for workers. Unlike the capitalist political parties, we don’t take any big corporate donations, meaning that we aren’t financially accountable to the bosses and they can’t control us.
Discussion and debate at Leeds Trans Pride
Transphobic hate crimes are going up. Trans people have gained some legal protections but still face high levels of unemployment and around a two-year wait for NHS services.
Socialists say we need a workers’ Brexit at Young Labour debate
Leicester Socialist Party member Tom Barker put the case for a socialist Brexit at an EU debate, organised by Leicester Young Labour, on 21 March. Blairite MP Liz Kendall and MEP Rory Palmer were due to speak, but unfortunately both backed out at the last minute.
Opinion
Letters to the Socialist’s editors including racism in football, cuts in Liverpool and imperialism at Oxford uni.
