The Socialist 25 October 2017

Tories punish the poor

Socialists must back Catalan struggle for self-determination

1967 Abortion Act reflected social changes

Kurdish referendum declared illegal

Universal Credit chaos: Tories punish the poor

Fearful Tories mull borrowing to build

Kids wait 18 months for mental healthcare

Profit-driven pesticide use now threatens life

Profiteering NHS counter-fraud firm in alleged case of... fraud

Them & us

What we saw: May on Facebook

Aslef members must reject poor Southern Rail offer

Arriva North West bus drivers strike over pay

NSSN meeting brings together workers in struggle

Manchester lecturers walk out

Hear from socialists involved in struggles the world over at the Socialism 2017 Saturday rally

Angry east London residents organise against threat to leisure centre

Trade unionists march to defend 650 local jobs

Bad Art's Leicester event

Storm Brian cannot withstand working-class anger

Well-deserved ridicule of Stalinism is impressive, funny but flawed

Film - Dennis Skinner: Nature of the Beast

New musical on life of Castro

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Them & us

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

Prizes for them...

Finance capitalist Gina Miller is Britain's most influential black person this year, says the Powerlist Foundation.

The privately educated hedge fund manager gained prominence for her legal and electoral campaigns against the EU referendum result. She suffered unacceptable bigoted abuse and threats.

The Socialist is in favour of taking Brexit out of the Tories' hands. We want a socialist, internationalist exit. This must include democratic accountability to the working class.

It doesn't mean sticking with the reactionary, neoliberal Single Market. That would serve Miller and the capitalist class - not Europe's young people and working class.

... poverty for us

Meanwhile, nearly a quarter of the EU population is in poverty or at risk of poverty.

EU numbers agency Eurostat puts the figure at 23.4%. That's down from 25% in 2012, though! Slow hand clap.

And the number of EU billionaires rose last year. From 482 to 489, according to the Sunday Times Rich List.

Incidentally - our choice for the accolade that went to Gina Miller? There's plenty of candidates. But the majority-black workers who struck for decent pay at Barts NHS Trust in east London are real heroes.

Socialism 2017 (11 and 12 November, central London)

Discussions include: 'Can the EU be reformed in workers' interests?'

Find out more and book tickets at socialism2017.net

Free baths for MPs... bedroom tax for us

Axe the bedroom tax (Click to enlarge)

Tory MP Tim Loughton has charged £662 of water bills to public expenses over the last two years.

Loughton is co-chairman of the 'Mindfulness All-Party Parliamentary Group'. He explains his water costs include an hour-long morning bath routine.

Meanwhile, Loughton has consistently voted to fine council tenants for having spare rooms. Back in 2015, a man from Lancashire had to have his toes amputated due to frostbite.

He was forced to live in a tent with his father who suffers from neurological disabilities. He was evicted from his home of 30 years for not being able to pay the Conservatives' bedroom tax.

The bedroom tax is a cruel attack on some of the poorest people in Britain. The Socialist Party says: axe the bedroom tax!