All Campaigns subcategories:
Anti-war keywords:
War
Highlight keywords |
Print this article
Search site for keywords: The Socialist - Socialist - Pension - Labour - Government - Pensions - War - Socialist Party - Working class - MPs - Military - Miners - India - State - Capitalism - Jeremy Corbyn - Children - Liverpool - Britain - Worcestershire - Tony Mulhearn
The Socialist inbox
The Socialist inbox: letters to the editors, photo Suzanne Beishon (Click to enlarge)
Do you have something to say?
Send your news, views and criticism in not more than 150 words to Socialist Postbox, PO Box 24697, London E11 1YD, phone 020 8988 8771 or email [email protected]
We reserve the right to shorten and edit letters. Don't forget to give your name, address and phone number. Confidentiality will be respected if requested.
Views of letter writers do not necessarily match those of the Socialist Party.
Copeland - the reasons
Tony Mulhearn, former Liverpool socialist councillor, sent this letter to the Liverpool Echo following the Copeland byelection.
The outpouring of bile against Jeremy Corbyn since the loss of Copeland is designed to mask the real reasons for that defeat. Under the Blairites, Labour's majority in Copeland had declined from nearly 12,000 in 1997 to 2,564 in 2015.
Factors in the Copeland result were the wrecking intervention by Mandelson and Blair who slandered Corbyn days before the election, and the continuous sniping by Blairite MPs in the Parliamentary Labour Party.
Corbyn's policy on nuclear power was distorted. He has categorically stated that no nuclear industry worker will lose their jobs under a Corbyn-led Labour government.
May's triumphalist government is determined to continue with its attacks on working class living standards, the NHS and the trade unions. Support for Jeremy Corbyn and the policies he represents should be reaffirmed and the fight stepped up to force the government to retreat.
But to be successful the saboteurs opposed to Corbyn should be replaced by Labour MPs who are prepared to implement the policies which propelled Corbyn to the leadership, and for Labour councillors to fight any further butchery of social provision.
Them and us
I went to sign-on today; as in 'I Daniel Blake'. Had filled in the form online and received a text, then a phone call, confirming my appointment for 9am.
I arrived at the dole office to sign on - all for £70 weekly benefit. At the same time elite members of the Lords would be taxiing into their state-funded luxury House each receiving £300 a day just for turning up. Signature done, they'd be on their way. But not me, no not for the working class!
I went to the first floor of Britannia House dole office as designated. Waited for ten minutes then was sent to the second floor. Waited another five mins then sent to the ground floor.
I was then told I had missed my appointment and will have to ring up to make another! Tory Britain 2017!
Keith Gibson, East Hull
Profiting from misery
Mica is used in numerous cosmetic products for its shimmer effect. Koderma District in India's Jharkhand state has the world's largest mica deposits.
It is mined extensively and yet the mining here is illegal and miners have no protection at all. Children as young as six work at these mines, despite child labour being prohibited.
While not all of mica is sourced illegally, these illegal mines are run by cartels that make huge profits while paying the miners a pittance for working in dangerous conditions with cave-ins a sad but regular tragedy.
According to an ITV news report, between five and ten children die in the mines every month. Adult fatalities are much higher but 90% of these deaths are never reported because the cartels do not want unwelcome attention from Indian government officials.
Many of these mines are deep in forests that are official conservation areas. Bureaucracy and competing laws prevent India's government from legalising these mines so there are no health and safety checks to regulate conditions.
Some claim Indian mica is environmentally friendly, but it's certainly not human friendly!
Calvin Fowler, Worcestershire Socialist Party
Pension attack
Frank Field, Labour MP and chair of the Commons' work and pensions committee, has called for the "triple lock" on pensions to be abolished. Under this scheme the government solemnly promised to raise pensions by the same rate as average earnings, the Consumer Price Index or 2.5%.
With breath-taking mendacity, Field argued that this would mean raising the pension age to 70.5 by 2060.
It would mean no such thing and Field knows this very well.
It would only mean that if there were no increase in expenditure on pensions. This would be a measure to save money.
Scrapping Trident would save money but Field is careful not to suggest that. An end to the prestige grammar school programme would save money, indeed stopping MP's expenses would also be a measure to save money - but hell would freeze over before Field would suggest that! What a disgrace.
Derek McMillan
Through the looking glass
In Adam Hochschild's masterful study of the First World War 'To end all wars', I found the perfect metaphor for capitalism.
In 1915 British forces were short of binoculars. In desperation they turned to the world's best manufacturers - Germany! The Germans were more than happy to help the British. In exchange the German military needed the British government to provide rubber from its colonies for the tyres of their military vehicles.
This 'devil's bargain' was conducted via the Swiss but there was no written record of how much rubber Britain provided to the country they would remain at war with another three years. However, Hochschild tells us that by August 1915 the British army had received 32,000 sets of binoculars from her so-called arch nemesis.
Over 17 million people died in World War One with another 20 million injured. How many of these occurred after this deal?
Nothing illustrates the short-sighted greed and stupidity of capitalism than this deal. The anonymous men unlamented by history never recorded their motives or rationale but socialists understand well enough.
Leon Wheddon, Wirral Socialist Party
Donate to the Socialist Party
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.
Inevitably, during the crisis we have not been able to sell the Socialist and raise funds in the ways we normally would.
We therefore urgently appeal to all our viewers to donate to our Fighting Fund.
LATEST POSTS
12 May Stop Israeli state brutality
 |
9 May Post-election meetings
15 May Birmingham Socialist Party: How can we fight for socialist change and a new workers' party?
17 May Oxfordshire & Aylesbury Socialist Party: The role of the state
18 May Bristol North Socialist Party: Liverpool - history of socialist struggle
CONTACT US
Phone our national office on 020 8988 8777
Email: [email protected]
Locate your nearest Socialist Party branch Text your name and postcode to 07761 818 206
Regional Socialist Party organisers:
Eastern: 079 8202 1969
East Mids: 077 3797 8057
London: 075 4018 9052
North East: 078 4114 4890
North West 079 5437 6096
South West: 077 5979 6478
Southern: 078 3368 1910
Wales: 079 3539 1947
West Mids: 024 7655 5620
Yorkshire: 078 0983 9793
ABOUT US
ARCHIVE
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003
2002
2001
2000
1999