The Socialist issue 372
27 November 2004
The ever mounting cost of war
A DATE for elections in Iraq has now been set for 30 January 2005. This is a desperate attempt to show that progress is being made. But a whole range of problems could make these elections worthless or impossible to…
Bush’s nuclear weapons hypocrisy
US PRESIDENT George Bush used last week’s APEC summit in Chile to demand that ‘rogue state’ North Korea abandon its nuclear weapons programme. Hypocritically, he failed to call on other bellicose states such as Israel, India and Pakistan to dismantle…
Western hypocrisy on Afghanistan
"NINETY PERCENT of all heroin sold in Britain originates from Afghanistan. Stopping that trade is directly in our interests."…
Ukraine presidential elections provoke protests
AS THE socialist goes to our printers, a mass opposition movement is developing in the Ukraine following last Sunday’s Presidential election. Former prime minister Viktor Yushchenko, who claims to have been cheated of victory, has called his…
Socialist Party workplace news
Support the Jaguar workers’ fight
THE DEMONSTRATION organised by the trade unions in Coventry on 27 November should be the start of a massive campaign of opposition to Ford’s plans. They want to close down Jaguar’s Browns Lane plant and reduce Coventry to a city of low-skilled…
DWP: We need more staff not less
ALAN JOHNSON, secretary of state for the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) was met by a lobby of PCS civil service union members, local trade union representatives and pensioners when he visited the new showcase Acton JobCentre Plus in west London on 22 November…
Liverpool council workers ballot for action
LIVERPOOL SOCIAL workers, members of UNISON, have been on strike for three months now. Their employer has taken a hard line with the social workers and is now making threats to the general branch membership…
Socialist Party campaigns
ISR / Socialist Students conference: Fighting to change the world
THE THIRD conference of International Socialist Resistance (ISR) and Socialist Students took place on 20 November against a background of the escalating conflict in Iraq, a growing anger against the occupation and further attacks on the public sector at home…
Queen’s speech: New Labour’s terror card
THE ANNUAL fancy-dress opening of Parliament, the Queen’s Speech, showed that New Labour wants to divert voters’ gaze away from issues such as education and the NHS…
Tommy Sheridan resigns as SSP convenor
SCOTTISH SOCIALIST Party (SSP) members were stunned to learn of the resignation of Tommy Sheridan as national convenor of the party on Wednesday 10 November…
Domestic Violence: Law changes but gaps remain
THE GOVERNMENT’S Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act came into force last week. When the Bill was first announced last year, David Blunkett promised that it would be “the biggest overhaul of the law (on domestic violence issues) since…
Olympics: Who foots the bill?
YOU CAN’T move anywhere in London without seeing an advert backing the Olympic bid. With representatives from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) due to visit London next February and the final decision to be taken the following July, there…
Reggae and gay rights
REGGAE IS close to my heart. I run a small sound system with my housemate in Manchester and make weekly trips down to Moss Side to buy 7" 45s of our favourite artists. The style we prefer is ‘conscious’ reggae, which sounds a lot like older…