19 articles from the Socialist, issue 436

20 April 2006

NHS in crisis: Join the fightback now

OVER 7,000 NHS jobs slashed. Up to 100,000 jobs at risk. Operations delayed, services cut and hospitals facing possible closure. Socialist Party member Adrian O’Malley successfully moved the following resolution at Wakefield UNISON health branch to go forward to the national UNISON health conference taking place in Gateshead from 24 to 26 April…

New Labour feel the heat on hospital cuts

THE CRISIS in the NHS has become a big issue in next month’s local council elections. Earlier this year managers at Lewisham Hospital in south London announced plans to close three wards and sack hospital staff…

Super-profits from illness

The scandal of drug companies and the NHS: THE SERIOUS Fraud Office has just launched criminal proceedings against five drug companies, over the alleged price-fixing of drugs supplied to the NHS…

Fight to save our council housing!

Special Feature: TONY BLAIR has a touching faith in the private profit system’s ability to solve all ills in society. But this system is making Britain’s housing crisis worse – the private housing ‘market’ is just not building enough homes at prices people can afford…

A socialist alternative to privatisation

Local elections 4 May -: THE ASSERTION that the three main parties are ‘all Tory parties’ has been dramatically confirmed in Southwark, south London, where Socialist Party member Lois Austin is standing in the May elections…

We need a fighting alternative

COUNCIL ELECTIONS are taking place all over the country. In most cases, working-class voters and young people are turned off by the policies of cuts and privatisation of services offered by all the main capitalist parties -…

Socialists call for "robust" action to oppose Peugeot job losses

Socialists in Coventry today called for "robust" action to oppose more than 2000 job losses flowing from yesterday’s announcement by Peugeot that it was ceasing car manufacture at the Ryton plant…

Keep up the pressure on bosses and union leaders

Local government pensions battle: ON 28 MARCH over one million local government workers went on strike to defend their pensions. Now the unions involved have decided to suspend further strikes on the promise of talks with the employers. This is a tactical error…

New strikes against DWP job cuts

THE DEPARTMENT for Work and Pensions (DWP) Group Executive Committee (GEC) of the civil service union PCS has voted unanimously for a further two days of strike action on 2 and 3 May, writes John McInally, PCS DWP Group assistant secretary and national executive committee.

Kick big business out of education!

DELEGATES TO the National Union of Teachers (NUT) annual conference faced up to how to fight the biggest proposed upheaval to the education system for over 60 years, writes Ken Smith.

Stewards prepare to fight for jobs

UNIONS IN Ford’s components business Visteon are giving the company and Ford an ultimatum – withdraw your threats to our jobs, pay and conditions and pensions or face the threat of industrial action…

Nepal: General strike movement against regime

"BURN THE crown," chanted demonstrators during the two-week long general strike which has brought the mountainous country of Nepal to a halt, deepening the political crisis…

Successful CWI public meeting in Caracas

ON 7 APRIL the CWI section in Venezuela together with the union of the hospital workers of the Algodanal in Caracas held a successful public meeting about the widespread protest action by students and workers in France, writes Celso Calfullan, CWI, Caracas.

Walmart: the High Cost of Low Price

This is a film about Wal-Mart, a very big, very powerful retail corporation. The opening scene is of Lee Scott, chief executive officer (CEO), on stage in front of a packed, cheering crowd. He’s smug and arrogant. Reviewd by Manny Thain.