25 articles from the Socialist, issue 437

27 April 2006

S.O.S NHS!

PATRICIA HEWITT, Blair’s health secretary, claims the National Health Service is having its “best year ever.” Millions of people think she’s talking total rubbish! Labour’s attacks on the NHS are making hospital trusts all over the country threaten to sack workers, cut beds and close hospitals or wards.
Andy Bentley, Stoke-on-Trent Socialist Party, writes.

Hewitt ‘isolated from real world’

THE NATIONAL Health Service is still by far the biggest political issue in most areas of the country. Patricia Hewitt’s foolish comment that the NHS was having its best ever year is treated with derision…

Socialist ideas strike a chord

With local elections getting nearer, more people are buying the socialist and reading how socialist councillors are standing up to the mainstream parties’ attacks on local hospitals, comprehensive education and social housing, writes Bob Severn the socialist, national sales organiser.

Good quality schools for all, not just the few

EDUCATION IS always a vital political issue, especially at times of local council elections. But now, with New Labour introducing its Education and Inspections Bill pupils, parents and teachers all face chaos as Blair and Co. aim to overturn the comprehensive education system.

Workers taste power by Peter Taaffe

1926 General Strike -: To commemorate the 80th anniversary of the 1926 General Strike in Britain and, more importantly, to draw out the lessons from this movement, Peter Taaffe has written a book outlining the course of the nine days that shook British capitalism to its foundations.

Is Blair leading Britain to nuclear catastrophe?

TWENTY YEARS ago, on 26 April 1986, the nuclear reactor at Chernobyl in the Ukraine underwent a series of explosions followed by nuclear meltdown…

Building the campaign

Campaign for a New Workers’ Party: The officers elected at the Campaign for a New Workers’ Party (CNWP) conference had their first meeting on Friday 21 April. On the agenda were the organisational tasks contained in the resolutions passed by those at the conference, writes Fiona Pashazadeh CNWP national treasurer.

Defend jobs and services

ONE HUNDRED thousand Public and Commercial Services union (PCS) members are being forced to take national strike action. We are fighting against the destruction of the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and the service it provides, writes Katrine Williams, PCS DWP Wales, personal capacity.

Public services not private profit

THOUSANDS OF public-sector workers and campaigning organisations will take to Bristol’s streets on 29 April to protest at attacks on public services. They have plenty to protest about, writes Mark Baker, PCS NEC (personal capacity) and Bristol Socialist Party.

Taking the profits and running

LAST WEEK Peugeot announced the closure of its Ryton factory in Coventry, with the loss of 2,300 jobs. Since the announcement, the Socialist Party has been campaigning hard against this decision and for well-organised trade union…

Rail unions unite to defend pensions

"WE WILL take united strike action to defend pensions and we need to do it before 1 July this year." Bob Crow, general secretary of the rail union RMT made this statement at a recent conference of 500 rail workers in central London, writes Bill Mullins.

Fears of revolution force concessions in Nepal

WEEKS OF heroic struggle by the people of Nepal have forced the tyrannical King Gyanendra to make concessions as he desperately tries to cling onto power…

War looms after Colombo bombing in Sri Lanka

ON 25 APRIL a suicide bomber attacked the car in which the top Sri Lankan army commander was travelling. Eight people were killed and the commander, Lieutenant General Sarath Fonseka, was seriously injured…

No more tears sister

This is a film about Rajani Thiranagama, a Sri Lankan university lecturer and human rights activist. She was murdered in Jaffna at the height of the Indian Peace Keeping Force’s (IPKF) involvement in the war with the Liberation.

Anti-cuts alternative confirmed in Berlin city elections

BERLINERS WILL have a clear opportunity to vote for clearly anti-cuts and anti-‘neo liberal’ candidates in the forthcoming 17 September city elections, writes Robert Bechert, Committee for a Workers’ International.

High School students threatened with suspension for antiwar activity

The following appeal was received by our sister party, socialist alternative, in the USA…