Articles from the Socialist, issue 538

17 June 2008

Love Music Hate Racism 2007, photo Paul Mattsson

• Unite and fight against low pay and cuts in jobs and services.
• No to the far-right, racist BNP.
• End cheap labour. For a minimum wage of £8 an hour. No exemptions.
• A massive public spending programme to create more houses, schools, hospitals and all the facilities we need. End privatisation.
• Campaign to form a new mass party of the working class.

Demonstrate

21 June, 12 noon

assemble Tooley Street, London SE1 behind Greater London Assembly building, near Tower Bridge

called by love music hate racism

Love Music Hate Racism 2007, photo Paul Mattsson

Feature: It was only a little over forty years ago that black people in the US, the most powerful capitalist country in the world, won equal rights in law – and only then as a result of a magnificent mass movement that shook the country to its foundations…

Let AmDani stay!

conference

Campaign for a new workers’ party

Conference

Sunday 29 June 11am – 5pm

South Camden Community School, Charrington Street, London NW1

Nearest stations – Kings Cross & St Pancras, Euston, Mornington Crescent

Speakers confirmed so far include:

Bob Crow, RMT general secretary

Dave Nellist, Campaign for a New Workers’ Party national chair

John McInally, PCS vice president

Simeon Andrews, Labour Representation Committee secretary

Rob Hoveman, Respect co-ordinating committee

Dave Church, Walsall Democratic Labour Party

Mike Davies, Alliance for Green Socialism chair

Lisbon Treaty ‘No’ vote delivers major shock for political and big business Establishment

Socialist Party leaflet gets attention in the campaign for a No vote in the referendum of the Lisbon Treaty, photo Paul Mattsson

IN A higher than normal turnout for a referendum, 53.1%, the Lisbon Treaty (the renamed EU Constitution) was clearly rejected in Ireland on Thursday 12 June, by 53.4% to 46.6%, writes Kevin McLoughlin, Socialist Party (CWI Ireland), Dublin.

Shell drivers strike

According to press reports, the strike by tanker drivers at multinational giant Shell’s depots has concluded with a deal. It was 100% solid at the Shell Haven site in Coryton, Essex. Drivers were angry about their treatment from Shell and the contractor Hoyer. A driver on the picket line, Gary, spoke to The Socialist.

Greater Manchester – save your post office

London protest over Rajapaksa’s dismal human rights record

Stop big business polluting our environment

Stop New Labour’s divisive school academy plans

Teachers strike on 24 April 2008, photo Paul Mattsson

LABOUR’S ‘IMPROVE or close’ ultimatum to 638 English schools is a thinly disguised plan to accelerate the privatisation of secondary education. Under their “National Challenge Strategy”, schools that have failed to meet the imposed minimum target…

NHS: Polyclinics – Stop this backdoor privatisation

Feature: IN MANY parts of the country, new ‘polyclinics’ are opening up, replacing established GPs’ surgeries. JO SECHER warns that the government’s new polyclinics are not “community based health care”, and they are certainly not “GP-led surgeries”.

Reopen the battle on NHS pay

End the occupations

Protest against George W Bush visit to Britain, photo Paul Mattsson

SEVERAL THOUSAND anti-war demonstrators gathered in Parliament Square, London, last Sunday evening to protest against the two-day visit to Britain of US president George Bush…

Leeds: Stop Beeston post office closures

Leeds protest to stop Beeston post office closures, photo Nigel Poustie

The Leeds Socialist Party branch has been campaigning against the closure of three post offices in Beeston. We have done several stalls in the area and had a good response…

National Shop Stewards Network Conference

Teachers strike on 24 April 2008, photo Paul Mattsson

Standing up for our rights!: The prospects facing the majority of young workers today can only be described as dire. Many young people can only dream of earning a decent wage and carving out a secure future for themselves, writes Tracy Edwards, Public and Commercial Services union (PCS), young members’ organiser.

Victory against bosses at Keele

Workplace news in brief