Articles from the Socialist, issue 603

24 November 2009

How could full youth employment be achieved?

Editorial: Instead of throwing millions on the scrap heap, the available work should be shared out. In Britain the working week is one of the longest in Europe. The average working week for full-time workers is 41…

Lessons of struggle: If you fight, you can win!

Liverpool Council 1983 – 1987: Young people face enormous attacks on their right to a future – unemployment, low pay, ever-increasing university fees and slashed public services.
Here, Socialist Party activists provide a small taste of some of the past battles they have been involved in where victories were won by working and young people.

Flood chaos in Cumbria

ONLY FOUR years after devastating floods forced thousands from their homes across the county, the heaviest rainfall on record brought rivers crashing over their banks and through people’s homes, writes A Cumbrian resident.

Afghanistan: Brown and Obama scrabbling for an exit strategy

THE CORONATION of Afghanistan’s president Hamid Karzai offers no solution to the long suffering workers and poor peasants of Afghanistan, writes Nick Chaffey.

Main parties plan cutbacks: It’s time for a fightback!

THERE MUST be an election coming. All of a sudden, New Labour want us to believe that they’re different to the Conservatives. After over 12 years of carrying out Tory policies, Gordon Brown and Co. used…

Racists – stay out of Wrexham!

Successful Manchester Tamil Solidarity meeting

Fast news

People’s Charter – a step towards workers’ political representation?

The first convention of the People’s Charter took place on Saturday 21 November. Speakers included Matt Wrack, general secretary of the FBU, Bob Crow, general secretary of the RMT, and John McDonnell…

The battle for state education

When Labour came to power with a mission to sort out education, they bulldozed ahead with the mantra of “whatever works”, writes Linda Taaffe.

Education: ‘Try your best’ is not enough

Schools paying for the crisis

Attacks begin at Bangor University

Fight cuts at Manchester Met

Leeds bins victory

As the bin strike in Leeds entered its twelfth week, an agreement was reached between refuse collectors and Streetscene workers, and the council, writes A Leeds Unison steward.

Defend the four!

Postal dispute: Bosses still on the attack

London bus workers strike

Axiom railworkers’ strike remains solid

Cuts crisis on the Isle of Man

Guadeloupe – End the profiteering and exploitation

THE SOCIAL situation in the “French West Indies”, and particularly in Guadeloupe, is boiling over once again, writes Virginie Prégny, Gauche Révolutionnaire (CWI in France).

The 1970s, mainly viewed from the top

Review: DAVE GORTON reviews When The Lights Went Out; Britain in the Seventies by Andy Beckett…