1972 -1974: The London Allowance campaign
Astronomic rises in house prices and rents, young teachers unable to live in the capital, a staffing crisis in the schools. Sounds familiar?
Energy: we know how
A talk at the Free Thinking Festival in Gateshead shows we can use low-carbon energy to keep the lights on. We have the expertise to produce low- and no-carbon energy in large quantities safely.
How to defeat the Bill
With the fascistic Trade Union Bill – attacking membership and finances – shortly to become law, we need organisation and clarity of thinking.
Three big lies in the attack on health students
How can Britain be short of nurses and midwives and yet cut back on training places and support? The answer is simple: rob other countries by importing their trained specialists…
Why the deficit is being dumped on us
Deliberate policies from successive governments have turned Britain into a debtor country, with foreign credit used to finance imports and mortgages.
Sick of capitalism
New research from the worlds leading authority on health inequalities highlights the links between inequity in society, poverty and ill health.
Ambulance emergency
In November the Care Quality Commission gave the London Ambulance Service its lowest rating. What’s going on? And what is the way forward?
Trade gap widens
The latest official figures show that exports of goods and services fell in October while imports rose, leaving Britain in the red to the tune of £4.1 billion.
Borders: Brussels bids for power
The EU is proposing a radical extension of its powers, with plans to take over control of their member states’ borders in “emergencies”.
Postal workers walk out
No law can restrain workers when they choose to ignore it. In Bridgwater, Somerset, Post Office workers walked out without a ballot in protest at the dismissal of a colleague – and no law was invoked.
'Incoherent' teacher plans
A recent Ofsted report talks about local authorities failing to raise school standards – but noted the long-standing difficulties in recruiting teachers.
Local government pay talks under way
The 2016 local government pay negotiations are under way. Unite, GMB and Unison gird their loins for a battle, but the claim is weighted towards the “Living Wage”.
Welcome to the board: Labour, Inc
Alistair Darling, the former Labour chancellor, has been appointed to the board of directors at Morgan Stanley, the US-based financial services firm, while Gordon Brown is to join a global investment firm.
Co-op Bank close Cuba solidarity account
The Co-op Bank has closed the accounts of the Cuba Solidarity Campaign. The action follows on the heels of the closure of 20 accounts held by British pro-Palestine groups.
Kellingley closes
13 December 2015
The last of Britain’s deep coal mines closed on 19 December. It sounds the death knell not only for coal mining but electricity generation from coal, hastened by government decsions posing as a commitment to deal with climate change.
The war must be stopped
3 December 2015
David Cameron has got his way, and the RAF is bombing Syria. We will all live to regret the despicable vote in parliament last night which saw the bombing authorised.
Student nurses and midwives in bursary protest
2 December 2015
War abroad, war at home. As parliament was debating the bombing of Syria, less than 100 yards up Whitehall student nurses and midwives were standing outside the Department of Health in a loud and lively protest against plans to scrap their bursaries.
Rail unions unite over driver-only trains
30 November 2015
In a significant move, rail unions ASLEF and RMT have agreed a joint statement opposing the operation of trains without a guard – a direct response to plans to operate new inter-city trains with drivers only.
Doctors show the way
27 November 2015
Junior doctors have forced health secretary Jeremy Hunt to go to Acas without precondition, which he said could not happen. The threat of industrial action starting on 1 December still stands, although withdrawal of labour is very difficult for junior doctors.
Sheffield rally urges action to save steel
23 November 2015
Steel workers from across Britain demonstrated in the “steel city” of Sheffield on Saturday, demanding urgent government action to save the industry.
It's still No to war on Syria
23 November 2015
Cameron is planning to come back to parliament with a motion to authorise British bombing in Syria. In this he is backed by many Labour MPs and aided by the weak-willed hints from all parts of the shadow cabinet about a “free vote”.
Capitalism: leading to an early grave
23 November 2015
A book by eminent researcher Sir Michael Marmot shows that people at relative social disadvantage suffer worse health and live shorter lives and gives evidence about how that can be prevented.
The USA: a force bad for the world
23 November 2015
The WikiLeaks files of US State Department cables reveal how the US government operates in world affairs. This book provides a thorough analysis of the different ways the US government keeps its power.
Winter kills: fuel poverty on the rise
23 November 2015
On Wednesday 25 November, figures will be announced for the number of additional winter deaths of older people due to cold-related illnesses – and black balloons will be released to indicate the scale of fuel poverty in Britain.
Hunt misses every target
15 November 2015
The NHS in England continues to miss many key targets, such as those for emergency responses and cancer care. A&E departments face a “perfect storm” this winter.
OECD indicators indict Britain's health spending
9 November 2015
The latest indictment of Britain’s spending on health has come from a formidable source – the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the club of leading capitalist countries.
Students fight against fees and debt
5 November 2015
Students from 60 university campuses across Britain converged on the Department of Business Innovation and Skills on Wednesday 4 November to call for an end to tuition fees and debt.
No energy policy = no British industry
Without a credible energy policy Britain’s entire industrial future is at risk. Events in steel and power hammer home that truth…
Credits for capitalists
Should British workers demand the right to working tax credits? The government’s push to reduce them is being greeted with howls of outrage from many.
Steel and industry
The current crisis in steel is a perfect example of the debacle facing Britain as a whole. First we have a formerly nationalised industry being privatised, then inevitably finding its way into foreign hands.