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Britain’s biggest union supports nationalisation of the big banks

The need for socialist policies and for the nationalisation of the
commanding heights of the economy dominated much of the agenda of the
UNITE policy conference this year, and following a very radical
conference the union has committed to supporting the nationalisation of
the private banks, utilities and railways. The mood of the conference
shows a sharp shift to the left amongst the UNITE rank and file recently
and its reflection in the leadership. Not one speaker from the union’s
executive or from the conference delegates openly opposed the principles
of nationalisation or of the need to adopt socialist policies.

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London bus workers fight on

Friday,
22nd June witnessed something unprecedented in British industrial
relations. For the first time, London bus drivers, engineers and supervisors
struck together in solidarity. We are striking for the same bonus being given
to other transport workers in recognition of the hard work we’ll be
putting in over the Olympics. But the strike is about much, much more
than a one off bonus

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Taxing Times

When
the British comedian Jimmy Carr recently became the focal point of a
media storm around the issue of income tax avoidance by the rich via
overseas investment, he was nothing more than a scapegoat for right-wing
monetarists within the Conservative Party who still believe themselves
exempt from legal and financial obligation. David Cameron referred to
Carr’s tax avoidance as ‘morally wrong’, but this is sheer hypocrisy as
his own family fortune and the wealth of fellow Conservative supporters
have prospered from tax avoidance.

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UCU 2012 Conference report

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The UCU Annual Congress held in June in Manchester took
place against the backdrop of three important factors: the return of a
double-dip recession heralding even more cutbacks in public spending, the
continuing battle over public sector pensions and the attempts of the UCU
General Secretary, Sally Hunt, to bypass established democratic procedures
within the union by conducting an e-ballot amongst members on policy
development.

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USA:Election 2012 and the car industry

With the long-running Republican Party primaries finally winding down, it looks like millionaire front-runner Mitt Romney will face President Obama in the November elections. Not surprisingly, the topic that will likely dominate the elections is the economy. One area where Obama and Romney have already begun debating is over the auto industry. But are the two parties’ policies really that different?

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Doctors take strike action

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British
doctors have gone on strike today for the first time since 1975 over
the government cuts to pensions. Unsurprisingly, this has been met with a
chorus of indignation by the Tories who have accused the doctors of
“penalising patients” by taking industrial action.

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Greece: After the June elections

The Greek and international bourgeois media orchestrated a huge terror campaign, painting a picture of economic chaos and collapse if Syriza were to win the elections. Thus by a small margin New Democracy (ND) scraped into first place. However, the rise of Syriza, despite all this, indicates the continuing shift to the left in Greek society. Now ND will attempt to form a coalition government with the PASOK, which will be one of continued austerity. Nothing has been solved; the problem has only been postponed. All the conditions are being prepared for a victory of Syriza in the near future. Here we publish an analysis on the elections, written by the Greek Marxists as the election results became clear .

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Labour Right Wing group under attack

As Socialist Appeal has reported in the past, Progress is the right-wing Blairite organisation inside the Labour Party which has been funded by Lord Sainsbury and other big business backers. It still has considerable support in the parliamentary Labour Party in particular and its current president is MP Stephen Twigg, shadow minister of education.

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Jubilee scandal – Olympics next?

On the weekend of 3rd June, over 10 million viewers tuned in to watch the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee pageant. A further 1.2 million lined the banks of the Thames to watch 700 boats, lavishly decked out and bearing cargoes ranging from the National Children’s Orchestra to Maori Waka, go past in a celebration of 60 years of the Queen’s rule. It cost an astronomical £12m to cover the cost of celebrating 60 years of the taxpayer forking out for the extravagant lifestyles of Elizabeth II and her family.

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