Teaching: Piling On Those Stress Levels
Pressure, Pressure and yet more pressure. Life in our schools has never been tougher… here is an account of what’s going on from a secondary school teacher.
Unions: Strike Against Cuts
This year’s meeting of the TUC in Manchester could be the most
important for years. In the face of a vicious attack on the living
standards of the working class by the new coalition government, workers
will be looking to the trade union movement for a way of fighting back.
Jeremy Dear, General secretary of the NUJ and TUC General Council
member, looks at the issues to be dealt with on next week’s conference
agenda.
Hands Off Venezuela statement on the September 26 elections
HOV STATEMENT: The National Assembly elections in Venezuela, which will take place on
September 26, will mark a turning point for the Bolivarian revolution.
What is at stake is not only who will have a majority in the National
Assembly, but the future of the revolutionary process itself. We invite you to read this statement and add your name to it.
The elections in Venezuela – Defeat the counter-revolution and fight for socialism!
On September 26 the people of Venezuela will be electing a new
National Assembly. The reactionary Oligarchy, backed by imperialism, is
taking advantage of the shortcomings of the revolution to strengthen
its position and prepare for the counter-revolution. The Venezuelan
revolution has gone a long way, but key economic levers are still in
the hands of the Oligarchy. What is required is to fully carry out the
socialist revolution and expropriate the capitalists and landlords.
That is the only way of making the revolution irreversible
The Blitz: Seventy years on
Seventy years ago this week, the mass bombing of London and other keys cities by the Nazi Luftwaffe begun. The Blitz, as it was to become known as, cost the lives of thousands of workers as the nightly bombing raids from Germany laid waste to both houses and industry.
South Africa: workers reject offer but trade union leaders suspend strike
South Africa was moving towards a general strike type situation as
the public sector strike that started on August 18 was building up
momentum. Now the strike has been suspended by union leaders because of
some concessions on the part of the government. This has angered many
workers who wanted to step up action, not take a step back.
IRELAND: Brian Lenihan and the emperor’s new clothes
Symptoms are the physical signs of an underlying problem. At the moment
the Irish economy has a series of symptoms which would send the average
doctor fleeing to the hills. But according to Brian Lenihan everything
is stable and the economy is fine thank you very much. Of course Mr
Lenihan’s analysis was designed for the press and to settle the nerves
of the international speculators. The role of the press being to
present the public face the government wants to portray to the middle
class and the working class. But now after only a few days, the Irish
government faces more problems as the interest rates they have to pay
on their Government Bonds hits record highs. Lenihan’s claims have been
proven as worthless.
PFI: What a con!
It’s official. The Private Finance Initiative (PFI) is a waste of
money. Tens of millions of pounds may have been wasted on refurbishing
social housing in London under the Private Finance Initiatives, the
public spending watchdog warned last month.
Thatcher and the last Tory cuts
The Tory government headed by Margaret Thatcher was elected in May
1979, faced by the most serious crisis British capitalism had seen
since the Second World War – untill now. Thatcher was determined to
confront the working class and put the burden of the crisis on their
shoulders. That is exactly what the Tories want to do now.
South Africa: workers reject latest government offer – now prepare the general strike!
The strike by 1.3 million public sector workers in South Africa has
entered its third week after angry union members rejected the latest
offer from the government.
USA: New York Mosque Controversy
Recently, TV and talk radio have been obsessed with stopping the
construction of an “Islamic Center and Mosque” which will be located
two blocks away from where the World Trade Center used to be. The right
wing, including former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich and NY
Republican Gubernatorial candidate Rick Lazio, have seized on this
issue, attempting to gain political support…What Gingrich, Lazio,
Reid and other right-wing commentators are practicing is a well known
method known as “divide and rule.”
Health Service Under Attack
In 1948 all the Tory MPs in the House of Commons dutifully voted
against the setting up of the National Health Service. For more than
sixty years since, the NHS has been one of our most loved institutions,
relied on by millions of people to look after their health. The Tories
have publicly regretted their stance and pledged that, “the NHS is safe
in our hands.” We now see that was a lie. If new Health Secretary
Andrew Lansley’s plans, called ‘Liberating the NHS’, goes through the
NHS will be in tatters in five years time.