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No sooner has the dust started to settle on the fall out
from the 2010 general election and the decision of Gordon Brown to fall
on his
sword both as PM and Labour leader than we are already seeing names
being put
forward as “suitable” choices to become the new leader of the labour
Party.

We continue our analysis of the 2010 General Election with a look at the issues raised by the results in Northern Ireland.

A joint press conference by Jerry Hicks and Paul Holmes was held in London on Thursday.  Click here to watch a video of Jerry speaking.

BELFAST: The
Draft Public Assemblies, Parades and Protests Bill which is ostensibly
designed to create a  framework for resolving the question of
controversial parades and demonstrations, especially during the
marching season is generating opposition from workers in the North
because of its implications for Trade union and political
demonstrations organised by the Trade Union Movement and protests
against the Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq as well as community protests
such as anti racist demonstrations like those that took place last year
on the Lisburn Road after the racist attacks in  Belgravia Avenue and Wellesley Avenue.

Severfield Reeve workers in Yorkshire have won a significant concession in their struggle

The next few weeks will be very
important for the trade union movement in Ireland; either the Public
Service Agreement will be rejected and the trade union leaders will be
forced into organising action, or the government will get away with yet
another attack on living standards and working conditions.

The General Election on May 6th is undoubtedly the most significant
election since New Labour came to power in 1997. For many of today’s
youth, this election will be the first in which they can vote.
Significantly, this generation of young people will also be the first
voters who were born after the reign of Margaret Thatcher. The upcoming
General Election, therefore, will be partially decided by “Thatcher’s
children”.

The Militant Student is a new paper written by students, for students.
The intention of government and big business to cut education, training
and jobs to service the bankers debts, means that we are left with
little option but to organise and fight. The situation that looms
before us shows that capitalism today is at a dead-end and offers no
future for workers and youth. This is the Statement of the Miltant
Student Editorial Board in its founding edition.

Goldman
Sachs has been accused of fraud and is up before the American Securities
and
Exchange Commission. What is coming out from all this are the clever
tricks of
the trade, i.e. how to make money from money – without actually
investing in the
real economy – and in the process “advise” people on how to lose their
money
while making the likes of Goldman Sachs very rich… until it all
crashes of
course.

April 14 saw over 200 Glasgow
University staff and students protest against cuts which are emerging as
part
of the ‘restructuring’ process despite management’s earlier promises.
The
demonstration was called by the lecturers’ union UCU but also saw strong
support from Unite and Unison who organise maintenance and admin staff.

It is clear as daylight that the Fianna Fail/Green Coalition in the 26
counties is a business Government dancing to the tune of the bankers and
moneymen worldwide.

Some academics may sniff their noses at historical accounts written by
participants in those events, claiming that ‘objectivity’ is
questionable in such works. Marxists, of course would argue that there
is no such thing as objectivity, since every story is told from a point
of view, a perspective. Indeed, most works of history are written by
bourgeois academics reflecting the point of view of bourgeois society
at the time of writing. Those which run counter to that view are rare
indeed. This is such a book.