The upcoming referendum on the European Union has generated much debate amongst the British Left. Over the decades of evolution of the EU institutions, the majority opinion among left-wingers has shifted from opposition to support. We must clarify our understanding of the EU and the related issues ahead of this referendum to provide a clear perspective.
Representatives of the British Army have now written young people off as apathetic time wasters, simply because they are not joining the Territorial Army and the Reserves and are instead surfing the internet. Vic Dale looks at conditions for the rank-and-file in the army, and highlights the demand for unionisation in the armed forces.
The election results were a shock – a shock for Labour’s right wing, who had been prophesying of electoral Armageddon. Events did not follow the script for the Blairites, who hoped for a Labour defeat as an excuse to move against the Labour leader. The prospect of a leadership challenge has now been pushed into the background…for the time being.
The last week has seen a deluge of mud-slinging by the Blairites, Tories and right-wing press, who are intent on using allegations of “anti-Semitism” on the Left as a tool to undermine Corbyn. As Ben Gliniecki discusses, this latest concerted effort by Corbyn’s opponents was preceded by a similarly intense smear campaign against the NUS president-elect, Malia Bouattia.
On 23rd June, voters in Britain will go to the polls to decide whether the UK remains part of the EU. Most people, however, are completely turned off by the hollow rhetoric emanating from both sides of the so-called debate, with both the Leave and Remain camps dominated and led by reactionaries. We say: a plague on both your houses! Fight for a genuine alternative for working people! Fight for socialism!
Just a few days before the May elections, the Blairites in the Labour Party have stepped up their war against Jeremy Corbyn, using the slur of “anti-Semitism” to further their aims. By doing so, they are hell-bent on creating a “crisis” within the Party.
The verdict by the jury into the deaths of 96 people at a football match on 15th April 1989 now stands as a damming indictment of the police and the whole establishment, including the then Tory government. The struggle continues now to bring down this whole rotten system!
We publish here an extended letter from a Socialist Appeal supporter and nurse within the NHS, who describes the shambolic conditions that have developed within the National Health Service as a result of years of underfunding and mismanagement by the Tories. As the junior doctors continue with all-out strike action, the letter is a poignant reminder of the need to fight to defend the NHS.
The past couple of weeks have seen an intensification of the civil war inside the Tory Party, as rabid reactionary Eurosceptic MPs savage their pro-EU colleagues. Daniel Morley looks at the nationalist delusions of the Brexit camp in the Tories and UKIP, and highlights the limitations of the arguments of left-wing Leave campaigners.
Today, Thursday 21st April, marks 90th birthday of the Queen, bringing with it the media’s outpouring of praise for the ‘People’s Queen’. But why does the Queen mean so much to the Establishment? What purpose does the Monarchy serve for the ruling class? And how successful has it been?
After eight long years of Boris Johnson, Londoners will finally have a chance to elect their new Mayor on 5th May. Boris leaves behind an appalling legacy of reduced living standards for working class Londoners. The task for Corbyn supporters is to ensure a Labour Mayoral victory, and use this as a platform to fight for socialist policies.
Miles Todd from Scunthorpe discusses the latest developments in the steel crisis, as the Tories frantically search for a buyer to fill the shoes vacated by Tata. The Scunthorpe plant has been sold to asset strippers for the nominal price of £1. But what is the fate for workers and steel communities elsewhere?