Britain

The confirmation today that 2,000 public sector jobs are to
go at Manchester City Council, as part of a planned budget reduction of £110
million, will come as grim reading for the people of that city.

An Emergency Motion in support of the Arab workers was passed at a meeting of the West Midlands TUC on Saturday, January 29^th. It was agreed to forward it to the Regional TUC and to all affiliated Trades Union Councils.

We have now entered a critical period. The cuts are no longer on the
horizon; they are knocking at the door.  Over the next few months, local
councils will be finalising annual budgets for the next financial year,
agreeing what services should be reduced or cut and increasing charges
for those which remain.  For the labour and trade union movement the
time for talk has passed, action is now needed.

Thousands of workers and youth braved the freezing cold to march through the centre of London today (Sat 29th Jan) to protest against the cuts. Cameron and Clegg may have hoped that, now the votes on tuition fees have been voted on, things would quiet down. They were wrong.

Here are some pictures from the day

The result of the Oldham East and Saddleworth by-election will come as a bitter blow to both the Tories and the Li Dems. It will not be the last.

The bankers have sent out a message – it’s not their fault and people should stop blaming them for the crisis. Is this just bare-faced cheek or a deeper reflection of the arrogance of the ruling class? Both, we suggest.

Millions of workers made the grim trek back to work today after the long
Xmas break. Millions more will be making the even grimmer trek to the
dole office over the next few months as the Coalition cuts start to
become a reality. Two things are with us already – the increase in VAT
and the increase in public transport fares.

The deepest crisis since the Great Depression, with its accompanying
financial, banking and sovereign debt crises, has opened up splits and
arguments not seen for generations. Where do they go from here? Savage
austerity, which threatens the weak recovery, or possibly pump-prime the
economy and risk market turmoil? That is their choice as the crisis
moves into its next dangerous phase. Under the topsy-turvy logic of
capitalism they are both right and both wrong. Whatever they do they
will not be able to cure this unsolvable and protracted crisis of the
system.

For the second time in less than a month, Britain has ground to a standstill as a result of snowy weather. Heathrow
airport has virtually ceased operating with over half a million
passengers affected during what is normally the most busy time of the
year with people trying to get home for the holidays.