Britain

Here is a report from the London School Students Union. They are hosting a meeting next Monday 13th July at SOAS at 6.30pm. Ameline Shah will speak on the youth movement in France and the
rest of Europe and her involvement in the French school students’ union

The economic
crash following the so-called ‘credit crunch’ has caused property prices to
nose dive since their peak in 2007. This has led to property developers and
house builders to “retard” their construction projects. The colossal drop in
land prices has served to further irritate this problem because house builders,
who bought land during the peak, have chosen not to build on them yet until,
when they hope, property prices rise again. Also they do not wish to sell the
land due to the massive reduction in its value. 

Workers at the Lindsey Oil refinery site have been demonstrating
over redundancies and sackings made by Total, the multinational company that
owns Lindsey, and contractor Shaws. Nearly 650 workers were given their cards
by a management determined to break the union. In a show of equal
determination, workers on other sites around the country have been coming out
in solidarity.

The
unprecedented European and local government electoral advances for the BNP in
the north of England has seen many on the British Left thrown into disarray,
anger and disgust. Whilst all these responses may seem understandable, similar
emotional reactions can be seen present in the organised left’s response to the
BNP, which are characterised by an abject failure to understand the nature of
the BNP or to answer it politically in a meaningful way. As the initial
reaction dissipates it is time that those who are serious about stopping the
BNP recognise the failures of the recent campaign and the need for a response
based around the mobilisation of the working class; it is now clear that we can
rely on no one but ourselves to smash the forces of the far right.

The political crisis in Britain that emerged through the MP expenses
scandal has accelerated the crisis in the Labour party. Last week
ministers resigned from Gordon Brown’s cabinet, severely undermining what
little authority New Labour had left. In the european elections New Labour
has suffered it’s worst election result in history, losing areas like
Wales and Scotland for the first time since 1918. The BNP has emerged with
2 MEPs. Hear more at these meetings

With the European elections looming, visit any main town across the
length and breadth of the country during the day and you will be sure
to find BNP activists in smart suits handing out glossy leaflets in the
High Street and their message of "Yes to Putting British People First"
– a message of course earlier put out by Gordon Brown, a message that
has done much to hinder the campaign against the racist BNP.

As the economic crisis deepens across the world the ruling class throughout Europe is launching a fresh offensive against education as it tries to squeeze working class students for as much as they’ve got. In April, education ministers from all over Europe met in Prague to announce the success the of the Bologna process: a Europe wide plan to further open up public education to the pillaging forces of the market.

London Met Police have been accused of using plain clothed officers to
infiltrate the G20 protests held in london this April in order to provoke violence.The accusation has come after several weeks
of shock after news of the death of Ian Tomlinson at police hands and the
injuring of many others.

The furore about MPs
claiming outrageous expenses and resorting to outright fiddling gets
worse by the day. Labour, as the Party in
power for the past twelve years presiding over this scandal, is
facing electoral meltdown. Naturally the Labour ranks are panicking.
Labour appears doomed at the local and European elections on June
4th,
and in the general election over the next year. The situation could
still be turned around but the unions and rank and file will have
to take decisive action and take the Parliamentary Labour Party by
the scruff of the neck.

Redundancies announced at Worcester Technology
College will fall heavily
on lecturing and support staff who provide for the needs of some of the more
disadvantaged students in the college. Worcester College of Technology staff
are shocked at the news that 30 jobs are to be axed in the new academic year.

With the announcement that Michael Martin, The Speaker of the House of Commons, is to stand down in June, the MPs Expenses scandal has claimed its most high profile victim. Rob Sewell looks at this developing political crisis in Britain and explains the real background to it.