Britain

On Saturday 4th,
August over 2000 marchers demonstrated through the streets of Redditch in the
West Midlands to protest at the threatened closure of key services at the
Alexandra Hospital in the town. The removal of A&E, Maternity and
Paediatrics services would in essence kill the hospital as a functioning
general hospital.

On behalf of Midlothian Trades Union Council I would like to thank those who responded to the call to come to Dalkeith on the afternoon of Saturday, 28th July to confront Nick Griffen and to those unable to attend but who sent messages of support. 

Earlier this year, the British labour movement marked a little-known yet
important milestone. Eighty years ago, in April 1932, hundreds of
working class ramblers defied police and landowners to trespass across
Kinder Scout, an iconic moorland plateau that marks the highest point in
the Peak District, in Derbyshire.

When all else fails, pretend it isn’t happening. This is the new
approach being adopted by pro-Tory "expert" economists according to a
report in the last issue of the Sunday Times.

Here is a pictorial review of the Durham Miners Gala.

The old Racecourse in Durham was quiet at 8-00am on Saturday Morning,
the stalls were setting up along the river bank, the kids rides and the
hot dog vans weren’t doing too much business, giving the amused
stallholders a chance to watch 3 Socialist Appeal supporters (4 would
have been better) trying to put up the gazebo to shelter the book stall.

Here is an interesting story, posted on the Ethical Consumer
website, about how the big sponsors of the London Games enjoy nice tax
benefits on top of everything else. Looks like we are giving more to
them than they are giving to the games. If nothing else this shows yet
again how big business views these events – just another way of making
money at our expense.

We start our coverage of the games with a look at the brand scam.

This weekend (14 July) is the Durham Miners Gala. A big turnout is
expected and Socialist Appeal will be there! Look for our stall and
comrades selling the current issue with the Gala wraparound.

Not for first time, Cameron has again laid into the “unemployed
scroungers” as a pretext for more cuts, while protecting his cosy
relationship with the millionaire scroungers, press barons, and tax
dodgers.