Following on from his last letter describing the attempts to knock down the Cremorne estate in London, we publish here a report by Nico Baldion, a Socialist Appeal supporter on the estate, who describes the mood at a recent meeting of the Cremorne residents association, at which the class hatred of the Tories towards the working class was laid bare.
Earlier this month, a serious health and safety issue arose at the Shetlands Gas Plant. The response of the workers was to take matters into their own hands by taking action to demand better conditions. Management accepted the workers demands, once again proving that militancy pays. We publish here a report from the action by a Socialist Appeal supporter.
Saturday 12th July 2014 saw the return of “The Big Meeting” to the streets of Durham for the Miners’ Gala. Record numbers turned out in the year of the 30th anniversary of the Great Miners’ Strike. We publish here two reports of the Gala from Socialist Appeal supporters in attendance.
Thursday 10th July saw over one million workers out on strike against the Tory-led government’s attacks on pay and pensions. Further to last week’s reports from around the country, we publish here two further pieces: an interview with John Orchard, a striking NUT rep in Coventry, and a report of the transport workers strike in London by TSSA member Tim White.
A storm of bombs and fire grotesquely denominated “Operation Protective Edge” has been unleashed by the Israeli government on the civilian population of Gaza. Francesco Merli discusses the latest attacks by the Israeli state and the hypocrisy of the imperialists.
14th July marks Bastille Day in France – the celebration of the 1789 French Revolution. This year’s celebrations mark the 225th anniversary of the Revolution. To commemorate this anniversary, we republish here an article by Alan Woods on the fall of the Bastille, originally written in 1989 on the 200th anniversary as part of a series on the history of the French Revolution.
The 10th July public sector strike was the largest since the pensions dispute in November 2011. The size of the strike should now be used as a launch pad for a clear labour movement led campaign of escalating action to bring down the government and end austerity. We publish here reports from Socialist Appeal supporters across the country.
In this video from the recent International Marxist Schoo 2014, hosted by the UCLU Marxist Society and the International Marxist Tendency, John Dunn of the Justice for Mineworkers campaign discusses the events of Great Miners’ Strike of 1984/85 and the lessons for the labour movement today.
On the eve of the 2014 Durham Miners’ Gala, we publish here a review by John Dunn – from the Justice for Mineworkers campaign – of a new documentary, Still the Enemy Within, which demonstrates the emotions and events involved during the Great Miners’ Strike of 1984/85.
Socialist Appeal interviewed Davey Hopper, General Secretary of the Durham Miners Association, about the significance of this years’ gala, taking place tomorrow on 12th July, marking the 30th Anniversary of the Great Strike, and about the need to carry the struggle forward so the lessons of that fight are not lost. We publish here his message to those attending the 2014 Miners’ Gala.
In advance of the Durham Miners’ Gala, taking place this weekend, we publish here two short pieces in which those involved in the Great Miners’ Strike of 1984/85 discuss their memories of the struggle. In the first, Paul Winter recalls the Battle of Orgreave. In the second, Sharon Gaunt and David Martin discuss their experience of growing up in a mining community during the strike.
This weekend sees the 2014 Miners’ Gala take place in Durham – a spectalur festival celebrating the struggles of the miners and the labour movement. To mark the occasion, which this year will commemorate the 30th anniversary of the 1984 Miners’ Strike, we publish a poem by Guy Howie entitled The Year the Miners Fought.