Oxford Street protest shows mood of workers
On Wednesday, November 14th, a number of Socialist Appeal supporters in Unite went along to give support to a picket at the
Oxford Circus CrossRail site, organised by the sparks’ rank and file committee.
Letter on Rotherham by-election
We have received the following letter from an LP activist, written as a
personal contribution to the ongoing discussion now taking place in the
local Labour and trade union movement, on the issues being raised by the
Rotherham by-election due to take place on November 29th. In view of
its length we are unable to publish it in its full form in the December
issue of Socialist Appeal so we are making the complete text available
online now in advance of publication.The author welcomes any comments on his letter.
Belgium: Closure of Ford Plant – Nationalisation the Only Alternative to Mass Layoffs
‘A company that only makes money is not good business’. This
phrase from Henry Ford does not appear to be an inspiration for Stephen
Odell, the current CEO of Ford Europe. Money seems to be the only
reason for its industrial policy, as shownby the announced plant
closures in Genk and Southampton (UK).The announcement on October 24 of
the plant closures and the layoffs of 4500 workers in Belgium and 500 in
the UK are another nail in the coffin of the European automotive
sector.
NOV 14: Protest in London
Join Spanish trade unionists in London at a protest as part of the European Day Of Action
The Russian Revolution – 95th anniversary
November marks the 95th anniversary of the Russian Revolution. At a student day school held in London, Rob Sewell speaks on the lessons of 1917.
Britain’s nest of scandal
Hardly a day now seems to go by without some scandal or
resignation rocking the British Establishment. The BBC is presently engulfed in
a major scandal involving the Savile paedophile cover-up and the blunder over
the erroneous exposure of an alleged Chief Tory child abuser, apparently based
upon uncorroborated evidence now revealed to have been a case of mistaken
identity.
The
head of the BBC, Mr Entwistle, and others have resigned. But this is only the
tip of the iceberg. A whole series of scandals have emerged exposing the
rottenness of the British Establishment, its lies and its cover-ups.
95th anniversary of the Russian Revolution: Russia 1917, Europe 1970s
This month is the 95th anniversary of the Russian Revolution of 1917. During this month we will be publishing a number of articles to mark this historic event. The article by Ted Grant posted here was first published in 1975 to mark the 58th anniversary. Extended extracts have been reproduced in this month’s edition of Socialist Appeal, mainly dealing with the events of 1917. However the full article is worthy of study and it is that version will be made available here.
The Chinese Communist Party 1927-37 – The development of Maoism
As the Chinese Communist Party gathers for its 18th Congress, we look back at the 1925-27 revolution, which was a heroic attempt of the Chinese workers to follow in the footsteps of the October 1917 Russian Revolution. However, due to its unprepared and irresolute leadership, it went down to a tragic defeat. Failed revolutions are always the greatest of tragedies. However, the only way of really honouring the many victims of the counter-revolution that ensued is to study the revolution and learn from its mistakes.
US Elections:The More Things Stay the Same, the More They Change
$6 billion and over a year of
campaigning later, and it would appear that the status quo remains.
Obama is still the president; the Democrats control the Senate; and the
Republicans control the House of Representatives. On the surface,
"nothing has changed."
Tory attacks on pensioners’ rights
The Tories’ latest attack on welfare benefits threatens to place even
more of the burden of the bankers’ crisis onto the shoulders of the
unemployed, the disabled, children and pensioners.
Crossrail dispute: Desperate BFK resort to violence
The dispute over the sacking of 28 union members on the Crossrail project over health and safety concerns is now costing British taxpayers £30 million a DAY in missed targets and delays to the tunnel – that’s how much BFK (Bam,Ferrovial and Kier) are prepared to spend on keeping trade unions off the project while running an illegal blacklist.
West Yorkshire Firefighters March against Cuts in Leeds ….plus Mayhem at Leeds Superdrug!
Hundreds of firefighters, their families and supporters
including Socialist Appeal sellers marched through the centre of Leeds last Saturday to
protest against proposed cuts to their services.