Thatcher: Thirty Years On
"Where there is discord may we bring
harmony…" said Margaret Thatcher 30 years ago this May when she was
elected as British Prime Minister in 1979. Some politicians are remembered for
their achievements, in Aneurin Bevan’s case the founding of the NHS; others
like Tony Blair will be remembered as warmongers and traitors to the ideals of
the Labour movement. Meanwhile John Major will be remembered, if at all, for
his ineffectual personality and his blandness. But very few will have been
hated by working people with such intensity as Margaret Thatcher.
Inequality grows
The United States of America is the greatest capitalist economy in the world. What does capitalism bring? Does it bring better standards of living? Does it bring happiness? Does it bring justice and fairness? Those questions have been answered elsewhere, but the short answer is ‘no’. But one thing it definitely does not bring is equality of income and wealth.
Guns before butter
On the day that the Pakistani army continued to be bogged down in a ferocious battle against the Taliban inside its own borders and yet another British soldier was killed in Afghanistan, the one hundred and fifty third since 2001, it is evident that the British military is engaged in a war it cannot win. Defence Minister Bob Ainsworth has outlined desperate measures which entail a wholesale reform of the Territorial Army. Gone forever will be the image of a glorified Dad’s Army as the TA is to be integrated with the rest of the army and better prepared for wars abroad.
Workers Score Victory at Visteon
Workers at Visteon,
following a four-week battle, have gained a victory. After the
occupation of the Visteon plants and 24 hour picketing when the
company announced its liquidation, Ford/Visteon bosses were finally
forced to concede to the workers’ demands. Workers in Enfield and
Basildon have already voted in favour of the deal, while those at
Belfast will be voting soon. Rob Sewell interviewed Rob Fitch, shop
steward at the Visteon plant in Basildon, who was also one of the
national negotiators that secured the new deal.
Visteon: Visit to Basildon picket line
Supporters of Socialist Appeal from
Romford paid a solidarity visit to the pickets outside the Visteon
plant at Basildon on Sunday. Although the workers have voted to
support the deal conceded by the Visteon bosses (see report posted
above this one) they are staying on the line until they are 100%
certain that the deal will go through
Budget: Fifty per cent is too much!
It makes your blood boil! The only good news to come out of the UK budget announced by New Labour Chancellor Alastair Darling last week was the slight increase in tax rate that would now be levied on those earning more than £100,000 a year. The rate was being raised from 40% to 50% to help raise a little more money from those who have benefited most from the credit binge that has now gone bust around the world.But what a barrage of criticism and rage has erupted from the great and good and from the news media on Darling’s action.
Ford must pay up! A solidarity visit to the Visteon picket line
Sacked Visteon workers are currently in the fifth week of a struggle to obtain what is rightfully theirs having been shown the door by the company after many years of service for Fords.
I spoke to Mick Juric on the picket line at the Enfield plant. He’d put in 20 years service and had been told that he was ‘too important’ to the company to be given a voluntary redundancy package earlier this year. The company told him that they looked forward to working with him in the future. A few weeks later he was summarily dismissed with no payout from the company for the years of service.
Swansea Union Activist Victimised (Updated)
Rob Williams, a well-known union activist
and Unite union convenor at the Linamar car
parts site in Swansea,
was called into the management office last Tuesday and without warning given
the sack. Why? Officially because of a ‘breakdown in trust and confidence’ (what
ever that means!) but in reality because of the role of the union in
challenging the bosses attempts to run the factory down.
May Day: Workers on the march
Today is May Day – International Workers Day. Mick Brooks looks at the origins and traditions of May Day and why it matters.
One the events board are just some of the events taking place today and over the weekend to celebrate May Day. In London workers will be assembling at 11.30 at Clerkenwell Green to march to Trafalgar Square – see you there!
Exploitation in TV Industry worse than ever
Landing a job in British Television would be considered by most to be a
real prize. The industry has long since been associated with decent
wages, prestige, and glamour. It’s no surprise then that thousands of
young people compete to get into the industry each year. But the
industry is hiding a dirty secret. Many of these young applicants, who
have often gone to great effort and expense to gain media degrees, are
given their first job in the industry paying them… wait for it… £0.00.
That’s right. Nothing!
Over the past decade, as budgets have shrunk in an ever more
competitive market, privately owned production companies, collectively
known as the independent sector, have been cheating applicants into
accepting unpaid ‘work experience’ positions. Lured by the shallow
promise of ‘promotion’ later down the line, ‘work experiencers’ are
often held for many months before being offered paid work. In many
cases companies never offer them pay at all.
The 2009 Election Results: Reflecting the state of the class struggle in South Africa
The workers and poor of South Africa voted massively for an ANC that had
been purged of its right wing. Now that the ANC is once more in office,
the bourgeois – having failed to stop this – are putting enormous
pressure on its leaders to steer away from any radical pro-worker
policies. What is required is a struggle within the South African
labour movement to anchor its organisations to genuine socialist
policies. David van Wyk in South Africa looks at the election results and what they mean for the working class.