In the nine months since the publication of our perspectives' document, The New Situation in Britain,
events internationally and here in Britain have continued to accelerate.  The
consequences of the imperialist adventure in Iraq have had an even greater
impact in Britain than in the US. Here the furore over the death of weapons
inspector Dr. David Kelly and the Hutton inquiry represent the most important
crisis faced by Blair to date. It is clear that the new situation in Britain is part
and parcel of a new, profoundly unstable and tumultuous period in world history.

A general perspectives document on the economic, social, political and trade
union position in Britain, produced at the beginning of 2003 by Phil Mitchinson.

Blair is having a lot of problems convincing us that he told the truth
abouth the so-called Weapons of Mass destruction (WMDs). The majority of people
in Britain no longer trust him. Mick Brooks unravels the contradictions in the
various explanations givene by Bush and Blair to justify the war.

Each new piece of evidence presented to the Hutton inquiry raises the lid a
little more on the real truth behind the government dossier on Iraq's weapons
and the death of Dr. David Kelly. With each passing day the Blair clique is being increasingly exposed as
nothing short of a nest of vipers.

As the summer break draws near, the thoughts of politicians, as those of
ordinary mortals, turn to sunny beaches where one can forget the travails of
life and relax in pleasant company. For the British and American soldiers
sweltering in temperatures of 50 degrees, dodging Iraqi bombs and bullets, this
pleasant prospect is further away than for most of us. And for Tony Blair,
besieged by an ever more hostile press and public, the holiday season cannot
come quick enough.

As we were preparing for publication, the news came through of the sudden
death of Dr David Kelly. Dr Kelly had been publicly named as the source of a
report by BBC journalist Andrew Gilligan, that exposed the manoeuvres of the
Blair government to justify the war against Iraq.

Why are pensions being cut or not paying out money that was promised? All over
Europe pensions are under attack. Everywhere workers are being asked to retire
later, to give up on the idea of a guaranteed state pension and to look to the
private sector for a pension. British Socialist Appeal looks at the real reasons behind the pensions crisis.