Issue 157 of Socialist Appeal is out now. This months journal features:
Editorial:
Brown bounces into choppy water
Trade unions:
London fire brigade – proposed shift changes
Train drivers ballot for strike action
Fight BBC job cuts
PFI – stop them killing off the NHS!
News:
Hospital super-bugs – privatisation kills
Robbery in Coventry
Labour Party:
When Labour went left
Environment:
Capitalism and the Environment – the view from the USA
International:
Belgium: Socialist Left candidate shakes the establishment
Hands Off Venezuela National Conference
Feature on Venezuela:
Workers’ Control at Inveval – An Example to Follow
Revolutionary mobilisation in Venezuela
Defeat in Chile, lessons for Venezuela:
Remember the victims, learn the lessons – The Battle of Chile
Defend Iranian trade unionists
Chavez meets Iran Khodro workers
Economics:
The immiseration of the working class – Marx was right!
Our history:
What is our November 5th Bonfire
Night about and who was the Guy we burn?
In memoriam:
In memory of Phil Lloyd (1934-2007)
Phil Mitchinson: "We will finish what he began"
Postal workers – vote no to the deal
Wellred
Fighting fund:
It’s official – Tories are mad
Pakistan – Bhutto is back!
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Fighting Fund
It’s official:
Tories are mad
Sometimes a fighting fund article gets to write itself – well almost anyway. So let us start with this cheery news: Tories lose £8.3m bequest battle! Yes, it appears that according to a High Court ruling, a very wealthy pharmaceuticals mogul called Branislav Kostic was not of a sound mind when he left all his millions to the Tory Party. His son has gone to the court to contest that his dad was delusional and insane when he made up the will giving all his dosh to the Conservatives and the court has agreed.
The Tories contested this by arguing that, according to the BBC report, Mr Kostic had made the will after saying Margaret Thatcher was "the greatest leader of the free world in history" and that she would save the world from the "satanic monsters and freaks". So now we know the real reason why Cameron has been to visit Arnie Schwarzenegger – to pick up hints on monster fighting from old Conan himself.
Now, of course, we all know that any normal person would be bonkers to hand over their money to the Tories, in defence of a system that exploits you quite enough as it is. Of course, big business does it for a reason – quite apart from any juicy honours that might come their way for so-called ‘charitable works’ etc – to ensure that politicians do their bidding in protecting their privileges. But for the rest of us, you would be advised to invest your cash in something which will bring a much better return – a socialist future.
We are asking all our readers and sellers to consider making a donation to help support our fighting fund drive in the build up to Xmas. Why do we need the cash? Well we have three priorities in front of us. The first we have already forked out on – two new computers costing around £800 in total to improve our ability to produce a quality journal and other material. The next target is to buy a guillotine to cut the paper we print on – this will save us both money and time. Finally we need a new collating machine, which will be more suited to our requirements and a bit less temperamental than the current one. Both these machines cost several thousand pounds each so we need to get moving on getting the cash in.
Donations can be made in this way:
By cheque to us at –
PO Box 50525,
London E14 6WG
(made payable to Socialist Appeal SC)
Click here to donate to the Fighting Fund
Your support is appreciated – thank you in advance.
Steve Jones
