Articles
Friday, February 9, 2024
We should not doubt that the UK government sees the threats posed by protest against war and unrest against the decimation of living standards and services. In the last couple of years Parliament has passed three pieces of legislation which restrict freedom of speech, the right to protest and the right to strike. A fourth which would outlaw public bodies from boycotting Israel is currently making its way through Parliament. Anti-democratic repression goes hand in hand with the militarist, anti-working class agendas of our rulers.
Tuesday, February 6, 2024
Even with determined trade union action and winning pay increases, wages are still not keeping pace with inflation. However, given the determination of strikers over the recent past the government is taking steps to curb strike action. Defending the right to strike will now be an essential part of working class struggle. As will campaigns which gain the broader support of the general public.
Monday, February 5, 2024
The news media and the Government seem intensely relaxed now the annual rate is “only” 4.2%. Yet vast sums have gone to the banks and corporations in the meantime, not least because higher interest rates, raised to bring inflation down, have speeded up the transfer of wealth from the poor to the rich. As a result, householders have permanently lost the income already spent on higher prices, and are still paying more now for gas, electricity, petrol, food and essential goods. Mortgages are higher and rents have always been high anyway. Life has been made harder, partly because of the Bank of England's so-called solutions. Even successful strikes for more pay have not fully recovered the incomes lost. The question arises: how would a progressive government tackle inflation differently, to narrow the gap between rich and poor? Can we escape from capitalist economics on this question?
Sunday, February 4, 2024
This year will see a general election in the UK. At present it looks like a safe bet that the Tories will lose and Labour will win. Is there any more to say? With media pundits taking up airtime and webpages with their endless, repetitious prognostications it will certainly feel like there is not. However, there are real questions about the direction of Labour and the future of the Tories.
Sunday, September 24, 2023
BAE systems manufactures armaments, warships, tanks and war planes. It is raking in huge profits from the war in Ukraine – in 2022 it made £2.5 billion, up 12.5%. The company is critical to the projection of British power. As such it has strong links to politicians, universities and think tanks. These links help it promote its interests and paints a picture of the British military-industrial complex at work.
Thursday, September 21, 2023
More cash is being earmarked for weapons, including for the war in Ukraine, but are the people’s interests best served by sacrificing their living standards to the military build-up or would they be better served by Britain taking a different path? The world is shifting, with new alliances emerging in the global South, resisting western diktats. So shouldn’t we consider abandoning the NATO alliance which only promotes imperialism and war, very different from the people’s interests, and join developments, such as BRICS, which emphasise collaboration and which challenge US dominance.
Monday, September 18, 2023
50 years on from the coup against Salvador Allende's Popular Unity government new research has exposed the role of British governments in undermining Chilean democracy which started even before Allende came to power. Along with the United States it played its part in destablising the country, paving the way for the coup.
Friday, September 15, 2023
The Tory Party still has major problems. It is riven with divisions and is deeply unpopular. Polls are predicting a landslide Labour victory, but that is not set in stone. Keir Starmer's strategy is very weak. He has few actual policies to offer voters and those he has often track those of the Tories. This is not likely to inspire the electorate. His Party management, excluding those who disagree with him will demotivate Party members. This leaves him dependent on the support of the establishment media - something which could change.