The Morning Star have today rounded up a few of my reviews (and one by FairPley’s Stephen Wright) into a compilations piece, here. The review for Canzionere Grecanico Salentino/Complete has…Read more…
Probation contracts handed to the private sector despite falls in reoffending
On 1 February, 70 per cent of the probation service was handed to the private sector, yet only last week, the government’s own statistics revealed that the probation service was working relatively well prior to the government’s disastrous reforms in 2014. These recent MoJ figures…Read more…
The perils of blogging…
http://www.grayee.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/london-unison-regional-council-agm-2015.html?m=1
In the eight and a half years in which I have been interrupting your blameless surfing of the internet with my meanderings I have sometimes been made aware of the…Read more…
Keir Hardie Centenary Year – Monday 9 Feb 2015 at Westminster Hall
I cannot believe it but I have a clash on the 9th and will not be able to make this celebration of Keir Hardie, the first ever independent Labour MP at Westminster Hall.
Keir become the MP for West Ham South on 4 July in 1892
Hopefully, someon…Read more…
The case for fully devolving Housing Benefit
UNISON’s case for the full devolution of Housing Benefit has been supported by the respected think tank IPPR. Scotland needs all the policy levers to effectively address our housing crisis.
The…Read more…
The Greek election result demands our solidarity
Syriza’s spectacularly successful election campaign was described as being about hope. The Greek people have shown faith in that campaign. Their courage, their defiance and their optimism have given us a true lesson in democracy in the country that invented the system so many centuries ago. They…Read more…
Unfair Dismissal Social Media Reputational Damage
2 February 2015
Paul Scholey, Morrish Solicitors
Following his presentations on Social Media and Employment Rights at IER events in Liverpool and London last year, Paul Scholey, Head of Employment…Read more…
Bandwagon?
Last week, David Torrance accused the STUC of effectively jumping on a ‘grievance’ bandwagon for criticising the watering down of Smith Commission proposals on welfare. He also (ridiculously)…Read more…
Unions and Fracking: the need for an “honest conversation”
It’s been a busy week for the debate on fracking. A new report said that the current debate on fracking “reveals a lack of public acceptance, or social licence, for it”. The Scottish Parliament put a moratorium in place pending an inquiry. Westminster MPs backed Labour’s stronger…Read more…
In a fast-changing world, how should a curriculum and assessment system enable all learners to achieve?
Lee is Deputy Head at Cherry Orchard Primary School in Worcester. You can follow Lee on Twitter. There are few more persuasive voices in global education at present than that of Andreas Schleicher….Read more…
Private Monopoly Interests Have Captured the Public Authority
World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland Private Monopoly Interests Have Captured the Public Authority – K.C. Adams – UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon addresses World Economic Forum in Davos,…Read more…
West Midlands TUC Pay Awards Survey
Midlands TUC Pay Awards Survey As part of Fair Pay Fortnight, the Midlands TUC is undertaking a quick survey to help analyse pay awards across the region. Therefore, we would be most grateful if you could take 2 minutes to … Continue reading →Read more…
Vultures circling over Police Staff
Metropolitan Police proposals to transfer 500 ‘business services’ staff in human resources, payroll and procurement to a new company Shared Services Connected Ltd, (75% owned by French multinational…Read more…
5 reasons registering to vote matters more than you think
If reluctant voters make it to the ballot box, they may have more power than they think.Read more…
Seeing through “transparency”
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-government-transparency-code-2014
Tomorrow is the last date by which local authorities must publish certain data as specified in the Local Government Transparency Code.
“Transparency” is one of those wor…Read more…
Boots the tax dodgers
The latest attempt by the Tories to attack Ed Miliband has backfired.
The Billionaire Italian boss of Boots the Chemist, Stefano Pessina. told the Sunday Torygraph if Labour politicians acted in the way that they spoke “it would be a catastrophe”.
It turns out that the billionaire does not pay…Read more…
Greece and the 1953 agreement on German debt
Generally speaking this is a niche blog of interest to the handful of us who are fascinated by what is happening in our workplaces (particularly in the public sector) and to our trade union and labour movement.
However, our local action takes place in a global context and – just now – it is…Read more…
Workers walk out at oil refineries across USA
Members of the United Steelworkers who work in oil refineries and chemical plants have walked out at nine sites across the USA – beginning strikes aimed at putting pressure oil companies to…Read more…
The cleaners and the oligarchs
Why solidarity with Syriza against the EU leaders is crucial If anybody can remember a new Finance Minister (anywhere in the world) beginning his first press conference by announcing he is going to reinstate the cleaners made redundant by the previous …Read more…
London UNISON Regional Council AGM 2015
On Wednesday 4th February 2015 at 10am it is the Annual General Meeting of the Greater London UNISON Regional Council.
It will take place at the Holiday Inn Conference room, Coram Street (across the road from Russell Square tube station). Doors open a…Read more…