When the negotiations for an EU-US trade deal – the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) – were launched back in 2013, advocates of the deal predicted that it could be completed “on one tank of gas”, before the US Presidential elections brought Barack…Read more…
HeartUnions Week: 8-24 February 2016
“8‑14 Feb 2016 / The heartunions week of action celebrates the great work done by union reps and members in our workplaces and in society. We’re proud of our unions and reject the government’s attempts to damage them with the trade union bill”. Check out the new TUC website here…Read more…
Manufacturing – Big Job Losses Predicted For 2016
The EEF (Engineering Employers Federation) is predicting big job losses in UK manufacturing during 2016 – despite the success of the UK automotive, aerospace and pharma sectors. Their latest…Read more…
Mary Barbour ‘stars’ in Gala Concert
This is the original release that led to the story re the Gala concert appearing in The Herald recently – here, and also in Pat’s Guide to the West End, here. Thanks to both. The tickets are now on…Read more…
Turkish unions protest for peace
While many trade unionists in the west are relaxing due to the gains of trade unionism (like holidays), workers in other parts of the world are still struggling for what we consider essential. Like…Read more…
Room with a view
Off message but this has been the view greeting me in the morning for the last few days. Sheep, foxes, rabbits, grouse and various other birds (real photo edited with “painting” software). An always changing landscape where you never get bored looking …Read more…
Diane Abott: The political debate is starting to shift in Britain
Despite the relentless media attacks on Corbyn, more and more people are coming to understand that Tory austerity is a political, ideological project, not an economic necessity, says DIANE ABBOTT AS…Read more…
China: we say no to market economy status
The Financial Times has today reported that the US government is pressing the European Commission not to grant China ‘Market Economy Status’ (MES), which under WTO rules would allow far more undercutting by Chinese exports into the EU. The UK government is on the record as a supporter…Read more…
“Dealing with debt”, Osborne-style
Can someone please tell me just why the Tories have this reputation for economic competency? Hat tip Joel from Debt Resistance. Read more…
‘King Coal’ is not a lost cause, despite treasury short-sightedness, says Unite
‘King Coal’ has a future as a UK producer, despite ministerial short-sightedness, driven by treasury cuts, Unite, the country’s largest union, said today (Thursday 17 December). And coal’s importance…Read more…
Greece: #ThisIsACoup – Watch the documentary here.
Director Theopi Skarlatos and producer Paul Mason present #ThisIsACoup, a four-part documentary series telling the story of how the European Union destroyed the first radical left government in…Read more…
….and a Happy New Year
Me and my mate. Read more…
Having an Amazon Free Christmas
Hi John,Just a quick note before Christmas to say a HUGE thanks for donating to send the tax-dodging Amazon ad van out on the town!
It made a bit of a splash – circling Amazon’s HQ, and then cruising through London’s busy shopping streets: exposi…Read more…
Len McCluskey’s hopes for 2016
Tempting as it is to slip into dejection by the prospect of four more years of this appalling Tory administration gifted to us by this ending year, let us opt for optimism for the one to come. …Read more…
Communist Christmas Eve 2015
This is my traditional Crimbo Eve Video. Christianity and most other religions have much in common with Communism and Democratic socialist values in theory but all beliefs and political creeds in reality, don’t tend to practise what they preach.
Never…Read more…
West Ham fight back against Tories
“While this year’s disastrous General Election result wasn’t what we had campaigned or hoped for, West Ham Labour have risen to the challenge to fight back.
We ended the year on a high with our membership doubling in recent months and it was great…Read more…
A century on… …we need to learn the lessons of our own past
https://www.marxists.org/archive/gallacher/1915/clyde-committee.htm
This link is to a leaflet issued one hundred years ago when workers on the Clyde were trying to organise in the absence of any legal right not to be unfairly dismissed (which right was…Read more…
ISDS: even when Governments win, we all lose
We’re often told we shouldn’t worry about Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) in the new generation of so-called ‘free’ trade agreements, because the UK Government doesn’t lose cases. In practice that’s because most UK agreements containing ISDS have been…Read more…
Andy Haldane at the TUC: technology, labour and policy choices
Interest rates: Ancient Mesopotamia to the present (see end of post for source) On 12 November 2015 Andy Haldane, Chief Economist at the Bank of England, spoke at the TUC. While a little late in the day, it is worthwhile to review some of the very important points he made, not least given the…Read more…
A Merry Xmas in Local Government?
Normal 0 false false false EN-GB X-NONE X-NONE …Read more…