Why making good policy requires careful thinking and plenty of time. Britain has just begun to face what will prove to be a long drawn-out cost of living crisis. In part this is caused by labour and supply chain shortages resulting from the Covid pandemic, but a more fundamental issue is the cost of energy, … Continue reading Insulation Rebellion — Editorial
Sanctions and Rubles
Martin Seale The members of NATO have imposed sanctions on Russia following its Special Military Operation in Ukraine which began on 24th February. NATO would clearly like these sanctions to severely damage Russia. It is unlikely that they will for two main reasons. Firstly, Russia is a currency creating state and does not therefore have financial constraints. Secondly, Russia is … Continue reading Sanctions and Rubles
The Persecution of Julian Assange Part 3
The persecution of Julian Assange — part 3 By Peter Brooke A brief history of Wikileaks[1] followed by ‘Assange Extradition, on to the Next Hurdle’ from Craig Murray’s website. As a teenager in Australia in the 1980s, Julian Assange had explored the possibilities of hacking with a couple of friends calling themselves the 'International Subversives'. This … Continue reading The Persecution of Julian Assange Part 3
Skills v Knowledge
Skills v Knowledge, or the balance between university education and vocational education. The Tory head of the Education Committee has the right ideas, as seen in his exchanges with Nadhim Zahawi, the Secretary of State for education, during the debate on the Schools White Paper, Monday 28th March 2022 — Commons Chamber Robert Halfon: The White Paper … Continue reading Skills v Knowledge
Austrian Chamber of Labour
The Austrian Chamber of Labour as an instrument of workers' interests Eamon Dyas [Below is a brief account of the history and purpose of the Austrian Chambers of Labour. It was stimulated by a conversation I had with Florian Wenninger, of the Institut für Historische Sozialforschung at the headquarters of the Arbeiterkammer in Vienna on … Continue reading Austrian Chamber of Labour
A Poem
GET THEE BEHIND ME SATAN II “As one day it might happen that a victim must be found I’ve got a little list – I’ve got a little list.” So sang Gilbert and Sullivan: “Of society’s offenders who might well be underground And would never be missed - who would never be missed" But I … Continue reading A Poem
Manus O’Riordan and Ernest Bevin
Manus O’Riordan and Ernest Bevin By Dave Alvey A Note on Manus O’Riordan Manus O’Riordan was an Irish trade unionist and socialist who had many friends in the British labour movement. Following his sudden death on 26 September 2021, and reflecting his popularity across the multivarious strands of the political and trade union worlds, his … Continue reading Manus O’Riordan and Ernest Bevin
Notes on the News
By Gwydion M. Williams France’s Overlooked Left Vote Ukraine: Making Local Democracy Illegal Russia: A Fate Worse Than Putin? NATO: Elites Who Reluctantly Tolerate a Democratic Electorate Britons Vote Themselves Into Poverty Bears and Libertarians – Both Unbearable Covid Failures France’s Overlooked Left Vote Macron picked up another nine million votes: a bare majority of … Continue reading Notes on the News
Orecchiette
Listening to Italy by Orecchiette Parties Italians commemorate their Liberation Day from Nazi fascism on 25th April. This year's celebrations were the largest ever; La Repubblica estimated 70,000 were gathered in Milan's cathedral square. Dignitaries made appropriate speeches throughout Italy but Matteo Salvini's Lega did not appear at all. Further controversy followed a Tweet made by Vito Petrocelli, M5S's (Five Star) … Continue reading Orecchiette
Letter about Ukraine
Letter on Ukraine to Labour Affairs From Eamon Dyas I don’t think Zelenskiy believes that he is going to be defeated. Of course, given his predicament such defiance of reality is irrational and can only be sustained by a confidence that at some point he can convince US/NATO to get involved. US/NATO could never have … Continue reading Letter about Ukraine
A Unipolar World and Ukraine
ZBIGNIEW BRZEZINSKI ON the place of Ukraine in A UNIPOLAR WORLD Extracts from The Grand Chessboard: American Primacy And Its Geostrategic Imperatives Zbigniew Brzezinski, New York, Basic Books, 1997 After the fall of the Soviet Union, Americans started thinking about a unipolar world, a world organized around one pole, themselves. Zbigniew Brzezinski, diplomat and adviser to presidents … Continue reading A Unipolar World and Ukraine
Rishi Sunak’s Financial Statement
Editorial 1 Early on in his dismal Financial Statement Rishi Sunak said: “At a time when the OBR has said that our fiscal headroom could be “wiped out by relatively small changes to the economic outlook,” it is right that the central fiscal judgement I am making today is to meet our fiscal rules with a … Continue reading Rishi Sunak’s Financial Statement
Making Sense of the Ukraine Conflict
Editorial 2 What is happening in Ukraine? The British government and its media outlets would have us believe that the hostilities that began on the 24th February were an unprovoked aggression launched by Russia for the purposes of territorial expansion. No evidence is offered for this claim. The reality is different. The Ukrainian army concentrated on … Continue reading Making Sense of the Ukraine Conflict
Inflation 2022
A Transitory Inflation? Martin Seale The price of many of the goods that the typical consumer buys is higher than it was a year ago. Is this inflation? The last time we had inflation in the UK was in the 70s and 80s. But is what happened then similar to what is happening now? In the early … Continue reading Inflation 2022
NATO, Ukraine and the Labour Party
Diary of an ex-Corbyn foot soldier (April, 2022) Dictionary definition of “foot soldier”: “…a dedicated low level follower…” Michael Murray: murraymicha@gmail.com; FaceBook: Michael Murray London (1) Introduction “Time to get your mind right on NATO, boy!” (2) Stop The War fights back (3) Jack F Matlock: “I was there: NATO and the origins of the Ukraine crisis” (4) George … Continue reading NATO, Ukraine and the Labour Party
Bevin and NATO
Ernest Bevin Founder of NATO By Brendan Clifford At Prime Minister’s Questions 9th March 2022 John Healey, Shadow Secretary of State for Defence, said: “It was Labour’s post-war Foreign Secretary, Ernest Bevin, who was the principal architect of NATO and in particular of its article 5 commitment to collective defence. Today is the anniversary of Bevin’s … Continue reading Bevin and NATO
Russia’s Objectives in Ukraine—Reality and Media Myth
A Letter to the Editor 30 march 2022 from Eamon Dyas Pentagon Press Secretary: “Up until recently, we had still assessed that their [Russia] plan was to occupy and annex Ukraine” - 29 March 2022. That’s been the baseline of the US/NATO narrative from the start. It was necessary to construct it in order to … Continue reading Russia’s Objectives in Ukraine—Reality and Media Myth
WHEN JOURNALESE BECAME WORLD NEWS
Let me ask you a question: The ground is still squishy where a million lie in Iraq, the soft bones gone of a quarter million babes under five through sanctions, dried flesh still on the Guantanamo torture racks. Blood and tears in equal measure still torments Afghanistan. Gaddafi’s adopted toddler daughter dead in a British … Continue reading WHEN JOURNALESE BECAME WORLD NEWS
Labour Affairs 