When one looks at the current Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP) and its leadership, it is hard to escape the impression of a collective without principles, interested only in political power and in concealing, as much as possible, what they actually stand for so as not to annoy any powerful interest or to provoke controversy. A good example … Continue reading Is Labour the Natural Party of Local Government? Editorial
Month: February 2023
On Strikes and Wars — Editorial 2
Can British trade unions defend their members’ standard of living without taking a position on the war in Ukraine? The standard of living of the British working class has fallen because NATO is engaged in a war against Russia using Ukraine as its proxy army. Do British trade unions support this NATO war against Russia? If so, should … Continue reading On Strikes and Wars — Editorial 2
Ukrainian Refugees and ‘small boat’ Asylum seekers
Eamon Dyas By the end of July 2022, the U.K. government had estimated that 104,000 Ukrainian refugees had arrived in the UK in the previous 5 months. [See: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/100000-ukrainians-welcomed-to-safety-in-the-uk %5D By the 24th of August 2022 data compiled by the Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford showed that over 115,200 Ukrainian refugees were officially living in … Continue reading Ukrainian Refugees and ‘small boat’ Asylum seekers
The Colonial Mindset
THE COLONIAL MINDSET Oh dear, I wish I could remember who said it but it had to do with someone killing 25 Taliban from a helicopter gunship, or was it a scam. US soldier Manning reported such a hit. and was sent to the torture of a silent cell. The 25 killer was cleaning the … Continue reading The Colonial Mindset
The Rail Dispute: Who’s In Charge?
Rail Dispute : Who’s in Charge? Peter Whitelegg The revised offer (19/1/23) lauded by much of the media is nothing more than a charter for the complete dismemberment of anything approaching decent employment conditions. With no pay rise in many cases for 4 years, and inflation running above 10%, the current offer of 5% for … Continue reading The Rail Dispute: Who’s In Charge?
Working Conditions: the Case of the Railways
Working conditions: the case of the railways Eamon Dyas In its report on the recent pay offer to the railway workers (link below) the BBC acts as the public relations department of the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) in the way it frames the offer. Not only is the 4% on offer miserly in itself but … Continue reading Working Conditions: the Case of the Railways
Working Conditions: the Case of the Müller Drivers
Working Conditions: the case of the Müller drivers Eamon Dyas Members of the Unite Trade Union are currently picketing supermarkets in London to highlight an industrial dispute that has received little coverage in the media although it touches on a subject that is becoming a growing concern for workers generally – the erosion of working … Continue reading Working Conditions: the Case of the Müller Drivers
Working Conditions—Comments
Muller and rail disputes: a comment Feargus ORaghallaigh There is an aspect to this story/dispute that has been left unmentioned and I wonder why. It is that Muller is a German-owned milk processor. It is highly successful, concentrating on the consumer/value-added end of the business - short shelf-life chilled FMCG (yogurts and such things). Its big … Continue reading Working Conditions—Comments
Blue Labour
BLUE LABOUR - STRONG ON THEORY, WEAK IN PRACTICE REVIEW: Maurice Glasman: Blue Labour - the Politics of the Common Good, Cambridge, Polity Press, 2022. Peter Brooke HOPEFUL BEGINNINGS Back in 2011 it looked as if Maurice Glasman could become highly influential in the Labour Party. Ed Miliband had become leader in 2010 and, casting around … Continue reading Blue Labour
Notes on the News
Notes on the News By Gwydion M. Williams Is Thatcher’s Spell Fading? Starmer and Labour’s ‘Timid Tendency’ China Badmouthed Over Covid The Sad Fate of All the Ukraines Snippets US Citizens Above the Law? Qatargate – Backwash From the Ukraine War? Russia Solid Chinese Protestors as Straw Dogs Is Thatcher’s Spell Fading? Baby Boomers like … Continue reading Notes on the News
Mick Lynch In His Own Words
(The image above is by water colour artist Inga Bystram) Transport Committee meetings 11/1/23 https://committees.parliament.uk/oralevidence/12513/pdf/ The three witnesses are Mick Lynch (RMT), Mick Whelan (ASLEF) and Frank Ward (TSSA). One of the Committee members is the SNP Gavin Newlands, whose later intervention in the House of Commons we quote below. Extracts. Question. [There have been three … Continue reading Mick Lynch In His Own Words
Stop the War in Ukraine—Peace Talks Now
Trade Union anti-war conference Saturday 21st January 2023 With Aslef general secretary Mick Whelan and RMT president Alex Gordon TRADE unionists gathered at central London’s Hamilton House today for a conference on strengthening voices for peace in the labour movement. The World at War — a Trade Union Issue has been called by the Stop the … Continue reading Stop the War in Ukraine—Peace Talks Now
Pay Increases
Meanwhile, in the Private Sector: Tanker drivers gain huge rise after walkout threat LOGISTICS workers were celebrating yesterday after their threat to go on strike led to them winning a “huge pay victory” worth close to 40 per cent for some staff. About 150 Unite members employed by Wincanton to deliver fuel to Valero petrol … Continue reading Pay Increases
Marie Dupin
The News Personified—a fresh look at the news A short daily humorous piece on French state radio ‘France Info’ Every morning, the journalist Marie Dupin takes on the role of a personality, an event, a place or a fact at the heart of the news. News reports usually leave out historical context, or even any … Continue reading Marie Dupin
Labour Affairs 