Central Bank Independence Readers will be familiar with the term ‘independence of the central bank’. Of late, it has been much referred to in the media. The tone is always that this independence is a good thing. And Labour proudly remind us that the Bank of England (BoE) was made independent by Gordon Brown in 1998 when he … Continue reading The Independence of the Bank of England—Editorial
Month: September 2023
Party Politics, Trade Unions and the Scope of Collective Action.
Dave Gardner In the July/August editorial of Labour Affairs, we drew attention to the British trade unions at their most influential period between the Second World War and the late 1970s. It is worth asking ‘What is a trade union?’ before going on to the question of the role that they may or may not play … Continue reading Party Politics, Trade Unions and the Scope of Collective Action.
BRICS 15th Summit Conference 22-24 August 2023
Michael Murray Contents: (1) Not just another BRIC in the Wall (2) Why the interest in BRICS by developing countries? (3) The founding document of BRICS: 2009 (4) The New Development Bank of BRICS - High S&P Ratings (5) The Chinks in the BRICS Not just another BRIC in the Wall This week, at its … Continue reading BRICS 15th Summit Conference 22-24 August 2023
How to pay for it. The case for the elimination of the cap on child benefit.
An imaginary interview between the BBC and a progressive Labour Party by Michal Lerner BBC: Labour says that it will eliminate the cap on child benefit. That will cost some £1.3 billion. How will Labour pay for it? LP: A Labour government will pay for it the way British governments pay for everything that has been approved by … Continue reading How to pay for it. The case for the elimination of the cap on child benefit.
Notes on the News
Notes on the News By Gwydion M. Williams Sick Britain The Global South Stands Solid China In Chaos? Climate Change Inferiority for China and India? War Until the West Runs Out of Gullible Ukrainians? Snippets A Very English Ruthlessness India On The Moon Israel – Losing Westernisation Sick Britain From the 1980s, Britons were tricked … Continue reading Notes on the News
Palestine Links
Killings, pogroms, expulsion: Israel dispossesses Palestinians of their lands using settler violence (B'Tselem, 10 August 2023) 'Watershed moment': Over 700 academics equate Israeli occupation with apartheid (Middle East Eye, 8 August 2023) Israeli Minister Ben-Gvir praises settlers who killed teen as “heroes” (Tamara Nassar, Electronic Intifada, 6 August 2023) 90 years ago, a negotiated 'transfer' … Continue reading Palestine Links
France’s hopeless left opposition
Froggy In France political movements and the remaining political parties (Socialist party, Communist party) hold annual ‘summer universities’ rather than conferences. The Melenchon outfit with a ridiculous name designed to put off adults (France Insoumise/France Unbowed) held its summer university where a grown up actually spoke. This is François Ruffin, deputy for France Insoumise in Northern France. He … Continue reading France’s hopeless left opposition
Red Vienna
Housing in Red Vienna and the question of reform v. revolution Eamon Dyas Although the phenomenon that is usually referred to as “Red Vienna” began with the election of the Social Democrats to the City Council in May 1919 the legacy of that phenomenon can be dated to the imposition of the taxation system introduced … Continue reading Red Vienna
Sharon Graham BBC Interview
BBC Interview with Sharon Graham BBC 14/7/23 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-66203880 Labour needs to be "bolder" and "more ambitious", rather than "tinkering around the edges", the head of the UK's second largest union has told the BBC. Unite leader Sharon Graham warned that otherwise "apathy" would be the winner at the next general election. The union gives more … Continue reading Sharon Graham BBC Interview
Ukraine and the Western Media
From concocted assassination of Russian dissident to employing U.S. transgender activist – the evolution of Kiev’s relationship with the western media. - By Eamon Dyas The feature that epitomises the western media’s relationship with the Kiev regime is its uncritical approach to Kiev’s propaganda no matter how crude that propaganda might be. This was not always … Continue reading Ukraine and the Western Media
Purges in the Labour Party
Starmer’s campaign of exclusion and harassment. Catherine Dunlop This topic requires a report on the scale of the Forde report, which took two years to investigate complaints of all sorts regarding the behaviour of officers and members. What follows is a selection of headings of topics that need to be investigated to explain how the current … Continue reading Purges in the Labour Party
Newspaper proprietors
Extracts from the Daily Herald [The Daily Herald was an important publication, being the only paper in Britain oriented towards the interests of the working class. It always struggled financially, not having wealthy proprietors. It started in 1911 by trade unionists; its line was always to support workers and strikers; it was against the war in 1914 … Continue reading Newspaper proprietors
Labour Affairs 