Editorial 1 There is a substantial difference between gas supply and gas demand in Europe. The shortage in supply is not due to any physical shortage of gas as a natural resource but rather because European countries have decided to support attempts of the United States to weaken Russia by imposing sanctions on the import of … Continue reading Gas Must Be Rationed—But Not By Price
Economic Policy
Freezing for Zelensky
Editorial 2 Boris Johnson told the British public on 24th August that they must make significant sacrifices of their living standards to protect the freedom of the Ukrainian people. If this means high fuel bills, freezing or going hungry then so be it. Labour Affairs and others have already exposed the lies that underpin this rhetoric and we … Continue reading Freezing for Zelensky
Rail Strikes
By Pete Whitelegg Back in April of this year Mick Lynch, General Secretary of the Rail, Maritime and Transport Union (RMT) called an all member zoom meeting with members of the NEC. The message was a simple one, they are coming for us. Mick Lynch outlined what he had been told by the TOCs (Train … Continue reading Rail Strikes
The Struggle for Publicly Owned Land
LABOUR AND HOUSING – Part 9. The struggle for publicly-owned land (cont.) By Eamon Dyas [In the Seventies Labour endeavoured to stop profits from property speculation and development exceeding profits from industry.] The previous part of this exploration into the history of the relationship between private landowning and public need ended with an explanation of the … Continue reading The Struggle for Publicly Owned Land
Notes on the News
By Gwydion M. Williams Heat Waves, Floods and Drought The Mixed Economy – Thatcherism’s Secret Vice Technology: the World Not Set Free Inheritance – Preserving Small Businesses? Women Hated for Not Being Inferior Snippets China Fine for Useful Foreign Businesses Religion and Superstition Free Speech and Arab Winters Korea & Turkiye. Heat Waves, Floods and … Continue reading Notes on the News
The Anarchy of Production
By Gwydion M. Williams Most of the Cold War was fought by the West in defence of the Mixed Economy. Many of its defenders would have denied that the Mixed Economy was even capitalism. Rather more agreed it was capitalism, but an improved Mixed Economy Capitalism. Something that worked much better than the capitalism that caused … Continue reading The Anarchy of Production
Mick Lynch—In His Own Words (2)
Mick Lynch in his own words 4th August 2022, on the channel “Double Down News”. https://www.doubledown.news/watch/2022/august/4/mick-lynch-dismantles-the-media-keir-starmer-war-on-freedom-extreme-right-wing-tory-government [Extracts] “Division is fatal for working class people, we cannot allow that to happen, all workers are one and that’s the attitude we have to take forward, mobilising our people together, all workers of every identity in one mass movement. … Continue reading Mick Lynch—In His Own Words (2)
Editorial—The Fall of Johnson and The Energy Crunch
Why the political parties don’t want to tell the truth. Foreign and domestic policy are often related. Countries seek mutual benefit through trade and take measures to protect their own trading routes. They make long term arrangements for mutual exchange of products and services. In the contemporary world, the manufacture of a particular product often … Continue reading Editorial—The Fall of Johnson and The Energy Crunch
Political speaking before lies and propaganda
Read in this issue of Labour Affairs a speech by Winston Churchill in 1909, on taxing empty property: not only does the speech use arguments the Labour Party could deploy, but it is also a model of plain speaking (as well as witty), in the days when politicians called a spade a spade. [Tax on Capital … Continue reading Political speaking before lies and propaganda
Churchill arguing for a land tax
Winston Churchill and the 1909 Land Tax proposals Herbert Asquith became Prime Minister on 5 April 1908. In becoming Prime Minister at this time Asquith had not been elected but rather inherited the position in mid-term due to the ill-health of Campbell-Bannerman who in fact died just over two weeks later. On 30 April 1908, … Continue reading Churchill arguing for a land tax
Let’s Avoid a 1970s Rerun
The TUC have called for a large demonstration in London on June 18th in the face of the cost of living crisis. “Working people have had enough. Everything’s going up but our wages. Join the trade union movement in London to tell this government: we DEMAND better!” reads the TUC blurb. They are right and a massive … Continue reading Let’s Avoid a 1970s Rerun
Buses
Is Labour on the Buses? Dave Gardner Good public transport is key to economic success and social well-being. Compared with northern Europe, the United Kingdom, with the exception of London, is poorly served. Throughout the UK, bus services are the key to the ability to travel to work, to study, to see family and to … Continue reading Buses
On Interest Rates and Mini-Budgets
Interest Rates and Mini-Budgets Martina Seale On May 4th the Bank of England (BoE) decided to raise the Bank interest rate by 0.25% to 1%. The stated purpose of the increase is to help fight inflation. The logic that the BoE is following is really quite simple. Inflation is caused by demand for products being greater that the … Continue reading On Interest Rates and Mini-Budgets
Cost of Living
The cost of living — Parliament Notes What Labour MPs are saying in Parliament to address the cost of living crisis. Early day motion on the cost of living Motion text (presented by John Trickett; supported by John Cruddas, Diane Abbott, Kim Johnson, Bell Ribeiro-Addy; also Tony Lloyd, plus one Independent and one Green MP) 24th May … Continue reading Cost of Living
Insulation Rebellion — Editorial
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
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
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
Labour Affairs 