Martin Seale The speech by the Shadow Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, to the 2023 Labour conference shows that a Starmer government could rapidly become dysfunctional. In her speech to the 2023 Labour Party conference, Rachel Reeves stated “Today, I make this commitment to you, and to the country: Out of the wreckage of Tory misrule, Labour … Continue reading Labour’s Economic Model – Trust the Private Sector
Labour Affairs (The image above shows an ad for the privatisation of British Gas in 1986) We can look at the question of the NHS through historical trends. Since Thatcher, trends have taken three directions. One towards a small state and a greater part played by the private sector. The second is the principle that … Continue reading Historical trends and the NHS
(The image above comes from the International Development Committee) Michael Murray Introduction The UN requires that countriesallocate 0.7% of their Gross National Income (GNI) on Official Development Assistance (ODA) for the purposes of the economic development and welfareof developing countries. TheInternational Development (Official Development Assistance Target) Act 2015 lays down how the UK will meet this requirement … Continue reading Tory and Labour U-turns on Aid to Developing Countries
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
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.
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
Martin Seale Rachel Reeves made an interesting presentation to the Peterson Institute in Washington DC on 24th May. The speech was accompanied by a 33 page document called “A New Business Model for Britain” in which it was stated: “The causes of Britain’s economic weaknesses run deep, however. For too long, Britain has been held back by two misguided … Continue reading An Active State—Rachel Reeves in America
The Labour Party wholeheartedly supports the war on Russia in Ukraine and sanctions against the import of cheap energy from Russia. UK support for sanctions is the main driver of domestic inflation in Britain as energy is an input into all products and services. Labour is not committed to any significant revenue raising measures by … Continue reading What You Should Know about Labour’s Economic Policy.
Eamon Dyas The New Imperialism is adding the exploitation of Third World Human Resources to the traditional exploitation of Material Resources. The Labour Minister says that Germany is looking to African countries to fill its skills shortage. Just like the 19th century rush to Africa, Germany has been late to this particular imperialism. Modern imperial exploitation … Continue reading Germany to further liberalize immigration
Jack Jones explains his role in the Labour movement in the 1970s, and how the battle to bring in Industrial Democracy was fought and lost, making something like Thatcherism almost inevitable. An interview with Jack Jones, conducted by Labour and Trade Union Review magazine L&TUR We’d like to begin with the experience of the seventies. As … Continue reading Jack Jones speaks
By Gwydion M. Williams Smith as Enemy of the New USA Wedderburn, Smith’s Overlooked Friend Pins and Watches Post-Leninism Smith’s False Hopes A Nation Not Ruled by Shopkeepers Back in the year 2000, I wrote a book called Adam Smith: Wealth Without Nations. Athol Books published it, and we launched it at the Labour Party conference and … Continue reading Adam Smith the Mythmaker
British politics is in a strange state. Since winning the 2019 general election with a substantial overall majority of some 80 seats, the Conservative Party has been tearing itself apart. It has already disposed of two Prime Ministers, Boris Johnson and Liz Truss. It is now being managed by the richest Prime Minister in history, Rishi Sunak. His main … Continue reading Budgets and Wars—Editorial 2
Eamon Dyas [Eamon Dyas comments on Lucinda Creighton’s article “Ireland is asleep at the wheel as the EU single market is being undone.” (Business Post, 17/12/22)] Lucinda Creighton refuses to acknowledge the biggest elephant in the room here - EU’s sanctions on Russia. The Green Agenda may have been the slow-burner on this and is … Continue reading The end of the EU ban on State subsidy
Children’s school meals Debate in the House of Lords 27/03/23 https://hansard.parliament.uk/lords/2023-03-27/debates/EAB74562-AB3E-4799-95CE-49E7A40FAD65/Children’s SchoolMeals Question Asked by Lord Brooke of Alverthorpe To ask His Majesty’s Government what plans they have to review and revise the children’s school meal regulations to reduce the levels of processed sugar and to provide incentives to encourage the use of alternatives such as stevia. … Continue reading School Meals in the Lords
Public Sector Wage Increases and Inflation British society as a whole is poorer because of the war it is waging against Russia. The sanctions that it has imposed on Russia have resulted in dramatically higher energy prices. Britain must give up a much larger share of its income to consume the same amount of energy. How is … Continue reading Public Sector Wage Increases and Inflation—Editorial
Sale of the Supermarket Morrisons By Feargus ORaghallaigh Feargus was a regular contributor to this magazine who died recently and we are publishing the article by him which, although published elsewhere, has not been published before in Labour Affairs. We are doing this as a reminder of his deep knowledge and analytical powers which this journal … Continue reading In remembrance of Feargus ORaghallaigh
Speech to Trade Union Rally, Guildhall, 21st February 2023, Derry, Northern Ireland Mark Langhammer The rally was organised by the NI Teachers Council made up of unions as follows: NASUWT, INTO, UTU and NEU (my union). One NITC affiliate, the NAHT (the Principals union) was not on strike. The meeting was hosted by the Derry Trades … Continue reading Speech to Derry Meeting
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
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