The New Deal for Workers – a focus on ‘rights’ but what about power? Labour’s long-awaited Employment Rights Bill does not do nearly enough to remove the restraints on trade unions or to give them the powers they need to make a significant difference to the lives of the millions of workers, write KEITH EWING … Continue reading The New Deal for Workers—A View from the IER
LABOUR OUTLINES INDUSTRIAL PLAN Unions welcome opportunity to reshape Britain – if money forthcoming LABOUR’S new industrial strategy is a “golden opportunity” to transform the economy but must have real money behind it, unions said yesterday. [14 October] The government published a green paper opening a consultation process on its 10-year plan at its inaugural … Continue reading Union reactions to Labour’s Industrial Plan
The size of the national debt is the topic of the moment. Rachel Reeves found a difference of some £22 billion in the day-to-day spending announced by the Tories in the spring Budget in March 2024 and what they actually expected to spend. This implied a £22 billion increase in the national debt. Reeves called this a … Continue reading Political parties and national debt—Editorial
In February of this year ‘Labour Affairs’ pointed out that the Labour Party has historically been an imperialist party and continues to be so. Britain no longer has an empire but its political elite feel in their bones that they are heirs to an imperial tradition and need to go on acting as if the … Continue reading Beware the Warmongering Chihuahua—Editorial 2
One alternative to the current political order Tim Pendry (WPB) This last week has seen news that Jeremy Corbyn attended talks about the formation of a new political party The Collective. In fact, Corbyn has not said anything about endorsing an initiative that was, in fact, announced before the election. What is really going on here is … Continue reading The British ‘Left’ and the Workers Party of Britain
Labour conference: Unite general secretary Sharon Graham Winter Fuel Allowance speech Unite general secretary Sharon Graham today moved the motion on winter fuel allowance at Labour party conference. The full text of the speech is below: “The nation wants food, work and homes… It wants a high and rising standard of living, security for all, … Continue reading Sharon Graham Winter Fuel Allowance speech
More from the Labour Party Conference SOCIALIST CAMPAIGN GROUP FRINGE UNIONS MUST BE THE OPPOSITION WARNS NEU LEADER Daniel Kebede comments come after Labour leadership’s targeting of dissent from its MPs TRADE unions must become the most effective opposition if Labour keeps attacking the poorest, National Education Union leader Daniel Kebede said on Tuesday night. … Continue reading UNIONS MUST BE THE OPPOSITION
Dave Gardner We live in a political system described by its advocates as liberal democracy. Liberal democracy is contrasted with ‘authoritarian’ regimes which adopt policies that the leaders of liberal democracies do not like, such as the promotion of traditional families, restrictions on the influence of foreign governments masquerading as ‘civil society organisations’ or advocacy of … Continue reading Liberal Democratic Oligarchy
Starmer’s Moment of Weakness Keir Starmer has been a very effective leader of the Labour Party in opposition. At least by the standard that he set himself. Starmer set out to construct a Labour Party that could win an overall majority in the 2024 general election. In this he has succeeded. Starmer decided that he could only achieve … Continue reading Starmer’s Moment of Weakness—Editorial
A general election is upon the British people. General elections in Britain are theatrical affairs that rely on the generation of enthusiasm through manufactured differences in policy and outlook. By doing so continuity is achieved through the semblance of genuine controversy and the myth of liberal democracy is preserved. That myth rests on the idea … Continue reading Lords of Misrule—Editorial
Mick Murray (1) “Helloooo, is Praful there ?” That was a headline in the Islington Tribune greeting the news that Praful Nargund had been named in the shortlist of two to be the official Labour Party candidate in the Islington North constituency held, since 1983, by Jeremy Corbyn. “It’s total silence from the Labour hopeful … Continue reading General Election, 2024 “They’re off!”
LABOUR AND HOUSING—Part 15 By Eamon Dyas The previous article in this series explained the circumstances in which the second minority Labour administration found itself when it came to power in 1929. Despite the unfavourable political and economic situation that administration managed to pass the 1930 Housing Act which, although unambitious in nature, did succeed … Continue reading The fate of Labour’s early land tax legislation
Unite the Union protests at Labour not pledging to reinstate Workers Rights if elected Labour’s draft New Deal for Workers now “unrecognisable” Wednesday 8 May 2024 Responding to the recent New Deal documents sent to the trade unions by the Labour Party, the leader of Unite Sharon Graham said: “It looks like all the warnings … Continue reading Starmer Against Workers Rights
by Eamon Dyas The new definition Although the process had begun much earlier, the change in the definition of antisemitism began to have a direct bearing on the British body politic after Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the Labour Party since 2015, took the party close to government in the 2017 general election. It was only … Continue reading The re-imagining of antisemitism and its implications
The ritual of the annual Mais lecture took place on 19th March. The Mais lectures have been taking place since 1978. The year is not accidental. Thatcher was about to come to power. She proposed to abandon the postwar economic consensus of a managed economy in which the state assumed responsibility for economic areas considered crucial to economic success: health, … Continue reading Reeves in a Straightjacket—Editorial
John Clayden (The photo shows Ernest Bevin on the right of Churchill, 8 May 1945)The Left and that includes the very influential Zionist left have succeeded in wiping out a substantial chunk of working-class history namely the crucial contribution made by Ernest Bevin. This will come as no surprise to dedicated readers of this magazine … Continue reading Historical Context is Crucial—Ernest Bevin and Zionism
Workers Party Victory in Rochdale—Thursday 29 February 2024 Labour Affairs congratulates George Galloway on his victory. George Galloway has won a landslide victory in the Rochdale by-election, saying his victory showed Keir Starmer has paid a “high price” for his stance on the Israel-Palestine conflict as Labour’s suspended candidate slumped to fourth in its former … Continue reading Workers Party Victory in Rochdale
Keir Starmer has one objective, to win the next general election and form the next government, preferably with a large overall majority. Anything that might endanger achieving that objective will be removed. Starmer identified, early on in his leadership, that one danger was the opposition of the powerful Zionist lobby in the UK. He has consequently gone to … Continue reading Starmer’s Gaza Problems—Editorial 1
Labour Affairs 