The Labour Conference and the Party under Blair and Starmer By Eamon Dyas What can we take from the Labour Party Conference at Liverpool? Keir Starmer acknowledged the importance of trade unions several times in the course of his speech and he indicated that he understood the relevance of proper training schemes and apprenticeships for … Continue reading Labour under Blair and Starmer
Trade Unions
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
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)
Mick Lynch In His Own Words
Mick Lynch, general secretary of the RMT, speaks for rail workers who have good terms and conditions at present and risk losing them and for workers who have bad or no contracts. On the media and having a high profile: “… having a high profile on social media is one thing, getting a deal in a very … Continue reading Mick Lynch In His Own Words
Sharon Graham to David Lammy
Sharon Graham to David Lammy on British Airways: Supporting bad bosses is a new low for Labour Sunday 26 June 2022 The leader of Unite the union has hit back at the comments by David Lammy MP, Labour shadow foreign secretary, made today (Sunday) that he would not support Unite’s members at British Airways who … Continue reading Sharon Graham to David Lammy
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
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
Austrian Chamber of Labour
The Austrian Chamber of Labour as an instrument of workers' interests Eamon Dyas [Below is a brief account of the history and purpose of the Austrian Chambers of Labour. It was stimulated by a conversation I had with Florian Wenninger, of the Institut für Historische Sozialforschung at the headquarters of the Arbeiterkammer in Vienna on … Continue reading Austrian Chamber of Labour
Manus O’Riordan and Ernest Bevin
Manus O’Riordan and Ernest Bevin By Dave Alvey A Note on Manus O’Riordan Manus O’Riordan was an Irish trade unionist and socialist who had many friends in the British labour movement. Following his sudden death on 26 September 2021, and reflecting his popularity across the multivarious strands of the political and trade union worlds, his … Continue reading Manus O’Riordan and Ernest Bevin
The P & O Scandal
It’s the hobbling of trade union power that’s permitted P&O’s actions After 42 years of anti-union legislation, we urgently need a restoration of the freedom of unions to defend their members, argues LORD JOHN HENDY QC THE piece in the Star on Saturday by my colleague Professor Keith Ewing outlined some of the shortcomings of the … Continue reading The P & O Scandal
Pisa Airport Workers
Italian Airport Workers Stop Arms Shipment to Ukraine Under Guise of “Humanitarian Aid” Carry Out Protest We strongly denounce this genuine forgery, which cynically uses “humanitarian” cover to continue fueling the war in Ukraine Italian workers discovered that weapons were being shipped to Ukraine under the pretence of sending “humanitarian aid” and have refused to … Continue reading Pisa Airport Workers
The New Liberal Party — Editorial
The New Liberal Party — Editorial 2 It was reported in the Financial Times on 18th Feb that Labour has entered into a de facto agreement with the Liberal Democrats on how to fight the next general election. It’s an unsurprising development. Starmer is focussed on ousting the Tories at the next general election but has come to … Continue reading The New Liberal Party — Editorial
Levelling up or Covering up?
Levelling Up or Covering Up? The government White Paper on levelling up. By Dave Gardner In 2019 the Tories won a general election largely on the basis of capturing seats that have traditionally sent a Labour MP to Westminster. These are for the most part seats in the Midlands and the North of England that … Continue reading Levelling up or Covering up?
The Destruction of Local Authorities as Housing Providers
LABOUR AND HOUSING – Part 7. The destruction of local authorities as housing providers. By Eamon Dyas Determining the economic discourse. The previous article in this series showed how building societies and banks were incapable of supplying mortgages on the scale required by the Tory Government’s 1979 Right to Buy scheme. It explained how local councils … Continue reading The Destruction of Local Authorities as Housing Providers
Minicab Union Victory
Victory for the App Drivers & Couriers Union “James Farrar, general secretary of the App Drivers & Couriers Union (ADCU), said: "Rather than fix its broken business model, Uber was determined to double down on misclassification at the cost of worker rights, passenger safety and the avoidance of VAT. "Our victory will now make misclassification … Continue reading Minicab Union Victory
The Right to Picket
Policing Bill: picketing in the crosshairs Read Lord Hendy’s article in the Morning Star, followed by his intervention in the House of Lords on the same subject. There you will also find the opinion of Lord Paddick, former senior police officer, that what the police need is not more laws but more suitably trained officers. The intervention … Continue reading The Right to Picket
Sunak’s Agenda is Labour’s Opportunity
Editorial The party which wins the next general election will be the party which presents to the electorate, in the clearest and most convincing way, a view of the role of the state in the society. No one knows what the position of the Labour Party is on the role and size of the state. Keir … Continue reading Sunak’s Agenda is Labour’s Opportunity
What is socialism?
by John Martin This is written from an Irish perspective but opens up the discussion for Britain too. If socialism is defined by how its political representatives act, then its elements can be described quite clearly. In the Irish context socialists tend to distrust the State. All actions by the State are suspect. The State … Continue reading What is socialism?
Labour Affairs 