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
Trade Unions
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?
Sahra Wagenknecht—The Self-Righteous
Sahra Wagenknecht’s ‘The Self-Righteous’. Labour Affairs is pleased to publish below our own English translation of the Foreword to Sahra Wagenknecht’s ‘The Self-Righteous’, published in Germany earlier this year (Die Selbstgerechten: Mein Gegenprogramm – für Gemeinsinn und Zusammenhalt. Campus, Frankfurt am Main 2021). The book has had a significant impact in Germany where Wagenknecht is … Continue reading Sahra Wagenknecht—The Self-Righteous
The Melancholia of Class
THE MELANCHOLIA OF CLASS BY CYNTHIA CRUZ I REPEATER BOOKS £10.99The tyranny of the middle-class worldview CHRIS MOSS (Morning Star Monday November 22 2021) recommends a perceptive analysis of the dichotomy between working-class identity and its repudiation by contemporary society. Aspiration, assimilation, alienation and class are knottily intertwined in con- temporary Western societies. Success is deemed to … Continue reading The Melancholia of Class
Fire and Rehire Bill — Parliament Notes 2
Parliament debate 22 October 2021 https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2021-10-22/debates/BFCF71FC-1BE2-488A-A926-7EA0A1E1F36A/EmploymentAndTradeUnionRights(DismissalAndRe-Engagement)Bill?highlight=barry%20gardiner#contribution-1EA2B774-28DC-4ED0-B891-48FDCD646E7D During the Covid pandemic firms like British Airways fired part of their staff and rehired them on reduced terms and conditions. The Labour MP Barry Gardiner presented a Private Member’s Bill to end this practice. No MP on either side defended the practice, but still the Bill was not passed. Conservatives … Continue reading Fire and Rehire Bill — Parliament Notes 2
A small victory for freedom of speech: the reinstatement of Stan Keable
We reproduce Stan Keable’s statement, the full story can be read on the website of Jewish Voice for Labour. Statement by Stan Keable, Tues Oct 26 2021 [Three and a half years after his sacking for a comments about Zionism during the ‘Enough is Enough’ demonstration in parliament square, Stan Keable welcomes a small victory in … Continue reading A small victory for freedom of speech: the reinstatement of Stan Keable
Unite Election — Diary of an ex-Corbyn foot soldier
Diary of an ex-Corbyn foot soldier (July, 2021) Dictionary definition of “foot soldier”: “…a dedicated low level follower…” Michael Murray: murraymicha@gmail.com; FaceBook: Michael Murray London Contents: (1) Unite the Union’s 2021 election of a General Secretary to succeed Len McCluskey (2) Doing the numbers: importance of Unite election result for the Labour Party (3) Trade unionism and … Continue reading Unite Election — Diary of an ex-Corbyn foot soldier
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