The WPB recognises that a new young party of the Left needs to mobilise voters and activists from the new generation. The Labour Party under Jeremy Corbyn seemed to recognise this and published a Youth Manifesto in 2019. There does not seem to have been any significant policy thinking in this area since the fall of … Continue reading Workers’ Party of Britain Education & Youth Manifesto
Trade Unions
Lords of Misrule—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
Levelling Up will never happen under the Uniparty
The Scandal of Northern Inequality Nikola Bryce (Workers Party) “Inequalities between our regions are not inevitable. They are a product of policy choices in the design of our economy and democracy…” State of the North – Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) Report 2024 By Nikola Bryce (Workers Party GB Writers Group) In February 2022 the Tories … Continue reading Levelling Up will never happen under the Uniparty
A Brief Glimpse at the Seventies Squatting Movement
John Clayden"A people without knowledge of its past is like a tree without roots". Marcus Garvey This was on a banner in Catford Market with Bob Marley playing in the background, where I was canvassing for the Lewisham mayoral candidate John Hamilton recently. The same sentiment naturally applies to the working class: the working class must … Continue reading A Brief Glimpse at the Seventies Squatting Movement
Workers Party Victory in Rochdale
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
Apprenticeships—by a Former Apprentice
John Clayden Government Training Centres were I think set up during the war or just after and were nationwide and were set up with trade union cooperation but were later destroyed by Thatcher. The one in Perivale West London I attended covered the various building trades and engineering trades, sheet metal work as well … Continue reading Apprenticeships—by a Former Apprentice
Fan-Controlled Football Clubs in Germany—a Success Story
In the February issue of Labour Affairs we outlined the Workers Party policy advocating that fans take control over their own local football clubs. It was noted that this is still to a large extent the case in countries such as Germany. There fan-controlled clubs are able successfully to fight off threats from powerful financial … Continue reading Fan-Controlled Football Clubs in Germany—a Success Story
The Apprenticeship Fiasco
Dave Gardner Half the young people in Britain do not intend to go to university. Many of those who do, feel that they have no choice, even if they don’t particularly wish to. But what other choices do they have? This is where choices for young people become problematic. The main educational destination is a … Continue reading The Apprenticeship Fiasco
Campaign for fan-owned Football
Restoring Football to the Community Part of the Workers Party of Britain programme https://workerspartybritain.org Football, with its roots firmly in working class Britain, should become the “people’s game” once again. In recent years external predatory capitalist forces have stolen the game from the people. We see ever-increasing commercialisation and exploitative merchandising. Financial institutions, particularly from … Continue reading Campaign for fan-owned Football
LABOUR AND HOUSING – Part 14.
The problem of housing the less-affluent working class. By Eamon Dyas We have now arrived at the point where the second Labour minority government took power in 1929. In terms of housing policy the most significant difference between this second Labour administration and its predecessor was the absence of John Wheatley, from Ramsay MacDonald’s 1929 … Continue reading LABOUR AND HOUSING – Part 14.
Unite—The Union: A workers Plan for Steel
Workers Plan for Steel A union with a vision for the steel industry and the country. As part of Unite’s campaign to fight for the steel industry, open letters have been written by 130 businesses, associations and clubs in Port Talbot, 150 in Scunthorpe, 130 in Teesside, 150 in Sheffield. We reproduce the Teesside letter and comments, underneath … Continue reading Unite—The Union: A workers Plan for Steel
Party Politics, Trade Unions and the Scope of Collective Action.
Dave Gardner In the July/August editorial of Labour Affairs, we drew attention to the British trade unions at their most influential period between the Second World War and the late 1970s. It is worth asking ‘What is a trade union?’ before going on to the question of the role that they may or may not play … Continue reading Party Politics, Trade Unions and the Scope of Collective Action.
How to pay for it. The case for the elimination of the cap on child benefit.
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.
France’s hopeless left opposition
Froggy In France political movements and the remaining political parties (Socialist party, Communist party) hold annual ‘summer universities’ rather than conferences. The Melenchon outfit with a ridiculous name designed to put off adults (France Insoumise/France Unbowed) held its summer university where a grown up actually spoke. This is François Ruffin, deputy for France Insoumise in Northern France. He … Continue reading France’s hopeless left opposition
Red Vienna
Housing in Red Vienna and the question of reform v. revolution Eamon Dyas Although the phenomenon that is usually referred to as “Red Vienna” began with the election of the Social Democrats to the City Council in May 1919 the legacy of that phenomenon can be dated to the imposition of the taxation system introduced … Continue reading Red Vienna
Newspaper proprietors
Extracts from the Daily Herald [The Daily Herald was an important publication, being the only paper in Britain oriented towards the interests of the working class. It always struggled financially, not having wealthy proprietors. It started in 1911 by trade unionists; its line was always to support workers and strikers; it was against the war in 1914 … Continue reading Newspaper proprietors
Party Politics and State Power—Editorial
In last month’s issue Labour Affairs argued that the British two-party system of representative parliamentary democracy was largely a theatre, giving the impression of serious political rivalry about substantial policies but artfully concealing underlying agreements between the parties on nearly all the important issues. Conventional party politics is an illusion of real choice. Phoney antagonisms are worked … Continue reading Party Politics and State Power—Editorial
For what do we struggle?
Eamon Dyas We are living in interesting times as we witness the death throes of one world and the birth of a new one. But we, who are old enough, have lived through similar times in the past and looking back with the benefit of hindsight the main lesson that comes out of this is … Continue reading For what do we struggle?
Labour Affairs 