Original SNP motion: That this House calls for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and Israel; notes with shock and distress that the death toll has now risen beyond 28,000, the vast majority of whom were women and children; further notes that there are currently 1.5 million Palestinians sheltering in Rafah, 610,000 of whom are children; … Continue reading Gaza in Parliament, Wednesday 29th February 2024—For the Record
A UK High Court hearing to determine whether Julian Assange will be allowed a final appeal against his extradition to the United States concluded with no immediate decision, leaving the fate of the WikiLeaks publisher hanging in the balance. With Assange too unwell to attend the hearing himself, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) reiterates its calls … Continue reading Free Assange!
By Gwydion M. Williams ‘Feed the Rich’ Dominates Politics The Niceness of the Next Nine Ukrainian Lives Matter China Rejects Feed-the-Rich Japanese Cherish Their ‘Honorary White’ Status Snippets Navalny: a Martyr for Libertarian Follies Israel’s Wrong Turn Falling Down for a Privatised Moon ‘Feed the Rich’ Dominates Politics We’re being told that those old people … Continue reading Notes on the News
Ordinary Britons have been victims of a fraud that began in the 1980s. Started before many of today’s voters were even born. Thanks to tight control of the popular media by the very rich, a reversion to 19th century capitalism was sold as the only option. Liberal critics speak vaguely of a Western failure after the … Continue reading The Mixed Economy and Dogmatic Individualism
By Christopher Winch Author’s Note. This article was first published in July 2003. It is a mark of the lack of progress that the left has made since then, that in preparing it for Labour Affairs in 2024 I have had to make minimal changes, like substituting ‘Starmer’ for ‘Blair’. It is often said by … Continue reading Equality and Socialism
The new party, Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance - Reason and Justice, is putting up candidates for the 9 June EU elections. Note that Wagenknecht puts the death of Navalny at the door of the Russian authorities, without proof, but she highlights the fate of the West’s prisoner of conscience, Julian Assange, at the same time. Preventing a … Continue reading Sahra Wagenknecht Newsletters February
The House of Lords has an Economic Affairs Committee (EAC) which has regular inquiries into economic matters that they think will be important for members of the House of Lords to understand. The structure of these inquiries is that the committee will hold a series of meetings to which it calls expert witnesses and asks them … Continue reading Sustainability of National Debt
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
Zyuganov: "Fulfilling the President's wishes and Nikolai Kharitonov's programme". Kharitonov is the Communist Party presidential candidate in the presidential election on the 17th March. Labour Affairs Commentary: In this speech Zyuganov (Secretary General, Communist Party of the Russian Federation) indicates his party’s broad support for the objectives of the government’s programme. In particular, he endorses the … Continue reading The Russian Presidential Election
The massive marches against Israel’s genocide that have taken place in London and other parts of the country since October have been met with hostility by Labour, putting the party at odds with some of its core electorate. In a recent speech to the Jewish Labour Movement Starmer came close to Suella Braverman’s claim that … Continue reading Labour, Palestine and Imperialism
The outcome of the ICJ case Michael Murray “Ceasefire!” An appendix to an article elsewhere in this issue of Labour Affairs, about the human rights lawyer, Blinne Ní Ghrálaigh, KC, and her role in the South African legal team, lists the nine “Provisional Measures” sought in South Africa's Application to the ICJ. The first is: "The State of Israel … Continue reading “Hague Schmague?” Oy veh!
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
Martin Seale It is clear that the issue of taxation will be important in the coming general election. The Chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, will present a tax cutting budget in March and the Conservative Party will present itself as the low tax party. It is worth therefore discussing the role of tax in the UK. When … Continue reading The Role of Taxation
Michael Murray Introduction: “An bealach seo atá romham” - my destiny Over the desk of Blinne Ní Ghrálaigh, In the busy London office of Matrix (Barristers’ ) Chambers, on the Greys’ Inn Road - also of Brussels and Geneva, hangs a framed pamphlet with a photograph on its cover of a smiling twelve year old … Continue reading Blinne Ní Ghrálaigh: “The Making of a Human Rights Lawyer.”
Published by Lola Books, 2023 By John Clayden Worker's MoneyI remember well over thirty years ago standing outside one of the biggest halls in Newcastle upon Tyne with a group of unemployed workers lead by a great unsung hero of the working class - Andy Robertson an oil rig worker who had organised his fellow … Continue reading Introduction to “Fiat Socialism” by Carlos Garcia Hernandez.
by Christopher Winch One of the reasons why socialism is struggling is that socialists do not really know who they are and where they came from. Many think that they are a species of liberal. After all, socialism grew up alongside liberalism and both are opponents of conservatism. Both socialists and liberals favour democracy and … Continue reading Should Socialists Fear Liberalism?
By Gwydion M. Williams Wars of the Chickenhawks All Serious Chinese are Heirs of Mao When Russia Went Wrong Hindus Hard-Liners Do It Their Way Snippets The Aden War and the Houthi Rebels Europe Unifying Update on Benedict Arnold Wars of the Chickenhawks Both world wars were begun by leaders who felt a war was … Continue reading Notes on the News
Gaza debated in the House of Lords, 16 January 2024 Baroness Janke To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs what steps he is taking to secure a lasting ceasefire arrangement between Israel and Gaza. A brief debate followed, during which David Cameron the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs said: … Continue reading Gaza in Parliament, January 2024
Labour Affairs 