Walter Citrine:Forgotten Statesman of the Trades Union Congress by Dr Jim Moher (JGM Books, from March 2021), £24.99 This is the first biography of a trade union leader who was a leading figure in the Labour movement when the trade unions were a powerful influence in British society. It is also a study of his … Continue reading Walter Citrine
An extraordinary event took place on 24 January 2021: a BBC TV interviewer repeatedly challenged an Israeli representative about Israel’s failure to carry out its obligations under international law towards Palestinians living under Israeli occupation. The occasion was an interview by Andrew Marr with the Israeli Minister of Health, Yuli Edelstein [1]. Marr challenged him repeatedly about … Continue reading Israel’s Violations of the 4th Geneva Convention
Fight unemployment with a job guarantee Guardian Letters Thu 28 Jan 2021 Nigel Willmott’s constituency Labour party has written to its local council calling on it to adopt a job guarantee policy. He urges other CLPs to do the same I was very pleased to see your editorial in support of a job guarantee (25 January). Hornsey and Wood Green constituency … Continue reading Job Guarantee
Diary of a Corbyn foot soldier (March, 2021) Dictionary definition of a foot soldier: “…a dedicated low level follower…” Michael Murray: murraymicha@gmail.com; FaceBook: Michael Murray London Diary of a Corbyn Foot Soldier (February, 2021) Updated March 2021 Dictionary definition of a foot soldier: “…a dedicated low level follower…” As the withdrawal of the whip from Jeremy … Continue reading Diary of a Corbyn Foot Soldier
Listening to Italy by Orecchiette SUPER MARIO? On 13 February 2021 Mario Draghi, economist and retired central banker became the Prime Minister of Italy. Draghi first studied under Federico Caffè, a Keynesian economist at Rome's Sapienza University. He then moved to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology under Nobel prize winner Franco Modigliani, who said that … Continue reading Listening to Italy
Food for schools, prisons and hospitals, or Public Sector Procurement of Food. The White Paper for a Health and Care bill. [The Covid epidemic in England has highlighted the low number of nurses and doctors on the one hand, and the high number of people in poor health on the other. The minister for Health, Matt Hancock, … Continue reading Parliament Notes
By Gwydion M. Williams - No Homage to Catalonia - Independence is a human right for Tibet, Xinjiang and Hong Kong. But not Kashmir or Catalonia. Nor Sri Lankan Tamils- but the West tell off its government for crushing the rebels. Try finding a logic to that, other than crude power politics. Catalonia’s wish is clear: … Continue reading Notes on the News
Labour Affairs is the magazine of the Bevin Society. Here is the February issue.
Editorial February 2021 Reclaim the State And so, the deed is done. We are out of Europe. A last-minute deal means that the trucks are able to continue rolling through Dover and the other points of departure to Europe. There are no tariffs or quotas and a much lower level of paperwork than had been feared. The fishing folk … Continue reading Editorial February 2021
Israeli military intelligence analyst Assaf Kaplan given “crucial new role at the heart of Labour” In September 2014, the Guardian published an article entitled Israeli intelligence veterans refuse to serve in Palestinian territories. It began: “Forty-three veterans of one of Israel’s most secretive military intelligence units – many of them still active reservists – have signed a … Continue reading Israeli military intelligence analyst Assaf Kaplan given “crucial new role at the heart of Labour”
The Pandemic, Key Workers: Value and Wages The Pandemic and its impact on the economy has demonstrated to a high degree what the essential work required to keep a society from breaking down. This also shines a light on value and wages. The labour theory of value argues that the economic value of a good or service is determined … Continue reading The Pandemic, Key Workers: Value and Wages
Under reporting of Covid illness and deaths at places of work By Catherine Dunlop The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is responsible for collating figures for illness and death at work. In 2010 its budget was cut by half for each workplace it was responsible for. In 2020 its employees worked from home, and inspections were a … Continue reading Under reporting of Covid at work places
Diary of a Corbyn Foot Soldier (February, 2021) Dictionary definition of a foot soldier: “…a dedicated low level follower…” Michael Murray: murraymicha@gmail.com; FaceBook: Michael Murray London Contents: “They’ve taken the Whip away from Jeremy: Can they do that?” Going over in my mind the frankly depressing spate of suspensions and expulsions that have happened in the … Continue reading Diary of a Corbyn Foot Soldier
Labour Affairs 