Solidarity 435, 12 April 2017

Dealing with Livingstone

Other articles relevant to the Ken Livingstone controversy Ken Livingstone: bad history, worse politics Ken Livingstone and the "anti-Zionist" left Trotsky and the Jewish question Jeremy Corbyn, Zionist? Solidarity 435 carries background material and discussion on the row in the Labour Party over how Ken Livingstone should be dealt with, following his inflammatory remarks no the relationship between Zionism and Nazi Germany. Our editorial position is that we do not call for Livingstone to be expelled. We want to limit, not expand, the powers the current party regime has to "ban" political...

Trump targets North Korea

On 4 April, the Syrian government used chemical weapons on civilians in the rebel-held town of Khan Sheikhoun in northern Syria. On the morning of 7 April, Donald Trump’s government responded with a cruise missile attack on the Syrian airbase which the US military believes was used to launch the chemical attack. Trump has also sent a navy battle group to the waters off the Korean coast. Trump’s actions carry a number of advantages for the US government beyond destroying the targets and intimidating Assad. By showing a willingness to use military force Trump ramps up pressure on North Korea and...

Industrial news in brief

National Union of Teachers (NUT) members at Forest Hill School in Lewisham will strike again on 20, 25 and 26 April in their campaign against vicious cuts being imposed by management to fulfil conditions of repayment of loan to Lewisham council. There is a demonstration on Saturday 22 April. The proposed restructure at the school is in response to a £1.3m deficit. Lewisham council has given the school a “loan” however they are demanding that the school cuts £800,000 from their wage bill. This would mean a loss of 15 teaching jobs, an escalation in teachers’ workload and a greatly diminished...

Keep the guard on the train!

The guard is there for everyone’s protection; recent incidents can only remind us of this. Access to rail services for disabled passengers relies on an adequate number of well-trained staff and accessible facilities. Environmental barriers, service provider policies and attitudes lead to our isolation and exclusion from work, education, volunteering and involvement in our communities. Guards have months of training and 35 different safety-crucial competencies. Yet the government is encouraging the extension of Driver Only Operation (DOO), and in many cases guards will be replaced by less...

Dodgy general secretary election?

On Friday 17 March, an Employment Appeal Tribunal judge overturned the decision of the Certification Officer to reject a complaint against the GMB bureaucracy, brought by GMB member Keith Henderson. Keith had complained that a misinterpretation and misapplication of the rules had prevented him or any other rank-and-file member from standing in the 2015 GMB General Secretary election. Among other things he claimed by-law 13 had been misinterpreted and misapplied to prevent potential nominees from contacting branches to seek nomination. To become a candidate it was necessary to obtain the...

Labour council losses expected

Labour are 18 points behind the Tories according to the Guardian/ICM survey produced on the eve of Corbyn’s launch of Labour’s campaign for the May Council and mayoral elections. Labour could lose as many as 125 councillors across England, Scotland and Wales. Particularly damaging in Scotland where Glasgow Council is likely to fall to the SNP. The Tories and the Lib Dems are expected to pick up 100 seats each across all the elections. A likely collapse of the UKIP vote, particularly in the south is likely to benefit the Tories. Meanwhile the metropolitan mayoral elections in the West Midlands...

The responsibility that comes with seeing

Pat Yarker reviews Incoming, free at The Curve, Barbican, London, until 23 April. Hundreds of thousands of people continue to flee war and persecution in the Middle East and northern Africa. Thousands die as they attempt to find safety in Europe. This installation, an artwork not a documentary, comprises almost an hour of video footage of migrants and refugees making their perilous journey. Mosse, a prizewinning photographer, and his collaborators, Trevor Tweeten, a cinematographer, and Ben Frost, a composer, used a military-grade thermal imaging camera to film in the Aegean sea and the Sahara...

Livingstone and the “anti-Zionist” left

Other articles relevant to the Ken Livingstone controversy AWL statement on how we think Livingstone should be dealt with Ken Livingstone: bad history, worse politics Trotsky and the Jewish question Jeremy Corbyn, Zionist? “We condemn the Oder-Neisse frontier established by the victors and the practice of mass expulsions as inhuman measures which can never be approved by socialists. But we warn the refugees against the illusion that their problems can be solved through conquest by force of their former homeland through World War Three. A new war would destroy their homeland along with the rest...

Labour needs a bold socialist programme for education

It’s about time! Labour has made a policy commitment to impose VAT on private school fees and use the money raised to finance the provision of free school meals for all children in primary schools. Just 7% of children go to private schools. They are overwhelmingly from wealthier, more privileged families — people who should be paying more tax. The 83% of children who go to state schools will benefit from the free school meals policy. It will ease the financial pressures on families who currently just fail the “means test” for free school meals; who may not realise that they qualify; or who are...

This website uses cookies, you can find out more and set your preferences here.
By continuing to use this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions.