Solidarity 570, 4 November 2020

Socialism and charity: ending food poverty

In response to the Conservative Government voting down a Labour Party motion to extend free school meal provision during school holidays, swathes of cafes, pubs, and restaurants across the country have stepped up to the plate, as it were, pledging to provide free meals to anyone who needs them. This has prompted an outpouring of congratulatory sentiment from across the social spectrum, with individuals, celebrities, and politicians from Nigel Farage to Sadiq Khan welcoming their generosity. Marcus Rashford, footballer and campaigner against child hunger, has been compiling a list of them all...

US workers plan for Trump coup

Sara Nelson, President of the Association of Flight Attendants, has been vocal about workers' action to block a Trump coup Last week we interviewed David Van Deusen, President of Vermont State Labor Council (AFL-CIO), about their plans for strikes if Donald Trump attempts to steal the election. On 30 October, the Labor Council reported on a discussion organised by the new Labor Action to Defend Democracy coalition: “Vermont AFL-CIO was pleased to be on a zoom call with 99 key labour leaders from around the US tonight in order to discuss our role in the defense of democracy should there be a...

Only the virtuous?

Amy Coney Barrett, the new judge rushed onto the Supreme Court by Trump and the Republicans, is on record in a court judgement as saying that the right to vote belongs only to “virtuous citizens”. She emphasises that she is an “originalist” — laws should be interpreted according to their “original” meaning — and declares: “history does show that felons could be disqualified from exercising certain rights — like the rights to vote and serve on juries — because these rights belonged only to virtuous citizens. See Thomas M. Cooley, A Treatise On The Constitutional Limitations (1st ed. 1868)...

Calibrating climate scenarios

In the first half of October, Storm Linfa hit Vietnam, followed by Storm Nangka, causing floods and landslides which left almost 100 dead, flooded over 100,000 houses, and forced almost that number to evacuate — while causing serious damage to agriculture and infrastructure. Towards the end of October well over one million people were evacuated in Vietnam as yet another storm, Typhoon Molave, wreaked havoc: destroying over 50,000 houses in total and leaving over six million without power. Meanwhile, Trump denies climate-change, and the “lesser evil” Biden champions that he will not ban...

Universities in lockdown

As Solidarity goes to press on 3 November, Lockdown 2 is about to begin (5 November) with universities subject to ambiguous government guidance. On the one hand they are expected to stay “open” (not that they ever closed, but instead put in enormous effort to deliver teaching online). On the other they are told “to consider moving to increased levels of online learning where possible”. Some Vice-Chancellors took less than 24 hours to consider and announce that they would be sticking with their status quo of continuing in-person teaching — even where it is not required for the subject or...

QAnon is growing in the UK

In October, Hope Not Hate released a report on QAnon, written by David Lawrence and Gregory Davis, with the first half concentrating on an overall summary, while the second half explores QAnon in the UK specifically. The report shows how David Icke laid the groundwork for QAnon in the UK, by spreading his own lizard-themed version of Satanic panic for decades. Hope Not Hate commissioned a poll into QAnon’s UK popularity. According to their findings, 19% had heard of QAnon, while 79% had not, with 6% being unsure. Young people were more likely to be aware of QAnon’s existence. One in ten said...

Free Hallel Rabin

On 1 November, demonstrations in Israel showed solidarity with Israeli citizen Hallel Rabin, imprisoned for the third time, and for 25 days, for her continued refusal to serve in the Israeli army. Rabin, 19, said : “For too long, the good people of Israel have agreed to participate in the atrocities committed by the occupation. While I know my refusal is small and personal... It is time to shout: There is no such thing as good repression, no such thing as justifiable racism and no more room for the Israeli occupation.” She was refused exemption, three to two, by the five-person draft board as...

Diary of an engineer: Lockdown, guilty, worry, losses

A chat over fish and chips in the mess room begins with J, a young apprentice, talking about his trip to see his family. He says, with a smile on his face, “My Dad’s a bit of a bastard.” “Your step-dad?” N, the maintenance manager asks him J: “No my actual Dad.” N: “Do you know who my best friend is?” J: “Who?” N: “Not my missus, not my mates, it’s my Mum and Dad. Gotta appreciate them.” B, a maintenance assistant: “Don’t tell your missus that or she’ll kill you.” After talking about families for a bit, M and B start talking about Tier 3 restrictions M: “I was listening to Jeremy Vine, prick —...

Kino Eye: Looking for Langston

Those who read Janine Booth’s excellent article ( Solidarity 569) on the Harlem Renaissance should find Looking for Langston (1989) by Black-British director Isaac Julien both engaging and interesting. The key words are in the title: “Looking for…” The film explores the black gay experience using a loose parallel between a nightclub in 1920s Harlem and a similar establishment in 1980s London. It is not a biography of Langston Hughes, although the film contains footage from the 20s, along with extracts from Hughes’ poetry and work by other contemporaries, including Oscar Micheaux, the first...

Workplace and union reports: Royal Academy, Unison election, Sheffield couriers

Royal Academy jobs fight In the week ending 30 October, staff at the Royal Academy of Arts in Piccadilly held five days of demonstrations outside the building, calling for the RA to reconsider their proposal to make more than a hundred staff redundant. Since the start of the pandemic, the Prospect union has seen RA staff join at speed and reach over 150 members by the start of the demos, between 30% and 40% of total staff, numbers that mirror the scale of the proposed redundancies. The daily demonstrations, typically hosting between ten and thirty people, were joyful and replete with RA staff...

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.