Solidarity 586, 24 March 2021

Thanks to Paul Hampton for his contributions. I think another comrade will reply on the question of fascism. I'll offer a few comments on the question of the Democrats, following on my previous article on Marxists and Democrats.

Is life on Earth unique in the universe? That is arguably the most exciting unsolved question in all of science, but the vastness of space and the technical limitations of interstellar travel significantly limit our ability to answer it. Fortunately, the answer may lie closer to Earth. Scientists hunt for signs of extraterrestrial life in many ways. But only by directly observing “biosignatures” (physical traces of life or life-induced processes) can its existence be confirmed. That requires landing instruments on planets and moons, and for now is only feasible in our Solar System. Where life...

The term “end of an era” is an over-used cliché, but with the death of Chris Barber on 2 March, it is fully justified. Trombonist Barber was the last surviving bandleader of the “trad jazz” movement that for a period in the late 1950s and into the 60s was immensely popular and competed with rock’n’roll for the allegiance of Britain’s music-loving youth. But Barber was more than a “traddie” (as they were known): over the years his highly-polished bands, made up of top-quality musicians, embraced R&B, skiffle, Ellingtonia and more modern styles of jazz. Perhaps most importantly, Barber always...

Having failed in a previous attempt to move to a biennial conference, the NEC [National Executive] of the post and telecoms union CWU has used the Covid crisis as an excuse to cancel this year’s conference, which would normally take place around the end of April. This means branches will not have an opportunity to shape union policy again until 2022, three years on from the last conference. However, the NEC has announced a one day rules revision conference next month to deal with what it describes as proportionality issues. This is likely to be yet another attempt to dilute democracy in a...

On Monday 22 March food couriers working for UberEats struck in Plymouth, demanding higher pay. At the time of going to press, UberEats drivers in Sheffield are discussing taking action, too. For all that Uber is trying to turn the screws on its food delivery workers and cheat its taxi workers, recent developments in the courts have opened a door for workers to make big gains. A ruling by the UK Supreme Court earlier this year stated that Uber taxi workers (though not yet UberEats workers) should be classed as “dependent contractors”, i.e. a type of worker, also known as a “limb (b) worker”...

Workers Liberty supporters remain active organising and building a number of struggles across UK universities, promoting a socialist programme for free education and a democratic campus, and building solidarity with staff campaigns. The recently reported fee strikes at SOAS and Goldsmiths in London ( Solidarity 583 ) continue strong, and both campaigns have recently held “superforum events” to build their struggles with other university campaigns. Connecting with rent strikes and campus union campaigns has been prioritised in both fee strikes, and making space to build understanding between...

On 19 March the Supreme Court ruled that care workers had no right to the minimum wage for “sleep-in” shifts. Showing an astounding lack of understanding, the judge stated, “The sleep-in worker who is merely present is treated as not working for... national minimum wage purposes”. Care workers, often perched on a sofa, usually barely sleeping, listening out for a call, and regularly interrupted, are not “merely present,” they are doing a vital role and obviously deserve to be paid at least the minimum wage for it. Mencap, the organisation who challenged the care workers’ claim, said it was...