Current issue dated: 13 February 2010| 2188
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Highlights
NO JUSTICE
Weapons manufacturer BAE paid a bribe to avoid bribery charges last week, but people who protested in Britain against the use of those weapons in Gaza face jail this week » more
Viv Smith looks behind the glamour of Africa’s first host of football’s World Cup to see what it means for ordinary people » more
The author of the popular book Dear Granny Smith explains how it all came about » more
Simon Basketter looks at what socialists should say about the election » more
Education is being attacked as the government plans to cut a staggering £449 million from university budgets » more
Socialist councillor Michael Lavalette discusses the implications of a debate on Preston Council » more
Full contents
» No justice
Weapons manufacturer BAE paid a bribe to avoid bribery charges last week, but people who protested in Britain against the use of those weapons in Gaza face jail this week
» Afghan offensive will only bring more tragedy
Tens of thousands of Afghan people fled the city of Marjah in Helmand province this week, just before a planned Nato assault
» Salford selects candidate to take on Hazel Blears
The grassroots campaign to get rid of Salford MP Hazel Blears has nominated its candidate for the general election
» Postal worker sacked as he heads for a war zone
Royal Mail bosses in Wimbledon, south London, have sacked Kevin Tester, a CWU postal workers’ union rep
» Insolvency hits record high
The number of people declared insolvent has reached record levels
» Yarl’s Wood hunger strike
Women held in Yarl’s Wood asylum detention centre were subjected to a brutal lockdown on Monday
» Don’t touch scab nickel
Nickel products made by scab labour in Canada are heading for a refinery in Wales
» Carbon report slams trading
The government’s favoured method for “reducing” carbon emissions is failing
» Greek workers won’t pay for bosses’ crisis
Workers across Greece’s public sector are set to strike over cuts on Wednesday and Thursday of this week
» What does euro gamble mean?
Speculators have bet a record £5 billion in the last few days that the euro is about to fall sharply in value
» Uncovering roots of scab ‘union’ at British Airways
The “scabin crew” at British Airways is getting jittery
» Activists’ diary: upcoming dates for the movement
Protests, meetings and events
» Education under attack as cuts hit
Education is being attacked as the government plans to cut a staggering £449 million from university budgets
» New wave of hospital cuts threatens jobs - and lives
Hospitals across Britain are threatened with ward closures while thousands of health workers face redundancy in a new wave of government cuts
» Right to Work: the resistance comes together
Activists across Britain are forming networks to fight the cuts, stop job cuts and support local campaigns
» Arms dealer BAE gets away with murder
Britain’s biggest arms company BAE has paid its way out of corruption charges
» How New Labour stopped investigations into BAE
Tony Blair cancelled an investigation into BAE providing £600 million in bribes for Saudi Arabia
» Arms cash
BAE's foreign interests
» Victories against BNP and EDL - now let’s stop racists in Dudley
Anti-fascists are celebrating after planned racist events in Durham and Bolton were called off last week
» Anti-Nazis step up the fight to wreck Nick Griffin’s Barking campaign
The campaign to stop fascist BNP leader Nick Griffin becoming MP for Barking hit the streets again last Saturday
» US hotel cancels racist booking
The BNP leader Nick Griffin is planning to appear at a conference organised by “American Renaissance”, a US white supremacist group
» The British state’s revenge on Gaza protesters
Up to ten protesters faced severe jail sentences on Friday of this week for joining protests against Israel’s assault on Gaza in 2008 and 2009
» The system protects the police, not us
An experienced defence lawyer spoke to Siân Ruddick about how the Gaza protesters have been betrayed by the criminal justice system
» Business agenda at the heart of parliamentary corruption
Parliament is rotten to the core
» Right to Work: build broad networks of resistance
The Right to Work conference of resistance and solidarity on 30 January was a stunning success
» Quotes from the week’s news
In their own words
» Tim: ‘Can’t lock up every dishonest politician…’
» General strike rocks Turkey
Five Turkish trade union federations held a one-day general strike in solidarity with 12,000 Tekel workers on Thursday of last week
» Banning the fascists?
Socialist councillor Michael Lavalette discusses the implications of a debate on Preston Council
» Don’t overstate China’s power
Alex Callinicos considers why so many commentators are getting caught up in ‘Sinomania’
» South Africa’s World Cup stadium of slums
Viv Smith looks behind the glamour of Africa’s first host of football’s World Cup to see what it means for ordinary people
» Roy Mayall: ‘My subversive testament to the dedication of postal workers’
The author of the popular book Dear Granny Smith explains how it all came about
» Who do you vote for?
Simon Basketter looks at what socialists should say about the election
» The Second International: From class war to imperialist slaughter
In the second part of our series Dan Swain looks at the rise and fall of the Second International
» Letters
Climate sceptics don’t prove science wrong | Job cuts are higher at the SLC | No justice for Blair | Debate on defence? | Gaza charges invoke memory of Bradford | Protest against reactionary Pope | Remembering the Holocaust | Council cuts in Edinburgh | Why states collapsed | The wrong priorities | Stop attack on students | Don’t believe energy hype
» Historical Actuality of the Socialist Offensive - Parliament’s problems go deeper than duck houses
Mark L Thomas reviews Istvan Meszaros’ new book on the problems with parliamentary democracy
» Edge of Darkness doesn’t measure up to the moving original
In his first film for eight years Mel Gibson plays Thomas Craven, an ex-forces police officer
» LGBT history month events
Drawn Out & Painted Pink | FIT: The Movie | Bristol LGBT history walk
» Diane Mitchell
Diane Mitchell died on 14 January
» Protest over exploitation in construction
Some 150 construction workers staged a series of protests over exploitation on Wednesday of last week
» Vote for national civil service workers’ strike
Strike ballot papers arrived at the homes of more than 270,000 civil service workers last week
» Teachers ballot to stop Sats
The NUT teachers’ union national executive will meet on 25 February to decide the terms and timing of a ballot on action over the hated Sats tests
» London-wide education demo called for 20 March
Lecturers have called a London-wide demonstration in defence of jobs and education on Saturday 20 March
» Leeds University lecturers vote to strike
Lecturers at Leeds University have voted strongly for strikes over job cuts
» Manchester Metropolitan University ban on-site union meetings
Bosses at Manchester Metropolitan University have launched an outrageous assault on workers’ rights to organise in trade unions
» Leicester fights back
Our city is facing a wave of cuts that could devastate services, destroy jobs, and even cost lives
» Signalling resistance on London Underground
A strike by 750 signal workers caused major disruption on London Underground last week
» Bilston Delivery office campaign
Over 100 campaigners met in Bilston, West Midlands, last week to launch a campaign to stop the closure of the local postal delivery office
» Unison elections: the left must unite
The battle for the general secretary of the huge Unison union is on
» New action called at Wisbech cannery
Workers at Premier Foods cannery in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, have voted to restart their strikes
» Kirklees council strike vote
Unison Union members at Kirklees council, West Yorkshire, have voted for an industrial action ballot after the council reneged on key single status agreements
» Rapid response to fire cutbacks
Firefighters at Birchwood fire station in Warrington face cuts that could see them “working from home” at night
» Support the Fujitsu workers
The planned strike at the Fujitsu Services IT company did not take place on Monday of this week
» Bosses suspend union activist
Campaigners are set to protest against the suspension of Unite union activist Alberto Durango by the Lancaster cleaning company at the UBS building in London
» SWP women’s school success
Around 100 people came to a dayschool on women’s liberation last weekend, organised by the Socialist Workers Party
» Pension fightback at key Welsh port
Milford Haven Port Authority pilots and launch crews have voted for strikes
» Meetings and events
SWP Marxism and Ecology meetings | SWP public meetings | SWP branch meetings | Unite Against Fascism | Stop the War | Movement events
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