Solidarity 277, 6 March 2013

Inequality kills!

Average life expectancy in the UK is one of the lowest among comparably affluent countries in the world. Government fixes focus on life style. But that would be to ignore some of the complex underlying causes as well as political responsibility. Les Hearn reports. In 2008, the WHO reported that life expectancy not only varied widely between countries (a girl in Lesotho has a life expectancy 42 years less than one in Japan) but within countries also (children born eight miles apart in the Glasgow area have 28-year differences in life expectancy). These facts come from the report of the WHO’s...

Lessons from Bulgaria

In Greece, a place all too familiar with poverty and the results of “austerity”, Bulgaria is reknowned for starvation wages (although the cost of living is far cheaper), the host country for Greek companies looking for cheap labour and as the site of dangerous nuclear power plants. “You do not want to become like Bulgaria” has been the cry of the Greek’s mainstream politicians and media acolytes - although recently the most “adventurous” of the Greek politicians and capitalists have been flirting with the idea of the Greek minimum wage and workers’ rights sinking to Bulgarian standards. Then...

Help us raise £15,000

According to Forbes magazine, there are now 1,426 billionaires on the planet with a total net worth of $5.4 trillion (around £3.5 trillion). What does £3.5 trillion mean? The entire UK budget deficit is less than 0.01% of that amount. A global tax of just a few percent on the wealth of the super rich could wipe out the alleged economic “need” for austerity policies across the globe. The world’s rich, and the governments that serve them, have used the economic crisis to screw down social costs. They have increased their wealth while the rest of us suffer. Workers’ Liberty exists to fight for a...

Stop the rise of Ukip

The United Kingdom Independence Party (Ukip) has seen support surge, most recently in the 28 February Eastleigh by-election where it won 11,571 votes — 27.8%, an increase of 24%, and enough to beat the Tories into third place. Last year, in the Croydon North by-election, Ukip polled 1,400 votes, an increase of 4%. In Rotherham, it won 4,648 votes (21.67%), coming second. In Middlesbrough, it also finished second with 1,990 votes (11.8%). In a recent YouGov poll the party showed 12% overall support — equal third with the Liberal Democrats. The trends suggest that Ukip stands a good chance of...

What is the 5 Star Movement?

Beppe Grillo’s 5 Star Movement (M5S) is tapping and now successfully channelling outrage, anger and hatred, has fabricated a massive internet-based “anti political radical populism” unique in Europe and it is now the largest single political force in Italy, with 108 seats in La Camera and 54 in the Senate. It won more than a quarter of all votes cast. M5S pledges to reject austerity and eradicate corruption from political life. M5S has tapped into, and now successfully channelled, outrage, anger, and hatred of the political establishment. It has built a massive anti-political radical populism”...

Where dissidents are “terrorists”

When George W. Bush proclaimed his “War on Terror” more than a decade ago, there was some concern in the USA and its allies that the war might not be confined to fighting actual terrorists overseas and could also be directed against ordinary dissenters at home. For that reason, civil liberties groups were particularly concerned about any “anti-terror” legislation that could be seen as curtailing human rights. The good news is that the democratic rights we had pre-2001 are largely intact in countries like the USA and the UK. The intelligence services no doubt have larger budgets and electronic...

Hull councillors defy cuts

200 people protested both in and outside the council hall in Hull throughout the day on 28 February as the ruling Labour group passed its cuts budget. The protest was called by the local government unions and backed by Hull Labour Representation Committee and the three Labour councillors who were committed to voting against the budget. After five hours of dire speeches from all the parties, the budget passed with 38 Labour councillors voting through 600 job cuts and a spending cut of £350 per head of population Three councillors — Dean Kirk, Gary Wareing and Gill Kennett — took a stand and...

Why has the UK been downgraded?

What are the UK government credit ratings which were recently downgraded? A bit like your personal credit ratings which decide whether you get a mortgage or a credit card or a bank loan. But government’s (and big corporations) credit ratings are published, and they are not yes/no ratings, but a long scale from AAA (top rating) downwards. What are the consequences of the downgrade? Many other countries, including the mighty USA, have been marked down from AAA, and can still sell their bonds (IOUs) without trouble. A drastic downgrade would matter economically, because banks are often...

Revolutionaries at work

The Workers’ Liberty workplace activists’ school took place over the weekend of 2-3 March in central London. The school, which is held at least annually by the AWL, brings together members and supporters of the organisation to discuss and develop socialist political activism in their workplaces and trade unions. Saturday 2 March was a day of practical skills workshops for workplace activists. The “Beyond ‘organising’” workshop discussed whether “the organising agenda” had replaced partnership as the new orthodoxy of the union bureaucracy and looked at the positive aspects, and limits, of...

An injury to one is an injury to all! Defend Bob Carnegie

On 11,12, and 13 February, as Bob Carnegie faced trial, thousands of construction workers walked off the job to show Bob that he had their full support. Bob is extremely grateful for that support. However, the trial has not finished, not by a long way. On 2 April there are further submissions. Some time after that the court will give its verdict. Should Bob be found guilty, sentencing will follow a little time later again. There is a very real possibility of Bob Carnegie being jailed for his support of the QCH workers. All this started soon after 2 October 2012, when CFMEU and BLF members...

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