Solidarity 372
Download pdf or read online
Download pdf or read online
PCS members fighting privatisation at the National Gallery voted on 24 July for all-out strike from the start of August if the gallery does not back down. Workers have already struck for more than 50 days, as well as holding various stunts, parties and protests inside and outside the gallery. Workers will strike again on Wednesday 29 July and are holding an âalternative leaving partyâ for outgoing gallery director on Thursday 30 July. Sacked PCS rep Candy Udwin was due to have her appeal hearing with the gallery on 22 July, after being vindicated by a judge who said that a âtribunal would most...
âFree Prideâ is an event being organised by LGBTQIA+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, questioning, intersex, asexual, other) people in Glasgow in response to the commercialisation of the Pride Glasgow. It is a two day âfestivalâ and ticketed event, with prices from ÂŁ8 for a day ticket to ÂŁ55 for a âVIPâ pass âwith separate toilets and bars for those who can afford this price tag! Worse, Pride Glasgow has a vomit-inducing âhappinessâ theme with the Twitter hashtag (of course thereâs a hashtag) #behappy. Trying to reclaim Pride so it is both political and accessible is entirely admirable and...
On 20 July 20 David Cameron spoke to a selected audience at an academy school in Birmingham about tackling violent extremism in Britain. While there were fleeting references to the far right and Islamophobia, the main focus of his speech was the extremism that led, among other things, to hundreds of young people leaving their homes in Britain to join Daesh (Islamic State). The speech was fundamentally about Islamist extremism. Cameronâs approach to tackling extremism was, as he claimed, based on four core principles. His government would confront the ideology, tackle non-violent as well as...
Fence Sitter Theyâre cutting help to those in need â What case to vote against? This is a tricky one indeed Iâm staying on the fence Scrap targets for child poverty? My mind is wracked with doubt Perhaps, no â maybe, probably â Iâm sitting this one out Whatâs wrong with capping benefits? Could someone please explain? Thereâs good things, bad things â call it quits I think Iâll just abstain Yes, voting No to welfare cuts Would lead to Labour losing! So we must show no heart or guts â My, this is so confusing! Itâs been explained to me at last The logicâs mighty fine To be against, we let it...
The new Tory government has wasted little time in stepping up its attacks on the NHS. Jeremy Hunt (Secretary of State for Health) has announced plans for a 24/7 NHS and all-out war on hospital consultants. This prompted a furious backlash from doctors across the country. And the hashtag #iminworkjeremy is reminding Mr Hunt that he already oversees a comprehensive 24-hour, 7-day week National Health Service. The backdrop to this latest fight between the government and NHS workers is the recent recommendations by the Doctors and Dentists Pay Review Board. The British Medical Association walked...
A judicial ruling, last month, has forced the Government to suspend its system of fast tracking asylum seekersâ appeals. This system leaves appellants in asylum cases detained and facing âkangaroo courtsâ, in a process deemed to be unlawful and âstructurally unfairâ by the judge. 800 cases are to be reviewed, and 100 asylum seekers recently entered into the fast track detention system are to be released while this goes on. Most of those in the fast track system are to remain in detention because they face imminent deportation. The use of detained fast track has rapidly increased in recent...
The bomb attack on the youth wing of the Socialist Party of the Oppressed, the SGDF, as their members travelled to Suruc on the TurkeyâSyria border to help reconstruct Kobane, has provoked a wide ranging response from the Turkish state. The SGDF according to official accounts were attacked by a suicide bomber from Daesh (ISIS), with over 30 of their members killed. The SGDF is part of a coalition of groups with close links to the Peopleâs Democratic Party. Press reports from across the region quote their members and supporters who are sceptical of the official claims and believe they were...
A hundred years ago, on 22 April, poison gas was first used in warfare. Though about 95% of casualties in World War One were caused by explosives, sickness and malnutrition, there is a peculiar horror associated with the use of chemical weapons. It is also true that, apart from isolated examples, World War One was the only instance of the systematic and widespread use of gases in war. As early as 1854, the British Secretary for Science and Art, Lyon Playfair [sic], suggested bombarding the Russians in Crimea with shells filled with cacodyl cyanide, an evil-smelling substance which vapourises...
The Tories have wasted no time in turning their manifesto plan to further straight jacket the unions in law. Proposals in the Trade Union Bill include a 50% minimum turn out and a 40% threshold of those in favour of action in certain âkey sectorsâ: health; education for under 17s; transport; fire services; border security and the decommissioning of nuclear plants and management of waste. Whilst these thresholds are not impossible to meet â the recent national strike action voted for by RMT members at Network Rail would have been legal under the new arrangements â they are extremely difficult...
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.