Current issue dated: 13 March 2010| 2192

Highlights

UNITE THE FIGHTBACK

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As 200,000 civil service workers strike, thousands march against cuts in Glasgow and mass strikes spread across Europe, we need to argue to bring the struggles together » more

After EDL march in London: 'We’ll stop these racists next time'

The state allowed 250 followers of the racist English Defence League (EDL) to march on parliament on Friday last week » more

Greek strikes show the way to resist here

Greek workers have stepped up their resistance to cuts while politicians and bosses are demanding more » more

Chile: tremors of the past

The earthquake in Chile and the declaration of martial law reveal the failure of the state – but they also recall the horror of the last time the military ruled, writes Mike Gonzalez » more

Education: access denied

Jenny Sutton is a lecturer at the College of North East London in Tottenham, north London, where she has worked for 17 years » more

Police criticised in Paul Coker death-in-custody Inquest

Patricia Coker, mother of Paul Coker, gives her view on the inquest into his death in a police station in 2005 » more

Full contents

News

» BNP uses apartheid tactics to keep party racist online only

BNP leaders are planning to introduce an apartheid-style membership system to keep ethnic minorities from being involved in key areas of the party

» Nick Griffin invited back by BBC online only

The BBC has announced that it is going to give another platform to Nazi British National Party (BNP) leader Nick Griffin

» English Defence League thugs convicted online only

The leadership of the racist English Defence League continue to claim it is a “peaceful” organisation—but the arrest and conviction of key members paints a different picture

» Protests after deaths of Glasgow asylum seekers online only

Some 80 people demonstrated outside the UK Border Agency offices in Govan, Glasgow, yesterday after the deaths of three asylum seekers on Sunday

» Leeds university lecturers set new strike date online only

Lecturers at Leeds University are set to strike on Thursday 18 March

» Unite the fightback

As 200,000 civil service workers strike, thousands march against cuts in Glasgow and mass strikes spread across Europe, we need to argue to bring the struggles together

» Civil service workers plan budget day walk out

Over 200,000 civil service workers struck on Monday and Tuesday in the first major national battle against the government’s cuts programme

» Reports from PCS picket lines across Britain

Birmingham

» Pictures of the PCS strike online only

» After EDL march in London: 'We’ll stop these racists next time'

The state allowed 250 followers of the racist English Defence League (EDL) to march on parliament on Friday last week

» The BNP Nazi at the heart of the EDL

Chris Renton, BNP activist, was on the English Defence League march in London last week

» Bolton calling anti-fascists

From Glasgow to Dover activists will be coming to join the Unite Against Fascism counter demonstration against the EDL in Bolton on 20 March

» UAF week: pushing back the BNP in Barking

Alys Zaerin from Unite Against Fascism (UAF) told Socialist Worker about her week in the campaign against Nick Griffin in Barking and Dagenham

» Greek strikes show the way to resist here

Greek workers have stepped up their resistance to cuts while politicians and bosses are demanding more

» Picture of police attack on Greek left wing politician

» Real wages for BA cabin crew have fallen

The bosses and right wing rags say BA cabin crew are well paid

» Critical week at BA - will Unite set strike dates?

Crucial talks between British Airways (BA) bosses and the Unite union were due to end as Socialist Worker went to press

» Left’s candidates are ready for election

Two new candidates have joined the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) to stand in the upcoming general election

» Sussex lecturers to strike next week online only

Lecturers at the University of Sussex are set to strike on Thursday 18 March

» Icelanders vote against compensation

Voters in Iceland have overwhelmingly rejected the terms of a deal to compensate British and Dutch banking customers for their losses after the bank Icesave collapsed in 2008

» New battles against cuts in Ireland

Trade union leaders in Ireland have been forced to announce a new series of strikes over pay cuts, job losses and attacks on pensions

» Finnish dockers lead shut down

A dockers’ strike has paralysed large parts of Finnish industry

» Total announced closure of refinery in Dunkirk

The French CGT union has threatened “fire and blood” after oil giant Total announced the closure of its refinery in Dunkirk

» General strike rocks Portugal

Hundreds of thousands of Portuguese workers took part in a general strike on Thursday of last week

» Far right gain ground in Dutch elections

Local election results in the Netherlands are a serious warning to the left

» Young not registered to vote

More than half of people aged 17 to 25 are not registered to vote, figures from the Electoral Commission revealed last week

» New Labour wants to cover up Guantanamo links

New Labour is determined to continue its cover-up of MI5 collusion with Guantanamo Bay

» Evidence of torture haunts the British government

More evidence is emerging that the British government is allowing its territory of Diego Garcia to be used for torture

» Meeting to build support for Gaza activists

Over 100 people met last Tuesday to build solidarity for people jailed after protesting at Israel’s assault on Gaza last year

» Inquiry into torture claims begins

An inquiry into allegations that British soldiers tortured and killed people in Iraq began this week

» Shocking birth defects in Fallujah

Children in the Iraqi city of Fallujah are still being born with severe birth defects

» Jail for British soldier who wouldn’t go to war

Anti-war soldier Joe Glenton has been imprisoned for his refusal to fight in Afghanistan

» Sussex bosses wine and dine while they slash jobs

Management at Sussex university have been stuffing their faces in the company of high-paid business executives—while pushing through cuts that will devastate education

» Leader of Glasgow city council resigns

The Scottish Labour Party has been shaken by the resignation of the leader of Glasgow City Council, Steven Purcell

» Lord Ashcroft’s millions are the tip of the iceberg

Lord Ashcroft, who effectively owns the Tory party, hit the headlines as he admitted that he didn’t live here in order to avoid paying tax

» Police criticised in Paul Coker death-in-custody Inquest

Patricia Coker, mother of Paul Coker, gives her view on the inquest into his death in a police station in 2005

» Resistance escalates as Sussex students and workers fight cuts

Bosses have raised the stakes for students and lecturers struggling against cuts at Sussex university

Editorial

» Venables: media frenzy masks causes of tragedy

The return of Jon Venables to jail for breaching his parole licence has created a storm in the right wing media

» Unity, solidarity and action can stop cuts

DIVIDE AND rule is a key weapon in the bosses’ armoury

Who says?

» The week in quotes

“As a director of Bond Street stationery firm Smythson and daughter of aristocrat Sir Reginald Sheffield, Mrs Cameron is not a natural Labour supporter—but she was a black-clad ‘goth’ in her teens

Cartoons

» Tim: Extremists

» Tim: Bankers get away with it

Alex Callinicos

» Michael Foot’s nationalist spirit lives on in Greece's government

The hypocrisy of the British media can still surprise

Comment

» Real agenda of climate deniers

We are witnessing a frenzy of climate “scepticism”

» Is immigration destroying "British culture"?

Everything is changing

Features

» Education: access denied

Jenny Sutton is a lecturer at the College of North East London in Tottenham, north London, where she has worked for 17 years

» Chile: tremors of the past

The earthquake in Chile and the declaration of martial law reveal the failure of the state – but they also recall the horror of the last time the military ruled, writes Mike Gonzalez

Reviews

» Lack of politics at the cynical heart of Labour

Two new books The End of the Party and Inside Out chart the long decay of the Labour government, writes Simon Basketter

» Carried Away - showcasing a history of working class struggle

David Henry says that Manchester’s Carried Away exhibition was well worth waiting for

» A Day at the Racists

This is a striking new play about the growth of the fascist British National Party (BNP) in an east London borough – a very thinly disguised Barking

» The White Ribbon DVD

This film is set in a rural German village on the eve of the First World War

» Blood and Oil

The Niger Delta in Nigeria is a battleground

» Exit Through The Gift Shop

Guerilla artist Banksy has a film out, Exit Through The Gift Shop

News & Reports

» Ten thousand march against education cuts in Glasgow

Up to 10,000 teachers, pupils and campaigners poured onto the streets of Glasgow to protest against cuts in education on Saturday

» Dawn raids by Unison on branch offices as four suspended

Unison officials raided the offices of the union’s Bromley, Greenwich and Housing Association branches without notice last Friday morning

» First Scotrail guards and drivers strike this Saturday over safety

More than 550 guards and drivers at First Scotrail were set to strike for the third time this Saturday against plans to impose driver-only trains on the new Airdrie-Bathgate line

» Network Rail maintenance workers balloted

A ballot of 15,000 Network Rail maintenance workers ends this week

» Post deal: gains and loses at a glance

LOSS: Up to £30 a week for delivering junk mail, and £12 a week early shift allowance

» Post worker comments on new deal

Copies of the new post deal are being described by right wing newspapers as a “gold-plated” package offering “more pay for less work” but a postal worker "Peter Packet" a union area delivery rep believes more could have been won (real name withheld due to company threats)

» Protest over Camden Council auctioning off council homes

Tenants and Defend Council Housing activists staged a mock auction of councillors’ homes last Saturday in Kentish Town, north London

» Roy Mayall comments on new post deal

Copies of the new post deal are being described by right wing newspapers as a “gold-plated” package offering “more pay for less work” but a postal worker and author of Dear Granny Smith Roy Mayall believes more could have been won

» London underground engineering branch discuss how to organise a militant fightback

Around 45 members of the RMT union’s London Underground engineering branch attended a meeting last week to discuss the best way to organise a militant fightback in the workplace

» Virgin West Coast booking office staff balloted for industrial action

Booking office staff operating the new ticket issuing system on Virgin West Coast are balloting for industrial action

» Yunus Bakhsh employment tribunal underway

An employment tribunal this week heard shocking evidence in the case of Yunus Bakhsh, a nurse and leading black activist in Newcastle

» South Yorkshire firefighters vote to accept deal

South Yorkshire firefighters have accepted a deal after almost after two years in dispute

» Unite Against Fascism launch in Wales

Around 60 people came to the launch of Unite Against Fascism (UAF) Wales last Saturday in Cardiff

» Unison higher education conference votes for 4 percent pay claim

The Unison union’s Higher Education conference voted unanimously for a 4 percent pay claim

» Cleaner Alberto Durango fights for reinstatement

The campaign for the reinstatement of sacked cleaner and Unite union activist Alberto Durango held a protest outside the UBS building in London last Friday

» Workers start overtime ban against pay freeze

Workers from AB Connectors at Abercynon in South Wales began a continuous overtime ban on Tuesday of this week over a pay freeze

» Anti Academies Alliance launches meetings

The Anti Academies Alliance is organising a series of meetings in the run-up to the general election

» Rally in support of Leeds university workers

Around 150 workers and students rallied in support of Leeds university lecturers on Thursday of last week

» Hundreds march for jobs and services in Brighton

Over 600 people took to the streets of Brighton demanding jobs, services and no bail outs for the rich last Saturday

» Welsh council workers march against job cuts

Around 250 council workers joined a march and rally in Neath, South Wales, last Saturday to protest at the New Labour council’s plan to cut more than 750 jobs

» Hundreds meet to save Whittington Hospital

Four hundred people attended a meeting in north London to defend Accident and Emergency services under threat at the Whittington Hospital

» UCU lecturers union executive elections

Election results for the national executive committee and national officers of the UCU lecturers’ union are due on Wednesday

Meetings and events

» Meetings and events

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