Even for activists experienced in the ways of the trade union bureaucracy, first time exposure to the annual congress of the Scottish TUC usually comes as a shock.
A special showing of Ken Loach’s classic 1969 film Kes in central London on May Day will be hosted by the director. He spoke to Socialist Worker about the significance of May Day, the state of the trade union movement and the film’s enduring power.
Leaders of the world's richest countries staged a piece of grand political theatre in the Mexican city of Monterrey last week. They won press headlines hailing a new commitment to tackling the global gulf between rich and poor.
Fear finally hit home last week among New Labour leaders at Westminster at news that the Scottish National Party (SNP) is maintaining a consistent lead over Labour for the Scottish parliament elections on 3 May. They fear that Labour is on course to lose in one of its historic heartlands.
As further and higher education have expanded over the last four decades, conditions for students and staff have worsened. Thirty years ago there were nine students for every lecturer. Now there are 21. In further education, workloads are at record level. Casual employment is rife.
When Gordon Brown appeared at Mossbourne Community Academy in east London last week, it seemed that he was openly endorsing Tony Blair’s programme to undermine comprehensive education by setting up academies across the country.
Four years ago, when George Bush and Tony Blair embarked on the conquest of Iraq, the US loomed supreme over the world.
The Socialist Environmental Alliance is not running in this election just to make a point. We are in to win a seat – and we believe it can be done.
The crisis created inside the government over the Iraq war has spilled over into the debate around who will lead the Labour Party after Tony Blair leaves office.
Romano Prodi resigned as the prime minister of Italy last week. Since taking power last year, his centre left government has sent troops to Afghanistan, supported a US military base in the northern city of Vicenza and passed a neoliberal budget.
The government has explained its announcement of a limited troop withdrawal from southern Iraq by saying that the security situation in Basra has improved and that Iraqi security forces can now take over.
Socialists welcome criticism. Our arguments always need sharpening, and a good debate is an excellent way to do this. Unfortunately, the journalist Nick Cohen’s new book, What’s Left?, isn’t much help in this (or any other) respect.
