THE POLITICAL level of this year's GMB congress was great, with really heated debates on issues like tackling racism and the war on Iraq. The congress voted to change the rulebook to expel racists from the union and to oppose the Nazi BNP.
What's wrong with the current system?
"IT WOULD be morally indefensible to oppose it." This claim was made by one of those behind the "protato" – the genetically modified (GM) wonder crop we were told last week will solve malnutrition in India. No one should be fooled.
THE YEAR is 2003. I work in the NHS and I find myself relating more each day with the character Frank Owen (the house painter) from The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists.
"WE ARE just reeling. We didn't expect that. It was a real kick in the teeth. Nobody could work afterwards. Everyone was dumbstruck." That is how Norman Baddely reacted to the huge blow that has hit the Staffordshire city of Stoke-on-Trent.
THE neo-conservative warmongers in the White House have taken critical steps towards attacking more countries even as occupation brings further suffering to the peoples of Iraq and Afghanistan. The two states next on George Bush's "axis of evil" list are Iran and North Korea.
THERE ARE many hundreds of people who could help solve the chronic staff shortages and long waiting lists in the NHS. They are not being used because the press and politicians treat them with hatred and suspicion. They are refugee doctors. The waste of doctors' talent, skills and energy is just one example of how the skills and willingness to work of all refugees is thrown away by government policy.
THE ELECTION result was a shock, but a tremendous success for the Socialist Alliance. In the last month I have received messages of support and congratulations from all over the country.
THIS YEAR'S conference of the Communication Workers Union (CWU) was the most political ever. There is sometimes a sense in the union that the "big politics" discussions are the preserve of relatively few activists and that the rest do not really get engaged until the nitty-gritty discussions about pay, jobs and hours. If that were ever true, it certainly wasn't this year.
THE ANTI-war movement has to be seen in the context of what we built when we opposed war not just on Iraq but on Afghanistan. The strength of our movement was its breadth and its depth. The core of the movement has been increasing in size and in depth of knowledge.
THE TRIAL of strength between French workers and their Tory government reached a decisive stage on Tuesday. The government pressed ahead with its attacks on workers' pension rights, presenting its plans in the country's National Assembly.
MARXISM WILL be a key part of the debate about what kind of left alternative we need to challenge capitalism. Socialist Worker spoke to some of the trade unionists, students, anti-war campaigners and many others who are coming to Marxism.
