Socialist Worker

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As Gaddafi’s brutal regime collapses… Don’t let west hijack Arab Spring

"The intervention of the Western powers is a real threat to the Arab revolutions. It allows the dictators to pose as defenders of national ­independence.

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International Comment Features Reviews What We Think Other

News

Oxfordshire strike for young people’s future

Youth workers at Oxfordshire county council struck on Tuesday against wholesale job cuts and a huge threat to the services they provide.

Yorkshire journalist enter fifth week of strike

Journalists in South Yorkshire have entered their fifth week of an all-out strike.

London Underground bosses should come clean

Clara Osagiede, a union rep for cleaners on London Underground, is continuing her fight against victimisation.

Network Rail equal pay strike is called-off

The TSSA transport union called off planned strikes at Network Rail this bank holiday weekend after the firm agreed to discuss an equal pay audit among managerial staff.

Unity against cuts in Liverpool

Firefighters and civil service workers are joining forces in Liverpool to fight the cuts.

Call centre workers discuss interim agreement

PCS union reps from call centres met last week to discuss an "interim agreement" on the long‑running dispute over working conditions.

Manchester and Crewe united in defence of Fujitsu rep

An Employment Tribunal into the case of the sacked Fujitsu Unite union rep Alan Jenney is set to be held in Stoke-on-Trent on Thursday of this week.

Hunger strike activist wins reprieve

The UK Border Agency (UKBA) has agreed to look again at the case of journalist James Fallah-Williams who is fighting deportation to Sierra Leone.

Truckers tired of under-inflation

United Road Transport Union (URTU) members struck at Matthew Clark Wholesale in Runcorn this week.

196-day Glasgow University occupation wins

Students who occupied Glasgow University emerged victorious last Sunday after 196 days inside the "Free Hetherington".

Tory education plans will create two-tier system

The government’s plan to intensify competition in higher education came under renewed attack last Thursday in a Higher Education Policy Institute (Hepi) report.

A-level reality

On one of the most stressful days on a student’s life, the majority of young people were struggling to find a reason to jump in the air and celebrate as they found out that their future was far from secure.

Death after taser incident

Dale Burns died after police officers shot him three times with a taser. The incident in Barrow-in-Furness has led to renewed worries about use of the "non-lethal" weapon.

Tesco workers forced to make up riot time hours

Tesco workers in Salford are being forced to work hours "lost" when the store was closed during the riots, they have revealed.

Deportations: From Guantanamo to Glasgow

The GEO Group—a company rocked by human rights, sexual abuse and racism scandals—is to be given £25 million to run the Dungavel immigrant removal centre in South Lanarkshire, Scotland.

Hacking: Fresh allegations against Andy Coulson

New revelations have brought the phone hacking scandal back to the feet of David Cameron.

Anti-Tory march gathers pace

Thousands of protesters from across Britain are expected to march on the first day of the Tory party conference.

David Steel faces lobby questions

Former Liberal Party leader David Steel was hired to lobby on behalf of a businessman who is now under investigation for allegations of corruption.

Hillsborough disaster papers must be seen

More than 100,000 people have signed an e-petition calling for cabinet papers relating to the 1989 Hillsborough football stadium disaster to be released.

Electricians protest against 35 percent pay cut

Around 200 construction workers protested in central London on Wednesday morning against pay cuts of up to 35 percent.

Trade unionists in east London win great support for march against EDL thugs

Council workers in Tower Hamlets were going all out on Tuesday to build for the 3 September demonstration against the racist English Defence League (EDL).

We have a right to march against the EDL racists

In an unprecedented step, Scotland Yard has applied to the home secretary to ban all marches in five London boroughs for 30 days starting from 2 September.

Riots: Harshest sentence yet as dozens more rushed through courts

A man has been jailed for four years and eight months in what is believed to be the harshest riot-related sentence so far.

Unite Against Fascism statement on home secretary's march ban

In response to the Theresa May's decision to ban all marches in five London boroughs for 30 days from the 2 September, Unite against Fascism (UAF) and United East End (UEE) have issued the joint statement below calling for the right to march against the racists.

Why you should protest in Tower Hamlets on Saturday 3 September

The English Defence League (EDL) has declared that it will still demonstrate in east London this Saturday 3 September—despite a ban on their planned march.

Daniel Morgan: The stench of corruption underlies murder cover-up

The hacking scandal continues to mire the Metropolitan Police, News International and prime minister David Cameron in filth.

Damning evidence from Daniel Morgan murder inquest

The 1988 inquest into Daniel Morgan’s death contains damning revelations that resonate today.

Met detective ‘harassed’ by News of the World

Former News of the World (NotW) editor, Rebekah Brooks, had a meeting at the Metropolitan Police headquarters on 9 January 2003.

Phone hacking scandal: passing the blame

The key players at the top of the phone-hacking saga have in effect accused each other of lying.

Take to the streets to stop racist EDL

Preparations are under way to bring the biggest possible turnout onto the streets to stop a march by the racist English Defend League (EDL) next Saturday.

Union support grows for 3 September demonstration

The powerful Unite union has thrown its support behind the march against the racist English Defence League (EDL).

EDL founder in court over Breivik links

A founding member of the English Defence League (EDL), who is linked to Norwegian mass-murderer Anders Behring Breivik, is due to appear in court in Oslo this week.

Kingston: Racists end up sulking in pub

English Defence League (EDL) thugs in Kingston-upon-Thames tried to organise a leafleting session last Saturday—but ended up sulking in a pub after local people confronted them.

Post riot raids: ‘This could happen to anyone’

Dozens of armed police smashed their way into a man’s home last week—and claimed they’d had a tip-off that he was a looter.

Post riot evictions: Standing against the injustice

Local campaigners protested on Thursday of last week against plans to evict rioters’ relatives from their council houses in south London.

Was riot reporting part of the problem?

Tony Evans, a sports writer for the Times newspaper, told a National Union of Journalists meeting last week "It has been a particularly grim period for journalism. I found it staggering, the way the news presenters were editorialising.

Unison will challenge its Plymouth derecognition

The Tories want to break the Unison union at Plymouth council—but workers say they won’t let them get away with it.

Threat to Chase Farm Hospital

Leaks suggest that Tory health secretary Andrew Lansley will announce plans next month to merge Chase Farm Hospital in Enfield, north London, with another trust.

Defend Abdul Omer Mohsin

The campaign to win the reinstatement of victimised bus driver Abdul Omer Mohsin saw activists distributing hundreds of leaflets across London bus depots.

Victory against privatisation in Edinburgh

Campaigners in Edinburgh have won a victory in the fight against the proposed largest privatisation of council services in the city’s history.

Dale Farm: Stop this eviction

The date from which the authorities can evict Travellers from their land at Dale Farm in Essex is looming closer.

Honda victimisation: 'Solidarity will prevail'

Paddy Brennan, the Unite convenor at the Honda car maker’s plant in Swindon, remains suspended on what members believe are "trumped-up charges".

100 years since the Llanelli rail strike

Shropshire council workers ballot

Council workers in Shropshire have started a strike ballot against proposed mass sackings.

Southampton council workers to decide next steps

Union members at Southampton council were set to decide the next steps for their campaign of strikes as Socialist Worker went to press.

North East Lincolnshire council workers vote to be balloted over cuts

Some 93 percent of Unison members at North East Lincolnshire council have voted for industrial action in an indicative ballot.

Northern Ireland Unison to ballot over action against cuts

Unison is balloting its health and education members in Northern Ireland for strikes against cuts.

Tory cuts cause unemployment

The number of people who are working age and jobless in Britain has soared by nearly 100,000 since David Cameron came to office.

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International

Is Libya on the road to freedom?

Muammar Gaddafi’s 42‑year dictatorship reached its endgame as opposition forces reached Tripoli, the Libyan capital, this week.

Libya's 'legitimate' government

The West has recognised the Transitional National Council (TNC) as the legitimate government of Libya—but it is not supported by all opposition forces.

Voice from Egypt: ‘Libya’s impact will be contradictory’

"People in Egypt are suspicious about what is happening in Libya.

Will Syria's Assad be toppled next?

Events in Libya will have ramifications for the movement in Syria.

Israel's attacks on Gaza provoke fury

Israeli fighter jets repeatedly bombed civilians in Gaza last weekend.

Timeline of the Libyan uprising: from Tunisia to Tripoli

16 January Colonel Gaddafi is terrified by the fall of Abidine Ben Ali in neighbouring Tunisia. He makes a long statement condemning Tunisian revolutionaries. 15 February Libya joins the wider revolutionary wave spreading across the Middle East and North Africa as protests begin in Benghazi, in the east. They are met with a brutal backlash from Gaddafi’s regime. 17 February Libya’s first "day of rage", with demonstrations across four cities. Troops kill an estimated 230 people. 18 February Armed resistance begins and Gaddafi’s forces are quickly thrown on the defensive. In t

Afghanistan: Attack chaos

A huge attack on the British Council building in Kabul last week reminded the world what an unstable place Afghanistan remains.

One million strong protest over education in Chile

Over one million students, parents, lecturers, workers and young people took part in mass demonstrations in cities throughout Chile on Monday.

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Comment

Economic chaos with no end in sight

Stock markets have been in turmoil for the past two weeks, reflecting concerns about a new global slowdown.

The riots: The roots of racism remain

"Racism is an unspoken language—which is why it is so easy to deny.

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Features

Muslims don’t stand alone

I came to Britain from Bangladesh in 1976 at the age of nine. At that time east London was a very scary place, something of a racial battleground.

Our sweat, their profits: Muslims have made a great contribution to Europe

When you listen to David Cameron, Angela Merkel, Nicolas Sarkozy and other European leaders slam into multiculturalism, you could think that immigration had been a damaging experience.

Has the crisis changed the nature of work?

Young people not in regular work have been significant to the resistance in both Greece and Spain. What do you think is happening?

China: The central role of migrant labour

The "economic miracle" of the last 20 years has seen China become the world’s largest manufacturer and exporter.

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Reviews

Rise of the Planet of the Apes: Gorilla uprising is not just monkey business

It’s not every week Hollywood releases a film praising revolution. Rise of the Planet of the Apes, though, places itself firmly on the side of a downtrodden chimp—and sees him lead a powerful ape uprising.

Rise Like Lions: the story behind Peterloo massacre

Manchester councillor Pat Karney called the recent riots "one of the worst days in Manchester’s history".

Post Mortem

Set against the backdrop of the Chilean coup of 1973, Post Mortem explores a nation torn between left and right.

The Mother

A mother in Tsarist Russia is drawn into political activism when she sees the state’s treatment of revolutionary workers.

Hans Litten vs Adolf Hitler

This documentary explores the failed attempt by Jewish lawyer Hans Litten to challenge the rise of Adolf Hitler through the courts in the 1930s.

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What We Think

Tory hypocrites pick on the poor

The Tories have seized on the riots as an opportunity to shift the whole political atmosphere in Britain to the right. The establishment’s response is to demonise the unemployed, young people and those who rely on meagre benefits in order to survive.

Western powers want to rehabilitate humanitarian intervention

This is a dangerous moment. David Cameron and his allies in the US and Europe see Libya as an opportunity to rehabilitate the idea of "humanitarian intervention".

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Other Categories

Tim's view: Chuck Cameron out

Letters

The riots showed that the people have power I am so angry watching the news reporting the riots.

Quotes of the week

‘An extreme perversion of capitalism’

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