Socialist Worker

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Tory sexual harassment crisis shows that Parliament is a cesspit

Westminster is reeling following revelations about systemic sexual harassment and abuse.

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International Comment Features Reviews What We Think Other

News

BA strike deal shows it was right to fight

The long running dispute of cabin crew at British Airways (BA) came to an end this week as workers voted overwhelmingly to accept a new pay deal.

Home Office review sees Hillsborough families slam their treatment

A report into the experiences of families of people who died as a result of the 1989 Hillsborough disaster is a damning indictment of key institutions.

Climate change displaces millions and is set to get worse, says new report

Climate change is already driving millions of people from their homes in poorer countries around the world.

Bank of England’s interest rate hike will hit workers’ living standards

The Bank of England has raised interest rates by a quarter of a percentage point from 0.25 to 5 percent.

Government announces contaminated blood inquiry - but there’s still no chair

The government announced plans for a full statutory inquiry into the contaminated blood scandal. But it failed to announce a chair for the inquiry.

New documentary shows cover-up behind Ulster Volunteer Force killings

Six Catholic men were murdered in a rural Northern Ireland pub in 1994. Who was responsible?

Thousands march for justice for Palestine

Supporters of Palestine marched through central London on Saturday, to call for justice 100 years since the Balfour Declaration was signed. The declaration gave Britain’s official support to the creation of a Jewish state in Palestine and signalled the beginning of a century of Palestinian oppression.

Tax havens show the hypocrisy of the rich

The Paradise Papers have exposed the secret tax scams of more than 100 multinational corporations, including Apple and Nike. Plus the queen and Tory Lord Ashcroft.

Academy school workers strike against sick pay assault

Workers at Charlton Park Academy special needs school in south east London struck on Tuesday.

Celebrating the 1917 Russian Revolution - and debating the lessons for today

Hundreds of people marked the centenary of the Russian Revolution at the Celebrating 1917 conference in central London last Saturday.

Coordinated transport strike set to bring cities to a standstill

Bus and rail workers in the north west of England were set for a coordinated strike this Wednesday.

Post workers’ mass gate meetings show the fight is still on at Royal Mail

 

Reports round-up: Capita, Sellafield, Mears, Croydon trams, Plymouth DWP and more

Also: Ministry of Defence cleaners protest | Opposing Fujitsu victimisation | Manchester Airport strike off | Shetland Gas Plant pay row | Brighton University jobs fight | Moshe Machover reinstated

Jeremy Corbyn tells bosses at the CBI conference that Labour isn’t their enemy

Jeremy Corbyn made an effort to reassure bosses at their CBI conference on Monday that a Labour government would not threaten their profits.

Eritreans in London protest over state crackdown

Over 300 Eritreans protested outside Downing Street in London calling for an end to repression in Eritrea, religious freedom and an end to the regime of the current president, Isaias Afwerki.

Court backs up the Tories and locks refugee children out of Britain

The high court delivered a blow to refugees and migrants last week. It rejected a challenge to the Home Office’s closure of a scheme for unaccompanied young refugees.

Civil service workers in the mood for a pay revolt

Civil service workers have voted by over 79 percent to fight over pay

Haringey Labour falls out over housing plan

Also: Grenfell council goes for college

Kirby Misperton protesters are determined to battle the frackers’ new well

Chants of “Theresa May, hear us say, no fracking way,” rang across North Yorkshire countryside last Saturday as a 200-plus trade union solidarity march followed the PCS union’s samba band to Third Energy’s KM8 fracking well.

Picturehouse cinema strikes are just the ticket

Workers at five Picturehouse cinemas in London struck on Sunday and Monday.

Meeting says no to Trojan Horse lies

Hundreds of people joined a meeting in Birmingham last week about the Trojan Horse allegations—despite attempts to stop it.

Fast results for cleaners at Ferrari dealer

Two sacked cleaners at a luxury Maserati and Ferrari car showroom have won their jobs back—and the London Living Wage

Ealing NHS cuts plan is ‘thrown into disarray’

West London health bosses face calls to resign after regulators rejected their blueprint for cuts last month

‘Lie after lie’ by accused in refugee beating trial

The prosecution in the trial of six people charged in relation to an attack on refugee Reker Ahmed summed up its case last week.

Top Nazi Tommy Robinson’s book launch is messed up in Manchester

Around 150 people joined a protest in Manchester last Friday in opposition to a book launch by fascist English Defence League founder Tommy Robinson.

Tax dodgers are parasites in paradise

Imagine being in a supermarket and seeing wealthy, well-dressed people passing through a special checkout.

Allegations about Labour figures shouldn’t be dismissed by blaming the right

Claims have been made about Labour Party members - and they cannot be simply ignored

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International

Outrage after Spanish state jails and abuses Catalan government ministers

The Spanish authorities jailed the vice president and eight ministers of the deposed Catalan government, and then mistreated them

Jailings in Catalonia spur fight on streets

Successfully resisting the Spanish state will mean looking beyond elections, writes Dave Sewell

Sharp rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran forces out leader of Lebanon

 

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Comment

Erratic Trump gives a boost to US rivals

Anyone who's watched Ken Burns’s flawed but absorbing documentary about the Vietnam War must have been struck by the interplay between presidential politics in Washington and the rhythm of combat in Southeast Asia.

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Features

Martin Luther and peasants' rebellion

500 years ago a preacher called Martin Luther sparked a movement which loosened the grip of the church on society. Dave Sewell argues this was about more than just theology

The Grenfell Tower fire and the anger that refuses to fade

Grenfell, and the treatment of victims that followed, exposes the contempt that those at the top have for working class people

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Reviews

For Your Grandchildren documents the battle to stop gas pipelines in the US

For Your Grandchildren is a film about the struggle against the Sabal Trail Pipeline in Florida. The film’s director Mike Tintner spoke to Kim Hunter

Massacre of Mankind avoids butchering HG Wells’s masterpiece

 

Reviews round-up: Mining art gallery and The Ward

This new gallery explores working life in the coalmines of County Durham through original artefacts and artwork from prominent mining artists such as Tom McGuinness and Norman Cornish.

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What We Think

Tory cabinet in crisis and we can get them out

 Tory rule stands on the shakiest of foundations.

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Other Categories

LETTERS: Unions must be at forefront of challenging harassment

Revelations about the extent of sexist abuse in Hollywood and Parliament are shocking. But if you’re a woman worker in 2017, sexual harassment at work is rife.

The things they say

‘We were all misled on the existence of WMDs’

The Troublemaker - Paradise Papers reveal that the have-yachts still avoid tax

Another glimpse into the lives of the rich and famous has come to light.

What are the odds of that? The Tories are in the pockets of the gambling bosses

A report on fixed odds betting terminals is completely toothless in the face of big bookies—and refuses to admit that poverty causes problem gambling, argues Sarah Bates

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