News

It's time to stop the private train firms in their tracks

Sky-high ticket prices. Overcrowded trains. Bumper profits for private firms. Massive bonuses for bosses. The reality of Britain’s privatised railways was brought to everyone’s attention last week as another year of above inflation fare increases sparked protests at 40 stations.

Both coalition parties are haemorrhaging members

The coalition has a hidden crisis. The membership of both its parties is in freefall. The Liberal Democrats have lost a quarter of their members in just one year.

Tory cuts mean that life is far harder than a decade ago

Workers are poorer today than they were a decade ago. That’s the shocking finding from an Office for National Statistics (ONS) report last week.

Recession or no recession, the bosses take the cash

Even before the recession less money was going to workers. Britain’s gross domestic product (GDP), the total economic output of the country, rose by 11 percent between 2003 and 2008.

Milk pricing row turns sour as farmers blockade cartels

Several thousand farmers have staged demonstrations outside dairies in Britain. They have blockaded entrances with machinery and poured milk down drains. But why?

Tory claims about ‘troubled families’ just don’t add up

Right wingers were drooling last week after the publication of a government report on "troubled families". They jumped at the chance to characterise poor people as benefit-scrounging, drug-addled criminals who have loads of children just to abuse and neglect them.

Israel's endless lies cover up devastation in Palestine

The human rights group B’Tselem reveals the horrific reality of daily life for Palestinians living under Israeli occupation in its annual report for 2011.

Recycling bosses make millions dumping waste

There’s one industry that’s booming despite the recession—recycling. Waste management firm Veolia reported a 6.7 percent rise in the revenue from its UK waste business to £1.38 billion in 2011.

Exposed: the myth that wages are being driven down by migrants

It can seem like common sense that migrant workers would cause wages to fall. After all, if they’re willing to do the same work for a lower wage, surely there will be downward pressure on pay?

'We are migrant workers and we fight for our rights'

"I work in a factory of 500, almost all of them migrant workers like myself. When I started there were only about 30 or 40 people in the union, and no union recognition.

The tax scams that shore up the profits of the rich

Avoiding tax isn’t just for comedians and ageing boy bands—it is the way British capitalism operates.

A&E feels the strain from latest health service cuts

Four out of the eight accident and emergency (A&E) departments in north west London could close within 12 months.

Healthcare in the community does not make up for closures

Supporters of closures often argue that many patients currently going to A&E could be treated better elsewhere.

Tories' private pals target NHS

McKinsey, a US‑based consultancy firm, has picked up NHS contracts worth £5 million in north west London. it is also providing advice on cuts and closures there.

What's the real pensions deal for council workers?

Local government workers who have been battling to save their pensions are being offered a deal that means massive cuts.

How your pension could be hit

Supporters of the deal claim that career average pensions can be better. But the only way to make that claim is to be very pessimistic about pay.

Is there an energy crisis - and do we need nuclear power?

The nuclear industry is to be subsidised via our electricity bills, at an expense of up to £200 a year for the average household.

Impact of the Fukushima disaster is still felt today

It is more than 15 months since the meltdown of four nuclear reactors in Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station.

More markets won't solve the crisis in childcare

Childcare services are a necessity for millions of parents in Britain. Without childcare they could not go to work.

Childcare: Dutch and Danish offer different models

How does childcare in Britain compare to that in the rest of Europe? The Tories claim to be following the example of the Netherlands, which uses a network of "host agencies" to run its childcare system.