News

Letters

Artificial limbs use pre-1950s methods SHAMEFUL IS the only way to describe the treatment of a black woman who was told that if she wanted her artificial leg to match her skin colour she would have to pay for it.

Letters

BNP thugs can't bury culture of violence ALL IS not rosy in the BNP. The tensions between the national high command and the Burnley branch have been exposed by the out of favour Nazi councillor Luke Smith. This is in part due to the alleged glassing of a steward by Smith at this year's Red, White and Blue "carnival".

Letters

Larzac success is a great sign for Paris The Larzac festival in France two weeks ago was the biggest anti-capitalist event France has seen. Over 250,000 people attended. Besides the usual activists lots of people came to the festival out of the vast social movements that have swept France in the last six months. Workers have struck against the Tory government's plans to attack pensions.

Letters

Only stars I see are when I'm on nights Thanks to the three-star rating we have been awarded, I, along with many other lucky staff members employed within the Wirral Hospital Trust, will feel the benefit of an extra day off.

FBU proud to support lesbian & gay members

This year's lesbian and gay Pride march witnessed a return to political values. Many more floats from trade unions were present on the march. For the first time the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) provided a fire engine for its gay and lesbian members to march alongside.

New generation can challenge sexism

I REALLY enjoyed Judith Orr's article in Socialist Worker, "The Body for Sale" (12 July). I agree that many of the gains of the women's movement of the late 60s and 70s have been lost. I would add sexism in advertising and merchandising starts from the cradle. Children's TV carries more advertising than other programmes, and almost every BBC programme has merchandising tie-ins.

Activists have to learn lessons of Rix's defeat

THE DEFEAT of Mick Rix, the leader of the Aslef train drivers' union, has caused big waves. Many union activists are asking how it could happen. As contentious as what went wrong is the question of what should come next, and what his defeat means in other unions.

Letters

Criminalised because there's nothing to do AS A youth worker, every day I see first hand how the policies of Tony Blair and David Blunkett are systematically lowering young people's aspirations and hopes. I work on estates in Brent in west London which have a mainly black and Asian population.

Letters

'Respectable' mask falls from Nazi thugs THE EVENTS that took place in Burnley after the recent Unity demonstration have revealed the true face of the Nazi BNP. The Nazis hated the fact that a demonstration by local trade unionists, politicians and anti-racist campaigners was being held in what they believe to be "their town".

Letters

Wales is no advert for sticking with Labour IN HIS very interesting interview (Socialist Worker, 28 June) Billy Hayes praises the "clear red water" of Welsh Labour Party policies. He adds that this shows we can win Labour to more progressive policies. Other union leaders have repeated the same theme recently. In truth it is a reflection of how bad things have become under Blair that Welsh Labour is held up as a shining example for others to follow.

Letters

Brutal policy against the elderly in homes RAGE, the Relatives Action Group for the Elderly, is maintaining its fight. The campaign works with families, unions and community organisations to stop the rationalisation of public sector care homes for older people. Research produced by RAGE in 2001 revealed that up to 450 care homes and day centres were threatened by either closure, privatisation or transfer/partnership.

Letters

Why they want us to keep taking the pills THE BANNING of the anti-depressant drug Seroxat for people under the age of 18 highlights how multinational drug companies and their New Labour friends are putting profit before people's health. The ban was introduced after evidence released from the 1990s showed that children were twice as likely to experience mood changes and have urges to harm or kill themselves after taking the drug.

Letters

Smoking, diet: should we change lives or lifestyles? I WAS shocked but sadly not surprised to hear of New Labour's plans to make people who smoke, are overweight or who don't take regular exercise sign agreements with their GP. Any breach of these agreements could potentially jeopardise access to NHS treatment.

Letters

Bob Geldof is 100 percent wrong on Bush and Africa BOB GELDOF is right to attack the European Union's "pathetic and appalling" response to Africa's human crisis. But he is totally wrong to praise George Bush's policies towards the continent. Bush's administration is the central actor in making sure that debt payments are pumped out of Africa.

Letters

Casablanca's two cities THE RECENT suicide bombings in Casablanca in Morocco were horrific and wrong. Attacks like this kill innocent people and do nothing at all to change the things those carrying them out are angry about. But we have to understand that people are right to be angry at the poverty and injustice in the world and offer an alternative which offers a real way to change things.

Letters

More and more people standing up to Nazi BNP Many people in the local community here were shocked when the British National Party (BNP) got someone elected to Broxbourne council on 1 May. On Tuesday 13 May we had a local protest against the BNP councillor taking up his position.

New forces join the fight to challenge the Nazi BNP

IT'S NOW time to build a mass campaign, uniting all those who want to stop the Nazis. The BNP stood 54 candidates in the north east of England and poured in massive resources. They failed to win a seat but the Nazis still managed to get over 13,000 votes in Sunderland and 3,000 in Gateshead.

Truth, lies, propaganda over war and occupation

WATCHING NEWS at Ten (29 April) revealed blatant distortion by the BBC over the killing of Iraqi civilians in Fallujah by American troops. The BBC suggested US troops fired upon an aggressive protest and that protesters headed for a US "base" or "compound".

Full marks for standing up to Blair over education

WHAT SORT of school curriculum do our children deserve? New Labour plans to label 14 year olds as sheep who will follow an "academic pathway" - based on exams - or goats forced into second class "vocational" education.

How we made gains in our battles for justice

ACTIVISTS IN Burnley were celebrating last week after the court of appeal halved the sentences of five Asian men jailed after the Burnley "riots". The defendants had taken to the streets to defend their areas from Nazi attack 18 months ago.