Privatisation Follow

Six months into the occupation Iraqi society is becoming increasingly fragile. A generation living under war and sanctions has stretched the ties of social solidarity painfully thin.

Deregulation is the root of the recent spate of power failures.

A PRIVATISATION threat hanging over Nottingham City Council housing has sparked protests from council workers and tenants. A 90-strong meeting was held at Nottingham's YMCA building to discuss how to fight off Nottingham City Council's housing plans. It started with the presentation of a 60-page report from Nottingham City Unison. "Nottingham is not for sale," was how the Unison officer summed up the report.

A flood of high water bills WATER BILLS are set to soar by up to a third after the private utility companies gets the go-ahead to raise prices. The water companies have made billions since privatisation in 1990, but they refuse to pay for much needed repairs themselves. Instead we will have to pay through higher bills.

New Labour's policies of war and privatisation have led to revolt. But replacing Tony Blair with Gordon Brown is no solution. From among the millions sickened by this government's policies we need to create a socialist alternative to Labour and...

THE 2,500-strong protest outside Labour's conference in Bournemouth on Monday showed the anger ordinary people feel at New Labour. The Amicus union organised the demonstration to protest against New Labour standing by while manufacturing jobs are massacred. Sneh Sharma and Pam Degun work at AB Electronics in Romford. They told Socialist Worker, "No one feels their job is safe any more. Everyone is worried for the future. Every day we fear for our jobs. That's why we are here. But we are also worried that tuition fees will discourage young people from studying. And we want to stop the privatisation of the NHS."

MINERS BLOCKADED main roads and railway lines in Silesia in Poland last week in a battle against unemployment. They were joined by railway workers who themselves are facing privatisation and mass sackings. Unfortunately the blockades lasted only three hours and involved only 3,000 protesters.

MANY PEOPLE who voted for the winning Liberal Democrat in the Brent by-election last week were motivated by good reasons. Brent saw traditional Labour voters turn away from Blair in disgust at his government's record on the war, privatisation and public services. Many voted Lib Dem believing this was, on the day, the way to give Blair a bloody nose.

UP TO 150 school students walked out of Harwich School on Thursday of last week. They organised their strike in support of a campaign against the effective privatisation of health facilities, including the maternity ward, in Harwich, Essex.

HUNDREDS OF cleaners, porters and catering staff at Hairmyres Hospital in East Kilbride are to ballot for strike action. Hairmyres is one of New Labour's flagship PFI hospitals. The workers are fuming at their bosses, ISS Mediclean, and at government ministers. The hospital has been lambasted for having too few beds, sewerage leaks, losing patient records and failing IT systems following privatisation.

THE BLACKOUT that hit London and the south east of England last week was another vivid reminder of the madness of privatisation and spending curbs.

LOVE MUSIC-hate racism, privatisation and war! That was the message ringing out over the grassy slopes by the sea at Tankerton, Kent, on Sunday.