Britain

Cold wind of capitalism

28 March 2013
It’s hard to believe that Britain had just been hit by a heat wave this time last year. This March has been the coldest in 50 years.

Vote Jerry Hicks in Unite ballot

21 March 2013
As voting begins for general secretary of Britain’s biggest union, rank and file candidate Jerry Hicks spoke to Dave Sewell about his vibrant campaign

Different destinations on a roller coaster underground

21 March 2013
Danny Dorling spoke to Socialist Worker about his new book 32 Stops and what the Central Line tells us about the growing inequality in Britain today

Anger at sectarian killings fuels fury with the state

15 January 2013
The British press has blamed bloody killings last week in Quetta, Pakistan, on "religious fanatics". This does nothing to explain why they took place.

Reviews round-up

15 January 2013
Why did the Industrial Revolution happen here? Why was Britain the first country to industrialise and why did it begin in the 18th century?

George Orwell - a life of rebellion against the establishment that made him

15 January 2013
Orwell’s view of the kind of socialism needed in Britain—most clearly stated in The Lion and the Unicorn: Socialism and the English Genius—is fundamentally wrong, but not in a trite, nationalistic way.

Tories and Labour have always let bosses ride free

15 January 2013
Britain’s rail network was nationalised 65 years ago—for the second time.

Overpriced and chaotic - Britain's sold out railways

15 January 2013
If a council worker has to commute by train to London from Chelmsford in Essex, they’ll pay £348.70 a month for the privilege. In a year the cost is £3,540.

Blacklisted former union rep Jerry Hicks contests Unite election

15 January 2013
Britain’s biggest union is rushing through a general secretary election—and blacklisted former rep Jerry Hicks is campaigning for a fightback against austerity and job cuts.

Cameron is trapped in European pickle

15 January 2013
David Cameron will finally make his long heralded speech on renegotiating Britain’s relationship with the European Union (EU) on Friday. He is in a pretty pickle.

Who banks on bankers?

12 January 2013
Political pundits are rowing over whether to believe predictions that Britain is about to slip into an unprecedented triple dip recession.

News round-up

31 December 2012
Tax dives while profits soar The biggest firms in Britain are paying a fifth less tax than they did 12 years ago, a Reuters report says.

British government tries to stop Mau Mau torture compensation

31 December 2012
The government has decided to contest the right of Kenyan people tortured by British forces during the Mau Mau War to claim compensation.

We can beat Gove if we strike

31 December 2012
Teachers across Britain ended last term by calling on their union leaders to organise national strikes to defend pay and conditions.

Baha Mousa inquiry verdict is just the tip of the iceberg

31 December 2012
Iraqi Baha Mousa died as a result of his treatment at the hands of British troops, according to a public inquiry. This included "hooding" and being held in stress positions.

Civil service walkout hits 50 Department for Transport offices

31 December 2012
Thousands of Department for Transport workers struck at 50 sites across Britain on Friday of last week over a threat to close DVLA offices. The workers, members of the PCS union, walked out for 24 hours against the plans.

A glimpse of the working class

31 December 2012
Britain has become the Daily Mail’s worst nightmare. That’s according to the findings of the 2011 census, published last month.

William Morris: Poems of Protest

31 December 2012
William Morris was one of the most respected and admired decorative artists and writers in Britain in the 19th century.

Gil Scott-Heron: a revolutionary who began with empathy

31 December 2012
Gil’s music and poetry have always been popular in Britain, despite them being about conditions that are far removed from here. Why is that?

Radical surgery: snapshots from the fight to save the NHS

31 December 2012
Twenty five years ago this month 38 nurses from North Manchester General Hospital went on strike. They sparked a wave of action that spread across Britain and lasted the rest of the year.