comment and analysis
Crime and community
John Shute looks at leftist political group IWCA’s relationship to crime in the communities they serve.
Any serious critique of the Independent Working Class Association ought to accept that the fundamental premise of the IWCA is correct. The left has, as they state, abandoned the working class, and any effective resistance to capital can only be established on the basis of rebuilding a militant current within the working class.
MoD PLC - The sell-off of the Ministry of Defence's research agency
Arms trade. Government sweeteners. Tax havens. Dodgy corporations making a killing. Directors paying themselves a packet. Ridiculous company names. Welcome to New Labour’s first full blown privatisation.
In case you missed it while checking your portfolios(!), last week ‘defence research’ group QinetiQ was floated on the stock exchange, which even in the world of cut-throat capitalism raised quite a few eyebrows and mutterings of ‘rip off’ - even from those unconcerned about the whole profiting-from-killing-people business.
Queen's Market under threat
Queen's Market is under threat from a 'regeneration' project by Newham Council, but a group of campaigners is working to save it.
The 100 year old Queen's Market in London's Newham is a lifeline to local people. Over 150 stalls and shops provide work and affordable food to the area's many low-income residents.
Make Poverty History closes down, but did it succeed?
Last month the campaigning coalition Make Poverty History (MPH) decided to wind itself up. So has poverty been made history?
You may not have noticed it, but poverty has become history. Or so one has to presume due to the closure.
The same impression – that we have turned a corner in the struggle to eradicate global poverty – is conveyed by a book published last November called You’re History! In it a collection of notables headed by Bob Geldof explain how individuals can change the world.
Imprisoned in New Orleans
Jordan Flaherty and Tamika Middleton report on the fate of prisoners in New Orleans prisons since Hurricane Katrina.
When hurricane Katrina hit, there was no evacuation plan for 7,000 prisoners in the New Orleans city jail, generally known as Orleans Parish Prison (OPP), or the approximate 1,500 prisoners in nearby jails. According to first-hand accounts gathered by advocates, prisoners were abandoned in their cells while the water was rising around them.
Royal Mail wildcat - don't believe the propaganda
Anyone who doubts postal workers' claims that Royal Mail management is characterised by offensive arrogance should ponder the statement issued on Tuesday in relation to the Belfast dispute, writes Eamonn McCann in The Belfast Telegraph.
Explaining why letters had been hand-delivered to four representatives of the Communication Workers' Union (CWU) threatening them with legal action, the spokeswoman declared: "Letters were sent... to say... that there is no clear evidence showing a real will to get people back to work and a number of options are being considered, including taking injunctions out against them personally."
Labour's cruellest cut - Incapacity benefits in detail
Iain Mackay explores the government's proposals to cut benefits for the disabled - claimed by nearly 3 million - and discovers damned lies in the statistics.
The latest of New Labour's attacks on working class people has been announced. The aim is to abolish Incapacity Benefit (IB). Of course, the radical sounding rhetoric has been applied. Alan Johnson, the Work and Pensions secretary, described the changes as the most radical benefit reform for sick and disabled people since the Beveridge report.
NHS failing asylum seekers
New research shows the the growing inequalities in healthcare in the UK that the NHS is unable to tackle.
The 16 January 2006 saw the launch of Project London, a new health care project in the east end of London. Project London is organised by Médecins du Monde (UK), a charity that organises health care across the world but is increasingly becoming involved in projects in western Europe.
Government defeated? The Terror bill
Following the government's second defeat in the Commons over education, Iain Mackay examines the extent of Labour's supposed "defeat" over its Terror bill last year.
A proposal to extend the ability of the police to detain without trial to 90 days has been defeated. The bill, which lost by 322 votes to 291, was stopped by a major rebellion of Labour MPs.
However, the doubling of the detention allowance to 28 days, a separate bill to supplement the failed 90-day one, passed.
Bosses' hypocrisy on public sector pensions
As 1.5 million workers gear up to strike over pensions, Iain MacKay reports on the hypocrisy of blaming public workers for company pension-gouging
Gordon Brown has questioned the deal agreed by the Government to allow public-sector workers to continue to retire at 60. While Downing Street and the Department of Work and Pensions insisted that the deal with the unions would not be unpicked, the unions, who called off a strike when the deal was struck, renewed their threat of industrial action.
