Organise!
Irish class struggle anarchist group who take an explicitly anti-nationalist stance on the situation in Northern Ireland.
Leaflet of Visteon National Day of Action 25th April 2009
Leaflet of upcoming National Day of Action to support sacked Visteon workers
also here as a Word doc for printing
Visteon Day of Action 25th April leaflet here
Support the
Ford Visteon Workers
Struggle
Come to the factory anytime!
Following our 8-day occupation, now join our picket outside
Morson Road EN3 4NQ
Students' union proposes tax on graduates
Despite protests from students against fees and rising economic pressures, the National Union of Students is proposing a tax on graduates.
Having already abandoned the call for abolition of tuition fees for higher education as 'unfeasible', the National Union of Students (NUS) has now suggested a 'tax' on graduates to 'generate income'. The proposed tax marks a shift from decades of opposition to charging for higher education.
University and college bosses plan job cuts in higher education
The University and Colleges Union has revealed that university and college bosses will not be making them any new pay offer and that many are seeking job cuts.
Following a meeting with Universities and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA) recently, the University and Colleges Union (UCU) and other trade unions were told that they would not be getting an initial pay offer and that jobs cuts could be expected across the higher education (HE) sector. Up to 100 HE institutions were making plans for collective redundancies
Traffic wardens sacked over wildcat strike
Almost 30 traffic wardens in Belfast were sacked today after taking unofficial strike action earlier this month.
The wardens had taken the wildcat action at the start of April over pay and conditions, including their rotas and sick-pay. The wardens were initially suspended by bosses, but today were sacked. Those involved make up one-third of Belfast's traffic wardens.
Hundreds rally in support of Belfast Visteon workers
Hundreds marched to a rally at Belfast City Hall in solidarity with the workers occupying the Visteon factory in west Belfast.
On Friday, members of Organise!, the WSM, trade unions and several hundred others marched from Transport House in central Belfast, to City Hall to attend a rally in support of the sacked Visteon workers at their Finaghy plant in west Belfast.
Ben Goldacre 'Steal This Chapter'
Joseph K's 'favourite liberal', NHS doctor and science writer Ben Goldacre has written about bullshit medical research, bogus science reporting, the placebo effect, and everything else from postmodernism to evolutionary psychology.
He's just made available the missing chapter from his Bad Science book, in case anyone's interested.
Teachers to boycott primary school tests
As annual conference season approaches for the teaching unions, a number of teaching unions are expected to vote for a boycott of primary level Sats tests.
National Union of Teachers (NUT) and National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) are both expected to get overwhelming 'yes' votes when they push for a boycott of the primary level version of the Sats tests. Sats tests are used for 11 yr olds at the end of primary school, and until 2008, for14 yr olds at the end of the secondary Key Stage 3 phase.
My legend avatar Boris and UK creationism
My legend avatar, Boris the Creation Dinosaur, was in G2 yesterday in The Guardian. Even his cousin, Denver the Last Dinosaur, didn't get in G2.
Boris the Creation Dinosaur gets a full page devoted to himself (p.6) in the 6-page feature on creationism in the UK in yesterday's Guardian G2 article Defying Darwin. Unfortunately he isn't on the web version of said article.
Anti-vaccination crap undermines attempts to eradicate measles
A paper in medical journal The Lancet last week shows that poor vaccination uptake in some European countries has lead to measles outbreaks across Europe, with just five countries in Europe accounting for 85% of cases. The growing 'exportation' of measles from Europe to regions thought to be clear of measles has undermined immunity elsewhere and setback the worldwide eradication program.
After the previous discussion of the measles outbreak in Cheshire, a timely paper in The Lancet last week highlighted how daft anti-vaccination nonsense is.
Revisiting the Scopes 'Monkey Trial' - radio feature
In 1925, teacher John T. Scopes was tried in Dayton, Tennessee, for teaching evolution in a science classroom. Stephen Jay Gould pointed out a number of misconceptions relating to the trial, and radio feature this week revisited the small town that became known for one of the most famous trials in US history.
In 2008, the year that marked the 150th anniversary of Darwin and Wallace's ideas on evolution by natural selection first being presented, at least seven US states experienced legal challenges to evolution (most of which died) being taught in the science classroom, and in the past decade, many more states have seen teachers subjected to the whims of creationist lobbyists on school boards.
