Support for the new Greek government is vital and in Labour’s interests, argues MIKE DAVIS. Hope, dignity, bread could summarise the slogans of the newly elected Syriza party in Greece. It has been an historic victory, the first radical left party to be democratically elected in Europe since the Second World war. Expectations of the...
Commit to Publicly-Owned Services, Labour Told
The We Own It campaign is lobbying for the Labour Party to include a Public Services Users’ Bill in its election manifesto, and calling for all supporters of publicly-owned services to put pressure on Labour’s shadow minister for procurement, Jon Trickett....
Support Grows for Syriza’s New Model Politics
Support for Greece’s new Syriza-led anti-austerity government is growing on the British left with Labour MPs putting their weight behind an Early Day Motion in the House of Commons and an open letter published in today’s Guardian (27 January). According to the Greece Solidarity Campaign, the EDM is already backed by 12 MPs, while the...
Unbalanced Britain: Work, Wages and Labour
Since the crash of 2008 the dominance of corporate elites has remained largely unchanged and unchallenged. Instead we have seen ever-increasing pressure on wages and conditions of work, zero hours contracts and cuts to in-work benefits. The ILP’s second seminar in its Unbalanced Britain series on Saturday 14 March will explore the on-going changes in...
GMB Welcomes Labour’s Election Pledges
The GMB union has welcomed the Labour Party’s election pledges to put working people and trade unionists at the centre of the 2015 general election....
The Case for Democratic Devolution
In recent decades our society has become seriously and, indeed, dangerously unbalanced in a series of crucial, yet interlinked, ways. BARRY WINTER argues that regional devolution could play an important part in re-democratising and re-balancing society. Unbalanced Britain is being subjected to growing poverty and widening social inequalities generally; to increasing and irresponsible financial and...
Yorkshire Celebrates Tom Paine’s Birthday
The Sheffield School of Democratic Socialism is revising a practice of 1820s British radicals by holding a meeting at the end of January in celebration of Tom Paine’s birthday....
Labour Should Outlaw Zero-Hours Contracts
Labour’s opposition to zero hour contracts is important and welcome, says ERNIE JACQUES. But the Party’s approach is still far too timid. In his speech at Senate House last month, Labour leader Ed Miliband could not have been stronger in his attack on the coalition government’s ‘zero-zero economy’ and the horrific Victorian employment practices exemplified...
Labour’s Plan for Government
The Labour Party has published its plan for government setting out its commitments in four areas: economy, society, politics and Britain in the world....
Labour Needs to Push its Progressive Electoral Programme
HARRY BARNES has analysed Labour’s electoral programme and believes it starts to ‘open the door’ towards democratic socialism. He’s also provided a readable 16-part summary for those who haven’t yet ploughed through the 200-page document. ...
Where is the Left’s Anger over Isis?
Angst over the invasion of Iraq in 2003 shouldn’t prevent the left offering real solidarity to Iraqi Kurds in 2014, argues GARY KENT. The Kurds have long been a cause celebre for the international left. Iraqi Kurds were victims of genocide and all Kurds in Turkey, Iran, Iraq and Syria were denied basic rights. Support...
Now for the Hard Part
While the No victory in the Scottish referendum was a huge relief to many, the political minefield the campaign left behind means there is much hard work to do before we’ll see any renewal of Labour and the UK left. WILL BROWN reports. The No vote means that we have avoided many problems independence would...