National News
Doctors prepare for industrial action
THE BRITISH Medical Association (BMA) last Wednesday (30th May) confirmed that doctors had voted for the first time in almost 40 years to take industrial action over major changes to the NHS pension scheme.
The first day of action will take place on 21st June 2012 and will see doctors providing all urgent and emergency care, but postponing non-urgent cases.
[Read the complete story in the print edition]
Revenue and Customs workers to strike
MEMBERS of the civil service union PCS in HM Revenue and Customs voted to strike last week in a dispute over job cuts and privatisation.
PCS, which has 55,000 members in the department including tax advisers and call centre staff, said 52.8 per cent of 18,300 voters had backed a strike.
The union is opposing plans to cut 10,000 posts by 2014/15. PCS says it makes “no economic sense” to make cuts that will reduce effectiveness at collecting taxes.
[Read the complete story in the print edition]
Unpaid Jubilee stewards sleep under bridge
COACHLOADS of young unemployed people were brought to London last weekend on a work programme to act as unpaid stewards during the Royal Jubilee Thames pageant.
They had been told that this might lead to some similar work during the Olympics that would be paid.
But when they arrived, late at night and in the pouring rain, they were taken to London Bridge and told their accommodation for the night would be the cold pavement under the bridge.
A report by Shiv Malik in last Monday’s Guardian revealed that up to 30 jobseekers and another 50 people on apprentice wages were taken to London by coach from Bristol, Bath and Plymouth to work for the security firm Close Protection UK.
[Read the complete story in the print edition]
Manufacturing falls
THE MANUFACTURING sector in Britain turned in its worst performance for three years in May, according to a survey published last week.
The Markit/CIPS manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index dropped to 45.9, down from 50.2 in April. A reading below 50 indicates contraction.
[Read the complete story in the print edition]
‘Fit for work’ after 14 heart attacks
PAUL MICKLEBURGH of Aberdeen, a 53 year old father of three who has suffered 14 heart attacks and four failed kidney transplants over the past 33 years, has been moved from the severe disablement allowance to the lower Employment Support Allowance.
He is one of thousands of seriously ill or incapacitated benefit claimants who are being moved from incapacity benefit or severe disablement allowance, by the Government’s Work Capability Assessment test, to lower benefits to reduce the Government’s benefits budget.
[Read the complete story in the print edition]
EDL humiliated in Brighton — again
BRIGHTON ANTIFASCISTS report that “Casuals United”, the football hooligan wing of the Islamophobic English Defence League, came unstuck in Brighton last Saturday.
In response to their humiliation at the St George’s Day March for England the fash thought it would be a good idea to come back in even smaller numbers to have a go at the seaside town’s “rabid hordes of commie UAF gays”.
[Read the complete story in the print edition]
Pages from the past: the Chartist movement
Review
A new set of cards of images of leading Chartists, taken from
original photographs, engravings and lithographs, has now been produced, by Past Pixels, to commemorate the Chartists struggle for social justice.
There’s a short commentary about the image of the back of each card and
Past Pixel cards can be ordered online
or from an increasing number of retail outlets. Further information about all the cards can also be obtained by writing directly to: Past Pixels, PO Box 798, Worcester, WR4 4BW
[Read the complete story in the print edition]
International News
Egyptians protest at Mubarak verdicts
by Ed Newman
OVER THE past three days demonstrators have occupied Tahrir Square in Cairo to protest against what they consider a disappointing verdict announced on Saturday against former president Hosni Mubarak, his sons, his minister of the interior and six of his senior aides. Mubarak was jailed for life but his henchmen were all acquitted and the charges against his sons were dropped.
[Read the complete story in the print edition]
Cuba, lies and money in US Electoral Campaign
by Ana Ivis Galán García
THE CURRENT presidential election campaign in the United States is about to enter its final stages. There are only five months ahead for the US people to go to the polls and vote for the next president of the superpower. Only two runners continue in the election race: Republic candidate Mitt Romney and the current President, Democrat Barack Obama.
[Read the complete story in the print edition]
The economic war against Iran
Radio Havana Cuba
THE MILITARY power of Iran and the unity of its leaders with their people have convinced the western countries, led by the United States, Britain and France, to cast aside for the moment the drums of war. Instead, they are imposing a strong economic blockade to weaken the government and, in that way, try to own the country and its oil reserves.
[Read the complete story in the print edition]
US history - Tulsa 1921: justice continues to be denied
by Dolores Cox
MAY 31st was the 91st anniversary of the “Race Riot” tragedy in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
It “was almost left out of history, not documented, passed over, wiped out!” stated Representative Maxine Waters, of the Congressional Black Caucus.
On that date in 1921, a rampage by white supremacists caused the destruction of the Greenwood Black neighbourhood and the massacre of 300 people. Yet the so-called race riot and its survivors were conveniently forgotten about for decades, the “best-kept secret” in Tulsa. City, state and federal officials as well as white residents denied it.
[Read the complete story in the print edition]
Features
Greece: two tough battles
Statement of the International Relations Section of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE)
Part one of two
GREECE continues to attract the attention of workers of many countries all over the world, in light of the new crucially important parliamentary elections, which will be held on the 17th June, as none of the three parties which received the most votes can form a coalition government. Of particular interest, judging by the relevant articles in communist and other progressive newspapers, journals and web-pages, are the recent election results as well as the political line of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE), which has found itself in the firing line of various analysts in this period. But let us start from the beginning.
The result of the May elections
The vote on the 6th May created a new political scene as the three parties that had governed together, supporting the anti-people political line of capital and the European Union (EU), fell in the elections.
[ Read the complete story here ->> Greece: two tough battles ]