National News
Peterloo remembered
by New Worker correspondent
THOUSANDS of people took to the streets of Manchester last weekend to remember the Peterloo massacre that took place in the city 200 years ago in a ‘March for Democracy’ that echoed the demands of the martyrs butchered by the militia in 1819. This brutal act was soon dubbed “Peterloo” by the radical press in a mocking reference to the British victory over the French at Waterloo a few years earlier.
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Who guards the guardians…
by New Worker correspondent
THE LOT of a security guard is never a happy one. In addition to having to deal with hours of boredom enlivened only by drunken yobs and frequently more dangerous criminals during unsocial hours in low paid outsourced jobs that are often precarious, particularly when one firm losses a contract to another.
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In the Boardrooms…
by New Worker correspondent
EVIDENCE is mounting that the whole private operating system on the railways is descending into chaos. The Government has been forced to cancel the franchising process on Southeaster region and grant an emergency extension to the Go Ahead Group.
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On the Rails
by New Worker correspondent
AN IMPORTANT traditional summer ritual was held at 9.30 in the morning last week. This was the announcement of the annual rail fare increases which are implemented every New Year when bleary-eyed commuters resume their dreary trek to work. In this case the rise, was 2.8 per cent which means that annual season tickets from Brighton to London goes up by £125 to £4,581, Barrow-in-Furness to Preston by £117 to £4,285 and Edinburgh to Glasgow by £114 to £4,198. The increases only apply to regulated fares leaving operators free to increase other fares as they please.
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A minor victory
by our Scottish political affairs correspondent
A FORTNIGHT ago we reported on the bad conditions prevailing among those working on the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. It is pleasing to report that things have improved slightly at one particular venue. The Fair Fringe Campaign has recently announced that, with the help of Unite the Union it has secured Real Living Wage agreement for 120 workers at The Stand Comedy Club (a chain of glorified pubs) which has branches in Glasgow and Edinburgh.
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War of the Pink Pound
by our Scottish political affairs correspondent
Last Saturday the annual Pride Glasgow 2019 took place after a number of rows over the competence of its organisers and its commercialisation. Unite the Union declined to take part saying that “In recent years we have seen the once great community event become steadily more commercial. We have seen the introduction of charges for their main event leading to the disaster that was 2018”. Unite deplored “the charges they are imposing to march” as in London and Manchester. It makes the valid point that “we do not believe that the fundamental right to protest should ever be charged for”. Tickets to enter the march cost LGBT+ groups £120 for a walking group, £420 for commercial organisations and £600 to have a float. Thankfully the Partick congregation of the Free Church of Scotland (Continuing) were not charged to preach the Gospel to the marchers.
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On the Slipway
by our Scottish political affairs correspondent
Last week we reported that the Scottish Government was thinking about nationalising Ferguson Marine Engineering Limited (FMEL), the last merchant ship builder on the Clyde. On Friday it went into administration and was nationalised. But for how long remains to be seen. A four week process has started where commercial bids can be made for the company. A yard with only two overdue and over-budget ferries on its books is not necessarily the soundest investment opportunity.
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Blatant Hypocrisy
by our Scottish political affairs correspondent
In April Nicola Sturgeon declared that Scotland was in a state of climate emergency but would be carbon neutral by 2045. It has also announced that it will introduce a “workplace parking levy” to discourage car use.
However dislike of private cars does not extend to the top of the SNP tree. SNP ministers took 10,775 car journeys at a cost of £1,323,131, an inflation adjusted rise of £260,000 since 2006-07.
Aberdeen protesters demand new independence vote
Sputnik
ABERDEEN, Scotland’s third largest city, was the scene of yet another pro-independence March on Saturday.
Although there was some debate in the press around the attendance figures - the organisers claimed 12,000 protestors took part in the rally, whereas Police Scotland’s figure came in at around 5,000 marchers - the atmosphere was certainly intense.
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A Laotian student in Cheltenham
UK in Laos
A LAOTIAN student, Anouphab, has just finished his MA in Educational Leadership at the University of Gloucestershire in Cheltenham.
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Shanghai orchestra wows Edinburgh
by Lu Hui
THE 140-year-old Shanghai Symphony Orchestra (SSO) wowed spectators on Monday night with a stunning concert marking the debut of a Chinese orchestra in the Edinburgh International Festival (EIF), the world’s leading performing art event.
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International News
Hypocrisy over Hong Kong
by finian Cunningham
IMAGINE the response if protesters were to smash up JFK or Heathrow airports, closing down international flight services. The American and British authorities would have culprits rounded up and jailed, or worse, shot dead on the spot by armed police.
The scenes of vandalism and lawless insurrection last week at Hong Kong’s airport — the world’s eighth-busiest hub for passengers — were staggering. Thousands of club-wielding demonstrators trashed the terminals causing cancellation of all flights for the day.
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Trump confirms interest in Greenland
by Ed Newman
US President Donald Trump says that the United States is seriously considering buying Greenland, calling it “a large real estate deal.” Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Trump said that since Greenland is “hurting” Denmark economically, it would be nice for the United States to buy it.
Greenland, which is a self-ruling part of Denmark located between the North Atlantic and Arctic oceans, is dependent on Denmark’s economic support.
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Iran praises DPRK for vigilance against US
Telesur
THE SPEAKER of the Iranian parliament, Ali Larijani, praised north Korea’s ‘intelligent’ approach to the US, and said that they have successfully resisted unilateral pressures, thereby securing their independence. Larijani also said that he hoped Iran and north Korea could increase their cooperation, since both are heavily sanctioned by Washington.
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Israeli MP assaulted for waving Palestinian flag
CPI
POLICE attacked a left-wing Israeli MP for waving a Palestinian flag during a protest last week. Ofer Cassif is a member of the communist-led Democratic Front for Peace and Equality (Hadash) in the Knesset, the Israeli parliament. He was taking part in a protest in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood of occupied East Jerusalem against the increased presence of settlers in the area when he was assaulted. Cassif’s parliamentary aide was hit and detained by police.
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Americans threaten Greece over Iran tanker
Radio Havana Cuba
THE US State Department has informed the Greek government of its ‘strong position’ regarding foreign states providing any assistance to Iranian oil tanker that was recently released by Gibraltar despite all Washington’s pressure.
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Solidarity with the people of Kashmir
by Sara Flounders
THE US Workers World Party has always recognised the right of the people of Kashmir to self-determination. WWP considers Kashmir to be an oppressed nation under the rule of India.
At this time the Indian-occupied state, called Jammu & Kashmir, is under total lockdown and martial law. The Indian government has more than 600,000 Indian troops in Kashmir. They act as an army of occupation against Kashmir’s 14 million people, the majority of them Muslims.
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Trump regime’s hardball with China a losing strategy
by Stephen Lendman
PEOPLE’S CHINA is a major player on the world stage, geopolitical know-nothing Trump outclassed, outshined, and outwitted by its ruling authorities.
He’s an embarrassment compared to other major world leaders, a laughing stock geo-political wrecking ball.
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Features
Conspiracy theories
by Rob Gowland
A VOLUNTEER at Gosford Hospital where I was having dialysis made a passing reference to the Titanic as being not her idea of a safe ship. A fairly safe sort of statement, I would have thought. But no, a nearby patient spoke up straight away to “set the record straight”. According to him, the Rothschilds contrived to sink the Titanic in order to do away with their financial rivals amongst the numerous wealthy and powerful figures that made up the complement of first class passengers who perished in the disaster!
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The Battle of the Bogside — was it worth it?
by Mitchel McLaughlin
Mitchel McLaughlin, a Derry youth in 1969, who progressed on to be a Sinn FÉin MLA, National Chairperson of the party, the first Sinn FÉin Speaker of the Assembly, recalled the events of August 1969 in his native city in this article written in 2009.
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Show the world the real Hong Kong!
By Yurou
AS THE latest incident in the Hong Kong chaos, violent radicals tied up both hands of a reporter from Global Times, a newspaper in the Chinese mainland. They assaulted him, causing multiple injuries.
Such an infringement of human rights and press freedom has drawn wide condemnation. It offers yet more proof that the protest in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region has become violent and illegal. Some Western media, however, once again turned a blind eye, challenging the core principles of journalism and showing bias and double standards over issues concerning China.
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