National News
Small But Worthy Victory
by New Worker correspondent
A victory was secured in the Employment Tribunal case of Strathduie Bar versus Nick Troy. Troy is Chair of the Glasgow branch of Unite Hospitality. Troy briefly worked in the bar on a zero-hours basis but was speedily dismissed after just a “handful of shifts” for the sin that Troy’s “vibes don’t fit”.
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Chopper Wars
by New Worker correspondent
While Somerset is best known for its cider, it also produces helicopters. Unite the union is presently demanding that this continue so that when freedom fighters in the neo-colonies are machine-gunned from helicopters it’s British gunships that do the job. The union therefore wants a Government commitment to the New Medium Helicopter (NMH) that is built by the Italian Leonardo plant in Yeovil.
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Festive Delights
by New Worker correspondent
As this is the season to be jolly there are a number of industrial actions that have a particular impact at this time of year (at least according to sometimes imaginative writers in trade union press offices). At the Princes Foods factory in Cardiff almost 200 workers are to strike over pay. Unite warns that this will affect the supply of fresh fruit juices, which will result in a terrible shortage of Bucks Fizz when the strike begins on Tuesday.
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Another well timed strike…
by New Worker correspondent
…is taking place at Harrods, the London super-store once favoured by the Royal Family and visiting Arab oil princes, where workers belonging to the United Voice of the World (UVW) are to strike over the pre-Christmas weekend and Boxing Day because the store refuses to talk to them.
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Scottish Political News
by our Scottish political affairs correspondent
The campaign for the 2026 Holyrood election has unofficially been launched under the guise of the Scottish Budget. Finance Secretary Shona Robison pulled a variety of goodies out of her hat that she hopes will woo the voters, but she will have to hope nobody asks too many awkward questions about where the money is coming from. She also has the problem of actually getting it passed given that the SNP is in a minority and is effectively at war with its former allies, the Greens.
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International News
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Terrorist forces overthrow Syrian government
Vijay Prashad, People’s World (USA)
As terrorist forces overthrow the Syrian government, Israel invades and the Americans hold on to Syrian oil. On Sunday 8th December – after over a week of intense fighting between the Syrian government and the terrorist group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and its allied factions, who gained control over key cities in the country – Syrian President Bashar al-Assad fled Syria. The news was announced by the Russian Foreign Ministry, which also informed that with his resignation al-Assad instructed his prime minister to stay in charge of the state to oversee a peaceful transition of power to opposition forces. The development happens 14 months into Israel’s genocide in Gaza and weeks after Benjamin Netanyahu signed a ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah in Lebanon. Below are reflections from Vijay Prashad regarding the takeover and key elements to understand it.
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Russia returns to Afghanistan
Sputnik
A bill explaining the procedure of how Russia removes organisations from the lists of terrorists has just went to the Russian parliament and maybe it will clear it this week.
It’s about Afghanistan, of course. Previously the law gave no clues for what to do if the Russian government decides to disagree with the UN or anybody else who keeps on listing someone as international terrorists
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Same old tune from the BBC
by Mark Blacklock, Global Times
There is a page entitled China-UK relations on the BBC’s news website that, at the time of writing, features previews of about four dozen individual articles dating from February 2019 to August 2024. They are all about China and almost all have a negative or critical tone
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Vietnam: still a safe haven for travellers
by Ray Riches ,VNS
Recently, news has spread across the world about several deaths at a backpacker hostel in Laos. Deadly methanol was sold as regular alcohol, causing illness and death. The concern on everyone’s mind is whether this could also happen in Vietnam
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Bhopal victims demand justice
Radio Havana Cuba
Last week Bhopal victims marked the 40th anniversary of one of the worst industrial disasters of the 20th Century. Shortly after mid- night on 3rd Decem- ber 1984, in the In- dian city of Bhopal, tons of lethal gases leaked from a pes- ticide factory run by the American Union Carbide cor- poration. Between 8,000 to 10,000 peo- ple lost their lives within days.
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No tears for slain Healthcare boss
Workers World (USA)
Normally when someone is shot dead, people feel sad for the victim. But in the case of Brian Thompson, CEO of the big- gest private health insurance com- pany in America, shot before dawn on the streets of Manhattan on 4th December, a large majority of public comments are that empathy is “out of network”.
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Features
Trump and the decline of US imperialism
by Mick Kelly, Fightback News (USA)
A speech given at an international conference convened by the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) in Amsterdam last month on the topic of national liberation from imperialism.
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On the ‘spiritual plunder’ of colonialism
by Ding Gang. The author is a senior editor with the People’s Daily and currently a senior fellow with the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies at the Renmin University of China
Thirty years ago, in Brussels, the Cinquantenaire Park became my preferred spot for evening walks. The majestic triumphal arch initially captivated me with its grandeur. Still, after learning its history, this symbol of Belgian colonial power seemed to silently remind me of a past built on cruel exploitation and plunder.
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