Solidarity 545, 28 April 2020

Reply to 66 Old New Leftists who urge support for Biden

A large group of people who had been prominent in Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) [in the 1960s have] written an open letter about the importance of supporting Joe Biden [for US president]... They tell us “this is an all hands on deck moment,” and that supporting Joe Biden in order to defeat Donald Trump “is our high moral and political responsibility”. The letter of the sixty-six appeals to the lessons of history, which I think is always a good idea. What they do with history, however, strikes me as selective and superficial. When I saw the letter mentioning the stormy year of 1919, I...

Child care cut

At the same time that schools are generally closed, and few of the children registered as “vulnerable” are turning up to the limited school provision which continues, the government has (on 23 April) published a decree suspending many of the social care obligations of local councils. For example, the duty to arrange social worker visits to children in care at least every six weeks has been removed. The requirement for six-monthly independent reviews of a child’s care has been removed. And much more.

Hong Kong arrests

On 18 April, Hong Kong police arrested 15 pro-democracy figures on suspicion of organising and participating in unauthorised marches on 18 August 18, 1 October, or 20 October. Police have said the 15 are due to appear before magistrates on 18 May.

Diary of a Tube worker: Unanswered questions

On Wednesday [22nd] after London mayor Sadiq Khan is quoted saying that TfL [Transport for London] has run out of money and then we are notified that TfL will start furloughing some staff, people have unanswered questions. “We are getting our pay rise now and that won’t help”. “The pay rise is factored in, they’ve known about it since the deal was agreed. He [Khan] is saying this to put pressure on government for more money” “He should have been asking for this money a long time ago”, I say. “He allowed the government to cut the grant, put up no fight. It’s ironic he’s found his voice now.“...

The first government to ban strikes in this crisis

Portugal’s social democratic government has for years been cited as a model, particularly among leftish anti-Brexit campaigners. It has done better than other European governments, reversing many austerity measures and expanding elements of social provision, but within a neo-liberal framework. In the pandemic, Portugal has had a lighter toll than elsewhere. (928 deaths so far; the virus arrived later, reaching 10 deaths on 21 March, by which time neighbouring Spain had already had 1381; a lockdown from 23 March “flattened” the curve from early April, even if it has not yet pushed it down much...

Make workplaces safe first! (John Moloney's column)

We’re still waiting for a response from the civil service to our proposals for what employers should do in cases of some who might be affected by the virus. We made various demands about the isolation and closure of workspaces; we were promised a response this week, but that’s now been delayed. For the past fortnight we’ve been holding off bosses’ plans to increase staffing levels in the workplace itself in the Passport Office. There’s currently a 17.5% staffing level in the workplace, and bosses want to ramp that up to 25%. They want to clear a backlog of applications, but on the whole that’s...

Resist transport cuts

London’s mayor Sadiq Khan has taken to BBC Radio London to announce that Transport for London may run out of money to pay staff by the end of April, and may need to cut services unless the government steps in. It’s right that Khan should appeal to the government for funding; this is something he should’ve been doing loudly and vocally for years, pre-pandemic, joining unions in an active campaign of protest at the abolition of the government subsidy to TfL. But he also has a responsibility to reassure and protect the workers who keep TfL running, many of whom are now concerned for their future...

Social care: rise to the challenge!

“Me and my colleagues in care work are risking our lives for just over £8 an hour… Whether it’s PPE shortages, faulty tests, or low sick pay, key workers are treated like collateral” Nadia Whittome MP (who has returned to her old job during the crisis) “The big challenge is not to go for the lowest common denominator but be far more ambitious … It’s obvious what the problems are, but the question is can the labour movement take the initiative with radical solutions? ... The care sector highlights the problems we face, unable to deliver decent standards for the people it looks after or for the...

Against Israel's new coalition

Maisam Jaljuli and Asaf Yakir are activists in Omdim B'Yachad (Standing Together), a left-wing Arab-Jewish social movement in Israel. They spoke to Daniel Randall from Solidarity about their struggles. DR: What's your assessment of the newly-formed coalition government, and how can the threat of annexation be resisted? AY: The main political parties in Israel don't have significantly differing policies, so it's not surprising they've formed a coalition. In some ways it clarifies things, as it makes clear where people stand and who the real opposition is. We need to organise in the streets...

Memories of Tony Reay

Tony Reay, who died on 23 April, was a campaigner, trade unionist and socialist. For most of his adult life he worked closely with Workers’ Liberty comrades in the civil service trade unions, first the CPSA and then the PCS. He was based in Lewisham for the past 30 years and was hugely respected in the Lewisham labour movement. I first met Tony 27 years ago, just after I moved to London. The then AWL industrial organiser discovered I was now living across from the road from Tony, and sent me to visit Tony with the instruction to recruit him. I still don’t know if that was the organiser’s sense...

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