Solidarity 038, 9 October 2003

Debate & Discussion: Zionism - In a minority of one

"Who is out of step on Zionism?", John O'Mahony asks regarding his self-identification as a Zionist. Well, you are, John, not just with the 'anti-Zionism' of the majority of the left whom you rightly attack, but also with our own organisation, the AWL. In the AWL you are in a minority of one on this issue, as far as I know - and with the tradition from which we draw our position of "consistent democracy" as the means to resolve national divisions from a socialist perspective. Instead your view emerges as a subjective reaction to the anti-Israeli denunciations of Zionism by most of the left...

Debate & Discussion: Paris, 1973 - how not to beat the fascists

It wasn't a good idea to reproduce without comment in Solidarity (3/35) the article by François Duval that appeared in Rouge on the occasion of the anniversary of the anti-fascist demonstration of 21 June 1973. This demonstration was organised to stop a meeting of New Order, the principal fascist group then active in France. The demo has to be seen in context as a trap set for the Ligue Communiste (LC) by the Minister of the Interior Raymond Marcellin. Marcellin knew that the LC, the forerunner of the Ligue Communiste Révolutionnaire (LCR), would do everything to stop this meeting taking place...

Iraq: look to the workers, not the UN

The anti-war group Justice not Vengeance, led by activist Milan Rai, has come out for a "United Nations Transitional Authority" in Iraq. Colin Foster argues that anti-war activists should rather focus on developing support for and links with the re-emerging workers', unemployed and women's movements in Iraq. According to Justice not Vengeance (www.j-n-v.org), "most people in the UK and in Iraq… seem to believe that an immediate withdrawal of US and UK forces without an alternative externally-supported political and security framework would run an unacceptable risk of social chaos. We in...

Edward Said, 1935-2003

The Palestinian intellectual Edward Said died at the end of September 2003. Edward Ellis discusses his ideas and impact. Edward Said was born in pre-partition Jerusalem and later became an American citizen. He was Professor of English and Comparative Literature at Columbia University. He was known both for his intellectual contributions - in particular, the book which made his name, Orientalism , first published in 1978 - and for his active involvement in Palestinian politics. The theme of Orientalism , and later work such as Culture and Imperialism , was that Western culture constructs an...

The ideology of Monet and Rolf

Lucy Clement asks, is the consumption of art elitist? And why? The headline said "Britons can't tell Rolf Harris from Monet". That was a little unfair: in the survey in question only seven per cent had thought Rolf painted Waterlilies. Mind you, almost half didn't know that Leonardo da Vinci painted the Mona Lisa, and only 15% knew the artist behind the Scream. But the survey - carried out by the Encyclopaedia Britannica, presumably for purposes of peddling their website subscriptions - was revealing in other ways. It found that forty-three per cent of the people questioned had never visited...

Unions launch a drive to 'put Labour back into the party'

By Martin Thomas The lion gave voice. It was more like a squeak or a groan than a roar, but it was the lion rising to its feet and holding forth for the first time in decades. In a fringe meeting at Labour Party conference in Bournemouth on Wednesday 1 October, five big trade unions, CWU (post and telecom), GMB and TGWU (both general unions), Amicus (engineering, electrical, scientific-technical, financial), and Unison (public services) organised a joint meeting to announce a campaign to 'put Labour back into the party'. As Tony Woodley, general secretary elect of the TGWU, noted, it was "a...

Action needed on pensions!

By John Moloney, PCS National Executive The whole trade union movement agrees that there is a pension crisis. Whether with the state pension (too low), private sector pensions (final salary schemes closing down) or public sector (extending the pension retirement age to 65) across the whole of society pension rights are under attack. These attacks, if successful, will mean more pensioners living in greater poverty for longer. The main Civil Service union, PCS, called on the 2003 TUC Congress to link the various pension fights into one campaign, to have a mass demonstration on pensions and to...

Amicus ballot at Rolls Royce over pensions

Balloting for industrial action has begun at Rolls-Royce over a pensions dispute. Workers are voting on whether to strike against plans to cut their pensions. The firm says the cuts will total £80 million a year. Amicus said Rolls-Royce is proposing to slash £800 million from pensions, costing each worker up to £16,000 each. Amicus general secretary Derek Simpson said: "Rolls-Royce is not treating its workforce in way that's commensurate with their levels of loyalty and skill. "Rolls-Royce pension scheme members are prepared to pay increased contributions to ensure they have a fair and living...

Royal Mint workers vote for strike

Workers at the Royal Mint have voted to strike in a pay dispute. Workers at the coin manufacturer in Llantrisant, South Wales, backed action in protest at an offer they said was worth only 1%, after a pay freeze last year. Management had rejected union proposals for a 9% pay offer over three years. The Mint, a government agency founded in 1992, said it was "very disappointed" at the strike threat and maintained that its offer was worth at least 3% plus £400 in year one, and 2.5% plus £400 in year two. Derek Simpson, general secretary of Amicus, said the offer was an "insult", especially when...

Councils must pay workers more

The result of the London Unison local government members' ballot was announced on 23 September. the ballot showed 80% in favour of more industrial action over the union's claim for an increase in London weighting to £4,000. The union has fixed a day of action involving workers in all 32 London boroughs for 16 October, which will coincide with the next London postalworkers' strike. The current allowance in London boroughs is between £1,500 and £2,850. Recently the union rejected an offer of £201 increase in London weighting which was only going to be made available to staff earning up to a...

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