Child care for profit
Almost unbelievably, most children’s homes in Britain are run by private equity companies…
Features
Features
Youth unemployment: a challenge for us all
During the Covid-19 pandemic young people have been hit particularly hard. Now the prospects for all workers, but for young workers in particular, are going from bad to worse…
Science, technology and progress
As communists, we are for the development of all fields based on human skill and ingenuity. That’s why we chose the theme of science and technology for May Day – because it goes to the heart of the idea of progress…
Watch out, there are freeports about
Freeports are a reality. Most workers have never heard of them, but they soon will – and workers’ organisation within them will really matter…
Diet and obesity – an issue for the working class
Obesity in Britain is increasing, especially in children. This is a relatively recent development, but the trend is clear and persistent…
Free movement? Come on in, says government
Listen to Home Secretary Priti Patel and other ministers and you might get the idea that the government is cracking down on all immigration, legal and illegal. But cheap labour is still being encouraged into Britain…
Training: employers still the ghost at the feast
Business and governments want skilled workers, but not to have to train them or pay for their training. Instead, they want to go on importing labour from abroad – leaving young British workers bereft of opportunities…
Talking defence, planning wars
The government calls it an integrated defence review, but it’s full of offensive policies that will give the green light to military aggression in all corners of the world…
Why we all need the Union – and sterling
The threat to the unity of the British working class comes not just from separatists, but also from those throughout Britain who kid themselves that it doesn’t matter to them.
Grow for independence, plan for the people
It’s one of the central tasks of any government: to be able to ensure that the population can be fed. That can’t be left to market forces, just-in-time logistics, or the whims of foreign governments…
Nuclear – our best guarantee of energy security
If Britain is to be self-reliant in energy, nuclear is going to have to be part of the mix. The alternative is either reliance on unstable governments and blocs or a radical reduction in industry and living standards…
Bouncing back: the return of British fruit [print version]
The Covid-19 pandemic has seen increased discussion of home food production. Encouragingly, some British food growers are thinking positively along the same lines…
Brexit is done…but beware the traps
The EU failed to stop Britain leaving its federation of failure, and was forced to sign a leaving agreement that fell far short of its ambitions. That, though, won’t stop it trying to make up lost ground…
Research and innovation for independence
Brexit has left British research free to develop itself – but has the Trade and Cooperation Agreement with the EU still left some strings attached?
A Protocol full of perils
The NI Protocol was forced on the UK during Brexit negotiations. It’s already causing problems…
A truly independent coastal state?
The British fishing industry was strongly in favour of Brexit, and the government trumpeted it as a big beneficiary of leaving the EU. But that’s not the end of the story…
How the EU turned a vaccines crisis into a fiasco
The EU cannot hide its dismay at the success of Britain’s vaccination programme. And its attempt to strongarm Britain to make up for its failure backfired spectacularly…
Unreality grips as separatists desert industry
While the SNP concentrates on eye-catching headlines, industry in Scotland faces a bleak future after years of kowtowing to EU state aid rules and a long-term agenda of fragmentation and privatisation…
Buses – the fight for the future
Before Covid-19, 4.4 billion journeys were made by bus each year. Buses are the backbone of Britain’s public transport system, but workers will have to fight to keep the quality bus services the country needs.…
Facing up to Britain’s logistics challenge
The overwhelming reliance on road transport to keep the country functioning is a growing problem – for health, for the environment, and not least for passenger transport…
Agriculture unchained
New developments in agricultural policy give some idea of our potential future as a sovereign nation…
A nation for tourism
Visitors from abroad recognise Britain as one nation – something tour operators are well aware of…
The arts in a time of coronavirus
While a significant minority in the cultural industries cried (literally) over their imagined loss through Brexit, coronavirus succeeded in uniting the country around a cause all corners of Britain could agree on: survival…
New money for energy, new commitment
The government’s latest announcement on energy policy is full of positive signs, with a welcome wish to use government procurement to boost jobs and investment here. But workers will want more than promises…
Devolving health: it doesn’t make sense
For Britain to persist with devolved health services is a nonsense – economies of scale are being lost and during the current health crisis efforts are being dissipated. A look at Scotland indicates the scale of the problem…
The fight for a future
One battle ends, but the war goes on. With the end of British involvement in the EU comes a new beginning – the fight for real independence…
Rolls-Royce workers take up the fight for engineering
Rolls-Royce workers at in Lancashire are to strike for three weeks in November against the company’s plan to move production offshore.
Break the separatist mindset!
There are now six months to blunt the axe of those who plan to break up Britain. But encouragingly, those who are pushing for fragmentation are increasingly seeking to tear each other apart too…
What future for Britain’s railways?
With nationalisation the only sensible option for rail, the government is moving swiftly to avoid doing it. Instead, it is looking to turn the industry upside down, with huge implications for jobs, pay, conditions and services…