How to measure the rate of inflation may seem a technical, dry subject. And much of it is. But its implications matter for workers, not least because of its role as a reference point for pay bargaining…
War means that prices, and taxes, go up. It is both a cause of inflation and an excuse for government and employers to pass off a systemic element of capitalism as nothing to do with them…
The state has tried to meet its needs by printing more and more money. No wonder we have inflation…
21 February 2024
Workers in many sectors have secured more pay through successful disputes. But the next round of claims will see employers try to regain some ground.
21 August 2023
The rise in the consumer prices index in the year to July was a little lower than June – but prices are still rising faster than they have done for years.
21 August 2023
Government debt headlines when it goes up or when the government says it wants to reduce it. The level of debt has spiralled out of control, and capitalism has no answer.
22 June 2023
Mark Carney, former governor of the Bank of England, blames Britain’s inflation on Brexit. But inflation is, and always has been, a feature of capitalism.
22 June 2023
Inflation as a result of government policy since 2008 has now worked through to consumer prices. The underlying economics of inflation are the result of a poor bargain between capitalists and wage-earners.
Since the 2008 crash governments have increased the money supply, with no improvement in productivity. This imbalance is the main cause of the current inflation.
16 February 2023
Households are suffering the worst squeeze in real incomes since 1945. Real pay fell by 2.5 per cent the last quarter of 2022.
21 November 2022
The Autumn Statement changes nothing for workers, who must take matters into their own hands. Fighting for increased pay is essential, but on its own not enough.
Rising prices affect everyone – but they are endemic to capitalism and not acts of God. The current surge in prices is an act of class war directed at workers, and it requires a working class response…
21 August 2022
BT Group and Openreach telecoms workers will hold further strikes at the end of August. They are fighting against below inflation pay increases – in effect, wage cuts.
20 August 2022
None of the politicians – least of all those vying for the Conservative leadership – will talk about the daily damage caused by adherence to the mantra of net zero carbon by 2050.
15 July 2022
Workers at Budweiser’s Samlesbury brewery are in a continuing dispute over pay. They are strking again in response to an offer well below inflation.
18 May 2022
Fish and chips, once an affordable take-away meal, is becoming more and more expensive, underlining what’s wrong with Britain’s food policy.
The government’s Spring Statement was a budget by a finance capitalist for finance capital. Its every action is an assault on our living standards driven by a legacy of debt.
19 March 2022
A campaign set up to demand a referendum on the government’s rush to enforce net zero policies on Britain has had to cancel a planned rally in Bolton due to threats and intimidation.
There’s more than something rotten in Britain. And a lot of it is exemplified by the coming rises in energy prices.
The current energy price rises are part of the government’s attack on the working class. There is a good case for a VAT holiday for domestic energy.
