NEARLY ONE-THIRD of all Southern Rail’s trains were late or failed to run last year. And 2017 could be even worse, with up to 46 per cent of trains cancelled or delayed in January. Furious season ticket holders and other passengers are claiming compensation, running into thousands of pounds. How can a private company absorb […]

Donald Trump’s presidency has galvanised opposition. But turning resistance into victories will not be easy. Republicans control both houses of Congress, the Presidency and hardline conservatives will undoubtedly soon control the Supreme Court. At a state level they hold power in 32 state legislatures plus 33 governorships, covering 61 per cent of the U.S. population. […]

By Chris Taylor UNISON RECENTLY announced that striking Glasgow City Council IT workers have accepted an offer from the council and returned to work. Having secured guarantees that they will continue to be council-linked employees and suffer no redundancies or relocation, the strike has been called off. This brings to an end a dispute which […]

Brexit will have enormous political and economic ramifications on both Northern Ireland and the Republic. Since the EU referendum, for example, Irish food and drink exports to the UK have fallen by €570 million, according to the Republic of Ireland’s Bord Bia. Food and drink account for 41% of Ireland’s exports to the UK, while […]

UNITE GENERAL Secretary Len McCluskey has triggered an early election campaign for the position he currently holds. The three candidates, McCluskey, Gerard Coyne and Ian Allinson, have until 17 February to gain an undemocratically high 50 branch nominations to get on the ballot paper. Members then have from 27 March to 19 April to vote. […]

JEREMY CORBYN has imposed a three-line whip on Labour MPs to vote for Theresa May’s Bill to start the Brexit process. We believe this is a seriously wrong position. Leaving the European Union will be as disastrous for the working class, here, in Europe and around the world, as it was when Labour opposed it […]

THERESA MAY’S visit to Washington has turned into a major embarrassment. Her “partnership” with Donald Trump which meant she refused to condemn his ‘Muslim Ban’ has sparked a wave of enormous demonstrations across the UK. May’s pathetic boasts about the “special relationship” between British and US imperialism are a stale ritual for UK prime ministers. […]

ON 10 JANUARY Jon Lansman and a majority of the Steering Committee launched a coup. This subcommittee of the NC at an email “meeting” voted to overrule the December 5 decision of the sovereign National Committee to convene a conference of delegates from the local branches. For good measure it abolished the NC itself by […]

ANYONE WHO doubted that Donald Trump’s arrival as 45th president of the United States heralded a major change in both the country’s internal and external relationships must surely have been forced to think again by his inaugural address and the barrage of executive orders issued in his first week. Many political commentators and leader writers who put their […]

JEREMY CORBYN kicked off 2017 by announcing that Labour was not committed “in principle” to defending freedom of movement for workers within the European Union. This major retreat represents an attempt to reposition Labour as a pro-Brexit party, despite the fact that 65 per cent of Labour voters and an overwhelming majority of members oppose […]

By Chris Taylor In the 18 months since Jeremy Corbyn first secured a place on the leadership ballot, hundreds of thousands have joined Labour. By population, Scottish Labour should have seen a gain in the tens of thousands. In fact, fewer than 5,000 have joined the party. Unlike in the rest of Britain, there has […]