Britain: After Robin Cook's resignation - The Labour Cabinet at War The dramatic resignation of Robin Cook, until yesterday the Leader of the House of Commons was a devastating blow to Blair and represents another nail in the coffin of Blairism. The prospect of war has shaken British politics to its foundations. There is no going back for Blair now. Sooner or later his days as Labour leader are numbered.
Britain: Drive out Blair, Reclaim the Labour Party or unleash the Dogs of War Tony Blair’s drive towards war with Iraq is producing convulsions throughout the Labour movement. With the threatened resignation or sacking, which ever comes first, of Cabinet Minister Clare Short, after her attack on Blair’s policy on Iraq as “reckless”, the whole edifice of New Labour is threatening to come crashing down.
The Death of New Labour - 121 Labour MPs revolt against war - Socialist Appeal Editorial Statement Without doubt, things are coming to ahead at home and abroad for Tony Blair's government. The unprecedented Parliamentary revolt, in which 121 Labour MPs defied the Labour leadership to vote against war, was the biggest ever against any government. This bombshell reflects the groundswell of opposition within the party and the country.
Britain: School students walk-outs against the war Students in Britain demonstrated against the war on March 5, as part of the international day of action called by the NYSPC (National Youth and Student Peace Coalition). The demo in Britain was on a much smaller scale than student demos in most other countries, but showed a change in the mood among the active layers of school and university students.
Southampton (Britain) Labour Councillor takes principled stand against cuts Labour Councils are being forced to choose between cuts in services or increases in the Council Tax. But the resources are there. Proof of that is the huge amount that has been set aside for the war against Iraq. In Southampton we have the courageous stand of Labour Councillor Perry McMillan who has refused to vote the increase in the Council Tax. Steve Jones explains what has been happening.
No to top-up charges in British universities! Despite all their lofty promises about the priority of "education, education, education", and their pledge that there would be no top up fees, Blair and co intend to pass the bill for higher education once again onto students and their parents, making it yet more difficult for students from poorer backgrounds to get to university.
Roy "The Renegade" In January Roy Jenkins, a Liberal Democrat Lord passed away. In the 1960s and 1970s he was right at the top of the British Labour Party. After his recent death the bourgeois press were full of praise for his achievements, the reason being that as of 1979 he had worked strenuously to destroy the Labour Party! No longer able to control the ranks, who were moving radically to the left, especially after the defeat in the 1979 elections, he attempted together with others to build the Social Democratic Party.
Prescott's Law : A threat to the whole labour movement - SPECIAL UPDATE As we put this article online, the Blair government has launched a new offensive against the firefighters. Deputy Prime Minister Prescott has announced his intention to change the law to take direct control of the fire service and impose a settlement on the firefighters. This would mean the imposition of the Bain proposals, the derisory pay offer of 4% and thousands of job cuts, resulting in the closure of fire stations and the undermining of the fire service. Such measures are a threat to the entire labour movement, and must be answered by the movement as a whole.
British Train Drivers take action against war Two Motherwell (Scotland) train drivers refused to move a freight train carrying ammunition believed to be destined for British forces being deployed in the Gulf. This militant and courageous stand was reminiscent of the actions against General Pinochet back in the 1970s and the Jolly George incident in 1920. Railway managers cancelled the Ministry of Defence (MoD) service after the crewmen, described as "conscientious objectors" by a supporter, said they opposed Tony Blair's threat to attack Iraq.
History of the Labour Party - Taff Vale, the unions and Labour Barbara Humphries continues her history of the British Labour Party. This was originally published in the British Socialist Appeal in December 1996.
Labour in Government Barbara Humphries continues her series on the history of the Labour Party with a look at the experience of the first two Labour governments. This article was originally published in Socialist Appeal, issue 49 March 1997.
Labour's 1945 landslide and beyond Barbara Humphries continues her series on the history of the Labour Party. 1945 marked a watershed for Labour and for British society. The Labour Party won an historic victory, with a 146-seat majority over all other parties. It was won on the most radical election manifesto, before or since. This article was originally published in Socialist Appeal, issue 50 April 1997.
Britain: New Labour - a historical assessment In this last article in her series on the History of the Labour Party, Barbara Humphries looks at how the turn to the left in the 1970s was cut across and how the present Blairite clique came to dominate the party, and draws the lessons for today's activists. The present turn to the right is nothing new in the party's history. As in the past it will be followed by a turn to the left.
How the British Labour Party was formed This is the first of a series of articles on the history of the British Labour Party. These articles will help workers and youth to get a greater understanding of what the Labour Party is and what the attitude of Marxists to it should be. In this article we look at how the Party emerged from the struggles of the working class towards the end of the 19th and at the beginning of the 20th centuries.
