SOLOMON HUGHES reveals how six MPs enjoyed £400-£600 hospitality at Ditchley Park for Google’s ‘AI parliamentary scheme’ — supposedly to develop ‘effective scrutiny’ of artificial intelligence, but actually funded by the increasingly unsavoury tech giant itself
Don’t be without your Morning Star
Circulation manager BERNADETTE KEAVENEY encourages casual readers to pick up the paper more regularly
Caroline Darian, daughter of Gisele Pelicot, took part in a conversation with Afua Hirsch at London’s Royal Geographical Society. LYNNE WALSH reports
As the regime in Iran continues to face international pressure to reduce its nuclear programme, workers continue to struggle for wages they can live on despite harsh repression of trade unionists, reports JAMSHID AHMADI
JEAN SILVAN EVANS pays tribute to the social campaigner who sang the Welsh national anthem to Khrushchev in Moscow and became Rhondda’s communist mayor in 1979
As summer nears, TOM HARDY explains how unions are organising heat strikes and cool stations while calling for legal maximum workplace temperatures — because employers currently have no duty to protect workers from dangerous heat
European Central Bank chief Christine Lagarde sees Trump’s many disruptions as an opportunity to challenge the dollar’s ‘exorbitant privilege’ — but greater Euro assertiveness will also mean greater warmongering and militarism, warns NICK WRIGHT
KEITH BARLOW examines the 1975 referendum that saw Britain vote to stay in the EEC, revealing how Tony Benn understood that EU free-market principles and capital movement rules would tie the hands of any government putting people’s interests before corporate profits
THIS column had a break last week due to the excellent bumper May Day edition, which went down a treat at May Day rallies up and down the land.
A big thank you to all who ordered papers to take to these events. I am hoping that those fortunate enough to have picked up a complimentary copy will have been enticed into reaching for a copy either online or when they see it while out shopping. The best way in either scenario is to take out a regular subscription.
Conference season is in full swing with the TUC black workers taking place today, as well as TSSA celebrating their 125th anniversary at their annual delegates meeting in Sheffield followed by the FBU conference in Brighton.
At all these events we will have a presence with the paper being provided complimentary by their respective union.
If you are attending these conferences do come along and introduce yourself, and let’s talk about increasing readership of the paper among your fellow trade union comrades.
We are beginning to see a few successes. A number of union branches have been in touch to inquire about bulk digital subscriptions for their branches and regions and these have led to firm commitments.
When we launched Reach for the Star we did say 1,000 new readers but it’s a net cash increase of £220,000 a year that needs to be raised.
A thousand new readers is the simple equation but there are many ways to reach the total — how about 6,000 weekend readers?
I am fortunate enough to be able to speak to many people in the newspaper industry and it was reassuring to have validation of our sales strategy by others in the trade and to gain their full support where they are able.
However the bulk of the work to be done is down to you, our readers. If you buying the paper once a week please consider buying it on another day and the same if you are buying it on a couple of days buy it on a few more.
At the CWU conference one delegate came to grab a paper from the stall as they needed to refer to an article when they spoke on a motion. What a great compliment to the paper.
The paper is an invaluable tool for all activists and, as the great Kevin Halpin would comment, it’s impossible to be a trade union activist without reading it.
So go on this coming week — reach for a Star.
Sign up for home news delivery at www.newsteamgroup.co.uk/morningstar subscribe digitally at www.morningstaronline.co.uk/subscribe.
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With a host of labour movement events coming up, you can put a smile on the face of Morning Star circulation manager BERNADETTE KEAVENEY by taking out a bulk order
Star circulation manager BERNADETTE KEAVENEY thanks those who are out and about supporting the Morning Star today – including one reader who’s trekking across the Pennine Way. Do donate if you can!
A dauntless reader is walking 268 miles across the glorious landscape of the Pennine Way to fundraise for the people’s paper. Why not help him on his way with a donation, says circulation manager BERNADETTE KEAVENEY
