The annual commemoration of anti-fascist volunteers who fought fascism in Spain now includes a key contribution from Italian comrades
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Market methods have failed the NHS – we need investment, in-sourcing and stability of services
HELEN O'CONNOR says the Autumn Statement risks confirming a disastrous strategy that has bled the health service white
The Islamic Republic’s suddenly weakened regional position exposes the nation to grave threats from US imperialism
DONG XUE explains why US tariffs hold no significant threat to China
ANSELM ELDERGILL asks whether artificial intelligence may decide legal cases in the future, in place of human judges, and how AI could reshape the legal landscape
Like pieces on a chess board, centrist parties lose ground as they accommodate rather than challenge far-right agendas — socialists must play things better, warns MATT KERR
Yanis Varoufakis and Jeremy Corbyn laid out a roadmap for peace, justice and equality as they celebrated the legacy of inspirational socialist Tony Benn, reports LINDA PENTZ GUNTER
The NEU’s annual conference promises heated debate, with motions on international politics, curriculum reform and union amalgamation likely to provoke strong reactions and challenge the status quo, writes Education for Tomorrow editor ROBERT POOLE
THE NHS spend in 2021-22 was £152 billion but in spite of this, NHS trusts have suffered budgetary shortfalls of approximately £2bn each year since 2015. The relentless demand for efficiency savings and non-stop restructuring has led to ward closures, bed counts dropping, and services being privatised.
Over the last 10 years the NHS has lost 25,000 beds on the pretext of “care being moved into the community” but what has happened is that the public are waiting longer than ever before for care and treatment on the NHS. Eye-watering sums of public money are flowing into the private sector with minimum scrutiny, contract compliance or accountability.
Even before the pandemic struck, the “modernisation of the NHS” driven by a ruthless programme of cuts and privatisation had led to a rise in waiting lists for elective care.
More from this author
Marxists’ and leftwingers’ opposition to prostitution is not a moral question — it’s a class issue and a human rights issue, argues HELEN O’CONNOR
From sexual harassment to the denial of flexible working patterns, women’s issues are sidelined and their voices silenced in our movement – and they are voting with their feet, writes HELEN O’CONNOR
Divorcing doctors, as the first line of our universal healthcare system, from the NHS by turning them into salaried employees is an obvious move towards further privatisation, writes HELEN O’CONNOR
Rather than ending the current strike wave and endorsing Blairite neoliberalism instead, calling for a general election now and a getting a Labour government in would put the workers’ movement in a better position to leverage our power, argues HELEN O’CONNOR
