The NEU kept children and teachers safe during the pandemic, yet we are disgracefully slandered by the politicians who have truly failed our children by not funding a proper education recovery programme — here’s what is needed, explains KEVIN COURTNEY
Spads and the city
To absolutely nobody's surprise, Theresa May's claim to govern by and for the common man has yet again been laid bare — by the unholy number of her former 'special advisers' flocking to the corporate lobbying fold, reveals SOLOMON HUGHES
After receiving their real P45s, those in Theresa May’s administration have found new ways to feather their corporate nests
The appalling bigotry and bias of London’s police force has been obvious for years – and the police leadership does not appear inclined to do anything about it, writes CLAUDIA WEBBE
As Holyrood elections approach, BRIAN LEISHMAN MP argues that Labour’s time has come — to open a new chapter which puts an end to the years of managed decline
ASSAF TALGAM talks to an Israeli Communist lawmaker about the need to use every tool of democratic and non-violent struggle; how Israeli society has changed since October 7 2023; and the persecution of the left in the parliamentary arena
Apart from a bright spark of hope in the victory of the Gaza motion, this year’s conference lacked vision and purpose — we need to urgently reconnect Labour with its roots rather than weakly aping the flag-waving right, argues KIM JOHNSON MP
In the face of funding cuts, closures and a shift into women’s centres providing criminal justice-only services rather than a holistic approach, RUTH HUNT urges women to protect existing resources, volunteer and build new networks of support
WHEN Theresa May fell to Boris Johnson last July, her flock of special advisers (Spads) was released into the wild. A Cabinet Office “transparency report” released in March reveals that, while May tried to make backing the people who were “just about managing” her theme, her Spads uniformly flew into the service of consultancies serving big corporations.
Spads are the ministerial assistants who are paid as civil servants, but are “political” appointees hand-picked by ministers, so they are important figures in how the state is run.
Most Spads only have to seek approval from their department under the “Business Appointment Rules” for post-government jobs. They are exempted from having to apply to the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments, the already weak watchdog guarding the “revolving door” between government and business.
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The new angle from private firms shmoozing their way into public contracts was the much-trumpeted arrival of ‘artificial intelligence’ — and no-one seemed to have heard the numerous criticisms of this unproven miracle cure, reports SOLOMON HUGHES
It is rather strange that Labour continues to give prestigious roles to inappropriate, controversy-mired businessmen who are also major Tory donors. What could Labour possibly be hoping to get out of it, asks SOLOMON HUGHES
Keir Starmer’s hiring Tim Allan from Tory-led Strand Partners is another illustration of Labour’s corporate-influence world where party differences matter less than business connections, writes SOLOMON HUGHES
MBDA’s Alabama factory makes components for Boeing’s GBU-39 bombs used to kill civilians in Gaza. Its profits flow through Stevenage to Paris — and it is one of the British government’s favourite firms, reveals SOLOMON HUGHES
