There have been penalties for those who looked the other way when Epstein was convicted of child sex offences and decided to maintain relationships with the financier — but not for the British ambassador to Washington, reveals SOLOMON HUGHES
Time to restore the rich tradition of community-building
In the first of a two-part feature for TUC Congress, DOUG NICHOLLS, general secretary of the General Federation of Trade Unions, discusses the issues involved in developing trade union and community relations
SUPPORTING EACH OTHER: (Above) Laura Dickinson, Enough is Enough regional co-ordinator for Yorkshire, joins the RMT, TSSA, Aslef and Unite picket line in Leeds
Labour’s new Treasury unit will ‘challenge unnecessary regulation’ by forcing nominally independent bodies like Ofwat to bend to business demands — exactly what Iain Anderson’s corporate clients wanted, writes SOLOMON HUGHES
DR DYLAN MURPHY looks at a Big Brother Watch report which exposes the government as an enabler of DWP secret spying on benefit claimants
The EU faces a critical choice: will it remain in the shadow of an increasingly unreliable US ally, or will it forge its own path in a multilateral world where co-operation with China is essential, asks MARC VANDEPITTE as leaders meet for the EU-China Summit
A lot of discussion about how the left should currently organise – including debate on whether the Green Party is a useful vehicle for advance – runs the risk of refusing to engage with or learn from the reasons the left was defeated previously, argues KEVIN OVENDEN
For Egypt trade trumps the Israeli genocide of the Palestinians, but how long can the country’s ‘misleaders’ – and others in the region – continue their indifference against the popular will of their own people, asks ROGER McKENZIE
IF A trade union had a problem with its computer system, the chance is that it would contract a qualified professional to help put it right.
Ditto if the lights went out in union head office and you had paid the exorbitant energy bills, you would probably call an electrician.
However, when it comes to fixing the gulf that has developed between workplace organising and community organising, between trade unions and community organisations, unions haven’t necessarily taken advantage of professional advice or learned from the rich tradition of community-building that we have throughout the country.
More from this author
DOUG NICHOLLS, chair of the think tank Rebuild Britain, encourages creative engagement with the new government on economic matters particularly
DOUG NICHOLLS, former general secretary of the General Federation of Trade Unions and lifelong campaigner against the European Union, reflects on the recent death of one of the main architects of the EU
The GFTU has been running education courses on what is really happening in China and the US, Doug Nicholls reflects on some of the learnings and the importance of the recent US-China talks in Bali
In the second of a two-part feature for TUC week, DOUG NICHOLLS, general secretary of the General Federation of Trade Unions discusses the underestimated strength of community organisations and the value of a new working relationship with trade unions
