Reform’s rise speaks to a deep crisis in Establishment parties – but relies on appealing to social and economic grievances the left should make its own, argues NICK WRIGHT
Labour MSPs hail 'landmark' congress
After Congress backed action issues from austerity to a just transition, and defeating resurgent fascist networks, West of Scotland MSP KATY CLARK and her South of Scotland colleague CAROL MOCHAN offered their takes on the 127th Scottish Trades Union Congress in Dundee
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar at the Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC) at Caird Hall in Dundee, April 15, 2024
This year’s Bristol Radical History Festival focused on the persistent threats of racism, xenophobia and, of course, our radical collective resistance to it across Ireland and Britain, reports LYNNE WALSH
A maverick’s self-inflicted snake bites could unlock breakthrough treatments – but they also reveal deeper tensions between noble scientific curiosity and cold corporate callousness, write ROX MIDDLETON, LIAM SHAW and MIRIAM GAUNTLETT
The FBU is demanding 52 weeks of full pay for women firefighters, highlighting the unique health risks they face — and the continuing need to recruit and retain more women if policies like this are still not in place, writes SEONA HART
Israel continues to operate with impunity in what seems to be a brutal and protracted experiment, while much of the world looks on, says RAMZY BAROUD
A new report by Amnesty International pulls no punches in highlighting the Labour government’s human rights violations of those on benefits, says Dr DYLAN MURPHY
With Reform UK surging and Labour determined not to offer anything different from the status quo, a clear opportunity opens for the left, argues CLAUDIA WEBBE
KATY CLARK told the Star: “Workers in Scotland continue to face a cost-of-living crisis, public services and local government budgets being slashed, and a Tory government hell-bent on eroding their hard-won rights to strike and protest.
“But the success of the STUC Conference this week shows the labour movement is still full of fight despite these various challenges.
“I welcomed motions on the need for a green industrial strategy. As it stands, multinationals and even foreign governments are benefiting more from Scotland’s green economy, with the number of jobs in low-carbon and renewables actually declining at a time when companies are raking in huge profits. We need a public sector-led approach, co-ordinated with unions, to reverse this trend.”
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There are only two things that stand between workers and the musket’s volley today - the ballot and the union, asserts MATT KERR
