Netanyahu’s failed attempt to replace Shin Bet’s chief violates longstanding Israeli political taboos, as the apartheid state’s internal power struggle spirals to a new level of crisis while Gaza burns, writes RAMZY BAROUD
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Labour needs to seize the agenda and fight for a wealth tax
RICHARD BURGON MP says Labour needs to spell out a bold alternative with a National Care Service funded by taxes on the super-rich
wealth tax money pic
Following the historic ban on companies profiting from children’s care, Unison Cymru calls for transparency in implementing the changes and extending the reform to create a truly national, profit-free care service, says MARK TURNER
The left must confront both far-right bigotry and the undeniable problems the exploitation of migrant workers by the ruling class creates — but there are few lessons from the global left on how to strike this balance, laments NICK WRIGHT
STEPHAN BLUM presents the evidence that wine was enjoyed by common folk, independent of upper-class celebrations and religious rituals
The series unveils uncomfortable truths about youth alienation and online radicalisation — but the real crisis lies in austerity and the absence of class consciousness in addressing young people’s disillusionment, says teacher ROBERT POOLE
Our delegation found a small but brave and bold socialist nation that has withstood imperialist machinations and poisonous slander to make impressive leaps in healthcare and women’s rights, reports VETERANS FOR PEACE
Born from my communist social worker mother’s efforts to bridge healthcare gaps, Labour’s push for home-based care now risks becoming another avenue for the US corporate takeover of the NHS, writes RICHARD CLARKE
THE debate on how to fund much-needed social care investment has forced the issue of taxation to the top of the political agenda.
Of course, the crisis in social care goes well beyond just its woeful funding - it raises issues of privatisation and profiteering, of sickeningly low pay for such important workers, of deregulation, and of the underfunding of local councils.
But our broken social care system can’t be fixed without a huge boost to funding. The Health and Social Care Select Committee, for example, says a £7bn annual increase in social care funding would only be a “starting point” and that a “substantially higher” figure would be needed.
Of course, the crisis in social care goes well beyond just its woeful funding - it raises issues of privatisation and profiteering, of sickeningly low pay for such important workers, of deregulation, and of the underfunding of local councils.
But our broken social care system can’t be fixed without a huge boost to funding. The Health and Social Care Select Committee, for example, says a £7bn annual increase in social care funding would only be a “starting point” and that a “substantially higher” figure would be needed.
It's right that the whole Labour movement is rejecting the regressive Tory plans to pay for much-needed investment through national insurance hikes. Such a hike would hit the lowest-paid workers while letting off the hook those whose income comes not from work but from wealth.
But what is Labour’s alternative to the Tory plan? It is simply not good enough to say we will wait until the next election to map out our alternative either on social care or on how we will raise the funds for investment in our public services.
An election could now be less than two years away. Labour is lagging behind in the polls, the leadership’s approval ratings have plummeted this year with the public increasingly deeming it unlikely to form the next government.
To turn this around our party needs to urgently paint a picture of what it stands for. Timidity at this time from the Labour leadership risks many more years of Tory rule.
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RICHARD BURGON MP argues that a broad, united mass movement can stop the cuts and ensure it’s the wealthiest that pay their fair share
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RICHARD BURGON MP, who voted against the cut to winter fuel allowance, warns against a return to austerity, introducing his ideas that could raise billions to properly fund public services and boost wages instead
RICHARD BURGON MP lays out a plan for taxes on the wealthy as an alternative to yet more Tory austerity