The Greater Manchester mayor has shifted left over the years — but his record still shows a tendency to wobble when pressure comes from the right, says SOLOMON HUGHES
CURRENTLY in Britain, we have a Defence Minister, Grant Shapps, who said in a recent speech that we are in a pre-war rather than a post-war period.
We also have a Labour opposition which seems to want to out-Tory the Tories on defence spending.
In a recent speech, shadow defence minister John Healey talked about the need to rearm Britain. He used the speech to argue for substantial spending on defence, which would have certainly provided reassurance to the arms industry.
While politicians fixate on defence budgets, the real answers lie in peace-building and economic justice, says ALAN SIMPSON
Campaigns against nuclear weapons on the Clyde, financial backing for arms firms and rising militarism are converging with solidarity for Palestine, as Scotland’s peace movement builds momentum ahead of the 2026 Holyrood election, says ARTHUR WEST
In an address to the Communist Party’s executive at the weekend international secretary KEVAN NELSON explained why the communists’ watchwords must be Jobs not Bombs and Welfare not Warfare


