A recent Union Street blaze showed firefighters at their best, but years of underfunding and job losses are stretching the service to its limits, writes JOHN McKENZIE

Dangerous conditions and political inaction still define the salmon industry, where BFAWU is pressing hard for change, says SARAH WOOLLEY

As the STUC gathers in an election year, the message to politicians is clear – continuing managed decline is unacceptable to Scotland’s workers, says ROZ FOYER

Concrete proposals are needed to bring about full integration of the rail system, with real protections for workers and an end to private operators, argues EDDIE DEMPSEY

Inspired by Ireland’s success, Equity urges all parties to support a basic income for artists that could unlock talent and boost the economy, says MARLENE CURRAN

A major new report highlights the the dire state of our prison system – and demands urgent action from government, explains PHIL FAIRLIE

Blending history, film and debate, the Bristol Radical History Festival will shine a light on class and resistance next weekend. LYNNE WALSH previews what’s on offer

The Pontiff has expressed outspoken opposition to war and ‘inhuman’ policies on immigration, undermining the president’s credibility among both allies and supporters alike, says GEOFF BOTTOMS

Israel’s bombardment of Lebanon is just the latest of its recurring cycles of aggression in the region, says VIJAY PRASHAD

Outsourcing is at the heart of inequality. Only collective unity in the trade union movement can topple the Establishment’s obsession with it, says SAM GURNEY

DIANE ABBOTT looks at how a declining US has resorted to globalised violence to salvage any vestiges of political and economic hegemony

By Henry Fowler, co-founder of Strike Map