The proxy war in Ukraine is heading to a denouement with the US and Russia dividing the spoils while the European powers stand bewildered by events they have been wilfully blind to, says KEVIN OVENDEN
Labour welfare ‘reforms’ are a cruel, destructive move
DIANE ABBOTT MP condemns the government’s vicious attack on benefits that callously denies the pandemic’s impact on the working class while pushing vulnerable people into unsuitable work through punitive measures

THERE is now overwhelming evidence that the government is reimposing austerity measures. This is true in relation to income tax, public spending after next year, higher energy bills, bus fares and other prices determined by government.
But perhaps one of the most misunderstood aspects of austerity has been the planned cuts to the welfare bill.
Yet Keir Starmer, Liz Kendall and a host of other ministers have done their best to dispel any complacency on this issue. People who are on welfare, for whatever reason, are in the government’s firing line.
More from this author

Dangerous and delusional military posturing on the world stage does not serve the interests of the public among the European powers, nor the people of Ukraine, writes DIANE ABBOTT
You only have to look at the dire polling of Labour’s sister parties in Europe to see that aping the hard right on migration leads to spectacularly bad results, argues DIANE ABBOTT MP
This ceasefire is clearly not enough, and we must be allowed to continue our protests, argues DIANE ABBOTT

There are unique dangers from Trump’s second term, from his territorial ambitions and corporate power grab to the global emboldening of hard-right forces championed by his consigliere Elon Musk, writes DIANE ABBOTT MP