Head of education, campaigns and organising for the General Federation of Trade Unions HENRY FOWLER explains why it is launching a fund to support trades councils and give them access to a new range of courses and resources
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Is the Brics summit the beginning of a new world order?
Thirty-six countries, representing over half of the global population, gathered in Russia to discuss a new financial and economic infrastructure for the world. The potential impact could be immense in the long run, writes MARC VANDEPITTE
Russian President Vladimir Putin (centre) gestures while Chinese President Xi Jinping, (left) and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa shake hands during a photo ceremony prior to Outreach/BRICS Plus format session on the sidelines of the the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia, October 24, 2024
While working people face austerity, arms companies enjoy massive government contracts, writes ARTHUR WEST, exposing how politicians exaggerate the Russian threat to justify spending on a sector that has the lowest employment multiplier
ANYA COOK reports from the Newcastle citizens’ assembly, where over 240 people gathered to create a people’s manifesto ahead of next year’s local elections – part of former mayor Jamie Driscoll’s Majority movement
While claiming to target fraud, Labour’s snooping Bill strips benefit recipients of privacy rights and presumption of innocence, writes CLAUDIA WEBBE, warning that algorithms with up to 25 per cent error rates could wrongfully investigate and harass millions of vulnerable people
Real security comes from having a secure base at home — Keir Starmer’s reckless and renegade decision to get Britain deeper into the proxy war against Russia is as dangerous as it is wasteful, writes SALLY SPIERS
The plan is to stigmatise and destabilise South Africa in preparation for breaking it up while creating a confused and highly racialised atmosphere around immigration in the US to aid in denying rights to non-white refugees, explains EMILE SCHEPERS
ALAN SIMPSON warns that Starmer’s triangulation strategy will fail just as New Labour’s did, with each rightward move by Labour pushing Tories further right
FROM October 22-24, 36 countries, mainly from the global South, attended the 16th summit of the Brics countries. UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres also joined this meeting. As Chinese President Xi Jinping stated, the summit aimed “to create new opportunities for the global South.”
Changed balance of power
Since World War II, former colonised nations have made various attempts to establish a more equitable world order. In the 1970s, there was an attempt to create a New International Economic Order. However, these and other efforts failed due to internal divisions and, more importantly, because the geopolitical balance of power was very unfavourable. The North held various economic and diplomatic levers to keep nations in check, and when those were insufficient, the US relied on military force.
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Trump’s economic adviser has exposed the actual strategy: forcing other countries to provide financial support for US hegemony
Under Trump, the hunt for migrants has reopened — resulting in a mass deportation of innocent Venezuelans to a notorious mega-prison in El Salvador. MARC VANDEPITTE tells the story of 24-year-old barber Francisco Casique whose tattoos and country of origin were enough to make him disappear behind bars without trial
Behind the war fever, there is more than just the alleged threat of Russia; economic decline and the struggle for geopolitical dominance play a crucial role in the increasing militarisation of our continent, writes MARC VANDEPITTE
MARC VANDEPITTE looks at dangerous developments in a war that has killed millions, but attracts little attention in the West
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JENNY CLEGG sets out and then responds to eight key doubts about the Brics+ alliance in light of the developments at Kazan, arguing it represents a significant challenge to US hegemony and provides a path towards a multipolar world
