The only way to develop and build a party of a new type that in any way threatens capitalism is at the same time to develop and build the mass movement around it, argues BILL GREENSHIELDS

THE Gazan crisis has surely exposed, if indeed it wasn’t already perfectly obvious, that Keir Starmer is prepared to brook no obstacle in his obeisance to US imperialism, even before he takes office as the British prime minister.
The title of this article refers to an infamous, patronising greeting offered to Tony Blair by George W Bush in July 2006 at the St Petersburg G8 summit.
A few days before that summit, Hezbollah militants crossed from Lebanon into Israel and ambushed two Israeli army vehicles, killing three soldiers and capturing two others, using rockets fired on several Israeli towns as a diversion. In response Israel launched a devastating attack on Lebanon.

VINCE MILLS says Scottish Labour has adopted better positions than its Westminster counterpart — but unless it starts to fight for them that will count for nothing

VINCE MILLS cautions over the perils and pitfalls of ‘a new left party’

VINCE MILLS says politicians of various parties are interpreting the result in self-serving ways, but it contains little comfort for the left

VINCE MILLS gathers some sobering facts that would inevitably be major obstacles to any such initiative