TUC president and POA leader STEVE GILLAN speaks to Ben Chacko on the eve of Congress 2026
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Overhaul of Scotland’s Children’s Hearings System should set alarm bells ringing
The abolition of lay panels to decide on child hearings and the ‘lawyer-isation’ of the service will not serve vulnerable youngsters' interests, warns RICHARD LEONARD
DOUG NICHOLLS welcomes a turning point at this year’s Congress, where many motions call for a co-ordinated plan to revive British industry, a perspective outlined in his new book
HOPE VIRGO of campaign Dump the Scales warns MPs voting today they should be alert to the threat legalised assisted death poses to people with eating disorders
The Together Alliance is hosting two summits, North and South, to build power and plan action against the scourge of racism peddled by the right. DANIEL KEBEDE urges mass participation
The drift toward militarisation in Europe is not inevitable, left-wing and peace movements can preserve sovereignty and prevent war, says DÁIRE HUGHES MP
Whatever differences exist among international sympathisers of the Bolivarian revolution about its current trajectory, they should unite against the imperialist power that is the source of an enforced retreat, argues ROGER D HARRIS
Trade unions need to step up and force a turn in the policies of the labour movement to effectively confront the far-right threat, argues NICK WRIGHT
SCOTLAND’S Children’s Hearings System has stood the test of time. Devised following the Kilbrandon report in the 1960s as an alternative to sending young people to court, they have worked for over 50 years to safeguard successive generations.
One of the distinctive features of the system is the use of a lay panel to make decisions on a child’s best interests.
Every so often there have been attempts to remove this element. They have always been stoutly and successfully resisted.
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