Growing instability in the US economy and financial markets could have serious consequences worldwide because of the central role of the US dollar and financial system, argues MICHAEL BURKE
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Aberfan: heroes and villans
Although responsibilty for the waste-tip avalanche that crushed a school was never denied by the National Coal Board, neither was justice ever really pursued, explains RICHARD RUDKIN
Rescuers dig feverishly in the mud covering Pantglas Junior School
Despite Andy Burnham’s declaration defending the continued partition of the island, all major international and internal trends are converging to make Irish reunification inevitable
The left needs a bold energy vision – because if it fails to provide one, others will shape the future in their own interests, argues ALAN SIMPSON
From Margate to Deal, mining memories are being kept alive. National co-ordinator for General Strike 100, HENRY FOWLER continued his nationwide tour of partner organisations in the Garden of England
Humans are part of the ‘animal kingdom’ – and of nature in general – but also distinct from it and labour (work) is part of what makes us unique, declared Engels. His insights 150 years ago into how our species came to be and how we differ from the rest of nature, are as important today as they were then, says the MARX MEMORIAL LIBRARY
Boxes of books, family photos and heirlooms, labour movement anniversaries, along with nostalgic memories of glorious childhood days on the Ayrshire coast still leave room for a wistful MATT KERR to hope for a better future
ON FRIDAY, October 21 1966, 54 years ago today, teachers and children of Pantglas junior school in the South Wales mining village of Aberfan were settling down in class for their last day at school before the half-term break.
However, by the time they should have been going through the school gates to enjoy their holiday, a total of 144 people including 116 children and 5 teachers, would lose their lives in one of the worst disasters in recent British history. Like other disasters, this too was preventable.
Back in 1966 mining was a nationalised industry — the responsibility of the National Coal Board (NCB). Stored above the slopes of Aberfan were seven spoil heaps, known as tips, used to store the waste generated from the mining process.
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