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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China's Five-Year Plan goals being achieved despite Covid-19
by ROBERT GRIFFITHS
Tourists visiting Tiananmen Square
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
THE primary aim of China’s 13th Five Year Plan (2016-20) was to replace “unbalanced, unco-ordinated, and unsustainable growth” with innovative, co-ordinated, green, open and inclusive growth in order to create a “moderately prosperous society in all respects.”
The target was to achieve annual GDP growth of 6.5 per cent — amended upwards in 2016 for flexibility — which would double people’s average disposable income.
Despite the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, it remains possible that this can still be met thanks to slight overfulfilment during the plan’s first three years.
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