As Colombia approaches presidential elections next year, the US decision to decertify the country in the war on drugs plays into the hands of its allies on the political right, writes NICK MacWILLIAM

IN THE run-up to the conference season, every year I think to myself that the labour movement is coming together at a crucial moment. Perhaps this is a sign of the times.
We’re a decade on from the financial crash and living with the legacy of 40 years of neoliberalism. Insecure employment and in-work poverty are foundations of the economy, union membership and coverage are close to a record low and increasingly your life chances are determined not by how hard you work, but what you start off with.
But these things are not just a sign of the times — they’re a sign of how much we have to do and what our priorities need to be at TUC Congress and then Labour Conference in the coming weeks.



