Labour Left Briefing March 1998

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Below you will find links to all the articles from the March 1998 issue of Labour Left Briefing.

Editorial

Clinton's lapdog

The Gulf War of 1991 took more than 200,000 lives, mostly Iraqi civilians. Since then, sanctions have cost another 500,000 lives, mostly children.

News and views

Don't bomb Iraq

Will McMahon, Hackney North and Stoke Newington CLP, argues that key motives for the latest US attack on Iraq are to send a message to other world powers and test new technologies.

Peace not bombs

Parliament's unconditional backing for a war against Iraq was an astonishing piece of political history we may soon come to regret, argues Alan Simpson MP.

Benn on Gulf War

Tony Benn's magnificent speech against war in the Gulf.

Mitchell's flexible principles

Liam Mac Uaid, West Ham CLP, argues that there are a few weeks respite for a Time to Think Campaign.

Sinn Fein: "shut up!"

Brian Campbell, editor of Sinn Fein's An Phoblacht/Republican News, looks at SF's expulsion from the peace talks.

The antics roadshow: the value of welfare reform

Robert Deans, North East Cambs CLP, rejects notions that we cannot afford the welfare state.

Action on pensions needed

Terry Heath, secretary of the South West TUC Pensioners Forum, argues that Labour must link pensions to earnings.

Benefit cuts make us sick

Kate Adams, Incapacity Action.

Waiting lists up

John Lister, London Health Emergency, looks at the crisis in the NHS.

Brown fiddles while "tigers" burn

Brian Burkitt, Pudsey CLP and University of Bradford, presents an alternative to Gordon Brown's neo-Thatcherite economic agenda.

Defend municipal housing

Tony Dale on Labour councils headlong rush to embrace local housing companies.

New Deal for old money

John Perry examines the reality of Labour's "New Deal".

Free to speak out

Ken Coates MEP replies to criticism in last month's LLB.

When Blair's bubble bursts

John Nicholson, convenor of the Network of Socialist Alliances in England, sees things altogether differently from LLB

Labour Party

New Labour into Power -- what price democracy?

New Labour proclaims its desire to democratise and decentralise politics. Leonora Lloyd of the London Labour Party executive, suggests that the opposite is happening in the London Labour Party.

Why I'm standing for the NEC

Councillor Liz Davies, Islington North CLP, calls for a united and effective campaign for the NEC.

Return of the daleks

Mark Seddon, editor of Tribune, calls for a "Real Labour" challenge for NEC places.

The class struggle

Tobie Glenny, a teacher in Islington, looks at Labour's school policies.

Reproductive rights -- a year of change

Leonora Lloyd reports.

PLP Policy Forum elections

Trade unions

Liverpool dockers: the music of the future

Liz Knight, London Support Group for the Liverpool Dockers, reports.

LLB's tribute to the dockers

Union leaders on go-slow

John McIlroy, Withington CLP and author of Trade Unions in Britain Today, gives his seasonal round up of the state of play in the unions.

Britain -- UN law breaker

John Hendy QC examines Britain's repressive anti-union laws and reports on new initiatives to campaign for changes.

Membership control needed

Steve Battlemuch, CPSA BA Nottingham, reports on how the courts have stopped a union merger that the left in both unions opposed.

UNISON officials prepare for civil war?

Jon Rogers, branch secretary, Lambeth UNISON, reports on the attacks on left-wingers in UNISON.

Hillingdon strikers scent settlement?

Jon Rogers writes

Leading with the left

The Geoff Martin Column

International

Guatemalan women tour Britain

Two Guatemalan women union activists were in Britain last month to talk about their experiences of organising in "maquila" factories.

Welfare: what's in a word?

The Michael Hindley column

Fighting racism

Free the Campsfield 9

John Stewart, treasurer of the National Coalition of Anti-Deportation Campaigns, reports on the case of the Campsfield 9, the latest case of immigration detainees punished for protesting their detention.

Stop dividing gay families: Abdou must stay

Reviews

The shopfloor betrayed

Mike Phipps reviews Inside Cowley, an important new book by Alan Thornett, who played a leading role in a key industrial struggle of our time.

The battle for Angola

Mike Phipps reviews Death of Dignity by Victoria Brittain.

Stopping EMU is just the start

James Smart reviews Sovereignty For What? Why stopping European Monetary Union is just the start by Will Podmore and Phil Katz.

Correspondence

LLB is an independent voice and forum for socialist ideas in the Labour Party and trade unions. It is managed by an editorial board elected at its AGM. Both EBs and the AGM are open to all supporters. We are happy to offer a right of reply to all members of the labour movement and we welcome criticisms and contributions. All the articles in LLB reflect solely the opinions of the authors, writing in a personal capacity, unless otherwise stated.

To survive and thrive we need the support of our readers. Why not take copies of LLB to sell at your Labour Party, trade union or campaign meetings?

Copy deadline: the deadline for the March issue is Monday 16th March. If you wish to contribute please phone us first. We reserve the right to edit all articles.

Editorial Board: Graham Bash, Tony Dale, Liz Davies, Jenny Fisher, Jon Green, Simon Hewitt, Simon Kennedy, Des Kirkland, Liz Knight, John Leonida, Leonora Lloyd (Co-Chair), Sue Lukes, Dorothy Macedo (Co-Chair), Mike Marqusee (Political Correspondent), Fiona Monkman, Mike Phipps, David Pope, Jon Rogers, John Stewart, Alistair Ward (Editor).

Production Team: Graham Bash, Gary Drostle, Louise Kawakami, Dave Lewney, Leonora Lloyd, David Pope, Paula Smith, John Stewart, Alistair Ward. Web site editor: Chris Croome (chris@atomism.demon.co.uk).

Cover photo: Anti-Gulf War vigil, Whitehall, 18/2/98. ©Paul Mattsson.

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