Political crisis in Ireland

19th January 2017 Socialist Action 0

By Stephen Bell

On Monday 16 January, following the resignation of Martin McGuinness as Deputy First Minister, the British government announced that there will be new elections to the Northern Ireland Assembly on 2 March. Events leading up to this have created the most serious political crisis in Ireland since the signing of the Good Friday Agreement in 1998.

May opts for ‘Hard Brexit’ – destroying jobs and making us poorer to control immigration

18th January 2017 Socialist Action 0

By Pat Tanner

Theresa May’s Lancaster House speech explicitly declared that the UK will not only be leaving the European Union but will also be leaving the Single Market and the institutions of the European Union, including the European Court of Justice. The effect will be to create new tariff barriers and non-tariff barriers on trade, which will raise prices, depress trade and lower investment thereby lowering living standards and losing jobs.

The world will be listening to Xi Jinping at Davos

17th January 2017 Socialist Action 0

The following article by John Ross, examining the significance of Xi Jinping’s participation in the Davos World Economic Forum, was previously published by Socialist Economic Bulletin.

Xi Jinping is the first Chinese president to speak at the Davos World Economic Forum. This visit has attracted even greater international media attention than the normally high levels of interest in a trip by China’s leader. As the Financial Times chief foreign affairs columnist Gideon Rachman put it, “The big star of this year’s forum is certain to be Xi Jinping.”

Stand Up to Trump, Stand Up to Racism

17th January 2017 Socialist Action 0

The statement below has been published by Stand Up To Racism

Stand Up to Trump statement

The election of Donald Trump is deeply disturbing and a stark warning to us all. Every right-wing figure and organisation is rejoicing at the prospect of President Trump. The shameful list stretches from Marine le Pen and the Front National in France, Gert Wilders in Holland, Norbert Hofer in Austria, right wing leaders in Poland and Hungary to most of the Republican Party and the Ku Klux Klan.

Tribute to Sabah Jawad

17th January 2017 Socialist Action 0

On Monday 9 January, Sabah Jawad died in hospital, following a battle with cancer. To the end, he remained steadfast in his support for principled socialism and anti-imperialism.

To defend living standards the priority is to remain in the Single Market

16th January 2017 Socialist Action 0

Notes from the front of 16-01-2017

To defend living standards the priority is to remain in the Single Market

Prime Minister Theresa May is due to make a speech on 17 January (tomorrow) that, according to media previews, will set the stage for a hard Brexit. This orientation, to removing the UK from the Single Market when it leaves the EU, was also implied in her first interview of 2017, on 8 January to Sky News.