Briefings
quit. If they are as bad as polls suggest (as low as 19% of the vote) and there is a big rise in votes for
Meltdown prospect
the far right and fascists the pressure may become unbearable. however, there are other factors
stalks Labour Party
that need to be considered. Chief amongst these are whether there is
1 In the summer of 2008 John parliamentary crisis, looked like a an alternative and, secondly, what
Labour look even worse. even before notwithstanding his posturing at
Some, including Milburn, Byers and of trade union backing. he came
talk of a “damage limitation” leadership challenge, not to win the general election, but to prevent a
All those on the frontline of sackings,
wipe out of Labour MPs. Sometimes mentioned in this context is Jack
cutbacks and home repossessions must
(poll tax cheat) Straw. no chance. More serious as a contender is Alan
not be mesmerised by media focus on the
Johnson – billed as the acceptable face of new Labour. he does have
decomposition of Labour’s rule
support in the Parliamentary party and elsewhere, as his campaign for deputy leader demonstrated, and
can’t see where their next £8,000 tV doesn’t mean things can’t change if
susceptible to the idea that Brown is water”.
begins to look increasingly unlikely. Joanna Lumley was only the most
the revival scenario is based largely spectacular example. And all of the
in their usual role of staying “in the
page / permanentrevolution Andy Smith
orphan, postman, union man, not rich – and he has not been shown to have fiddled his expenses (at the
education Lewisham Bridge School
think he would have to come out and clearly oppose Mandelson’s proposals for the part privatisation
fighting privatisation
of Royal Mail, something he hasn’t done; but in the present extreme crisis in the party this can’t be excluded. In summary, Johnson only represents a superficial
1 On 23 April parents took the heritage gave the school Grade-II
the Labour left? It’s very weak and it
challenge in present circumstances. objections in the form of petitions
Leader of the LRC, John McDonnell, faces defeat in his hayes and harlington constituency, not least
Lewisham Council are attempting to wash
due to the government’s decision to site heathrow’s third runway there.
their hands of their responsibility for
Others have also decided to concentrate their efforts locally,
education by handing the buildings, land
whether trying to protect their votes or campaigning against the
and governance to private companies
Labour. now that the latest research miles away to a temporary site in
grown since 1997, there seems little site was abandoned in preparation
Summer 2009 / page Briefings Labour Lewisham – centre control of this situation. of privatisation
Since then there has been a great and governance to private
accept the “inevitable”. For all their
a message to Lewisham that we will glove with the privateers.
Alliance were also present. We need national heritage, our local
interview “Their actions have restored my faith in people” 1 SeAn MCCAFFRey from the the Visteon occupation in Belfast. incredible gesture to have six
of Swansea convenor Rob Williams. action had inspired them to do the
tuesday morning and after visiting to save the school for their
an occupation of a school there and without sleep so we were about to
page / permanentrevolution
vandalism and have advised us that Lewisham’s plans to privatise
Eleanor Davies Messages of support to: Eleanor 07946 541331 Facebook Hands Off Lewisham Bridge Website defendeducationlewisham.
We demand that the children are Email handsofflewishambridge@
returned to Lewisham Bridge by the yahoo.co.uk
million people, including about 8,000 people in the UK.
of 2009 h1n1 is uncertain. At this time of year flu doesn’t tend to cause epidemics in the northern
Capitalism and
hemisphere; it usually peaks between December and March in the UK, for example. It is quite
pandemic influenza
possible that it will reappear in the autumn. And while the mortality is
hernandez, a five-year-old boy living in La Gloria, Mexico
hospitals and public bodies, massive people under 60 which is a
and fever. Little did his family know were dusted down ready for action,
There is no doubt that the World Health
cases were confirmed in a couple who had returned from Mexico.
Organisation’s “war on flu” approach
these honeymooners recovered quickly with a short course of
has enthusiastic support from the
treatment by publicist Max Clifford, who helped them turn a pig virus
manufacturers of the drugs
raised the influenza pandemic alert restrictions, intensive follow-up and immunity. the mortality of the new level to 5, signalling an “imminent
Summer 2009 / page Briefings
“Spanish flu” of 1918 is estimated to through air travel. there was
compare that with hIV which killed this appears relatively short – once
and other potential pandemics, was there is no guarantee that it would
designed to suit the pharmaceutical like illness is very common. Given
Profiting from pandemic panic
Plans to recognise and respond to spread in the UK, for example, with
on avian flu – originating in Asia –
Americas. the US leftist Mike Davis, while more anti-virals and a vaccine the “war on flu” approach of the author of the Monster at Our Door:
the Global threat of Avian Flu, argues the WhO strategy is wrong because it focuses on identification
We cannot avoid the emergence of new
of an outbreak, isolation of the cases and a pharmaceutical
infectious diseases, but it is clear that
disinfection of the local area through giving everyone antiviral
globalisation has made them more frequent and more widespread
insurgency style approach is doomed, and that it has been pursued at the expense of
government announced more plans may be associated with virulence,
Planning for pandemics
by around 4% on the same day. Sales impact of the disease later in the
of face masks and disinfecting hand year. But as it stands the strategy
page / permanentrevolution
bulk ordered them even before they strike. After the IMPACt result
for example in distribution of drugs party in the Dáil (parliament),
who are worst affected because they and vaccines, together with
Clare Heath
workers at Waterford Crystal was also called off. the eight-week sit in was ended on 22 March after the Unite union reached an agreement
with its new owners, the private equity company KPS. the deal did not safeguard workers’ pensions
Trade unions retreat,
and promised to maintain only 176 jobs out of 480.
government attacks Bosses offensive
government, a coalition of Fianna Fáil and the Green
budget, the second in six months. It Crystal workers had occupied their
levy and institute a wage freeze, led off the strike and had accepted the
Summer 2009 / page 9 Briefings
of those of ordinary workers, double embrace the unemployed, agency
workers will lose even more, having or treble jobbing through
coalition made no moves to increase board of the Central Bank.
enough to have jobs who were made Irish bank, the government is now
of it worthless, that the government must be introduced alongside
for by more tax increases and public higher income taxes for the rich.
Banks and bureaucrats
this is the price the Irish workers the crisis in capitalism easing –
with redundancy or closure, workers must use strike action and
Workers must organise a fight against
occupations to demand nationalisation without
the austerity budget and to drag their
compensation under workers’ control. leaders out of talks with the government and back onto the streets
bring forward and turn one-day strikes into all-out indefinite strikes to stop the cuts, the sackings, the
Workers must act for themselves, wedge between public sector and
wealth. As public sector workers are greatest defeat in twenty years. two
grassroots, reaching out to the rank blow at the heart of this crisis-
Maureen Gallagher page 10 / permanentrevolution Alliance coaltion
poll in the middle of May showed that the government’s handling of the crisis had support even among
tightens the screws
the opposition’s sympathisers. Over half of the Social Democratic sympathisers thought the government “did a good or relatively good job in handling the
person under 25 is unemployed and economic crisis”. no wonder then half of those registered unemployed that confidence in the Social
the crisis largely due to its export-oriented economy. GnP
confrontational stance they decided support amongst young workers
on a “killing you softly” strategy.
(Worker’s Initiative), inspired by the
watched their support ebb away to a fights for “a democratic and
Anders Ångström Summer 2009 / page 11
UNDERSTANDING INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE – IBD socioeconomic period of life. The severity of symptomsInflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is at least two, separatemay prevent those with IBD from realizing their careerdisorders that cause inflammation (redness and swelling)and ulceration (sores) of the small and large intestines. Thesetwo disorders are called ulcerative colitis and Crohn's di