After years hidden away, Oldham’s memorial to six local volunteers who died fighting fascism in the Spanish civil war has been restored to public view, marking both a victory for campaigners and a renewed tribute to the town’s proud International Brigade heritage, says ROB HARGREAVES
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The good, the bad and the ugly: part two
VINCE MILLS concludes a critical assessment of Labour’s national policy forum’s final document, looking at crime, the NHS, welfare, transport and foreign policy promises
Lord Peter Mandelson (centre) listens as shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves delivers her keynote speech to the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool, October 9, 2023
While pretending to seek peace, Europe is heading toward a collision course with Russia – using security guarantees, troop deployments, expropriation and censorship as tools, writes SEVIM DAGDELEN
Alba party leader KENNY MacASKILL makes some suggestions on how to save our pubs and reduce irresponsible drinking
The catastrophe unfolding in Gaza – where Palestinians are freezing to death in tents – is not a natural disaster but a calculated outcome of Israel’s ongoing blockade, aid restrictions and continued violence, argues CLAUDIA WEBBE
Opinion polls point to electoral collapse, parliamentary rebellion and a looming leadership challenge as Starmer’s Labour haemorrhages working-class support and the far right exploits the vacuum left by a hollowed-out party, says NICK WRIGHT
The long-term effects of chemical weapons such as Agent Orange mean that the impact of war lasts well beyond a ceasefire
IT should be noted that many of the areas discussed here — education, health and some elements of social security — are devolved. An analysis of what the document says on constitutional matters is being covered by Pauline Bryan in Saturday’s paper.
3. Safe and secure communities
This section also has some progressive offerings as well as others that hark back to the authoritarian element of Tony Blair’s New Labour. The section on anti-social behaviour carries a commitment to introduce “Respect Orders.”
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When privatisation is already so deeply embedded in the NHS, we can’t just blindly argue for ‘more funding’ to solve its problems, explain ESTHER GILES, NICO CSERGO, BRIAN GIBBONS and RATHI GUHADASAN
JOE BESWICK of the London Renters Union talks to the Morning Star’s new Left on Record programme
RICHARD CLARKE recommends a hugely valuable text for those seeking theoretical analysis and practical action to defend public services
Behind Starmer’s headline-grabbing abolition of NHS England lies a ruthless drive to centralise control so that cuts of £6.6 billion can be made — even if it means reducing cancer services and clinical staff, writes JOHN LISTER