The long-term effects of chemical weapons such as Agent Orange mean that the impact of war lasts well beyond a ceasefire
Latest editorial
A (hospital) bed for the night
People know that today’s disputes are not the cause of a crisis within the NHS – it is the crisis of NHS underfunding that led to the disputes, argues ALAN SIMPSON
Nurses on strike outside St Thomas's hospital in central London
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
CJ ATKINS argues that despite losing the election, Chile’s left remains big and organised and must unite to resist the new far-right government
Take a read of the latest Unite Hospitality Glasgow Strike Bulletin and hear from workers fighting for better pay and dignity at work
Alba party leader KENNY MacASKILL makes some suggestions on how to save our pubs and reduce irresponsible drinking
After years of austerity and denial under a new Reform UK council, a failing Send service was pushed into the spotlight by staff, unions and parents — culminating in a £1.3m funding boost and a 50% increase in front-line workers. MARTIN PORTER explains
I hear that in New York
At the corner of 26th street and Broadway
A man stands every evening during the winter months And gets beds for the homeless there
By appealing to passers-by.
–
A few people have a bed for the night
For a night the wind is kept from them
The snow meant for them falls on the roadway But it won’t change the world
It won’t improve relations among men
It will not shorten the age of exploitation.
Bertolt Brecht’s poem (A Bed for the Night) wasn’t written for today’s NHS disputes but it does address the same contradictions.
Brecht’s reflections offer a stark contrast to the fatuous claims of John Redwood MP that if there’s a shortage of NHS beds, just buy some more. Here is a politician who clearly understands nothing.
Similar stories
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
Diverting public funding to grow private-sector ‘spare capacity,’ actively undermines the funding and staff available to the NHS and results in a worse service, write JOHN PUNTIS and TONY O’SULLIVAN
Centrist governments around the world face rejection by their electorates as neoliberalism fails to deliver the public prosperity it never promised – and the same fate awaits Labour unless it starts to deliver for those struggling to survive, says ALAN SIMPSON