NHS pay offer: real terms cut
New Labour has put an additional £52m on the table in talks over this year’s staggered pay settlement for NHS workers in England. The move is generating a surprising number of favourable headlines, often implying that it represents something a boost for lowest-paid. But read the small print of what the health secretary is proposing. [...]
George Galloway ‘to run against Jack Straw’
Respect MP George Galloway is weighing up a number of options for his political future, according to Scottish newspaper The Herald. Earlier speculation that he will not stand for Westminster again now appears to be wide of the mark. Although he is committed not to seek a second term in Bethnal Green and Bow, other [...]
Tower Hamlets: Shadwell by-election
There’s a council by-election in Tower Hamlets on Thursday next week, following Shamim Chowdhury’s recent resignation from Respect. You can read an all-too-revealing interview with Respect hopeful Harun Miah in the latest Weekly Worker [downloadable here, but not yet online] Labour is standing former leader Michael Keith, who – according to the East London Advertiser [...]
Should Gordon Brown call a snap general election?
Should Gordon Brown call a snap general election for this autumn? There’s certainly plenty of speculation at Westminster to that effect right now. On the face of it, it might prove a smart move. The ‘Brown bounce’ sees the new prime minister around six points ahead of the Tories in the polls. That’s quite a [...]
