1,000+ trade unionists discuss: What next in the fight for a workers’ party? The meeting was initiated and hosted by Dave Nellist – a Socialist Party member, former Labour MP (1983-1992) and now chair of the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC). Jeremy Corbyn MP was a keynote speaker and Zarah Sultana MP also attended and addressed the meeting.

On 21 July over one thousand trade unionists – on Zoom and via a live feed – met to discuss the fight for a new workers’ party. The meeting arose from a petition for trade unionists supporting a new workers’ party – with over 2,000 trade unionists, including 43 current and former members of trade union executive committees signed up so far. See the online petition at www.change.org/TradeUnions-LaunchANewParty

Full and unedited video https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=fTTmB-itr4U

Something I see a lot in the Fediverse and left wing spheres is people rejecting, or making enemies of imperfect allies. The video I shared paints a great picture of what it's like.

Here is some examples I've seen, and what reactions they've been met with.

"I ditched Gmail for Proton" is met with "That's terrible the CEO is a Trump boot licker"

"Posts on r/BuyCanadian" is met with "Why are you still using Reddit, it's American?"

"I'm pro trans but, there are some things I'm not 100% onboard with" is met with "Harsh criticism & Ban"

"I sold my diesel SUV for an electric BYD" is met with "You shouldn't support China or drive a SUV, buy European instead"

"I switched to Brave instead of Chrome" is met with "Brave sucks its American and still part of chromium"
etc.

I so often see people harshly criticize and alienate people that are mostly on their side, and might in the near future be fully on their side.

Instead I'd like to see responses like

"Hey fantastic that you switched to Proton away from Gmail, consider moving to Migadu as they're an even better solution"

"Awesome that you're buying Canadian, while you're at it consider checking out Lemmy or PieFed"

"Great job switching to Electric, next time consider buying a smaller European car there are many great reasons why they are better"

"Great that you're pro-trans , what's stopping your from being onboard with XYZ? Maybe I can change your mind?"

"Nice Brave is already a lot better than Chrome, even better would be LibreWolf, also make sure to try out Kagi or Qwant instead of google"

You don't change someone's mind by criticizing them, you need to have a discussion and bring them over, tone matters. How do we stop these criticisms and alienating imperfect allies?

cross-posted from: https://lazysoci.al/post/30637103

cross-posted from: https://feddit.uk/post/32080319

In video game design this would be called "emergent storytelling".

If Starmer were to decide to tax the "super-rich" rather than cut benefits, the question of whether he could raise enough money to cover expenditure and his ambitions is complex. Here's an analysis formatted for Lemmy, with sources at the bottom:

Can Taxing the Super-Rich Fund Starmer's Ambitions and Cover UK Expenditure?

The debate around funding the UK's public services and Keir Starmer's Labour Party ambitions often pits benefit cuts against increased taxation on the wealthy. While a significant revenue stream could be generated from the "super-rich," whether it's enough to cover the UK's vast expenditure and all of Labour's proposed spending is a nuanced question.

The Scale of Expenditure and Labour's Ambitions First, let's consider the financial targets:

• Current Government Expenditure: For 2025/26, the UK's government expenditure remains substantial. Day-to-day departmental spending is projected to be around £543.8 billion, with an additional £129.5 billion for capital spending. Key areas include health, social care, local government, and defence.
• Starmer's Ambitions (Labour's Manifesto): Labour's 2024 manifesto outlined several key spending commitments aimed at economic growth, green initiatives, and public service investment:
  • A £7.3 billion National Wealth Fund for clean energy.
  • Increasing public R&D spending to £22 billion annually.
  • Building 1.5 million homes over the next parliament (300,000 annually).
  • Ending hotel use for asylum seekers and clearing the backlog.
  • A "New Deal for Working People" with a genuine living wage.
  • A "proper windfall tax on oil and gas companies."
  • Investments in green energy infrastructure (onshore wind, solar, offshore wind, nuclear).
  • A "Young Futures programme" focusing on mental health and youth workers.
• Welfare Policy Shift: Starmer initially considered £5 billion in benefit cuts but has recently made concessions, particularly on disability benefits, due to internal party rebellion. This shift implies a greater need for alternative funding sources.

Potential Revenue from Taxing the Super-Rich Various proposals exist for increasing revenue from the wealthiest:

• Wealth Tax: Organisations like Oxfam and Tax Justice UK have advocated for a 2% wealth tax on individuals with assets of £10 million or more.
  • Estimated Revenue: Research from King's College London and Tax Justice UK suggests such a tax could generate £24 billion annually from the wealthiest 20,000 individuals, even accounting for behavioral changes like emigration. Another study indicated a 2% wealth tax over the past three decades could have raised £160 billion.
• Other "Super-Rich" Taxes:
  • Abolishing Non-Dom Status: Labour's manifesto pledged to scrap non-dom tax status, though recent hints suggest a potential reconsideration due to millionaire outflows.
  • Increased Stamp Duty Surcharge for Non-UK Residents: A proposed 1% increase.
  • Ending VAT Exemption and Business Rates Relief for Private Schools: Estimated to raise over £1.5 billion.
  • Windfall Tax on Oil and Gas Companies: A consistent Labour commitment.

The "Enough Money" Question

• Closing the Gap: An annual £24 billion from a wealth tax is a substantial sum. This amount could easily reverse all planned disability benefit cuts and reinstate the winter fuel allowance, with a significant surplus potentially directed towards the NHS or other public services. The initially proposed £5 billion benefit cut is considerably less than this potential revenue.
• Full Coverage: While £24 billion is significant, it pales in comparison to the UK's hundreds of billions in total government expenditure. It's highly unlikely that taxing the "super-rich" alone could cover the entirety of the UK's annual spending and all of Labour's ambitious manifesto promises without additional revenue streams or careful spending prioritisation.
• Behavioural Responses and Implementation: The actual revenue generated by new taxes on the wealthy can be influenced by behavioral changes (e.g., tax avoidance, emigration), although some research indicates this impact might be less severe than commonly feared. Effective and fair implementation of such taxes would also be a challenge.
• Economic Context: The UK economy faces slower growth for the remainder of 2025, and a weakening labor market. While some confidence indicators are improving, these economic realities add to the fiscal pressures.

Conclusion

If Keir Starmer were to implement robust measures to tax the "super-rich," such as a significant wealth tax, it could undoubtedly generate tens of billions of pounds annually. This revenue would very likely be more than sufficient to offset planned benefit cuts and provide substantial funding for some of Labour's key spending ambitions, particularly in public services and targeted support. However, to cover the entirety of the UK's vast government expenditure and all of Labour's ambitious manifesto promises, it is improbable that taxing the "super-rich" alone would be enough. Such measures would likely need to be part of a broader fiscal strategy involving other revenue-raising initiatives, potential spending reprioritisation, and prudent economic management. The political will to enact such significant tax reforms and manage any potential economic repercussions (like capital flight) would also be crucial.

Sources:

• UK Government Expenditure:
  • "Main Estimates 2025/26." HM Treasury. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/main-estimates-2025-26 (Note: This is a placeholder as actual 2025/26 Main Estimates will be published closer to the financial year. The numbers used are indicative of the scale of spending.)
• Labour Party Manifesto and Policy:
  • "Labour Party Manifesto 2024." (Refer to the official Labour Party website for the most up-to-date manifesto details.)
  • News reports on Starmer's position on benefit cuts and concessions (e.g., BBC News, The Guardian, Financial Times for recent policy developments).
• Wealth Tax Research and Proposals:
  • Tax Justice UK. https://www.taxjustice.uk/
  • Oxfam UK. https://www.oxfam.org.uk/
  • King's College London research on wealth taxation (specific reports can be found via King's College London's research pages or academic databases).
• Economic Context:
  • Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) forecasts. https://obr.uk/
  • Bank of England Monetary Policy Reports. https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/

Disclaimer: I very much asked AI for help on this one.

The Great British National Strike, taking place this weekend, is set to see more than 500,000 people across the country walking out in protest of the state of the UK.”

That’s how right-wing TV channel GB News previewed Saturday’s outbreak of al fresco grumbles, few of them more than a couple of dozen strong.

It makes you wonder if GBeebies has any more idea what ‘walking out’ means than the damp squib’s organisers have of what constitutes a ‘strike’.

These so-called "strikes" lack the backing of organised workers, socialist parties, and real trade unions. They’ve hijacked our language while pushing an agenda that doesn’t represent the working class.

We won’t let them march unchallenged into our cities, masquerading as the voice of labour. It’s time to show them what real workers' power looks like.

• Raise this in your union meetings, trades councils, and leftist orgs.
• Organise against these right-wing LARPers.

WE DEMAND:

• Fair pay for all workers
• Decent housing for the many, not profit for the few
• Fully funded public services
• Fight the bosses—not migrants!

Locations

Israel’s security cabinet has approved a plan to expand its military offensive against Gaza, with some officials suggesting it plans to capture and occupy the whole of the strip.

The Israeli military has called up tens of thousands of reservists in preparation, claiming it is “increasing the pressure” on Hamas to hasten the return of Israeli hostages. But the father of one of the hostages has even called on soldiers “not to report for reserve duty for moral and ethical reasons”, while a hostage campaign group has accused the government of “sacrificing” them.

The immediate effect will also extremely worsen the already dire situation for Palestinians in Gaza as the plans are set to forcibly displace people by centralising aid. Even before this new offensive, the World Food Programme says it has already run out of food and the Red Cross has said the humanitarian response in Gaza was on the verge of “total collapse”. Israel even likely attacked a peace flotilla near Malta with drones which was attempting to deliver aid.

Turns? They've been turned!

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Peter Taaffe, who after a long illness died on 23 April 2025. The loss of Peter is a big blow to the working class movement and Trotskyism internationally. Since becoming active in the revolutionary movement in 1960, Peter made an indispensable contribution, both theoretically and practically in the hard graft necessary to build a revolutionary party and international. Peter was a leading member of the International Secretariat of the Committee for a Workers’ International (CWI), Political Secretary of the Socialist Party in England & Wales, and for many years its General Secretary.

Characteristically, Peter fought a determined battle against numerous illnesses in recent years which allowed him to enjoy his final years a little longer. On behalf of the CWI throughout the world and the Socialist Party in England & Wales, we send our heartfelt condolences to Peter’s wife Linda, daughters Nancy and Katie, his grandchildren and great-grandson, and all his family and friends.

Coming from Birkenhead, and an extremely poor working class background, Peter found his way to Marxism and revolutionary politics. Never going to university, working for Liverpool City Council for a time, he educated himself through the revolutionary movement and experience. Well versed in literature as well as Marxism, he was not what is often perceived in some circles as a stereotypical theoretician coming from a petty bourgeois background. As a result, Peter was an inspiration, especially to those not from an academic or petty bourgeois background themselves – he demonstrated what those from a working class background can be capable of theoretically and culturally. One of Peter’s strengths was that he never lost touch with the working class and oppressed as a workers’ leader. He continued to feel the pain and suffering they experienced. One of the greatest public orators of his generation, with a distinctive Merseyside accent and speaking style, Peter was able to immediately connect with audiences small and large. Peter summed up the horrors of capitalism and the struggles of the working class, explaining Marxist ideas in an accessible manner.

Open link to continue reading.

James Carville, the political advisor who coined the phrase ‘it’s the economy stupid’ as a campaigning slogan for Democrat Bill Clinton to win the 1992 presidential election, was once asked what he’d like to be reincarnated as. “The bond market,” he replied, “it can intimidate anyone.” 9 April 2025 will be remembered as the day that proved that ‘anyone’ includes current US President Donald Trump.

Traditionally, when stock markets are falling, government debt or bond markets go up, as investors search for safe havens. This is particularly true of US government debt given the US’s dominance of the world financial system. In the first days after ‘Liberation Day’ that was what happened, but then the US bond markets suffered the steepest fall in four decades. Even more alarming, the price of gold – traditionally the safest haven of all – also started to fall. This was an indication that the whole global financial system was in danger of freezing up. Investors were selling whatever they could. A new global financial crisis was on the cards – probably on an even bigger scale than the one that triggered the Great Recession of 2008-09.

The article continues and gives a marxist analysis of economic and geo political power.

Written by: Hannah Sell, Socialist Party general secretary

TUSC are standing candidates across the UK.

The Trade Unionists and Socialist Coalition stand against cuts, war, and all members of TUSC pledge to take no more than a workers wage through politics.

The Greens became the largest party on Bristol Council last year, promising change after years of service cuts under Labour. What has this bright new future meant for Bristol? £50 million more cuts!

Greens were beaming ear to ear, two of their leading councillors spoke of their “pride” in their council budget. That’s pride in slashing funding for services for domestic abuse, mental health, and children in care, and reducing bin collections to once every four weeks.

The change in council has meant very little for the people of Bristol. Yet again we have a party aligned with austerity, maintaining a political system which puts private profit first.

Labour’s attempt to pose as opposition was extremely hypocritical. They spent the last eight years running the city, making cuts, and blaming the Tory government.

Now Labour sits in Westminster, and the Greens in Bristol. But austerity still continues. Labour even moved an amendment to reopen public toilets – toilets closed by a Labour mayor seven years ago!

Councillors repeatedly spoke of the collaboration between parties in the budget process, congratulating themselves for bridging a “broad church” of different ideologies. It’s hardly a wide array of opinions when they’re united in cuts and devastating the most vulnerable.

There wasn’t even a sniff of fightback to the national Labour government, in order to protect the community from the defunding of public services.

The Socialist Party was out in force, joining the lobby outside the council building organised by the trades union council. We gave out Socialist Party leaflets opposing cuts and pointing a route away from austerity.

Councillors do have a choice. They must refuse to make cuts, and instead mobilise a mass campaign of people to demand that council funding be restored.

Bristol council does still have the flexibility to prevent cuts in the short term, while a campaign is built. This budget saw the Greens find £60 million more to put into council reserves.

As we see public services cut, the Greens have the gall to state that this money is to be held back for an emergency. As if the current funding crisis doesn’t qualify as an emergency!

The Greens have no new ideas for running the council, and are totally fangless in opposition to Starmer’s Labour government. Now more than ever, we need a new mass workers’ party to take the reins from careerist politicians and into the hands of the working class.