Peter Taaffe’s legacy lives on through his writing, which will continue to inspire future generations of socialists.
I had the privilege of working alongside Peter during the time Militant transitioned into a weekly newspaper. It was an ambitious undertaking that stretched the resources of the Militant tendency, but ultimately, it proved to be a worthwhile effort—both in its impact and in the dedication it inspired.
Peter had a rare ability to both inform and inspire. Deeply well-read and consistently persuasive, he was a powerful advocate for socialism—whether through his writing or his speeches. His words brought many to the cause and left a lasting impression on all who heard or read them.
Educators need new political representation: it’s time for the trade unions to take the lead in founding it.
This district/branch notes:
The ongoing funding and privatisation crisis across all education sectors; Labour’s delays in implementing its Employment Rights Bill, and ongoing attacks on public services and disability benefits, as well as attacks on trans rights, migrants and ongoing support for the onslaught in Gaza.
The statement by Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana calling for a new political party “rooted in our communities, trade unions and social movements”, with 700,000 people signing up to be kept informed, which will include many NEU members and other trade unionists.
That other unions are involved in discussions: UNITE are reassessing their relationship with Labour; UCU have agreed to “look for an alternative political voice to Labour” and the bakers’ union have released a statement on the creation of a new political party.
That NEU policy agreed this year states in the motion: Defending and extending members’ rights at work
Conference further instructs the executive to appeal to all the MPs with whom the union is associated, the 7 Labour MPs who had the whip withdrawn after voting against keeping the 2-child benefit cap and the independent MPs, including Jeremy Corbyn, elected for the first time in 2024 to table amendments to the Employment Rights Bill.
This branch/district believes:
The battles our members face – over funding, workload, pay, restructuring, academisation etc – will be greatly strengthened if we also have a political voice.
The number of people signing up to be part of the founding process for ‘your party’ is an indicator of the huge potential support there is for a working-class based alternative to Labour, with the potential to cut across the divisive rhetoric of Reform.
Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana have already vocally shared views on education policy, child poverty and Palestine that are compatible with our union policy. This would be greatly amplified by having actual education workers as decision-makers in a new party,
A new party will be stronger and have more political authority if trade unions - collectively representing more than 6 million members - participate in the founding of a new party and are represented in the democratic decision-making process of a new party.
Our union, along with other trade unions, can and should play a leading role in the founding of a new party.
This branch/district resolves:
To request our National Executive members invite Jeremy Corbyn, Zarah Sultana and the Independent Alliance MPs to an urgent meeting of the National Executive to discuss how to build a bloc of MPs in parliament that will fight for the policies of the NEU, and the role of the NEU in steps towards a new party
To request our National Executive members approach the Unite EC, UCU NEC and bakers’ union executive, and other relevant trade unions, to discuss trade union involvement in the founding of a new workers’ party
To write to our local trades union council to suggest working with other unions locally to discuss what is locally needed for political representation.
To elect representatives to attend local meetings about a new workers’ party and share the needs of education workers.
This is a game which children might play. In fact,
my grandchildren have expressed an interest.
Then there are the adverts.
I have seen advertisements which are for gambling and There are also adverts for bitcoin. Not all of
them contain the customary small-print
warning that you could lose all your money
and there is no redress if you do.
The Board of Deputies of British Jews has issued an alarming report on the rise in anti-semitism in the UK and worldwide.
Unfortunately, they define any criticism of the mass murder of women and children in Gaza as "anti-semitism".
On the one hand, this devalues their argument. On the other hand, they clearly think that the activities of the Israeli Defence Force are not responsible in part for the rise in anti-semitism. They have made no criticism of the slaughter in Gaza and the proposed concentration camp for Palestinians.
Setting up a concentration camp for Palestinians and calling it a humanitarian city is holocaust denial of the worst kind.
An invitation
#worthingflash is an online blog run by Durrington writer Derek McMillan with the assistance of 100 other writers. You could become one!
The original aim was to encourage flash fiction in Worthing. Writers from all over the world have now taken part.
There is a competition for 100-word stories which are published in September on http://worthingflash.blogspot.com and the prize will be Derek's new book "The Pernicious Snood" which is also due for publication in September.
The maximum length in other months is 1000 words and many stories are a lot shorter. If you want to get an idea of the kind of stories accepted have a look at the blog. You can Google worthingflash or say "Alexa, find worthing flash" if you prefer.
Over 100,000 people have visited the blog so your writing will have a large audience.
All stories should be sent to worthingflash@gmail.com
All writers are volunteers. It costs nothing to submit but the reward is kudos not cash.
Scoresdale has been refused permission to call itself "Scoresdale by Sea." Presumably the English Channel is invisible to the County Council.
Colin Burgos is a constable who has been plagued by teasing about his illiteracy. He now reads everything that comes his way and provides us all with an exegesis whether we ask for it or not.
Clare Turner is another constable who is based in Nether Sodbury. Whereas Colin is not keen for promotion I can see Claire passing the Sergeant's exam and taking my job one day.
The other member of the team is Community Support Officer Francis Skinner who has a dislike of being called Frank. He is older than all of us and has a lot of experience in the RAF regiment which is like the military police.
I was unable to join the RAF because I failed the medical due to colour-blindness. I am also incapable of reading a map which would not have helped.
The politicians in their infinite wisdom have cut the regional crime squad over and over again until it was reduced to three men and a dog. Then the dog died. The three men don't look too well either. The practical result of this is that however serious the crime is, it is up to us to deal with it.
The Perncious Snood is about how we go about it.
Sergeant Chris Morgan
(Fictional character)
Findon Amateur Dramatic Society have produced a play about events in 1961 which is eerily topical since it deals with Russian spies.
The story concerns the Russian spy Gordon Lonsdale. Londsdale always insisted that his collaborators who went by the names Helen and Peter Kroger were innocent dupes. This does not explain why they had a short-wave radio and code books. Helen Kroger, real name Lona Cohen was a major in the KGB.
The story focuses on the Jackson family who were friends and neighbours of the Krogers for five years and never suspected their secret life. Barbara Jackson (played brilliantly by Sue Borroughs) is a close friend of Helen (played equally brilliantly by Lena Grinsted) and is forced to lie to her.
The MI5 officer (played by Simon Weston) gives Barbara too much information. It is probable that MI5 would have had a cover story to encourage the surveillance of the neighbours but in the play, the truth is revealed bit by bit.
Overall this is an excellent play and the Findon Dramatic Society do not look like Amateurs at all.
"The Death Agony of Capitalism and the Tasks of the Fourth International is also known as "The Transitional Program". The purpose of an audio version is to make it accessible to a wider audience. It has been tested with Windows and Linux.
In exile from Stalin's Russia, Trotsky sought to create a worldwide socialist organisation. This founding statement explains why and explains the concept of a transitional program to take the movement forward.
Trotsky's supporters were hounded and murdered by Stalin's agents. Yet thousands of communists left Stalinist parties to rally behind Trotsky and his ideas.
Various organisations claim to continue the tradition on the Fourth International.
A good test would be to compare their program with the transitional program. Do they slavishly copy each detail whether appropriate or not; have they abandoned it altogether; or do they follow the method and the spirit of the Transitional Program adapted properly to the current century? The Committee for a Workers International I can be contacted at the website https://www.socialistworld.net/
The National Theatre's latest production of "The Importance of Being Earnest" was shown in the Connaught Theatre.
It is very appropriate for Worthing because the main character is called "Worthing" for reasons which become apparent and indeed the play was written by Oscar Wilde in Worthing.
It is remarkable that Wilde was able to persuade Victorians to flock to a play which ridicules the predominant values in Victorian society and in particular the class system. This is still relevant today when the privileged one percent consider themselves superior to the 99 percent.
The way Wilde did this was with wicked humour and this production makes the most of it.
Sharon D Clarke's Lady Bracknell was a brilliant example of snobbery - a snobbery which was ameliorated by the chance for her nephew "to marry 130,000 pounds."
Ncuti Gatwa was possibly the most camp Algernon Moncrieff in history but the character was true to the intentions of the play to produce "A Trivial Comedy for Serious People".
Hugh Skinner's Jack Worthing was equally outrageous.
In fact, the whole cast kept the audience in stitches.
This is well worth a visit and a lot cheaper than visiting a theatre in London.
