Rent waivers violate ‘human rights’ says Labour MP
Labour MP Clive Betts told renters union ACORN that rent waivers risked violating “Human Rights” yesterday (May 6th 2020). Mr Betts who is Chair of Select Housing Committee made this statement in a response to a letter from ACORN seeking greater protection for renters during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Crisis destroys any pretence of humanitarianism under Capitalism
Covid-19 has done many things in a relatively short period of time. It has removed the thin veil of ‘eternally generating profit’, destroyed any semblance of solidarity within the confines of the European Union, highlighted the advantages of state-controlled economy, as well as showing the roots of fascism and authoritarianism in capitalist crisis. Like any […]
Royal Fail
Royal Mail has been in dispute with the Communication Workers Union (CWU) for over a year. In March this year, CWU members delivered a massive 94.5% YES vote in favour of strike action with a turnout of 63.4%, easily exceeding the requirements of Britain’s regressive trade union legislation for the third time in less than three years.
However, recognising the ongoing crisis and the key importance of their role, the CWU decided to postpone any industrial action until lockdown measures had passed.
Care Worker MP sacked for speaking out
Former care worker and Labour MP Nadia Whittome revealed today (May 6th 2020) that she had lost her job at Nottinghamshires’s Lark Hill retirement village for speaking out about a lack of PPE. The MP for Nottingham East, who returned to work at the care home a month ago due to the COVID-19 pandemic, revealed that she was told on Tuesday (May 5th 2020) she would no longer be given shifts due to her comments.
Hancock tells Doctor MP to watch her ‘tone’
Health Secretary Matt Hancock instructed Labour MP and A&E doctor Rosena Allin-Khan to watch her “tone” in during an exchange in Parliament today (5 May 2020).
During the Health and Social Care Questions session Dr Allin-Khan alleged that the government’s testing strategy was “non-existent” and that “testing figures are now being manipulated” after it emerged uncompleted tests were being counted towards the government’s 100,000 tests a day figure.
Venezuela defeats another imperialist force
On Sunday, it was reported how Venezuela had thwarted a ‘Bay of Pigs’ style invasion, with a group of terrorists attempting to invade Venezuela from the coastal border with Colombia. Although this attack was thwarted thanks to the Venezuelan armed forces and police, it now seems to be part of a larger series of coordinated […]
Wales: Mixed Response to Covid-19
The Welsh National Health Service should be applauded for playing a leading role in Britain’s coronavirus treatment programme by extracting Covid-19 convalescent plasma from healthy blood to help patients develop immunity by providing antibodies to combat the virus.
In the same breath, Welsh Labour and Tory ministers in Westminster should be ridiculed for neglecting to act on the cross-government UK pandemic drill, Exercise Cygnus, which took place in October 2016 and accurately concluded that the NHS would be plunged into an enormous crisis by the outbreak of a highly infectious and deadly strain of influenza.
Venezuela thwarts ‘Bay of Pigs’ style incursion
As the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, began to rise in the early hours of Sunday (3 May 2020) a group of terrorist mercenaries, believed to have come from neighbouring Colombia, attempted to carry out an invasion by sea, in the town of Macuto, about 21 miles North of the capital city.
The Venezuelan government reported that the objective of this incursion was to commit terrorist acts in the country as well as also promoting violence across the South American nation.
Cuba battles COVID-19 globally
The history of Cuban internationalism goes back decades, evidenced primarily by their wide reaching medical campaigns, which see thousands of doctors sent around the world to aide communities left behind by capitalism. While US/NATO imperialism offers soldiers, Cuban socialism sends doctors. The ongoing Coronavirus crisis is no different.
Cornwall & COVID-19
Like other regions of the UK and many other parts of the world, Cornwall has been on lockdown since the end of March with many workplaces having shut down and many workers having been furloughed. Governmental failings have been repeated here, as elsewhere, with lack of PPE and protection for essential workers and vulnerable people.
