Campaign news

MIKE MARQUSEE

15th January 2015

MIKE MARQUSEE

Jeremy Corbyn MP remembers a comrade.

It is so very sad that Mike has died. I saw him the night before he died as he was ebbing away.

I first met Mike in 1979 in Hornsey and was always impressed with his energy, enthusiasm for all he did and ability to tackle difficult questions. He leaves friends, memories and writings. I think I have all his books from novels on cricket, poetry, the wonderful Defeat from the Jaws of Victory, Blake, Mohammed Ali, Jewish childhood in USA and his many articles. His essays on cancer and love and affection for the principle of health care as a right will be forever be a testament to a vision of a decent society that values and cares for all, irrespective of border or faith.

Only last month I was stopped in the street by a woman who knew him as a youth worker in Highbury Roundhouse in the early 1980s and was impressed by his belief in young people. Mike opposed wars in Vietnam, Central America, Afghanistan and Iraq and always sought justice for Palestine. He wrote extensively about India and Pakistan and knew so much of their history.

Read his works, feel his imagination and restless enquiry and send support to his family and to Liz Davies who was such an inspiration and support to him, as well as being a brilliant socialist lawyer.

Thanks Mike for so many good and fascinating times and all the years of friendship.

Background

By Ian Hodson It’s great news that a mainstream political party has recognised the importance of taking positive action to raise pay. Since 2008, politicians from all parties along with many in the media, have pushed the narrative that society will somehow improve by imposing austerity and blaming minority groups for the state of the country’s finances. Sadly, many have fallen for this deception and the ‘look over there’ politics that has rose to prominence since the Conservatives returned to power in 2010. [continue...]

Folkestone United – coming together to support migrants Bridget Chapman, Folkestone United, reports [continue...]

No Witch-Hunts In The GMB, Reinstate Keith Henderson (The Online Petition) Keith Henderson Essex LRC member and former Regional Organiser of the GMB Union was dismissed from the GMB last December, Keith has always believed that the real reason for his dismissal was because of his socialist beliefs and the manifestation of his beliefs. [continue...]

Please see our Labour Briefing Website here: LabourBriefing.org [continue...]

The LRC is supporting a broad alliance of campaign groups and trade unions against the proposals in the Welfare Reform Bill (currently before Parliament) and putting forward our alternative based on social justice and welfare for all. [continue...]

Across the country working people are losing their jobs and their homes. Meanwhile the bankers who plunged us into this crisis have been bailed out with billions of pounds of our money. It’s time to fight back. Their Crisis Not Ours! is the LRC’s campaign to bring together workers, pensioners, the unemployed, students, those facing repossession and all those suffering because of an economic crisis that has been imposed on us. The campaign is supporting the demands of the People’s Charter. [continue...]

Rail bosses are using the recession as an excuse to attack jobs and conditions and cut back on services and essential rail works, and hike rail fares - as LEAP research suggested they would. Thousands of jobs are being threatened or have been lost. At the same time rail fat cats are raking in big profits and bonuses on the back of the most expensive fares in Europe. Make no mistake: as the recession worsens so will the attack on rail workers and rail services. [continue...]

The campaign calling on the Government to abandon its plans for privatisation of Royal Mail. The Government has introduced the Postal Services Bill to part-privatise the Royal Mail. With our affiliate union CWU we are fighting to Keep the Post Public! [continue...]

The campaign to demand the Government funds improvements to all existing council housing, and to start building first class council homes to address housing need. For more information see Defend Council Housing website. [continue...]