Be generous

Firefighters had little to celebrate in Chancellor Brown’s pre-budget. And, unfortunately, the past week has provided little to celebrate for me. Paradoxically an increase in sessions on our website - up to 7,572 - has been matched by a slowing of donations to the Weekly Worker fighting fund.

November’s fund finished in the black, with £480 in the kitty. December, however, has been an entirely different affair thus far. Without a £5 donation from a hard-pressed firefighter and £30 from doughty Weekly Worker loyalist TR I’d have been staring into an empty biscuit barrel.

I know Christmas is just around the corner, but without your regular donations, producing the Weekly Worker would be near impossible.

Many may castigate, but we are an invaluable source for those alive to debating the strategy and tactics of the left. And, as partisans of the Socialist Alliance project, we have kept many ordinary members informed - often incurring the displeasure of the bigger fish in the SA pond. So be generous and stick your hand in that pocket.

Robbie Rix

Ask for a bankers order form, or send cheques, payable to Weekly Worker, BCM Box 928, London WC1N 3XX

Weekly Worker 459 is available in pdf format as zipped (1.45MB) or unzipped (1.85MB) files

Number 459

Thursday December 5 2002

The Weekly Worker is available from bookshops across the United Kingdom or can be delivered direct to your door by completing our online subscription form.

Defend the firefighters
Firefighters must not be left to stand alone against the Blair government, argues Peter Manson

Letters
SWP mates; Labourite SWP?; Beds SA; What we fight for; Bickering; Political islam; Reactioinary islam; Just admit it; Scary; Rich playground; 100 dead

Starting to get political
Marcus Strom analyses former SA chair Liz Davies' resignation

• Wider malaise - Liz Diavies' statement

SA party campaign
Dave Parks reports on the Socialist Alliance independents' meeting

Cover-up allegation denied
The Socialist Alliance responds to questions from the left Labour weekly Tribune about the Davies resignation

Afghanistan and Owen MacThomas - part 2
Jack Conrad continues his assessment of the recent behaviour of the Alliance of Workers' Liberty

Politicising FBU dispute
Firefighters need a republican answer, argues Dave Craig of the Revolutionary Democratic Group

Brown's pre-budget and the firefighters
Maurice Bernal interprets the chancellor's plans

Understanding US hypocrisy
Phil Hamilton reviews Ziauddin Sardar's and Merryl Wyn Davies' Why do people hate America?

Put lefts to the test
The media are in a tizzy over the new batch of trade union leaders. Derek Hunter calls for a sober assessment

Geordies march
Steve Cooke reports on the anti-war demonstration in Newcastle

United with muslims
Ian Donovan responds to Martyn Hudson on unity with muslims

The fire last time
Former Merseyside FBU chair Chris Jones learns lessons from the 1977 dispute