Fast news

Sheffield bus demo

AROUND 70 marchers braved the cold to join last Saturday's demonstration in Sheffield called by We Want Our Buses Back (WWOBB) to protest against First's 8% hike in bus fares. Earlier in the week, we had presented a petition to Sheffield's Lib-Dem Council demanding action to regulate fares and services.

Four years ago the then Labour council said it would take four years to introduce Quality Contracts (a form of regulation like in London). Now the Lib-Dem transport cabinet member says it might take another four years!

We can't wait that long. First intend to axe around 20% of routes in April. In four more years there won't be any bus service left! Reinforced with new campaigners from the demo, WWOBB will step up its campaign for re-regulation and taking the bus industry back into public ownership and control.

Alistair Tice

We Want Our Buses Back video

Do the maths

WITH ONLY days left before the closure of the Corus Steel plant workers have been offered on-site interviews with JobCentre Plus. However, the board advertising jobs for the 1,700 workers only had nine vacancies on offer! That's 189 workers chasing every job vacancy.

Tory headache

DAVID CAMERON is trying to persuade voters that a future Tory government will "cut the deficit, not the NHS".

However, a think tank close to the Tory leadership appears to be proposing NHS cuts.

Julie Manning, a shortlisted Tory candidate and director of 2020health.org, wants to see an end to NHS fertility treatment and the introduction of new prescription charges.

And in a move that should give Cameron a headache, she proposes that free prescriptions for painkillers should end.

All the same

"WE WILL not be able to deliver our pledge on scrapping tuition fees."

This is Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg's pledge to the electorate ahead of the forthcoming general election.

And in order to show that there isn't any discernible difference between the Lib Dems, Labour and the Tories in making us pay for the capitalist crisis, Clegg pledged to dump Ł18 billion worth of welfare spending pledges.

His main concern is to reassure the markets which "worry that the politicians are not being candid about the big decisions that are needed to be taken to balance the books and bring discipline to the public finances."

Beyond the Palin

THE FAILED US Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin has signed an undisclosed deal to appear as a contributor to the Murdoch-owned Fox Business Network.

Nothing unusual in that as both Palin and Fox News both share a reactionary view of the world.

Amusingly, Palin said it was "wonderful to be part of a place that so values fair and balanced news".

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In The Socialist 13 January 2010:

Decent jobs - not slave labour