Spokesman Books

Press launch Thursday 28 April at 3pm , at the Marx Memorial Library , Clerkenwell Green, EC1R 0DU (Farringdon tube) Bad News – The Wapping Dispute tells the poignant and timely story of an ordinary group of people who were thrown into extraordinary circumstances, and the effects these circumstances had on their lives. By Graham Dodkins and John Lang Foreword by Tony Benn Published by Spokesman on 1st May 2011 On 24th January 1986, some 5,000 workers employed by four of Britain’s national newspapers were sacked: The Sun , News of the World , The Times and The Sunday Times were owned by Rupert Murdoch’s News International Limited, and the bitter industrial dispute that followed was to last 13 months. As the 25th anniversary of the dispute nears, Bad News – The Wapping Dispute is published at a time when there is renewed public anger at a Conservative-led government, and unemployment, police handling of demonstrations, and Rupert Murdoch’s hold over the British press and media dom...

AN APPEAL FOR SIGNATURES Dear Friends, President Obama visits Ireland on May 20-22. Since 2001, the Peace & Neutrality Alliance (PANA) has campaigned against the use of Shannon Airport by US troops en route to Afghanistan and Iraq. We are seeking to ensure this is the major issue during his visit. We would therefore appreciate support for the following statement: "We support the Irish Peace Movement's campaign to terminate the use of Shannon Airport by US troops on their way to and from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq." Please email your support to: info@pana.ie Thanks Roger Cole, Chair Peace & Neutrality Alliance http://www.pana.ie/

A review of the issues Christopher Gifford's timely pamphlet critically probes the case that is made for new nuclear reactors in Britain. Its relevance is highlighted by the continuing scramble to contain contamination from six reactors at the Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan. ‘This paper attempts to describe the present state of affairs, in particular the issues facing the new Coalition Government. In February 2007, the then government was described in judicial review as having behaved ‘unlawfully’ in consulting on energy policy with information ‘wholly insufficient for the public to make an intelligent response’. Since then, thousands of pages have been published in further consultations and some in response to freedom of information requests, and it has become clear that much detail remains to be provided on matters that may not be decided until licences to build and operate nuclear stations are granted, if at all. The material is usually technical, but there are ethical issues ...