Spokesman Books

James Walker reviews One Belt, One Road in this month's issue of LeftLion. For those who haven't yet found themselves a (free) copy, or for readers outside of Nottingham, his summary has been put online here: http://www.leftlion.co.uk/articles.cfm/title/book-reviews--may-2016/id/8227 One Belt, One Road ( The Spokesman , issue 130) Edited by Tony Simpson; published by Spokesman Books ISBN: 978 0 85124 8509 Price: £6  Available on our website at  http://www.spokesmanbooks.com/acatalog/Spokesman_Journal.html

Mike Harding , on his radio Folk Show , 10th April 2016, dedicated the track 'A Cut in Pay' (Rory McLeod) to Trevor Griffiths, who recently celebrated his 81st birthday. Harding billed him as ‘one of our greatest modern playwrights', extoll ing to listeners: 'You might know his work – Comedians ; Oy for England ; the film Reds ; the series Bill Brand – and he’s also written a wonderful piece for television, which I don’t think has been filmed yet, called March Time . And I do urge you to go and get hold of a magazine called Spokesman , which is a magazine of the Russell Foundation… In one of last year’s issues they’ve got the entire text ' A pod cast of the show (#172) is still avai lable on the following p a ge, with the mention of Trevor Griffiths just over six minutes in : http://www.mikehardingfolkshow.com/category/podcasts/ March Time was published in iss ue 118 of The Spokesman (ISBN 9780 85124 8202, £6), which is available to purchase HERE...

During 2016, the debate about Trident has great salience as the British government seeks parliamentary approval for its intention to build four new 'Successor' submarines to replace the ageing and increasingly decrepit Vanguard Class (see Substandard , Spokesman 129 ). This is a hugely expensive and technically challenging programme, vulnerable to cost overruns in a similar way to the programme to build the smaller Astute attack submarines at Barrow-in-Furness in northern England. Have such lessons about costs really been learned? Contents Editorial Vintage Trident - Ton y Simpson Force for good? - Cdr Robert Green Downwinders and other Casualties - Lawrence S. Wittner New Cold War? - Johnathan Steele China, Bri tain and Labour - Jenny C legg Labour Movement - Jeremy Corbyn MP 'So far as ma y be lawful' - Len McCluskey Architect or Bee? - Frances O'Grad y Suffragette - Jo Vellacott 'Economy' no more? ...

Another featured article from the latest issue of The Spokesman comes from the 2011 edition of J. A. Hobson's Imperialism . Jeremy Corbyn penned the book's foreword, which we reprint here under the title 'Internationalist at Work'. As a separate point of interest, we also include this comparative image of the logo of publication The Week, circa 1960s, and Corbyn's recent campaign logo. Cut from the same cloth ?  Internationalist at Work J. A. Hobson wrote his great tome at a different age. His thoughts were dominated by the zenith of the British Empire and the Boer War. The outcome of the war demonstrated Britain’s then ability in sustaining global reach, since Elizabethan times, but also its extreme vulnerability. At home the poor physique of working class soldiers led to Haldane’s investigation into working class health and living conditions. The difficulty in containing the rebellious Boers, and the huge opposition to the war, encouraged furt...

Our good comrade and friend, Michael, died in London on 7 May after several weeks in hospital following a fall at home. During his long and eventful life, he worked closely with the Bertrand Russell Peace Foundation and the Institute for Workers’ Control, and was a regular contributor to  The Spokesman  journal. We shall miss him greatly, and will publish a full appreciation later. Michael’s funeral is at 12 o’clock on Wednesday 10 June at Golders Green Crematorium (West Chapel), Hoop Lane, London NW11 7NL.

In late 2014, the US Navy awarded an $84 million cost-plus-fixed-fee modification contract for 'tactical missile tube manufacturing'. In total, according to the US Navy, 17 missile tubes will be manufactured: '12 for the UK Successor lead ship, four for the OR [Ohio class ballistic missile submarine Replacement] First Article Quad Pack and one for the Strategic Weapons System - Ashore (SWSA) test facility.' What is this arcane language telling us? The $84 millions is to fund 'joint United States and United Kingdom Common Missile Compartment (CMC) missile tube manufacturing'. According to Rob Edwards ( Sunday Herald , 23.11.14), 70 per cent of this cost is being paid by the UK. Curiously, 12 of the first 17 tubes are for the 'UK successor lead ship'. This is curious for two reasons. Firstly, the UK government has deferred until 2016 the 'main-gate' decision on Trident replacement. Secondly, the UK government has repeatedly claimed in publi...

Problems of NATO The Spokesman 124 ISBN: 978 0 85124 834 9 Price £6.00 'Ukraine’s precipitate economic decline in recent decades, since it separated itself from the Soviet Union, is charted in this issue of The Spokesman ... Even before those momentous changes, beginning in late 1991, greater influence in the Soviet periphery had long been an objective of Western strategy. Once Ukraine became independent, the chosen methods to achieve such influence combined sponsored developments of Ukrainian ‘civil society’, much of it courtesy of the US government-funded National Endowment for Democracy, with long-term economic, political and military interventions by the European Union and NATO. Instability and conflict in Ukraine may not trouble the Americans much, located as it is on Russia’s borders, but it should certainly concern Europeans who, among other considerations, will be asked to pick up much of the tab.' Tony Simpson, Editor Read all of Tony's Editorial on...

Nelson Mandela 1918-2013 http://www.spokesmanbooks.com/Spokesman/PDF/122Griffiths.pdf

Following the police raid to remove journalists and others occupying the offices of Greek public broadcaster ERT, SYRIZA called a demonstration in defence of democracy in Greece which gathered in Syntagma Square in front of the Parliament on the evening of Sunday 10 November 2013. Greece takes over the rotating presidency of the European Union in January 2014. For six months, including the campaign for direct elections to the European Parliament in May, Greece will preside over the affairs of the Union. In foreign affairs, will Greece prioritise peace in the Middle East and advance the creation there of a zone free of weapons of mass destruction? Will it bring to bear its good connections in the region so that the EU reinforces the momentum towards peace in Syria and constructive engagement with Iran? Under the Greek Presidency, what will be the priorities of EU policy towards Israel with respect to its illegal occupation of Palestine, the continuing construction of the illegal ...

Week of Action Against Drones 5th - 12th October Starting this Saturday 5th October at midday, join activists from across Britain at RAF Croughton in Oxfordshire to say Keep Space for Peace and no to drones! Full details and registration at the CND website . Yorkshire CND has also organised a series of events at RAF bases Menwith Hill and Fylingdales - take a look at their website for full details. Our friends at the Drones Campaign Network have a detailed list of the week's events across Britain. Take a look and get involved here ! *** Only a few days left to register for CND Conference! CND Conference will be held in Liverpool on 12th & 13th October. Our annual conference and AGM gives members the opportunity to decide our overall direction for the coming year, debate contemporary issues, vote in CND’s national Council elections, and to draw strength and inspiration from participating in a collective national forum. This year’s theme is Building our Alliances...

William Hague, the UK Foreign Secretary, couldn’t bring himself to utter Edward Snowden’s name, when he made an urgent statement to the House of Commons on 10 June 2013. This was in the wake of Snowden’s revelations about ‘Prism’, the US National Security Agency’s covert and extensive surveillance operation, which has been ongoing since 2007. Mr Hague wasn’t going to comment on ‘leaks’, as he repeatedly told the House. This rather put the Foreign Secretary 'behind the curve' in the debate that followed, excerpts from which are reproduced in this number of The Spokesman. Some of his comments to the House have been called into question by subsequent developments. We publish some of the seminal texts of this developing story. *** The Bertrand Russell Peace Foundation was established in 1963. In this, our fiftieth anniversary year, we take stock a little. What was happening then? What pre-occupied Russell? What was the peace movement doing? Contents: Editorial ...

On 20 November 2012, the House of Commons debated the Middle East, at the request of backbenchers. We begin this selection from the debate with Andy Slaughter’s percipient remarks about the pending mass killing of many more innocents in Gaza, should Israel proceed with its ground invasion. Arbuthnot and Ottoway, Select Committee Chairmen, marked low points in the Debate. Hague rather distanced himself from the more partisan comments of the many Friends of Israel in the House. He knows Hamas won the 2006 elections in Gaza by a street, and that they are serious interlocutors. That’s why Michael Ancram talked with them at length after that victory. (see Spokesman 97 ) House of Commons Tuesday 20 November 2012 Middle East Several hon. Members rose — Andy Slaughter Hammersmith) (Lab) : Palestinian victims of Israeli atrocities are so many that they often go unnamed. I would like to name the four youngest members of the El Dallo family: Sara, 7; Jamal, 6; Yusef, 4; and Ibrahim,...