October 2004 Archive 

’I do not recognise the authority of the Israeli judiciary’ Red Pepper contributor Ewa Jasiewicz says her recent expulsion from Tel Aviv is indicative of a widespread crackdown on international journalists and human rights activists in Israel

Ghosts in the machine The decimation of its activist base hurts Labour’s left as much as it does its leadership. To have any political influence at all the Labour left must reach out beyond the party.

Union wild card seeks to trump modernisers from within GMB leader Kevin Curran tells Hilary Wainwright why his trade union will no longer write Labour a blank cheque

The European Social Forum The European Social Forum (ESF) takes place in London this month. But don’t worry: it won’t just be boring speeches by political dinosaurs. Follow our simple advice, and you’ll be sure to have an unforgettable time.

No political statements allowed on the conference floor Red Pepper’s press officer and on-the-spot oik Alex Nunns attended the Labour Party Conference in Brighton, rubbed shoulders with the Lennon and McCartney of global development, wrestled a party apparatchik for a stapler, yawned his way through ministerial speeches -and kept a diary

Energy independence and the American dream Both Kerry and Bush recognise the need for alternatives to fossil fuels. Yet neither show any desire to address the US’s bulimic consumption patterns.

Flouting convention Janice Jim reports on the greeting given to the Republican Convention in New York

Time to buy up and sell out?

Dear Auntie,

All my mates talk about these days is property, property, property. They’re buying up places in areas that are up and coming with plans to sell them on when the price is right. They keep harassing me to do the same, saying it’s a necessary ’investment’ because by the time I retire there will be no state pensions left. While the idea of no longer paying fat-cat landlords is tempting, homeowning goes against all my political principles: driving up house prices hits the poor the hardest. So should I continue to prop up the landowning class or buy up and sell out?

Yours,

Property is Theft

Labour’s hollow drum Hilary Wainwright introduces Red Pepper’s special on the Labour Party