Pieces Together


A GRATEFUL NATION?
"It is only when darkness falls on the streets of London that the plight of many veterans of the Armed Forces becomes fully apparent. More than 1,000 of them are homeless. Until a couple of months ago Ray (not his real name) was one of them living on the streets. He had enlisted in the Royal Green Jackets (Light Division) in 1993 and saw service in Northern Ireland. He left the Army in November 2001 but found civvy street a harsh place. ... "You think after serving your time in the Army society will accept you," he says, "but they don't and no one helps." (Times, 25 April)

HARD TIMES?
"Virgin boss Sir Richard Branson is reported to have lost 56% of his wealth, shedding £1.5bn and is now worth £1.2bn. Meanwhile, Formula 1 motor racing chief Bernie Ecclestone lost £934m, leaving him at £1.46bn, the list reported. The richest British-born billionaire is the land and property owning Duke of Westminster, who has seen his wealth shrink to £6.5bn from £7bn. In fourth spot are Ernesto and Kirsty Bertarelli: the former Miss UK winner and her husband have a £5.6bn fortune based on pharmaceuticals. Their fortune has shrunk by a relatively modest 12% over the year. But it is not all gloom - the former boss of supermarket chain Morrisons, Sir Ken Morrison, has seen his fortune increase by 11%, making him worth £1.6bn. The wealth of Peter and Denise Coates, owners of Stoke-based online sports betting website Bet365, has gone up by 33%, to £400m. And Harrods boss Mohammed al-Fayed has benefited from a cheap pound - his fortune stands at £650m, up 17% on last year." (BBC Times, 25 April)

AMERICAN POVERTY
"An estimated 3.5 million children younger than 5 are at risk of hunger in the United States, according to government numbers provided by an anti-hunger group. That's more than 17 percent of children who could suffer cognitive and developmental damage if they are not properly fed. The not-for-profit advocacy group Feeding America based its findings on 2005-2007 data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the Agriculture Department. The study, released Thursday, is the first to look at these numbers for children under the age of 5, according to the group. Feeding America runs food banks and feeding centers around the country. The study also shows that in 11 states, more than 20 percent of children under 5 are at risk of going hungry. Louisiana has the highest rate, with just under a quarter of children at risk, followed by North Carolina, Ohio, Kentucky, Texas, New Mexico, Kansas, South Carolina, Tennessee, Idaho and Arkansas." (Yahoo News, 7 May)

Contents
Features

  • Not so honourable members
    The recent expenses scandal has confirmed that many politicians are just self-serving careerists but, even if they were all saints, it wouldn’t make any difference to the way capitalism works.


  • Problems and Solutions
    Socialism won’t be a problem-free society but it will allow problems to be dealt with rationally


  • Marx’s Contribution to the Critique of Reformism
    Marx wrote a book 150 years ago that shows why money exists today and how we can get along fine with out it tomorrow.


  • Understanding history
    The materialist conception of history was first outlined publicly 150 years ago this month.


  • A simpler way of doing things
    Capitalism makes arranging production more complicated than it need be.


  • A different kind of politics
    Politics has become a dirty word, but that’s because we leave it to professional politicians.


    		•
    Regulars
    Editorial
    Crisis

    Letters

     Contact Details
    Meetings

     Cooking the Books 1
    No jam tomorrow either

    Cooking the Books 2
    No growth area

    Cartoons
    Simon the Sociobiologist
    Free Lunch

    Pathfinders
    ESA, Patents, Lawfare.

    Material World
    Mystery flu virus

    Pieces Together

    Book Reviews
    Into the Heart of the Mafia;
    History of the Northern Ireland Labour Party;
    The Spirit Level

    50 Years Ago
    The Snoopers


    Voice from the Back
    World Poverty; The Failure Of Reformism;
    Not So Boastful Now; The Failure Of Labour







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    Socialist Standard Online edition                                         June 2009