Tribune – Comment, news and reviews from Britain's democratic left

Under Tony Blair, Britain joined Palau and a few other Pacific quasi dependencies in voting along with the United States at the United Nations on Israeli issues, rather than abstaining as even Margaret Thatcher used to do. So it is not just a small mercy, more a medium sized one, that Britain (and France) refused to vote against the resolution on the Goldstone Report at the UN Human Rights Council last week.

The British political outlook looks uncertain seen from abroad. Terry Moore reports from Brussels

London Assembly members could be out of a job if the Conservatives get their way. Murad Qureshi is not impressed

I’m going out on a bit of a limb here, but I think we have a much-needed bit of good news. The binmen of Leeds have essentially won their six-week strike over pay, shift patterns and jobs. I say “essentially”, because as I write union negotiators are putting the finishing touches to a deal that removes the imposition of salary cuts of up to 30 per cent and takes the threat of privatisation of the refuse collection service off the table.

Is the government so determined to push through nuclear power stations that it is planning secret subsidies to the industry which will add 10 per cent to household electricity bills? That’s the conclusion of the Guardian, which ran a long news article and a highly critical editorial on the subject this Monday.

It’s all gone a bit quiet out there. Labour Party conference was a call to arms. The fightback starts here was the rousing declaration from ministers led by Gordon Brown. But where is it?