Janine Booth

“Some people say that the term ‘fighting cancer’ is too aggressive. But I did not go looking for this fight. Cancer started it. If I was fighting cancer, then it was only because cancer picked a fight with me. I plead self-defence.” Poet, author and activist Janine Booth was part of the ranting poetry movement in the ‘80s, performing as ‘The Big J’. In late 2016, she discovered a strange indentation in her right breast and was subsequently diagnosed with breast cancer. In this collection of candid journal extracts, poetry, meticulous research and substantive politics, Janine details her journey from detection and diagnosis, through surgery, to ‘getting over it’. Includes a Foreword by poet and activist Kate Smurthwaite. “This book is a must for all health care workers – doctors, nurses, students, caterers, cleaners, porters – the team needed by patients facing The Big C.” – Dr Coral Jones, GP & Chair Hackney South and Shoreditch Labour Party “A veritable paean to our (still free) NHS. Together with the added bonus of some fascinating political background and an insider’s guide to terms. With poetry!” – Rhoda Dakar, songwriter, musician & activist “Janine’s openness, humour and honesty, combined with her poetic sensibility, leads us by the hand through her experience with cancer … to leave us breathless on her behalf and on behalf of all women facing such a challenge.” – Henry Normal, poet, writer, TV & film producer “Full of clarity, worry, humour, explanations about how capitalism hampers medical practice and love, praise and commitment to the NHS. It demystifies and humanises the cancer experience and inspires and entertains the reader.” – Morning Star

Neurodiversity in the workplace can be a gift. Yet only 15% of adults with an autism spectrum condition (ASC) are in full-time employment. This book examines how the working environment can embrace autistic people in a positive way. The author highlights common challenges in the workplace for people with ASC, such as discrimination and lack of communication or the right kind of support from managers and colleagues, and provides strategies for changing them. Setting out practical, reasonable adjustments such as a quiet room or avoiding disruption to work schedules, this book demonstrates how day to day changes in the workplace can make it more inclusive and productive for all employees. Autism in the Workplace is intended for any person with an interest in changing working culture to ensure equality for autistic people. It is an essential resource for employers, managers, trade unionists, people with ASCs and their workmates and supporters.

This book tells a story of privatisation on the London Underground. Privatisation - the Public-Private Partnership - was announced by New Labour in 1998. It was implemented in 2003. By 2010 it had failed. What went wrong? Public-Private Partnership failed because privatisation rewards manager, shareholders and lawyers. The look after themselves first. Other concerns were neglected - service, safety and improved access for disabled passengers. Published during London Underground's 150th birthday year, this book draws extensively on interviews with managers and Tube workers. It both sketches the history of the Underground and looks to the future. We need a better plan for transport - a socialist policy that involves passengers and workers and prioritises public service.

Drawing on extensive research archives and newspaper reports, this chronicle documents the Poplar Revolt in the aftermath of World War I, during which 30 Labour Party counselors went to prison rather than accept inequitable taxes and rates to the London City Council. Detailing the story of the support mobilized by Poplar Council in the wake of their revolt, this history demonstrates how newly-enfranchised, working-class voters elected the Labour Party to run the Council in 1919, and how life for Poplar residents improved as the party came into ever-increasing conflict with the central authorities and the local government funding system. Illustrating the counselors' eventual release from prison as well as the government's revision of the law and the redistribution of funding from richer to poorer boroughs, this portrait captures a well-earned triumph in the face of economic injustice. An overview with a survey of outcomes and considerations of this story's significance within the context of the present day is also included.