Europe

The Blair government is discussing all kinds of schemes to curb long established democratic rights. They are doing this using “Islamic terrorism” as an excuse. In reality their measures will in no way fight terrorism, but they will give them more instruments in their attempts to stifle criticism and protest. They are preparing for the future when the workers of Britain will move against their real enemies, the British bosses.

The Scottish Socialist Party (SSP) was seen for a period as a success story for anyone looking for an alternative to Labour. Now it is in decline. It is paying the price for abandoning a genuine socialist programme, making concessions both to nationalism and reformism.

The struggle of the Greek Coca-Cola workers is reaching a critical stage. On their own they risk defeat, especially with the passive attitude of the GSEE leaders. United and coordinated with workers across Greece, and internationally, facing the same situation they can win.

The Danish government rest on the support of extreme right-wing parties. The government has promoted a series of anti-working class legislation, while hiding behind racist propaganda, including blatant anti-Islamic rhetoric. Denmark is not a fairy tale country but one where the mailed fist of capital is being used against the workers.

Last week the Labour Party suffered a devastating defeat at the hands of the Liberals, losing half its votes in the Dunfermline and West Fife seat in Scotland. This is the first time Labour have lost a seat to the Liberals in Scotland since 1945! This is another symptom of the process taking place in Britain. Blair can no longer win elections. The scene is set for big changes.

While Blair continues to support his friend Bush in the war in Iraq, he is conducting another little war on the home front, this time against the sick and disabled! Up to a million workers who have been declared too sick to work now face the possibility of new and humiliating procedures aimed at forcing them back to work. This is a more silent, less obvious war, but a war nonetheless, a class war.

The response from the supporters and readers of Marxist.com to our recent solidarity appeal for the Coca-Cola workers in Athens (Greece) has been tremendous. The comrades of the Greek Marxist journal, Marxistiki Foni, sent us a message for all our readers. The Union in the factory has also sent us a letter of thanks for all our readers that we are also publishing here.

If you want to win elections you must aim at the centre ground. At least that is the official line. But what is the centre? The centre between what? The centre the media refer to, in reality is an extreme expression of the interests of the bosses. The latest attack on education is an example. It goes against the interests of the overwhelming majority of people in Britain, but no doubt the right wing of Labour and the Tories will meet in the “centre” and vote for it together.

Preparations are going ahead for a merger of three big trade unions in Britain, Amicus, T&GWU and GMB. The bureaucracy is pressing heavily for this. It would potentially be a very powerful union, but past experiences have shown that mergers have tended to reduce the level of internal democracy. The left in Amicus gathered around the Amicus Unity Gazette are not opposed to the merger in principle but are demanding the rank and file have a last say through recall conferences and that they be allowed to decide on the key issue of the rule book.

On January 28 and 29 a memorial meeting was held at the Institute of Political Studies at Grenoble University to pay homage to the life and works of Pierre Broué, that outstanding Marxist historian and revolutionary. Among the speakers were Alan Woods, Celia Hart and Trotsky’s grandson, Esteban Volkov.

The recent conflict between Ukraine and Russia over the price of gas brought to the surface the contradictions in the Ukraine, a country which is being pulled towards the western sphere of influence. That was what the so-called Orange Revolution was about. Now the Ukraine people are disillusioned as they watch an international conflict for control of resources that stretches right across the former Soviet Union and beyond.

A militant mood is developing among Spanish workers. Thanks to their mobilisations a PSOE government is in office. Now reaction has reared its ugly head, including army officers, but the leaders of the left and the trade unions are doing everything they can to hold back the workers. At the same time the bosses are on the offensive, announcing plant closures and sackings. However, the workers are not always prepared to stay calm and do nothing.

A conference is taking place in London this Saturday to discuss the crisis of working class representation. It will not take any decisions, but some of those taking part clearly have the perspective that a break with the Labour Party is necessary. What is the answer to the present Blairite domination of the Labour Party?