Federal elections in Belgium - a more marked left-right polarisation is emerging The recent Belgian elections underline one thing, a deepening social and political polarisation, in line with what is happening in the rest of Europe. Erik Demeester in Brussels analyses the results.
French workers move into action against Raffarin On Tuesday, May 13, two million workers in more than 120 different towns demonstrated against the right-wing government in France. The public sector workers were massively represented, but tens of thousands of private sector workers were also on the demonstrations. The demonstrations on May 13 were a magnificent show of the strength and determination of workers and youth throughout France.
Antifascist meeting in commemoration of May 8, 1945 in Esterwegen (Germany) On May 10 about 300 German and Dutch antifascists met at the Esterwegen memorial in commemoration of 8th May 1945 and the victims of fascism.
Sweden: the strike that wasn't meant to be The municipal workers in Sweden have come out on strike. All over the country day-care centres, schools, refuse-processing plants and other public services have been shut down. This strike marks an important turning point for the class struggle in Sweden.
The socialist case against euro entry The debate over whether Britain should join the Euro is heating up. On both sides of the debate we find a capitalist logic being applied. One side stands for so-called British "sovereignty", the other praises the merits of the wider market. Neither side is defending the real interests of the workers. As Mick Brooks points out, "The answer is surely for us to control the movement of capital by taking over the means of production, not relying on the goodwill of our enemy, the capitalist class."
Britain: Lessons of Clare Short's Resignation The resignation yesterday of Clare Short, the former international development secretary, is a shattering blow to the Blair government. It could spell the beginning of the end for Blair, as things begin to unravel with increasing speed.
Austria: rain, hail and a wave of protest - 200,000 workers march against the pensions reform Tuesday afternoon Vienna saw the biggest thunderstorms people can remember. Despite these catastrophic weather conditions 200,000 workers turned up from all over the country in response to the call of the ÖGB (Austrian Trade Union Federation) to protest against the proposed pensions "reform".
Britain: Nightmare on Downing Street - Time to reclaim the Labour Party The Blair government faced its worst nightmare in the immediate run up to the war with Iraq. According to the Guardian revelations, Blair, Straw, Blunkett, and others in the Cabinet were on the verge of resigning if the Commons vote went against them.
Germany after the antiwar movement - Conflict between unions and government inevitable The shipspotters in Belgium, a local anti war campaign in the city of Antwerp launched by Vonk-supporters during the war on Iraq, had informed us that during the month of April massive loads of military equipment including heavy tanks, trucks and ammunition were going to be shipped from US Army bases in Germany to Iraq. Local anti war campaigners and supporters of Der Funke in Wiesbaden, Germany, investigated the affair.
The end of social peace in Austria - The working class is entering the arena On April 23 the National Executive of the ÖGB, the umbrella organisation of 13 trade unions (the equivalent of the British TUC), took a historic step in its unanimous decision to call for strike action. This comes after five decades of class-collaboration and so-called "consensus" democracy.
May Day in Copenhagen (Denmark): The struggle continues despite the leaders of the workers' movement In spite of the rain and the "routine" speeches of many of the speakers what emerged from the May Day rally in Copenhagen was a mood of apprehension among the workers. They are worried about their future.
Britain: 2003 elections - A referendum on Blair's government With most of the results in from the local council, Welsh Assembly and Scottish parliament elections the message to Blair is clear - his imperialist adventure in Iraq was deeply unpopular, and at least as unpopular are the government's proposed attacks on public services, the introduction of foundation hospitals, the further privatisation of the NHS, and the introduction of top-up fees for students.
