As the temperature rises in this general election, the battle lines have become ever clearer. On one side is the mass Corbyn movement of workers and youth. And on the other, the rich and powerful have assembled firmly behind their party, the Conservatives.

These have been difficult days for the city of Venice and its inhabitants, given the havoc wreaked on the Serenissima by extraordinarily forceful floods, starting on 12 November.

In an explosive move, Corbyn and the Labour Party revealed over 400 pages of previously redacted documents lifting the lid on the UK–US trade talks. The content of these documents cuts right through Boris Johnson’s neverending web of lies.

The Orthodox Chief Rabbi of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Ephraim Mirvis, has launched a vicious attack against Labour, claiming the party is not doing enough to root out alleged anti-Jewish racism. In an article in the Times newspaper, the Chief Rabbi claims "the overwhelming majority of British Jews are gripped by anxiety" at the prospect of a Labour victory in the general election.

The first congress of the Marxist Organisation Crveni (Reds), the Yugoslav IMT, took place on 16-17 November. At the congress, we discussed, amended and voted on our organisational and financial documents, as well as on the Yugoslav Perspectives (with a particular focus on the situation in Serbia, Bosnia Herzegovina and Macedonia), and we expanded our Programmatic Foundations. The congress also voted to apply for full membership in the IMT. The 21 delegates present at the Congress, from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, and Macedonia, also elected a new Central Committee of the organisation. A representative of the IMT was present, along with several guest contacts and friends of the

We are just over halfway into the general election. The next few weeks will be crucial. Everything is being done by the establishment to pour cold water on Labour’s campaign. They have the full support of the Tory media in this aim. And, as Johnson had hoped, Brexit is still being used to blur the class issues.

As part of the election campaign, Boris Johnson, Jeremy Corbyn and Jo Swinson recently addressed the captains of industry at a conference of the Confederation of British Industry in London. Swinson asserted that the Lib Dems were the "natural party of business" because they want to stop Brexit. Johnson, meanwhile, promised tax cuts for business as well as “stability”.

The first TV debate between Johnson and Corbyn earlier this week highlighted the Tories’ primary (and only) line of attack in this election: Brexit. Indeed, the mantra “Get Brexit Done” has been repeated ad-nauseum by the Tory leader and his PR goons.

5 December may mark a turning point in the development of the class struggle in France. Since the RATP and SNCF unions have made this day the starting point for a indefinite strike, calls are multiplying from trade unions in other sectors to join and strengthen this movement, including in the form of indefinite strikes.

During his recent visit to Russia, editor of marxist.com, Alan Woods, was interviewed for the online news program, STATION MARX International. The discussion covers a range of topics, from the fall of the Soviet Union, to Trotskyism, to the situation in Great Britain, to the current prospects for communism in Russia. The central theme of the interview: "is revolution possible in Russia today?"

The 10 November Spanish elections have left a more unstable situation than the 28 April elections. Although the right has been defeated again, the PSOE leadership failed in its political calculation that it would emerge strengthened, and the tactics of the UP leadership – to ruin Sanchez's investiture and risk new elections – were also an error that lost them votes and seats. Political polarisation, agitated by the Catalan national question, is reflected in the strengthening of the extreme right, of Catalan independence parties, and Basque and Galician nationalism.

Alan Woods’ tour of Italy has concluded with two hugely successful meetings in Naples and Rome (preceded by appearances in Milan and Bologna). The tour (entitled “Revolution for the future: from the History of Bolshevism to the revolutions of tomorrow”) was organised by Sinistra Classe Revolution: the Italian section of the International Marxist Tendency.

Labour members were delivered an enormous shock by the sudden resignation of Tom Watson. He was a stalwart of the party’s right wing. Nobody expected him to leave the party like this. His unexpected departure has effectively decapitated the right wing of the party.

Alan Woods is on tour in Italy for a series of public meetings titled “Revolution for the future: from the History of Bolshevism to the revolutions of tomorrow”, organised by Sinistra Classe Rivoluzione: the Italian section of the IMT. Here is a report of the first two meetings, in Milan and Bologna. Today, Alan is in Naples; and on Saturday, 9 November, he will be in Rome.

This general election is going to mark a fundamental turning-point in Britain. It will have colossal ramifications internationally.