Denmark: The youth house in Copenhagen – a struggle that cannot be separated from the class struggle In the morning hours of March 1, the police in Copenhagen finally raided the “Youth House”, a house that has been occupied for years by a movement of rebellious youth. Thousands of young people have come on to the streets to protest against this. It is necessary to understand what methods the movement must use in order to win.
Blair’s Final Days As Blair prepares to hand over leadership of the Labour Party to Brown, opinion polls reveal how low support for Labour has fallen. We face the real prospect of a return of the Tories at the next general election. Blairism has failed abysmally and it is time to change course and adopt genuine socialist policies.
Britain: The new law on “age discrimination” and what it means for workers Recently the British government introduced a law banning discrimination on the basis of age. On this basis some older workers will be able to stay at work beyond the statutory 65. How will this affect the lives of workers under capitalism?
Private equity – a new capitalist mutation Behind the term “private equity†hides good old “asset stripping†or “corporate raiders with junk bondsâ€. It is not about making profits from making things and selling them. It’s about making money from money, buying up companies, stripping them and putting them back on the market with a mountain of debt. Or to use a simpler term, it’s capitalism.
Sweden - the working class re-awakens The new Conservative government in Sweden immediately launched a programme of cuts and attacks on the working class upon coming to power. With a massive round of contract negotiations coming up this spring, however, the stage is being set for a major explosion of the class struggle.
Britain: Trident - Weapons of Mass Destruction The Blair government’s decision to press ahead with huge spending on updating Britain’s nuclear arsenal highlight the growing contradiction between the needs of ordinary working people and the people at the top. If ever these weapons were used it would be the end of civilisation as we know it. More reason therefore to struggle for genuine socialism.
Britain: Gordon's year All the figures on the British economy reveal the underlying sickness of the whole system. The indebtedness of the population has reached record levels. Now all the signs are there of a coming serious slowdown. This is what Gordon Brown will inherit as he prepares to become the next Labour Prime Minister.
Socialist Republicans cannot accept new police force in the North of Ireland The replacement of the old Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) with the PSNI has received the support of Sinn Fein leaders. This has opened up a heated debate among Republicans on whether this is acceptable or not. Here we provide three articles written by comrades of the Irish Republican Socialist Party, where they explain why Republican socialists cannot accept such a force.
Blairism: The End of an Era – Down with the Blair Monarch! The stench of sleaze emanating from Number 10 Downing Street marks the end of the Blair era. Brown is no alternative. Both men will lead the Labour Party to defeat in the future. What is needed is a genuine left alternative. That is why it is so important that John McDonnell gets the required number of nominations to be able to stand for the party leadership.
Latest news on dissolution of Czech Young Communists The Czech Ministry of the Interior recently banned the KSM (Communist Youth Union) simply because it "strives for revolutionary overcoming of capitalism and... removal of private ownership of the means of production and its replacement with collective ownership." Here we provide a letter from the Czech Young Communists, explaining the latest developments.
Capitalism Means Wars Without End While there is growing awareness that the coalition forces have been defeated in Iraq, to withdraw now would be seen as a catastrophe for the American Administration, a humiliation with far-reaching consequences similar to their defeat in Vietnam.
Faculty of Philosophy in Belgrade occupied by protesting students The collapse of the former Yugoslavia had led to a swathe of privatisations, cuts in social spending and a systematic dismantling of all the gains of the past. But one event back on November revealed that below the surface a new situation is brewing. Suddenly in reaction to worsening conditions, the imposition and increase in fees and so on, the students in one Faculty occupied the university building in an exemplary manner.
New government in Austria begins by clashing with the labour movement The Austrian labour movement and Social Democratic Party have been rocked by a scandal. After months of promises, the SPÖ jettisoned its central election promises in order to join a coalition government with the bourgeois People's Party. The betrayal of the leadership of the party has become the focal point in the formation of a left opposition within the party.
Memorial Meeting for Phil Mitchinson Family, friends and comrades of Phil Mitchinson gathered in Cardiff on Saturday 13th January for a memorial meeting. We came together to celebrate his life that ended so tragically.
Northern European Marxist School Over the weekend of the January 6-7 a Northern European Marxist School was held in Stockholm, Sweden. There were around 40 people present from Sweden, Denmark, Poland and Great Britain. The school was organised by the Marxist tendency in the Swedish Labour Movement gathered around the paper Socialisten.
