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June 1998

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Marxism and the Struggle Against Imperialism

It is nearly seven years since George Bush, the then president of the US, made his famous “New World Order” speech. This was in 1991. In the build-up to the Gulf War the main imperialist power on earth promised a world without wars, without dictatorships and, of course, a world firmly under the control of a single all-powerful world policeman–the US. After the fall of Stalinism, US imperialism really thought that the world would be firmly under their command and they would be able to dictate the destiny of each and every country. All conflicts in the world were to be solved through dialogue in a kind of “Pax Americana.” Now all these dreams have been reduced to rubble.

Hammer and sickle the communist featured image

Where is Blair Leading the British Labour Party?

In August 1931 the Labour prime minister, Ramsay
MacDonald, crossed the floor of the
Commons with a handful of supporters to join with the
Tories and Liberals in forming a
National Government. This event was considered one of the
greatest betrayals in the
history of the Labour Party. More than sixty-five years later,
voices have once again been
raised about the need for a radical realignment of British
politics and the formation of
some kind of coalition. "If Blair is the Ramsay
MacDonald of the Nineties,"
warns the Observer, "he could be getting his National
Government in early as
well." (24/9/95). Tony Benn has also recently drawn
parallells between today and the
period of 1929-31 and the formation of the National
Government.

Hammer and sickle the communist featured image

World Cup ’98, Football, Big Business and Politics

This is supposed to be, as the media are forever telling us,
the people’s game, our World
Cup, etc., etc. But we have little or no say in it. We generate
the passion but all the
officials see are the buckets of cash. The governing bodies
of football, both national and
international, are remote, out of touch and above all
travesties of democracy. So long as
big business and the multi-nationals control the game and
shape it in their interests,
this will continue to be the reality of things. The fightback
should start now, starting
with the grassroots supporters groups, to ensure that fans
have a say in the game,
alongside the players and coaches, and that big business is
given the red card.