On October 20th we will witness another massive display of
opposition to the Coalition government. Hundreds of thousands of angry
workers will take to the streets in an attempt to push back the Tory
austerity programme. This is part of a European-wide movement of opposition to austerity
measures, with the latest mass demonstrations being held in Spain and
Portugal. New protests have also erupted in Greece.
The effects of the capitalist crisis are being felt at every level of society. As reported in a Time
magazine article in April, this also includes the preservation of
historical sites. As the cash-strapped European states race to cut
public spending and slash budgets, the historical achievements of
mankind crumble under paltry allotments for cultural preservation.
The presidential election due on
October 7 represents a decisive moment in the history of Venezuela. The
outcome of this election will have a major impact throughout the
continent and internationally. It goes without saying that the Hands Off
Venezuela campaign is actively supporting the Bolivarian candidate Hugo
Chavez and fighting against any attempt of the oligarchy and
imperialism to sabotage the elections. The IMT stands firmly for the
re-election of Hugo Chávez. Why have we taken this position?
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workers including a UNITE steward and safety rep have been dismissed
from the Crossrail project because of they are members of a trade union.
The unionised workers employed by E.I.S. Electrical were searched and removed from site last Friday at the instruction of Bam Ferrovial Kier (BFK), the consortium of contractors building Crossrail.
As we begin the new academic year thousands of students up down the
country will be leaving home for the first time to begin their Higher
Education (HE) studies. Unfortunately for these students what should be
an exciting and liberating occasion is overshadowed by the colossal debt
they will be forced to take on as they become the first to pay the new
£9,000 a year tuition fees.
As the government proves intractable
over demands to revoke London Met’s ban on teaching overseas students,
it is becoming increasingly clear that only a militant campaign by the
student union and trade unions can force the government’s hand.
A
clearing house for students displaced by the university’s visa fiasco
will include six private colleges in a total of 14 institutions.
In keeping with its general policy of favouring business over the needs
of ordinary people, the government now gets to offer a subsidy in the
form of the tuition fees of over 2,000 overseas students.
A cheap, crude, anti-Islamic film entitled The Innocence of Muslims,
produced and promoted by reactionary Christian fundamentalists in the
United States and posted on the internet in July, has led to
demonstrations in many countries around the world, including attacks on
US embassies and in the case of Libya to the killing of four US
diplomats at the US Consulate in Benghazi. We look into why all this is
happening?
The mood was not of anger, nor even
that of resentment, but of militancy towards those who were placed in
their positions to represent us, the workers.
In the aftermath of the revelations presented by the Hillsborough Independent Panel (read report here ) we publish here the thoughts of a Liverpool supporter Mike Jones who speaks for many in the city of Liverpool about the reaction to what the report findings have now officially confirmed.
After a long fight lasting 23 years, the families and
friends of the 96 football supporters killed at the Hillsborough stadium in
Sheffield on the afternoon of Saturday April 15 1989 have finally had official
confirmation of what really happened that day. For 23 years they have had to
fight alone against a torrent of lies, mistruths and a cover-up involving the
police and others. Now a report
published by the independent commission established by the last Labour
government has made available the real damming evidence of the blunders on the
day and all the lies that followed
The picture of the Chinese economy painted by commentators in the West is often one of strength; an economy dominated by exports, with unstoppable growth and development; in short, a model to emulate. Recent figures released by the International Monetary Fund, however, describe a very different situation; a situation where contradictions are intensifying below the surface; a situation that is pregnant with crisis and revolutionary consequences.