Whilst the representatives of the rich – the modern “robber barons” – brag and boast of a “second Gilded Age”, the rest of us are consigned to worse prospects than previous generations. Steve Jones reports on the latest eye-watering inequality statistics, which show that things are clearly not getting better for the 99%.
The fragility of Theresa May’s premiership was once again revealed this month, as Tory whip Chris Heaton-Harris came under fire for requesting that all UK universities provide a list of academic staff currently teaching courses relating to Brexit. Ollie Brotherton looks at the increasingly desperate and reactionary measures that the Tories are resorting to as they head towards a train-crash Brexit.
The Financial Times, a serious mouthpiece for the interests of big business, recently published the views of a collection of bosses and captains of industry about the state of capitalism. Their comments make very interesting reading for socialists. Rob Sewell looks at the damning condemnations against the capitalist system being uttered by none other than the capitalists themselves.
After a week of about turns, indecision and last minute attempts to find a negotiated way out, the Catalan Republic was proclaimed on Friday 27th October. Tens of thousands celebrated in the streets of Barcelona and other Catalan towns and cities. But the newly born Republic was short-lived, with the Catalan leaders failing to mount any real resistance to the Spanish state’s repression.
With his latest film, the Death of Stalin, British director and comic writer Armando Iannucci continues with his recurring motif of the cynicism and self-interest of the professional political class. This time, however, the incompetent politicians being lambasted are not those of the Western establishment, but of the Stalinist bureaucracy.
Adam Booth looks at the ideas and concepts introduced in chapters 12-15 of Das Kapital, where Marx explains how the capitalists use machinery, organisation, and planning in order to reduce their costs and boost their profits.
370 years ago this weekend, the Putney Debates of 1647 took place: meetings of elected representatives from the Army ranks, chaired by Oliver Cromwell himself, which discussed the future direction of England. The demands put forward by the Levellers were revolutionary. To commemorate this anniversary, we republish here an extract from a longer series on the English Revolution by David Brandon.
Amidst all of the Brexit chaos and Tory disarray, the Office for Budget Responsibility has sent a shockwave through British political and business circles with its latest economic forecasts – and, in particular, its sobering analysis about the persistent problem of low productivity in the UK. Josh Holroyd looks at the interminable problems facing British capitalism and its Tory representatives.
Young Marx is a new comedic play at the Bridge Theatre, set in Soho London, revolving around Karl Marx’s struggle to provide for his family, and fend off spies, creditors, political enemies, and the police, all whilst completing his economic magnum opus, Das Kapital. We publish here a review by members of the Marxist Student Federation, who recently attended one of the first performances.
Over the last 15 years, 30,000 men, women and children have lost their lives drowning while attempting to reach European shores. And each year the number of victims is rising. This is the equivalent of a silent, unilateral war against hundreds of thousands of unarmed people – a war waged by capitalism and imperialism against innocent migrants and refugees.
Last weekend, from 19-23 October, over 300 Marxists from across Europe, gathered in London for the October Revolution festival – an inspiring commemoration of the centenary of the Russian Revolution. The revolutionary energy and enthusiasm seen at the festival is the most fitting celebration of the 1917 October Revolution – for Marxists, the greatest event in human history.
450,000 marched in Barcelona on Saturday 21st October, demanding freedom for the two Jordis (held without bail on sedition charges) and rejecting the implemention of Article 155, announced by the Spanish President, Rajoy. As Jorge Martin reports, the measures being proposed by the Spanish government amount to a coup against democracy in Catalonia.