Saturday 2nd May saw trade unionists in Coventry celebrate May Day in the city centre. Over 100 trade unionists convened to hear speeces from comrades in the labour movement, and to discuss how to fight austerity and the far right. Darrall Cozens, President of the Coventry TUC, reports.
It is clear that the Tories must be kicked out; and it is only Labour that has the power to do so. However, with his endless series of political somersaults, Ed Miliband, the Labour leader, risks allowing the hated Con-Dem Coalition to continue with its programme of cuts for another five years.
With just one week to go till the British General Election, polling in Scotland, and the SNP in particular, has been at the forefront of reporting. Polls have shown that rather than Labour closing the gap, the SNP’s dominance in Scotland has solidified and even extended. Labour faces complete annihilation north of the border – a result that will send tremors across the entire British political landscape.
Once more, the world economy is dangling on the edge of a precipice. The crisis in Greece has again hit the headlines and threatens to drag Europe down with it. The days when capitalism could simply sail by without a care in the world have gone forever. As in the interwar period, the crisis of capitalism remains deep-seated and protracted.
Yesterday, on April 28th 2015, commemoration ceremonies were held across the world as part of International Workers Memorial Day to honour workers killed at work or who had died from illnesses contracted during their working life. Darrall Cozens looks at the dangers of work under capitalism.
The death of Freddie Gray in Baltimore, Maryland, USA is just the latest in a string of police killings of black men to hit national headlines. But it seems that it may mark the end of a national ebb in the #BlackLivesMatter movement. As things heat up in the coming months, an important question must be asked: what is the way forward for the movement against racism and police brutality?
The movement has lost a great fighter. Camilo Cahis – a leading comrade of Fightback, the Canadian section of the International Marxist Tendency – succumbed to mental illness on the night of Saturday 25th April, 2015. We, his comrades, are forever in his debt. We publish here a tribute to this outstanding revolutionary by Alex Grant of Fightback.
Marie Lyndon reviews The Emperor’s New Clothes, a new documentary starring comedian-turned-activist Russell Brand, which acts as a megaphone for the normally untold stories of the young, the unemployed, the disabled and all those marginalised by the capitalist system – and it’s a megaphone that’s not falling on deaf ears.
We publish here a letter from Darrall Cozens, longstanding member of the Coventry NW Labour Party and President of the Coventry TUC (personal capacity), who comments on the upcoming elections and points out the options facing the Labour leaders: either fight for a genuine socialist alternative, or carry out cuts and see support for the party wither even further.
Socialist Appeal and the Marxist Student Federation invite our activists, supporters, and readers to Revolution 2015 – a weekend of talks, discussions, and debates about revolutionary ideas and socialist alternatives, covering Marxist theory, history, current events, and action. Hosted by the UCLU Marxist Society on the weekend of 26-28th June – book your tickets now!
In this recent recording from the 2015 Socialist Appeal supporters conference, Fred Weston – editor of In Defence of Marxism – introduces the discussion on the crisis of capitalism and the prospects for world revolution, explaining the contradictions within the global economy and analysing the mass movements and political currents that have risen up in opposition to austerity and the Establishment.
As the general election approaches, the working class face a bleak future. The Tory party promises to “finish the job” through increased austerity. The Labour leaders, meanwhile, want to continue the austerity but in a more “humane“ fashion. A clear alternative to austerity is needed. The leaders of the Left and the labour movement must fight for bold socialist policies.