In the third part of his series commemorating the 100th anniversary of the First World War – The Great Slaughter – Alan Woods looks at the relationship between Germany and Russia, and in particular, the relationship between the Tsar and the Kaiser.
India has seen two very powerful general strikes in the past two years, revealing a sharp class polarisation in the country, and yet we have the disastrous result in the recent Indian elections for the Communist and left parties. This apparent contradiction has brought into sharp focus the role of the leaders of these parties and their total inability to offer a way out of the impasse they themselves have been responsible for creating.
The defeat of the attempts by the counter-revolutionary opposition to overthrow the Venezuelan government by force has given way to a wide debate amongst the Bolivarian rank and file about economic policy. Jorge Martin of the Hands Off Venezuela campaign analyses the latest events and debates in Venezuela.
News that the IMF might consider allowing the Irish government to pay off a large chunk of the bailout debt will no doubt be heralded as a great victory for the Coalition in Ireland. Séamus Loughlin from Fightback Ireland explains the reality: that the impact of this deal will only be felt as a ripple on the balance sheet.
We publish here the latest info on the blacklisting scandal from the Blacklist Support Group. Following the rejection of a public inquiry into national scandal of blacklisting by Tory Prime Minister David Cameron, the Labour Party has taken a welcome step forward by commiting to holding a full inquiry on the question of blacklisting if elected into government.
Health & Safety (H&S) issues have come to the fore again at Total’s Shetland Gas Plant (SGB), with hundreds of engineering construction workers refusing to work due to safety concerns. A Unite member report on the latest action by workers at the SGB.
Saturday 26th July saw another wave of protests in Britain against the military aggression of the Israeli state, who have continued their criminal attacks on the innocent people of Gaza. We publish here brief reports of two of the demonstrations in the UK from Socialist Appeal supporters in London and Newcastle.
The death of almost 300 innocent men, women and children on a Malaysian airline flight has shocked the world. Flight MH17 from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was travelling over the conflict-hit region when it disappeared from radar. Alan Woods analyses the hypocrytical response of the media and the politicians to these events
Once again, the whole British Establishment is mired in deep scandal. Whilst the most vulnerable in society are under attack from this millionaire’s government, the Establishment has been able to get away with murder, safe from prying eyes. Rob Sewell, editor of Socialist Appeal looks at how, under capitalism, there is one law for the rich and another for working class people.
Michael Gove, the hated Tory MP, was demoted from his position as Minister for Education in a recent Cabinet reshuffle. Teachers across the country celebrated Gove’s removal. But whilst Gove may be gone, the Tory attacks on teachers will continue. The unions need to maintain the fight against the Coalition and their austerity programme.
The magnificent strike of public sector workers on July 10th was a wake-up call to the Labour and trade union movement and especially its leaders. Over one million workers came out on strike to defend services, jobs, pay, pensions, and terms and conditions. Darrall Cozens, President of the Coventry TUC, asks: what next for the trade unions?
Last week, the Israeli army embarked on a ground offensive into Gaza. Whilst hundreds of Palestinians die at the hands of the Israeli state’s criminal attacks, the imperialists continue to offer their support to Israeli’s “proportionate actions to defend itself”. Fred Weston analyses the cynicism and hypocrisy of the Israeli government and of the international bourgeois media and politicians.