Menu
Hammer and sickle the communist featured image

Class Struggle and the American Revolution

In the recent period, the so-called
Tea Party movement has laid claim to the legacy of the American
Revolution. With their tri-corner hats and abstract appeals to
patriotism and freedom, they have seized headlines, aided by generous
coverage by the corporate media. This has led to tremendous confusion
when it comes to the real class roots of this world-shaking event.
Unfortunately, for many Americans, the Revolution has been reduced to a
summer barbecue on the 4th of July, flag-waving, fireworks, and images
of George Washington heroically crossing the Delaware River.

 

unemployment.jpg

No Veto For Unemployment Then, Mr. Cameron?

For the last few days Prime Minister Cameron has been full
of himself. Having exercised the veto in Europe, he has been receiving fulsome
praise from ultra-right wing Tories and the gutter press for “standing up to
Europe.” On Wednesday the real world returned with the announcement of shocking
new unemployment figures.

Hammer and sickle the communist featured image

New Zealand: An analysis of Labour’s general election disaster

For
the NZ Labour Party the 2011 general election defeat was the worst since
1928. The main factor for this was the historic low turnout as many
workers stayed at home and were not enthused enough by the right-wing
leadership of the Labour Party to go out and vote. The turn out was down
from (what was considered then a low turnout) 79.46% at the 2008
general election to 73.83%. This was the lowest turnout since 1878!

p6301304_fileminimizer.jpg

Why Have Private Pensions Been Decimated?

The constant excuse of Cameron and the government for
attacking public sector pensions is that workers in the private sector do not
have access to final salary pensions but have to rely instead on the
fluctuations of the money markets to provide the pension funds with enough
income to give to its members a miserly pension. But it was not so long ago
that the majority of private sector workers had the opportunity to enrol in
final salary schemes. It was only after 1998 that schemes started to close to
new members so that today only 15% of private sector workers are covered by
final salary schemes.

Hammer and sickle the communist featured image

There is no reformist way out of the crisis of capitalism – Part One

The present
economic crisis has been described in various ways by mainstream
commentators. All manner of “solutions” have been posed, both by the
bourgeois politicians and economists, and by the reformist leaderships
of the working class. What these commentators and representatives cannot
admit is that this crisis will not be solved by this or that reform.
Society is living through a crisis of capitalism and the choice facing
mankind is simple: socialism or barbarism

strike_action_2.jpg

NOV 30:Class struggle in Bury St Edmunds!

Well if ever there is a place in England that isn’t
revolutionary or willing for workers action you might think it would be Bury St
Edmunds – or so you might think. Bury is a town that is typically seen as
bourgeoisie and reactionary with quaint villages surrounding it which keep to
themselves. The 30th however saw something that has not
entered the consciousness of the people of Bury (after discussion with locals)
ever. By this of course I’m talking about the mass strike action.  As the UNISON rep for West Suffolk College I was able to
draw upon my own reflections of the day and discuss with others why this was
necessary.

Hammer and sickle the communist featured image

Elections in Russia: The tide is turning

The parliamentary elections in Russia
on Sunday, December 4, were seen as a popularity test of Prime Minister
Vladimir Putin, who is running for the presidency in March. The result
was a blow to Putin, registering a sharp fall in support for his United
Russia party. According to the official results, which are undoubtedly
rigged, United Russia obtained just under half of valid votes cast,
which gives it a very small majority in the State Duma.

Hammer and sickle the communist featured image

The dictatorship of the bankers

Europe’s economic crisis is being
transformed by the day into a deep political crisis. Italy and Greece
both have new governments – governments of “national unity”, pledged to
solve the economic and financial crisis that has rocked Europe to its
foundations. What are these so-called technocratic governments and what
do they represent?

Hammer and sickle the communist featured image

NOV 30: The North of Ireland flexes its muscles with public sector strike

,

While between 2 and 3 million struck in Britain, in the North of Ireland about
200,000 people took part in the Public Sector strike action on 30th
November. Schools and civil service offices were shut, as were job
centres and council services. Rail and bus services were non-existent.
Union members held marches, pickets, and rallies throughout the country
over the issue of pensions. The main rally took place in Belfast city
centre, where around 15,000 gathered and several thousands spread
over Craigavon, Omagh, Armagh, Ballymena, Derry and other towns.

Hammer and sickle the communist featured image

Nov 30: Students and staff united in struggle.

A solid number of
students including the QM Marxists joined staff from the UCU
and Unison in solidarity with their struggle against pension
reforms. From as early as 7am, students gathered at the main
gate to help set up picket lines. All entrances to campus
were covered. Students played a significant role in boosting
the strength of the pickets, and helped effectively close
off several of the main entrances.

«‹ 532 533 534 535›»