British General Election: View From Ireland
The Marxists in Ireland take a close look at the British general election of 2010.
Book Review: “When We Were Miners”
Some academics may sniff their noses at historical accounts written by
participants in those events, claiming that ‘objectivity’ is
questionable in such works. Marxists, of course would argue that there
is no such thing as objectivity, since every story is told from a point
of view, a perspective. Indeed, most works of history are written by
bourgeois academics reflecting the point of view of bourgeois society
at the time of writing. Those which run counter to that view are rare
indeed. This is such a book.
‘Baby-boomers’ – a new scapegoat?
It had to happen sooner or later. The ruling class has long used race
and gender to divide the working class and to divert attention from the
real causes of the ills of society. Now it is a whole generation who is
to blame. They are the ‘baby-boomers’
Whose Election is it? 68 big business bosses’ or the peoples?
It is unusual
for the captains of industry to blatantly come out and formally back the
Tories in public. It is more likely that these creatures of the night
stay in the dark
pulling the political strings, manipulating the news media and ruining
the
lives of millions of workers. However,
a well-planned media storm has been created just before the election
over
National Insurance increases but, as Edward Heath might have described
them,
these ‘Ugly Faces of Capitalism’ have a lot to hide.
CYWU Unite Members Fight to Defend Public Services in Coventry.
Over the past year, members of the CYWU section of Unite
have been fighting and campaigning to defend Youth Services provision in
Coventry. The Tory-controlled City Council had employed Price Waterhouse
Cooper
(PWC) as its partner consultants and the Youth Service is the first in
line to
feel the axe at a cost of £67,000. PWC will examine
all areas of the Council’s operations and advise on “savings”, that is
cuts…
South Africa: The Demise of Eugene Terre Blanche – a Class Analysis
The recent death of Eugene Terre
Blanche, leader of the AWB (Afrikaner Resistance Movement), at the
hands of two farm workers, has highlighted the situation that exists
today in South Africa, on the one hand the many unresolved problems of
the huge majority of black workers and poor, and on the other a
minority within the white population who cannot reconcile themselves to
the end of Apartheid, upon which their privileges depended.
Ireland: Union members reject the Public Service Agreement
The ICTU leaders recently consulted
their members over the “Public Service agreement”. Most of the public service unions have been rejecting the deal, which reveals that the
workers are prepared to fight. But are the leaders up to the task?
London Demonstration in defence of the welfare state
Here are some photos from the London demonstration held last Saturday in
defence of the Welfare state
Severfield Reeve – Update
Socialist Appeal has received this
update on the position at Severfield Reeve which we reported on a few
weeks ago. It’s clear that there is a militant mood
developing in the
factory
Dire warning: New Age of Austerity planned
Tomorrow, Sat April 10th, thousands of trade unionists and Labour
movement activists will unite to march through London in a demonstration
algainst cuts in public services, called by over 20
organisations including a number of trade unions. The March will assemble
at Midday outside Embankment tube and will end up in Trafalgar Sq. for a
rally. Here is what Socialist Appeal has to say about the issues raised by the
march in a leaflet being handed out on the day:
Savage sentences against Gaza protestors must stop
The massive over-reaction of the police and the courts against arrested Gaza demonstrators has come as a shock. Usually people convicted of minor public order offences get
a suspended sentence or community service.This time the judge has been
handing
down savage sentences of up to two and a half years at Isleworth Crown
Court.
Irish Marxists launch new paper
We are delighted to announce the
publication of Fightback: the magazine of the International Marxist
Tendency in Ireland. The first edition of the magazine comes in two
editions for the North and the South – they have different front and
back pages and industrial material. The first edition is full colour and has
20 pages.