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Birmingham – front line services under attack

As Birmingham reels after the
discovery of the tenth child – a two year old from Harborne – to die from
neglect in the city in under four years, the Tory/Liberal run City Council has
announced its main target for cutbacks – the council’s Children, Young People
and Families Service.  Birmingham, the
largest local authority in the UK, has a £26 million deficit and aims to slash
over 2,000 jobs from Social Services: 1300 jobs from the Children, Young People
and Families Service and 305 jobs from Adult and Community Services.

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Private Company Spies on Workers

Six traffic wardens working for the private company running Islington
Council’s parking enforcement service have been summarily dismissed
after being found sheltering from a heavy downpour in a cafe.The company had traced their whereabouts via the workers’ hand-held
electronic devices, which allow the employers to track workers’
movements every minute of the working day.

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One hand tied behind their back

Ireland: While
many active trade unionists across the country will be pleased to hear
that IMPACT and SIPTU among others are planning to escalate the wave of
partial actions across the public sector, and that they will be pushing
for escalation at the ICTU meeting on March 8th; at the same
time they will be acutely aware of the need to demonstrate to their
members that the action is having an affect on the government.

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PCS Strike Ballot: The phoney war is over

PCS have just announced a YES vote for industrial action over the proposed changes to the Civil Service Compensation Scheme. The date of March 8th and 9th has been pencilled in for action by over 270,000 civil servants.What’s this all about? We explain the issues and what needs to be done.

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Socialism and the long struggle for Irish freedom

We are publishing here a speech given by Phil Mitchinson at
the 2005 International Marxist school in Barcelona. Dealing with the
history of the centuries old struggle for freedom in Ireland, and the
part played in that history by republicanism and socialism, as well as
the political developments that have led to the current impasse. Phil,
who died tragically in 2006 at the age of 38 would have celebrated his
42nd Birthday on 25th February.

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Report: CLPD Meeting

We are pleased to publish a report we have received on the recent
annual meeting of the Campaign for Labour Party Democracy (CLPD) held in
London. The CLPD was formed in 1973 as a ‘soft’ left pressure group inside the
Labour Party, concentrating mainly on organisational issues.

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Marx versus Bakunin – Part Two

The Paris Commune put to the test the different currents inside the
First International. Its subsequent defeat created an atmosphere where
all kinds of demoralised elements thrived. Intrigue was on the order of
the day. This led to a questioning of centralised leadership, of the
very role of the leadership. Marx and Engels answered all this fully.

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Marx versus Bakunin – Part One

It is fashionable to portray Marxism
as the source of authoritarianism. This accusation is raised repeatedly
by anarchists, reformists and all kinds of opportunists. Bakunin was
one of the more famous exponents of such accusations. But the truth is
concrete and the historical facts reveal that those same elements who
raise a hue and cry about authoritarianism are themselves the worst
bureaucrats and authoritarians… where they manage to rule the roost.

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Debate on Nationalising the Mines in South Africa

A storm erupted in policy circles in South Africa after Julius
Malema the leader of the African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL)
boldly proclaimed the need for the mining industry in South Africa to
be nationalized. The demand was predicated on fulfilling the vision of
the Freedom Charter, which was adopted at Kliptown in 1955 as the
‘manifesto’ of the liberation struggle.

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Shays’ Rebellion and the American Revolution

The American Revolution shook up the
entire world. The thirteen British colonies that would become the
United States of America, fought and won against the most powerful
imperial power on the planet. In the years following the American
victory over the British, the hopes of the masses were betrayed. As a
result, there were many popular movements and uprisings. But none had
as big an impact on the psychology of the ruling class and the future
structure of the U.S. government as Shays’ Rebellion of 1786-87, which
some have called “The American Revolution’s Final Battle.”

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