The magnificent wave of industrial action in
Egypt, which started over a year ago, is continuing. And it continues to be
ignored by the media. Price rises are the central focus of protest. But in a
very important development, at the Ghazl al Mahalla textile company have
raised political demands for the first time.
The newly formed Islington
Trades Union Council held its AGM last week at the Town Hall,
which was an eye-opening historical tour into the fighting
past of the borough. A host of interesting speakers were present including Labour MP Jeremy Corbyn, who
reminded us that Islington was once the home of Karl Marx, and Vic Turner, one of the Pentonville Five who recounted the significance of the 1972 Dockers’ strike.
Here we publish A Marxist View of the 20th Century, first shown at In Defence of Marxism in 2001.
Narrated by Alan Woods, with Lal Khan, Ted Grant and Noam Chomsky.
Here we publish A Marxist View of the 20th Century, first shown at In Defence of Marxism in 2001.
Narrated by Alan Woods, with Lal Khan, Ted Grant and Noam Chomsky.
This is the first part of a draft document on World Perspectives as approved at the recent meeting of the leadership of the International Marxist Tendency. At this stage it is a discussion document.
A motion of affiliation to the PTUDC was
successfully passed at the meeting of the University of East Anglia Union
Council on 21st February. The Union is now officially affiliated and
an emergency motion on Pakistan was also passed to be sent to the NUS Executive
in time for the National Conference.
Paul Mason takes nine examples from labour history over the past 190 years and
compares them to struggles that are taking place today. This is a book that every young activist, trade unionist or socialist
will want to read. Julian Shapre reviews ‘Live working or die
fighting: how the working class went global’.
Today, 25th February 2008 would have been Phil Mitchinson’s 40th
Birthday. Phil who was an outstanding Marxist and a leader of the International
Marxist Tendency died tragically in November 2006. To commemorate this
anniversay we reprint a letter by Leon Trotsky to Jack London’s daughter which
gives Trotsky’s views of London’s book The Iron Heel, one of Phil’s favourite books.
This British perspectives draft document (2008), agreed on February
3rd, has been issued by the Socialist Appeal editorial board as part of
a wide-ranging discussion about the likely development of events in
British society. Such a document is not a blue-print, but an attempt to
understand the underlying processes at work in Britain today, and how
these will be reflected in the class struggle. The document will be
discussed at the Socialist Appeal conference at the end of April. Part 1. Part 2.
Today the House of Commons will hear the second reading of Andrew Miller’s private
members bill on equal treatment for temporary and agency workers. Support the
bill and demand that your local Labour MP supports the bill.
It emerges from the Parliamentary debate on the
nationalisation of Northern Rock that billions of pounds are to be diverted
away from the intended purpose of preventing a banking collapse, into the
pockets of the Rock’s management. The directors set up a financial institution called Granite, allegedly a charity for handicapped children. Not one handicapped child has seen the colour of their
money. The real purpose of Granite was to act as a scam for
tax-dodging.
Lukacs was an important influence on what is called ‘western Marxism’.
This was seen as a ‘humanist’ alternative to the dominant stalinist
orthodoxy of the inter-War period and later. One of Lukacs’ most
significant arguments was that (contrary to Engels) there can be no
dialectics of nature. Dan Morley examines the debate and goes into the
contradictory relationship between Lukacs’ interpretation of Marxism and
Stalinism.