Train drivers ballot for strike action
Midland Main Line train drivers, members of the Associated Society of
Locomotive Engineeers & Fireman, have voted by 86.9% in favour of
strike action.
Ireland: Stormont Executive’s new budget
Last week the Executive in the North of Ireland presented
its budget. It has been presented as a budget that will create jobs, improve
services and reduce poverty. A closer look reveals tax concessions and
incentives for the bosses and cuts in jobs and social spending and increased
taxation for the workers. They are preparing social turmoil in the future.
Revolutionary organisation and leadership
The December 2006 re-election of Chávez marked a new shift to the left
in the Bolivarian revolution. One of the key features of this was the
initiative to launch a United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV).
Saudi state visit to Britain underlines double standards of ruling classes of the world
King Abdullah of Saudi
Arabia is occupying the headlines of many newspapers with
his comments that Britain
failed to act on intelligence that could have prevented the 7/7 London bombings. Beyond
the response of the bourgeois media, what is the real relationship between the
West and Saudi Arabia?
Audio File: Marxism and Religion
Alan Woods talks to the ULU Marxist Society on the topic of ‘Marxism and Religion’. Alan explains the materialist conception of the world, integral to the theory of Marxism, and contrasts it to the idealist perspective that gives rise to religion. Alan explains the nature of religion as a means of consoling the oppressed with a life after death, the tendency of the church to break down along class lines, as well as the trade union credentials of God.
The myth of a classless Britain
The UK Social Atlas
states that British society is becoming more and more segregated into
classes, and British people are becoming more and more conscious of the
class society in which we live. The report ‘finds’ that Britain is
becoming increasingly segregated along the lines of class, education,
income, occupation, health status and family type.
What is a university degree worth?
The privatisation of higher education has meant its complete distortion, as the nature of a university degree has become subordinate to profitability and the market. Academic schools are now ‘business units’, students are customers and the mark you get is open to manipulation for the sake of attracting potential new consumers. It is the ‘commodification’ of education.
“Red square”: hundreds of thousands of workers and youth take to the streets of Rome
Last Saturday, October
20th, hundreds of thousands workers and youth marched through the
streets of Rome, called out by the main left papers to put pressure on
the Prodi government to change its policies in favour of working people.
Punch workers take it on the chin
You’ve probably never heard of Punch Taverns. But you may well have
had a drink in one of their 9,000 pubs. Chief executive Giles Thorley awarded
himself £11.3 million last. Punch Taverns
has the biggest gap between executive and workers’ pay in Britain.
New from Wellred – What is Marxism?
Wellred is pleased to announce the publication of our new
book, ‘What is Marxism?’, based on the highly successful series of study guides
issued by Socialist Appeal, this book brings together key
material and introductions on the three basic areas of Marxist theory:
Dialectical Materialism, Historical Materialism and Marxist Economics. Each
section of the book includes a clear and easy-to-understand introduction to the
subject aimed both at readers new to Marxism as well as those seeking to refresh
their understanding of Marxist theory.
The Unbroken Thread Back In Stock
Wellred Books at www.wellred.marxist.com are pleased
to announce that we have a limited stock of Ted Grant’s book ‘The Unbroken
Thread’ in stock and available to buy. Both Hardback (£11.95) and Paperback
(£6.95) editions are available.
Hindustan Times interviews Lal Khan: ‘Social revolution only way out’
The Indian Hindustan Times published an interview with Lal Khan in its
Sunday edition of 21st October. In this newspaper, which claims to be
the largest in the world with a circulation of 35 million, Lal Khan
openly defends the ideas of socialist revolution.