From war to revolution and counterrevolution
As the world enters a new
turbulent period of wars and revolutions Rob Sewell looks at the situation in Europe in
the period of the 1930s and 1940s
Tory Old Guard confirms our perspectives for the Conservative Party
On November 17 we published an article on the crisis in the British Conservative
Party, Tories in Crisis – The Plots Thicken.
The purpose of the article was to show how the Tories' crisis, and especially the crisis of their
leadership, is an expression of the crisis of the capitalist system, which
affects all classes in society. We explained how the 'Old Guard' of the
Tories would prefer the leader of the party to be elected by the MPs and not the
rank and file, because the present rank and file are so right wing and out of
touch with the real needs of the ruling class. The latest statements of some of
the old guard Tory leaders now confirm our analysis.
20,000 workers march through London in support of the fire fighters
Report on last Saturday’s (December 7, 2002) TUC demonstration in London in
support of the firefighters, where 20,000 trade unionists turned up. ACAS
negotiations are not going to give firefighters what they want. These are mere
delaying tactics. The FBU must step up the struggle.
Firefighters must win! – Firefighters Bulletin No.3
Issue No 3 of the Socialist Appeal ‘Firefighters’ Bulletin’ was produced
for the demonstration on Saturday, December 7, with the following articles:
Firefighters must win! The firefighters cannot be left to fight alone,
the whole trade union movement must be rallied behind them, to provide money and
support.
"After New Labour" At the Manchester conference of the Left of the Labour Party, Andy
Gilchrist, leader of the FBU, recognised that the fight to replace the
Blairite clique who had hi-jacked the party must start now.
Open letter to the firefighters A
letter to the firefighters from Steve
Brown (Pegswood Labour Party, and secretary Wansbeck and Castle Morpeth
TUC) giving full support to their struggle and inviting them to
take their struggle into the Labour Party.
Fire stations for sale? A comment on a proposal that appeared in the
Financial Times to sell off the fire stations and convert them into luxury
flats.
UK – emergency call
On the one hand, Blair prepares to send troops into Iraq behind the coattails
of the Americans to overthrow Saddam. On the other hand, he and ‘two Jags’
Prescott prepare to send in troops to break the picket lines of the
firefighters. If you adopt the policies of capitalism abroad, inevitably you
will adopt them in domestic policy.
Victory to the firefighters!
In a matter of days the entire political landscape of Britain has been
transformed by the magnificent struggle of the firefighters. The entire
labour movement must now rally to the side of the firefighters. Go to
the picket lines! Move resolutions and take up collections! The fight
must be taken into the Labour Party as well. The Labour leaders want a
fight with the unions. The unions must give them a fight inside the
Party too.
Firefighters’ Bulletin 2
As the Fire Brigades Union in Britain goes out on strike for the second
time, we are publishing the second Firefighters’ Bulletin
distributed by the Socialist Appeal throughout the fire stations up and
down the
country. The struggle of the firefighters in Britain is becoming a
major
industrial battle with the Labour government commited to smash the
union. We
support the struggle of the firefighters for fair pay.
Tories in Crisis – The Plots Thicken
The dearth of leadership in the Tory Party is not the cause of their crisis,
but it is not an accident either. The failings of these leaders faithfully
reflect the impasse of their system. Nye Bevan once said of the Tory leaders
(including Churchill) they have nothing to say about tomorrow, and harp on about
the past because they have no part to play in the future. They are a doomed
party representing a doomed class and a doomed system. The crisis in the Tory
Party is symptomatic of the impasse facing the profit system. The sickness of
that system spreads like a cancer affecting every aspect of society.
Spies and the British labour movement
Fredrick Engels once defined the state as "armed bodies of men",
together with their appendages, in defence of private property. Last month’s BBC
2 TV programme in Britain entitled True Spies by Peter Taylor examined
one of these appendages, Britain’s secret services. The programme revealed how
in "democratic" Britain, MI5 and the Special Branch systematically
infiltrated political groups and organisations, and secretly spied on trade
union leaders such as Arthur Scargill and Derek ‘Red Robbo’ Robinson. While none
of the revelations are particularly startling, what was of interest was the use
of first-hand interviews by ex-M15 agents in explaining their sordid undercover
activities.
What is historical materialism? – A study guide with questions, extracts and suggested reading
We are publishing our second study guide on historical materialism, which forms part of the book “What is Marxism?”. Historical Materialism is the application of Marxist science to historical development. The fundamental proposition of historical materialism can be summed up in a sentence: “it is not the consciousness of men that determines their existence, but, on the contrary, their social existence that determines their consciousness.” (Marx, in the Preface to A Contribution to the Critique of Political Economy.)
What is dialectical materialism? – A study guide with questions, extracts and suggested reading
Dialectical materialism is the revolutionary philosophy of Marxism. In this article, Rob Sewell explains this fundamental aspect of the Marxist method.
The Strange case of John Prescott
It’s amazing how people change. And it’s even more terrible when you forget
your roots. This is surely the case with poor old John Prescott, once National
Union of Seamen firebrand, and now "responsible" statesman and
minister in charge of the Labour Government’s stand against the just demands of
Britain’s firefighters.