Britain: sects in a mess – Split in the Socialist Alliance conference
A report of the Socialist Alliance Conference on December 1st which started with words of unity and ended up with the Socialist Party splitting off.
Anti-war demonstration in London: One step forward, two steps back
Report of the demonstration against the war in Afghanistan held in Trafalgar Square on Sunday Novemeber 18.
New Law Attacks Civil Rights
In the aftermath of September 11, governments around the world have been attempting to rush through legislation which undermines democratic rights, in the name of fighting terrorism. In the UK, Blair is trying to introduce a new law which will allow among other things indefinite imprisonment without trial of foreign nationals.
October 13, London anti-war demonstration a big success
The demonstration against the war called by the CND on Saturday 13 October in London was much bigger than expected. According to the police there were about 20,000 demonstrators on the march, but this is a gross underestimation. The organisers claimed around 50,000 participated. When the head of the demonstration had reached Trafalgar Square (about three miles away) the tail of the march had not yet left Hyde Park.
Britain: Railtrack fiasco damns privatisation
The decision to place Railtrack plc, the privatised rail company responsible for the upkeep of the system’s infrastructure, into administration last weekend would normally have been the main item on the national news. However The beginning of the US/UK bombing raids of Afghanistan conveniently put paid to that. The decision amounts to a recognition that privatisation has failed (something all but the New Labour government had already realised a long time ago) but still falls shot of renationalisation a taboo word for Tony Blair and his government.
Oppose Imperialist Aggression – Defend Democratic Rights
The Editorial of next month's Socialist Appeal deals with the economic
effects of the current crisis and the build up to a war against
Afghanistan. It also explains how the right wing leaders of the labour
movement are using the pretext of the "war against terrorism" to
prevent any criticism of their policies regarding privatisation with
the curtailing of the TUC and Labour Party Conferences. This is also
the pretext for the introduction of ID cards and other measures against
civil liberties.
The origins of women’s oppression
While middle class feminists regard the oppression of women as an
inherent biological trait of men, Marxism explains that the root of
women’s oppression lies not in biology, but in social conditions.
Marxism sees the liberation of working class women as a part of the
struggle for the liberation of the working class as a whole. While
feminists set women against men, the socialist movement attempts to
forge solidarity between male and female workers in a common struggle
against capitalist exploitation.
Marxism versus feminism – The class struggle and the emancipation of women
For Marxists, the root cause of all forms of oppression consists in the division of
society into classes. For many feminists, on the other hand, the oppression of
women is rooted in the nature of men. It is not a social but a biological
phenomenon. This is an entirely static, unscientific and undialectical
conception of the human race. It is an unhistorical vision of the human
condition, from which profoundly pessimistic conclusions must flow. For if we
accept that there is something inherent in men which causes them to
oppress women, it is difficult to see how the present situation will ever be
remedied. The conclusion must be that the oppression of women by men
has always existed and therefore, presumably, will always exist.
Rail privatisation in Britain – a warning
There have been a lot of disasters on the railways in Britain. But the
real disaster has been rail privatisation itself. There was a lot of rhetoric from the Tories
about the ‘dynamism and efficiency’ private capitalism would bring, but experience has
shown that the only people to benefit from rail privatisation have been the profiteers, not
the general public that has to use the railways. So what is the alternative?
Oldham mobilises against the fascists: Socialist policies needed to fight racism
The events in Oldham have hit the national headlines. Similar explosions of racial conflict have taken place in other towns in Britain. This has brought the BNP and the danger from far-right groups back into the spotlight. Bryan Beckingham, Secretary of Oldham National Union of Teachers, and Alan Creear in Oldham describe the background to these developments.
After the British General Election: Where is Labour going?
Editorial note: The following is a full version of the shorter article we
published on 8 June on the British election.
Labour has won the elections with a majority of 167 seats at Westminster,
only
slightly down on last time when they won a landslide majority of
179 seats. On the face of it, it is an outstanding triumph for Tony
Blair. But these results do not adequately express the contradictory
nature of the mood in British society. The mood of the masses is
sceptical. The working class is disappointed and frustrated with
New Labour. Despite Labour’s landslide victory, the underlying
mood is extremely volatile.
The British General Election and the perspectives for the Labour Party
On 7th June, the people of Britain will go to the polls to elect the next government. According
to all the polls Labour is set to gain a hefty majority over the Conservatives. The polls
show that Labour is now leading the Tories by a massive 28 points. Yet the election
campaign has been as dead as a Dodo, and the great majority show little interest and less
enthusiasm for either New Labour or the Tories. The general election turnout is likely to be
low – some have even predicted the lowest for over 100 years. The reason for this alleged
"voter apathy" is not hard to find.