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On February 23 three comrades of the
International Marxist Tendency attended the Republican Socialist Youth
Movement’s (RSYM) winter day school in Belfast. Jim Daly, Sean McGowan and
Bernadette McAliskey spoke on various aspects on the question of Republicanism
and Socialism and the role of the working class. Francesco Merli spoke on
Venezuela. There was keen interest in the ideas of Marxism and the school bodes
well for the development of the RSYM.

From LabourNet : People may be aware that UNISON HQ has ruled that Karen Reissmann can not stand for re-election to their seats to UNISON’s
Health Service Group Executive.
Karen was excluded because she was sacked by her Trust in the run up to
the election and was therefore not working in the health service!

Socialist Appeal 160 is out now!

British Library (BL) staff are still waiting for
the outcome of their 2007 pay deal which is now over six months late. Funding
was in place in August for a 1 year deal but management (without consulting the
unions) decided to delay all pay talks until the outcome of the government’s
Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR). The unions asked for a meeting with
management in order to express staff concerns at the continuing delay and were
told that such a meeting "is not justified."

The management at the University of Sussex in Brighton is attempting
to restructure the entire academic institution to make it fit for ‘the market’. The proposed ‘reforms’, which would change
the entire culture and tradition of the university, are part of a broader
process that is currently taking place in higher education in Britain and
around the world: the marketisation and privatization of education.

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.

A motion of affiliation to the PTUDC was
successfully passed at the meeting of the University of East Anglia Union
Council on 21^st 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 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.