Under the Tory-led Coalition in Britain, the poor are crushed and slandered. This has raised concerns and protests from the Church’s top clergy. These deep concerns are simply a warning to the ruling class of the dangerous path they are treading by ruthlessly pursuing austerity.
We publish here an open letter from Ross Walker of the Edinburgh Marxists, who appeals to those supporting a “Yes” vote – from a leftwing perspective – in the upcoming referendum on Scottish independence. The letter outlines the position of the Marxists, who call for a “No” vote to retain the unity of the working class across Britain in the struggle for international socialist revolution.
Ordinary working people have faced an onslaught against their living standards over the past five years due to the crisis of capitalism. The leadership of the Labour Party should be offering concrete political proposals to combat this. Instead, however, the LP has spent the last four years concentrating on a reorganisation of the Party. Darrall Cozens examines the recent focus of the Labour leaders on organisational changes rather than political alternatives.
As the rain continues to fall and the storm winds continue to blow, in what has proved to be the wettest winter for decades, the Tories have continued to shout and bluster in the face of a crisis to which they can find no solution. Felix Lighter looks at the floods in Britain, which are exposing the hypocrisy of the Tory Coalition and the tensions in society.
With less than seven months before Scotland goes to the polls over its future, the “No” campaign to keep together the 300-year old Union with England has once again been put on the back foot due to the clumsy intervention of the English Tory Prime Minister, David Cameron. Rob Sewell, editor of Socialist Appeal, looks at the latest developments in the question of the referendum on Scottish Independence.
No one with any sense believes Cameron’s lie that “we are all in this together”. The class nature of this government’s austerity programme and its effects on poor and working people is inescapable. Ben Curry of the Leeds Marxists looks at the geographical distribution of the cuts and discusses how the poorest and most disadvantaged areas are suffering the most. The effect is the sharpening of already glaring disparities.
The complete irrationality of the capitalist ‘freemarket’ knows both tragedy and farce. Under capitalism, overcrowded and dilapidated housing exists alongside empty mansions; meanwhile, a tiny handful own vast tracts of idle land, whilst the Tory government talks of having nowhere to build new housing. Gavin Jackson discusses the absurd contradictions of housing under capitalism.
Since the beginning of 2014 the word “recovery” has been looming large in all reports on the UK economy. But a recent report shows that the benefits of any growth have not been evenly shared across the country. Rachel Gibbs of the Glasgow Marxists looks at the regional inequality in the “recovery”.
Labour Party members and trade unionists have been given just one short month to digest and discuss the new “reforms” on trade union affiliation to the Labour Party. Steve Jones examines the likely impact of the internal changes being presented by Ed Miliband.
The capitalist media have presented the recent policies of Miliband and Balls on the banking system and tax as revealing a ‘growing contempt for capitalism’ amongst Labour leaders. The reality, however, is of confused and contradictory policies that simply create the illusion of defending the poor whilst ultimately defending the capitalist system.
We are frequently told that the working class is no more and that class in 21st century Britain is simply a matter of social tastes. We are supposedly “all middle class now”. Martin Hall of the Bristol Marxists examines the real nature of class in British society today.
The energy scandal and the profiteering of the six giant companies – which control 98% of the market – really highlights the choices between heating and eating that increasing millions of people have to face. Darrall Cozens looks at this “new normality” under capitalism for ordinary working class families.