As fighting has spread into the two
main Syrian cities of Damascus and Aleppo, generally speaking, the mass
movement has greatly ebbed in the last few months giving way to a
guerrilla-like armed struggle lead by the militias of the Free Syrian
Army. So, where is Syria going and what is the revolution, or, quite
arguably, what remains of the revolution, going to produce?
RTÉ and the Irish press report fairly
regularly about the workings of the Troika and the discussions Enda
Kenny (leader of Fine Gael) and Michael Noonan (Minister of Finance)
hold with European Union and the IMF, although the edited highlights and
the “communiqués” don’t mention the small print. As many people behind
on the mortgage will have found out to their cost over the last few
years, the devil is in the detail.
As the Spanish government got its
€65bn austerity package passed in Parliament, millions of people took to
the streets in unprecedented demonstrations against cuts on July 19.
The day after, as the Valencian regional government asked for a central
government bailout (of 3.5bn euro), the risk premium on Spanish bonds
hit a new record, while 10 year bonds were yielding 7.3%. The Spanish
economy is on the verge of a full bailout.
Following the declaration of
independence by South Sudan – which is dependent on financial and
military aid from American imperialism – tensions between Khartoum and
Juba have been steadily ramped up over the past year and have brought
death and destruction both sides of the border.
Yesterday the media reported that one of the cuts introduced by the
Rajoy government in Spain was the abolition of the Christmas bonus for
civil servants. The reports give the impression that civil servants in
Spain have enjoyed privileges not available to other workers and
therefore they are an easy target for cuts.
The prospect of a Syriza government
caused a wave of panic in the bourgeoisie of Greece and internationally.
They organized a massive campaign to drive people away from Syriza,
warning of economic catastrophe if they came to power. That was
sufficient to panic wide sections of the middle class, older people and
backward layers into voting for the New Democracy.
Hundreds of coal miners have arrived
in Madrid today, after having walked between 400 and 500 km from the
different mining regions in Spain (Asturias, León, Aragón and
Puertollano). The determination and militancy of their struggle,
entering now day 43 of an all out strike, have captured the imagination
of wide layers of Spanish workers and youth who will come out today and
tomorrow for a massive demonstration of working class solidarity
The crisis of the euro resembles a long drawn-out death agony. There is one “decisive” summit after another, each proclaiming a definitive end to the euro crisis. The markets rally for a few hours or days and then fall once more. The index of the European stock markets resembles a thermometer that tracks the process of a terminally sick patient.
Over the past month, thousands of students across Canada have joined in massive displays of solidarity with the Quebec student movement. In this article from the Marxists in Canada we look at how the struggle has developed and where it should go.
One of the most critical elements highlighted by the recent Greek elections is the explosive class polarisation taking place
In the best traditions of international solidarity, ex-miners and trade
supporters, organised around the Miners’ Info informal e-mail list, have
formed a support committee – the Spanish Miners’ Support Committee –
for the Spanish miners who are on strike against savage austerity cuts
that could spell the end for their jobs and are now bearing the brunt of
brutal police attacks.
With the long-running Republican Party primaries finally winding down, it looks like millionaire front-runner Mitt Romney will face President Obama in the November elections. Not surprisingly, the topic that will likely dominate the elections is the economy. One area where Obama and Romney have already begun debating is over the auto industry. But are the two parties’ policies really that different?