It is the worst disaster for Japan
since the war, since Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This triple whammy of a
force-9 earthquake, a tsunami, followed by a nuclear disaster, has
shaken the country to its very foundations. And the consequences of this
multifaceted catastrophe are widening by the day.
On Saturday afternoon French warplanes
were the first to bomb Libya, in what one can only describe as open
imperialist aggression. This was followed by US and UK ships and
submarines launching 110 Tomahawk Cruise missiles. The French are
strengthening their position by sending their Charles de Gaulle aircraft
carrier into waters off the Libyan coast
Yesterday the United Nations Security
Council voted by 10 votes in favour against 5 abstentions to impose a
no-fly zone over Libya. The resolution authorises UN member states "to
take all necessary measures… to protect civilians and civilian
populated areas under threat of attack in the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya,
including Benghazi, while excluding a foreign occupation force of any
form on any part of Libyan territory".
To say that a revolution has begun is
not to say that it has been completed, much less that victory is
assured. It is a struggle of living forces. Revolution is not a one-act
drama. It is a complicated process with many ebbs and flows. The
overthrow of Mubarak, Ben Ali and Gannouchi marks the end of the first
stages, but the Revolution has not yet succeeded in completely
overthrowing the old regime, while the latter has not yet succeeded in
re-establishing control.
In the first instance the demands of the Revolution are democratic. Of
course! After 30 years of a brutal dictatorship the youth long for
freedom. Naturally, their desire for democracy can be abused by
bourgeois politicians who are only interested in their future careers in
a “democratic” parliament. But we are obliged to take up the democratic
demands and give them a sharply revolutionary content. This will
inevitably lead on to the demand for an even more fundamental change in
society.
After taking one town after another in
the early days of the Libyan revolution, now the insurgents are having
to come to terms with the fact that Gaddafi has managed to hold together
a significant section of his special security forces and is hitting
back. How does one explain this dramatic turnaround?
We publish this statement by Hands Off
Venezuela Britain on the recent attempt by imperialism to spread
misinformation about the relationship between Gaddafi and the Bolivarian
revolution.
The Arab Revolution is a source of
inspiration to workers and young people everywhere. It has rocked every
country in the Middle East to their foundations and its reverberations
are being felt all over the world. The dramatic events in North Africa
and Egypt mark a decisive turning point in human history. These events
are not isolated accidents apart from the general process of the world
revolution.
We are in a period of deep capitalist crisis, where many rights
acquired through tough struggle in the past years are under threat in
all areas of society. One of them is the free, state-run school. The new
“reforms” being introduced in Greece are putting the rights of teachers
and students in the firing line too.
Wisconsin, USA: Weeks after Governor Scott Walker’s
union-busting bill was introduced, mass demonstrations by public and
private sector workers, students, and community supporters continue,
and the spirit of class struggle is spreading across the country.
100,000 demonstrated in Madison on Saturday. The only way to defeat
Walker is to mobilize the full power of the labor movement, starting
with an all-out one day general strike in Wisconsin and to mobilize
labor for mass demonstrations and solidarity actions around the
country!
Here are some images from the ULU Marxists meeting held in London on Thursday evening
IRELAND: Friday’s election saw Labour gain the most
votes and seats in its history. But Fine Gael came out as the largest
party. Eamon Gilmore and Enda Kenny have established negotiating teams
to prepare the way for a coalition government. While Labour’s leaders
have given the negotiations the go ahead any final decision must be made
by the party conference which meets on Sunday. Fightback is wholly
opposed to such a deal.