Thousands came out to cheer the swearing in of new mayors in Spain on Saturday June 13, in scenes not seen since 1979 or perhaps 1931. The May 24 municipal and regional elections represented a serious setback for the ruling right wing PP – and, importantly, an important gain for the alliances to the left of social democracy.
The EU and IMF sharks have dropped their mask and revealed their real intentions, removing any illusions that an “honourable compromise” with the Greek government was somehow possible. The question is: what should be done now? What programme and policy should the Syriza-led government adopt in breaking with the creditors? Here we provide a statement by the Communist Tendency of SYRIZA.
The scandal surrounding the manipulation of LIBOR rates has erupted once again, with all the major banks embroiled in this mess. Rob Sewell, editor of Socialist Appeal, looks at this latest demonstration of the endemic corruption within the capitalist system.
The result of Sunday’s Turkish general elections and the clear defeat of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s AK Party mark a qualitative change in the situation in the country and bear important consequences for the whole of the Middle East. Francesco Merli analyses the reprecussions of this political earthquake for Turkey and beyond.
As the Syrian civil war drags on into its fourth year, the war is entering a new phase. US imperialism is losing control in the Middle East as old allies distance themselves and begin to pursue their own interests more forcefully. This is a recipe for inreased instability and turbulence in the region.
The spectre of default is now being raised as a serious possibility by the international bourgeoisie for Ukraine, where the economy – ravaged by over a year of war and decades of corruption – is in a deep crisis. Default on a capitalist basis would be a catastrophe for ordinary people in this war-torn country.
Sunday 24th May will go down as a landmark in Spanish history. Municipal and regional elections were held across Spain. The right-wing PP (People’s Party) was unseated from most of their historical strongholds. More important, however, was the sharp turn to the left in Spanish society, best exemplified by the rise of Podemos and the electoral fronts that it led.
We live in a time when the whole establishment is not only corrupt and rotten to the core but is seen as such by a large section of the working class. For many, the single organisation that perfectly defines this corruption, bribery and general fiddling is FIFA.
Irish voters have decisively voted in favour of marriage equality, making Ireland the first country to do so through the ballot box. This was a victory of the future against the past, of the young against the old, of reason against ignorance, of the forward-looking urban areas against the old backward rural Ireland.
Only a few days ahead of the local and regional elections in Spain, the ruling class have used all the dirty tricks in the book. Both Popular Unity lists for municipal elections and Podemos (standing in the regions) have been slandered. The ruling class is increasingly worried by the rise of PODEMOS and the rhetoric of its leaders.
With the heinous murder of Freddie Gray in Baltimore, USA, the #BlackLivesMatter movement came roaring back to life. These once-routine and largely unrecognized murders are now churning up powerful forces long dormant in the womb of society. John Peterson of Socialist Appeal USA comments on the increasingly radicalised mood in the United States.
A stand-off is taking place between the Greek government and the country’s creditors that could end up with Greece defaulting on its debt, leaving the euro and even the EU itself. This would have very serious consequences both for the Greek people and the European and world economy. What is this leading to?