The latest news and analysis from The Communist, alongside reports of our activity. For Marxist theory and history, click here.
Last weekend, from 19-23 October, over 300 Marxists from across Europe, gathered in London for the October Revolution festival – an inspiring commemoration of the centenary of the Russian Revolution. The revolutionary energy and enthusiasm seen at the festival is the most fitting celebration of the 1917 October Revolution – for Marxists, the greatest event in human history.
450,000 marched in Barcelona on Saturday 21st October, demanding freedom for the two Jordis (held without bail on sedition charges) and rejecting the implemention of Article 155, announced by the Spanish President, Rajoy. As Jorge Martin reports, the measures being proposed by the Spanish government amount to a coup against democracy in Catalonia.
When Theresa May was anointed as prime minister, she was heralded by the capitalist press as being a “safe pair of hands”. The new Tory leader stated that she and her party would provide “strong and stable” leadership. But now the whole government is in a shambles and May has been described as “a dead woman walking”. Rob Sewell looks at the political crisis facing the Tories and their leader.
The last week has seen a number of protests taking place in the fight against low pay: from a TUC demonstration against the public sector pay cap, to the continuing struggle of the Picturehouse cinema workers in their demand for a London living wage. We provide here a series of reports from Socialist Appeal supporters on the various struggles taking place in the fight for decent pay.
With Britain heading for a Brexit over a cliff, there is a deep anxiety amongst the ruling class about where things are heading. The economic outlook is bleak, and the chancellor will undoubtedly leave the bill at the feet of the working class in the form of further austerity and attacks. Labour needs to fight for a socialist alternative.
Postal workers have rightly reacted with considerable anger over the use of the courts by Royal Mail bosses, who have taken out an injunction against the first mail strike, initially called by the CWU for 19th October. Steve Jones looks at how the class bias of the state and the law have been used to temporarily hold off the struggle to defend pensions, jobs, terms and conditions.
Jorge Martin reports on how the arrest of two Catalan officials has reignited the mass movement for independence. The whip of oppression wielded by the Spanish state has driven the masses back into action. The mood is incendiary, and Puigdemont has been left little room for manoeuvre.
After the loss of NHS bursaries, nurse and midwife students have seen their working hours rapidly increase, whilst racking up the same level of debt as other students. Applications to nursing courses have dropped off, leaving services stretched to the limits. Those with learning difficulties have been severly affected. Dan Langley, a leading nurse activist, examines the real impact of Tory cuts.
UCU members at the University of Leeds were on strike last week, on 11-13th October. Eoin Breathnach of the Leeds UCU (personal capacity) discusses the fight against the marketisation and casualisation of Higher Education, and against an aggressive management that is looking to unfairly stack the odds in their favour.
London Underground cleaners demonstrated outside City Hall on Thursday 12th October to demand that Sadiq Khan, the Labour Mayor of London, bring them back in-house by directly employing them. The London Underground tube lines are in effect London’s arteries; the cleaners therefore have enormous power should they organise to use it.
In one week’s time, starting next Friday (20th October), hundreds of Marxist activists from across Europe will gather for the October Revolution festival in London. This promises to be an amazing weekend of radical discussion on current events, theory, and history. Don’t miss out! Join the revolution! Book your ticket now!
This academic year will see elections taking place in campuses across the country for new student union officers and delegates to the NUS conference in April 2018. We publish here the Marxist Student Federation’s manifesto for the student movement, which outlines the socialist policies and fighting programme that we will be demanding in these campaigns.