The latest news and analysis from The Communist, alongside reports of our activity. For Marxist theory and history, click here.
What started as a small demonstration against an increase of 20 cents (barely 9 pence) in the price of public transport fares in Sao Paulo became a national mass movement which mobilised more than a million people in 80 cities. Jorge Martin analyses the protests and demonstrations that have rocked Brazil over the last week.
After months of uninterrupted work, supporters of the International Marxist Tendency and Socialist Appeal, in collaboration with Hands off Venezuela and the Solidarity with Bolivia campaigns, launched the first one-day conference of its kind in Edinburgh on the 9th of June. “La Revolucion” tackled the different movements against the capitalist system across several countries, and made a special emphasis on the international nature of the crisis and class struggle.
On Saturday 22nd June, the student occupation at Warwick University came to a disciplined end when the students involved left the building as a cohesive and united group. The sit-in may now be over, but the students have started a process of discussions that will continue, raising fundamental questions about the nature of education in capitalist society at a time when the crisis is resulting in cuts to education spending and increasing costs for students.
Postal workers have given a resounding ‘NO’ vote to the government’s threats of Royal Mail privatisation. The Communication Workers’ Union (CWU) released the results of the consultative ballot on Wednesday 19th June, which also supported a pay claim, and the possibility of a boycott of competitors’ mail. Socialist Appeal supporters in the CWU report on this latest act of defiance and militancy by postal workers against attacks on their livelihoods and on the Royal Mail.
UNISON’s Local Government Conference, held in Liverpool on June 16-17th, brought together delegates from hundreds of branches in England, Cymru Wales and the North of Ireland for two days of discussion and debate. Conference discussed some of the most pressing issues facing members: Eric Pickles’ attacks on facility time; the threat of privatisation; recent attacks on Teaching Assistants from the so called “Reform” think tank; and the pressures on domiciliary care. UNISON Socialist Appeal supporters report on this year’s conference.
This weekend, from 28th to 30th June, Socialist Appeal and the UCLU Marxist Society are hosting the third annual Marxist Summer School. We invite our readers to join us in UCL, London, for what promises to be a fantastic weekend of discussions exploring the ideas of Marxism and the ways in which we can fight back against the attacks of a capitalist system in crisis.
The Polish economy was the only European economy to avoid a technical recession in the wake of the global collapse in 2008. But the whirlpool of capitalist crisis continues to grow and as its pull on the creaking ship of the Polish economy intensifies, the strain is beginning to show. From the capitalist point of view, the Polish ship of state appears to be in good working order – the Polish left is weak and neo-liberalism dominates. But below the waterline social unrest and eye-watering inequality reveal the real state of the rotting capitalist system.
The cat-and-mouse game between piracy supporters on the one hand and state authorities and major multinational companies on the other is heating up. The recent spate of persecution of websites and individuals involved in piracy opens up a new phase. In the second part of his article on online piracy, Niklas Albin Svensson asks: what’s the alternative to copyright and patents? And how should we fund culture and the arts?
Two days of clashes and street barricades followed the brutal police effort to clear Taksim Square and Gezi park of protesters, ahead of Erdogan’s show of strength with mass rallies in Ankara and Istanbul. Five different trade union and professional bodies called a one day protest strike today, June 17.
The declaration of Obama that the USA will step up its support for the rebels in Syria represents a change in the situation. The White House announcement means that the US is to supply direct military aid to the Syrian opposition for the first time. Alan Woods asks: what attitude should Marxists and the Labour Movement take to this?
The government in Greece has shut down all state TV and radio stations, causing extreme outrage and anger amongst the masses. This latest attack by the Samaras government has reignited the mass movement, leading to another 24-hour general strike. Georgios Diakogeorgiou looks at the latest episode in the crisis in Greece.
Despite the dismal record of the Coalition, Labour are not surging ahead in the polls. At root, this is because of the absence of a clear alternative from the Labour leadership. Many Labour councillors in local areas, despite the best of intentions, have ended up carrying out “dented shield” policies – i.e. carrying out Tory cuts. Austerity is the only option available under capitalism. Labour councillors must lead the fight for socialist policies.