Coalition in crisis: Drive them out!
Splits and divisions are haunting the Coalition. Such a situation could
not have come at a worse time for Cameron and Osborne, as they sharpen
their knives for further cuts.
News and analysis
The latest news and analysis from The Communist, alongside reports of our activity. For Marxist theory and history, click here.
Reject Scottish Nationalism and Unionism: Fight for socialism
It’s finally been confirmed. After months of dithering and posturing
from David Cameron last month saw the British and Scottish governments
agree that there would be a referendum on Scottish independence in 2014.
Southampton Councillors Expelled
Southampton Labour Councillors Keith Morrell and Don Thomas, who opposed
cuts in local services, have been expelled from the Labour Party.
Marxism and the Media — Part One
Perhaps nothing elicits more disagreement and debate among Marxists and other left activists than a discussion about the media. There is no doubt that the mass media is omnipresent, mediating every aspect of our lives. How one relates to and interprets the world is largely colored by how the media informs us. On the eve of the release of the Leveson report, we publish this Marxist analysis of the media from a correspondent in the USA.
130,000 protest against austerity – rank and file calls for general strike!
On Saturday, October 20th,
the streets of London were once again filled with red flags and
colourful trade union banners as 130,000 workers and youth from all over the
country marched against the austerity policies of the LibDem-Tory
coalition government.
Nobody Expects the Spanish Revolution
We have received the following report
from a Spanish comrade living in Edinburgh, Julia S. Vidania, on her
recent visit to her home city of Madrid. She gives a vivid account of
the almost revolutionary tension in the city as the European austerity
programme and the crisis of capitalism erodes the veneer of stability in
society, exposing the deep fault-lines of the class struggle.
Oct 20:Mass TUC march in London
According to official sources, over 100,000 marched through London today (Oct 20) to protest against the austerity regime and cuts being imposed by the government – the actual number who marched was almost certainly much higher. Many workers carried banners and shouted slogans demanding action including a one-day general strike. A full report and analysis will follow but in the meantime here are some photos of the day.
Nationalise The Banks! A message from Matt Wrack
On Sat Oct 20, thousands of workers, pensioners, unemployed and youth
will march in London, Glasgow and Belfast against the attacks of this
Tory-led government. Matt Wrack, general secretary of the Fire Brigades
Union, sends a special message through the pages of Socialist Appeal to
all those marching for a better future.
The Bad, the Bad and the Ugly: IMF Solutions to the Debt Crisis
The world economic crisis has led to such a deterioration of the health of public finances worldwide that the recent World Economic Outlook
(WEO) of the IMF has the apt title “Coping with High Debt and Sluggish
Growth”.
PCS members walk out in Coventry
In November last year Francis Maude, Cabinet Office
Minister, told civil servants who were embarking on strike action to protect
their pensions that they could take 15 minutes of symbolic action without loss
of pay. He was ignored and hundreds of thousands walked out in protest over
pension “reforms." This week in Coventry more than 200 PCS members and others took
Francis Maude at his word and walked out for 15 minutes as he was visiting the HMRC
tax office in Sherbourne House where they worked.
Marxist society film show with Ken Loach attracts a full house!
Over one hundred and thirty five
people attended the UCLU Marxist Society last night to watch “Days of
Hope: General Strike” by Ken Loach. Present at the discussion held
afterwards was the veteran socialist film director himself, as well as
John Dunn from the “Justice for Miners” Campaign.
IRELAND: The departure of the WUAG and the impasse within the United Left Alliance
Ireland: The decision of the Workers and Unemployed Action Group to withdraw
from the United Left Alliance is an unwelcome symptom of the growing
impasse within the ULA, previously reflected in the controversy over
Mick Wallace and the departure of Clare Daly from the Socialist Party.
The WUAG has a long standing base in South Tipperary and its departure
will have an influence on the development of the ULA at a national
level.