Food riots coming to UK?
According to a news report, an expert has warned of "food riots" coming to the UK
News and analysis
The latest news and analysis from The Communist, alongside reports of our activity. For Marxist theory and history, click here.
Gateshead fights the cuts
Council workers supported by other public sector trade unionists
lobbied Gateshead Councillors prior to the budget setting meeting on
Thursday March 3rd. The council has a yawning budget deficit
of £70 million over the next two years. £32 million of cuts are set to
fall this year and up to £38 million over the next two years.
ULU Marxists meeting on the Arab revolution
Here are some images from the ULU Marxists meeting held in London on Thursday evening
Hackney councillors say no!
Six Labour councillors from Hackney in London have signed a statement against carrying out any cuts. Socialist
Appeal welcomes the stand taken by these Labour councillors and
calls on other elected representatives to make a stand now and join
them. A concerted drive of this nature would have a tremendous effect on
the anti-cuts campaign and deliver a serious blow to the government’s
attempt to “pass the buck” for the cuts programme to the local councils.
No coalition with Fine Gael, Fight austerity. Fight for Socialist policies
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.
Editorial: Cameron’s Big (Business) Society
The biggest cuts in living memory are creating massive opposition
everywhere, even in the leafy Tory shires, as the £81bn of cuts start to
bite. While the Coalition’s austerity policies have been cheered on by
the big business institutions of the IMF and the OECD, rage is bubbling
up amongst ordinary people. No wonder support for the Coalition
government has crashed. Even Cameron has been forced to recognise this:
“It will not make us popular. It will make us unpopular. It will make me
unpopular.”
Irish election results
SAT UPDATE: The
picture emerging in the results from yesterday’s Irish General Election
is becoming clearer as the evening goes on. The outcome represents an
historic defeat for Fianna Fáil, the main bourgeois party
in the state. FF have been in power for 61 of the last 79 years. They
have been the largest single party in Dáil Éireann
since 1932 until… today. Although only around a third of seats have
been announced it is clear that FF are destined to come in third place
not far ahead of SF. Fine Gael will become the biggest party for the
first time although they will still fall short of an overall majority.
Labour however has made the biggest strides forward with around 20% of
first preference votes. This is double what the party achieved in 2007.
London meeting on the Arab revolution
On March 3rd the University of London
Union Marxists will play host to a very special meeting on the
revolutionary events unfolding in the Arab world. Speakers include:
Houzan Mahmoud, the representative of the Organisations of Women’s
Freedom in Iraq and a member of the Worker-Communist Party of Iraq;
Serge Goulart, co-ordinator of the Occupied Factory movement in Brazil;
and Alan Woods, secretary of the International Marxist Tendency.
Iraq about to join the Arab revolution?
The wave of revolution that started in
Tunisia is now also reaching Iraq, where the Kurdish areas had already
flared up last week. But the protests are not limited to these areas. On
Friday an anti-government rally named the Day of Rage, was organised in
Baghdad and other cities with thousands taking part.
The second wave of the Tunisian revolution
Hundreds of thousands marched today in
the streets of the main cities and towns of Tunisia against the
Gannouchi government and demanding a Constituent Assembly
Egypt – End of the beginning
The mighty power of revolution has
been demonstrated with the resignation of Mubarak. It has shown that the
staunchest, most vicious and stubborn of despots can be overthrown when
the masses enter the arena of struggle and their resolve becomes
absolute. But the most unique feature of this movement is that even
after the tyrant has gone it refuses to relent.
Uprising in Libya: Tremble, tyrants!
Power is rapidly slipping out of the
hands of Muammar Gaddafi, as anti-government protests continue to sweep
the African nation despite a brutal and bloody crackdown. As city after
city falls to the anti-Gaddafi forces his only base is now Tripoli. The
East is in the control of the insurgents and most of the West has fallen
into the hands of the rebels, including cities very close to the
capital.