The latest news and analysis from The Communist, alongside reports of our activity. For Marxist theory and history, click here.
At
its annual Congress held at the Harrogate International Centre, from
Saturday 28 May to Monday 30 May 2011, the University and College Union
(UCU) passed a unanimous resolution condemning US sanctions against
PDVSA.
Within the last couple of weeks there has
been yet another outbreak of youth protest internationally with the huge
movement in Spain which encompasses some 80 cities and now a new
movement in Greece has erupted. Meanwhile in North Africa and the Middle
East new waves of struggle are being prepared. However, if the Irish
press are to believed the waves of struggle that are affecting
everywhere else will barely cause a ripple in good ould Ireland. After
all, with the royal and presidential distractions of the last few weeks,
the only revolting youth to get any coverage in Ireland were Jedward.
Workers have been feeling the pinch for
some time, even before the slump of 2008-09. Now they are in for an even worse
time, the most prolonged squeeze on living standards in recent memory.
“From Scotland to Spain, the problem is the same!” was one of many slogans being shouted from the streets of Edinburgh today (29th May) as around 200 – 300 people (most from Edinburgh’s sizeable Spanish
community) organised to demonstrate in solidarity with revolutionary
movements in Spain and elsewhere in Europe.
The situation in Greece is growing day
by day, and is moving in the direction of a revolutionary situation.
Starting on Wednesday, 120-150,000 people thronged Syntagma Square and
other central squares in all the main Greek towns. The masses protested
the austerity policies of the government and the brutal aggression of
the European Union against the people of Greece.
This leaflet was issued as part of the intervention of the Greek
Marxists of Marxistiki Foni in the demonstrations over the weekend. We
publish it here in English for the benefit of our readers.
The tactless
intervention of the EU officials in Greek politics has put the cat
among the pigeons here. Until now the pretence was maintained of
“political consensus” as a condition for any funding from the IMF and EU
loan. There was even talk of a possible "soft restructuring” of
subsequent instalments of the € 110 billion loan or a new loan of € 50 –
€60 billion. It was hinted that they might lengthen the repayment of
the older debt.
IRELAND: News that Labour Ministers and TD’s have
been involved in a concerted campaign to attack Richard Bruton’s attacks
on low paid workers through changing the mechanisms of the Joint Labour
Committee has been denied by Pat Rabbitte who has claimed that the
suggestion is “utter nonsense”.
The Euro zone is in a mess. After a
year of huge financial bail outs intended to calm the markets, the
latter are very unstable, with a marked downward tendency. Signs of
slowing global growth, and the continuing euro zone debt crisis, have
caused the markets to slump. The nervousness of the markets is an
accurate reflection of the growing anxiety of the bourgeois about the
economic prospects for Europe.
To get the perspective of the NHS reforms from a
healthcare worker, Socialist.net talked to Martin Booth, Chair of the Unison health branch
at Addenbrookes Hospital in Cambridge and Secretary of the Cambridgeshire
Against the Cuts campaign.
The creation of the National Health Service is considered
by many people to be the greatest achievement of any British government. The
NHS was established in 1948 on the back of a landslide victory by the Labour
Party in 1945, who came to power on a programme that included the creation of
the cradle-to-grave welfare state, the mass construction of council housing,
and the nationalisation of transport and key industries. Aneurin Bevan, the
Labour Minister of Health who pushed for the creation of the NHS, famously said
that, “The NHS will last as long as there are folk left with the faith to fight
for it.” Now these words are being put to the test as the coalition government
seeks to introduce the most regressive changes to the NHS in its history.
On Tuesday
May 25, the US imposed penalties against Venezuelan state-owned company
PDVSA, and another 6 companies from other countries, for conducting
business with Iran. The sanctions are part of an attempt by Washington
to step up the pressure against Iran in relation to its nuclear program.
They are also an act of blatant bullying directed against Venezuela.