News and analysis
The latest news and analysis from The Communist, alongside reports of our activity. For Marxist theory and history, click here.
HOV Conf 2011: Great success
Latin American activists and supporters of the Bolivarian struggle gathered together in London on Saturday for this year’s HOV conference.
Spain: The rebellion of the youth
First it was
Tunis, then Cairo, then Wisconsin, and now Spain. The crisis of
capitalism has set in motion a tsunami that is impossible to control.
All the representatives of the old order have combined to halt it:
politicians and police, judges and trade union bureaucrats, the hired
press and the television, priests and “intellectuals”. But the tsunami
of revolt rolls on from one country to another, from one continent to
another.
Irish capitalism at an impasse: Coalition no solution for working people
If anyone was under any illusion that the mere detail of a
general election would have made any difference to the prospects for the
Irish economy and for unemployment in the state then by now their
illusions will have been severely tested.
The fall of Strauss-Kahn
How the
mighty have fallen! Whatever the truth of the allegations of sexual
assault and rape brought against him in New York, Dominique Strauss-Kahn
is guilty of horrific crimes. As the head of the IMF, he is guilty of
the political rape of the working people and the poorest sections of
society in many underdeveloped countries. He is guilty of the rape of
Greece and Portugal. Before finding himself in prison, he contributed to
locking millions of people into a living hell. His brutal “remedies”
inflict suffering and hardship on the poor in order to protect the
interests of the bankers, the capitalists, the rich.
Where is Labour going? Refounding Labour – A Party for the New Generation.
The Labour Party have launched a "consultation" exercise around a document called ‘Refounding Labour. ‘ What issues are involved and what response will best serve the movement now as the Tory led coalition government attacks our public services? These questions are considered in a response to the document written by a party activist from Coventry which we publish here.
Nakba protests: The Arab revolution reaches the Palestinian masses
The
revolutionary wave sweeping through the Middle East has acquired a new
dimension with the eruption of the Palestinian masses along Israel’s
borders last weekend. Every 15 May, Palestinians commemorate the Nakba
(catastrophe) of the declaration of independence of the state of Israel
on 15 May 1948. In recent years, protests have been marked by clashes
between Israeli security forces and stone-throwing Palestinian youths,
but Sunday was the first time the commemorations took on a more
widespread and militant character.
Blue Labour: Another Blairite Con
The
announcement that Progress, the Blairite Right Wing group inside the Labour
Party, is to publish something called ‘The Purple Book’ later this year is just
the latest development of the so-called Blue Labour project.
UPDATED HOV National Conference 2011 and anti-Uribe picket
On 21st May the 2011 National Conference of Hands Off Venezuela in
Britain will be taking place in London. Free to members, or join on the
day, and hear speakers coming from Venezuela as well as debate and wider
discussion in solidarity with the Bolivarian Revolution. After the conference we will be joining a picket against the visit of Alvaro Uribe (the former
Colombian president) who is here to speak at a meeting of "investors" looking to make a quick buck at the expense of working people.
Alfie Meadows, student victimisation and the state
It can only be an accident of history
that last month’s Royal wedding took place on the anniversary of the
marriage of Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun. That the Metropolitan police
carried out a number of raids, charging several students with criminal
offences in the same week, is no coincidence. Cover for the police was
provided by the media circus surrounding the wedding. On the other hand
it is clear that the state had been biding its time, waiting for the
distraction of the exam period. The most prominent and outrageous act on
the part of the police was the charging of Alfie Meadows with violent
disorder.
Scottish parliamentary elections: Why Labour failed to pose an alternative to the SNP
On Thursday history was made as the
Scottish National Party, who only a decade ago seemed destined to play
second fiddle to the Labour Party in Scottish politics, became the first
party in the Scottish Parliament’s twelve year history to form a single
party majority. More importantly, for the first time there is a
pro-independence majority in the Parliament, and consequently a
referendum on whether Scotland should leave the United Kingdom will be
held within the next five year term.
Northern Ireland: 2011 Assembly elections – No solution for Catholic or Protestant workers
Last
Thursday’s elections in the North saw a further swing towards both the
DUP and Sinn Féin. This reflects a drawn out process that has gradually
eroded the support for the Ulster Unionist Party and the SDLP since the
signing of the Good Friday Agreement in 1998.