Who is to blame for climate change: ‘consumerism’ or capitalism?
‘Ethical consumption’ and other capitalist ‘solutions’ to the climate crisis are a blind alley. We need a socialist alternative.
News and analysis
The latest news and analysis from The Communist, alongside reports of our activity. For Marxist theory and history, click here.
Who’s to Blame for Climate Change: ‘consumerism’ or capitalism?
In the previous few months, we have attempted to show how capitalist ‘solutions’ to climate change, such as market-based methods like carbon trading, are not able to combat the environmental problems facing humanity and our planet. Similarly, international treaties that attempt to operate within the confines of capitalism are also doomed to failure, as was seen in Copenhagen last year. Capitalism cannot solve these problems – capitalism is the problem.
Severe austerity package provokes wrath of Greek working class
Greek capitalism is in a deep crisis.
It is the weak link in the chain and it is beginning to break. The
country risks defaulting on its debt repayments, posing a serious
threat to the stability of the euro. Severe austerity measures are
being imposed and these are provoking a working class backlash.
Corporate Media: A Ruling Class Tool
In the society in which we currently
find ourselves, class society, a small minority of the population holds
ownership and control over industry, banks and all major means for
producing wealth. Because we, the workers, do not get to enjoy this
wealth, although we create it, our lives are reduced to working for
wages that disappear when we pay the bills. How does the ruling class
keep us putting up with such a lifestyle? One way is the fact that the
ruling class’s ideology permeates contemporary culture and dominates
the media.
The Vancouver Olympics: An expensive attack on democratic rights
In just over two years time London will be staging the 2012 Olympic
Games. However, before then we have the Winter Olympics, taking place
this year in Canada. So how does the Canadian working class view this
‘great event?’
Students Strike in California
The Capitalist crisis has plunged the
state of California into its worst budget crisis in history. Billions
of dollars have been already slashed from the budget and billions more
will be cut this year in order to“fix” the shortfall of $20.7 billion.
Unable to find any other solution on the basis of Capitalism, workers
and students will bear the brunt of these cuts. The students have
already fought back on several occasions with strikes and occupations.
Who says the youth aren’t prepared to fight?
On January 4th a consultation meeting at
Ashington Leisure Centre in Northumberland was held by the Lib/Dem leadership
of the County Council to "discuss" the question of its closure. The council has to find £33m worth of cuts
this year and amongst the many services being targeted is the town’s very
popular and highly used leisure centre.
Venezuela: Expropriations of banks, PSUV congress and revival of the workers’ movement
Recently we have seen many important events
happening in Venezuela, such as the devaluation of the bolívar and the
nationalisations in the banking sector, which needs to be analysed
carefully. The movement of occupied factories made important steps
forward last year, but still faces sabotage by counter-revolutionary
managers and workers are still struggling for nationalisation under
workers’ control. In order to defend the conquests already made, the
revolution must put the nationalisation of the commanding heights of
the economy on the agenda. Only this can destroy capitalism and provide
the necessary prerequisites for a socialist planned economy.
Haiti: A Profound Human Tragedy Inspires the Same Old Song and Dance from the U.S. Ruling Class
The nation of Haiti was hit with a
devastating earthquake. The governments of Cuba and Venezuela responded
within hours with medical brigades, firefighters, fuel and supplies,
and there has been massive sympathy, generosity and volunteerism from
workers around the world. What a difference compared to the response
from the United States. The U.S. government has pledged assistance
in the way of one hundred million dollars – less than is spent on the
wars in Iraq and Afghanistan in just two days.
Horror in Haiti – Imperialism to blame
There is a manmade element to the
catastrophe now confronting the Haitians. The country doesn’t just happen to be
poor; it has been made poor and kept poor. Haiti is the poorest country
in the Western hemisphere, with the worst infrastructure and a people
most vulnerable to disaster and disease, because of the machinations of
imperialism. Although the earthquake could not be avoided, the scale of
death and destruction clearly could have been.
Where is Wales going?
In the Labour Party and among Trade Union leaders here in Wales, it is
thought defeatist and almost traitorous, to express the belief that
Labour may lose the General Election this year. We look at how things are panning out in Wales and what Labour really needs to do to avoid defeat in the coming elections.
Fuel Poverty: Leaving the Poor to Freeze
This year, Britain experienced its coldest winter in over 30 years, and
as temperatures dropped below -20ºC in some parts of the UK, thousands
of people suffered the effects of one of society’s gravest ills: fuel
poverty.
According to official definitions, “a household is said to be in fuel
poverty if it needs to spend more than 10% of its income on fuel to
maintain an adequate level of warmth”; current figures estimate that
there are approximately 4.6 million “fuel poor” households in the UK.
The severity of the problem is such that the Office for National
Statistics calculated that there were 36,700 deaths in the winter of
2008/09 due to the cold weather.