Tiananmen Square 20th anniversary. What is its place in history?
In the first of two articles being posted to mark the 20th anniversary of the Tiananmen events in China, Heiko Khoo looks at the significance of what happened for the workers of today
News and analysis
The latest news and analysis from The Communist, alongside reports of our activity. For Marxist theory and history, click here.
Tienanmen Square: 20 years on
Today marks 20 years since the tragic
defeat of the movement of workers and students in Tienanmen Square. The
massarce (also known in China as the June 4 incident) remains a
sensitive subject for the Chinese officialdom. In the second of two articles being posted on the anniversary, we are republishing an analysis by Rob
Lyon, first posted on www.marxist.com in 2004.
Euro MEPs do very well – for themselves!
This Thursday will see elections for the European Parliament taking place. For many of those who can be bothered to vote, the election will be seen as a chance to send a message about the UK MPs Expenses scandal.But are the MEPs immune from this scandal?
‘Will there be a slump?’ – Still relevant today
Nearly fifty years ago, Ted Grant wrote a major article called ‘Will there be a slump?’ in which he outlined the underlying reasons for capitalist crisis and why it would keep happening – a controversial statement during the period of the post-war boom. This article from 1960 remains as relevant today as ever, given the world recession which has thrown the economies of the world into chaos.
Sweeping Our Emissions Under the Carpet: Is Carbon Capture a Silver Bullet?
Earlier this year, Energy Secretary Ed Miliband ended years of silence
from the Government as to how they are going to address the issue of
climate change, and how they plan to replace Britain’s aging power
plants, many of which are nearing the end of their lifetime,
threatening to plunge the country into darkness due to a lack of
electricity. The Government’s answer lies in a technology called
"Carbon Capture and Storage", or CCS, which they claim will be the
silver bullet that simultaneously kills the problems of global warming
and national energy supply.
This article raises some concerns about CCS as part of the ongoing discussion inside the Labour movement about socialism and our natural resources.We welcome any comments on this contribution and the issues it raises.
Watch Out! BNP riff-raff about!
With the European elections looming, visit any main town across the
length and breadth of the country during the day and you will be sure
to find BNP activists in smart suits handing out glossy leaflets in the
High Street and their message of "Yes to Putting British People First"
– a message of course earlier put out by Gordon Brown, a message that
has done much to hinder the campaign against the racist BNP.
Education and the working class
As the economic crisis deepens across the world the ruling class throughout Europe is launching a fresh offensive against education as it tries to squeeze working class students for as much as they’ve got. In April, education ministers from all over Europe met in Prague to announce the success the of the Bologna process: a Europe wide plan to further open up public education to the pillaging forces of the market.
Danger! Police at work
London Met Police have been accused of using plain clothed officers to
infiltrate the G20 protests held in london this April in order to provoke violence.The accusation has come after several weeks
of shock after news of the death of Ian Tomlinson at police hands and the
injuring of many others.
Editorial:What to do about MPs’ expenses?
The furore about MPs
claiming outrageous expenses and resorting to outright fiddling gets
worse by the day. Labour, as the Party in
power for the past twelve years presiding over this scandal, is
facing electoral meltdown. Naturally the Labour ranks are panicking.
Labour appears doomed at the local and European elections on June
4th,
and in the general election over the next year. The situation could
still be turned around but the unions and rank and file will have
to take decisive action and take the Parliamentary Labour Party by
the scruff of the neck.
Sixth national congress of the CMR: Venezuelan Marxists on the verge of a turning point
Comrades from eleven states across
Venezuela, including youth leaders and important factory
representatives, gathered over the weekend to attend the sixth congress
of the CMR, a congress that highlighted the immense work done over the
past year and the important steps forward in building the Marxist
tendency within the Venezuelan labour and youth movement.
Bankers get Bailed out but the Vulnerable get Victimised
Redundancies announced at Worcester Technology
College will fall heavily
on lecturing and support staff who provide for the needs of some of the more
disadvantaged students in the college. Worcester College of Technology staff
are shocked at the news that 30 jobs are to be axed in the new academic year.
Political Crisis Deepens In Britain
With the announcement that Michael Martin, The Speaker of the House of Commons, is to stand down in June, the MPs Expenses scandal has claimed its most high profile victim. Rob Sewell looks at this developing political crisis in Britain and explains the real background to it.