The latest news and analysis from The Communist, alongside reports of our activity. For Marxist theory and history, click here.
John Pilgers first outing as a documentary film-maker covers the revolution which is taking place in Latin America, despite US imperialisms attempts to wreck a process that is bringing hope to countless ordinary peoples everyday lives.
We publish a revealing letter describing how ordinary workers are beginning, themselves, to draw conclusions about the nature of capitalism, in total contrast to the propaganda put out by reformist politicians and big business.
Throughout the history of the labour movement we have witnessed the development of sectarianism within a section of the left. It reflects the inability to understand that the mass of the working class moves through its traditional mass organisations. The sectarian ignores this and believes that all you have to do is declare the "new party" and then the masses will come flocking.
Chavez has announced sweeping measures of nationalisation. This represents a big step forward for the Venezuelan revolution and would be a serious blow against capitalism and imperialism. Big enemies are lining up to stop this process, the most dangerous being inside the Bolivarian movement itself. It is now time to go all the way and put an end to capitalism in Venezuela and spread the revolution to the rest of Latin America.
We are reproducing here a letter sent by John McDonnell to all his supporters in which he stresses the need to now build the Left of the Labour. The campaigning work of the recent period is not wasted. It can be the basis for strengthening the left.
The Reverend Tony Blair has announced his departure from the pulpit of the Trimdon Labour Club, Sedgefield. Ten years ago millions of workers hoped that the party would introduce fundamental change after two decades of Tory misrule. They were disappointed. For the working class, the departure of Blair is a blessing. He has become even more hated than Thatcher. The task now is to finish off Blairism, and the reactionary pro-capitalist creed associated with New Labour.
A recent six week investigation by the Financial Times found widespread profiteering and fraud in carbon trading, the main mechanism for greenhouse gas reduction proposed by the Kyoto treaty. Many schemes will produce only limited reductions in greenhouse gases and will have little or no effect on global warming.
The local election results for the Coventry area serve as an interesting insight into the mood of the working class, in particular the way they view the Labour Party under the concrete conditions of a Tory-controlled council. It shows despite the deep unpopularity in the Blair government, workers still see the Labour Party as the only viable alternative to the Tories.
While the Blairites are licking their wounds after last week's elections results, the results of the Scottish Socialist Party and Solidarity in Scotland and the Socialist Party in England should leave no doubt in anyone's mind that sectarian politics is a dead end.
Last week's elections confirmed the damage that Blairism has done to the Labour Party. Far from being the man who "wins elections" as the Blairites boasted in the past, Blair has become a liability. After ten years he has thrown away the 1997 victory. Now is the time to draw lessons from this whole experience and fight to change the leadership of the Labour Party.
On April 16th, "senior Labour sources" briefed the Financial Times that they "fear a drubbing" in Scotland. What we are witnessing is a rejection of the New Labour project which rejected class politics as outdated.
The trade unions have the power to clear the Blairite clique from the Labour Party by putting their full weight behind John McDonnell instead of presiding over the coronation of Gordon Brown, who supports privatization, the anti-union laws, the sacking of 100,000 civil servants, wage cuts in the public sector and the war in Iraq.