We have received the following report
from a Spanish comrade living in Edinburgh, Julia S. Vidania, on her
recent visit to her home city of Madrid. She gives a vivid account of
the almost revolutionary tension in the city as the European austerity
programme and the crisis of capitalism erodes the veneer of stability in
society, exposing the deep fault-lines of the class struggle. 

Ireland: The decision of the Workers and Unemployed Action Group to withdraw
from the United Left Alliance is an unwelcome symptom of the growing
impasse within the ULA, previously reflected in the controversy over
Mick Wallace and the departure of Clare Daly from the Socialist Party.
The WUAG has a long standing base in South Tipperary and its departure
will have an influence on the development of the ULA at a national
level.

Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez has
won, yet again, the presidential elections on Sunday October 7, with a
comfortable margin of 54.84% against the 44.55% of his opponent Henrique
Capriles. This is another victory for the Bolivarian revolution which
should be used in order to carry out the revolution to the end.