Thousands came out to cheer the swearing in of new mayors in Spain on Saturday June 13, in scenes not seen since 1979 or perhaps 1931. The May 24 municipal and regional elections represented a serious setback for the ruling right wing PP – and, importantly, an important gain for the alliances to the left of social democracy.

The EU and IMF sharks have dropped their mask and revealed their real intentions, removing any illusions that an “honourable compromise” with the Greek government was somehow possible. The question is: what should be done now? What programme and policy should the Syriza-led government adopt in breaking with the creditors? Here we provide a statement by the Communist Tendency of SYRIZA.

The scandal surrounding the manipulation of LIBOR rates has erupted once again, with all the major banks embroiled in this mess. Rob Sewell, editor of Socialist Appeal, looks at this latest demonstration of the endemic corruption within the capitalist system.