Editorial: Fight for a real alternative to capitalism
The 30th November day of action, for all intents and purposes a general
strike of the public sector, is a turning-point in Britain. It
represents a re-awakening of the working class after years of relative
dormancy. Now there is a catching up with the workers in the rest of
Europe, as the Coalition unleashes an austerity regime not seen for
generations. Sections are being drawn into struggle who have never been
involved in action before, such as head teachers – the first time they
have been on strike in their union’s 114-year history.
Where is China going?
After overtaking Japan, this year
China became the second largest economy in the world. Some experts have
even predicted that by the end of this decade China may become the
largest economy bypassing the United States. However, that is based on a
mechanical, empirical approach that sees China maintaining its present
levels of growth uninterruptedly for years to come. In the past Japan
was also supposed to keep on growing, but then its apparent meteoric
rise was cut across by a long period of stagnation.
Spanish elections: Socialist Party trounced – new right wing government faces acute capitalist crisi
The results of the Spanish elections on Sunday November 20
represented a massive defeat for the Socialist Party (PSOE) which had
introduced austerity measures to make the workers pay for the capitalist
crisis, rather than a victory for the right wing Popular Party (PP)
which will now have to introduce even more savage austerity cuts in the
face of the acute crisis of Spanish capitalism.
Egypt – masses rise against the army generals
Events in Egypt are developing at
lightning speed. Similarly to the last days of Mubarak in February this
year, we see daily battles on the streets of Cairo and elsewhere. The
Egyptian masses are determined to see the revolution carried through to
the end. The clash between revolution and counter-revolution is
provoking a crisis inside all political forces, as the rank and file
instinctively move towards revolution and the leaderships vacillate and
try to hold the masses back.
School students support Nov 30th action!
The one-day public sector strike on Nov 30th is not only getting support from the workers themselves but also from other sections of society. Here we publish a letter from a school student showing how they too are behind the strikers and their fight against the Tory attacks.
Marx was right!
The crisis of capitalism is
accompanied by a crisis of bourgeois thought: philosophy, economics,
morality – all are in a state of ferment. In place of the earlier
optimism that stated confidently that capitalism had solved all its
problems, there is an all-pervading mood of gloom. Not so long ago,
Gordon Brown confidently proclaimed “the end of boom and bust”. After
the crash of 2008 he was forced to eat his words.
Nov 30th – Ballot results
The ballot results are now pretty much all in for November 30th - here
is a summary (provided by the PCS union) of the various unions’ ballot
returns. Clearly the mood exists for a mighty struggle, not only on
November 30th but beyond. The TUC needs to take the next step and widemn
this fight out to take in all workers arounfd a 24 hour general strike.
The fight is not just over pensions; it’s jobs, pay and services – this
affects every worker in Britain and everybody must be involved in the
struggle against this government and the rotten system it defends at our
expense.
Remembering Phil Mitchinson
Five years ago today comrade Phil
Mitchinson passed away tragically at the age of 38. Phil was an
outstanding Marxist and a leader of the International Marxist Tendency.
He also edited the Socialist Appeal for a period.
Cambs builds for Nov 30
Trade
unionists in Cambridgeshire have taken the first steps in coordinating
the strike action taking place on November 30th by establishing a county
wide cross union strike committee. The strike committee involves local
activists from those trade unions taking action and both the Cambs and
District and Huntingdon Trades Councils.
Why an Italian meltdown threatens the world economy
The Eurozone is passing through the
most serious crisis in its entire history. After Greece comes the
Italian crisis. This places a big question mark over the future of the
euro. We predicted long ago that in a serious crisis all the national
contradictions come to the fore, as we now see with the fractious
relations between Greece, France, Germany and Italy. The European Union
is facing the day of reckoning.
Glasgow: Student President forced out after betraying students
Glasgow University hasn’t been short
of dramatic events over 2011. This includes a march of over 3,000
students against course cuts, a major police operation attempting to
evict a student occupation which was successfully opposed by hundreds of
student protestors, and a tight election for the Student Representative
Council (SRC) presidency which saw the Left come within a couple of
hundred votes of winning. The situation has now developed to the point
where the victor of that election, Stuart Ritchie, has been forced to
resign only months into the first semester.