Latest in EnglishRising Inflation, Falling Production: In the Midst of a Global Economic CrisisSince the collapse of the housing bubble at the beginning of 2007 economists and government representatives have been betting on the odds of a recession in the US economy. Currently we are mid-way through 2008 and still the ‘experts' have not made up their minds about its likelihood. Meanwhile the signs of crisis are everywhere...
How the Media Serves the StateIn capitalist democracy, the corporate news media reportage, commentary, and "debates" faithfully reflect the dominant class's ideas regarding which imperialist and domestic strategy best suits its interests. This means that the media is the mouthpiece of the ruling class. When capitalism entered into its phase of decadence, the links between the state and the media were strengthened to the point where the mass media became part of the state apparatus of state capitalism.
The Immigration Question in the Workers’ Movement in the USIn confronting the existence of ethnic, racial, and linguistic differences between workers, the workers' movement has historically been guided by the principle that "workers have no country." Any compromise on this principle represents a capitulation to bourgeois ideology. 30 years on from the 1978 lorry drivers’ strike: the same class struggle, the same attacks by the ruling classAs the article shows the 1978 strike was characterised by its wildcat beginnings and widespread solidarity. The Shell delivery drivers' strike did not start as a wildcat, but it has been characterised by expressions of solidarity from drivers in other companies...
Faced with inflation and recession: All workers need to struggle togetherHundreds of thousands of council workers are striking on 16 and 17 July demanding a 6% pay rise, following the example of teachers and civil servants on 24 April, and Shell tanker drivers last month. They will undoubtedly be followed by other workers, with signs of discontent among health service workers, civil servants and shop workers.
Oil tanker drivers’ strike: Solidarity fuels the struggleAt the beginning of June, 641 Shell tanker drivers struck for four days to increase their pay levels. This strike occupied the media headlines for several days, and some petrol stations ran out of fuel.
Referendum in Ireland: No choice for the working classOn 12 June 2008 the European Union was once again thrown into crisis with the Irish electorate rejecting the Treaty of Lisbon in a referendum.
Anarcho-nationalism of the WSMCalling for a no-vote alongside the defenders of ‘Irish independence' is not the only example of the WSM's nationalist tendencies. They also support so-called ‘anti-imperialist' struggles (which in Ireland means tailending Republicanism) and even for the nationalisation of Ireland's natural resources.
David Davis and his grand gesture:Bourgeois law protects the bourgeoisieWhen Labour pushed through the legislation extending detention without charge from 28 to 42 days, the air was full of the usual talk about basic freedoms and the preservation of civil liberties that has accompanied counter-terrorist bills over the years.
International union merger: Unions unite, workers bewareThe announcement of a ‘merger' between the British Unite union and the United Steelworkers of America to form the "world's first global union", a 3-million strong Workers Uniting, was accompanied by extravagant claims.
May 1968 (part 4): The international significance of the general strike in FranceIn the majority of the numerous books and television programmes on May 1968 that have occupied the media recently, the international character of the student movement that affected France during the course of this month has been underlined.
1968 and all that: Situationism then and nowMay 68 was the high point of situationism, a current that combined a critique of the ‘spectacle' of capitalist culture with a certain number of revolutionary political positions. Slogans/graffiti of the hour, such as ‘under the pavement, the beach' and ‘all power to the imagination', caught the atmosphere of the May events...
Internationalism on a council estateThe Labour Party and the leftists who support them constantly express their concern about the rise of the BNP, racism and the plight of immigrants. Anti-racism and anti-fascism are strong and enduring features of capitalist democracy and, as such, con-tricks on the working class. Britain in Iraq and Afghanistan: Sacrifices on the alter of imperialismThe number of British soldiers killed in the intervention in Afghanistan has passed the 110 mark. The figure for Iraq is more than 175. The government says that these deaths are not in vain and the army is fighting for a good cause - to establish democracy in Afghanistan and Iraq. Cleary, the government felt that this needed to be underlined, because the military interventions do appear to be futile. 1968 in Germany: Behind the protest movement – the search for a new society (part 1)As we showed in other articles of our press, towards
the mid-1960s there developed an international movement of protest against the
Vietnam War and against the first signs of a worsening economic situation. In
many countries it carried the germs for putting into question the existing
order. The movement in Germany
started quite early, and it was going to have a major international impact.
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