Month: April 2011

Marxism and the Economic Crisis

27th April 2011 Socialist Action 0

By Nicky Dempsey

All societies based on social classes tend to produce surplus value, to a greater or less extent. The character of the society may be determined by which class receives the bulk of the surplus.

The economic and financial crisis that became apparent in 2007 and 2008 was located primarily in the imperialist centres, led by the United States. The crisis was engendered by a crisis of profitability, a reduction in the surplus available to the capitalist class. Economic policy since that time has been designed to restore as far as possible the greater proportion of that surplus to the capitalist class in the imperial centres.

The 1981 Irish Hunger Strike – ‘ one of the most heroic chapters in human history ’

26th April 2011 Socialist Action 0

By Frances Davis

This year will mark the 30th Anniversary of the 1981 hunger strike, in which Bobby Sands and nine other republican prisoners died in a struggle for political status against the Thatcher government’s brutal policy of ‘criminalisation’. The hunger strike was a critical turning point in the most prolonged struggle against colonialism anywhere in history – the more than 800-year-long struggle against British rule in Ireland. This historic moment in Irish history, which ultimately saw the victory of the hunger strikers’ demands, was indeed, as Fidel Castro described that year, ‘one of the most heroic chapters in human history’.

Photo by Adam Tinworth

Sarkozy’s turn to chauvinism and racism

13th April 2011 Socialist Action 0

By Jane West

Sarkozy’s introduction of the legal ban on wearing the full face veil in France is an indication of the degree to which right-wing governments across Europe are prepared to try to deflect anger at attacks on working class living standards onto innocent scapegoats – in this case approximately 2000 Muslim women in France, less than 0.2% of the population, who wear a Burqa or Niqab.

The Libyan offensive – tensions emerge

13th April 2011 Socialist Action 0

By Andrew Williams

Despite the overwhelming military superiority of the alliance of states participating in the assault on Libya, three weeks into the intervention it has become bogged down. Clearly the Gaddafi regime has a base of support that has allowed it to retain control of the west of the country. At the same time, the imperialist-backed opposition have held on to their base in the east but have not been able to extend beyond that. The situation on the ground has become an extended stalemate, with each side making advances followed by equivalent retreats.