By Paul Taylor
The launch of the Peoples Assembly Against Austerity in Sheffield on Wednesday 23 May saw nearly 400 people crammed in to the city centre venue. The meeting brought together the broadest spectrum of opponents to austerity yet seen in the city.
By Jane West
No one should underestimate the depth of the crisis now confronting the Tory Party, which has snow-balled from the moment in January that Cameron conceded to the Eurosceptic wing of his party and made a pledge for an in-out referendum on Europe if the Tories won in 2015.
This was an enormous miscalculation, undoing all the work that Cameron had done in turning the Tory Party towards the centreground in British politics with his mantra that ‘banging on’ about Europe had alienated the voters.
By Jane West
The murderous attack on a soldier in Woolwich yesterday was horrifying, and nothing justifies such a vile act. The only response that is appropriate – apart from expressing sympathy for the victim’s family and friends – is to isolate the approach of the perpetrators and for communities to stand together in condemnation of this attack, as Ken Livingstone spells out in the article we reproduce below.
By Paul Roberts
Syrian government forces are currently fighting in an important battle to retake control of Qusair, a town between Homs and the Lebanese border.
The government has over recent weeks broken the stalemate and developed impetus behind a series of military and political advances. If this momentum persists imperialism’s offensive will be significantly weakened. Hence it is determined to halt Syria’s current progress, so Israel has increased its direct attacks on Syria and there is a renewed drive for stepped up support to the opposition guerrilla forces.
by Nicky Dempsey
Thousands marched in London yesterday (Saturday May 18) in defence of the NHS.
By Paul Lewis
There can be few more compelling pieces of evidence of capitalism's redundancy as a vehicle for human progress than the news that levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere rose above four hundred parts per million (ppm) for the first time in human history last week.
By Jane West
It can hardly have escaped even the most committed Wagnerphobe that this year is a centenary celebration.
Alongside concert performances of all his major operas at the Proms, radio and TV broadcasts there are countless assessments of his life, politics, opinions and their relationship to his work.
by Nicky Dempsey
The near-unanimous support for austerity policies in the ruling classes of the main capitalist powers is showing signs of strain. This is not because there is some recognition of the social and economic damage from the crisis, nor because of the valiant level of social resistance in some countries, or even because of the entry of populist and other unpredictable parties of the right.
By Jane West
The results of the local elections were above all a devastating blow to the Tories.
But while they confirm Labour is on course for a win at the 2015 General Election, this at present is not due to a significant turn to the left in the population.
By Nicky Dempsey
The growing recognition that the 2015 election is Labour’s to lose has led to increasing rightwing pressures on the Labour leadership to maintain the essential thrust of ‘austerity’ policy.
The overwhelmingly Tory press focuses on the demand that Ed Miliband in particular commits to maintaining Tory spending plans.
Wednesday 5 December 6pm-7pm
Downing Street London
The government plans to intensify the assault on the population's living standards, with further deep cuts to the welfare state, whilst at the same time ring fencing the budget for military action and upgrading weapons including preparations for the renewal of Trident.
Called by Stop the War Coalition and CND
By Jane West
Across Europe, governments of right and left are implementing ‘austerity’ policies. The claim that excessive government debt and ‘unaffordable’ welfare and services require extraordinary cuts in public spending is being used to legitimise the biggest post-1945 assault on the living standards and hard-won rights of the working class in Europe.
Resistance to this assault – through mass actions and by presenting a political and economic alternative – is the most mass task of the class struggle in the continent today.
By Nicky Dempsey
The Financial Times has reported that the government’s plans to boost spending on infrastructure have effectively been blocked by the leading banks and investment funds (Infrastructure hopes hit by City stand-off, November 18).
By Jennifer Nash
On 21 November tens of thousands of students will be marching on the streets of London to protest against the government’s ongoing attacks on students and education.
The following article by John Ross which evaluates the economic projections of the recent Chinese Communist Party congress, appeared in Global Times on 12 November.
The central economic goal outlined in General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee Hu Jintao's report to the 18th National Congress of the CPC is achieving a "moderately prosperous society". This created discussion of whether this goal is realistic and in what time scale.
By Paul Roberts
Immediately following the US Presidential election the imperialist countries started to increase their activity to overthrow the Syrian government, which has continued whilst Israel is bombing Gaza.
London Protest at Israeli Embassy
Saturday 17 November
2 - 4pm at the Israeli Embassy (2 Palace Green London W8 4QB)
By Paul Roberts
Yesterday Israel launched a brutal offensive on the besieged Gaza Strip with fighter jets striking at over 150 targets. The air raids continued throughout last night and into today and have resulted in huge numbers of casualties - at least 11 Palestinians have been killed including several children and more than a hundred injured.
By Najete Michell
Since being elected on 6 May the Hollande government appeared to lack direction on several issues, reflecting pressures from the right and the left.
Critique of the government has focused on it ‘not communicating’ and for postponing difficult decisions.
All this hesitation succeeded in was to make nobody happy, reflected in a rising dissatisfaction rate, up to 58 per cent in the latest polls.
Protest: Assemble: 5pm - 5:30pm Wednesday 14 November
European Commission 32 Smith Square Westminster, SW1P 3EU
for march past Parliament to rally
Tubes: St. James's Park / Westminster Click here to see map
Rally: Starts: 6:30pm
Upper Hall, Emmanuel Centre 9-23 Marsham Street Greater London SW1P 3DW Click here for map
With speakers including Tony Benn, the Trade Union's in Britain and live-streamed from Greece, Spain and Portugal.
Plus footage from the strikes and protests across Europe on that day.
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