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.
By Jane West
Recent weeks have seen a clear up-tick in the struggle against austerity in Britain.
The nationwide response to the Bedroom Tax, a number of very significant demonstrations against hospital closures, a jump in size of pickets and protests called against other local cuts and the decisions by NUT/NASUWT to call a series of one day strikes are among the evidence for this. The movement against austerity and the cuts has begun to move up a gear for the first time since the student struggles of late 2010 and the 2011/12 pensions’ actions.
By Hassan Malik
The Book of Mormon opened last month having come to London on the back of nine Tony awards and rapturous New York reviews. Created by the team behind the successful South Park TV series, it features songs written by the composer from the irreverent Muppet musical Avenue Q.
It is marketed as a satire on the Mormon religion, which there is plenty of material about in the show. However, this is not the only target.
By Jennifer Nash
The annual national conference of the National Union of Students (NUS) last week resolved to stand on the sidelines while the Tories’ attacks on education go unchallenged. It threw out all proposals to fight the attacks on students and elected a new NUS leadership that endorsed this programme of selling students out.
By Paul Roberts
Nicolás Maduro, the Chávista candidate, won yesterday’s Presidential election in Venezuela.
However, Venezuela’s right wing, which coordinates with the US, is determined to escalate its destabilisation campaign, so is refusing to accept the result.
National reconciliation in Ireland - the need for uncomfortable conversations
7pm Wednesday 24 October
Grand Committee Room House of Commons London
Mobilise for this Saturday's TUC march 'for a future that works'.
Oppose the government's austerity policies.
By Nicky Dempsey and Jane West
The media consensus on the assessment of both the Labour and Tory conferences indicates a growing acceptance of the political consequences of what the polls are showing – that Labour looks set to win the next General Election or at worst be the largest party, and this will occur under Ed Miliband’s leadership.
By Jane West
Despite the best efforts of the US and its allies, and the vain hopes of the Western media, Hugo Chávez comprehensively won Sunday’s Venezuelan presidential election with 54.42% of the vote against 44.97% for the opposition.
Chávez gained a record 8.1 million votes compared to 6.5 for the opposition in an election with one of the highest ever turnouts in a Venezuelan election.
By Paul Roberts
Since this summer a renewed wave of mobilisations has emerged across the Middle East and North Africa. The unrest has included big and often violent protests against the US in Egypt, Tunisia, Libya and Turkey.
In addition to demonstrations against US-inspired Islamophobia, protests have been sparked off by a wide range of other issues – examples of which include the following.
WE ARE STILL WALTHAM FOREST STOP THE EDL
GATHER FROM 11am SATURDAY 27 OCTOBER
WALTHAMSTOW TOWN CENTRE
‘Student Fightback 2012’ takes place this coming Saturday, on 13 October at the University College London.
The conference will be a key opportunity for student activists from across the country to come together and plan the next steps in the student fight-back to the Tories, cuts, racism, inequality and war.
For election results see here
By Nicky Dempsey
The main Portuguese trade union federation the Communist-led CGTP has called a one-day general strike for November 14 in response to the announcement of the government’s latest austerity measures.
The announcement follows huge mobilisations against government policies, in what were widely described as the largest demonstrations in Portugal since the revolution which overthrew the Caetano dictatorship in 1974.
Chávez supporters organised Venezuela's largest ever demonstration, in advance of the October 7 Presidential election.
Other pictures of the demonstration can be seen here.
A statement signed by over 200 prominent people (including some 60 British parliamentarians from six parties) is calling on the British government to respect the results of the Venezuelan Presidential election and not support any anti-democratic attempts to not recognise the results. The statement can be seen here.
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