Notes from the front

Jeremy Corbyn and Diane Abbott – challenging Labour’s rightward shift

Jeremy Corbyn’s success in securing sufficient nominations to contest the Labour leadership election has galvanised the left of the party. The notion that Labour lost May’s General Election because it was too ‘left’ will now be challenged in the contest. Corbyn will campaign for Labour to break with austerity and for a foreign policy independent of US diktats.

All out for Saturday 20 June – Join the People’s Assembly Against Austerity national demo

Just one month on from the general election the new Tory government has wasted no time in announcing it is intensifying the austerity offensive.

Tories launch new racist offensives

With the election now over, the Tories are decisively reasserting the scape-goating agenda that was suspended for fear of building up UKIP during the election campaign. Various reactionary measures were announced in the Queen’s Speech on 27 May, including proposed legislation on ‘extremism’ and immigration.

Stunning victory for Podemos

The local and regional elections held in the Spanish state were a victory for the anti-austerity political insurgents of Podemos and its allies and a defeat for the ruling Partido Popular (PP). This is an important breakthrough ahead of national elections to be held later this year and is a significant boost to the anti-austerity forces across Europe, especially Syriza in Greece.

Upturn in the anti-austerity movement

Since the Tories won the election just two weeks ago (7 May), with the support of less than 25 per cent of the electorate, significant numbers of people have got involved in the movement against austerity to resist what will be the most right wing, vicious government since the Second World War.

Labour would not have won by moving right – that is just a myth

Following Labour’s defeat the Blairites and others have launched an offensive to shift the party rightwards and install a hard right-wing leadership. Backed by the Tory media, their barrage of attacks on Ed Miliband is creating the media myth of a leftward lurch that lost Labour the election.