Articles
Thursday, September 1, 2016
The vote for Brexit in Britain has opened up debate on the left across Europe with increased opposition to the EU. Its future is uncertain given opposition from both left and right. Germany as the dominant force in the EU faces some difficult challenges dealing with the new situation.
Thursday, September 1, 2016
The result of the EU referendum exposes divisions within British capitalism. Tory Party ambivalence about membership contributed to the result. The working class whose interests were not represented by the neo-liberal policies of successive governments voted to Leave.
Thursday, September 1, 2016
The findings of the Chakrabarti inquiry reject the claim that the Labour Party has a problem with anti-Semitism. Criticism of Israel and campaigning against its oppression of the Palestinians does not equate to anti-Semitism. This is an important boost to the solidarity campaign and a vindication of Jeremy Corbyn, however, the pro-Israel lobby will not give up.
Thursday, September 1, 2016
False allegations of Anti-Semitism and misogyny and claims that Jeremy Corbyn was responsible for Brexit are being used to try to undermine his leadership, the left and the campaign for solidarity with the Palestinians. The standard of debate has hit a new low.
Wednesday, August 31, 2016
Britain, through the City of London and its overseas dependencies and crown territories leads the world in promoting tax avoidance. This pours billions of pounds into the pockets of huge companies like Amazon and rich individuals. These practices exposed in the Panama Papers and earlier leaks. The former Prime Minister David Cameron was caught up in the scandal. Despite declarations to the contrary, politicians and HMRC continue to facilitate this industry. Meanwhile billions of pounds in tax which could fund public services are being siphoned off and inequality is growing.
Wednesday, August 31, 2016
While the Syrian army is pushing back Islamic State terrorists, the US is endangering progress by continuing to back groups linked to Al Qaeda and threatening the fragile ceasefire.
Wednesday, August 31, 2016
The Chilcot report was a damning indictment of the war in in Iraq. There was no case for war nor was it supported by the UN. Its conduct and the aftermath created devastation in the country with millions of Iraqis suffering death, injury, displacement and hardship. However the inquiry did not challenge assumptions about imperialist intervention in the affairs of other countries.
Tuesday, August 30, 2016
Review of "A Hidden History of the Cuban Revolution" by Steve Cushion. This book re-assesses the important role played in the revolution by the Cuban working class, the trades unions and the communist party. It draws on documentary evidence from the time and interviews with activists and paints a compelling picture of the often neglected role of working class struggle in the overthrow of the Batista dictatorship.