Author's posts
Jun 25 2009
Solidarity can win – Spread the strikes
Original article, subtitled Lindsey dispute is a fight for us all. Oil bosses sack more than 600 workers for organising action. Thousands walk out of construction sites in support, via Socialist Worker (UK):
Thousands of construction workers have walked out of work and taken illegal unofficial strike action. The wildcat strikes follow the Total oil multinational’s sacking of over 600 workers at the Lindsey refinery site in Lincolnshire.
Jun 24 2009
Using the Economic Crisis to Attack Workers
Original article, by David Lindorff and subtitled How the Bosses are Undermining the Stimulus Program, via counterpunch.com:
Reports are starting to appear suggesting that laid-off or underemployed Americans, and the long-term unemployed, are losing patience with the Obama administration’s and Congress’ economic stimulus plan, which thus far has not done anything to arrest the growth of unemployment, now at close to 20 percent of the US workforce, at least as unemployment used to honestly be counted in the 1970s and early 1980s.
Jun 22 2009
Iran: A Socialist view
Original article, by Maziar Razi and titled A few words with the Iranian workers on recent events, via Iranian Revolutionary Marxists’ Tendency:
Honourable and brave workers of Iran
And I will add, greetings and solidarity from the United States.
Jun 22 2009
You should go to Socialism 2009!
Wow! What a weekend. I just go back from Socialism 2009 in Chicago!!!
There was a point last night where there were 1,000 people chanting “Obama, don’t lie to us!” It filled my heart with such joy to hear that. The whole conference was like that.
You still have a chance to attend! 🙂
Jun 17 2009
Iran: Be Careful What You Ask For….
So, Iran is having a ‘green’ revolution in response to the weekend’s election results.
Jun 15 2009
A Lesson from Labour? Perhaps.
Original article, titled Statement:”A long time in politics” – Labour after the elections, via Socialist Appeal (UK):
“A week is a long time in politics.” Harold Wilson
The European election results were published last Monday, following on from the local election results of a few days earlier. They showed Labour behind not just the Tories, but even behind UKIP, a lunatic fringe party, on just 15% of the vote. For the first time since 1918, Labour had been beaten by the Tories in Wales. Labour was smashed in its other heartlands, where working class voters just sat at home in disgust, and was completely marginalised elsewhere in the country. Labour came 5th in the South East with just 8.2% of the vote. In Cornwall they came 6th behind the Cornish Nationalist Party, whom presumably even the local folk see as a lost cause.
Jun 13 2009
Time to fight back together
Original article, an open letter, via socialistworker.org.uk:
Here’s the letter, and some thoughts after:
Gordon Brown’s government is in meltdown after the MPs’ expenses scandal and the disastrous Labour vote in last week’s elections.
Labour trailed in behind the Tories and UKIP, with just 15 percent of the overall vote.
This is a shocking result for a party in power, but one that is wholly understandable. Labour’s vote has haemorrhaged during its time in office.
The party has abandoned ordinary people and gone on the offensive against them.
It has handed over billions to the rich and the bankers, yet we are expected to put up with cuts in pensions, services, pay and jobs.
All of this has opened the door to the right.
The Tories, the fascist British National Party and UKIP didn’t do well in last week’s elections because millions of people suddenly decided to vote for them.
They made gains because Labour’s vote collapsed.
We have to come together to fight the Nazis, and to stop the government and the bosses making us pay for the crisis.
But we need something more too.
None of the mainstream parties reflect the views of millions of people in Britain. Most people want to see higher spending on health and education, an end to privatisation, a better deal for pensioners and an end to war.
But who speaks for them in parliament?
There is a desperate need for an alternative. The absence of a credible left group to vote for means that people remain without a choice when it comes to elections.
Many people wonder why the left can’t unite together to provide a stronger, more credible alternative to the pro-war and neoliberal policies of the major parties.
There is real potential for a united left group to make a real impact-not just by winning votes but also in helping to pull people together to build resistance on the ground.
We need to fight to make that potential a reality.
Note: © Socialist Worker (unless otherwise stated). You may republish if you include an active link to the original.