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The media has been trying - not too convincingly - to claim
that the brutal response of the police in London of the past few days was a
necessary response to violent anti-G20 demonstrators. All those who
participated in the events saw a different picture, a police force intent on
provoking violence. This is clearly part of a plan to portray the peaceful
protestors as "violent", in effect an attempt to criminalise ordinary people
protesting. Here is an eyewitness account.
Around 35 thousand people packed into central London on Saturday 28th of March in a militant protest at the upcoming G20 summit.Under the slogan of “Put people first” the demonstrators aimed to bring world leaders to heel over the economic crisis.
Workers across all industries are feeling the squeeze as the bosses try to pass on the costs of the recession to them. Some workers are getting below-inflation pay-rises. Others are getting no pay rise at all. However, most would take for-granted that, if they remain in work, they will be paid something for their labour. But at King's College London they are advertising a post which pays nothing at all.The post is voluntary! The college ‘generously’ offers to reimburse expenses!
Britain’s commercial television industry is in crisis. Channel 4 has announced plans to cut 150 jobs next year (from a total workforce of 1,000), and has reduced its programme budget by £25m, after already cutting £15m from last year’s budget. Britain’s newest Channel, Five, has announced 87 job cuts (nearly a third of its workforce). But one of the bleakest stories is that of Britain’s oldest commercial broadcaster, ITV. They have forecast the recent wave of job cuts to reach the 1,000 mark by the middle of this year, along with a £65m cut in their £1billion programming budget, putting an end to many popular programmes, including high-end costume dramas.
The life of Sylvia Pankhurst is rich in experience for all activists in
the labour movement. The names of the Pankhurst family are synonymous
with the struggle to win the vote for women, but what distinguished
Sylvia Pankhurst's approach from that of her mother Emmeline and her
sister Christabel were class issues.
March 23rd saw the BNP once again make another ugly appearance on the streets of Glasgow, the second time they have done so in three days. On this occasion they could only muster two supporters, seemingly their hardcore in the west of Scotland. As usual this pair carried out their Laurel and Hardy style act with the big intimidating one, complete with scary red bobble hat, remaining silent as the smaller overly confident character spewed out a range of contradictory positions and bigoted lies. 
The government has announced that workers who are stressed out by the financial worries will receive free counselling on the NHS; I always thought that the NHS was free at the point of use anyway. What is behind this announcement is the fact that the government has recognised that it will have to boost mental health and increase the number of psychologists to provide a support network to help those who develop depression from the stress the recession is putting on individuals and families.
The workers of Britain are facing 20 years
of austerity, not seen since the inter-war period. Whoever wins the next
general election – whether it be Labour or Tory – they will be forced to go
onto the offensive against the working class. But we can already see the
outlines of the future class struggle in this country, which will create the
conditions in which Marxism can gain the ear of the workers. [This text is
based on a speech given by Rob Sewell at the 
At the beginning of this month comrades
from up and down the country met in London for the National Conference of the
Socialist Appeal, the British group supporting the International Marxist
Tendency.
The British Marxist tendency met last year
as the economic crisis had begun to affect British capitalism. This year the
system in Britain and internationally shows no sign of emerging from the
recession it has plunged into, overshadowing the bourgeoisies’ celebrations of
the 20th anniversary of the collapse of the Berlin wall, which they saw as the 'final
victory' of capitalism.
Comrades left
in high spirits determined to build the forces of Marxism throughout Britain,
as our part in the fight for socialism internationally.
The chances of a referendum on Scottish independence appear increasingly distant following a Scottish parliamentary vote in favour of a resolution condemning moves towards one. This is a huge blow to the SNP self-declared Scottish Government that is committed to holding a referendum before the current parliament ends in 2011. However the vote has also done little for a Labour Party that has lost all sense of direction, as its leadership exposes itself as utterly unable to capitalise on the SNP’s fall from grace.
In a sign of the increasing anger at job losses, workers at BMW's Mini factory in Cowley, Oxford threw fruit at union officials when they heard they were to be sacked with one hour's notice on Monday 16 February. Management at the Mini factory had minutes earlier told the weekend shift of 850 workers that they were being made redundant.
As socialists we absolutely support the movement of the workers of the Prisme Packaging Plant in fighting for their right to work and pay.
It has been said by rank and file trade unionists for many years that a blacklist has been used by employers in the construction industry. Now after intense lobbying by the rank and file forcing their unions to raise the issue in Parliament, it has been proved that there is a blacklist of 3,200 construction workers.
Following on from the Hooper Report, the
government is proposing to part-privatise Royal Mail, the letter delivery arm
of the Post Office. There’s no silly nonsense about putting the arrangement out
to tender so we the taxpayers get the best deal either. They’ve already lined
up TNT to take 30% of Royal Mail. The announcement has roused fury among
millions of people - trade unionists and just ordinary people who use Royal
Mail, which is pretty well everyone. Why mess about with something that works
well? We have the cheapest postal service in Western Europe. We are the only
country in the European Union that still has a Saturday delivery.
