Blogs
To Noam Chomsky on Boycotting Elections
The following is a statement by ZSP.
To Noam Chomsky: Why We Boycott Elections
In the Land of the Free, directed by Vadim Jean
This new documentary about the Angola 3, the longest-serving US political prisoners, offers a compelling case but avoids tackling wider ramifications.
Extreme Divide and Rule. Television review – Tom Jennings
New Black Flag Blog
While we're fully intending to continue announcing new issues via libcom and the existing radical websites with teaser articles, there's now some material spread all around the web, and we wanted a shop, so...
The new blog currently hosts a brief introduction and some links to the articles which have already gone online on other pages, but over time hopefully a fair proportion of the work itself will migrate over as well.
Workers' struggles in China (May 2010)
Summaries and links to news reports of workers' struggles around China during May. I now have a Twitter feed where I will be posting the stories I find, so if you don't want to wait until the end of the month to read them or would like to write up some of these for libcom news when they happen rather, please follow it: http://twitter.com/spartacusnews
libcom articles
In case you missed them, here are the articles that appeared on libcom relating to China this month.
Strike shuts Chinese Honda plants
Let's not forget the imprisoned workers in China
Workers' struggles in Asia (May 2010)
Summary and links to news stories of workers' struggles around East Asia (excluding China) during May. I now have a Twitter feed where I will be posting the stories I find, so if you don't want to wait until the end of the month to read them or would like to write up some of these for libcom news when they happen rather, please follow it: http://twitter.com/spartacusnews
libcom articles
In case you missed them, here are the articles that appeared on libcom relating to Asia this month.
Wildcat strike at Japanese electronics firm in Vietnam
The Headless Woman, directed by Lucrecia Martel, and The Milk of Sorrow, directed by Claudia Llosa
Tom Jennings mulls over two fascinating South American films which reflect schisms of class and culture in women’s responses to personal crisis
Femmes Fatalistic. Film review – Tom Jennings
Venezuela and the postcolonial post-racism of the international left
A recent exchange with a particularly unpleasant member of the international prochavista left resulted in me meditating on the rhetoric and arguments behind the leftist cheerleading of distant regimes.
The individual in question appeared to be a Leninist, which may explain her tone of argument.
A question of ownership: reflections on privatization and the bus drivers' strike
Thoughts on the options to privatization.
Bus drivers in Gostynin, Poland, are striking against the privatization of their company, demanding its communalization. Demanding communalization instead of privatization is still something rather uncommon here but is naturally seen as an alternative. However, the issue of communalization also requires some analysis.
Exit Through the Gift Shop: a Banksy film
This entertaining pseudo-documentary mocks contemporary art’s commercial premises as well as the mystique of individual genius. Tom Jennings laughs at, and with, Banksy.
Bamboozling Contemporary Art. Film review - Tom Jennings
Manchester Class Struggle Forum #4 - The Organisation Question
The next Manchester Class Struggle Forum will host a forum on the organisation question.
Some things to consider:
- Do we need a party?
- Centralism vs Federalism, what do we mean by centralism?
- What kind of party? Mass? Vanguard? Substitutionist?
- Role of the party.
- Basis for Unity.
Stimulating literature:
'The Commune, Paris 1871', published in Solidarity and jointly written by Philippe Guillaume - http://www.marxists.org/archive/brinton/1961/05/paris-commune.htm
The real electorate
Now the pretend vote is finished, the actual vote has begun - the markets are speaking.
In amongst the huge avalanche of political coverage we have seen over the last few days about the Lib Dem/Tory coalition deal, only in a very few cases has the biggest story of all been leaking through - that a small, unelected group of foreign nationals are openly wielding huge influence over Britain's elections.
Workers' struggles in China (April 2010 Part 2)
Summaries and links to news reports of workers' struggles around China from the 16th of April. Ed has written some of these up, so I've included links to his articles in case you missed them and links to any further reports that followed up on those incidents.
16th: Three internet activists jailed in China; hundreds protest courthouse
19th: Laid-off bank workers protest in Beijing
Workers' struggles in Asia (April 2010 Part 2)
Summary and links to news stories of workers' struggles around East Asia (excluding China) from the 16th of April. Ed has written some of these up, so I've included links to his articles in case you missed them and links to any further reports that followed up on those incidents.
Cambodia
20th: Security guards in Siem Reap demand unpaid wages:
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/2010042037630/National-news/siem-reap-security-guards-demand-late-salaries.html
27th: Residents protest planned evictions around a lake.
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/2010042738162/National-news/lake-plan-prompts-protest.html
Indonesia
Precious, directed by Lee Daniels
This tale of the transcendence of wretched suffering retains some integrity despite pushing so many bleeding-heart liberal buttons
Squaring the Vicious Circle. Film review – Tom Jennings
Workers' struggles in China (April 2010 Part 1)
Summaries and links to news reports of workers' struggles around China up to the 15th of April.
8th: A man threw a bottle of ink at the famous portrait of Mao in Tiananmen Square, in an echo of the famous attack during the events of 1989.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/7565768/Chinese-protestor-throws-ink-at-portrait-of-Chairman-Mao.html
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/peterfoster/100033058/an-incident-in-tiananmen/
Workers' struggles in Asia (April 2010 Part 1)
Summary and links to news stories of workers' struggles around East Asia (excluding China) up to the 15th of April.
Cambodia
4th: In another protest over land grabs, 10 villagers were arrested after 400 blocked a highway.
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/2010040536860/National-news/ten-demonstrators-arrested.html
Indonesia
Manchester Class Struggle Forum #3 - National Liberation and Internationalism
The third Manchester Class Struggle Forum will host a discussion on national liberation and internationalism, with a lead off from the World Revolution group.
From the IRA, MPLA and the Viet Minh, to Hezbollah, Hamas and the Tamil Tigers. All these anti-working class groups received support from a number of leftist in the 20th and 21st Centuries.
How To: Small print runs
Because of my background with Black Flag and Freedom I sometimes get asked for advice on sorting out print jobs for small leftie publications. So here's a very quick rundown of the issues you might want to think about.
Generally the prices of printing vary pretty widely depending on what you want out of it, and there's a number of different factors which most printers will ask about:
Paper weight/Size
The uprising in Kyrgyzstan
Some articles on current events in Kyrgyzstan.
While I normally concentrate on East Asia, I'm sure I'm not alone in being interested in events in Kyrgyzstan at the moment. I don't have the time or knowledge to write up a proper account, and so far I have been relying on mainstream media accounts of what is happening.
