Blogs
Workers' struggles in China (July 2010)
Summaries and links to news reports of workers' struggles around China during July up to the 23rd. I've been posting to a Twitter feed as I find stories: http://twitter.com/spartacusnews. I can't continue with it or these summaries for a few months, but it's possible someone else will take over some of it for a while.
libcom articles
Atsumitec Workers Get Pay Raise - http://libcom.org/news/atsumitec-workers-get-pay-raise-22072010 about 17 hours ago
Strike shuts Chinese Honda plants - http://libcom.org/news/strike-shuts-chinese-honda-plants-27052010 17 July 2010 22:49:32
China: Unrest spreads as Honda workers keep striking - http://bit.ly/9LCIKa 17 July 2010 22:49:00
Workers' struggles in Asia (July 2010)
Summary and links to news stories of workers' struggles around East Asia (excluding China) during July up to the 23rd, and also some from the Indian Subcontinent that I came across whilst searching. I've been posting to a Twitter feed as I find stories: http://twitter.com/spartacusnews. I can't continue with it or these summaries for a few months, but it's possible someone else will take over some of it for a while.
libcom articles
Cambodian union calls off garment strike - http://libcom.org/news/cambodian-union-calls-garment-strike-13072010
Cambodian government and unions agree wage increase; strikes could still be on - http://bit.ly/9JZSXH
WSWS: Workers' Struggles in Asia Summaries
Workers Collapse Easily - Capitalism Needs A Little Push
In the third week of a heat wave, more about more workers in Warsaw are collapsing in the street.
Over the last three weeks I have witnessed five times how exhausted people performing physical work in the streets have either collapsed or needed medical attention.
Recent anarchist academic conference
Papers from last month's 'Rethinking Anarchy: Anarchism and World Politics' are available online.
Haven't had a chance to read any and many seem way waffley but someone might find em interesting.
It was organised by the Anarchist Studies Network, a specialist group focusing on anarchism of the Political Studies Association (PSA).
http://anarchist-studies-network.org.uk/Rethinking_Anarchy%3A_Anarchism_and_International_Relations
Another Union Protest without Workers, Another Missed Opportunity
Late on July 13 I received by personal email an invitation from "workers of TPSA" to join a picket in front of the French Embassy the next day. (TPSA is owned by France Telecom.)
Having a number of contacts with rank and file workers at the company, I assumed this explained the invitation and, without making any phone calls to check, I managed to get there during my break at work.
Manchester Class Struggle Forum: Anarcho-Syndicalism
The next meeting of the Manchester Class Struggle Forum will be on the subject of Anarcho-Syndicalism.
What is anarcho-syndicalism? How do anarcho-syndicalist unions differ from existing workers' organisations? Do anarcho-syndicalist strategies have any value in 21st Century Britain, or are they 80 years out of date and several countries out of place? Or are anarcho-syndicalist strategies the tool we need to fight back in a period of savage cuts and declining living standards?
Workers' struggles in Asia (June 2010)
Summary and links to news stories of workers' struggles around East Asia (excluding China) during June, and also some from the Indian Subcontinent that I came across whilst searching. 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
Sleepless nights for bosses in the Bangladeshi garment sector
Strikes at Air India to continue despite sackings
WSWS: Workers' Struggles in Asia Summaries
28th of June ( http://www.wsws.org/articles/2010/jun2010/wkrs-j26.shtml )
19th of June ( http://bit.ly/dAA2si )
Erasing David, directed by David Bond
This enterprising demonstration of biopolitical domination is too blinkered to transcend liberal agendas.
Eraserhead, Not. Television review – Tom Jennings
Workers' struggles in China (June 2010)
Summaries and links to news reports of workers' struggles around China during June. 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 , please follow it: http://twitter.com/spartacusnews .
This month the strike wave that started in May has continued, as has the governments relatively hands-off, even supprtive approach, and the western media's confused approach. Some think it's a good thing as it will help China switch to a domestically orientated economy, saving the world economy and magically bringing democracy to China a la Solidarinosc.
Bi-Polar economics in Venezuela
In another inversion of leftist determinism, an attempt by Chávez' embattled administration to expropriate Venezuela's largest remaining private company was thwarted earlier this month, in part due to organised opposition by employees looking to protect both their jobs and their hard-won working conditions.
Empresas Polar is as central to Venezuelan capitalism as Coca Cola or Ford are to the American version.
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
