Blogs
France - The Hot Autumn Continues
Two leaflets about recent events. More detail will follow later.
Two leaflets, roughly translated:
Tuesday 19th October: Nanterre – a day of resistance!
Sometimes We Don't Even Get to the Point of Losing...
Reading The American Worker and old Italian operaismo surveys of auto workers, it occurred to me that it would be worth documenting some of my own experiences in wage labor. We often forget how powerful and important first person accounts of what happens to us are. This will be the first in a series of articles on various places I have worked.
In December of 2004 a warehouse I was working in through a temp agency was taken over by the company whose products were stored there. Everyone had to reapply for their jobs and due to my previous experience and the fact that two 'leads' recommended me to the company, I was hired on.
France - The Cold Autumn Hots Up
Despite the colder weather, and the increasing lack of petrol, the social movement is hotting up, fueled by fun, fire and fury. "Operation Snails' Pace", strikes, mini-riots, schools blockades, General Assemblies, occupations, and today the 4th 24 hour "General" Strike since 7th September ...but where is it all going? What contradictions aren't being confronted? Read on...
The Secret In Their Eyes, directed by Juan José Campanella
Tom Jennings finds that there’s rather more than meets the eyes in this entertaining, if excessively clunky, Argentine crime drama
A Brief Encounter With History. Film review – Tom Jennings
A nation of scroungers?
Following up on the Tories' campaign promise to "cut benefits for those who won't work", the government has unveiled a raft of measures to target "benefit cheats", alongside swingeing cuts to welfare. If we're to believe ministers and most of the press, increasing numbers of scroungers who won't work and expect to live on benefits are one of the reasons for the black hole in the nation's finances.
Anglo-Irish aristocrat and current chancellor George Gideon Oliver Osborne didn't waste much time before putting the boot into the poor. In early September he outlined his intent to take on those claiming benefits as a "lifestyle choice", claiming that "the welfare bill is now completely out of control".
Libcom bloggers and other site improvements
Just a quick announcement about some minor improvements we have made to the site, most of which are to give more prominence and easy accessibility of our popular user blogs.
We are constantly making improvements to the site, to try to make it faster, easier to use and better for our users. We often mean to let people know what we've been doing, but mostly we forget.
So this is a roundup of some minor changes and improvements which have just made.
General Strike In France
Yesterday - 12th October - there was a General Strike in France - the third in 5 weeks (the others were Sept. 7th , & Sept. 23rd (see Developing Struggles in France). Possibly as many as 3,500,000 marched in the streets for the withdrawal of the extension of the retirement age from 60 to 62 or from 65 to 67 for those only eligible for State pensions.
The strike was pretty extensive, effecting both French and international capital (for example, Ryanair alone had to cancel over 230 flights).
Labour Intensive, by Sally Madge & Carole Luby
This performance artwork powerfully evokes the blood, sweat and tears of the nurturance underpinning social reproduction, according to Tom Jennings
Denatured Nurture Debate. Art review – Tom Jennings
Venezuela: an election lost is an army gained
As his party loses unilateral control of parliament for the first time since his election, President Hugo Chávez looks to assimilate the working class via military service.
Last month saw a tight photo finish in Venezuela’s parliamentary elections, with President Hugo Chávez’ PSUV (United Socialist Party of Venezuela) gaining a 48% of votes cast to the rightwing opposition MUD (Democratic Unity Table) coalition’s 47%.
Ethical consumerism. Well?
A few thoughts and a little game to see whether we really can buy our way to a better world...
A little while ago the question of boycott politics came up on the libcom forums, where one of the arguments for them is that they allow us to be ethical consumers and move firms towards better behaviour, or at least not help them to act poorly. A small but worthy effort.
Ecuador: the President who cried "¡Golpe!”
Last Thursday, the world was briefly enthralled by events in Quito, Ecuador, where left-leaning President Rafael Correa called his followers out onto the streets via a hospital telephone, claiming that a police and military coup d’etat was in motion against his regime. However, upon closer examination, a different picture - one of popular anger with austerity measures and mass reduncancy - emerges...
News channels and radio stations on Thursday night dramatically reported a siege - apparently maintained by a number of insubordinate policemen - of the Quito hospital where Correa was being treated for injuries caused by a tear gas canister thrown at him while he addressed protesting policemen in their barracks.
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, directed by Niels Arden Oplev
Another simplistic Manichean exploration of good and evil helps explain neither violence against women nor what to do about it
Crimes and Misses’ Demeanour. Film review – Tom Jennings
A glimpse into the future of outsourced Britain - expensive, inefficient and on its way
Last month the government's spending watchdog, the Public Accounts Committee, published its report on the Pathways to Work Scheme. The programme, brought in at a cost of over £760 million four years ago, was part of the then government's attempt to target 'welfare cheats' and shift claimants off incapacity benfit and into work.
The report is damning. The programme, which was implemented by private contractors led by A4e and Reed, "universally failed by considerable margins to meet their contractual targets for helping claimants." The report describes how "private providers’ performance was universally poor in helping claimants to go on the programme.
Developing struggles in France
Very brief report on developments in France.
According to a recent report:
Poland's Main Unions Resume Attack against Pluralism
The two largest unions in Poland, Solidarity and OPZZ, are going back to the negotiating table. They have already agreed with the bosses to smash the independent unions.
In such a way, thet look to strengthen their position on the union market. OPZZ, which is a federation of unions, stands to benefit by sucking in the unions (or at least their members) which would be wiped out by a proposed amendment to the Act on Trade Unions.
Manchester Class Struggle Forum #7 - The Significance of the 1984/85 British Coalminers Strike
The next meeting of the Manchester Class Struggle Forum will take place on the subject of The Great Miners' Strike of 1984-85, 'Spikeymike' shall be providing a lead-off.
The miners' strike of 84-85 was the last great example of open class warfare in the United Kingdom, some parts of Yorkshire were turned into a police state, solidarity was sent to the miners from across the world, yet the experience was still a bitter defeat for the working class.
A short introduction shall be given, followed by plenty of time for discussion.
Suggested reading
The Killer Inside Me, directed by Michael Winterbottom
Tom Jennings is disappointed with two films which purport to illuminate and critique violence against women. Part 1: The Killer Inside Me.
Crimes and Mr Manners. Film review – Tom Jennings
Bum Deal Bums Me Out
Only 11 workers refuse illegal bum deal offered by their boss. It is depressing and their victory is needed!
I am talking about the situation of ZEFAM furniture factory workers, from a town called Nowe Miasteczko in the west of Poland. The situation has apparently been going on for months. People were not receiving their salaries, not to mention overtime pay. On August 19, some of them confronted the manager to ask when they'd get paid.
TECHNO-COMMUNISM, a poem
A beautiful poem, here preserved for posterity, by two unknown renegades.
Just mechanized blades slashing about everywhere
An atmosphere utterly hostile to human life
Hopefully, eventually the technology will expand to the entire solar system,
Until eventually all of reality is covered by a beautiful megamachine
Not even a weed will grow
Anywhere
The planet will just be mechanical noise
Heard by no one
Felt by nothing
Imagine that glorious noise!
Azteca Bar Conflict and Campaign Against Illegal Deductions in the Food Service Sector
Conflict at Azteca Bar inspiration for wider campaign.
For some time now we have been aware of several problems which are widespread in the food service industry in Poland. ZSP already started to take on the question of illegal, unpaid trial periods. Now we are also starting to deal with the problem of illegal deductions and fines taken from people's salaries.
