Phil's blog
Militant anti-fascism and the Occupy movement
A brief overview of the ideas behind militant anti-fascism, and why physically confronting the far-right is necessary. Aimed at people who've been taken in by the idea of pacifism as an absolute, but specifically the Occupy movement and those camping at Occupy Liverpool.
On the very first night that Occupy Liverpool set up camp, at the base of Wellington's Column, members of the English Defence League showed up. This wasn't unexpected in the context of previous and continued hostility by the EDL towards the Occupy movement, but it did raise some concerns.
Unite sells out Sparks over legal challenge to strike
On Tuesday, 81.6% of mechanical and electrical workers at Balfour Beatty voted in favour of strike action. This followed a highly militant direct action campaign by the Sparks rank-and-file group forcing the union to up the ante. However, now that the employer has used the anti-strike laws to overturn the ballot, the strength of the rank-and-file movement will really be tested.
The threat of a legal challenge should come as no surprise in this instance. Balfour Beatty is, as Unite the Union point out, the "ringleader" in forcing through the new BESNA agreement. They are also one of the main players in the continued blacklisting of trade unionists from construction work.
I'm striking on N30 because...
...the ruling class is attacking all of us, not just our pensions but our jobs, benefits, public services and communities. It's about time we fought back.
The unions are making this a pensions dispute, and the union tops will be looking for the first concession decent enough to be able to pull out and still call it a victory. But we all know it's about so much more than that. We know that this is the first blow in an all-out attack on the working class.
What is wrong with crossing a picket line?
Since being brought to the attention of people striking on November 30, the no-strike union Voice has come in for some stick on Facebook and Twitter. They take exception to this, and argue in a blog that their views and their right to not strike ought to be respected. For them, and others who might be of a similar view, here's a quick guide to what exactly is wrong with crossing a picket line.
The context of this is, of course, the upcoming strikes on 30 November. 20 unions are striking, and around 3 million workers will be not only withdrawing their labour but taking to the streets and protesting in one of the biggest trade union days of action in recent history.
Austerity Kills
Phil Dickens stresses the importance of fighting the cuts to welfare following the deaths of Mark and Helen Mullins.
Tuesday, 8 November 2011
Fascism, fundamentalism, and the left
Looking at the relationship between fascism, islamism and class, and the response of the left.
Since the May General Election, we have been witnessing the slow demise of British fascism as we know it. The British National Party’s spectacular failure tore open divisions and animosities that had been long brewing below the surface. Resignations, sackings, splits, and general disorder have turned the party in on itself.
The revolutionary potential of “social scum”
Some thoughts on the possibility for a progressive politics of the excluded and Marxism's deep fear and loathing of the 'lumpen proletariat'.
Media pundits, politicians, and the outraged chattering classes often go on about the “underclass.”
