Blogs

Zimbabwe – crawling between imperialist masters

Mugabe and Xi meeting

The removal of Mugabe means only that the ruling elite will seek new imperialist links to solve the economic mess the country is in. Zimbabwe demonstrates for the nth time that "national liberation" in the epoch of imperialism means liberation only for the indigenous bourgeoisie linked to the world order of capitalism.

The effects of the Hillsborough disaster and police cover up

The frontpage on the left is the infamous smear paper

Steve Kelly is the brother of one of the 96 Liverpool FC fans crushed to death in 1989 in Hillsborough, this is his account of how the police treated the families of the victims and the impact of the coverup and media smears.

Living The Dream in Global Union Federations

Latest episode of Living The Dream - a podcast hosted at The Word From Struggle Street blog

Albert Woodfox Black Panther and Prison Organiser in his own words

Albert Woodfox a Black Panther member in Louisiana helped found the Angola Prison chapter of the party to help organise prisoners and resist violence and exploitation from the guards. In retaliation he was forced to spend over 44 years in solitary confinement. The longest solitary confinement term given out in the US prison system.

The Communist Left and Marxist Humanism - Part 2/2 The ‘Unfinished American Revolution’

Raya Dunayevskaya 1963  American Civilization on Trial: Black Masses as Vanguard

Effort to a discussion between the Communist Left and the Marxist-Humanist internationalists, including the latter theoretical-historical source of actual analyses: Raya Dunayevskaya’s 1963 American Civilization on Trial: Black Masses as Vanguard.

Living the Dream whilst #qldvotes2017

Latest episode of that Living The Dream podcast - hosted at the radical Brisbane blog The Word From Struggle Street

Universal Credit - Universal Torment: once more an attack on the conditions of the whole working class

The official line is that universal credit is being introduced to make things easier, simpler, gather a multitude of payments together to benefit people generally. As if fine-tuning bourgeois bureaucracy is a matter for anyone apart from itself and those it serves. The reality for those on the receiving-end is catastrophic to say the least.

Fighting to win: Thoughts on strike tactics

With railway workers, cleaners, cinema workers, food couriers, and posties either having come out on strike or due to, 2017 has seen marginal uptick in industrial action. This is a heartening sign, but with so few of us having strike experience, we need to make sure we're thinking tactically.

Workers' Inquiry: Class War Strategies, San Francisco Zinn Bookfair, 19 Nov 2017

Half Moon Bay Burger King wages

San Francisco's unemployment rate is 2.8%, an all-time low. The causes are various, but it's clearly due to the tech boom and astronomically high housing costs creating a massive labor shortage. This inquiry draws on participants' workplace situation -- borrowing from Silver's Forces of Labor -- to find ways to strengthen workers associational and structural power to leverage this condition for working class advantage.

Solidarity appeal for the renovation of Gondolkodó Autonomous Bookshop, Budapest 2017

Gondolkodó Autonóm Antikvárium

Appeal for financial support of autonomous bookshop in Budapest, Hungary

Liverpool 1981 - An Eye Witness Account of the Toxteth Riots

A personal account of the racist policing which sparked riots in the Toxteth area of Liverpool in 1981.

Dead fascist poets society: why CasaPound are no book club

The liberal commentariat seems to be completely unable to resist the allure of the far-right. The latest example: an article on Literary Hub that portrays violent neo-fascist gang CasaPound as some sort of edgy poetry club.

Jeremy Irons: Actor Scab

Jeremy Irons is a scab

Hollywood Thesp Jeremy Irons told striking workers to be "reasonable" so that he could read some poems.

Durham Teaching Assistants – Not Finished Yet?

The solidarity and determination of the Durham Teaching Assistants has been an inspiration to other workers throughout the North East and beyond. More than once they refused to accept a deal which would have meant a complete cave-in.

Giuseppe Pinelli - Death of an Anarchist

A radio interview by the BBC History Hour program on the death of the Anarchist Railway worker Giuseppe Pinelli and a discussion of the Strategy of Tension period of Italian politics.

The Communist Left and Marxist Humanism - Part 1 On Trump and Neo-Fascism

Neo-Fascists march in Charlottesville

The rise of ultra-right in the United States, with the barely hidden encouragement of Trump, is worrying. Not only the American proletariat, but the international working class as a whole is threatened by repressive trends.

The 43 Group: an interview and evaluation

Some information about the 43 Group and its impact.

Bakkavor Factory Newsletter Issue #1

Bakkavor runs four factories and one warehouse in our area, employing around 3,500 permanent and agency workers. We have been in and around the factories for a while, this is our first newsletter specifically dedicated to Bakkavor workers, in Gujarati and Tamil translation. Main issue is the recent pay deal.

Reflections on the Counsel of Clowns, Anarchists and Social Movements

Ex-Caserma Liberata

Ex-Caserma Liberata thought it had something to learn from my movie but I knew the real reason I was in Bari, Italy was to learn from Ex-Caserma Liberata.

Durham Teaching Assistants – Conned by the Labour Movement

The solidarity against injustice and the self-organisation of the Durham Teaching Assistants was, as we wrote in July, an inspiration to other workers throughout the North East and beyond (see leftcom.org). Their refusal to allow 25% of their colleagues to be sacrificed for the sake of a sordid deal with Durham County Council has deservedly earned the TAs (or Lions of Durham as they were labelled) the admiration of many.