Stamp out anti-Semitism, rebuild the socialist left
Socialism Today condemns the horrific anti-Semitic Bondi beach terror attack. We stand in solidarity with the victims of the attack, their families, the Jewish community, and the Bondi community. Victims of the murderous act include a child just 10 years old and a survivor of the holocaust. There can be no justification for these deadly…
Massive Mobilisations in Solidarity with Palestine Across Australia
Nationwide protests against Israeli genocide in Gaza took place in every major city across Australia on Sunday, 24 August. Organisers claim this is the single biggest gathering for Palestine since the 7 October attacks in 2023. There was an estimated total of over 300,000 in attendance across the disparate nation of 30 million.
Capitalism has abandoned the fight against climate change
2024 was the hottest year on record. The last 10 years have been the 10 hottest years on record. It has now been 48 years since the earth had a colder than average year.
2025 Australian federal election: Labor returns but without a working class mandate
Sidney Dalvey The Australian Labor Party has won a landslide election victory. The opposition Coalition has slumped to the lowest proportion of seats it’s ever held since the launch of the Liberal Party. In a country where voting is compulsory, the swing to Labor was strongest in affluent electorates, once the heartland of conservative politics.…
Time for independent unions to stand candidates against the ALP
After the events that unfolded in the latter half of 2024 no union can remain affiliated with the Australian Labor Party. If the current crop of leaders are unable to disaffiliate from the anti-worker ALP union members need to replace these so-called leaders with those who will.
Lessons from the US election: the dead end of lesser evilism
Sidney Dalvey Donald Trump just won the US Presidential election. For many his victory is painful. The blatant misogyny, the open racism, the disregard for facts and reason. The man is odious. For others these were not a factor. Either they didn’t care or they were happy to overlook it because their lives are worse…
US elections: Trump’s return heralds upheavals
Robert Bechert, CWI International Secretariat The victory of Trump and his refashioned Republican party clearly opens new chapters in both US and world history. For many in a polarised US this victory of right populism will strike more than a note of fear, especially among women fearing attacks on their reproductive rights and migrants fearing…
Julian Assange released after 14 years in inhuman conditions for exposing war crimes of America
Anton McCabe (UK National Executive Council, National Union of Journalists – personal capacity) The release of Julian Assange is a win for a world-wide campaign. Journalists’ unions have been the backbone of that campaign. It is also a blow against the creeping censorship across the ‘Western democracies’. This was not an act of mercy from…
The nine-year war against the International Criminal Court
Tony Saunois (Secretary of the CWI) The recent decision by the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Karim Khan, to seek arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his defence minister, Yoav Gallant, and leaders of Hamas, was a significant blow against the Israeli regime and those defending the war on Gaza.…
Middle East tinder box
For most of April Iran and Israel appeared to be teetering on the brink of an all-out war, which could have engulfed the whole of the Middle East in flames. The month opened with Israeli missiles flattening the Iranian consulate in Damascus, killing sixteen, including a top general and eight other officers of the Islamic…
Build public housing now
Sidney Dalvey There is a housing crisis in Australia. Renters have seen prices sky rocket. Mortgagees are struggling under the weight of relentless interest rate hikes. Public housing waiting lists are in the thousands or tens of thousands in every state. The ranks of the homeless swell. This is the anarchy of the market on…
The Struggle for a Revolutionary Party Today
Tony Saunois, CWI Secretary The protracted crisis of global capitalism which is developing at an increasing speed and tempo accompanies an unprecedented crisis in leadership and, partially, the organisation of the working class. The absence of mass revolutionary parties and even of reformist mass workers’ parties has left an enormous political vacuum. The need for…
Iinternational Womens Day 2024 | Women fighters of the 1871 Paris Commune
Cécile Rimboud, Gauche Révolutionnaire (CWI France) If the development of a society can be judged by the extent to which women are involved in it, that is certainly the case with a revolution. In 1871, women – especially women workers – played a huge role in the Paris Commune, despite significant hindrances. These heroic women…
Marxists and the 1973 Arab-Israeli war
Just over fifty years after the Arab-Israeli war fought from 6 to 25 October 1973 – also known as the Yom Kippur war as it began with a surprise attack against Israel on the Jewish holy day – Socialism Today is reprinting an article first published in November 1973. Written by Peter Taaffe for an internal bulletin…
Capitalism in global crisis and conflict, and the struggle for socialism
The following document was voted on and agreed by a meeting of the International Executive Committee of the Committee for a Workers’ International (to which Socialism Today is affiliated), which convened in London from 15-19 January 2024. Delegates to the IEC attended from Europe, Asia, Africa and North and South America. An unprecedented new era…
2023 hottest year ever – the capitalism system is guilty!
Roy Wills, first published by The Socialist, weekly paper of the Socialist Party (England & Wales) There were clearly massive benefits that came from the Industrial Revolution, as well as the horrors of early modern capitalism but those involved may not have appreciated the full significance of their actions. Because, many megatonnes of toxic fumes…
Far right victory in Argentina presidential election – working class needs to prepare for impending battles!
Tony Saunois The far-right libertarian candidate in Argentina’s presidential run-off elections, Javier Milei, has won a large victory, taking over 55% of the national vote and beating the Peronist candidate, Sergio Massa, who won 44% of the vote. Meli, a far right economist and TV star won most provinces with the exceptions of Formosa, Santiago…
Building a movement to stop the war on Gaza
Below we publish an article by Hannah Sell, General Secretary of the Socialist Party in England and Wales (sister organisation of Socialism TODAY), on what is required to build a movement against the war on Gaza. Capitalism has no solutions to the conflict. Only by building independent socialist organisations in Palestine and Israel and fostering…
Israel-Palestine: Build independent workers’ organisations to fight for socialist change
Capitalism and its political representatives are totally incapable of meeting any of the needs of working-class and poor people anywhere on the globe. All that is on offer is a never-ending diet of war, poverty, oppression and repression. This message has been amplified by the bloody events in the Middle East over the past few…
Mass united workers’ struggle to stop the war on Gaza!
As we go to press, the death toll in Gaza continues to mount. Latest reports are that over 3,000 Palestinians have been killed and 12,500 wounded. The Gaza Strip is completely blockaded, with no aid – no food, medicine or fuel – allowed in, and clean water running short. Over a million Gazans have been…
The Voice Defeated: A Socialist Perspective
Sidney Dalvey Before polls had closed in Western Australia the result was in. The Voice referendum was defeated. Voted down by all states and a national majority. Only the Australian Capital Territory voted yes. The campaign predictably saw the culture warriors on the far right dog whistle and stoke confected rage, while the confused message…
Israel-Palestine: 30 years since the Oslo accord – will there ever be a Palestinian state?
Judy Beishon As we go to press, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has declared that Israel is “at war” after Hamas launched rockets across the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel and Hamas fighters entered Israel. This comes after 18 months of growing tensions and outbreaks of violence in both Gaza and the West…
What Causes Inflation?
TU Senan “We understand better now how little we understand about inflation,”[i] commented Jerome Powell, Chair of the US Federal Reserve (the Fed), when inflation reached its highest level since the late 1970s in 2022. At the same time, the Governor of the Bank of England (BoE) admitted that they are unable to control what he…
China : A new economic conjuncture
Philip Stott and Lence Law The multiple problems facing China’s state capitalist economy have grown significantly during 2023. The western capitalist press is full of often self-serving analysis predicting the end of the ‘Chinese miracle’. In addition, ratcheting tensions between China and the US have led to severe trade embargoes – first under Donald Trump…
Chile’s 7 May election a rejection of the ruling political caste
Celso Calfullán, Committee for a Workers’ International (CIT-Chile) The elections on 7 May show us, once again, that the people are tired of the corrupt political caste that rules Chile. In the elections there were more than 34% spoiled, blank or ‘none of the above’ votes. In other words, a third of the electoral roll…
Britain: A socialist charter for LGBTQ+ rights
Below we republish a recent article from the Michael Johnston, Socialist Party (CWI in England and Wales), updating their charter on LGBTQ+ rights. Many of the issues raised mirror those faced here in Australia. The next general election will be fought on a “mix of culture wars and trans debate,” according to Tory deputy chairman…
Leon Trotsky: Lessons of the Paris Commune
The following article by Leon Trotsky was written in 1921 on the 50th anniversary year of the Paris Commune. It is a brilliant analysis of the Commune which draws the most essential lesson from its terrible bloody defeat – the need for a revolutionary party of the working class that can take power and consolidates it.…
Review: ‘Silent Coup – how corporations overthrew democracy’
Reviewed by Tony Saunois (CWI secretary) ‘Silent Coup – how corporations overthrew democracy’ is a devastating critique of the power and control wielded by major conglomerates and the secretive institutions and global legal systems they have built up over decades. They constructed institutions and little-known legal systems which have the potential power to over-rule governments…
Germany: Building Energy Act row shows failure of capitalism to deal with climate change
Sascha Staničić, Sol (CWI Germany) Federal spokesperson A debate in Germany over the Building Energy Act, the so-called “heat transition”, has been boiling up for weeks. The conservative CDU has announced that it will make the fight against this law an issue in every upcoming election campaign. The liberal FDP (which is part of the…
Malaysia: Six months-old coalition government fails to stem political crisis
Yuva Balan, Socialist Alternatif (CWI Malaysia) Last November’s general election in Malaysia was expected by many people to solve the ongoing political crisis plaguing the country since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. Instead, the election saw a hung parliament for the first time in the country’s history, with competing political parties continuing to struggle for state…
France: Mass Mobilisations Continue against Raising Pension Age
The mood of outrage across France at the pension age being raised is not subsiding. This is despite president Macron desperately trying to put it in the past, following it being pushed into law using special constitutional powers without a vote in parliament. On May Day massive protests took place – hundreds of thousands attended…
Turkish President Erdogan faces tough test at presidential and parliamentary elections
Berkay Kartav After being in power unchallenged for two decades, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will be facing his toughest polling test in the upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections on 14th May. This is also the first election since the 2019 local elections. Losing the 2019 mayoral elections in Istanbul and Ankara, the two wealthiest…
Sudan | Revolutionary masses must end generals’ counter-revolutionary violence
Sean Figg A brutal power struggle is under way in Sudan. On 15 April, heavy fighting erupted between different factions of the armed forces. Civilians have abruptly found themselves in war zones, especially in the capital Khartoum. The death toll is already in the hundreds, and thousands are injured. A refugee crisis is developing as…
Israeli government ministers humiliated on ‘Defence Force Memorial Day’
Government ministers were heckled by bereaved parents in memorial services in military cemeteries, up and down the country, on Israel’s Memorial Day for fallen soldiers.
Curtain falls on Sanna Marin’s tenure as prime minister of Finland – A balance sheet of Social Democratic Party rule
As the curtain falls on Sanna Marin’s tenure as prime minister of Finland, the need for a mass working-class socialist party in Finland to provide an alternative to capitalist stagnation and militarism has seldom been more pronounced. Last Sunday’s election brought the conservative National Coalition Party (NCP) back to power just a day after the…
Ukraine army, with Western backing, prepares for spring offensive
The bloody war in Ukraine grinds on, with reportedly hundreds of thousands of deaths and injuries inflicted on both sides. As we enter spring, a new massive offensive appears to be in preparation by the Ukrainian forces, with Western military backing and training. A new even more bloody phase of the war is likely in…
Labor choices mean pain for Australians
Sidney Dalvey The RBA hiked interest rates 10 times in a row to ensure that “inflation returns to target”, the Victorian state budget is set to make “difficult choices”, while the federal budget is reportedly a “difficult balancing act”. All these weasel words, weather from the Governor, the Premier, or the Treasurer, amount to the…
Argentina: the campaign for the acquittal of César Arakaki and Daniel Ruiz Sentenced for fighting in defense of pensions
César and Daniel (militants of the PO and the PSTU, respectively) were prosecuted and sentenced (in November 2021) for their participation in the great mobilization of December 18, 2017, in front of the National Congress, in Buenos Aires, against the pension reform promoted by the government of Mauricio Macri (Together for Change). That day there…
An historic crisis shakes Israeli society
Amnon Cohen, from Socialism Today (Issue 266 April 2023), monthly magazine of the Socialist Party (CWI England & Wales) Weekly mass protests in Tel Aviv, settler violence in the West Bank, and increasing Israeli state repression of Palestinians, Amon Cohen analyses an unprecedented crisis for the Israeli ruling class. On Sunday 26 February, hundreds of…
Iran: ‘Charter’ of independent unions & civil organizations a step forward, but consistent anti-capitalist, socialist approach required
Lukas Zöbelein, Sozialistische Organisation Solidarität (CWI Germany) Early March saw demonstrations across Iran in protest at the apparent chemical attacks against female students that have taken place since last November. This seems to be an organised attempt to intimidate young women who have been at the forefront of the mass opposition the regime has faced…
Sri Lanka: Is the ‘National People’s Movement’ a viable mass alternative?
Siritunga Jayasuriya, United Socialist Party (CWI Sri Lanka) “Go Home Gota” was the slogan with which a new wave of mass struggle started in Sri Lanka in April last year. This struggle then developed into a massive popular uprising, including huge strikes, that by July 2022 had spread across the country. Eventually, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa…
Ukraine war: Roots of the conflict
One year on from the outbreak of the brutal war in Ukraine HANNAH SELL reviews Ukraine and Russia: From Civilized Divorce to Uncivil War, a book that looks back at roots of the current conflict. Republished from socialismtoday.org. A year ago, on 24 February 2022, the world awoke to discover that the Russian president Vladimir…
Marxism, intersectionality, and fighting women’s oppression today
To commemorate International Women’s Day (8 March) we are publishing an article written for Solidarität, the newspaper of the German section of the Committee for a Workers’ International (CWI). Chris Thomas ‘Woman, life, freedom’, ‘Black lives matter’, ‘#Metoo’, ‘Ni una menos’ – protests against shared oppression have been a salient feature of the post-2008 ‘Great…
Growth continues and living standards continue to fall
John Gowland For three decades Australia has experienced almost continual growth, even escaping the 2008 GFC. While there has been a marked decline in living standards for workers in every country, now for the first time in a generation, workers in Australia have been hit hard and are still in a state of shock. New…
State and Revolution
This article by Ryan Aldred is part of an ‘Introduction to Marxism’ series by the Socialist Party, our sister organisation in the UK. Lenin’s State and Revolution was written during the revolutionary upheavals that were taking place in Russia in 1917. By necessity it had to be cut short, as Lenin explains at the end…
Capitalist society convulsed and in turmoil: new challenges and tasks for Marxists and the working class
The following document was agreed by the International Executive Committee of the CWI, 23-27 January 2023 Capitalist society is convulsed and in turmoil. Marxists and the working class face one of the most challenging periods in history. It is essential that we analyse the processes unfolding and face up to the theoretical and programmatic challenges…
Threat of possible strike action looming over new NRL season
The NRL pay dispute highlights issues with how the sport is governed. The main obstacle to resolving the dispute is the intransigence of the body of businessmen running the NRL.
FIFA can’t stop World Cup politics seeping through
This article from Adam Powell-Davies is republished from socialistworld.net Well before a ball was kicked, the 2022 World Cup in Qatar was mired in controversy – especially around corruption, and the Qatari regime’s treatment of workers, women and LGBTQ+ people. Unsurprisingly, new research from Opinium shows that three-quarters of UK football fans think that World…
Centenary of Irish ‘Free State’ – bloody counter revolution carried through
6 December marked the formal centenary of the creation of the ‘Free State’ in Ireland, comprising 26 of the 32 counties on the island, following the Anglo-Irish Treaty. One of the first actions of the new right-wing, militarised bourgeois state was the killing of imprisoned opposition republican figures, including Liam Mellows. Mellows was a leading…
Iranian regime increases repression – step up international solidarity with the street protests and strikes!
This article by Lukas Zöbelein, Sozialistische Organisation Solidarität (CWI Germany), is republished here from socialistworld.net The revolutionary youth movement in Iran has been going on for well over two months. In these 11 weeks, more than 18,000 people have been arrested and more than 400 murdered by the regime. Now a three day strike has…
The roots of women’s oppression
Sozialistische Organisation Solidaritaet, the German section of the CWI, is publishing a new edition of the influential book, The Creation of Patriarchy by Gerda Lerner, first printed in 1986. Below is the introduction to the new edition, written by CHRISTINE THOMAS. The Creation of Patriarchy is a useful contribution to the discussion about women’s oppression…
Afghanistan: ‘Woman – revolution – freedom!’
Below is a statement by the Afghan Socialist Assembly on the International Day of Combating Violence Against Women, held on 25 November. The Afghan Socialist Assembly, a group of socialist activists in Afghanistan, lost a comrade to Taliban attacks, last week, as reported on socialistworld.net, as part of a wider attack from the Taliban. The…
Malaysian general election results in a hung parliament
This article by Yuva Balan, Socialist Alternatif (CWI Malaysia), analyses the recent general election in Malaysia The general election in Malaysia resulted in no coalition being able to form a government with a simple majority. For the first time in its history, Malaysia has a hung parliament, with rival coalitions claiming to have enough support…
Protests over covid policy sweep across China
From CWI reporters on socialistworld.net Just five weeks after the national congress of the ruling ‘communist’ party in China endorsed a third term in office for President Xi Jinping, a wave of protest has swept across this, the most populous country in the world. Demands for the president and his government to resign and for…
Dialectical materialism: The underlying fundamental philosophy of Marxism
This article by Robin Clapp is part of an ‘Introduction to Marxism’ series by the Socialist Party, our sister organisation in the UK. The 21st century has not brought prosperity and security to the vast majority of people on planet earth. Capitalism, fuelled by the profit motive has led to an ever-spiralling wealth gap between…
United States: ISG Stands with Unionizing Starbucks Workers
This article by Sam Skinner was orginally published by our sister organisation in the United States, Independent Socialist Group (ISG). In mid-July, the Starbucks workers in Biddeford, Maine, joined the ranks of over 200 other recently organized Starbucks locations by winning their union vote, officially joining Starbucks Workers United (SBWU). Workers across the country have…
Malaysia: Fractured political parties head into general election as economy worsens
Malaysians head to the polls today (19 November 2022) in a period of political instability that this election will not resolve. This article orginally appeared on sosialisalternatif.org, website of our sister organisation in Malaysia. In the midst of monsoon season which is expected to cover 25% of the landmass in Malaysia with heavy floods, the…
Ukraine and the anti-war movement
By Hannah Sell and originally posted on SocialismToday.org Eight months ago the world woke up to the news of Putin’s brutal invasion of Ukraine. Since then, in addition to the horrendous consequences for the peoples of Ukraine, and for the Russian soldiers dying on its battlefields, the war has had repercussions for the whole world.…
Solidarity With Tugboat Workers
John Gowland Almost 600 tugboat workers have been threatened with an indefinite lockout from 17 ports this Friday (18th November). Tugboat company Svitzer has dodged and delayed negotiations with workers who have suffered an effective wage freeze since their agreement expired in 2019. If the company’s irresponsible action is allowed to go ahead it will…
Global Warning: Socialism and the climate crisis
by MATT DOBSON and originally published on SocialismToday.org Three decades of international climate summits and capitalism has failed to get to grips with the climate crisis. All the fundamental problems remain and are worsening. Carbon emissions are rising, as are temperatures, with climate scientists warning that the planet will reach a tipping point if temperatures…
US Midterm elections – new upheavals to come
Originally published on socialistworld.net Although the final tally of the US midterm elections will not be finalised until December, it is clear that the expected ‘red wave’ Republican victory failed to materialise and was more of a ripple. It seems likely that the Republican Party (the GOP) will retake a majority in the House of…
Sri Lanka: Socialism TODAY supports the call for international day of action
Orginally published on socialistworld.net The Movement for Peoples Councils (MPC) in Sri Lanka, together with IUSF (Inter University Student Federation), is appealing to the workers, students and youth, internationally, to support the struggle in Sri Lanka. As a first step, they request organisations to call a protest on 9th of November (or in that week) outside the…
Australian Billionaires Pay No Tax While The Rest Suffer Huge Falling Living Standards
John Gowland Karijini, Western Australia has stunning gorges. However, not many will be able to afford to visit now. Petrol prices are skyrocketing. Throughout Australia inflation is taking hold and it is starting to bite. Many Western Australians are saying they can no longer afford the huge petrol prices to travel long distances. ABC News…
Socialist Change To End Climate Change
Mick Suter World leaders will soon meet in Egypt for COP 27 to discuss progress to save the world from climate catastrophe. The statement from the event will trumpet minor progress and vague sanitised aims for future action, however, little of substance will eventuate. Capitalism is incapable of real action on the climate. 2022 has…
Egypt’s repressive regime a hypocritical host of COP27
This article from David Johnson first appeared on socialistworld.net Those attending the COP27 United Nations climate change conference at the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh won’t see the environment most Egyptians live in. Blue sea and sky, coral reefs, air-conditioned hotels and conference centres contrast starkly with Cairo’s choking smog. It’s one of the…
Cost of living in Australia starts to bite
John Gowland Inflation is now running at 7.3% and wages, tied to past agreements or base level awards, are rising at just 2.6% – a cut in real terms. As elsewhere in capitalist countries the cost of living has skyrocketed. Food, interest rates, rents, mortgages, utilities, and petrol, every family expenditure has been hit hard.…
What is Marxist economics?
Steve Score, from Socialism Today (monthly journal of the Socialist Party – CWI England & Wales), October 2022 issue We live in a world where historically undreamt-of wealth exists, where technology has been developed in a way that was only envisaged in science fiction, where enough food, shelter and the basics of life could be…
New phase in Ukraine war fuels instability of global capitalism
Statement by the International Secretariat of the Committee for a Workers’ International (CWI) The following is a statement by the International Secretariat of the Committee for a Workers’ International (CWI) on the new phase in the Ukraine war; a conflict that is partly a result of the intense tensions between world capitalist powers, and which,…
Eastern Australia floods – a disaster that could have been avoided
John Gowland The floods all along the eastern coast of Australia were and continue to be a disaster. For the most part, by mid-March, the floods are starting to dissipate. But they have left devastating consequences. The city of Brisbane, in Queensland and, north Sydney, in New South Wales, suffered major flooding, the worst recorded…
New South Wales nurses and midwives strike over understaffing and pay
Jon Dale Tens of thousands of nurses and midwives in New South Wales, at 150 hospitals, held a one-day strike on 15 February. They were driven to this after years of understaffing have been acutely worsened by covid. A huge 99% of New South Wales Nurses and Midwives Association branches voted to strike. The Omicron…
Why are there big discrepancies in Australian states’ covid infection rates?
John Gowland In the Western Australian (WA) 2021 state elections, held in March, the Australian Labor Party (ALP), led by Mark McGowan, won a huge majority, gaining 53 seats in a 59-lower house. This represents the biggest state or federal election victory in the history of Australia (That is a 90% majority, almost unheard of…
Australian federal government backs the ‘carbon club’ over climate action
The coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 coming to the shores of Australia in early 2020 certainly came at an opportune time for the Australian government. At the end of 2019 and the beginning of 2020 (commonly now known as, the ‘Black Sumer’), devastating bushfires impacted New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, and the Australian Capital Territory. This inferno caused…
100,000 protest across Australia demanding end to sexual violence against women
Over 100,000 Australians recently demonstrated across the country on the March4Justice, demanding an end to sexual violence against women. The demonstrations took place in capital cities across the country, including a large rally at Parliament House in Canberra on 9 March. Capturing the anger directed at the Australian Prime Minister, one sign read: “So I…
Australian economy entering choppy waters
John Gowland Prior to the covid pandemic, the Australian economy entered its first recession in 30 years. Following this contraction, the economy bounced back out of recession. Based on a recent surge in mining exports the economy grew, according to AP news. However, the economy is by no means in safe waters. For 27 years the…
Hotel covid quarantine regime exposes effects of casualisation and cuts
On 12 February 2021 news quickly spread that Victoria state, Australia, was once again heading into pandemic lockdown. Like Groundhog Day, the lockdown was required due to the failures of the Daniel Andrews’ (Labor Party Premier of Victoria) hotel quarantine regime. While Victorians hope this does not result in the third wave of infections, the…
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