News, comment, and analysis
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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