Articles by James Ivens, Equity (UK actors' union) member

On Tuesday, July 25, Boris Kagarlitsky, a well-known left-wing university teacher in Moscow, was arrested. It appears as if a political purge is going on in the country. This arrest came only a few days […]

On Tuesday July 25th, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters announced a tentative agreement (TA) with UPS, calling off the strike of 350,000 workers that was set to begin on August 1st. UPS Teamsters are the […]

Frightening highs of over 40oC is the reality in southern Europe. Parts of southern Iberia have been labelled as ‘extreme-risk’ zones, with nearly 75% of the territory of the Spanish state being considered ‘at risk’. […]

“Voters were pissed off with us”. That response of a Tory MP to two crushing by-election defeats on 20 July was putting it mildly. A 24% swing from the Tories to Labour in Selby and […]

In August 2017, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (Local 174) was negotiating a new contract with concrete company Glacier Northwest. Concrete truck drivers reported to work, turned on their trucks, left the full containers of […]

Note: The  article below was written in May 2023,  by Tom Hoffman, a member of the German section of the CWI (Sol -Socialist Organisation Solidarity). From the end of last year, young Sol members, who […]

Up to 6,000 people joined last Wednesday’s “Zero Tolerance for Racism” march in central Helsinki, demanding the fall of the National Conservative/Basic Finns-led far-right coalition, just one month after it the government was formed. The […]

If a poll is conducted in Nigeria today asking average Nigerians how they have fared since May 29 when President Bola Tinubu came to power, the prevailing answer is likely going to be a tale […]

On 15/16 July, an international meeting was convened by a number of left organisations in Milan, Italy. Twenty-four organisations of diverse political tendencies meet and debated the international situation. The meeting included Trotskyists, anarchists, and […]

In May, the Oxford Union Debating Society, with its £150-a-year membership fee, met to discuss the class basis of politics. Dave Nellist, former Labour MP and now a member of the Socialist Party’s national committee, […]

The amendments to the Employment Equity Act (EAA) signed into law by President Cyril Ramaphosa and due to take effect on 1st September 2023, has given rise to a new flare up of racial tensions. […]

Workers in Tara Mines in Navan, Ireland, have voted to accept the proposals from the management of the mine. This was recommended by the three unions representing the workers; SIPTU, Unite, and Connect, following negotiations […]

A year and a half after the “turning point” proclaimed by German Chancellor Scholz, not a day goes by without reports of disputes within the “traffic light” coalition ruling Germany, the right-wing populist AfD (Alternative […]

It came as disturbing news that June was the hottest month ever recorded in the UK and the planet had its two hottest days ever at the start of July. What did the Tory government […]

Egypt’s economy goes from bad to worse. Workers and the poor suffer even more sharply as a result. Food prices shot up 59% in May, forcing many to a single meal a day. Even middle-class […]

Shortly before the Iranian New Year, on March 23rd, the Iranian Ministry of Labour decided to increase the minimum wage by 27%. Sounds large, but with this decision, the government broke its own law. According […]

After 27 weeks of mass demonstrations, the anti-Netanyahu democracy demonstrations are experiencing a new upsurge, with daily demonstrations outside the homes of members of parliament, as well as thousands demonstrating in Ben Gurion Airport, and […]

As we go to press, Rishi Sunak is trumpeting his upcoming ‘big’ announcement on the NHS. The idea that this out-of-touch millionaire head of a dysfunctional government and a party tearing itself apart can save […]

“Democratic capitalism” is in crisis, warns Martin Wolf, chief economics commentator at the Financial Times, in his new book. Such is the severity of this crisis its very survival is in question. Wolf confirms early […]

Originally published in Socialism Today, monthly magazine of the Socialist Party (CWI England & Wales). ‘Mao and Markets’ is an attempt to educate the US capitalist class about the peculiar character of China and to […]

The news that Tara Mines, in Navan, Country Meath, has been placed under care and maintenance until further notice, with indefinite layoffs, has shocked the workers and local community and plunged them into great uncertainty. […]

On June 16th, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters announced that 97% of UPS Teamsters voted to authorize a strike if we can’t reach a strong tentative agreement by August 1st. If UPS workers strike this […]

During the month of May, two mass shootings took place in Serbia within two days. The first shooting was at a school in Belgrade, carried out by a 13 year old, who killed his school […]

Despite the mass strike and June’s explosive revolt, Macron is continuing to roll out his programme. The substance has not changed: attacking the living conditions of the majority of the population to allow the top […]

The ultimate trump card of capitalist political leaders in underdeveloped countries is to promote racism and religious divisions. The purpose of this article is to examine the nature of the deep economic crisis facing the […]

Thousands of Israeli soldiers, accompanied by drones and armoured bulldozers have invaded Jenin, killing 10 Palestinians, wounding dozens and forcing thousands to flee their homes. The so-called Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) are preventing ambulances from […]

A crisis has hit RTE (Raidió Teilifís Éireann), the Irish state broadcaster, following revelations that undisclosed payments were made to its star presenter, Ryan Tubridy. RTE was forced to apologise after admitting that between 2017 […]

Nahel: another 17-year-old dead, after so many others: Alhoussein, Zineb, Adama, Cédric, Zyed, Bouna… Nahel’s death both shocks and revolts us. The policies of Macron and Darmanin (and Valls and Sarkozy before them) are constantly […]

The past few weeks have been one of intolerable suffering for the workers and oppressed masses of Nigeria as the new capitalist government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu unleashes an avalanche of neo-liberal and anti-poor […]

It is with great sorrow, that I have to report the untimely death of my friend and comrade, Maisoon Assadi. Maisoon was born to a large family in the Arab village of Dir El Assad, […]

‘Brilliant. And serious.’ ‘Exactly what’s needed at this point in time – now we need to get out there!’ These words were echoed by many of the hundreds in attendance at the conference of the […]

In 2015, the Comunidad Valenciana celebrated the end of 16 years under the governance of the People’s Party (PP). The PP lost the absolute majority they had enjoyed in the region since 1999. A coalition […]

As expected, the second round of the Greek general election has resulted in the main party of Greek capitalism, New Democracy (ND), winning an outright majority. To the delight of capitalist commentators internationally, the result […]

In a dramatic turn of events last weekend, the Russian mercenary leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, staged an armed uprising only to turn his fighters back from a march on Moscow after a truce was struck with […]

Jonas Grampp is a member of the youth group of the Berlin region of the German Railway and Transport Union (EVG) and of the youth representative committee of DB Netz AG, the railway infrastructure division […]

The economic rush to the bottom and the callousness of capitalism is seen in the recent Greek boat tragedy. On 13 June, a boat carrying an estimated 750 refugees capsized. Seventy-eight are confirmed dead, while […]

Politics are hot and cold in Austria these days. The leadership race at the Austrian Social Democratic Party (SPÖ) June 3rd party congress saw the election, as Chair, of Andreas Babler, a former Socialist Youth […]

Far-right and fascist activity have not abated in Ireland over the past few months. Instead, it has intensified and widened. From Inch in Co. Clare to Portrush in Co. Antrim far-right forces increasingly feel confident […]

Esteban Volkov, the grandson of Leon Trotsky, sadly passed away on 16 June 2023. For many decades, Volkov courageously defended the ideas and historic role of Leon Trotsky. “Our director, comrade, and friend Esteban Volkov […]

“Unite or die” because our party is facing an “existential threat”, Rishi Sunak, the British Prime Minister, warned the Tories nine months ago when he first became their leader and therefore – without the electorate […]

From its foundation, DIE LINKE (Left Party) was an amalgamation of political currents, some of which had contradictory ideas of left politics. Roughly speaking, one could for a long time speak of a left camp […]

The arrest on corruption charges by police, and then release of the former Pakistani Prime Minister and cricketing celebrity, Imran Khan, have been followed by a massive wave of repression aimed at destroying and decapitating […]

Seventy-five years on from the arrival of the Windrush ship from Jamaica, HUGO PIERRE, a Black male members rep on the Unison trade union national executive council (writing in a personal capacity), traces the experiences […]

Since 9 July 2021, a remarkable story of a working-class fightback has developed in Campi Bisenzio, on the industrial outskirts of Florence, Italy. On that day, the entire 500-strong workforce of GKN Driveline Firenze, a […]

In the presidential run-off election on 28 May, the incumbent Recep Tayyip Erdogan was re-elected as Turkey’s president, beating his opponent from the Kemalist Republican People’s Party (CHP) Kemal Kilicdaroglu by less than three million […]

When the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) announced an indefinite general strike to respond to the provocative removal of petrol subsidy by the newly elected administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, we of the Democratic Socialist […]

On May 14th, Thailand voters came out resoundingly against the nine-year military rule by casting their votes for anti-junta parties. The newly formed Move Forward Party (MFP) became the biggest party in parliament by winning […]

At a time of increasing turmoil in the US and globally, Bernie Sanders has produced a devastating critique of capitalism. But unfortunately, not with a clear path to a real socialist and democratic alternative. This […]