Archive

On June 26, the Australian federal parliament passed the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation Legislation Amendment (Terrorism) Bill 2002 (ASIO Bill). This bill, introduced by the right wing Liberal government of John Howard, marks the end […]

Under the current healthcare system, 42 million people have no healthcare coverage. The US spends more money on healthcare than any other country, yet tens of millions aren’t covered.

Lula government’s pension "reform" bill passed first reading in House of Representatives with most PT lefts voting in favour.

At the beginning of July 1,100 asylum seekers from Afghanistan were ordered to leave the country. The government wants to send them back, because, they claim, “the war is finished”. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Foreign […]

“Occupy and resist”, that is the cry in the encampment Santo Dias, with more than 7,000 people camping in Volkswagen’s plot of land in São Bernardo do Campo, in the São Paulo state.

Introduction

The US superpower’s quick victory over a fourth-rate military power allowed Bush and the neo-conservative hawks who run the US government, such as Cheney, Rumsfeld, and Wolfowitz, to emerge temporarily strengthened. The US victory in […]

More than 4,000 homeless managed to occupy four abandoned high-rise blocks in the centre of São Paulo on early 21 July.

As we head into the second half of the third year of the reign of George Bush the Younger, the hatred of millions of workers, youth, and people of color against him and his neo-conservative […]

The civil servants strike against the Lula governments pension ‘reform’, that began on the 8 July, is growing.

Less then 6 months after Australian Government joined the US in the War on Iraq, Prime Minister John Howard is about to launch his own ’Coalition of the Willing’ in what can only be described […]

One of Lula’s promises in the election campaign was to deal with unemployment. But unemployment has continued to increase every month since he became president. The official unemployment level is 12.8 per cent. But the […]

One of the most vicious recent attacks was on the home of a Muslim family in Craigavon. A gang of up to ten men armed with baseball bats threatened to burn the family out; they […]

"Intelligence gathered by this and other governments leaves no doubt that the Iraq regime continues to possess and conceal some of the most lethal weapons ever devised."

Bush administration hawks will consider their victory in Iraq a vindication of their aggressive, militaristic approach to world problems, and that nothing will stop them from bulldozing ahead with their right-wing agenda. In reality, they […]

In the last few weeks, the UUP has been convulsed by its most profound crisis since 1974. This crisis will have major consequences for the peace process.

On the 8 July an estimated 350,000 civil servants in Brazil went on an indefinite strike against the pension ‘reforms’ proposed by the Lula government.

The Peace process remains in deep crisis. Despite desperate efforts by the British and Irish governments over the last few months, it has not proved possible to re-establish the Executive, and the Assembly elections have […]

THE FIRST anniversary of the Fianna Fail/Progressive Democrat government was marked by the publication of an opinion poll, that showed support for the government at a record low. Their satisfaction rating of just 28% is […]

A RECENT opinion poll demonstrates that a significant minority of voters in Northern Ireland are sick of the sectarian parties and are looking for an alternative. Up to seventeen per cent declared their intention to […]

"A smooth transition" to the euro for Sweden is predicted by the Financial Times of June 6, if the ‘yes’ vote wins in the referendum on 14 September. But the deepening crisis of the Eurozone […]

Socialist Party (CWI in Ireland) member Carmel Gates has been elected President of NIPSA, Northern Ireland’s largest trade union and the main public sector union. The election took place at NIPSA’s conference last week and […]

"The new wage deal is a sell-out without precedent; our union president, Ylva Thörn, should resign!"

Joe Higgins TD, Socialist Party stated (28 May 2003):

The results of the Belgian elections underline the political instability which has grown over recent years and which is expressed in a growing number of undecided voters and voters changing the party they vote for. […]

The left opposition made important headway at the third National Conference of the Left Bloc (LB), which took place in Lisbon from 4-5 May.

On 29 April, An Bord Pleanala announced that it had refused Enterprise Energy permission to construct a major onshore facility for bringing in natural gas from the Corrib gas field off the coast of Mayo. […]

THE NORTHERN Ireland Office has started the process to privatise the water services in Northern Ireland. Why?

AER LINGUS Catering workers staged a number of protest activities, at the Aer Lingus Head Office Building in the course of April. The protests were held to vent opposition to the announcement by Chief Executive […]

ONLY WEEKS after a report showed how long-term collusion between Britain’s security forces and loyalist paramilitary groups in Northern Ireland had led to murders such as that of Belfast solicitor Pat Finucane, more evidence of […]

THE CAMPAIGNS against bin charges around Dublin are gearing up for battle as the government is preparing to introduce a new "Environmental Waste Management Act" with powers to stop collection to non-payers.

"At last we are fighting back – this is a strike we’ve been waiting for!" That is the overwhelming feeling among the more than 50,000 workers on strike in Sweden from Monday, 12 May.

WITH ONLY days to go before the close of nominations and even though campaigning was already under way, Tony Blair has called off the Northern Ireland Assembly elections. Despite his assurance that they will go […]

The council workers’ strike in Sweden has the support of 84 per cent of the population according to opinion polls. Low paid, mainly women workers in hospitals, schools and childcare are fighting for wage increases […]

On 17 April more than 2,500 workers from the threatened Cockerill steel works went to Luxemburg to protest against the planned closure of a part of their factory near Liège. Members of the Linkse Socialistiche […]

On 3 April 2003, Lisbon saw a 1000-strong demo of university students from all over Portugal, protesting against the most recently announced increase in student tuition fees. The protest blocked traffic completely in some of […]

The mass movements against war and the power struggles between and within the different ruling classes over the last few months have produced one unprecedented event after another.

THE LOOMING US-led war on Iraq is causing uncertainties for capitalist investors. However, one section of big business hopes that a post-Saddam Iraq will become a lucrative venture.

The newly elected PT (Workers’ Party) led government of Lula in Brazil has aroused massive expectations and demands for change amongst the workers, peasants and others exploited by capitalism. Millions of workers, youth and peasants […]

Yesterday some 50,000 demonstrated in Liège against the closure of Cockerill, a steel company owned by the multinational Arcelor. It was the biggest demonstration in Liège since the general strike of 1960-61. Besides thousands of […]

Those who search for an alternative list during parliamentary elections on18 May, in Belgium, might consider the Resist list. As its name implies, the list stands for resistance against war, discrimination and exploitation. Still the […]

The use of Shannon airport in the west of Ireland by the US military has become a very controversial issue. As part of international and commercial agreements, Shannon has been used by military powers for […]

Sergels square in the centre of Stockholm was filled with school students who demanded an immediate stop to preparations for war against Iraq.

Yesterday evening over 1,000 young people demonstrated through the streets of Leuven in protest against a demo of the NSV (Nationalist students, closely linked to the neo-fascist Vlaams Blok). The blockade was led by members […]

Egypt’s president Mubarak and Jordan’s King Abdullah are feeling the ground shaking under them. They are both completely economically dependent on the US, while workers and poor people are heavily against the US war plans […]

“If our great country becomes involved in an all-out war, the sacrifice must be shared. In that regard, I am preparing legislation to authorise instatement of the universal draft and other forms of mandatory national […]

Today’s anti-war protests in the US and around the world were massive, in many places the largest protests in decades and the largest anti-war protests since the Vietnam War. In total, there were demonstrations in […]

The February 15 march in Brazil was larger than similar ones in the past against the 1991 Gulf War or the Afghanistan war.