Europe

“The only certain outcome of the general election”, argued the Socialism Today editorial published two weeks before the last contest (issue No.209, June 2017), “is that none of the contradictions besetting the political and social […]

The year, 2019 has, so far, been marked by a relative resurgence in industrial action by workers in the South of Ireland. In 2018, there were 4,340 strike action days across all sectors of the […]

The ruling by the High Court against the Communication Workers Union (CWU) voids its national strike ballot in Royal Mail. It is a massive attack on the union, its postal worker members, and the whole […]

A study into the press coverage of Jeremy Corbyn, Labour’s left leader, in 2015 by the London School of Economics media department has found, unsurprisingly, that is was overwhelmingly biased against him. Of all the […]

Labour activity in Finland is escalating as unions enter into months of negotiations with employers nationwide. The Social Democratic-led “left” government of Antti Rinne has proven to be interested in supporting workers in name only. […]

For millions of people, the 1989 opening of the Berlin Wall was rightly celebrated as a great victory for democratic rights. But the build up to the official celebrations to mark its 30th anniversary have, […]

‘Socialism 2019’, a weekend of discussion and debate, held in central London on 2 and 3 November, came as the parliamentary logjam finally burst apart into a general election. As Paula Mitchell told the opening […]

Boris Johnson and his bosses’ Brexit deal remain suspended in mid-air. Unable to govern, Johnson’s only way out has been a high-risk gamble on a general election, hoping against hope that it will win him […]

A UK general election is, it seems, rapidly approaching. The Brexit disaster – a reflection of the utter incapacity of capitalism to resolve its multiple crises – is creating a nightmare scenario for the bourgeois. […]

The Tory party chose Boris Johnson as its leader because he promised to deliver Brexit by 31 October 2019, even if it meant leaving without a deal. When push came to shove, however, in a […]

On the surface little seems to have changed as a result of the election to Portugal’s Legislative Assembly on the 6th October. But, beneath the surface, processes are developing which are likely in the next […]

During the night of September 25th, a massive fire broke out in the depot of Lubrizol chemicals on the outskirts of Rouen, Normandy. There were no personnel at the depot and no deaths at the […]

Following a month long trial, the Supreme Court of the Spanish state pronounced brutal prison sentences on nine leaders of the Catalan independence movement. In total, prison sentences of over 100 years have been imposed […]

Last Saturday’s mammoth march in Edinburgh, attended by up to 100,000 people, was the latest in a series of mass protests demanding a second Scottish independence referendum. The multiple crises tearing at the fabric of […]

As ‘Brexit Day’ on 31 October approaches, the roller coaster crisis for British capitalism intensifies. Spokespeople of big business – the majority of whom want to remain in the EU – are ramping up the […]

We are sad to inform our readers, members of the Socialist Party and the broader labour movement, of the death, at 80 years of age, of Tony Mulhearn; a titan, a courageous leader of the […]

The September 29th Austrian elections saw a surge by the Greens and losses by both the far right Freedom Party (FPÖ) and the social democrats (SPÖ). The former Chancellor, Sebastian Kurz, whose conservative people’s party […]

The Socialist Party described the Leave vote in 2016 as a revolt against the capitalist establishment, a working-class ‘cry of rage’ against mass poverty and savage austerity while the rich get richer. A Tory-led Brexit, […]

Wrightbus is one of the last remaining bus manufacturers in the UK and produced the Routemaster, also known as the ‘Boris bus’ (when Boris Johnson was mayor of London), for the London Transport Authority. The […]

The 1st of October marks the second anniversary of the independence referendum called by the Catalan government. This followed an upsurge in the demand for independence fuelled by the repressive, neo-liberal Partido Popular (PP) government […]

The Supreme Court ruling that Johnson’s prorogation of parliament was unlawful has, for now, knocked the dramatic events preceding it at Labour Party conference off the top news spot. This swirling of events is the […]

The routine is pretty well routine now. At Trade Union Congress, Labour Party leader, Jeremy Corbyn, attempts to break through the Brexit fog with a stance that has the potential to unite Leave and Remain […]

Northern Ireland is a society scarred by its history. The legacy of the conflict over the national question is everywhere apparent; painted flags, kerbstones and murals mark territories and promote narratives. But just as the […]

The British Conservative Party, once among the most successful capitalist parties on the planet, are shattering into pieces before our eyes. The Tory party’s weakness and splits are far from new. Now, however, quantity has […]

This editorial was written at the start of a week which promised one of the biggest battles in parliament ever – a major showdown between parliament and the prime minister. Since the following editorial was […]

The September 1 state elections in the eastern German states of Brandenburg and Saxony saw a continuation of the decline of Social Democrats (SPD) and Christian Democrats (CDU) currently Germany’s ruling parties. The losses for […]

The Finnish government today announced concessions in response to the ongoing Finnish postal workers’ strike. Their union – the PAU -began four days of strike action on Sunday 1 September in response to management plans […]

Less than two months before a general election, in the middle of the tourist season, Portugal was brought to a standstill by a five-day strike of fuel-tanker drivers. Strikers are members of new union, Sindicato […]

Boris Johnson, the Eton-educated millionaire and Trump wannabe, got to number ten with the votes of just ninety thousand members of the Tory Party, less than 0.25% of the electorate. Now he is using his […]

A rising sense of panic is gripping the strategists of British capitalism as the 31 October Brexit deadline draws ever closer. “Britain’s exit from the European Union without a withdrawal deal would be an unequivocal […]

Christine Thomas, CWI After just 14 months in power, the populist coalition government of the far-right Lega and Five Star Movement (M5S) in Italy has collapsed. Matteo Salvini, Lega leader and interior minister, pulled the […]

Around 40 Unite members who work as Pharmacy Support Workers for NHS Tayside began an all-out strike yesterday. These heroic workers voted 100%, on a 90% turnout, to strike for grading and pay justice.

Fifty years ago this month, troops were deployed on the streets of Derry and Belfast by the British Labour government of Prime Minister Harold Wilson.The capitalist establishment described it at the time as a temporary […]

On Sunday 21 July over 200 delegates at a special conference of the Socialist Party in England and Wales voted overwhelmingly, 83.2% to 16.8%, (173 – 35 with 0 abstentions), to sponsor an international conference […]

Up to 20,000 civil servants across Northern Ireland took strike action on 26 July. 

Boris Johnson’s victory in this summer’s Tory party leadership election will probably turn out to be the most predictable political event of 2019.

Harland and Wolff is the sole remaining shipbuilding business in the Belfast shipyard.  The shipbuilding industry in Belfast has a four hundred year history and was most famously associated with the construction of the ill-fated […]

The hall was again packed for the 2019 annual conference of the National Shop Stewards Network (NSSN), the rank-and-file trade union organisation set up initially by the RMT transport union and its late, and missed, […]

On Sunday 21 July over 200 delegates at a special conference of the Socialist Party (England/Wales) voted overwhelmingly, 173 – 35 with 0 abstentions, to sponsor an international conference to reconstitute the Committee for a […]

The results of the 7 July general election in Greece saw the defeat of Syriza (“Coalition of the Radical Left”). This follows four years during which the Syriza-led government-approved mass privatisations and cuts at the […]

And then there were two. The Tories are entering the final stage of their leadership contest, with the choice between Boris Johnson, the want-to-be British Trump, and Jeremy Hunt, the NHS wrecker. Given this crisis, […]

On 24 June over 10,000 workers in the Irish health service took strike action, ignoring Taoiseach (prime minister) Leo Varadkar’s last minute plea to call it off. This was the first day in a campaign […]

Since February, every month this year, there has been a big protest of young people outside Parliament and in town centres around the country. The “youth strikes 4 climate” have brought thousands of young teenagers […]

Skilled jobs are going and more are threatened with the possible closure of the St Rollox ‘Caley’ historic railway yard in Glasgow. Owner Gemini is now issuing compulsory redundancies.

First there were 13. As the Socialist went to press at least one of the remaining six candidates will be knocked out of the Tory leadership election. By the end of the week, votes by […]

The results of the European elections, as well as the Bremen state and various local elections, on 26 May, will continue to stir up the German party system, increase political instability and pose the possibility […]

The end of austerity in Finland has been loudly proclaimed by the new Social Democratic prime minister, Antti Rinne. The announcement came as talks were concluded between his party and  Keskusta (the Center Party), Vihreät […]

At the end of May events moved fast in Austria after the then vice-Chancellor HC Strache was seen in the leaking of the “Ibiza Video”. He was seen and heard plotting to take over the […]