Western Europe
Nicolas Sarkozy: A mandate for class war
Conservative politician Nicolas Sarkozy has won the French Presidential election ...
He managed to convince 53% of the population that he represents change and this message has dutifully been repeated in the media over here. Yet he is basically the chosen successor to the incumbent party so, surely, it makes far more sense to say the French were looking for “more of the same” rather than the Royal victory would have been the mandate for “change.”
Belgium: Flights grounded by wildcat strike
Thousands were affected when security guards at Charleroi airport walked out in a row over privatisation
The BBC reported that all flights in and out of Ryanair's Belgian hub at Charleroi airport were grounded on Friday after security staff walked out in a wildcat strike.
A row over the privatisation of public sector security personnel caused the disruption, which began at dawn and spread to Liege airport in the east.
An estimated 8,000 passengers have been affected by the action so far.
Notes on Bakunin's book 'Statehood and Anarchy' - Karl Marx
Marx responds to Bakunin's criticisms of Marx and Marxism. Marx's comments were written at the end of 1874 as he read Bakunin's book as part of his efforts to learn Russian and to study Russian society.
Marx's late writings on the Russian 'mir' (peasant commune) were influenced by Bakunin's descriptions of communal peasant society in 'Statehood and Anarchy'.
From Volume 24 of 'Marx & Engels - Collected Works'; Lawrence & Wishart, London, 1989.
Ireland, nationalism and imperialism, the myths exploded, 1972-1992 - Subversion
Written before the Good Friday Agreement at a time when the 'armed struggle' was still part of daily life in Northern Ireland this article, though inevitably somewhat dated, this remains a cogent analysis of the recent history of Ireland.
TWENTY YEARS ON A KNIFE EDGE
'... the fate of the province [Northern Ireland] is still, as it has been for so long, poised on a knife- edge between a slow climb back to some form of ordered existence, or a swift plunge into unimaginable anarchy and civil war.'
Panoptican society - Anarchist Federation
The British State want iris scan, fingerprint, photo, NINO, and the old chestnut “if you're doing nothing wrong you've got nothing to hide” is being aired again. The type of info required they claim is only the basic necessary to prove your identity and to fight crime.
ID Cards
Good old-fashioned trade unionism - Wildcat
Wildcat argue that unions have sabotaged working class struggle since their inception.
The year 1842 was a very significant one for the proletariat of the British Isles. On the positive side it was the occasion of a great struggle against wage cutting and on the negative side it marked the formation of the first modern national trade union.
Union considers new offer in Deutsche Telekom strike
German union Ver.di are considering a revised offer from the company in the ongoing dispute with Deutsche Telekom.
The company plans a one-time payment for each worker in 2011 that may be more than 1,000 euros ($1,350), if financial and customer-service goals are met in 2010, Thomas Sattelberger, the board member in charge of personnel, told a press briefing in Bonn today. The total cost would be in the range of "two-digit'' million euros, he said.
Airbus hit by more wildcat strikes in Germany
Workers at three Airbus plants in Germany downed tools yesterday against job cuts and restructuring by the firm.
Reuters reported that Airbus workers at three German plants walked off the job on Wednesday in protest against planned restructuring measures by the European planemaker, the IG Metall labour union said.
Critique of Autonomous Anti-Fascism - Wildcat (Germany)
Article about the background to the violent attacks on foreign workers in Hoyerswerda in ex-DDR at the end of 1991 and the anti-fascist demonstration which followed.
France: Airbus workers wildcat strike succeeds
Airbus workers in France have won a higher salary increase and a one-off payment.
After wildcat stoppage last month at factories in Nantes and Saint-Nazaire, the unions (FO, CGC, CFTC and CFDT) could not agree to the latest offer before having taken it directly to the workers.
