Blogs

There is an ever-growing stream of media commentary on the Grenfell fire, increasing daily as the public enquiry unfolds. There are some elements in the media with the goal of obscuring or excusing the plain facts as part of a pre-emptive defence manoeuvre to protect those most implicated in what caused the fire and the 72 deaths. That they feel the need to use such distortions to defend the Grenfell landlords and those who ordered and oversaw the Grenfell refurbishment that fitted the lethal cladding only increases the suggestion of a general doubt on all sides about their innocence.

Discussion with the Angry Workers of the World (AWW)

Little noticed at the time, few events in working class history have provoked so much emotional response, or have led to so many myths down the years, as the revolt at the Kronstadt naval base in Russia. At a distance of a century we can appreciate just how tragic and significant it was.

The notion that there exists a growing middle class whose livelihood rests neither on wage labour nor manufacturing or industrial profits has long been used to challenge Marx’s revolutionary perspective that ultimately the future of capitalism will be decided by a struggle between the two great contending classes in modern society: the bourgeoisie and the proletariat, or if you prefer, the bosses and the workers.

There is an urgent need to break out of the reformist, legalistic, and parliamentarian strait-jacket that these protests confine themselves to.

During 2020, we interviewed two dozen fellow workers about their experiences of work during the Covid-19 lockdown. We spoke to nurses, postal workers, tube drivers, call-centre workers, university lecturers, agricultural workers, school students and more. Print and circulate the pamphlet...

Since 1 January the streets of what used to be known as Burma have filled with demonstrations nearly every day. The straw that broke the camel’s back was the army’s coup which overthrew President Aung San Suu Kyi, destroying her party (NLD) through the heavy repression meted out to the demonstrators demanding “liberty and democracy”.

It is now 100 years since the Tours Congress of 25 to 31 December 1920, when the majority of delegates of the French Section of the Workers' International (SFIO) voted to join the Third International.

Comrade Motopu uncovers the reactionary politics underpinning Catherine Liu's new book and her social media presence.

We asked comrades of Cuadernos de Negación from Argentina some questions about the local conditions during the pandemic.

我们习惯透过老一代的周期理论来解释当下的危机。主流经济学家围着复苏的“绿苗”团团转，而批判性的批判家只去问“恢复”增长是不是还要再久一些。确实，如果我们从商业周期理论甚至长波理论出发，就会很容易假定泡沫破灭后就是繁荣，规律得跟钟表一样，而经济下行总是为反弹式上行“铺好道路”。但是，将来一旦这团乱码解开了，我们有多大可能看到资本主义的新黄金时代？

Perspectives for the CWO as discussed in its AGM, November 2020

The working class currently faces the challenge of the combined consequences of the pandemic and the underlying crisis of capitalism. Even though the health emergency is far from over, the wave of redundancies and restructuring has already started. The degree to which workers are able to not only resist attacks on their conditions but to impose their own interests on the ruling class in the next few months will shape the balance of class forces.

The workers at Hunts Point Produce Market provide New York City with 60% of its produce. This is their market’s first strike in 35 years.

You cannot beat the capitalist elite at their own game.

The recent change-over in the White House will not lead to major changes in American politics. On the domestic front the moderate Biden will be forced to concede something to keep his electorate quiet, but in foreign policy very little new will be produced by the new Democratic president.

Recently a film that has been lost for over 40 years popped up on the web, and its caused quite a stir amongst the British establishment.

Back in 2012 the concept of a "graduate without a future" briefly entered the zeitgeist. Paul Mason was among its key proponents, finding a commonality between the Arab Spring, the anti-austerity movement in Greece and the student protests in the UK: a social strata of young educated people with no prospects who became the driving force of opposition to the "system".

The following piece is a slightly condensed translation of the Italian original, published in the January edition of Battaglia Comunista, journal of the ICT’s founding section in Italy.