France 1981-84: from hope to the ‘austerity turn’

Boris is a member of Linkse Socialistiche Partij / Parti Socialiste de Lutte (ISA in Belgium). Failure of the Mitterand government May 10, 1981. In Paris, 200,000 people gathered at the Bastille, shouting for joy. Scenes of jubilation burst out in all the cities across France. François Mitterrand had just won the second round of […]

Continue Reading

Ireland North: Electoral breakthrough for anti-sectarian socialist

Daniel Waldron and Ciaran Mulholland are members of the Socialist Party (CWI in Ireland). “For me, this is not a personal victory but a political one – it is a victory for cross-community, socialist politics. It reflects a growing opposition to the sectarian games, cuts and backward social policies of the main parties.” These were […]

Continue Reading

Ireland North: After the death of Lyra McKee unions must show way forward

The killing of Lyra McKee on Thursday 19 April sent a wave of shock across Northern Ireland. Lyra was only 29 years old but had already made a name for herself as a journalist, an author and an activist. Whilst over 3,800 have died in the “Troubles” since 1969 some killings strike a particular chord. […]

Continue Reading

Britain: Seven Blairite MPs split from Labour Party – Now kick out the rest!

On 14 February, British prime minister, Theresa May, suffered her tenth parliamentary defeat over Brexit. The Tory party is split down the middle. May’s government is on the brink of collapse. Yet it is at this precise moment, one of intense governmental crisis, that seven Blairite MPs have chosen to resign from the Labour Party, […]

Continue Reading

Election Victory in Vancouver

Vancouver voters made history on Saturday, October 20, 2018 by electing veteran organizer and community campaigner Jean Swanson to city council in the city’s most important electoral victory in decades. She with one school board and two parks board candidates were all elected under the rejuvenated Coalition of Progressive Electors (COPE) banner. The campaign’s centrepiece […]

Continue Reading

German Revolution 1918 – 1919

Robert Bechert is a member of the Committee for a Workers’ International. November 9 is a momentous date in German history, as it is the date when the Kaiser was overthrown and a republic declared. Internationally, this date is sometimes overshadowed by the signing, on November 11, 1918, of the Armistice ending formally the central […]

Continue Reading

US: Democratic Socialists Elected

Kshama Sawant is a member of Socialist Alternative in the US. Letter from Kshama Sawant to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib and Julian Salazar   Dear Sisters, I am writing to congratulate you, and other newly elected socialists, on your elections and to outline the lessons of our experience in Seattle since my first election to […]

Continue Reading

Britain: Labour Party conference

Hannah Sell is a member of the Socialist Party (CWI in England & Wales). Action against capitalist establishment sabotage still needed The mood of confidence and unity at the 2017 Labour Party conference has been widely reported. It is estimated that around 8,000 people attended either the conference or the parallel Momentum event ‘The World […]

Continue Reading

Greece: The rise and fall of Syriza

Andros Payiatsos is a member of Xekinima (CWI in Greece). On 5 July 2015 a historic referendum took place in Greece against the European troika’s austerity memorandum, with a tremendous 61.5% majority vote for No. But two years later, Greek society under a Syriza-led government is faced with the continuation of the same policies that […]

Continue Reading

Britain’s earthquake election: Consolidating the Corbyn revolution

Peter Taaffe is a member of the Socialist Party (CWI in England & Wales). In April Theresa May called a snap general election with the Tories 20 points ahead in the polls – expecting to win easily and to rout Labour. Then Jeremy Corbyn defied Labour’s right wing and launched a radical anti-austerity manifesto. Now […]

Continue Reading