Europe

In her bid to become the next Tory leader and PM, Liz Truss has pledged to bring in a host of new anti-union legislation. Trade union leaders have responded defiantly. This must be matched with militant struggle and bold united action.

The resignation of Boris Johnson has opened up a new chapter in the crisis of British capitalism. The working class is reawakening. A new generation is moving into struggle. We must build the forces of Marxism to prepare for these titanic events.

The crisis of capitalism is radicalising countless young people, who are hungry for revolutionary ideas and organisation. More and more are identifying themselves as communists. The youth wing of the Communist Party of Britain, the Young Communist League (YCL) has grown on this basis. The British Marxists of Socialist Appeal issued a friendly but sharp open letter to the comrades of the YCL, showing how the opportunism of their leaders, and their emphasis on stunts over theory, stand in sharp contrast to the real ideas of Lenin. The response from the YCL’s official channels entirely proved the comrades’ point.

At the start of July, the Ukrainian courts ordered the closure of the Communist Party of Ukraine (CPU) and the seizure of its assets. The anti-democratic attack is part of a scandalous campaign to crush political dissent and stain the image of ‘communism’ by associating it with Russian imperialism. 

The Ulster loyalist celebrations known as ‘The Twelfth,’ celebrated every 12 July in the North of Ireland, commemorate the victory of William of Orange over King James II at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690. They are used to whip up sectarian tensions by specifically anti-catholic groups such as the Orange Order, who amongst other things promote the myth that the Williamites’ victory was fought to “overthrow the Pope and popery.” This was recognised for the falsehood it is by the great Irish socialist and revolutionary James Connolly, who understood the pernicious role sectarianism played and continues to play in dividing the workers of Ireland. We republish his thoughts on ‘The Twelfth’

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This summer marks a century since the outbreak of civil war in Ireland, when fighting began between supporters of the Anglo-Irish Treaty and those demanding a sovereign Irish Republic. Today, the struggle for a Socialist United Ireland continues.

After months of crises and scandals, faced with a growing rebellion in his ranks, Boris Johnson has finally fallen on his sword. But the Tory leader’s departure will not solve any problems for the ruling class. Instead, explosive events impend.

After being detained for 15 hours, spending the night in a police cell together with common criminals, IMT comrade Juan Glop from Seville was finally released after giving a statement before a judge. The detention of the comrade, coupled with the violent treatment he received at the hands of the police, were a grave injustice that generated a wave of solidarity.

Drunk on their victory at the national conference, the Unison bureaucracy has scandalously stripped Paul Holmes of every elected position he holds in the union. The left must urgently mobilise a rank-and-file fightback against this outrage.

At last month’s Unison conference, the right wing went on the offensive, attempting to regain control of the union. Instead of resisting this onslaught, however, the left went into retreat. We must learn the lessons of these important events.

The Swedish government passed the entry exam to join NATO by promising to help Turkish imperialism drown the Kurdish struggle in blood.

The Tories have once again demonstrated their craven subservience to the interests of US imperialism, approving the extradition of WikiLeaks whistleblower Julian Assange. Only mass class struggle can defend our rights and freedoms.