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Chile: student movement grows from kiss-in towards general strike

A mass movement of school and university students has Chile’s right wing president Sebastián Piñera on the ropes. Jeremy Dewar reports

Workers Power  ·  10 August 2011

Israeli protest movement plans million-person march in September – but will it challenge the occupation?

Since mid-July “tent city” protests and weekly demonstrations have been shaking the state of Israel, writes Mark Booth. On the 24 July, 30,000 protested, then 150,000 people on the 30th and 300,000 on 6 August. Activists involved in the protests have called for a million-strong march on 3 September.

Workers Power  ·  10 August 2011

With the working class youth of London – against the police

Statement by Workers Power – 8 August For the third night running, working class youth are on the streets of London fighting the police in running battles. By the evening of Monday 8 August, the uprising had spread to Hackney, Lewisham, Peckham, Croydon and Birmingham with skirmishes in Clapham, Seven Sisters and dozens of other […]

Workers Power  ·  08 August 2011

Southampton council strike: a heroic struggle misled

The rolling strike by 2,400 Southampton council workers is now entering its 11th week. But despite Unite and Unison workers’ continued determination and sacrifice, there appears no sign of the Tory council relenting. Jeremy Dewar argues this is down to missed opportunities and poor leadership.

Workers Power  ·  08 August 2011

Tottenham ablaze: The anger is back

As images of buildings and cars set ablaze spread through the media, Joana Ramiro reports on the harsh reality of North London’s Tottenham Hale community, where police brutality, racism and repression are, 30 years after the Brixton riots, still the inescapable reality.

Workers Power  ·  07 August 2011

They shall not pass! All out to stop the EDL in Tower Hamlets, 3 September

The fascist English Defence League (EDL) is marching through Tower Hamlets on 3 September. Richard Brenner argues that we need to remember the lessons of Cable Street, when anti-fascists drove the far right off the streets of East London, and challenge the anti-Muslim lies they are feeding off. From all over Britain, enemies of racism […]

Workers Power  ·  03 August 2011

Capitalism, media and the state – a Marxist analysis

Is the News of the World crisis a mere tale of corruption, or does the whole affair expose the fundamental workings of the system? Marcus Halaby examines the way the media and the state function under capitalism Reactions to the News of the World phone hacking scandal have tended to focus on the issue of “corruption”, […]

Workers Power  ·  02 August 2011

As government minister attacks pension reforms, union leader fragments resistance

Health Secretary Andrew Lansley has labelled the public sector pension reforms “inappropriate” and “unrealistic” in a letter to Treasury minister Danny Alexander, leaked to the Daily Telegraph on Monday. But at a time when the coalition government’s proposals are under attack, the TUC, led by Unison’s Dave Prentis, has further delayed the prospect of united […]

Workers Power  ·  28 July 2011

Massacre in Norway: the threat of Islamophobia and violent, right wing politics

What motivated Anders Behring Breivik to kill over 90 people in Norway? His actions can only be understood in the context of rising Islamophobia and the far right, argues Dave Stockton

Workers Power  ·  26 July 2011

Anders Behring Breivik had no legitimate grievance

Politicians should not use the Norway attacks to drag the idea of multicultural failure into mainstream acceptability, write Gavan Titley and Alana Lentin in this excellent piece at Comment is Free.

Workers Power  ·  26 July 2011

Are Prentis and Barber preparing a pensions sell-out?

There are worrying signs that Unison leader Dave Prentis is preparing to take local government workers out of the battle to save public sector workers, argue Permanent Revolution in this analysis of the union leaders’ latest manoeuvres.

Workers Power  ·  25 July 2011

Massacre in Norway: the threat of Islamophobia and violent, right wing politics

What motivated Anders Behring Breivik to kill over 90 people in Norway? His actions can only be understood in the context of rising Islamophobia and the far right, argues Dave Stockton

Workers Power  ·  24 July 2011

Halifax: English Defence League struggles to mobilise

The fascist EDL struggled to get numbers to Halifax on Saturday 9 July when around 400 tried to protest around the town, 200 of which had bussed in from the Midlands. Business seemed to go on as usual, except for the few closed pubs and some Asian-owned businesses which closed for safety. The fact that […]

Workers Power  ·  23 July 2011

Hackgate, power elites and the limits of the “corruption” critique

How does the radical left capitalise on the Murdoch Empire crisis? In a thought provoking article on the OpenDemocracy website Guy Aitchison argues that we need to move beyond the language of corruption and develop democratic movements with a critique of the whole system. Read it here.

Workers Power  ·  20 July 2011

The United States faces a crisis not seen since the Depression

The poisonous atmosphere surrounding the role of the state and taxation allows no realistic budget bargaining, writes Will Hutton at the Observer

Workers Power  ·  20 July 2011

Phone hacking: These resignation statements are meaningless

The ever-growing cast of the responsible but unaccountable is emblematic of the systemic corruption that has been laid bare, writes Gary Younge at Guardian.co.uk

Workers Power  ·  20 July 2011

Charlie Gilmour: another example of political sentencing

Another outrageous prison sentence has been handed down to a protester, writes Rachel Brooks Charlie Gilmour, son of Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour, has been jailed for 16 months for violent disorder at last year’s student protests. His ‘crimes’ were sitting on the bonnet of a car carrying Charles and Camilla, and for a throwing […]

Workers Power  ·  16 July 2011

News International: How deep does the rot go?

Rebekah Brooks has fallen from power as the ongoing saga at News International, and across the political scene continues, writes Rachel Brooks 

Workers Power  ·  15 July 2011

COR conference – a slump in numbers, politics and ambition

At its second conference on 9 July, the Coalition of Resistance consolidated itself as a rightward moving organisation within the anti-cuts movement, reports Simon Hardy.

Workers Power  ·  10 July 2011

Lambeth SOS: after J30, support the library strike!

Lambeth Save Our Services is planning to follow up the tremendous 30 June strike with a joint union reps meeting, campaign to stop call centre privatisation and solidarity with librarians’ strike. Jeremy Dewar reports from an action-packed meeting

Workers Power  ·  10 July 2011

Bombardier jobs massacre – unions must resist!

Over 1,400 jobs are being cut at train manufacturer Bombardier, but Unite is failing to organise resistance, writes M J Cook

Workers Power  ·  08 July 2011

Murdoch Empire phone hacking scandal exposes corruption at the heart of the system

  The News of the World, flagship paper for the Murdoch Empire, is up to its neck in corruption and illegal phone hacking which goes right to the heart of the state, writes Simon Hardy A small hand grenade has gone off at the centre of British politics. A complex web that connects the media […]

Workers Power  ·  07 July 2011

This NHS U-turn was a fake

Andrew Lansley’s privatisation remains on track, hidden by a public relations smokescreen, argues Jacqueline Davis at Comment is Free

Workers Power  ·  07 July 2011

Police violence against working people exposed

Last year, returning from a football match, student Tommy Meyers was savaged by a police dog while being arrested for assault. Now, following his acquittal, he and his family talk about the incident at Guardian.co.uk

Workers Power  ·  05 July 2011

The Demise of the Public University

There was a time when the neoliberal campus was just a coveted aspiration of the political right. Now students and lecturers live with the heavy burden of its realisation, writes Luke Cooper at New Left Project.

Workers Power  ·  05 July 2011

The battle to save pensions is on!

Around 750,000 public sector workers took strike action on 30 June in a brilliant display of working class resistance to the cuts and government reform package, writes Simon Hardy

Workers Power  ·  01 July 2011

Pensions fury has its hour: report from central London actions

Yesterday an estimated 30, 000 teachers, lecturers and civil servants marched through London to show their opposition to the proposed changes to public sector pensions, writes Rachel Brooks The march was organised by the NUT, ATL, UCU and PCS as part of a nationwide day of industrial action against the governments attack. The protest attracted […]

Workers Power  ·  01 July 2011

On strike in Lambeth: solidarity forever!

By a striking Unison Teaching Assistant 8.00am The NUT rep and I mounted a picket at our school – much to the Headteacher’s surprise, who had expected a passive, going-through-the-motions strike. Until yesterday, we had an agreement that seven Unison members would respect the picket line, but this crumbled at the last minute with colleagues […]

Workers Power  ·  01 July 2011

30 June: It's right to strike!

Next step – general strike to bring down the Tories

Workers Power  ·  28 June 2011

Editorial: Stop the cuts – save the planet

IN PREVIOUS editorials we have argued for a strategy to beat the cuts, centring on the need to win the unions to an all out general strike to smash the austerity programme and kick out Cameron and Clegg. This month I want to use this editorial to discuss something not covered in the rest of […]

Workers Power  ·  27 June 2011

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