Solidarity 028, 17 April 2003

An independent workers' voice

Every single part of Murdoch's vast empire of papers and media supported Bush and Blair's drive for war. On one man's say so, irrespective of what 'public opinion' really is, they pumped out war propaganda. That is why it is so important that the labour movement and socialist groups have their own papers to get their message across. We need papers like Solidarity. Upholding the best traditions of journalism, we are on the ball in our reporting, rigorous in our analysis, and completely partisan in our affiliations: we serve the working class. We need a lot more funds to increase our frequency...

Let Iraq's peoples decide!

Those of us who thought it likely that the war in Iraq would lead to vast numbers of civilian casualties have been shown by events to have been mistaken. But there have, indeed, been many civilian casualties, and the full accounting of the deaths and injuries has not yet been made. Vast destruction has been inflicted on Iraq from the air. However the quick collapse of Saddam Hussein's regime has given the USA and the UK an easy victory. Saddam's kitsch-heroic talk of mass resistance was only bluff and bluster. The fascistic Ba'ath regime stood on rotten foundations. In the recent "elections"...

France: Revolt on pension cuts

By Vicki Morris The 3 April in France was a day of action against planned pension "reforms". The participating unions estimated that 580,000 people demonstrated in 70 towns, most of them public sector workers. Government estimates for those on strike were 32% among civil servants, 16% of hospital workers, 30% of schools staff, 20% each of France-Telecom and the post office. Eighty per cent of flights were cancelled. There was serious disruption on the national railways (SNCF). The percentage of workers who are union members is very low in France - people tend to join only if they are activists...

Argentinian left boycotts elections

By Pablo Velasco Argentina goes to the polls on 27 April, but the choice on offer for workers is very limited. These are the first elections after the eighteen months of protests and widespread disgust with politicians, summed up by the slogan "que se vayan todos" (get them all out). Since the rebellion in December 2001 that threw out the Radical Party President Fernando de la Rua, Eduardo Duhalde of the Peronist Party has run Argentina. These two bourgeois parties have dominated Argentinian politics for almost a century and both are in disarray. The Radical candidate Leopoldo Moreau has...

Back campaign for Bicester refugees - "Don't vote Nazi" won't stop local

By Mark Sandell In Spring 2002, Bicester was earmarked as one of the proposed sites in a pilot scheme to house asylum seekers in Accommodation Centres. The Bicester Centre will house 750 asylum seekers in a rural area about four miles outside the town, adjacent to a military base and a prison. Residents will be expected to remain in the centre and to participate in "structured activities". They will stay there until their applications for asylum have been processed. They will not be allowed to work and will be expected to live on a welfare payment set far below standard benefit levels...

The USA is not invincible

Democracy in Iraq! Freedom for the Kurds! No US/UK occupation! By Colin Foster The US military rule Iraq. Thousands are dead or maimed. George W Bush won his war easily. The arrogance of US power is redoubled. But the USA is not invincible. How long can they, dare they, keep a large occupying force in Iraq? Will they plunder the country, or will they be forced to supply aid to make good the damage of war and sanctions? Will they dare attempt another similar war soon? That depends. It depends on the mobilisation and organisation of the working people in Iraq. They have suffered decades of...

Gardener's Tale

"Days like these", Tate Triennial Exhibition of Contemporary British Art 2003, at Tate Britain, London (Pimlico), until 26 May, Admission free. For me "contemporary" generally means at least "quite new", if not "current". My suspicions were confirmed by the Oxford English Dictionary, which says "belonging to or occurring in the present". Perhaps someone should tell the curators at Tate Britain. Many of the pieces were at the Tate anyway, at least in the past. Is art that's already been hanging for 25 years or longer still "contemporary" - I'd say no. But that's not really the point, because if...

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