Solidarity 233, 8 February 2012

No Quislings on the left

I live in a part of London where streets of identical Victorian houses are sporadically punctuated by uglier buildings of visibly 1940s or 1950s design. The architectural incongruity stems from the extensive pounding the area took from the Luftwaffe during the blitz. Indeed, just a few minutes’ walk away, a block of industrial dwellings-style flats carries a blue plaque commemorating the 154 people who died after a direct hit on its shelter one night in October 1940. Some 26 corpses were charred beyond recognition. Yet the biggest Trotskyist group in Britain at that time, the Revolutionary...

Working for 70 hours, paid for 45

I work for a private company that provides care in the home for the elderly. The organisation is one of many in my town which provides the care that once would have been provided by the council. Because most care has been privatised there is now a highly diminished council care structure. There is a stark difference between conditions for council workers and privatised workers. Council workers will even say that they’re not working too late in the evening “thanks to you guys”. Working conditions at a private company defy belief. I work on average 45-50 payable hours per week, despite not...

Back our enemies' enemies?

We need a new Marxist left. The one we have is largely degenerate. What other conclusion can we draw from the following: At the National Campaign Against Fees and Cuts conference on 28-29 January, members of the SWP, Counterfire and Socialist Action voted against a motion opposing war and sanctions on Iran — originally proposed by Counterfire members — because their motion had been amended to include the words: “The war waged by the tyrannical, misogynist, homophobic, anti-working class regime against Iranian student activists and trade unionists, women and LGBT people.” And, “To make links...

Scottish Defence League threat in Glasgow

Around 80 people turned up to a city-centre protest staged by Unite Against Fascism (UAF) in Glasgow on 4 February. The protest was in response to an incident the previous week when fascists surrounded the Communist Party of Britain’s city-centre stall, spat on it, and gave Nazi salutes. One of the fascists also filmed the event. This incident followed an attack on the Glasgow Palestine Human Rights Campaign city-centre stall last November, when a group of 30 or so masked thugs from the Scottish Defence League (SDL) attacked it and tipped it over. The SDL has now lodged an application with the...

Trade unionists arrested in Iran

Two well-known labour activists in Tabriz, Shahrokh Zamani and Mohammad Jarahi, have been rearrested and transferred to Tabriz prison. Shahrokh Zamani is facing 10 year imprisonment and Mohammad Jarahi is facing five years. Sharif Saaed-panah and Mozafar Saleh-nia, both Executive members of the Free Union of Workers were arrested and held in custody for two weeks and released on bail on 19 January. Sheis Amani, another Executive member of the Free Union of Workers, was arrested on 16 January while inquiring about his detained colleagues at the Sanandaj Justice Department. He has been...

A long way to go on gay rights

According to the International Lesbian and Gay Association (ILGA) seven majority Muslim countries still maintain the death penalty for homosexual activity. They are Afghanistan, Iran, Mauritania, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, and Yemen. In northern Nigeria, where some states use Sharia law, homosexuality is also punishable by death. In Iran gay men are normally arrested under other trumped up charges. But in September 2011 three men were executed for homosexuality. And when execution is not used other brutality can be. In 2010 a Saudi man was sentenced to 500 lashes and five years in jail for...

Eyewitness in Cairo

Yesterday (6 February) the atmosphere in Tahrir Square was more relaxed and somewhat confident. News of the general strike called by CTUWS for 11 February had got round. Some hadn’t heard of it and didn’t understand the significance. They are young and probably unemployed, and as they see it, they will stay there until they win or die. They are very brave young men, and women. There seemed to be more women this time. The people in Tahrir Square are mainly poor and not students, I would guess. This time there were fewer football flags, and no-one particularly identified themselves as an ultra...

UAF: why I'm standing

South London anti-fascist and socialist Justin Baidoo is standing in a Unite Against Fascism election for Assistant Secretary. The AWL is glad Justin is standing and will support his campaign. From his (much longer) statement: “While the UAF are good at mobilising people out for demonstrations, it appears as if UAF parachutes into a community for a counter-demo and leaves once it has ended. I know there are good local groups that do work throughout the year. But for the number of activists that are affiliated to the national organisation, those groups are too few and far between. We have not...

David Miliband weighs in

David Miliband, the more right-wing candidate preferred for Labour leader in 2010 by most Shadow Cabinet members and Labour MPs, has weighed in on the obscure machinations at the top of the Labour Party with a piece in the New Statesman of 2 February, puffed on the front page of the Daily Telegraph . The Telegraph ’s summary catches the gist: “Labour risks moving too far to the Left... is in danger of alienating business... [danger of] a return to old Labour”. Press speculation is that diehard-Blairites are working in cahoots with Ed Balls and Yvette Cooper: • first, to undercut Ed Miliband by...

Workers and students resist mass sackings at London Met

London Metropolitan University has historically had one of the most diverse student populations in the UK, in terms of class and ethnic background. It has been the target for some of the most savage cuts in higher education. Despite a management re-shuffle in 2009/2010, the cuts are continuing. Claire Locke, president of London Met Students Union, spoke to Solidarity : “We’ve had 226 redundancies announced, mainly of academic workers. That’s particularly shocking given that the university has over-recruited this term and most services are over-subscribed, so it’s impossible for management to...

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