Solidarity 321, 23 April 2014

From Maoism to Trotskyism in Bangladesh

Badrul Alam, a member of the Communist Party of Bangladesh (Marxist-Leninist), visited Britain recently. During his visit he told Sacha Ismail and Martin Thomas from Solidarity about the history of his group, and how it evolved from Maoism towards Trotskyism. Before 1971, my party was called East Pakistan Communist Party (Marxist-Leninist) (EPCP-ML). During the Liberation War [of Bangladesh, from rule by West Pakistan] one part of the party fought against the Pakistani Army and another party fought against both Pakistani Army and the Indian Army which came to Bangladesh to support the freedom...

The left and Maidan

The following is a summary of the conclusions of a conference “The left and Maidan” held in Kiev on 12-13 April, attended by aligned and non-aligned left activists who had participated in the Maidan. A fuller report is here . The Maidan began as a protest against the government’s refusal to sign an agreement with the European Union (EU). It grew into a protest against the government’s dishonesty and corruption. Then it became a protest against police violence and attempts to introduce anti-democratic laws. At first the left paid little attention to the Maidan. Its demands for integration into...

Unions and smartphones

In recent weeks, I've gotten a few requests for information about a survey LabourStart did a couple of years ago. It's odd because we've not done anything to publicize this. So I asked one of those who wrote to me where they'd heard about it. It turned out it was on a website for business people, in an article about how advanced unions were in their use of the net. Author Jessica Miller-Merrell warned companies that "While HR is slow to adopt and understand social media, unions on the other hand are very open to using this online technology." I think anyone who has spent time working with...

What's the purpose of gender quotas?

A few weeks ago, University of London Union President Michael Chessum (who also happens to be my housemate) asked me what I thought of gender quotas at the National Union of Students. (1) He seemed to be rather surprised by my answer, a swear-free version of which would be, “I don’t care”. This isn’t because I don’t care that women are underrepresented in the student movement — far from it. I was shocked that the left at NUS National Conference hadn’t asked more women comrades to take “big speeches” on controversial issues such as the Free Education amendment. It is something I think we need...

UK’s “in your face” sexism

Rashida Manjoo, UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women, has said that Britain has a more “in-your-face” sexist culture than many other countries. Manjoo’s conclusion comes in an interim report of her visit to eight British cities in a 16 day tour earlier this month. Manjoo also mentions positive developments in response mechanisms to violence against women, including improvements to access to justice, services and support for victims and witnesses, but she noted that such developments were not being established or applied consistently across the country. Changes to the visa system...

Homophobic legacy of the Empire

Intimidation, arbitrary arrests, and beatings are hideously commonplace for LGBT people in Zimbabwe. Behind these conditions stands President Robert Mugabe, now in his 34th year as leader of the ruling Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front (ZANU–PF). He continues to spearhead attacks on the rights of LGBT Zimbabweans. Any obligations under the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which guarantee the rights to non-discrimination, liberty and security, privacy, freedom of expression and thought, and association and...

Russian imperialism threatens Ukraine

Russia is increasing its pressure on Ukraine. The US, and even more the EU, anxious for gas supplies from and lucrative financial deals with Russia, hesitate to respond. On 21 April Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said that Russia, which has 40,000 troops massed near the border, might intervene to “rescue” eastern Ukraine. “There are more and more calls to Russia for rescue from this lawlessness”. In the east Ukrainian city of Slavyansk, on 20 April the mayor installed by pro-Russian forces which have seized the city hall called for Russian troops to come in. According to the Financial...

Behind the Blairite “business agenda”

Alan Milburn was once a Trotskyist who co-ran a small left-wing bookshop in Newcastle, Days of Hope (aka Haze of Dope). Now he is better known as the New Labour politician and former Secretary of State for Health whom David Cameron appointed as his “social mobility Tsar”. He is also one of those Blairite heavyweights who are occasionally wheeled out to deliver the line that those Blairites left within the shadow cabinet feel unable to deliver. [On 13 April] in the Financial Times, he called on Labour “to embrace an avowedly pro-business agenda and match it with a more overtly pro-business tone...

Ukraine is not just a token

Many on the left see events in Ukraine only as a clash between Russia on one side, the US and EU on the other. The trouble with this perception is that it fades out Ukraine’s right to national self-determination. From the perception, some deduce support for Russia because they identify “imperialism” solely with the US and the EU. Others see Russia also as imperialist, and deduce “a plague on all houses”. The Morning Star (linked to the Communist Party of Britain) often confines itself to bland factual reporting and wishes for peace, but has boosted an article by Jeremy Corbyn, a Labour MP with...

Mass strike in China

Up to 40,000 workers are participating in a strike in Dongguan, southern China, in a dispute over unpaid social insurance benefit. The strike began on 14 April and has steadily increased in size since. The workers, who are employed by Yue Yuen Industrial Holdings, make trainers for companies like Nike, Adidas, New Balance, and Puma, at a huge factory in the central Guangdong province. Yue Yuen Industrial had sales of more than $7.58 billion in 2013. The strike is one of the biggest in China's history. One striker, who spoke to the New York Times , said she takes in about 1,300 renminbi, or...

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