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UNIR LA GAUCHE POUR AFFRONTER LES NOUVEAUX DEFIS !
Il existe aujourd'hui des ouvertures pour la gauche révolutionnaire telles que nous n'en avons pas connu depuis deux décennies. Le soulévement puissant d'opposition à la guerre de Bush et de Blair contre l'Iraq, avec la montée du mouvement anti-capitaliste et le renouveau encore limité mais vraiment important du véritable syndicalisme en GB, se combinent pour créer cette situation.
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There are openings for the growth of the revolutionary left such as we have not had for two decades. The tremendous upsurge of opposition to Bush's and Blair's war on Iraq, together with the rise of the anti-capitalist movements and the as yet limited, but radically important, revival of real trade unionism in Britain, have combined to create this situation.
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Daniel Randall, a Nottingham school student, went to the Stop the War Coalition Forum for School Students on 16 March. Here is his report.
At the beginning of March, thousands of school and FE students, denied the vote by the capitalist parliamentary system, "voted with their feet" and walked out against the war. Following these events, a Stop the War Coalition School Student Activists' Forum was organised to help school students and sixth formers "plan action, organise strikes and elect representatives." In a world where no union exists to represent school students, and where young people are almost completely excluded from political life, this forum could play a useful role.
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Over the last two weeks many cities in the UK have seen their biggest demonstrations for years, and in some cases ever. Here are some reports.
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By Jim Byagua
More than fifty anti-war demonstrators blocked Whitehall on Monday 18 March in a protest outside the emergency meeting of the War Cabinet. The protest brought together higher education students and school students in a three-hour sit-down.
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Compiled by Vicki Morris
This newspaper, Solidarity, is in favour of people taking direct action against the war. There has been debate about this in the movement, with, I feel, a false distinction drawn between demonstrations and direct action. Direct action advocates said marches by themselves could mobilise thousands (in the event, many hundreds of thousands!) but would stop little. The Stop the War Coalition said they wanted to mobilise those who would only march as well as those who would do more, and that mobilising many would encourage more of the more effective direct action. I think the STWC position was correct. It's getting harder to see where a demonstration ends and direct action begins. And not everyone turning up to Fairford airbase comes with wire cutters and a pair of running shoes!
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By Gerry Byrne
Tony Benn, addressing the 'People's Parliament' on 12 March, said it was an historic event. The school students who addressed the meeting to a standing ovation would look back when they were as old as him and ask: "Were you there that day?"
So what did it feel like to be 'making history'?
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As we go to press the invasion of Iraq is imminent. Millions of people around the world oppose it, but that has not stopped the "leader of the free world", George W Bush, and his loyal toady Tony Blair, from sending in the troops.
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The NUJ chapel at Newsquest Bradford began a 10-day strike over pay on 14 March.
The company had failed to improve on their 2% pay offer since the NUJ chapel staged a week-long stoppage in February. Trainees are on as little as £12,000 and qualified senior journalists on just £15,000.
Newsquest workers at Kendal, who had four days on strike in February, took another four days from 18 March.
