Solidarity 056, 13 August 2004

Warsaw 1944, Baghdad 2004?

Letter from August Grabski, Warsaw The evaluation of the Iraqi armed resistance has started to be discussed in detail among Polish radicals after a small demo organised by a left-wing group on 1 August in Warsaw, with the slogans: "Remembering the Warsaw and Iraq uprisings", "1944: against occupation of Poland! 2004: against occupation of Iraq!" The Warsaw uprising of 1944 was ordered by the right-wing generals of the underground Home Army, linked to the Polish émigré government in London. The pro-capitalist politicians and the command of the Home Army wanted to welcome the Red Army in the...

Rousseau, Arnold, and Vardy

By Mike Rowley In the context of the debate on the banning of the hijab in French public schools, it is instructive to consider the contrast between the educational systems of France and Britain. In theory at least, the French school system is much more secular. The reasons for this are partly historical. The idea of universal education in France was established by the Revolution. The ideology of the French Revolution being secular, state schools were of course also secular: education, like church lands, was wrested from the hands of the clergy and massively expanded. Of course there were...

James P. Cannon and R. Palme Dutt: Communism and philistinism:

James Patrick Cannon, one of the founders of the international Trotskyist movement, and for decades one of its central leaders, died 30 years ago, on 21 August 1974. Cannon considered himself to be an agitator and an organiser, and first of all a party organiser. He would have believed that his legacy would consist in the Trotskyist organisation he founded and led, not in his writings. The thought that led Cannon to that belief - that revolutionary ideas are not really revolutionary unless embodied in effective activist organisation - was right. Yet the organisation (in the USA) which he...

The IRA's all-time low

Thomas Carolan continues his series about the history of Irish republicanism In 1937-38, the De Valera government, the government of those who had fought and lost the Civil War, gave separatist Ireland a constitution that made it a republic in all but name, and negotiated withdrawal by the British navy from the three Irish bases which Britain held under the Treaty. Events since 1921 had shown not only that Michael Collins and the 'Free Staters' had been right when they said that the 1921 Treaty gave the 26 Counties 'the freedom to win freedom', but also that De Valera had been right in 1926...

Civil Service jobs threat

By a civil servant The Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) is drawing up extensive plans to resist the threat of civil service job cuts. The Chancellor Gordon Brown recently announced plans to cut up to 100,000 civil service jobs. As a first stage in resisting this, the union has agreed in principle to organise a one-day, national civil service strike, to be held in late October or early November. Further activities planned include: * a lobby of Labour Party conference when it is held in the autumn. * vigorous local campaigns of pressure on MPs, especially Labour MPs, with lobbies of...

ABP face national dock strike

The prospect of the first national dock strike since the end of the National Dock Labour Scheme 14 years ago has come closer. The T&GWU says that its members at Associated British Ports (ABP) will be asked to vote on strike action. This follows the dockers, drivers and port workers covering 23 port operations rejecting a 2.9% pay offer by three to one. The key points of the union's claim are: A minimum hourly rate of £7.50 an hour and a 5% increase to all rates currently over £7.50. A one hour reduction in the working week to 38 hours with no loss of pay. A £10 an hour minimum hourly rate for...

Solid strike brings gains

By Alison Brown Bus drivers of the First Bus company in South Yorkshire, members of the TGWU, have been on indefinite strike over pay. After 21 days' completely solid strike action the 1,500 strikers have succeeded in raising management's offer to their demand of 30p an hour increase, backdated to April. The union has conceded that the deal will be a two-year deal, with an additional 30p increase for next year. First Bus made a profit of £150 million last year, but management had insisted that this pay increase was unaffordable. Management's position was that the pay deal would have to be paid...

FBU fury over pay

By Joan Trevor Pay talks between local authority employers and the Fire Brigades Union broke down at the start of August, with the union claiming that New Labour had packed a meeting to wreck them. Firefighters are still waiting for increases to pay promised as part of the deal to end industrial action during the 2003 pay dispute. Now the union is balloting for new strike action. Rank and file firefighters, angry at their treatment by the government, and ready to fight again, must organise to ensure they have control over any new dispute. The FBU leadership cannot be allowed to mismanage...

Rank and file control needed in Tube dispute

As we go to press, Tube workers still have to rely on rumour to guess what is happening in their dispute on pay, hours and jobs, which was due to be settled over four months ago, on 1 April this year. Further strike action may be announced soon, but no-one knows yet. The biggest Tube union, the RMT, has put in a claim for a 32-hour week and wage increases to bring Station Assistants up to £22,000 a year. London Underground bosses have counter-demanded large job cuts. After much to-and-fro and delay, the RMT called a strike on 29-30 June, which was very well-supported and effective despite...

Massacre in Sudan

By Rosalind Robson At the end of last month the UN passed a resolution demanding that the Sudanese government disarm a militia behind a brutal ethnic cleansing in the Darfur region of western Sudan. They make this demand of the same military-Islamist government which armed, backed and aided the militia in the first place! The UN resolution promises further action - it does not specify what - if the disarming is not in train by the end of August. The Sudanese government has said it may not be able to comply with the motion. A huge government-backed demonstration against the UN, held in Khartoum...

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