"The various faces of leftism and even sections of anarchism urge us to support one side or the other in the name of “anti-imperialism” or the “lesser evil.” But the Gaza war, the Ukraine war, and all the others, are inter-imperialist wars; there is no anti-imperialist side in these wars. What these wars represent are steps towards a global war where the major imperialist powers will mobilise workers to fight it out. The only real anti-imperialist struggle is the fight against capitalism itself, and the only way to oppose imperialist wars is on the basis of class struggle."
https://www.leftcom.org/en/articles/2024-04-03/workers-have-no-country-fight-war-with-class-unity-and-class-struggle
https://www.leftcom.org/en/articles/2024-04-03/workers-have-no-country-fight-war-with-class-unity-and-class-struggle
Leftcom
Workers Have No Country: Fight War with Class Unity and Class Struggle!
(Leaflet distributed by the CWO during the recent protests about the situation in Palestine.) The war in Gaza is a product of imperialism – just like the wars in Ukraine, Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and the other fifty or more conflicts that are raging around…
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"The political impact of all this on the working class is negligible. Even if there are more changes in the coming years, they will be no more than a changing of the guard amongst different sections of the bourgeoisie. Both the people who
are looking for solutions in AKP alternatives and secular people who are voting CHP agree that the current economic crisis is unacceptable, but both poles are mistaken in seeing a single political party or leader as responsible for it and in their method of reacting to it. What needs to be done is to spread the awareness that these crises are inherent to capitalism and cannot be solved under this system, no matter what colour the electoral maps are painted."
https://www.leftcom.org/en/articles/2024-04-06/local-elections-in-turkey-no-change-for-the-working-class
are looking for solutions in AKP alternatives and secular people who are voting CHP agree that the current economic crisis is unacceptable, but both poles are mistaken in seeing a single political party or leader as responsible for it and in their method of reacting to it. What needs to be done is to spread the awareness that these crises are inherent to capitalism and cannot be solved under this system, no matter what colour the electoral maps are painted."
https://www.leftcom.org/en/articles/2024-04-06/local-elections-in-turkey-no-change-for-the-working-class
Leftcom
Local Elections in Turkey: No Change for the Working Class
Turkey has just put another election behind it. However, the screaming of the open supporters of capitalist order and the part-time internationalist bourgeois leftists has not subsided. The chauvinist-Kemalist CHP,(1) which wants to open Turkey's doors wide…
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"The Leicester strike has gone down in labour history as the forerunner of the two year Grunwick struggle of “strikers in saris”: a step forward in race relations, equal pay and for more enlightened trade unionism. For those of us who want to see an end to capitalist exploitation and a world of truly emancipated human beings, there are different lessons to be learned."
https://www.leftcom.org/en/articles/2024-04-25/looking-back-at-class-war-in-the-1970s-fifty-years-since-the-strike-at-imperial
https://www.leftcom.org/en/articles/2024-04-25/looking-back-at-class-war-in-the-1970s-fifty-years-since-the-strike-at-imperial
Leftcom
Looking Back at Class War in the 1970s: Fifty Years Since the Strike at Imperial Typewriters
On 1 May 1974 a group of thirty to forty, mainly women workers out of a total of around 1,600 employees at Imperial Typewriters in Leicester joined the May Day workers rally. It was not then a Bank Holiday. (It would be four years before that moveable feast…
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"As global tensions mount, the working class is paying the price at home. Last year the highest number of firms in 30 years went bust. Others are scaling back or shifting production elsewhere. From universities to high street names like Wilko, to major local employers like Port Talbot steelworks, thousands have lost jobs. Meanwhile, as the national minimum wage reaches its 25th birthday and trails behind inflation, dependence on benefits and food banks is soaring among employed and unemployed workers alike."
https://www.leftcom.org/en/articles/2024-04-27/the-problem-is-the-system-not-who-runs-it
https://www.leftcom.org/en/articles/2024-04-27/the-problem-is-the-system-not-who-runs-it
Leftcom
The Problem is the System, Not Who Runs It!
As global tensions mount, the working class is paying the price at home. Last year the highest number of firms in 30 years went bust. Others are scaling back or shifting production elsewhere. From universities to high street names like Wilko, to major local…
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"Another May Day in the midst of bombs and massacres. Another May Day, when the threat of a new global carnage becomes ever more real. A carnage that eclipses even the darkest dystopian nightmare and threatens survival on planet Earth. From the Ukraine to the Middle East and the Red Sea, from the Congo to Sudan... Everywhere, armed conflicts are on the rise and with them the suffering of the people. This escalation of violence is by no means simply due to the ill will of individual politicians or states, as pacifists on all sides claim; it is the logical consequence of a crisis-ridden capitalist system that is forcing "our" rulers into militaristic attack mode."
https://www.leftcom.org/en/articles/2024-04-30/may-day-2024-down-with-nationalism-and-war-workers-have-no-country
https://www.leftcom.org/en/articles/2024-04-30/may-day-2024-down-with-nationalism-and-war-workers-have-no-country
Leftcom
May Day 2024: Down with Nationalism and War - Workers Have No Country!
(2024 May Day Statement of the Internationalist Communist Tendency) Another May Day in the midst of bombs and massacres. Another May Day, when the threat of a new global carnage becomes ever more real. A carnage that eclipses even the darkest dystopian nightmare…
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"After such a long period of retreat workers have to reacquire the confidence to struggle, not only against wage cuts, unemployment and austerity but now against the greater danger which capitalism poses to us all. It cannot be under-estimated that building class unity is the most important task facing revolutionaries. We thus welcome the Prague Week of Action and all other serious attempts to bring genuine internationalists together to fight the growing drive of the world capitalist system towards barbarism. These conferences and initiatives could be a first step, provided that we all recognise the extreme danger of the situation and as a consequence concentrate on what unites us rather than what has divided us."
https://www.leftcom.org/en/articles/2024-05-01/to-the-internationalists-attending-the-prague-week-of-action
https://www.leftcom.org/en/articles/2024-05-01/to-the-internationalists-attending-the-prague-week-of-action
Leftcom
To the Internationalists Attending the Prague Week of Action
Capitalism is past its sell by date and is dragging the planet and humanity towards an existential crisis. The system has been lurching from one expedient to the next to avert the consequences of the crisis that emerged with the end of the post-war boom in…
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"There is no shortage of organisations already declaring themselves to be the Party or a new International. A document claiming to be the manifesto of such a body needs to provide workers with the tools to navigate the challenges ahead. The IMT’s manifesto, while couched in revolutionary rhetoric and aesthetics, smuggles in all the Trotskyist baggage of its past. In light of this, their claim to have “broken radically with reformism and cowardly ‘left’ opportunism” is revealed to be nothing more than an empty phrase to bolster recruitment. Sooner or later, the same old cracks are bound to emerge."
https://www.leftcom.org/en/articles/2024-05-03/revolutionary-communist-party-out-with-the-old-in-with-the-old
https://www.leftcom.org/en/articles/2024-05-03/revolutionary-communist-party-out-with-the-old-in-with-the-old
Leftcom
Revolutionary Communist Party: Out With the Old, In With the Old
The International Marxist Tendency (IMT) is in the process of rebranding as the Revolutionary Communist International, with many of its national sections now taking the name of the Revolutionary Communist Party.
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"The collapse of living standards felt more or less acutely by the working class across the globe is being met by the only solution the state can rely on, concentrating more and more misery on a growing surplus population while grinding down the remaining ‘productive’ sections of our class. Shifting demographics and nativist anxieties may obscure this fact, but the working class in all countries is being bled by the same common oppressor and only our united action can fight back against it."
https://www.leftcom.org/en/articles/2024-05-10/rwanda-plan-capitalism-offers-no-asylum
https://www.leftcom.org/en/articles/2024-05-10/rwanda-plan-capitalism-offers-no-asylum
Leftcom
Rwanda Plan: Capitalism Offers No Asylum
On 23 April the ‘Safety of Rwanda’ bill was passed in the House of Lords giving the go ahead for the British state to deport any and all asylum seekers who come to the UK to Rwanda for claims processing. When asked on BBC Question Time about what would happen…
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"The letter unsurprisingly does not contain any groundbreaking new information, but illustrates Marx’s thoughts, which we analyse below, on world revolution and the necessity for workers to organise themselves as a party prior to said revolution. The first thing that leaps from the letter is Marx’s conception of revolution as an international affair, in contrast to, in the words of Rosa Luxemburg, the “domestic affair” Karl Kautsky and his epigones would reduce it to. After all, it had always been clear to Marx and Engels that communist revolution could not take place in one country alone."
https://www.leftcom.org/en/articles/2024-05-28/marx-s-newly-unearthed-letter-reaffirms-the-necessity-of-internationalism-and
https://www.leftcom.org/en/articles/2024-05-28/marx-s-newly-unearthed-letter-reaffirms-the-necessity-of-internationalism-and
Leftcom
Marx's Newly Unearthed Letter Reaffirms the Necessity of Internationalism and the Party
A letter in French by Karl Marx to Jules Guesde was recently unearthed, which we translate here: "10th of May 1879 41 Maitland Park Road London NW _ Dear Citizen Guesde, _ No French refugee who has any relation to me would have any doubt about the deep sympathy…
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"In preparation for a public debate they are organising, the Péntek esti kísértetjárás collective in Hungary has sent us a set of question about revolutionary defeatism. We share our answers here, as they are a concise elaboration of our perspectives for today."
https://www.leftcom.org/en/articles/2024-06-13/revolutionary-defeatism-today-some-questions-answered
https://www.leftcom.org/en/articles/2024-06-13/revolutionary-defeatism-today-some-questions-answered
Leftcom
Revolutionary Defeatism Today: Some Questions Answered
(In preparation for a public debate they are organising, the _Péntek esti kísértetjárás_ (https://www.facebook.com/pentek.esti.kisertetjaras) collective in Hungary has sent us a set of question about revolutionary defeatism. We share our answers here, as…
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"It’s election fever! Following on from South Africa, India, and the EU, this year will also see the parliamentary pantomime play out in France, Iran, the UK and the USA. With the wars in Ukraine and Gaza and a refugee crisis in the background, it is issues of “national security” which will dominate the headlines. The “choice” is, as always, which capitalist party is best suited to represent the capitalist interests of “our” capitalist state."
https://www.leftcom.org/en/articles/2024-06-21/voting-changes-nothing-not-voting-is-not-enough-for-the-resumption-of-the-class
https://www.leftcom.org/en/articles/2024-06-21/voting-changes-nothing-not-voting-is-not-enough-for-the-resumption-of-the-class
Leftcom
Voting Changes Nothing, Not Voting is Not Enough: For the Resumption of the Class Struggle!
It’s election fever! Following on from South Africa, India, and the EU, this year will also see the parliamentary pantomime play out in France, Iran, the UK and the USA. With the wars in Ukraine and Gaza and a refugee crisis in the background, it is issues…
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"The French government’s rout at the last elections has brought the political impasse of the bourgeoisie to light. Since the announcement of the dissolution of the National Assembly, electoral manoeuvring is in full swing. Macron sings once more the praises of “the Republic’s values”, which can barely hide the system’s sinister reality: social regression across the board, rise of nationalism and anti-immigrant laws, and finally march to war and militarisation of society. The far-right is already largely surpassed by the parties that govern us! On the left, the ghost of the 1936 Popular Front is deployed to offer an alternative in defence of “democracy”."
https://www.leftcom.org/en/articles/2024-06-23/popular-front-in-france-a-deception-in-1936-a-deception-in-2024
https://www.leftcom.org/en/articles/2024-06-23/popular-front-in-france-a-deception-in-1936-a-deception-in-2024
Leftcom
Popular Front in France: A Deception in 1936, A Deception in 2024
== We can't counter capitalism's attacks by voting for parties that claim to manage it! We counter them through class struggle and internationalism! The French government’s rout at the last elections has brought the political impasse of the bourgeoisie to…
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"Strikes among nurses and in the health sector in general are unusual in Sweden and the dispute has received a lot of public attention and support, perhaps because it was fuelled by the slogan "save healthcare" – the conditions of those working in the health sector will ultimately be the conditions of all those in need of care. However, when an agreement was finally reached and the strike was called off on Friday 28 June, the results were meagre."
https://www.leftcom.org/en/articles/2024-07-07/the-healthcare-strike-in-sweden-unions-never-fight-for-real
https://www.leftcom.org/en/articles/2024-07-07/the-healthcare-strike-in-sweden-unions-never-fight-for-real
Leftcom
The Healthcare Strike in Sweden: Unions NEVER Fight for Real!
The strike by the Vårdförbundet (Swedish Association of Health Professionals) is over. However, the nurses, biomedical analysts and midwives have no reason to celebrate. The conflict has been going on since April and has escalated in several stages: first…
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"The New Popular Front, a coalition of centre-left and left-wing parties, has won the largest number of seats in the French National Assembly. But, as this article published by our comrades in France in the run up to the election shows, there is nothing to celebrate."
https://www.leftcom.org/en/articles/2024-07-08/france-at-the-elections-capitalism-always-wins
https://www.leftcom.org/en/articles/2024-07-08/france-at-the-elections-capitalism-always-wins
Leftcom
France: At the Elections, Capitalism Always Wins!
(The New Popular Front, a coalition of centre-left and left-wing parties, has won the largest number of seats in the French National Assembly. But, as this article published by our comrades in France in the run up to the election shows, there is nothing to…
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Imperialist proxy wars are raging in Ukraine, the Middle East, Africa and elsewhere. Behind these wars stand the major imperialist powers who threaten to extend the conflicts into a global confrontation – a new world war. The capitalist class worldwide are screaming ever louder for nationalism and demanding sacrifices. The truth is that the atrocities we see today are the true face of capitalism. They are a preview of what is to come if capitalism is not overthrown. What stance should workers and revolutionaries take on these wars and the drift towards global war? Come to a public meeting to discuss these issues.
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"It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our comrade Olivier, which took place on July 3rd. Only mortal illness was able to crush the generosity, passion and tenacity of a true revolutionary militant, who for more than fifty years fought to radically change this world, the inhuman world of the bourgeoisie, a world which has long outlived its usefulness."
https://www.leftcom.org/en/articles/2024-07-17/in-memory-of-olivier
https://www.leftcom.org/en/articles/2024-07-17/in-memory-of-olivier
Leftcom
In Memory of Olivier
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our comrade Olivier, which took place on July 3rd. Only mortal illness was able to crush the generosity, passion and tenacity of a true revolutionary militant, who for more than fifty years fought to…
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"The war in Ukraine has commenced a new stage in the worldwide drive to war, in which the ongoing slaughter in Gaza is another escalation. In times like these, it is helpful to look to the past, to see how it can inform our perspectives today. We have previously written about the 1943 uprising in the Warsaw Ghetto and the activities of Polish socialists unsuccessfully trying to chart an independent political course under the occupation. 1 August marks the 80th anniversary of yet another historical juncture – the Warsaw Uprising of 1944. This tragic episode, which now forms a key element in Polish nationalist mythology, provides an insight into our understanding of the difference between national uprisings and revolutionary class struggle."
https://www.leftcom.org/en/articles/2024-08-01/warsaw-1944-a-lesson-from-history
https://www.leftcom.org/en/articles/2024-08-01/warsaw-1944-a-lesson-from-history
Leftcom
Warsaw 1944: A Lesson From History
"Those who gave the first order to fight _ let them now count our corpses. _ Let them go through the streets _ that are not there _ through the city _ that is not there _ let them count for weeks for months _ let them count our corpses _ till death.(1)" The…
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"As the Secretary General of the United Nations said in February, the world is now entering “an age of chaos” where war means “a dangerous and unpredictable free-for-all with total impunity”. He even went so far as to say that unlike during the Cold War, when “well-established mechanisms helped manage superpower relations”, those mechanisms are missing “in today’s multipolar world”. His observations are incontestable but his solution, of course, was simply to suggest making the UN more effective, ignoring the fact that far from being a body for peace it has always been just another forum for acting out inter-imperialist rivalry. To understand the current drift to a more generalised war we have to look elsewhere."
https://www.leftcom.org/en/articles/2024-08-10/an-age-of-chaos-or-of-deepening-capitalist-crisis
https://www.leftcom.org/en/articles/2024-08-10/an-age-of-chaos-or-of-deepening-capitalist-crisis
Leftcom
An "Age of Chaos" or of Deepening Capitalist Crisis?
(Editorial for _Revolutionary Perspectives 24_ (https://www.leftcom.org/en/articles/2024-07-18/revolutionary-perspectives-24) (Series 4).) Since we began preparing this issue, Russian missiles have struck a paediatric hospital and Israeli bombs have flattened…
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"This is not just a problem of bigoted ‘Little Englanders’. All over the world workers are being manipulated to turn on each other as capitalism’s drive for profit fuels worldwide economic crisis, environmental catastrophe and barbaric warfare and colossal inequality of wealth. All this has inevitably led to more migration which ignorant racists and ruthless politicians define as the problem. But the real problem is capitalism and the ruthless sacrifice of everything human and humane for the benefit of an increasingly rich few."
https://www.leftcom.org/en/articles/2024-08-11/uk-riots-racist-right-in-the-service-of-capitalism
https://www.leftcom.org/en/articles/2024-08-11/uk-riots-racist-right-in-the-service-of-capitalism
Leftcom
UK Riots: Racist Right in the Service of Capitalism
Following the horrendous knife attacks on a children’s dance class in Southport, riots and arson attacks targeting Muslim living areas and places sheltering migrants have broken out. Undoubtedly they are fuelled by ‘social’ media-driven rumours and calls…
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"The geo-political situation is sharpening and capitalism’s warmongers are changing the game. National flags are flying everywhere. Too much is at stake not to attempt talking to others who share some of our perspectives but not all. We do not know how long we have before capitalism embarks irrevocably into world war but, however long that is, the discussions between internationalists need to begin in earnest."
https://www.leftcom.org/en/articles/2024-08-13/internationalist-initiatives-against-war-and-capitalism
https://www.leftcom.org/en/articles/2024-08-13/internationalist-initiatives-against-war-and-capitalism
Leftcom
Internationalist Initiatives Against War and Capitalism
The world capitalist system has been in crisis for decades. The end of the post-war boom has led to all kinds of expedients in the richest capitalist countries as we have highlighted in our series on the economic foundations (the latest contribution to which…
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"It’s not surprising that only one in two adults voted in this election, as confidence in our politicians and parliament is at an all-time low, with only 12% of adults saying they trust political parties, and it’s easy to see why. Public services have been decimated in the face of austerity to pay for bailing out the banks in 2008, during which time wages adjusted for inflation have fallen between 8-10% for the average worker, all while British politicians have been implicated in scandal after scandal. While at the same time the capitalist class have enriched themselves and the inequality in society increases."
https://www.leftcom.org/en/articles/2024-08-19/labour-wins-but-it-s-no-victory-for-the-working-class
https://www.leftcom.org/en/articles/2024-08-19/labour-wins-but-it-s-no-victory-for-the-working-class
Leftcom
Labour Wins But It's No Victory for the Working Class
After fourteen years of Conservative rule, with five different prime ministers who have spent their time floundering from one crisis to another, a new Labour government has been formed, on the promise that they will change Britain. Although Labour has won…
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