the perspective of David North’s is a narrow nationalist one. It limits the problem to one of the decline of US capitalism as opposed to the decline of capitalism as a world economic system. This means that for the WSWS the problems of capitalism are solvable within a merely nationalist framework. Such a framework only requires a mere restructuring of global capitalism. In contrast for communists the authentic solution is the elimination of capitalism through social revolution.
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The Irish Congress of Trade Unions has criticised spending cuts in the community and voluntary sector as “short-sighted and ultimately self-defeating.” Launching a new study on the impact of cuts – Downsizing the Community Sector – Congress General Secretary David Begg said it was clear many of the cuts were taking place “below the radar and out of the spotlight. But their impact is enormous. In many communities these cuts are eroding the social fabric, eating away at what binds those communities together,” he said. ... read full story / add a comment

We Should All Support the Planned Protests by SIPTU for the Vita Cortex Workers at Kinsale Road in Cork City Including the National Mobilisations!! In fact I think Everyone Must Support these Mobilisations And Protests Whether Or Not you're SIPTU Members! I welcome the fact that the TEEU have also pledged their support for the Vita Cortex Workers. ... read full story / add a comment

Ports up and down the West Coast were blockaded, from Seattle to San Diego. The blockade was called in solidarity with longshore workers fighting a union-busting assault in Longview, Washington and port truckers seeking union recognition in the ports of Los Angeles/Long Beach. This support should have been greeted. But now the class war on the West Coast docks is coming to a head, and it can't be waged from the outside. Bay Area labor has called for a caravan to Longview. The goal should be a real occupation of the terminal by the workers to prevent the loading of the scab cargo. Longshore militants have called on the longshore unions to shut down every port on the West Coast, and the East and Gulf Coasts, to smash EGT's union-busting. Can it be done? Yes, but only though sharp struggle against the pro-capitalist labor bureaucracy. ... read full story / add a comment

The capitalist crisis can provide the working class with the opportunity to forcefully take power. ... read full story / add a comment

Today, at Kazakhstan’s independence day, more than 3000 people assembled peacefully in Zhanaozen, to promote the demands of the oil workers who have been on strike since May. Police and special forces attacked the meeting and opened fire on the strikers and their families. By around 10 a.m., London time, 50 had already been killed, with at least 500 more wounded. ... read full story / add a comment

It's outrageous. The average tax break from the Bush tax cuts enjoyed by the top 1 percent of Americans is larger than the average income of the rest of the 99 percent. ... read full story / add a comment

The sixty million payoff to prison officers in Northern Ireland could be much better spent on addressing the causes of crime such as poverty, social deprivation and prison rehabilitation. Prison officers who served during the Troubles could walk away from their jobs with packages of more than £120,000 plus pension as part of a £60m redundancy programme aimed at ‘modernising’ the service. ... read full story / add a comment

A time of economic crisis provides a moment in time when the revolutionary can more readily get the ear of the people. At such times people are open to the possibility of radical change. It is of such a juncture that Lenin wrote: “A revolution is impossible without a revolutionary situation” however he also warned “not every revolutionary situation leads to revolution”.

A climate of economic crisis not only opens up possibilities for the genuine revolutionary but also for the false prophet of racism and fascism. ... read full story / add a comment

Following the surrender of the Labour Party in Cabinet on JLCs, SIPTU has described the proposals as “relatively positive” on RTE Television News, July 28 and has given the government plan “a cautious welcome” (Martin Wall, Irish Times July 29). This is a dark day for Irelands biggest union which was built by Larkin and Connolly ... read full story / add a comment

Labour's Shame on Low Pay-Labour Party has capitulated to Fine Gael by agreeing to cut low pay ... read full story / add a comment

Renowned UK based Academic Eilis Lawlor explains why Cleaners are more valuable to society than Bankers! ... read full story / add a comment

Renowned UK based Academic Eilis Lawlor explains why Cleaners are valuable to society than Bankers! ... read full story / add a comment

The system is creating the backlash that could allow new ways of running the country, new ideas to be given a chance, a path of inclusion over competition ... read full story / add a comment

Iranian Trade union leader Mansour Osanloo has been freed from prison after four years. Osanloo, chair of the Syndicat of Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company (Sherkat-e Vahed), has been leading workers in their fight for better conditions and for independent unions in Iran.

Arrested in July 2007, he was charged with organising “propaganda against the regime” and later accused of being a threat to national security. Throughout his imprisonment he has been subject to horrific abuse. In February 2010 there was an attempt on Osanloo’s life in Rajai-Shahr prison. He was attacked by a former member of the Revolutionary Guards state militia with the support of prison wardens. Two other prisoners intervened and saved him. Later in June 2010 further tragedy hit his family when security forces attacked Zoya Samadi, Osanloo’s daughter-in-law, causing her to miscarry.
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The Labour Relations Commission consists of Fianna Fáil hacks, failed union and government officials seeing out their golden years, employer hawks and old hands at the partnership game, capped by a Chair with links to child labour and sweatshops. ... read full story / add a comment

The recent official visit by the British Queen to the Republic of Ireland led to many temporary restrictions on the freedom of Irish workers and the loss of income to many of them due to the disruption it caused in Dublin and other places in Ireland.

Among other things it intensified alienation by the exclusion of the vast majority of citizenry from the various public events staged in Ireland for the British Queen. Only a small elite can be be trusted, in such contexts, by the Irish state.

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Both common sense knowledge and science involve belief. ... read full story / add a comment

Last Saturday, 26 March saw up to half a million take part in a TUC organised anti-cuts protest in London. In the aftermath of the protest there has been much controversy about the 700 strong black bloc that broke away from the protest to throw paint at and break the windows of banks, luxury car dealers and the 4,000 a night Ritz hotel in Central London. ... read full story / add a comment

The employers have been on an offensive against the working class for the past forty years. The assaults on the public sector are the latest fronts. Unfortunately the union leaders have gone along with this offensive. In the present battles they bleat that they will get their members to give concessions as long as they can negotiate these. In essence this is what the union leaders position boils down to. Let us negotiate and we will get our members to make concessions. Of course this would continue to give the union leaders a role. The union leaders fear a victory in Madison and elsewhere because this would show that victories are possible and that defeat in front of this bosses offense is always inevitable. If this was shown it would undermine the entire propaganda of the union leaders and weaken their control of the movement. They prefer defeat to this. ... read full story / add a comment