Support the Right of the Kurdish People to Self-Determination

  by Katharine McGavigan, Vice-President of the SLP in Scotland. At our recent congress of the Socialist Labour Party in Scotland, the following motion was unanimously passed:“This congress condemns the decision by a Turkish Court in June this year, to sentence Kurdish workers party leader Abdullah Ocalan to death by hanging and notes that the scale of … [Read more…]

Good Friday Agreement Only Way Forward: Gerry Adams

 From the signing of the Good Friday Agreement in April 1998 until the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) prevented the transfer of power and the establishment of the institutions two weeks ago – a period of almost 16 months – the peace process has limped from one unionist induced crisis to another.This period of time could … [Read more…]

Poisoned Legacy –

the spread of cancers and deformities since the Gulf WarBy Felicity Arbuthnot  Felicity Arbuthnot is a freelance journalist specialising in social and environmental issues with a special knowledge of Iraq. She is writing a book on the plight of those affected by the Gulf War.[This article is reproduced from theNew Internationalist(September 1999, issue devoted to the … [Read more…]

Nationwide democratic goal of Iranian protests

  Protests erupted on Tehran University around 7 July. Students in 18 Iranian cities were protesting within a week. They shouted “Down with dictators”, “Death to despots”. They carried signs calling for “Freedom, independence and dignity”, slogans from the revolt which overthrew the bloody rule of the Shah in 1979.The United Students’ Front issued 14 demands. … [Read more…]

Is your health safe in the hands of capitalism

 Heart disease killed some 300 in every 100,000 people aged 45-64 in Scotland and Northern Ireland and some 240 in every 100,000 of that age in England and Wales. The enormity of these figures can best be appreciated if it is understood that the figure for German is 180, Holland 140, Spain 120 and France … [Read more…]

African tragedy

 Two teenage boys from Guinea (Conakry) were found dead of exposure at Brussels ariport in Belgium on 2 August 1999 hidden in the undercarriage of a Sabena plane which had flown in from Guinea. The boys, Yaguine Koïta and Fodé Tounkara, were found to be carrying a message to the people of Europe appealing them … [Read more…]

Diarmuid O’Neill: A Case of Shoot to Kill

 On the morning of 23 September 1996 Diarmuid o’Neill was shot and killed by officers of the Metropolitan Police in Hammersmith. The trial of Brian McHugh and Patrick Kelly – arrested at the same address in Hammersmith – ended in December 1997. The disclosures and evidence presented at that trial exposed Diarmuid’s death as murder. … [Read more…]

‘Narco-guerrillas’: alibi for intervention By Stan Goff

  Stan Goff retired from the U. S. Army in 1996. He served in Vietnam, Guatemala, El Salvador, Grenada, Panama, Colombia, Peru, Venezuela, Honduras, Somalia and Haiti. His last assignment was with 3rd Special Forces.Earlier this year, the Departments of State and Defense shed crocodile tears over human rights in Kosovo. Now, self-righteous sanctimony about drugs … [Read more…]

China: Can Reform be Sustained

By C P Chandraskehar,  We reproduce this article on the Chinese Reforms for, since our own article “Socialism with Chinese Characteristics” in the August/September 1992 issue of Lalkar, it is one of the most thoughtful that we have come across. [FromPeople’s Democracyof 18 July 1999, with thanks.] – Editor. China’s drive towards a “socialist market economy” is … [Read more…]