Ukraine: presidential election

On 31 March the incumbent president, Petro Poroshenko, will defend his presidency in Ukrainian elections. This sham of democracy, played out by the same oligarchic forces which in 2014 launched a violent Western-backed coup to overthrow the previously elected president and government, is bereft of any legitimacy. Thousands of people described by the Kiev junta … [Read more…]

US imperialist scrapping of INF Treaty aimed against both Russia and China

President Trump who, when standing for election, claimed to favour improving relations with Russia, has taken imperialist duplicity to a new level of blatancy, as shown by his unilateral announcement that the US is ending another bilateral peace agreement, the 1987 Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces treaty (INF). This he announced in October 2018 in Nevada following … [Read more…]

Housing and architecture in the Soviet Union

(By Katt Cremer, the second of two presentations to the Stalin Society, London) This contribution follows from the previous presentation, reproduced in Lalkar in November 2016, that looked at the sheer scale of the housing problem that the Bolsheviks faced in 1917. We looked at how the Soviet Union embarked on tackling the problem, taking … [Read more…]

The origins of World War 2

Presentation made to the Stalin Society, London, by Harpal Brar on 18 November 2018 The Second World War was a continuation of the First World War. With the defeat of Germany, the First World War had strengthened the position of French and British imperialism, especially the latter. On the eve of the Second World War, … [Read more…]

How to squeeze the NHS and get a gong

There is an old saying that ‘crime doesn’t pay’ but, in a system which is based upon the robbery of workers of the fruits of their labour power, who could believe such nonsense? Step forward Vijay Patel, the latest example showing that crime pays very well thank you if your crime is against the right … [Read more…]

Top Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou’s arrest – a provocation too far

Following an extradition request by the US, Miss Meng Wanzhou, Chief Financial Officer of the technology giant Huawei (pronounced ‘wah-way’ in Chinese), and the daughter of its founder, Ren Zhengfei, was detained at Vancouver airport by the Canadian authorities on Saturday 1 December during a layover in Canada. Miss Meng was en route to Mexico … [Read more…]

Syria carves out her future

US imperialism, having failed in its mission to topple Syria’s legitimate leadership, is now reduced to acting like the proverbial dog in the manger. It cannot, through its cowardly combination of proxy forces and aerial terror, win the war which it orchestrated from the first. Yet it cannot live with its failure either, and so … [Read more…]

Brexit paralysis – government and opposition in a shambles

Theresa May’s days as Prime Minister are numbered. With Britain set to leave the European Union on 29 March 2019, May’s ‘Chequers deal’ stands on the verge of defeat. Two years after triggering Article 50, and fast running out of time, May’s government has entirely failed to produce an appropriate withdrawal deal. Parliament has reached … [Read more…]