London Underground Strike

On Wednesday, 30 June, the London underground workers, belonging to the RMT transport union, held a successful strike. The strike became necessary as the talks in the long-running pay and conditions dispute broke down. The strike was fully supported by the staff with only a handful of trains running. Several million commuters had to use … [Read more…]

Zimbabwe: ‘The Liberation Struggle Continues’

At the invitation of ZANU(PF), Harpal Brar, Editor of Lalkar and Chairman of Zimbabwe Solidarity Front (ZSF), attended a Conference in Harare with the theme “The Liberation Struggle Continues”. Held from 20th to 23rd April 2004, the Conference, organised by ZANU(PF)’s external relations department, was attended by liberation movements in southern Africa and solidarity movements … [Read more…]

Bourgeois Secularism and the Communal Challenge?

Part Three This is the third instalment of this article, which we began publishing in the last issue of Lalkar. It is a slightly extended version of that which appeared in The Marxist, Volume XIX, No 2 April-June 2003. The question of communalism and religious bigotry is extremely important, for it divides and weakens the … [Read more…]

Union Bureaucracy’s support for imperialist occupation of Iraq

I The expulsion of the Rail, Maritime and Transport workers union (RMT) from the Labour Party is a welcome development, removing one particular organisational obstacle to the advance of socialism in the labour movement. At the same time, it imposes new political tasks on those who intend to offer socialist leadership to the working class. … [Read more…]

The Unity Coalition – Deserving of Respect?

In the year 2000 Ken Livingstone was expelled from the Labour Party and stood as an independent in the London mayoral election. Most left-wing political organisations rallied to support and canvass for him. However his tenancy as mayor has been hailed a success by big business and with the issuing of the ‘bond scheme’ he … [Read more…]

Belated observations on the Euro

We began this article in the March/April issue of Lalkar. In this issue we conclude with the arguments against joining the euro, the prospects of European union and the attitude of the proletariat to it. Arguments against joining the Euro Those who oppose British membership of the single currency do so on the following real … [Read more…]

US imperialism ousts Aristide from Haiti

On the 29th of February 2004, after weeks of civil war waged by his opponents (hailing mostly from privileged sections of Haitian society), Jean-Bertrand Aristide, the elected President of Haiti, was kidnapped by invading US forces and flown out of the country, in order to make way for US imperialism’s latest choice of President. The … [Read more…]

Bourgeois Secularism and the Communal Challenge?

Part Three This is the third instalment of this article, which we began publishing in the last issue of Lalkar. It is a slightly extended version of that which appeared in The Marxist, Volume XIX, No 2 April-June 2003. The question of communalism and religious bigotry is extremely important, for it divides and weakens the … [Read more…]

Hail the national revolt of the Iraqi people!

Sunday 4 April will go down in history as a day when the Iraqi resistance to Anglo-American imperialist occupation became a truly national revolt of the Iraqi people – Shia and Sunni, religious and secular – united in their hatred of the predatory occupying forces and a burning desire to expel them from Iraq. On … [Read more…]