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Marxists cannot but have indulged in a wry smile at the public humiliation and resignation of Eduard Shevardnadze – one of the principal architects of the dissolution of the USSR and a close collaborator of Mikhail Gorbachev – from the Georgian presidency on 23 November. Very few people are so deserved of the label ‘arch-reactionary … [Read more…]

The Iraqi national resistance against the imperialist armies of occupation continues its inexorable march forward – broadening, deepening and gaining strength with each passing day. More than twice as many US soldiers have been killed since 1st May, when US President Bush declared the end of major combat operations, as did during the war right … [Read more…]

It is five and a half years since the signing of the Good Friday Agreement (GFA) signalled the start of a new phase in the struggle for Irish liberation. 30 years of popular struggle and armed conflict had brought the British to realise that, although they were not beaten outright, neither was there any chance … [Read more…]

21st January 2004 marks the 80th anniversary of the death of V.I.Lenin who defended the revolutionary heritage of Marxism and creatively developed it, bringing it to a higher stage – Leninism. His teachings on scores of topics, particularly on imperialism, state and revolution, party organisation, war and peace, the fight against social democracy and opportunism, … [Read more…]

Born in Droylsden, Lancashire in 1890 Pollitt was a political activist from an early age. He served an apprenticeship in boilermaking and was a lifelong member of the Boilermaker’s Union. Pollitt was 27 years old at the time of the historic October Revolution and later remembered thinking – “The workers have done it at last. … [Read more…]

This article, to be presented in 3 instalments because of its length, 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 working-class movement, therefore a Marxist analysis of the problem … [Read more…]

In March this year, just as British and US troops were launching their illegal and barbarous invasion of Iraq, BECTU, the Broadcast, Entertainment, Cinematograph and Theatre Union, passed a resolution at its annual conference calling for a vote on continued affiliation to the Labour Party. This month (November 2003), the union will finally ballot its … [Read more…]

Bolivia has been described as a beggar sitting on a mountain of gold. It is a description that applies to any number of the world’s super-exploited and oppressed countries. Imperialism helps itself to the gold only with the beggar’s permission, obtained through depositing pennies in the begging bowl or, if necessary, by force. The people … [Read more…]

On 18 September the residents of the Brent East constituency in North London participated in the unthinkable – their actions not only lost Labour its 13,000 majority and with one of its safest parliamentary seats (only 57 seats were safer), but also recorded a blistering criticism of the present Labour Government. Labour had not lost … [Read more…]

On 15 October, amid outpouring of legitimate national pride, China became only the third country to launch a man into space and return him safely to Earth. Shenzhuo V (Divine Vessel V) took off from the Jiuquan satellite launch-pad in the Gobi desert, spent 21 hours in space, orbited the Earth 14 times and left … [Read more…]