Western Europe
Germany: A government of social confrontation
By Ulrich Rippert, October 28, 2009
All of the parties represented in the new German coalition government are agreed that the burden of the economic crisis and the ballooning state debt is to be placed upon the backs of the general popu...
US formally requests extradition of filmmaker Roman Polanski
By Hiram Lee, October 27, 2009
The United States has formally requested that filmmaker Roman Polanski be extradited from Switzerland. New details of the Swiss government’s role in Polanski’s arrest have now come to light.
German building cleaners strike against wage cutting
By Ludwig Weller, October 26, 2009
On Thursday of last week 96.7 percent of union members active in the building cleaning branch voted in favor of the first national strike in the history of the industry. The response of the union, how...
German philosopher Peter Sloterdijk defends racist remarks by central banker
By Stefan Steinberg, October 26, 2009
The German philosopher Peter Sloterdijk has openly defended racist remarks made by German Central Bank executive member Thilo Sarrazin.
Britain: Post workers speak to SEP during second day of national strike
By our reporters, October 26, 2009
The second day of national strike action by postal workers on October 22 involved 76,000 postal delivery workers.
Paris CGT jobs protest dominated by nationalist politics
By Antoine Lerougetel, October 26, 2009
Some 20,000 industrial workers from all over France converged on Paris last Thursday, in a protest against the wave of plant closures and sackings engulfing their sector. The demonstration was dominat...
Merkel coalition agreement
A program of social devastation in Germany
By Dietmar Henning, October 26, 2009
The new German government plans to use cuts to social expenditure as its most important means of redistributing social wealth in favour of the wealthy.
Twenty years after capitalism’s return:
Living standards continue steep fall in Eastern Europe
By Stefan Steinberg, October 24, 2009
Twenty years after the reintroduction of capitalism in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, a World Bank report acknowledges that a third of the population in the region lives in poverty.
Britain: Postal strikers speak to SEP campaign teams
By our reporters, October 24, 2009
Postal workers yesterday staged their second of two 24-hour strikes, the first major national strike since 2007.
Britain: South Yorkshire firefighters threatened with mass sackings over new shift patterns
By Simon Whelan, October 23, 2009
At 18.00 hours (GMT) today, firefighters in South Yorkshire, England, will carry out the second of two 24-hour stoppages.
Britain: Leeds refuse workers vote to continue strike
By Barbara Slaughter, October 23, 2009
At a mass meeting on October 21, striking Leeds refuse workers voted by a massive 92 percent majority to reject the “final offer” from Leeds City Council and continue their seven-week strike.
British postal workers launch two-day national strike
By Chris Marsden, October 23, 2009
Britain’s postal workers began two days of strike action yesterday, the first major national strike since 2007.
