On “Workfare to be imposed in Britain”
Pure slavery. Sheer terror of losing one’s livelihood, together with the utter lack of any kind of viable leadership on the left, makes the frightened worker accept what amounts to torture.
And I couldn’t agree more with the description of unions as “a specialist arm of management.”
Kamilla V
British Columbia, Canada
13 November 2010
On “UK students march against cuts, occupy Conservative Party HQ”
I was at this demonstration on Wednesday and that it clearly showed that the youth are in the forefront of the political and economic austerity, imposed by this government. As said, some 50,000 students assembled, to demonstrate their anger at the cuts being imposed on them and the extortionate fees imposed on these students. This is the real violence, and not the smokescreen of the incidents that took place at Millbank towers. We were at the rear of the march, if you could call it a march. The 50,000 strong demonstration barely moved 200m and that was that. It extended from the Ministry of Defence past the Cenotaph, past the House of Commons Parliament, and down to Millbank, and that was it, no movement and no rally at the end. Simply because the bankruptcy of the trade unions such as the NUS UNITE and others have clearly been shown; for them, the quicker it was over the better. The size of this demo clearly shook the establishment and the trade union bureaucracy. They were interviewed and apologetic of the violence that took place, and said that it was a distraction from why they were there. The only distraction is from the trade unions themselves, as they align with the political terrorists that were in the House of Commons.
Malcolm B
UK
11 November 2010
On “G20 summit fails to resolve global trade, currency conflicts”
The American government policy of flooding the money markets with US dollars to force dollar devaluation faces a real a problem. Since the wall of dollars couldn’t effect the exchange rate with China’s currency the Euro was obviously a major target. But the rush to euros has been checked by the crisis in various Euro zone economies (Ireland, Spain etc). No one wants to move billions into a currency whose existence is in question. So the result is likely to be further speculative monetary flows into basic commodities (oil, gas, grains etc). And more speculative purchases of gold. A consequence of the inflationary effects produced by this will be a squeeze on the profits of American corporations (the prices of their products will remain sticky where demand is flat or falling). So the process of dollar devaluation seems just as likely to embed stagflation in the US economy as other outcomes that Obama might find more palatable. A new squeeze on profitability will of course accelerate attacks on the living standards of the American working class.
Chris
13 November 2010
On “US deficit panel launches offensive against social programs”
* Sigh * The ruling class—all they want is everything.
Greg S
New Hampshire, USA
12 November 2010
On the WSWS and the drive for austerity
As the crisis of Capitalism has deepened and intensified the WSWS has been, since its inception in 1998 a beacon of light in this dark confused reactionary world. Thankfully you have remained steadfast and true to your beliefs, principles and history. Whilst organisations that claim to represent the international working class—e.g., social democracy, liberalism and trade unionism have gone over to the ruling class. Your implacable stand and opposition against the many brands of revisionism is a testament to the organisation that was founded in 1938. The passing of the years since then has confirmed and proven that the Marxism of Trotsky is the only one capable of taking the international working class forward at this time and in what I would personally consider the greatest crisis in the history of the working class. I believe it is far greater than the 1920s-30s, when at least then there was a semblance of opposition in a backward and degenerate sort of way.
This does not apply today, a case in point I believe is liberalism here in this country (Britain). Who would have thought that after over 400 years of class compromise the liberals would have gone back to their natural home, (reactionary) conservatism turning their backs on their own ideology of compromise, fairness and liberal equality. Politics has changed dramatically and now is the time for the working class to make that change also, by decisively breaking with their old organisations and making a start just like the US auto workers by building rank and file committees internationally, as part of the fight back against capitalism and uniting these struggles with workers and students. In France, Germany, Greece, and the United States and everywhere around the globe where workers are facing daily and constant attacks. The building of the SEP the ISSE along with the WSWS is of the utmost importance if we are to prevent a catastrophe from engulfing all of mankind. Workers beware, nationalism will soon be raising its ugly head and the jackboots are being polished and prepared; the warning signs are there. The old saying workers of the world unite is more appropriate now then ever.
Yours
Jay
UK
12 November 2010
On “Pentagon moves to quickly close investigation of mystery missile”
I saw the mystery missile from the ground. I live by the beach in Los Angeles, and from the ground it was obviously a missile launch, it looked nothing like any plane contrails I’ve ever seen but it looked a lot like the launches I’ve seen from Vandenberg AFB.
Brian R
11 November 2010
On “Released opposition leader Suu Kyi calls for talks with Burmese junta”
Looks like Suu Kyi is a lady version of Gandhi in modern era, in the name of so-called nonviolence and passivism, not allowing any kind of mass upsurge from below and betraying the people to the core, by having ties with the same oppressors.
Sathish K
15 November 2010
On “New Zealand government attacks film workers, gives millions to Hobbit producers”
Dear WSWS,
I was pleased to see coverage of the troubles surrounding the filming of the Hobbit in New Zealand. Apart from the undue anger against the actors, it was saddening to see ugly anti-Australian sentiment coming out of the woodwork. The producers clearly wanted to make an example of NZ workers wanting to negotiate conditions, because the fact is that the actors’ demands never endangered in the slightest the huge profits the film is bound to make.
Yours sincerely,
Hugo S
Salzburg, Austria
11 November 2010
On “Bush on NBC: Rehabilitating a war criminal”
Wasn’t NBC once described as the “Nixon Channel” years ago due to a similar attempt at rehabilitation? Readers may be interested to know that the Rupert Murdoch-owned internet edition of the Times breached its subscriber-only, non-free policy last week to allowing access to the description of an interview the editor conducted with this war criminal. Nothing else was free before or since!
Tony W
10 November 2010