Thailand - eyewitness report

Decisive battle between the 'reds' and the government?

By the time this report was written, the tension had increased to a new level in the streets of Bangkok since the passsing of Wednesday night’s ultimatum.

The protesters are preparing for the impending army intervention which, judging by the murderous fighting at the end of April, would mean preparing for a bloodbath. For more than two months, the 'red shirts' opposition to the government of Abhisit Vejjajiva has been occupying the trade and financial district of Siam. They demand the dissolution of Parliament and call for immediate elections.

Obituary - Peter Hadden 1950 - 2010

Peter Hadden died peacefully at his home in Belfast on 5 May 2010 and was cremated at Roselawn Cemetery on 10 May. Peter, who died of cancer which he had fought every inch of the way over the previous three years, was 60 years of age.

This obituary will not do justice to Peter Hadden, no obituary could. It is based on the contributions by the following, friends and comrades of Peter, at the funeral itself and at the celebration of his life afterwards – Philip Stott (Scotland), Stephen Boyd, Lucy Simpson, Billy Lynn, Per-Åke Westerlund (Sweden), John Maguire (Visteon), Daniel Waldron, Carmel Gates, Gary Mulcahy, Peter Taaffe, Kevin McLoughlin, Ciaran Mulholland and Joe Higgins MEP.

Coalition of savage cuts takes power

Statement from the International Socialists (Sister section of the Socialist Party & Scottish section of the Committee for a Workers International)

Time for mass struggle to fight the cuts

The formation of the so-called “liberal – conservative” coalition will open up a period of instability and class conflict not seen in Britain for decades. The character of this government is already clear. The Tory/Lib Dem coalition agreement is based on “a significantly accelerated reduction in the structural deficit over the course of a Parliament, with the main burden of deficit reduction borne by reduced spending rather than increased taxes.”

British Elections: The ConDem-ned Government

Britain has been 'Con Dem-ned' to a future of savage attacks on public services, pay, pensions and benefits combined with tax increases for working and middle-class people.

The Tory/Liberal coalition has been cobbled together in a desperate attempt to create a government strong enough to launch an all-out onslaught on the living standards of the working class.Two thirds of the new cabinet went to public school. This is a government of the elite, for the elite, and it is going to set out to hammer the rest of us.

Mervyn King, unelected governor of the Bank of England, spoke on behalf of the majority of Britain's capitalist class when he welcomed the government's cuts plans and egged it on to go further in its emergency budget.

Nationalise the Quinn Group

Few people can imagine what €4,000million looks like, but that is just what Sean Quinn lost through gambling on the casino they call the stockmarket. As a result of this grotesque speculation and lust for profits, thousands of honest workers directly employed by the Quinn Group are to lose their jobs, not to mention the thousands of other workers whose jobs are dependent on the Quinn Group.

Sean Quinn lost this sum speculating that the depressed price of Anglo-Irish Bank shares would recover. However, he did not gamble by buying shares but by buying ‘Contracts for Difference’ (CFDs) amounting to 25% of the bank’s shares. Such a highly leveraged strategy can yield massive returns but if things go wrong the losses can be just as great.

South Africa wins the World Cup ... of inequality

Let them eat cake - the ugly backdrop to the beautiful game

Nothing symbolises more graphically the ugliness that forms the backdrop to the beautiful game than all the scandals, corruption and greed surrounding the mega event on which the entire world’s media is focused – the 2010 World Cup. The first to be held on the African continent, it is being presented as an opportunity to contribute to the development of sport and the economy. Through amongst others, “football Fridays” (when the national anthem should be sung by all and the national football jersey worn), and the special “diski” World Cup dance, it will brighten up the fading colours of the “Rainbow Nation”, boost “nation building”, provide redress for historical injustices, create jobs and help SA escape the effects of the global recession and kickstart economic recovery – a panacea for all social and economic ills.

Peter Hadden, leading Socialist Party member, dies

It is with deep sorrow that we announce that Peter Hadden died at his home in Belfast yesterday (May 5th) after a courageous battle against cancer. Peter played an enormous role in the workers' movement in Ireland and internationally, and will be remembered with great fondness and admiration by the thousands of workers he struggled alongside.