Die Linke is plumbing ever greater opportunist depths, writes Ben Lewis The twists and turns, the international alliances and intrigues in the unfolding human tragedy that is the Islamic State’s barbaric siege of Kobanê pose many challenges to both bourgeois and working class political ideas. Hence we have the spectacle of US bombing in support of ...
Jean Frey gives his impressions of the nature and role of the so-called 'Anti-Germans' on the German left. As I became politicised, in particular within Linksjugend, the youth organisation of Die Linke, I came across these militant nationalistic and pro-war activists at an early stage. I first had personal experience of BAK Shalom members at the ...
The National Union of Students no-platforms George Galloway, Galloway sues the NUS, the left talks nonsense throughout and Paul Demarty wonders what the hell is going on A sad truth about today’s left is that it is pretty irrational, all told. Normally this irrationality comes out in more or less disguised form: the standard practice, adopted ...
Below is a statement organised by Iranian left activists. The Farsi version is linked at the bottom of this piece Following the recent rumours of a military attack on Iran, several Israeli citizens have initiated a campaign, opposing the probable war of the American and Israeli states against Iran. In doing so, they are sending messages ...
The anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks coincides with a resurgence in 'liberal interventionism'. James Turley evaluates the bloody harvest of both (first published here) On September 11 2001, a motley crew of Islamist militants hijacked four planes in US airspace. Hours later, the tallest buildings in the country had been demolished, and thousands of ...
Those who are waiting for a 'pure' opposition will wait forever, writes James Turley (first published in the Weekly Worker) Friends: Tony Blair and Muammar Gaddafi In my last article, I attacked those on the left who imagined that the imperialist intervention in Libya was, or could be, somehow to the profit of the masses of that country.[1] ...
Defending democracy and the principle of self-determination, Stan Keable (CPGB) replies to James Turley (CS and CPGB) James Turley, in his contribution to the CPGB’s current debate on Israel-Palestine, quite rightly locates democracy and political freedom as being at the core of the CPGB’s conception of working class advance, and at the core of classical Marxism ...
James Turley, member of CS and the CPGB, takes issue with other Weekly Worker writers on the question of self-determination and the prospects for Arab unity It became an obvious necessity for the CPGB to tidy up its line on Israel/Palestine as the question of Zionism flowered into a full-scale war between our organisation and the ...
Where does ‘military support’ end and other forms of support begin? asks Nick Rogers What should be the role of communists and working class militants in inter-state conflicts within the international capitalist order of states? In this article I attempt to rethink some of the theoretical positions we have inherited from more than 80 years ago. ...
Sean Matgamna’s fake rhetorical questions are intended as a cover for his open social-imperialism, writes Israeli socialist Moshé Machover From Weekly Workers 734 In the cacophonous chorus of warmongers - among the shrieks of hawks, howls of jackals and foul laughter of hyenas - the attentive ear discerns a distinctive discordant sound coming from the far left: ...
Nick Rogers takes issue with other Weekly Worker writers in their assessment of international relations and the imperialist drive to war In this article and a subsequent one I seek to explore a number of areas of ambiguity within the formulations of the Hands off the People of Iran campaign - and some straightforward differences. I believe ...
James Turley argues that the left, rather than twisting words, must approach defeatism creatively This article stems from a too brief (as they always are for subjects as gravely important as this) discussion at a meeting addressed by the Hands Off the People of Iran campaign at the Socialist Workers Party's Marxism 2008. Though the meeting, held ...
Following on from the recent successful launch meeting of the Hands Off the People of Iran campaign in Leeds, Andy Yorke (who was there) and Luke Cooper, both of Workers Power, wrote the article 'Hands off the people of Iran: campaign for action or propaganda bloc?' Here we publish a response written by James Turley, ...